新華嚴經論 3.15

3.15

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.