新華嚴經論 4.9

4.9

Third, the gate of the vehicle of cultivating the contemplation of emptiness and selflessness: because prajñā was initially taught to refute the reified existence held by ordinary people and the self-grasping of the emptiness of persons held by the two vehicles, it extensively cultivates the dharma of emptiness. It is the gate where existence and non-existence are both empty, because the contemplation of emptiness is predominant. Although they practice the six pāramitās, cultivate various factors of bodhi, and obtain the six superknowledges, and although their practice of the bodhisattva path yields merit superior to humans and gods, they are not born into the Buddha's household and do not see the Buddha-nature, because they analyze dharmas to understand emptiness and do not realize that ignorance is the wisdom of the Tathāgata. The *Avataṃsaka Sūtra* likewise rebukes this, as described previously. As the *Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra* says: 'If one were to uphold eighty-four thousand treasuries of Dharma and the twelve divisions of scripture and expound them for people, enabling all listeners to attain the six superknowledges, that would still not be difficult; but to listen to and accept this sūtra is indeed difficult.' This is because the *Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra* accomplishes the Buddha Vehicle, not the Bodhisattva Vehicle. For this reason, the Tathāgata stated in the *Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra*: 'All sentient beings have the Buddha-nature, which is permanent, joyful, self, and pure.' Some bodhisattvas repented of their errors, saying: 'That we have transmigrated in birth and death for immeasurable kalpas was merely because we were deluded and confused by selflessness.' Because of such errors, only by turning their minds can they come to see the nature and realize that the self is wisdom. Wherever Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī engages in questions and answers in the various *Prajñā* scriptures, they always discuss the principle of a fraction of the dharmakāya Buddha-nature, as in the *Mañjuśrī-prajñā*. When the questions and answers are with śrāvakas, they mostly refute the self-grasping of the emptiness of persons of the two vehicles and explain the emptiness of dharmas. When the questions and answers are with Samantabhadra, they mostly pertain to the gate of practice. Whenever the Dharma is expounded, it accords with faculties; one can know the outer and inner simply by observing the principal masters in question and answer, which can be inferred accordingly.