華嚴經探玄記 1.52

1.52

Ninth, classifying the teachings according to doctrine. The types of teachings are five; this is a division made according to doctrine, not according to temporal matters: 1. the Hīnayāna teaching; 2. the initial teaching of the Mahāyāna; 3. the final teaching; 4. the sudden teaching; 5. the perfect teaching. First, the Hīnayāna is understandable. Second, regarding the initial teaching: because in the *Sandhinirmocana Sūtra* the teachings of the second and third periods both equally allow that those of determined nature in the two vehicles do not attain Buddhahood, they are now combined into a single teaching. Since this has not yet exhausted the doctrinal principle of the Mahāyāna, it is established as the initial teaching of the Mahāyāna. Third, regarding the final teaching: those of determined nature in the two vehicles and icchantikas without nature will all attain Buddhahood; only this exhausts the ultimate discourse of the Mahāyāna, and so it is established as the final teaching. However, both of the above two teachings are cultivated and accomplished gradually in accordance with levels and stages, and both are named gradual teachings. Fourth, regarding the sudden teaching: simply when a single thought does not arise, one is named a Buddha; it is not expounded according to a sequence of stages and levels, and so it is established as sudden. As the *Viśeṣacintā* states: "One who attains the correct nature of all dharmas does not proceed from one bhūmi to another bhūmi." The *Laṅkāvatāra* states: "The first bhūmi is just the eighth bhūmi, up to there being nothing at all—what sequence is there?" Furthermore, later in the "Chapter on the Bhūmis," the ten bhūmis are like the tracks of a bird in the sky; how could any distinction be found? It is expounded in full as in the *Sarvadharmāpravṛtti Sūtra* and others. Fifth, regarding the perfect teaching: it clarifies that one stage is all stages, and all stages are one stage; therefore, the fulfilled mind of the ten faiths immediately subsumes the five stages to achieve complete awakening, and so forth; based on Samantabhadra's dharmadhātu, which is manifold like Indra's net, fully endowed with principal and retinue, it is therefore named the perfect teaching, as expounded in this sūtra and others. If considered in terms of the characteristics of dharmas expounded, and so forth: First, the characteristics of dharmas in the Hīnayāna have seventy-five dharmas, and consciousness is only six; what it expounds does not exhaust the source of dharmas, giving rise to much divergent dispute, as expounded in the various sūtras and treatises of the Hīnayāna schools. Second, in the initial teaching, characteristics of dharmas are expounded extensively and true nature is expounded sparingly; the hundred dharmas established are distinguished with clarity so there are no contradictory disputes; the eight consciousnesses expounded are only the characteristics of arising and ceasing dharmas, and the names and enumerations are mostly identical to the Hīnayāna, certainly not an ultimate, profound discourse, as expounded in the *Yogācārabhūmi*, the *Samuccaya*, and so forth. Third, in the final teaching, characteristics of dharmas are expounded sparingly and true nature is expounded extensively, because it integrates phenomena into principle. The eight consciousnesses established are universally established through the tathāgatagarbha according with conditions, endowed with both arising-and-ceasing and non-arising-and-ceasing; it does not discuss the hundred dharmas, its names and enumerations are not extensive, and again it is not identical to the small nor does it have many divisions, as expounded in sūtras such as the *Laṅkāvatāra* and treatises such as the *Ratnagotravibhāga*. Fourth, in the sudden teaching, characteristics of dharmas are not expounded at all, true nature alone being explained; there are also no differentiated characteristics of eight consciousnesses; everything that exists is merely false conceptualisation, and the reality of all dharmas is solely beyond words; it rebukes doctrine, urges detachment, destroys characteristics, and extinguishes the mind; when the mind arises it is delusion, when it does not arise it is Buddhahood; there is also neither Buddha nor non-Buddha, neither arising nor non-arising—Vimalakīrti's silent dwelling revealing non-duality is its import. Fifth, in the perfect teaching, what is expounded is solely the inexhaustible dharmadhātu; the ocean of nature is perfectly interpenetrating, conditioned arising is unimpeded, mutually identical and mutually entering, like Indra's net manifold and boundless, infinitesimally mutually containing, principal and retinue inexhaustible, each of the sets of ten dharma-gateways corresponding to the dharmadhātu, fully expounded as below. However, these five teachings may be opened or combined, having also five levels: 1. They may be united into one, meaning they are merely the Tathāgata's single great skillfulness and expedient means for gathering in beings. 2. They may be opened into two, meaning the teachings of the One Vehicle and the three vehicles. Among the former teachings, although there are differences in retaining the three or eliminating the two, they all universally allow entry through the three vehicles, hence are called the three vehicles teachings; the latter directly reveals the fundamental Dharma not shared with the two vehicles, hence is solely one—this is what is called in the *Dà zhìdù lùn* the shared teaching and the unshared teaching. This is also identical to the two teachings established by Master Yindao and others above. 3. They may be divided into three, meaning the Hīnayāna, the three vehicles, and the One Vehicle teachings. Since the *Dà zhìdù lùn* regards this sūtra as not shared with the two vehicles, it calls it unshared, which is the One Vehicle. The *Pañcaviṃśati* and others, being universally viewed to bring benefit to the three vehicles, are called shared, which is the three vehicles. By semantic analogy, since the four Āgamas are not shared with bodhisattvas, they are also called unshared, which is the Hīnayāna. Based on these three positions, the Liang *Mahāyānasaṃgraha*, fascicle 8, states: "There are three ways in which the Tathāgata establishes the true Dharma: 1. establishing the Hīnayāna; 2. establishing the Mahāyāna (some editions have the characters 'three vehicles'); 3. establishing the One Vehicle. Because the third is supreme, it is called well established." This is also identical to what was expounded in the *Vicitrajñāna Sūtra* above. Also, in the second fascicle of Tripiṭaka Master Paramārtha's *Commentary on the Differences of the Nikāyas*, the explanation is also identical to this. 4. They may be divided into four, which has two meanings: First, within the shared teaching above, opening into two teachings according to retaining the three and eliminating the two makes four: 1. the distinct-teaching Hīnayāna; 2. the common-teaching three vehicles, as in the *Sandhinirmocana* and others; 3. the common-teaching One Vehicle, as in the *Lotus* and others; 4. the distinct-teaching One Vehicle, as in the *Avataṃsaka* and others. Second, opening into gradual and sudden teachings according to progressing through stages versus having no stages makes four: 1. the Hīnayāna teaching; 2. the gradual teaching; 3. the sudden teaching; 4. the perfect teaching. 5. They may be divided separately into five, by further dividing the gradual teaching above into the initial and final teachings. The five teachings above do not rigidly judge sūtras, but are discussed for the most part. As indicated above, they apply generally to various sūtras and treatises, and all can be understood.