天台菩薩戒疏 1.6

1.6

Third, explaining subsumption by the teachings: The conversion taught throughout the lifetime of the Venerable Śākya, manifesting his body and expounding the Dharma from beginning to end, has four distinctions, namely the Tripiṭaka teaching, the shared teaching, the distinct teaching, and the perfect teaching. The Tripiṭaka [teaching] is fully detailed in the Abhidharmakośa and Mahāvibhāṣā. The stages of the śrāvakas have differences such as the seven worthy and seven noble [ranks]. Pratyekabuddhas have distinctions such as encountering a Buddha or not encountering a Buddha. Bodhisattvas cultivate the causes for the marks and signs for three asaṃkhyeya kalpas and a hundred kalpas, sharing the same study of the three piṭakas of vinaya, abhidharma, and sūtra. Then, beneath the bodhi tree, in a single thought-moment corresponding to the thirty-four minds, they sever the views and thought within the triple world, exhausting both [delusions] and their residual habit-energies, and are called Buddhas. They hold the poṣadha together with the Saṅgha, with no separate bodhisattva vinaya. Therefore, the Lotus Sūtra says not to draw close to practitioners of the Hīnayāna Tripiṭaka, and because they obtain the name ‘Tripiṭaka’, this is the inferior nirmāṇakāya. The manifestation in the Deer Park of a sixteen-foot golden form, and even the appearance of an elderly monk perceived by those of lesser capacity at the Vaipulya assemblies, is this Buddha. / Second, the shared teaching: As in the Vaipulya and Prajñāpāramitā, it explains that practitioners of the three vehicles traverse ten grounds together: 1. the ground of dry wisdom (outer worldlings); 2. the ground of nature (inner worldlings); 3. the ground of the eight persons; 4. the ground of vision (not emerging from contemplation, they jointly sever delusions of view, equal to the first fruit of the Tripiṭaka); 5. the ground of attenuation (the three persons jointly sever the six grades of delusions of thought of the desire realm, equal to the second fruit of the Tripiṭaka); 6. the ground of freedom from desire (severing the nine grades of delusions of thought of the desire realm, equal to the third fruit of the Tripiṭaka); 7. the ground of having completed what was to be done (completely severing views and thought in the three realms, equal to the arhats of the Tripiṭaka); 8. the ground of the pratyekabuddha (with deep and keen merit, able to assault residual habit-energies); 9. the ground of the bodhisattva (emerging from emptiness into provisionality, assaulting minor habit-energies and ignorance within the realms, and learning dharmas such as the Buddha's ten powers); 10. the ground of the Buddha (in a single thought-moment corresponding [to wisdom], habit-energies are permanently exhausted, equal to the Buddha of the Tripiṭaka). Among these ten grounds, there are no names of 'abidings', 'practices', or 'dedications' before them, nor are there ranks of equal enlightenment or wondrous enlightenment after them. Because the causes and fruits of the three persons are largely identical, it is called the shared teaching. He manifests an exalted nirmāṇakāya, stately and magnificent like the moon among stars, which is the mark of the shared [teaching's] Buddha. The bodhisattvas also share the deportment of the śrāvakas. / Third, the distinct teaching: As explained in sūtras such as the Yingluo jing and the Renwang jing, it clarifies fifty-two stages: before the grounds belongs to the worldling and is called 'worthy'; ascending the grounds belongs to the noble. Some say that at the seventh ground one enters purposelessness; the ten faiths frequently advance and retreat, and are called outer worldlings. The ten abidings enter emptiness, severing views and thought as well as the superior grade of delusions like dust and sand beyond the realms. The ten practices emerge into provisionality, severing the middle grade of delusions like dust and sand, universally knowing the medicines and illnesses of the four teachings and the ten realms. The stage of the ten dedications severs the lower grade of delusions like dust and sand. Subsequent to the dedications, they cultivate the Middle and subdue ignorance beyond the realms. Once a single fraction falls away, one enters the first ground. Demonstrating the eight aspects of attaining enlightenment, cause and fruit are distantly separated, and the number of kalpas is immeasurable. The contemplative practice passes through distinct [stages], differing beforehand and differing afterward; hence it is called 'distinct'. Manifesting the attainment of the saṃbhogakāya is its mark. / Fourth, the perfect teaching: One perfectly has faith that the three obstacles are themselves the three virtues: the obstacle of retribution is itself the dharmakāya, the afflictions are themselves prajñā, and bound karmas are themselves liberation. Based on faith, one initiates practice, perfectly cultivating the threefold contemplation without any interval between thought-moments; this is called the first stage of rejoicing. The second is receiving, upholding, reading, and reciting; the third is explaining and copying; the fourth is concurrently practicing the six perfections; the fifth is fully practicing the six perfections. These are detailed in the Lotus Sūtra. Disciples of these five stages perfectly subdue ignorance, which is the stage of outer worldlings. In the stage of the ten faiths, views and thought fall away first. Therefore, the Renwang jing says: 'A bodhisattva of the ten goods generates the great mind and forever departs the ocean of the wheel of suffering of the three realms.' This is the stage of inner worldlings, equal to the ten abidings of the distinct teaching and the Buddhas of the Tripiṭaka and shared teachings. At the final mind of the ten faiths, one breaks through one grade of ignorance beyond the realms and enters the stage of the first abiding, perfectly completing the eight aspects, as distinguished in the Avataṃsaka, equal in efficacy to the first ground of the distinct teaching. Only after comprehensively breaking through all forty-two grades of ignorance beyond the realms from beginning to end does one attain wondrous enlightenment. Distinct and yet not distinct, the wondrous principle is without duality; therefore it is called 'perfect'. For those of superior faculties, there is the possibility of entering the first abiding in a single lifetime. / In relation to the five periods, these four teachings have more or less [prominence]. The Avataṃsaka has the perfect teaching concurrent with the distinct; the Deer Park has only the single Tripiṭaka; the Vaipulya sets the half against the full, clarifying the four teachings, possessing all divisions; the Prajñāpāramitā brings the half along, clarifying the full, [containing] the three: shared, distinct, and perfect. Now this precept scripture was concluded at the Avataṃsaka assembly; hence it belongs to the distinct and perfect teachings, suddenly instituting the bodhisattva vinaya of major and minor [precepts]. The Lotus Sūtra directly clarifies the Buddha’s intent, folding up the provisional and returning to the real, with only the one perfect vehicle: persons and dharmas are both opened, and environment and person are non-dual. Thus it says: 'I am always in this Sahā world,' and 'What you are practicing is the bodhisattva path'; the five Buddhas all cause all sentient beings to open, reveal, awaken to, and enter the Buddha’s knowledge and insight. Although the Nirvāṇa Sūtra explains the four teachings, it is in order to settle faculties of provisional [capacity], supporting the vinaya and revealing the eternal, so that each and every one hears of the Buddha-nature. Therefore, the two sūtras share the same flavor, and both are likened to clarified butter (sarpi-maṇḍa). Now, following the Buddha's intent, we interpret it according to the perfect teaching.