金光明經文句記 2.33

2.33

Second, from "is not..." downward, various sūtras are cited to reprimand them. Afflictions are the firewood, and wisdom is the fire, which cook the food of nirvāṇa. Not attaining premature realization—this reprimands the two vehicles for hurriedly obtaining realization, which is a premature realization. Without waiting for the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra to explain the causal conditions, they contemplate and obtain realization in the lesser nirvāṇa; their Mahāyāna roots do not germinate, like scorched and ruined seeds. Because they see the fruit of suffering, they eradicate the cause of origination; because they cultivate the path factors, they advance toward cessation. This is not the Mahāyāna, where delusion itself is wisdom with nothing to eradicate and nothing to cultivate, and birth itself is cessation with no suffering and no exhaustion; hence it is said, "they do not seek the Dharma." The Mūlamadhyamakakārikā says: "The Buddhas teach the Dharma of emptiness / In order to save those attached to existence; / If there are those who are attached to emptiness, / The Buddhas will not save them." From "body measuring three hundred" downward, the fledgling of the garuḍa bird is cited as a metaphor. The two vehicles only contemplate the three kinds of samādhi—emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness—which is like the body measuring three hundred [yojanas]. Lacking the two wisdoms of the middle and the provisional is like having no two wings. Falling into the pit of the three unconditioned states is like the bird falling to the earth. Suffering equal to death is achieving the fruit of the arhat. Suffering that is death is achieving the fruit of the pratyekabuddha. Suffering that is equal to death is called "suffering equal to death," while in reality one has not died. Or it is said: the preparatory stages of the two vehicles are suffering equal to death, and the holy stages are the suffering of death. Furthermore, those in training are suffering equal to death, and those beyond training are the suffering of death. As for the three unconditioned states: first, cessation through deliberation; second, cessation not through deliberation; third, space. Although all three are mentioned together, what the two vehicles realize is only cessation through deliberation. However, this metaphor originally comes from the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, and the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa explains it: it says that the garuḍa's body is three hundred yojanas in length and can fly from one Mount Sumeru to another Mount Sumeru. When this bird has just hatched, its two wings are not yet formed; wishing to fly away, it falls into Jambudvīpa and suffers either death or suffering equal to death. Halfway, repentance arises: "I wish to return to the heavens, but I cannot lift myself up." Originally, this was a metaphor for a bodhisattva falling into the stage of the two vehicles; here, it is borrowed as a metaphor for the two vehicles.