能顯中邊慧日論 4.17.1

4.17.1

Question: If all sentient beings naturally have a differentiation of five gotras, why does the first fascicle of the Upāsakaśīla Sūtra (Suśarmā's Sūtra) state: "If one says that sentient beings have a bodhisattva gotra, this is called an outsider teachings (tīrthika)"? And further says: "The three kinds of bodhi have no fixed gotra (niyata-gotra). If there were a fixed gotra, those who have already generated the mind of a śrāvaka or pratyekabuddha could not generate the mind of anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi." And continuing up to: "If there is one who has a fixed gotra, this is called an outsider teaching. Why is that? Because the outsider teachings lack cause and effect." Answer: That Suśarmā Sūtra refutes the attachment to an effect already existing within the cause, and so forth; or it means that clinging literally to the words is identical to outsider teachings, but it does not refute having a cause. Were it not so, it would contradict what the Laṅkāvatārasūtra says regarding the characteristics of the five vehicle gotras. When it says that the three bodhis have no fixed gotra, this is spoken in reference to the indeterminate gotra (aniyata-gotra), and also to refute the clinging to permanence as lacking cause and effect. Were it not so, the Laṅkāvatārasūtra states: "Mahāmati! I teach the realized Dharma of five kinds of vehicle gotras. What are the five? The first is the realized Dharma of the śrāvakayāna gotra; the second is the realized Dharma of the pratyekabuddhayāna gotra; the third is the realized Dharma of the tathāgatayāna gotra; the fourth is the realized Dharma of the indeterminate vehicle gotra; the fifth is the realized Dharma of the agotraka vehicle gotra." The "Discipline Chapter" of the Bodhisattvaśīla Sūtra states: "Having the śrāvaka gotra, one attains the śrāvaka path," and so forth. Among the ten causes of purification in the Bodhisattvabhūmidhāra, it says: "Those of the śrāvaka gotra enter parinirvāṇa by means of the śrāvakayāna," and so forth. Asaṅga and Maitreya also state that there are five distinctions; could they be identical to outsider teachings? Furthermore, they themselves accept that the five gotras are newly formed, also calling them the bodhisattva gotra and so on; thus they should likewise be identical to outsider teachings, because the sūtra text does not say: "If there is an inherently existent bodhisattva gotra, this is identical to outsider teachings." Question: If the five gotras naturally exist beforehand, why does the fourth fascicle of the Ru Lengqie [jing] state: "Mahāmati! Discriminating that confusing Dharma as inverted or non-inverted can generate two kinds of gotras. What are the two? The first is capable of generating the ordinary person gotra; the second is capable of generating the noble person gotra. Mahāmati! That noble person gotra is capable of generating three differentiated gotras, namely śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, and Buddha, because of the differentiated gotras of their realms"? Answer: What is spoken of here as "generating" means that by present vāsanā they are caused to manifest. The Mahāyānasaṃgraha says: "It is unreasonable that the vāsanā of hearing and so forth should produce no fruit. It does not refer to the bīja being originally nonexistent and newly generated only at the present time." Were it not so, would the ordinary person gotra also be said to be generated such that it was originally nonexistent and only now arises? Question: If one says that if the buddhadhātu exists, it is inherently existent, it should be permanent like space; if it does not exist, it is permanently nonexistent, and should be identical to a hare's horn. If so, it would contradict what the Nirvāṇa Sūtra says. It says: "Because of existence, it refutes the hare's horn; because of nonexistence, it refutes empty space. One who speaks thus does not slander the Three Jewels." Answer: The intent of the Nirvāṇa Sūtra is to have one contemplate phenomenal nature: because it arises and ceases through causes and conditions, it is not permanent like empty space; because it exists with respect to dependent arising, it is not nonexistent like a hare's horn. It does not refute the distinction between sentient beings who possess and lack the gotra. Question: Although phenomenal buddhadhātu varies in its presence and absence, the buddhadhātu of principle is omnipresent. If so, one must accept that all sentient beings will attain