起信論疏筆削記 3.31

3.31

In "However, this..." below, third, he reconciles the five teachings. Yet, simply put, what the Buddha preached constitutes the teachings (jiào), while what persons esteem is called the tenor (zōng). Teachings and tenor are not distinct; hence the root commentary analyzed them according to the teachings. Here, however, sorting them through sūtras yields differences in scope (broad and narrow). As for "a single sūtra accommodating multiple teachings": for example, the *Avataṃsaka-sūtra* fully expounds the ten unwholesome actions and ten wholesome actions, which is the human-and-heaven teaching; it expounds the four truths and twelve links of dependent origination, which is the Hīnayāna teaching; it fully enumerates stages and ranks, which is the differentiated teaching. The verse by the three devas says: "The dharmatā is originally empty and quiescent, neither grasping nor relinquishing; emptiness of nature is itself the Buddha, which cannot be conceived"—this is the initial teaching. "As the mind is, so is the Buddha; as the Buddha is, so are sentient beings; the mind, Buddha, and sentient beings—these three are without distinction"—this is the final teaching. "At the very moment of initial aspiration, one immediately achieves correct enlightenment"—this is the sudden teaching. "All things are unobstructed"—this is the perfect teaching. Other sūtras may contain five, four, three, or two teachings, varying in number. As for "a tenor encompassing many sūtras": this treatise takes as its tenor more than one hundred Mahāyāna sūtras. As for "whatever [sūtras]": whatever contains the definitive meaning (nītārtha) among the sūtras is taken as the tenor here. Furthermore, just as the meaning of emptiness in all sūtras constitutes the tenor of the Three Treatises, all others are modeled on this. What has been elucidated above is stated merely in terms of the broad sense where both teaching and tenor are expansive. In the narrow sense, just as each of the aforementioned five teachings expresses only one doctrine and they do not mutually penetrate, so if one sūtra expresses only one doctrine, this is called "narrow teaching." The tenor articulated following the teaching is also like this; this is called "narrow tenor."