大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 72.20

72.20

"Seventh, the characteristics of the Great and Small Vehicles": knowing the real is Dharma; knowing the provisional is meaning; converging the three to return to the one is expressions; opening the gate of upāya is delight in exposition. Saying "only this one thing is real" refers to the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle one, stating: "Only this one thing is real; the other two are not true." In the second, expounding the provisional in accordance with capacities is precisely the import of meaning. In the third, "the three vehicles together returning to the one real" also refers to the first fascicle, which states: / "Śāriputra, you should know: / The words of all Buddhas do not differ. / In the Dharma expounded by the Buddha, / You should give rise to great faith. / Long after the Dharma of the World-Honoured One, / He will certainly expound the true reality. / Declaring to all the assembly of śrāvakas / And those seeking the pratyekabuddha vehicle: / 'I caused you to be freed from the bondage of suffering / And attain nirvāṇa.' / The Buddha, through the power of upāya, / Displayed the teachings of the three vehicles; / Sentient beings give rise to attachments in various places, / So he led them forth to attain deliverance." / Furthermore, the third fascicle states: "What you practice is the bodhisattva path; gradually training and learning, you shall all become Buddhas." The sūtras of the three cycles are all the upāya of converging the three to return to the one true reality. Saying "without difference in the characteristic of liberation" refers to the third fascicle, the "Chapter on the Parable of the Medicinal Herbs": "The Tathāgata knows that this Dharma is of one characteristic and one flavor, namely: the characteristic of liberation, the characteristic of detachment, the characteristic of cessation, and the characteristic of the ultimate nirvāṇa of constant quiescence, ultimately returning to emptiness." That is, there is no difference within liberation. Furthermore, the second fascicle states: "Merely being detached from falsehood is called liberation, but in truth they have not yet attained total liberation." Thus, all three vehicles together return to total liberation.