止觀輔行傳弘決 1.64

1.64

Next, in citing the *Dapin*, to first verify the gradual: *Dazhidulun*, fascicle eighty, asks: "How does an initial-practice bodhisattva cultivate practice? What distinction is there among these three?" Some say: There is no distinction; the words differ but the meaning is identical. Some say: There is a distinction, establishing the three designations in terms of the beginning, middle, and end, or in terms of the three trainings. Furthermore, dāna is called practice, śīla and dhyāna are called training, and kṣānti and prajñā are called the path. Question: Why is there a sequence? Answer: Although all dharmas are empty, they are attained sequentially. Prajñā is also like this, entering all dharmas from the four dhyānas up to the supreme emptiness. As for "maṇi jewel," the treatise states: "Wherever this maṇi jewel is in water, it assumes a color accordingly; just as wrapping water in blue makes it blue." It is also called wish-fulfilling, which seems to be a difference between Chinese and Sanskrit. Both the *Dazhidulun* and *Avataṃsaka* say "wish-fulfilling maṇi," which seems to juxtapose the two terms. If the *Lotus* says "maṇi jewel necklaces, wish-fulfilling jewel necklaces," it seems their substances differ. True nature is like the substance of the jewel; habit-nature is like wrapping it in an object; hearing the teaching is like placing it in water; the arousal of habit is like the manifestation of color. The nature of principle does not differ, yet it can manifest the colors of all dharmas. As for "upon arousing the mind, one immediately sits in the place of awakening," and so forth: since it mentions the initial arousal of the mind and also mentions turning the wheel of the Dharma, we know this is the eight aspects of attaining awakening and manifesting the turning of the wheel of the Dharma with split bodies throughout a hundred realms at the first abode, which is the meaning of the perfect. Next, citing the *Lotus*: since these are neither people taught by the *Avataṃsaka* nor those entering the sudden from the various teachings, but began from the Deer Park and passed through the two flavors in between, it is called the gradual. As for "not believing," and so forth: if they did not believe in the sudden, other profundities were temporarily used. The perfect teaching is not other, but it is profound; the distinctive teaching is other and is also profound; the Tripiṭaka and shared teachings are other, but are not profound. Pointing to the sudden and gradual of the past, both used the three to aid the sudden. Because they had not yet been integrated in the past, regarding the other and the profound, they either believed or did not believe, hence it was called indeterminate. The gradual and indeterminate are both spoken from the perspective of the past; arriving at the Lotus, these two designations no longer exist. If, because a person came from the gradual teaching, one calls the Lotus the 'gradual-sudden,' then this person also came from the indeterminate, so why would the Lotus not be called the 'indeterminate-sudden'? People of themselves take manifold paths, but the Lotus is ever sudden, bestowing the same single [vehicle] to each; you can understand this by reflecting upon it. "Discarding expedients" is from the perspective of abolishing the provisional. Next, citing the *Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra*: fascicle thirteen states: "From cows comes milk, analogized to the twelve divisions of scriptures coming from the Buddha, up to clarified butter coming from cooked butter, analogized to the *Mahāparinirvāṇa* coming from the *Prajñā*." The sequence in between matches the three flavors; taking the sequential aspect, its meaning is identical to the gradual. The passage on planting poison is in fascicle twenty-seven. The complete cause of past habits is called planting poison; depending on the present hearing and thinking, the outbreak of poison differs, which resembles the indeterminate contemplation, and is therefore cited as verification for now. As for the "enduring grass of the Snowy Mountains," fascicle twenty-five states: "The Snowy Mountains symbolize the Buddha; the enduring grass symbolizes the teaching; the cows symbolize the capacities of beings; eating symbolizes cultivation and practice; and producing symbolizes entering the stages." The sudden capacity stimulates the Buddha to preach the perfect and sudden teaching; upon hearing, they can cultivate and practice, and their understanding arises, entering the stages. Initially produced from curds without having been refined again, it is called raw butter. The most exquisite within butter is called clarified butter. Next, citing the *Immeasurable Meanings*: because the three vehicles are sequential, it is called the gradual, and rain is used to analogize the wheel of the Dharma of the three vehicles. Preaching the most inferior vehicle is called tiny drops; because it is the first turning, it is called falling first; generating the afflictions of the three realms is called moistening the dust of desire. Upon hearing the turning of the wheel of the Dharma, [delusions of] view are necessarily exhausted first; though the delusions of thought are numerous, desire is their root, and desire pervades the three realms, hence it is called "various." Following the aids to the path, possessing the three samādhis is called opening the gates; attaining the two liberations is called fanning the wind. Removing the heat of birth and death, the true Dharma is cool and refreshing—this is the śrāvaka vehicle. As for "next raining causes and conditions," and so forth: pouring down the rain of causes and conditions puts an end to the dust of ignorance; when the wisdom cloud has risen, perverse light is dimmed—this is the middle vehicle. Later, pouring down the Mahāyāna, it rains upon all. When the Buddha vehicle is expounded, it universally covers the manifold capacities; the intent of the Mahāyāna is pervasive, hence it says "all." If one cites that passage to verify the other two: following from the single Dharma, the single Dharma is the sudden; or two or three, which is the indeterminate. The gradual text is prominent, so we temporarily explain in accordance with the prominent. Next, to exclusively verify the perfect: the Tathāgata dragon king's rain of the perfect and sudden teaching does not rain upon the lower ground of the three teachings; the two vehicles do not hear it, nor can they preach it, hence they are "like the deaf and dumb." The empty room of *Vimalakīrti* signifies the permanently quiescent light, wherein the Buddhas of the ten directions ever assemble; therefore, those who enter only smell the Buddha vehicle. Citing the *Śūraṅgama*: the nature of principle is like a pellet; the contemplation practice is like burning it; all dharmas breaking forth suddenly is called "possessing manifold fragrances." Citing the *Dapin*: as in the chapter on the broad vehicle, to attain all dharmas, it always says one should study prajñā. Citing the *Lotus*: prior to the Lotus, the provisional had never been opened, so it was not called complete. Citing the *Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra*: principle possesses all dharmas, like seawater; the one who cultivates contemplation practice is like being bathed in it. Practice embracing all is called "already used." The *Huainanzi* says: "The ocean does not reject water, accumulating the small to become great." From the dragon king at the beginning to the great ocean at the end, all must be judged by the six identities before the principle is fully exhausted. Someone said: "The other grounds do not match the universal rain; only smelling excludes other fragrances; pounding and blending does not equal original possession; all does not equal being identical with; the ocean's possessing does not equal the river's possessing." One should know that this person does not understand the intent of analogies. Metaphors are all based on actual phenomena, hence extreme phenomena are cited to analogize the supreme Dharma. The Dharma is necessarily suddenly complete, so why raise difficulties with the analogy? The analogy of the elephant in the Snowy Mountains has a similar intent.