勝鬘寶窟 1.21

1.21

次辨教差別門。有二：一明立教意、次明教門不同。論云「泥洹是真法寶，眾生藉種種門入。」門雖不同，大明二種：一藉事以受悟，如香積佛土，以香為佛事。二因無言以登聖，如寂漠世界，外無示說、內無識慮。三因方言以改凡，如娑婆國土，隨物而現形、適機而演教。教雖萬差，考其大宗同是無名相中強名相說，欲令眾生因言以悟無言也。但取相之徒，聞至理無言、教有於言，無言之理不得有言、有言之教不可無言，是則理教永分，生乎二見。《大品》云「諸有二者，無道無果。」《涅槃》云「明與無明，愚者謂二。」故下章云「堅執妄說、違背正教，名為外道腐敗種子。」是故不應起理教二見。今所明者，所詮之理絕言、詮理之言常絕，故言滿十方不吐一名字。如天女之詰身子：「汝乃知解脫無言，而未悟言即解脫。」既云言即解脫，亦應解脫即言。言即解脫，雖言無言；解脫即言，雖無言而言。言而無言，非定有言；無言而言，非定無言。故非言非無言，亦非理非教，名心無所依，乃識理教意也。如《法華》云「我以無數方便，引導眾生令離諸著。」《像法決疑經》云「我從初出世乃至涅槃，不說一字、不度一人。」《大集經》云「菩薩了一切法門疾得菩提，所謂一切法心無所著。」肇法師云：「其為論也，言而無當、破而不執，儻然靡據、事不失真，蕭焉無寄、理自玄會。」家師朗和上，每登高座誨彼門人，常云：「言以不住為端，心以無得為主。故深經高匠啟悟群生，令心無所著。所以然者，以著是累根、眾苦之本，以執著故。」三世諸佛敷經演論，皆令眾生心無所著。所以令無著者，著者是累根、眾苦之本。以執著故，起決定分別，定分別故則生煩惱，煩惱因緣即便起業，業因緣故則受生老病死之苦。有所得人未學佛法，從無始來任運於法而起著心，今聞佛法更復起著，是為著上而復生著，著心堅固、苦根轉深，無由解脫。欲令弘經利人及行道自行，勿起著心。此敘說教之大意也。

Next is the section distinguishing the classifications of the teaching. There are two parts: first, clarifying the intention behind establishing the teaching; next, clarifying the differences among the gates of teaching. A treatise says: "Nirvāṇa is the true Dharma-jewel; sentient beings enter it relying on various gates." Although the gates are not the same, two kinds are explained in broad terms: First, relying on concrete phenomena to receive awakening, as in the Fragrance Accumulation Buddha-land, where fragrance is used for buddha-deeds. Second, by means of wordlessness to ascend to holiness, as in the Silent and Desolate World, where externally there is no indication or preaching and internally no consciousness or thought. [Third,] by means of regional speech to transform ordinary beings, as in the Sahā realm, where forms are manifested according to beings and teachings are expounded to suit their capacities. Although teachings are myriad and diverse, examining their overarching principle, they are all the forced use of names and marks within what is without name or mark, wishing to cause sentient beings to awaken to wordlessness by means of words. But practitioners who grasp at marks, hearing that the ultimate principle is wordless and the teaching has words, [think that] the wordless principle cannot have words and the teaching with words cannot lack words; thus principle and teaching are permanently severed, giving rise to two views. The Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā-sūtra says: "Those who possess duality have neither Path nor fruit." The Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra says: "Luminosity and ignorance: fools consider them two." Hence the chapter below says: "Tenaciously clinging to erroneous assertions and rebelling against the correct teaching is called the rotten seed of the heterodox." Therefore, one should not give rise to the two views of principle and teaching. What is clarified here is that the principle that is expressed is beyond words, and the words expressing the principle are ever extinguished; thus, though words fill the ten directions, not a single name or letter is uttered. As the goddess rebuked Śāriputra: "You only know that liberation is wordless, but have not awakened to words themselves being liberation." Since it is said that words themselves are liberation, liberation should also be words. If words themselves are liberation, though there are words, there are no words; if liberation is words, though there are no words, there are words. Since speaking is not speaking, there is no fixed presence of words; since not speaking is speaking, there is no fixed absence of words. Therefore, it is neither speech nor absence of speech, neither principle nor teaching; being called the mind without reliance, one then recognizes the intent of principle and teaching. As the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka says: "By countless upāyas I guide sentient beings, causing them to leave all attachments." The Sūtra on Resolving Doubts in the Semblance Dharma says: "From my first appearance in the world until nirvāṇa, I have not spoken a single word nor crossed over a single person." The Mahāsaṃnipāta-sūtra says: "A bodhisattva who understands all dharma-gates swiftly attains bodhi: namely, having a mind without attachment to all dharmas." Master Sengzhao said: "As for its treatises, words are without fixation, and refutation is without clinging; expansive and baseless, yet matters do not lose truth; serene and without reliance, principle spontaneously accords with the profound." My teacher, the Venerable Lang, whenever he ascended the high seat to instruct his disciples, constantly said: "Speech takes non-abiding as its source; mind takes non-attainment as its master. Therefore, profound sūtras and eminent masters awaken the multitude of beings, causing their minds to have nothing to attach to. Why is this so? Because attachment is the root of entanglements and the origin of all suffering; it is due to clinging and attachment." The buddhas of the three periods of time display sūtras and expound treatises all to cause sentient beings' minds to have no attachment. The reason they cause them to be without attachment is that attachment is the root of entanglements and the origin of all suffering. Because of clinging and attachment, determinate discrimination arises; because of determinate discrimination, afflictions arise; through the condition of afflictions, karma is immediately produced; through the condition of karma, the suffering of birth, old age, sickness, and death is experienced. Those who possess attainments have not studied the Buddha-Dharma, and from beginningless time have spontaneously given rise to minds of attachment regarding dharmas; now, hearing the Buddha-Dharma, they again give rise to attachment—this is to produce attachment on top of attachment. With the mind of attachment solid and the roots of suffering growing deeper, there is no way to be liberated. One must cause those who propagate the sūtras to benefit people, and those who practice the Path to cultivate themselves, not to give rise to minds of attachment. This relates the broad intent of expounding the teaching.