阿彌陀經通贊疏 1.20

1.20

「因此問故略明諸師判教：初明此土判教；二明西天判教。此土判教而有五人：一、魏時三藏菩提流支，此云覺受，以佛一代時教總判為一時。有二義不同，教似有多：一、教同根異。如天雨是一、所潤三草二木不同等；教法是一，眾生悟解不同，如聲聞緣覺作四諦十二因緣解，菩薩作六度解，約根教似有異。二、理同證異。三乘證理不同，如三獸之度河淺深別，故判教一時。二、宋朝三藏曇無讖，判如來一代時教為頓、漸二時。頓教者，佛一代時有說二空、三性、三無性、八識、二無我等教，皆是頓教，所以《華嚴》聲聞對目不聞等是。漸教者，佛一代時有說四諦、緣生、五八戒等，總名漸教。三、梁朝真諦三藏，判如來一代時教為三時：一有教、二空教、三非空非有教。且有教者，佛初成道七年已後說有教，五年度五俱輪，第六年化舍利弗，第七年度三迦葉，總名有教。二空教，從第八年至三十八年已來總說八部《般若》等是。三非空非有教，從三十九年至臨涅槃時說非空非有教，《法華》、《楞伽》、《思益》等是。四、隋朝崛多、笈多二三藏，判如來教為四時：一生空教、二法空教、三法相教、四觀行教。一生空教，即十二年前說《阿含經》等是；二法空教，即三十八年前說八部《般若》；三法相教者，即三十八年後四十九已來說《楞伽》、《思益》、《法華》經等，廣說百法、三性、三無性、八識、二無我等是；四觀行教者，即說《華嚴》法界觀等是。五、晉朝劉居士，山中隱逸自述意懷，判教為五時：一人天教、二生空教、三法空教、四俱空教、五非空非有教。人天教者，即佛成道後三七日內為提謂長者說三歸五戒十善等，是未有出世善根器故。覺受難云：《提謂經》說五百賈人將受五戒，先懺悔五逆十惡謗法等罪。世尊言四大本淨吾我本淨，提謂得不起法忍即無生法忍，五百賈人得柔順忍等，皆是證聖，豈是人天教耶？二生空教者，即十二年前說二乘之教是；三法空教，即三十年前說者是；四俱空教者，即三十八年前說八部《般若》是；五非空非有教者，即四十年已來說《法華》、《楞伽》等經是。

