華嚴經探玄記 1.36

1.36

三後魏光統律師承習佛陀三藏立三種教，謂漸、頓、圓。光師釋意：一為根未熟，先說無常、後乃說常，先空、後不空等，如是漸次名為漸教。二為根熟之輩，於一法門具足演說一切佛法，謂常與無常、空不空等一切具說，更無由漸，故名為頓。三為於上達分階佛境之者，說於如來無礙解脫究竟果德圓極祕密自在法門，故名為圓。即以此經是圓頓所攝。後光統門下遵統師等亦皆宗承，同於此說。

Third, Vinaya Master Guangtong of the Later Wei, inheriting the tradition of Tripiṭaka Master Buddhabhadra, established three kinds of teachings: gradual, sudden, and perfect. Master Guang's meaning explained: First, for those whose faculties are not yet mature, first expounding impermanence and later expounding permanence, first emptiness and later non-emptiness, and so forth; such gradual progression is named the gradual teaching. Second, for those whose faculties are mature, completely expounding all Buddha-dharmas within a single doctrinal gate—meaning permanence and impermanence, emptiness and non-emptiness are all fully expounded without any dependence on gradual progression—hence named the sudden. Third, for those of superior attainment who have stepped into the Buddha realm, expounding the Tathāgata's unimpeded liberation, ultimate fruition virtues, and the perfectly culminating, esoteric, autonomous doctrinal gate, hence named the perfect. Thus, this sūtra is subsumed under the perfect and sudden. Later, Zuntong and other disciples of Guangtong all maintained and followed this, agreeing with this view.