止觀輔行傳弘決 3.12

3.12

From "Question..." onward is the critical evaluation, which has two rounds of questions and answers. The first text provides the primary determination, and the subsequent text opens up comprehension. In the question of the first text: the three virtues and the four virtues both exist in nirvāṇa; how are they identical or different? The meaning of the answer is that the three and four seem different, but both exist in nirvāṇa; nirvāṇa is not diverse, and the three and four are not different; therefore, they are brought together and reconciled to make one recognize non-duality. Within this, there are also general and distinctive reconciliations. First, as for the general reconciliation: each of the three virtues is fully endowed with the four virtues, hence it is called general. The general reconciliation has two explanations. First, it cites the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra. Because the dharma-body is eternal, the other two virtues are also eternal; since there is eternity, how could there not be bliss and the rest? This is an explanation by comparison and analogical extension. Since the dharma[-body] has eternity, it must possess the remaining three; and the other two are in turn used by reverse analogy for the dharma-body. "Buddha" means awakened; awakening is wisdom, hence it belongs to prajñā; furthermore, he can manifest bodily forms to tame and guide others, hence it belongs to liberation. Therefore, the word "Buddha" is fully endowed with these two virtues. Next, it cites the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra to show that through the extinction of the five aggregates, all four virtues are possessed. The aggregates are the dharma-body; the dharma-body being so, the other two follow by analogy; therefore, we know that all three virtues possess the four virtues. Thus, the general correspondence has these two explanations. Next, from "If according to..." onward, it further turns the five aggregates and the four stations of mindfulness to form the four virtues. Because they correspond individually, it is called distinctive. Thus the distinctive correspondence also has two explanations, meaning that the division and combination of the aggregates and the stations of mindfulness differ, which can be seen in accordance with the text (and so on). From "Thus..." onward is the conclusion. "According to the perfect teaching, it is the sudden meaning," and so forth: as in the two explanations of general and distinctive correspondences just given, they merely correlate dharmas with dharmas, not yet discussing the characteristics of practice. If contemplated with the initial mind, it constitutes the sudden meaning; if brought together only with the subsequent mind, it constitutes the distinctive meaning.