勝鬘寶窟 3.9

3.9

「世尊聲聞緣覺」下，此是第六說無邊聖諦章，略作八門釋之也。一來意門。上說法中有二：第一明一乘行；從此已去說一乘理。行所以得成，要由於理，故次行明理。行中有二：攝受明廣大出生、一乘明無二收入。如上所明。前五章，人無異釋；今就境中有八章經，但古今南北解釋不同，或依章名次判文處，此則得於大章，而失鉤鎖相生之意；或但直明鉤鎖相生，而失大章之智。今具兩用，方得釋文。上明說行有出生、收入，開之為二；今明乘理亦分為二。初四章經，總明有量無量，顯無量是究竟、有量非究竟；「一諦一依」已下，重就無量諦中分別取捨，前三諦是虛妄非究竟、一苦滅諦是真實為究竟。此皆大判為言也。就前四章，即為四別。今前序其來意。初舉「無邊聖諦」者，通而言之。從經初五章始歎佛發心、終一乘之果，並是明大乘行。行不孤生，起必託境，故今明無邊聖諦，出行境也。就別而言，舉無邊聖諦有量無量，有量之諦非究竟諦、無量之諦為究竟諦，以顯一乘二乘究竟非究竟義。一乘依無量諦起，故是究竟；二乘依有量諦起，故非究竟。是以次明一乘，以明無量諦也。又此欲說佛法大事，佛法大事所謂四諦。如來出世初轉四諦法輪，小乘之人執為究竟；今欲破之，明昔說四諦此是不了義說、無量四諦是了義說，令彼小乘識無量諦，更知苦斷集證滅修道得成佛也。從一乘章至此，凡奪四種四法：初明佛有四種功德故有涅槃、二乘無四種功德故無涅槃，次明二乘無四智、佛有四智，次明二乘無四無餘、佛有四無餘，今明二乘無四諦、佛有四諦。又一乘是佛果德、四諦是佛所證，前已明果，今次辨證，故有此章來也。又一乘依如來藏，要由見佛性，故得成一乘；如來藏由四諦而顯，故須明諦也。

From "World-Honoured One, śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas" onward, this is the sixth chapter, Expounding the Boundless Noble Truths, which will be briefly explained through eight sections. First, the section on the purpose of this text's appearance. In the preceding exposition of the Dharma, there were two parts: first, clarifying the practice of the ekayāna; from this point forward, expounding the principle of the ekayāna. That practice can be accomplished is necessarily due to principle; hence, following practice, principle is clarified. Within practice there were two parts: embracing [the saddharma] clarified vast origination, while the ekayāna clarified non-dual subsumption, as explained above. Regarding the previous five chapters, people have not offered differing interpretations. Now, regarding the objective realm, there are eight chapters in the sūtra. However, ancient and contemporary scholars of the north and south have explained them differently: some divide the text strictly according to chapter titles, which captures the major divisions but loses the sense of interlocking interconnection; others only directly clarify the interlocking interconnection, but lose the wisdom of the major divisions. Now, employing both methods simultaneously, one can properly explain the text. Previously, it was clarified that the teaching of practice has origination and subsumption, unfolding into two; now, it is clarified that the principle of the vehicle is likewise divided into two. The first four chapters of the sūtra generally clarify the finite and the infinite, revealing that the infinite is ultimate and the finite is non-ultimate. From "One Truth and One Refuge" onward, it re-examines the infinite truths to distinguish what is accepted and rejected: the first three truths are illusory and non-ultimate, while the single truth of the cessation of suffering is real and ultimate. These are all broad divisions of the discourse. The first four chapters constitute four distinct sections. Now, first, its purpose of appearance is introduced. First, mentioning the "boundless noble truths" speaks generally. From the sūtra's beginning five chapters, starting with praising the Buddha and generating the aspiration, up to the fruit of the ekayāna, all clarify Mahāyāna practice. Practice does not arise in isolation; its arising must rely upon an objective realm. Therefore, now clarifying the boundless noble truths brings forth the realm of practice. Speaking specifically, presenting the boundless noble truths as finite and infinite—where finite truths are non-ultimate truths and infinite truths are ultimate truths—reveals the meaning of ultimate versus non-ultimate regarding the ekayāna and the two vehicles. The ekayāna arises based on the infinite truths and is therefore ultimate; the two vehicles arise based on the finite truths and are therefore non-ultimate. Hence, following the clarification of the ekayāna, the infinite truths are clarified. Furthermore, this intends to expound the great matter of the Buddha's Dharma, the great matter of the Buddha's Dharma being the four truths. When the Tathāgata appeared in the world and first turned the wheel of the Dharma of the four truths, people of the Small Vehicle clung to it as ultimate. Now, wishing to refute this, he clarifies that the previous exposition of the four truths was a non-definitive (neyārtha) teaching, while the infinite four truths are a definitive (nītārtha) teaching, causing those of the Small Vehicle to recognise the infinite truths, to know suffering anew, abandon its origination, realise its cessation, and cultivate the path to attain buddhahood. From the chapter on the ekayāna to this point, four sets of four dharmas have been stripped away: first, clarifying that the Buddha possesses four virtues and therefore has nirvāṇa, while the two vehicles lack the four virtues and therefore lack nirvāṇa; next, clarifying that the two vehicles lack the four wisdoms, while the Buddha possesses the four wisdoms; next, clarifying that the two vehicles lack the four [kinds of nirvāṇa] without remainder, while the Buddha possesses the four without remainder; now, clarifying that the two vehicles lack the four truths, while the Buddha possesses the four truths. Furthermore, the ekayāna is the Buddha's fruitional virtue, while the four truths are what the Buddha has realised; having previously clarified the fruit, the realisation is now clarified next, which is why this chapter appears. Furthermore, the ekayāna is based on the tathāgatagarbha, and it is necessarily through seeing the buddhadhātu that one can accomplish the ekayāna; since the tathāgatagarbha is revealed through the four truths, it is necessary to clarify the truths.