大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 8.30

8.30

Regarding the commentary's passage from "Since this is not yet exhaustive" onward, this is the second part, explaining the name. That is, why is it called the initial teaching, and also called the differentiated teaching? It is because, combining the second and third periods, neither is exhaustive of the principle. In saying "not exhaustive": in the second period, it only elucidates emptiness, and emptiness is the initial gate; in the third period, there is definitely the triyāna, concealing the single culmination. Thus the name "initial teaching" is derived from both of the two periods in the Saṃdhinirmocana. Why is emptiness the initial gate? In the Mahābherīhāraka-sūtra, the gate of emptiness is taken as the beginning, and the gate of non-emptiness is taken as the end. Thus that sūtra states: "Kāśyapa said to the Buddha: 'World-Honoured One, the various Mahāyāna sūtras mostly teach the meaning of emptiness.' The Buddha told Kāśyapa: 'All sūtras of emptiness are teachings with remainder; only this sūtra is an unsurpassed teaching, because it is not a teaching with remainder.'" If so, since that third period does not elucidate emptiness, how does it obtain the name "initial"? Because it has not yet revealed the single culmination. It is precisely due to this meaning that the name "differentiated teaching" is added, which is why it says that because some do not become Buddhas, it is called "differentiated."