維摩經玄疏 5.124

5.124

As for the perfect teaching, the path of suffering it explains is itself the inconceivable liberation of the true nature; hence this sūtra states: 'All sentient beings are themselves great nirvāṇa, and cannot be extinguished again.' Affliction is itself the liberation of real wisdom; hence, for example, without descending into the great ocean, one cannot obtain the priceless jewel; likewise, without entering the great ocean of affliction, one cannot obtain the jewel-mind of all-knowledge. The path of karma is itself the liberation of expedient means; hence this sūtra states: 'By means of the marks of the five heinous deeds, one attains liberation, neither bound nor liberated, able to initiate unhindered deeds and manifest across all gates, free of conditions and thoughts, yet possessing the ten dharma-realms, using the three karmas to benefit beings just as a lodestone attracts iron.' Therefore, this sūtra explains 'practicing along non-ways, one penetrates the Buddha's way.' The non-ways are precisely the three paths of the twelve links of dependent origination; penetrating the Buddha's way is precisely the three kinds of inconceivable liberation. The three non-ways do not obstruct the Buddha's way of the three kinds of liberation; the Buddha's way of the three kinds of liberation does not destroy the three non-ways of the twelve links of dependent origination. Like Mount Sumeru entering a mustard seed, they do not obstruct each other; this is precisely the characteristic of the three kinds of inconceivable liberation. These three kinds of liberation are neither vertical nor horizontal, like the secular letter 'i' (∴); they are called the secret treasury and are also called the inconceivable great liberation.