華嚴一乘教義分齊章 2.27

2.27

Second, regarding the revelation of the characteristics of the stages for those who advance directly: that [teaching] explains the distinctions of the bodhisattva's ten stages, and furthermore, using the ten stages to account for seeing, cultivation, and the stages prior to the bhūmis, takes this as the meaning of the twelve abodes of the Mahāyāna. Why? In order to mirror and resemble the Hīnayāna. Furthermore, prior to those stages there are forty minds, because those ten faiths also constitute a stage; this is also to resemble the four upāyas prior to the path in the Hīnayāna. Therefore, the Liang translation of the Mahāyānasaṃgraha says: "Just as prior to the path of the srotāpanna there are four stages, namely heat, summit, patience, and the highest worldly dharma, so too are the four stages prior to the bodhisattva stages: namely, the ten faiths, the ten understandings, the ten practices, and the ten dedications." Moreover, also in order to resemble the teaching of turning the mind, it takes the four stages of faith and so forth as the stage of accumulation, separately establishes the four wholesome roots after the ten dedications as the stage of application, and seeing and so on are identical to before. Question: "Why do the names and numbers established in this teaching mostly mirror and resemble the Hīnayāna and so forth?" Answer: "In order to adapt as an upāya, mirroring them to guide them, it possesses an exalted upāya. If it were entirely different from them, it would be difficult to believe and accept. If it were entirely identical to them, it could not be called 'guiding.'" Question: "If it is guiding the two vehicles, what need is there to resemble them? And if it is for those who advance directly, why rely on resembling that small [vehicle]?" Answer: "Because of two intentions, it also somewhat resembles the small: first, because the capacity of those who advance directly in the initial teaching is crude and shallow, they cannot fully receive the profound dharmas of the Mahāyāna, and therefore the dharmas of stages and so forth shown to them also resemble the Hīnayāna, while their doctrinal principles remain distinct; second, whenever the Mahāyāna is explained by resembling the Hīnayāna, it always applies to two meanings: first, to guide the small, and second, for shallow capacities. For this reason, this is called the initial teaching." As for what kind of meanings this refers to, as the Yogācārabhūmi says: "What are the characteristics of an already accomplished individual (pudgala)? It refers to the fact that because śrāvakas have previously habituated wholesome dharmas, when they abide in the inferior grade of maturation, at that time they have inferior desire and inferior application, still go to the miserable destinies, do not realize the fruit of the śramaṇa in the present life, and do not attain parinirvāṇa in the present life. When they abide in the middling grade of maturation, at that time they have middling desire and middling application, do not go to the miserable destinies, realize the fruit of the śramaṇa in the present life, but do not attain parinirvāṇa in the present life. When they abide in the superior grade of maturation, at that time they have superior desire and superior application, do not go to the miserable destinies, realize the fruit of the śramaṇa in the present life, and attain parinirvāṇa in that very present life. As is said of the śrāvaka, so it is with the pratyekabuddha. Why? Because their path is of the same lineage (gotra) as that of the śrāvaka." And so on, fully explained. In the bodhisattva stages, in order to resemble the two vehicles, it also establishes these three kinds of accomplishment. Thus that treatise says: "If bodhisattvas abide in the stage of adhimukticaryā, it is called inferior accomplishment; abiding in the stage of pure and superior aspiration, it is called middling maturation; abiding in the stage of entering certainty and culmination, it is called superior accomplishment. If a bodhisattva abides in inferior maturation, they still go to the miserable destinies; this exhausts the first immeasurable great eon." And so on, fully explained. The remaining two great eons are matched with the two accomplishments. Passages such as these are numerous; they all possess the above meaning, as can be known by inference.