大乘義章 17.5

17.5

次辨其相。賢聖眾多，要攝唯四，所謂聲聞、緣覺、菩薩及與諸佛。佛後別論，今就因門且辨前三。先解聲聞，曲有五門：一釋其名、二定其相、三對大分別、四對緣覺中乘分別、五當相分別初釋其名。聲聞名義汎解有三：一就得道因緣以釋。如來所說言教名聲，飡聲悟解故曰聲聞，故《地論》言「從他聞聲而通達故，名聲聞矣。」二就所觀法門以釋。如《地論》說「我眾生等但有名故說之為聲，於聲悟解故曰聲聞。」三就化他記說以釋。如《法華》說「以佛道聲令一切聞，故曰聲聞。」三中前二是小聲聞；後一菩薩，隨義以名。名義如是（此一門竟）。

Next is discerning their characteristics. Although worthies and āryas are numerous, essentialized they are only four: namely, śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas, and the Buddhas. The Buddhas will be discussed separately later; now, in terms of the causal approach, we shall first discern the first three. First, explaining the śrāvakas, which specifically has five sections: 1. Explaining their name; 2. Determining their characteristics; 3. Distinguishing them relative to the Great [Vehicle]; 4. Distinguishing them relative to the Middle Vehicle of pratyekabuddhas; 5. Distinguishing them according to their own characteristics. First is explaining their name. The meaning of the name 'śrāvaka' (voice-hearer) generally has three explanations: 1. Explained in terms of the causes and conditions of attaining the Path: the verbal teachings spoken by the Tathāgata are called 'voice'; consuming the voice and awakening to understanding is therefore called 'voice-hearer.' Thus the Daśabhūmika-śāstra states, 'Hearing the voice from another and thereby penetrating, one is therefore called a śrāvaka.' 2. Explained in terms of the Dharma gates contemplated: as the Daśabhūmika-śāstra states, 'The self, sentient beings, and so forth exist in name only, and therefore are spoken of as sound; awakening to understanding regarding sound, one is therefore called a voice-hearer.' 3. Explained in terms of transforming others and bestowing prophecy: as the Lotus Sūtra states, 'Causing all to hear by means of the voice of the Buddha Path, they are therefore called voice-hearers.' Among the three, the first two are Hīnayāna śrāvakas; the last is a bodhisattva, named according to the sense. Such is the meaning of the name (this concludes the first section).