Buddhahood. Why is that? The Buddhagotraśāstra and others cite: "Therefore a sūtra says: 'If there were one possessing pure nature who does not attain Buddhahood, there is no such possibility.'" Answer: This is in reference to the intention of equality, not that all will attain Buddhahood. Furthermore, as the "Chapter on Merits" of the Buddhagotraśāstra says: "In the bodies of people with roots of good there is capacity; in the bodies of people without roots of good there is no capacity." Since in the bodies of people without roots of good there is no merit, how could one cause those without the gotra of practice to have the gotra of practice within their bodies? Moreover, the Sambhāraśāstra, referring to the determined gotra, says: "Those who have already obtained the fruit of non-learning definitely will not become Buddhas, just as a rice seed without a husk definitely will not sprout." Can it be that all do not become Buddhas? Therefore, the various sūtras and treatises each rely on a particular meaning, and none are contradictory. Question: If phenomenal buddhadhātu exists, namely being inherently existent and not produced through new vāsanā, what text clearly states this? Answer: Fascicle 57 of the Yogācārabhūmi says: "When born in Naraka, the manifestation of the three roots is definitely not accomplished. With regard to their bījas, they are either accomplished or not accomplished: those possessing the dharma of parinirvāṇa accomplish them, while those who do not possess the dharma of parinirvāṇa do not accomplish them." This text is stated in reference to birth in a destiny, not in reference to apparitional birth. It is based on presently existing bījas, not on the future. Were it not so, their active manifestations would also arise in the future; how then could it be said that they are not accomplished? The first chapter, "Gotra Chapter", of the Mahāyānasūtrālaṅkāra also says: "Gotra has substantial reality, owing to four kinds of distinction: first, by the distinction of realm; second, by the distinction of faith; third, by the distinction of practice; fourth, by the distinction of fruit." And it continues up to: "If there were no distinction of gotra, then there would be no distinction of faith, practice, and fruit." Due to these four kinds of distinctions, one should know that gotra has substantial reality. Furthermore, fascicle 21 of the Yogācārabhūmi says: "What is gotra? It means that a pudgala abiding in a gotra has the dharma of bījas, and because of their present existence, the pudgala abiding in the gotra, if encountering superior conditions, will have capability and strength to obtain and realize that nirvāṇa." It also says: "Question: Now what is the substantial entity of this gotra? Answer: Attached to the basis, having such characteristics, it is subsumed under the six sense-bases. Successively transmitted from beginningless time, it is naturally obtained." It also says: "Such bījas do not have distinct characteristics apart from the six sense-bases; they are the excellence of the six sense-bases in such categories and states, successively transmitted from beginningless time, naturally obtained, possessing such characteristics and verbal designations, termed the gotra, bīja, dhātu, and prakṛti." The text of the Bodhisattvabhūmi and the "Virtuous Practice Chapter" of the Bodhisattvaśīla Sūtra, and so on, are all similar in text, and one must not interpret them differently by saying that the gotra of nature is a gotra formed through cultivation. The treatise says: "A person without the gotra, because of lacking the gotra, even if generating the mind and diligently cultivating vigorous effort, will definitely not attain ultimate anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi." Therefore one should know that even if one does not generate the mind and does not cultivate expedient means, one is still entitled to be named a holder of the gotra. The first fascicle of the Anuttarāśraya Sūtra says: "Ānanda! What is the Tathāgata-dhātu? Why is the Tathāgata as a dhātu inconceivable? Ānanda! All sentient beings have excellent types of skandhas, dhātus, and āyatanas manifesting internally and externally, flowing continuously from beginningless time, naturally obtained, giving rise to luminous, wondrous goodness." Since it says there are excellent types of skandhas, āyatanas, and dhātus manifesting internally and externally, flowing from beginningless time, it clearly is not the principle of reality (tathatā), nor is it newly arisen.