肇論疏 3.39

3.39

The Shiji states: "Disputing one another's theses is called nan (objection)." Here he objects to the two kinds of distinctions—namely, the three vehicles and the three stages; hence it is called "Objecting to Distinctions." From "The Named One says: Nirvāṇa is already beyond conceptual calculation" downward, he takes up the preceding words. From "This then exhausts the principle and plumbs nature" downward, it means exhausting the ultimate principle and penetrating to the utmost the nature of things. "The principle is indeed so" means that its principle is truly thus, without distinction. "Yet the Fangguang says that there are the various paths of the three vehicles" is a text from the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā. The Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā also says this. "The Buddha said: In the past, when I was a bodhisattva named Mānava, I had already entered nirvāṇa at the place of Dīpaṃkara Buddha." The name Mānava is mentioned scattered across various sūtras. "Had already entered nirvāṇa" is a text from the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka. It says there: "At that time I spoke of Dīpaṃkara Buddha and others, and furthermore said that they had entered into nirvāṇa." What is cited here differs in meaning and intent from the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka. In the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka it is Dīpaṃkara Buddha who entered nirvāṇa, whereas what is cited here says that Mānava entered nirvāṇa; this is probably from an older sūtra, where the translation differed. "At the seventh stage, he initially attained the tolerance of non-arising": whenever the Great Virtues of the Guanhe region spoke of a "stage" (zhu), they all meant a bhūmi (di). When the bodhisattva Mānava saw Dīpaṃkara, his status corresponded to the seventh bhūmi, and he attained the tolerance of non-arising. "Advancing in cultivation through three stages" refers to the eighth, ninth, and tenth bhūmis. From "If nirvāṇa is one, then there should not be three" downward, he doubly objects to both the triad of the three vehicles and the triad of the three stages mentioned previously. "If there are three, then it is not ultimate" means: if there are three vehicles or if there are three stages, one clearly knows it is not yet ultimate. Downward from "of the path": since it is said to be ultimate, how could there be a difference of ascending and descending? "Ascending" means rising high; "descending" means going downward. From "The various sūtras speak differently" downward: the various sūtras each say different things; which is correct?