大乘法苑義林章 7.38

7.38

Tenth, gates of entry: Because one enters through those gates, riding upon this [vehicle] to enter. The Buddhabhūmi-sūtra says: "Taking the great śūnyatā, animitta, and apraṇihita liberations as the gates entered. 'Liberation' is nirvāṇa; the wondrous wisdom that takes this as its object is called the 'gate'. Alternatively, anāsrava wisdom is also called liberation, because it is free from fetters. It is because one enters the pure land through these three gates." First, one explanation says: Through the animitta gate one enters the dharmatā land, because one contemplates phenomena as animitta and realizes tathatā. Through the apraṇihita gate one enters the self-enjoyment land, because one has no desires or seekings in the three realms. Through the great śūnyatā gate one enters the other-enjoyment and transformation lands, because one thoroughly comprehends the non-existence of the two selves and enters the two lands. Alternatively, it is said that all three gates enter all three kinds of Buddha lands. The treatise says that the three gates either individually contemplate the three natures or are all capable of contemplating the three natures. This explains the Buddha's gates. For bodhisattvas, they enter the other-enjoyment land through these three anāsrava gates. For the two vehicles prior to the grounds, they also enter the transformation land through the three anāsrava or sāsrava gates. Ordinary bodhisattvas enter the transformation land solely through these three sāsrava samādhis; these are not called vimokṣamukha, because they are not subsumed under the anāsrava. In truth, the other-enjoyment and transformation lands both have phenomenal vehicles, paths of movement, gates, and so forth; in order to cause sentient beings to aspire to and delight in actual virtues, they are expounded in terms of practice. The dharmatā land and self-enjoyment [land] are both boundless in measure, and are not said to have separate characteristics of phenomenal gates and the like. Since the other-enjoyment land has demarcations, it is established entirely in reliance on lotus flowers. The Buddhabhūmi-sūtra says, "Established upon great jewel lotus flowers." The Contemplation Sūtra also says, "Conceive the visualization of a suspended drum." There are lotus seats. In the transformation lands it is indefinite; there may or may not be [lotus seats], since according to this, some Buddha lands have no lotus flowers.