肇論疏 3.49

3.49

It is called so because it clarifies the gradual awakening of the three vehicles. "The Nameless One says: That the unconditioned is without duality is indeed so": within the unconditioned there are no two dharmas; this is already as said before. From "Fetters are heavy delusions" downward: fetters refer to afflictions; to say that afflictions, which are heavy delusions, are eliminated suddenly—he does not understand this. "The sūtra says: Three arrows hitting the target; three beasts crossing the river": this is a text from the *Vibhāṣā-śāstra. Calling a treatise a sūtra, it therefore says "The sūtra says." Just as when Kātyāyana composed the Jñānaprasthāna-śāstra, it was called the Jñānaprasthāna Sūtra. The three arrows refer to three persons shooting arrows. The target refers to the measure of reaching across. The three beasts refer to the elephant, the horse, and the hare. From "Hitting and crossing are not different" downward: the three arrows all hit, so the hitting is not different; the three beasts all cross, so the crossing is not different. The strength of the beasts differs, so entering the target has shallowness and depth, and entering the water also has shallowness and depth. From "Living beings of the three vehicles" downward matches the metaphor. The twelve links of dependent origination are like the river ford; the dharmas of the four noble truths are like shooting at the target. "Severing the false and reaching the true, they together ascend to the unconditioned": severing the fetters of affliction is called "severing the false"; realizing awakening to nirvāṇa is called "reaching the true." "Ascending" means rising high. From "Yet their vehicles are not one" downward: the three capacities differ, so the dharmas they practice are each distinct. "Now, though the manifold existents are numerous, their measure has a limit": the myriad existents are not one, hence they are called manifold existents. Though said not to be one, they ultimately have a boundary. From "Even if one's wisdom were like Śāriputra's" downward: even with the wisdom of Śāriputra and the eloquence of Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra, they could not know the limit and measure of the manifold existents, how much less could one suddenly exhaust the empty and nonexistent? From "Does not the text say" downward: saying "In pursuing learning, one increases daily" refers to gradually increasing knowledge and views. "In pursuing the Way, one decreases daily" refers to gradually decreasing the superficial blooms of learning. "Decreasing" refers merely to diminishing. "Those who pursue the Way" are those who pursue the unconditioned. Cultivating the path of the unconditioned, it is therefore named "pursuing the Way." Pursuing the unconditioned and decreasing day by day means cultivating the path of the unconditioned and gradually diminishing. "How could this be called sudden attainment?": this does not mean sudden decrease, hence it is called gradual decrease. "One must decrease it and decrease it further, until one reaches non-decreasing": decreasing it and further decreasing it, afterward it is completely exhausted; it cannot be decreased suddenly. "The sūtra's metaphor of the firefly and the sun shows that the functions of their wisdom can be known": the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa says, "Do not equate sunlight with that firefly." Here it means the Buddha's wisdom is like the sun, and the śrāvaka is like a firefly; how could they suddenly eliminate afflictions completely and thereby be equal to the Buddha? Therefore, because superior and inferior differ, there is the distinction of the three vehicles.