大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 21.39

21.39

疏「佛以正法金錍」者，即《涅槃》第八「迦葉菩薩白佛言：『世尊！佛性者，云何甚深難見難入？』佛言：『善男子！如百盲人，為治目故，造詣良醫。是時良醫即以金錍抉其眼瞙，以一指示，問言：「見不？」盲人答言：「我猶未見。」復以二指三指示之，乃言少見。善男子！是大涅槃微妙經典，如來未說亦復如是，無量菩薩雖已具足行諸波羅蜜乃至十住，猶未能得見於佛性。如來既說，即便少見。是菩薩摩訶薩既得見已，咸作是言：「甚奇世尊！我等流轉無量生死，常為無我之所惑亂。」善男子！如是菩薩位階十地，尚不了了知見佛性，何況聲聞緣覺之人能得見耶？』」澤州苑公及延法師廣有配釋，今並不用。且澤州釋云：十地菩薩各修十度，名為百人。《涅槃》為金錍。經初一說，名一指示。中間重說，名二指示。經末後說，名三指示。下合中未見佛性，並如前盲人。若俱經教，則錍指不殊。若以《涅槃》為所詮者，又不順喻，所以不依。延公云：金錍喻教。抉瞙者，教能生解，喻破無明。即今疏意，故名正法金錍。而言三指者，喻三僧祇。乃至十地未了分明，故言少見。若準澤州，則《涅槃》為錍。三說為三指者，若俱約教，則錍指不殊。若以《涅槃》為所詮者，又不順喻。寧取延公，約以三僧祇為三指者，亦順前示及與後示，亦順十住少見之言。今不取者，遂令佛說一時之中不具三指。又以時喻指，以未全同，故疏自釋以三諦為三指。指為旨趣，義甚分明。一時橫觀皆觀三諦，竪至十地亦證三諦。第一指者，即示俗諦，言凡是有心定當作佛皆有佛性。二者示真諦為第二指，云佛性者名第一義空。三示中道為三指，經云「佛性即是無上菩提，中道種子故，非有如虛空、非無如兔角。」故知三諦喻於三指。

Regarding the Commentary's statement, "The Buddha, using the golden lancet of the correct Dharma": this refers to the eighth fascicle of the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra: 'Bodhisattva Kāśyapa said to the Buddha: "World-Honoured One! Why is the Buddha-nature so profound, hard to see, and hard to enter?" The Buddha said: "Good sons! It is like a hundred blind people who visit a skilled physician to treat their eyes. Then the skilled physician removes the cataract from their eyes with a golden lancet, holds up one finger, and asks, 'Do you see?' The blind people reply, 'I still do not see.' He then holds up two fingers, then three fingers, and they then say they see a little. Good sons! It is also like this before the Tathāgata had expounded this subtle and wondrous scripture of the Mahāparinirvāṇa; although immeasurable bodhisattvas had already practiced the pāramitās fully up to the ten abodes, they were still not able to see the Buddha-nature. Once the Tathāgata expounded it, they immediately saw it a little. Once these bodhisattva-mahāsattvas were able to see it, they all spoke thus: 'How extraordinary, World-Honoured One! We have drifted through immeasurable saṃsāra, constantly deluded and confused by non-self.' Good sons! Bodhisattvas ranked in the ten grounds like these still do not clearly and distinctly know and see the Buddha-nature; how much less could people of the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha [vehicles] be able to see it?"' Master Yuan of Zezhou and Dharma Master Yan extensively provided correlated interpretations, but neither is adopted here. Now, Zezhou's interpretation states: Bodhisattvas of the ten grounds each cultivate the ten perfections, which is called the 'hundred people.' The Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra is the golden lancet. The initial exposition of the sūtra is called showing one finger. The repeated exposition in the middle is called showing two fingers. The final exposition at the end of the sūtra is called showing three fingers. In the following application, not having seen the Buddha-nature is entirely like the aforementioned blind people. If both refer to the sūtra's teachings, then there would be no difference between the lancet and the fingers. If the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra is taken as the signified doctrine, it again does not accord with the metaphor; therefore we do not follow it. Master Yan says: The golden lancet symbolizes the teaching. Removing the cataract means the teaching can generate understanding, symbolizing the destruction of ignorance. This is precisely the meaning of the present Commentary, hence called the 'golden lancet of the correct Dharma.' As for the three fingers, they symbolize the three asaṃkhyeya [kalpas]. Up through the ten grounds, it is not yet fully clear, hence it says 'seeing a little.' If one follows Zezhou, the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra is the lancet. If the three expositions are the three fingers, then if both pertain to the teaching, the lancet and the fingers would not be distinct. If the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra is taken as the signified, it again does not accord with the metaphor. It would be better to take Master Yan's view, which treats the three asaṃkhyeya [kalpas] as the three fingers; this also accords with the earlier indication and the later indication, and also accords with the statement about the ten abodes 'seeing a little.' What we do not take now is that it causes the Buddha's single-time exposition not to possess the three fingers. Moreover, using time to symbolize fingers does not entirely correspond; therefore the Commentary itself explains the three truths as the three fingers. 'Fingers' refers to the essential points, and the meaning is very clear. When contemplating horizontally in a single moment, one contemplates all three truths; when ascending vertically up to the ten grounds, one also realizes the three truths. The first finger indicates the conventional truth, stating that all who have a mind are destined to become Buddhas and all possess Buddha-nature. Second, indicating the ultimate truth is the second finger, saying that Buddha-nature is named the emptiness of the supreme meaning. Third, indicating the middle way is the third finger, as the sūtra states, 'Buddha-nature is precisely anuttarabodhi; because it is the seed of the middle way, it is neither existent like empty space nor non-existent like a rabbit's horn.' Therefore we know that the three truths are symbolized by the three fingers.