新華嚴經論 4.6

4.6

Fifth, explaining the differences in the behavioral marks practiced in the stages: all who generate the Mahāyāna mind, in accordance with their faculties and capacities, have different behavioral marks among six vehicles and three kinds of five stages and ten grounds. What are their names and numbers? First, the gate of aspiring to be born in a pure land through mindfulness of the Buddha; second, the gate of being born in a pure land through the practice of pure land visualization; third, the gate of the vehicle of cultivating the contemplation of emptiness and selflessness; fourth, the gate of the wisdom of contemplation harmonizing existence and non-existence; fifth, the gate of progressive practice by gradually seeing the Buddha-nature; sixth, the gate of the round fusion of suddenly realizing the Buddha-nature. Those who cultivate the Mahāyāna do not go beyond these six kinds of vehicle practices. What are the three kinds of five stages and ten grounds? First, establishing the five stages and ten grounds through the cultivation of provisional descriptions, provisional suchness, and the like; second, establishing the five stages and ten grounds through partial cultivation, partial reality, and partial realization of a fraction of suchness; third, establishing the behavioral marks of the ten grounds and five stages through sudden cultivation, sudden reality, and sudden realization of the complete suchness of the Buddha's realm—in this Buddha Vehicle there are no provisional dharmas, and verbal terms and marks are entirely true. Within these three kinds of behavioral marks of the ten grounds and five stages, those aspiring toward bodhi, those practicing the bodhisattva path, and those fulfilling the Buddha fruition are without exception all included. Now, setting them forth in general, their provisional and ultimate statuses are distinguished according to the tenets of their respective vehicles, so that practitioners may leave behind obstacles, progress with merit in their cultivation without disparaging one another, and clearly see the distinctions without doubts or regrets, so that those who advance in cultivation may clearly know the provisional and the ultimate, and those who achieve Buddhahood will not have their efforts delayed.