"Because of this question, I shall briefly explain the classifications of the teachings by various masters: first, explaining the classifications of the teachings in this land [China]; second, explaining the classifications of the teachings in the Western Heavens [India]. As for the classification of teachings in this land, there are five figures: First, the Tripiṭaka Master Bodhiruci of the Wei dynasty—translated here as 'Jue-shou' [Enlightened Acceptance]—who comprehensively classified the teachings of the Buddha's entire lifetime as a single period. There are two different meanings wherein the teaching appears to be manifold: First, the teaching is identical while faculties differ. Just as rain from the heavens is one, yet the three grasses and two trees moistened by it are different; the Dharma teaching is one, yet sentient beings comprehend and understand it differently. For instance, śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas understand it in terms of the Four Noble Truths and the twelve links of dependent origination, while bodhisattvas understand it in terms of the six perfections; in terms of faculties, the teaching appears to differ. Second, the principle is identical while realization differs. The three vehicles differ in their realization of the principle, just as the crossing of a river by three beasts varies in shallowness and depth; therefore, he classified the teaching as one period. Second, the Tripiṭaka Master Dharmakṣema of the Song dynasty classified the Tathāgata's lifetime teachings into two periods: sudden and gradual. As for the sudden teaching, throughout the Buddha's lifetime there were teachings that expounded the two kinds of emptiness, the three natures, the three non-natures, the eight consciousnesses, the two kinds of selflessness, and so on; all these are the sudden teaching. Hence, in the *Avataṃsaka*, the śrāvakas stood before it as if blind and deaf, and so forth. As for the gradual teaching, throughout the Buddha's lifetime there were teachings that expounded the Four Noble Truths, dependent origination, the five and eight precepts, and so forth; these are collectively named the gradual teaching. Third, the Tripiṭaka Master Paramārtha of the Liang dynasty classified the Tathāgata's lifetime teachings into three periods: first, the teaching of existence; second, the teaching of emptiness; third, the teaching of neither emptiness nor existence. Regarding the teaching of existence, after the seventh year following the Buddha's initial attainment of the Way he taught the teaching of existence: in the fifth year he delivered the five companions [Kauṇḍinya and the others], in the sixth year he converted Śāriputra, and in the seventh year he delivered the three Kāśyapas; these are collectively termed the teaching of existence. As for the teaching of emptiness, from the eighth year up to the thirty-eighth year he expounded in general the eight divisions of *Prajñāpāramitā* and so forth. As for the teaching of neither emptiness nor existence, from the thirty-ninth year up until his parinirvāṇa he taught the teaching of neither emptiness nor existence, which includes the *Lotus Sūtra*, the *Laṅkāvatāra*, the *Viśeṣacintibrahmaparipṛcchā*, and so forth. Fourth, the two Tripiṭaka Masters Narendrayaśas [Qu-duo] and Jñānagupta [Ji-duo] of the Sui dynasty classified the Tathāgata's teachings into four periods: first, the teaching of the emptiness of persons; second, the teaching of the emptiness of phenomena; third, the teaching of phenomenal characteristics; fourth, the teaching of contemplative practice. The teaching of the emptiness of persons refers to the *Āgama Sūtras* and the like taught before the twelfth year; the teaching of the emptiness of phenomena refers to the eight divisions of *Prajñāpāramitā* taught before the thirty-eighth year; the teaching of phenomenal characteristics refers to the *Laṅkāvatāra*, the *Viśeṣacintibrahmaparipṛcchā*, and the *Lotus Sūtra* and so forth taught after the thirty-eighth year and before the forty-ninth year, which broadly expound the hundred dharmas, the three natures, the three non-natures, the eight consciousnesses, the two kinds of selflessness, and so forth; the teaching of contemplative practice refers to the contemplation of the dharma-realm in the *Avataṃsaka* and so forth. Fifth, the Upāsaka Liu of the Jin dynasty, residing in seclusion in the mountains, expressed his own view, classifying the teachings into five periods: first, the teaching of humans and devas; second, the teaching of the emptiness of persons; third, the teaching of the emptiness of phenomena; fourth, the teaching of the emptiness of both; fifth, the teaching of neither emptiness nor existence. The teaching of humans and devas refers to the Buddha's expounding the three refuges, the five precepts, and the ten good actions to the elder Trapuṣa within the three seven-day periods after his attainment of the Way, because [Trapuṣa and his companions] were not yet vessels for supramundane wholesome roots. Bodhiruci objected, saying: 'The *Trapuṣa Sūtra* states that when the five hundred merchants were about to receive the five precepts, they first repented of their sins of the five heinous deeds, the ten evils, and slandering the Dharma. The World-Honoured One said: "The four great elements are fundamentally pure; the self is fundamentally pure." Trapuṣa attained the non-arising endurance of dharmas, which is the endurance of the non-arising of dharmas, and the five hundred merchants attained compliant endurance and so forth; all realized holiness. How could this be a teaching of humans and devas?' The second, the teaching of the emptiness of persons, refers to the teachings of the two vehicles taught before the twelfth year; the third, the teaching of the emptiness of phenomena, refers to what was taught before the thirtieth year; the fourth, the teaching of the emptiness of both, refers to the eight divisions of *Prajñāpāramitā* taught before the thirty-eighth year; the fifth, the teaching of neither emptiness nor existence, refers to the sūtras such as the *Lotus* and *Laṅkāvatāra* taught from the fortieth year onward.