首楞嚴義疏注經 1.131

1.131

如來，極證人也。菩提，極證法也。人法雙舉者，簡所請行非眇劣耳。奢摩他云止，三摩提云觀，禪那云靜慮，釋其相者，如《圓覺經》。此三種義只在一心，非三而三，不一而一，舉一即具，故稱為妙，即天台一心三觀也。此觀若成，即證涅槃三德，名祕密藏，故舉十方如來得成菩提等。最初方便者，然方便多種，今問成佛妙行復云最初者，意請成妙行之方便也，淺深雖異，俱方便爾。如《圓覺經》，方便隨順，圓攝所歸，即有三種，此指妙行即方便也。如下經文「佛問圓通」，從何方便入三摩地，即指入妙行之方便也。今文請即通問，下文答則別說。如下文云「有大佛頂首楞嚴」等，即許說成道妙行也。復先徵詰發心，推逐妄執，破群疑、顯藏性，令信解不謬。阿難因此了悟，發菩提心等，此即信解真正成本起因。若無此因，縱歷多劫修諸行門，皆成邪僻，猶如煮沙欲成嘉饌，終不能得。故《圓覺》中示三觀、顯諸輪，一一皆云悟淨圓覺。此經亦爾，從初至第四卷半已來，則總明信解真正為最初方便也。信解雖正明識藏心，多聞無功，不逮修習，如得大宅罔知入門，故請修行從何攝伏。佛即具辨止觀為正修法，止觀成處名真三昧，入此行時須有方便，方便之法不離根門，入一無妄，餘皆清淨。故問二十五聖，復勅文殊令揀，此即以根門順機為最初方便。如下文云「我今欲令阿難開悟，二十五聖誰當其根？何方便門得易成就？」此則的取從聞思修為初方便，最初之義先解後行，無出於斯。或可最初是無上第一之義，即指真定為方便耳。如別有說，吾弗知也。

" 'Tathāgatas' are the ultimate persons of realization. 'Bodhi' is the ultimate dharma of realization. Mentioning both person and dharma distinguishes the requested practice from being slight or inferior. Śamatha means calming; samāpatti means contemplation; dhyāna means quiet contemplation; their characteristics are explained as in the *Sūtra of Complete Enlightenment*. These three meanings reside solely in the one mind: not three yet three, not one yet one; mentioning one entails all, hence they are called 'wondrous'—namely, the Tiantai threefold contemplation in one mind. If this contemplation is accomplished, one realizes the three virtues of nirvāṇa, called the secret treasury; hence he mentions 'through which the tathāgatas of the ten directions attained bodhi', and so forth. As for 'initial expedient means': expedient means are of many kinds; here asking about the wondrous practice of attaining Buddhahood and further saying 'initial' means requesting the expedient means for accomplishing the wondrous practice; though shallow and deep differ, both are expedient means. As in the *Sūtra of Complete Enlightenment*, where expediently according with and completely subsuming what they return to has three kinds, this refers to the wondrous practice itself being the expedient means. As in the sūtra text below, where 'the Buddha asks about perfect penetration', from which expedient means one enters samādhi refers to the expedient means for entering wondrous practice. Here, the request is a general question, while the answer below speaks specifically. As stated below: 'There is the Great Buddha-Crest Śūraṅgama...', which assents to expounding the wondrous practice of attaining the path. He then first interrogates the initial resolve, pursues and banishes false attachments, refutes manifold doubts, and reveals the tathāgata-store nature, causing faith and understanding to be unerring. Ānanda thereby awakens, generates the bodhi-mind, and so on; this is the genuine faith and understanding that constitutes the fundamental causal basis. Without this cause, even if one cultivates various gates of practice through many kalpas, all become deviant and perverted, just like boiling sand hoping to make fine food—in the end it can never be achieved. Thus in the *Complete Enlightenment*, in demonstrating the three contemplations and revealing the wheels, it states in each case: 'awakening to pure complete enlightenment'. This sūtra is also like this: from the beginning up to the middle of the fourth fascicle, it generally clarifies genuine faith and understanding as the initial expedient means. Although faith and understanding are correct, clearly recognizing the mind of the store, hearing much is of no merit and falls short of cultivation and practice, like obtaining a great mansion without knowing how to enter the gate; hence he requests where to begin subduing in cultivation. The Buddha then fully discriminates śamatha and vipaśyanā as the method of correct cultivation; where śamatha and vipaśyanā are accomplished is called true samādhi. When entering this practice there must be an expedient means, and the method of expedient means does not depart from the sense faculties: entering one without falsehood, the rest are all pure. Therefore he questions the twenty-five sages and further commands Mañjuśrī to select among them; this takes according with capacities through the sense faculties as the initial expedient means. As the text below states: 'I now wish to cause Ānanda to be enlightened; among the twenty-five sages, who suits his capacity? What gate of expedient means is easily accomplished?' This specifically takes cultivating from hearing and contemplating as the initial expedient means; as for the meaning of 'initial', practice following upon understanding does not surpass this. Alternatively, 'initial' may have the meaning of unsurpassed and foremost, directly pointing to true concentration as the expedient means. If there are other explanations, I do not know them.