新華嚴經論 3.15

3.15

第三後魏光統律師承習佛陀三藏立三種教者，一漸、二頓、三圓。光法師釋意：一為根未熟，先說無常、後乃說常，先說空、後說不空等，如是漸次，名為漸教。二為根熟之輩，於一法中具足演說一切法，謂常與無常、空不空等教，一切具說更無由漸，故名為頓。三為上達之人分契佛境者，說於如來解脫無礙究竟果德圓極祕密自在法門，故名圓教。於前二教之上分為三教。

Third, as for Vinaya Master Guangtong of the Later Wei, inheriting the tradition of Tripiṭaka Master Buddhasānta, establishing three teachings: first, gradual; second, sudden; third, perfect. Master Guang's explanation was: first, for those whose faculties are not yet mature, He first speaks of impermanence and only later speaks of permanence, first speaks of emptiness and later speaks of non-emptiness, and so on; being sequential like this, it is called the gradual teaching. Second, for those whose faculties are mature, within a single phenomenon He fully expounds all phenomena, namely fully speaking of the teachings of permanence and impermanence, emptiness and non-emptiness, and so forth, with no further reliance on stages; hence it is called sudden. Third, for persons of superior attainment who partially accord with the Buddha's realm, He speaks of the Tathāgata's ultimate fruit-virtues of unimpeded liberation, the perfectly ultimate, esoteric, and sovereign Dharma gate; hence it is called the perfect teaching. Above the previous two teachings, they are divided into three teachings.