涅槃玄義發源機要 1.9

1.9

Second, distinguishing the reasons for the arising of that which expounds [the doctrine], which has two parts: first, universally citing the whole lifetime's teaching. 'Sharp and dull being different': all sentient beings inherently possess the three virtues equally without distinction, yet owing to the depth or shallowness of their perfuming, differences of sharp and dull arise. Those of sharp faculties awakened to the perfect and eternal right at the assembly of the *Avataṃsaka*; hence the *Lotus Sūtra* states, 'When they first saw my body and heard what I taught, all believed and accepted it, entering into the Tathāgata's wisdom.' Those of dull faculties were as if deaf and mute, wholly unrefined like fresh milk; hence they required the three flavors to be gradually tempered and matured, arriving at the present sūtra only then to return to the secret treasury. Thus the *Lotus Sūtra* states, 'Excepting those who previously practiced and studied the Hinayana, such persons I now also cause to hear this sūtra and enter into the Buddha's wisdom.' Those of indeterminate faculties awakened to the wondrous principle within the three flavors; in relation to the former they are called dull, and in relation to the latter they are called sharp. Because these faculties and capacities were unequal, there arose the distinction of the teachings of the five periods; hence it says: 'Therefore the Great Sage accommodated capacities,' and so forth. The sudden is the *Avataṃsaka*; the gradual is the three flavors: the Deer Park is the beginning of the gradual, the Vaipulya is the middle of the gradual, the Prajñā is the conclusion of the gradual; and the *Lotus* and *Nirvāṇa* unify the preceding sudden and gradual, returning to the neither-sudden-nor-gradual. From 'The sudden then' down adduces the text of the subsequent sūtra to verify this meaning. Regarding the 'herb of forbearance' and so forth: Chapter 25 states, 'In the Snow Mountains there is a grass named forbearance. If a cow eats it, it immediately yields clarified butter (sarpirmanda).' The Snow Mountains represent the Buddha, the herb of forbearance represents the teaching, the cow represents the capacity, eating represents practice, and obtaining represents entering the stages. The capacity for the sudden beseeches the Buddha to teach the perfect and sudden teaching; hearing the teaching and practicing, understanding arises and they enter the abodes. This verifies that those of sharp faculties awaken to the principle of the three virtues at the *Avataṃsaka* assembly. Although that [sūtra] also includes the separate teaching, it is spoken here primarily in terms of the perfect teaching. From 'The gradual then' down: Chapter 13 states, 'From a cow comes milk,' representing the emergence of the twelvefold scriptures from the Buddha, which is the *Avataṃsaka*. 'From milk comes curds,' representing the emergence of the ninefold scriptures from the twelvefold scriptures, which is the *Āgamas*. 'From curds comes fresh butter,' representing the emergence of the Vaipulya from the ninefold scriptures. 'From fresh butter comes clarified butter,' representing the emergence of the Prajñā from the Vaipulya. 'From clarified butter comes ghee (sarpirmanda),' representing the emergence of the *Mahāparinirvāṇa* from the Prajñā. Because the *Lotus* and the *Nirvāṇa* are identical in their meaning of opening and revealing, the sūtra omits the former. This verifies the dull faculties. Since at the *Avataṃsaka* they were wholly unrefined like milk, they had to pass through the three flavors to be gradually tempered and matured, arriving at the present sūtra only then to awaken to the three virtues; hence it is said: 'gradually perfected'. Due to the sequence of the previous four flavors, they are able to reach the perfection of the three virtues in the present sūtra; hence it is called 'gradually perfected'. From 'By analogy' down: Chapter 27 states, 'Placing poison in milk, the milk immediately kills a person.' Curds and the two butters are likewise when poison is placed in them. Past cultivation of the revealing cause is called 'placing poison'; relying on hearing the teaching now, the eruption of the poison differs. If in the past under the two butters one planted the seed of the perfect vehicle, then hearing it again now, ignorance is immediately destroyed; this is called 'killing a person'. This verifies that those of indeterminate faculties can enter at every flavor. From 'All are' down is the general conclusion. Śākya is translated here as 'Capable of Benevolence' (Nengren). 'Wondrously fathoming the provisional and the real': the additions and reductions of the five periods do not go beyond the four teachings, and what each teaching expounds—how could it depart from the ten realms? The tripiṭaka and shared teachings expound six; the separate and perfect teachings expound ten; because of identity or non-identity, four distinctions are divided. Now Śākyamuni exhaustively reveals the principle: the ten realms are mind-only; nine are provisional and one is real; the principle of the provisional and real is equal; hence it is called 'wondrously fathoming'. From 'Skillfully accommodating' down: also, because sentient beings' principle inherently contains the provisional and the real, they thereby stimulate the Tathāgata to bestow the provisional and real teachings. Although the provisional and the real differ, the principle is ever equal; thus the *Gate of Non-Duality* states: 'Because sentient beings inherently possess the neither-provisional-nor-real as the capacity for the provisional and real, the Buddha also fruitionally possesses the neither-provisional-nor-real as the response to the provisional and real.' *Qing* means completely. *Shuang* means to fail.