摩訶止觀 3.176

3.176

答：大乘經論皆明地、位，汝畏地位，入無地位，不免無縛。文字性離，即是解脫。雖說地位，即無地位。《中論》云：「如外人破世間因果，則無今世、後世；破出世因果，則無三寶、四諦、四沙門果。」無何等三寶？見既不滅，則無三藏中三寶、四諦、四沙門果。尚不得拙度道果，何處有後三番三寶、四諦、四沙門果？此斥外道全無四番三寶等也。若斥拙度者，但有三藏中三寶、四諦、四沙門果，無後三番道果也。

Answer: The Mahāyāna sūtras and treatises all clarify grounds and stages. Fearing stages, you enter stage-lessness, which does not escape being an un-binding. The severance of the nature of letters is itself liberation. Although stages are spoken of, they are stage-less. The *Mūlamadhyamakakārikā* states: 'If an outsider refutes worldly cause and effect, then there is neither this world nor future worlds; if one refutes supramundane cause and effect, then there are no Three Jewels, four truths, or four fruits of the ascetic.' Which Three Jewels are absent? Since views are not yet eliminated, there are no Three Jewels, four truths, or four fruits of the ascetic of the Tripiṭaka. If one cannot even attain the paths and fruits of the clumsy conveyance, whence could there be the subsequent three sets of Three Jewels, four truths, and four fruits of the ascetic? This refutes tīrthikas as lacking all four sets of the Three Jewels and so forth. If one refutes those of the clumsy conveyance, they have only the Three Jewels, four truths, and four fruits of the ascetic of the Tripiṭaka, and lack the subsequent three sets of paths and fruits.