首楞嚴義疏注經 5.126

5.126

此正明次第也。如下文云「初於聞中入流亡所，所入既寂，動靜二相了然不生。如是漸增，聞所聞盡」，斯則此根初解先得人空也。「盡聞不住，覺所覺空」，即成法解脫也。「空覺極圓，空所空滅」，即俱空不生也。「生滅既滅，寂滅現前」，即得無生忍也。《維摩》云「又此病起皆由著我，是故於我不應生著。既知病本，即除我想，當起法想，應作是念：但以眾法合成此身，起唯法起，滅唯法滅。當作是念：此法想者即是顛倒，我應離之。云何為離？謂不念內外諸法，行於平等，謂我等涅槃等。所以者何？我及涅槃是二皆空，乃至得是平等唯有空病，空病亦空。」此則維摩正就於身，作三空觀門，故次第觀而次第離。今經但於一根深入，自然麁執先斷，次第以證。觀行雖別，所得攸同。即正約圓頓觀法，但從一根而入，非約六根頓解，故云次第。不同漸次法門約鈍根說，諸解云云，不能具敘。

This precisely clarifies the sequence. As the text below says: "Initially, within hearing, entering the flow and forgetting the object; once the object entered is stilled, the two characteristics of motion and stillness clearly do not arise. Increasing gradually like this, hearing and what is heard are exhausted"—this is "when this faculty is first untied, one first attains the emptiness of persons". "When hearing is exhausted and one does not abide, the awareness and what is awoken to are empty"—this is "one accomplishes liberation from dharmas". "When emptiness and awareness are extremely round, emptiness and what is emptied are extinguished"—this is "both are empty and nothing arises". "When arising and ceasing are extinguished, quiet extinction appears before one"—this is "attaining the forbearance of non-arising dharmas". The *Vimalakīrti* says: "Furthermore, the arising of this illness is entirely due to attachment to self; therefore, one should not give rise to attachment to self. Having known the root of the illness, one eliminates the conception of self and should give rise to the conception of dharmas, contemplating thus: 'It is merely a combination of many dharmas that forms this body; when it arises, only dharmas arise; when it ceases, only dharmas cease.' One should contemplate thus: 'This conception of dharmas is itself an inversion; I should abandon it.' What is abandonment? It means not thinking of internal or external dharmas, practicing in equality, saying that self is equal and nirvāṇa is equal. Why is this? Both self and nirvāṇa are empty, until one attains this equality, where there is only the illness of emptiness, and the illness of emptiness is also empty." Here, Vimalakīrti precisely takes the body to establish the contemplation gate of the three emptinesses, and therefore contemplates in sequence and abandons in sequence. In the present sūtra, one merely enters deeply through a single faculty, and naturally the coarse attachments are severed first, being realized in sequence. Although the contemplative practices differ, what is attained is the same. That is to say, based on the contemplative method of the perfect and sudden, one enters merely through a single faculty, not that the six faculties are untied all at once, which is why it is called "sequence". It is not like the gradual dharma-doors spoken of for those of dull faculties; various commentaries make many assertions, which cannot all be related.