大般涅槃經集解 67.52

67.52

Sengliang states: The river is an analogy for the Nirvāṇa Sūtra. As for the 'seven kinds of sentient beings', the sūtra explains seven kinds of buddhadhātu, whose meanings of presence and absence differ. One is present existence, and six are present non-existence. Regarding existence across the three periods of time, one is present, and six are past. The future is also called the Middle Way. Sengzong states: The seventh section clarifies that cause and effect are not conflated. There are seven kinds of sentient beings in the river; in the Nirvāṇa Sūtra, there are seven kinds of ordinary persons and noble ones. The reason we know they are not conflated is that only with the turtle can it be said that one has reached the shore; prior to that, the other six kinds are still in the river. Being in the river, one is not called having reached the shore—how could the fruit already exist in the cause? Baoliang states: The third cycle clarifies presence and absence in terms of seven persons. 'Constantly submerged' refers to the icchantika. 'Emerging briefly and submerging again' refers to the fully bound ordinary person, who temporarily gives rise to worldly goodness and then returns to birth-and-death. 'Having emerged, staying' refers to the establishment of the five faculties such as faith. 'Looking all around the four directions' refers to the fruit of the srotaāpanna. 'Having looked, proceeding' refers to the sakṛdāgāmin. 'Having proceeded, staying again' refers to the anāgāmin. 'Moving in both water and on land' refers to attaining arhatship. From this up to mahānirvāṇa, all together constitute the seventh person.