大乘法苑義林章 4.36

4.36

Regarding attainment by ordinary beings and noble ones: There is an opinion: The first seven vimokṣas are attainable by both ordinary beings and noble ones; the eighth is attainable only by noble ones, because it is purely anāsrava. Fascicle 73 says: 'Worldlings and noble ones equally attain the first three, yet there is a distinction. Both internal and external paths attain them without conflict, because eliminating the hindrance of transformation, they attain mastery.' However, the fifteenth fascicle of the Yogācārabhūmi says: 'Because in the first three vimokṣas one attains mastery over all forms, one can then evoke the noble supernatural powers, which are not shared with any ordinary beings'; that treatise itself speaks of what is performed by non-returners and arhats, but does not say that ordinary beings do not practice the first three. As for the next four vimokṣas, the Abhidharmasamuccaya says: 'They are attained by the noble disciples; capable of according with the anāsrava and being of pure nature, they are only then called vimokṣas, because they are free from attachment and relish. Relying on the formless, non-Buddhists mostly produce attachment and relish, clinging to them as nirvāṇa.' By this, it is conversely shown that it does not restrict the next four vimokṣas to being attained only by the noble. Non-disciples of the noble do not attain them, so they do not occur among outsiders. There is another opinion: Only the first three are common to both internal and external paths and attained by both ordinary beings and noble ones, because the treatise only says that ordinary beings attain these. The latter five are attained only by noble ones, because the treatise speaks of noble disciples and does not say that ordinary beings who are disciples of the noble [attain them].