大乘義章 1.24

1.24

第六次第，略有四門：一起說次第。佛初成道第六七日，仙人鹿苑，為陳如等轉四諦法，是故先明修多羅藏。若依大乘，第二七日宣說華嚴修多羅也。依《僧祇律》，五年已後廣制戒律。若依《四分》，十二年後，因須提那廣制戒律，故次第二明毘尼藏。如來後於毘舍離國，因於跋耆諸比丘等本末因緣，遂為比丘說五怖畏，所謂殺生乃至飲酒，故次第三明毘曇藏。第二明其結集次第。經論不同，《智度論》中明佛滅後，摩訶迦葉先令阿難誦修多羅，次優婆離誦出毘尼，後令阿難誦出毘曇。《阿育王傳》次第復異，彼文之中，先令阿難誦修多羅，第二迦葉自誦毘曇，後優婆離誦出毘尼。《五分律》中次第復別，先優婆離誦出毘尼，次令阿難誦修多羅，復令阿難誦出毘曇。本事應一，傳者不同，故有此異。第三明其化益次第。《毘婆沙》云「為初入者說修多羅，以其教化令生信故。為已入者宣說毘尼，令其受持起修行故。已受持者為說毘曇，令其依行生正智故。」第四明其行修次第，先明毘尼令其學戒，次修多羅令其習定，後明毘曇令修智慧，戒定智慧義次第故。

Sixth, the sequence has, briefly, four doors. First, the sequence of arising and proclamation: in the sixth week after the Buddha first attained the Way, at the Ṛṣipatana Deer Park, he turned the wheel of the Dharma of the four truths for Ājñāta-Kauṇḍinya and the others; therefore the Sūtra Piṭaka was explained first. If according to the Mahāyāna, during the second week he proclaimed the Avataṃsaka-sūtra. According to the Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya, after five years the vinaya precepts were broadly instituted. If according to the Dharmaguptaka [vinaya], after twelve years, on account of Sudinna, the vinaya precepts were broadly instituted; therefore the Vinaya Piṭaka is explained second. Later, in the country of Vaiśālī, on account of the proximate and remote circumstances of the Vajjiputtaka monks, the Tathāgata then explained the five fears—namely from killing down to drinking alcohol—for the bhikṣus; therefore the Abhidharma Piṭaka is explained third. Second, explaining the sequence of compilation: the sūtras and treatises differ. The Treatise on the Great Virtue of Wisdom explains that after the Buddha's passing, Mahākāśyapa first ordered Ānanda to recite the Sūtra [Piṭaka], next Upāli recited the Vinaya, and later he ordered Ānanda to recite the Abhidharma. The sequence in the Biography of King Aśoka is different again; in that text, he first ordered Ānanda to recite the Sūtra [Piṭaka], second Kāśyapa recited the Abhidharma himself, and later Upāli recited the Vinaya. In the Mahīśāsaka-vinaya the sequence is further distinguished: first Upāli recited the Vinaya, next he ordered Ānanda to recite the Sūtra [Piṭaka], and again ordered Ānanda to recite the Abhidharma. The fundamental event must have been one, but because those who transmitted it were different, there is this divergence. Third, explaining the sequence of transformative benefit: the Vibhāṣā says, "For those who have newly entered, the sūtras are spoken so that through his teaching and transformation, faith is generated. For those who have already entered, the vinaya is proclaimed so that they will receive, uphold, and arouse practice. For those who have already received and upheld it, the abhidharma is spoken so that, relying on practice, they generate correct knowledge." Fourth, explaining the sequence of cultivating practice: first the vinaya is explained to make them train in morality; next the sūtras to make them practice samādhi; later the abhidharma is explained to make them cultivate wisdom, because this is the meaningful sequence of morality, samādhi, and wisdom.