法界次第初門 3.17

3.17

Sixth, the prajñāpāramitā. 'Prajñā' in the language of the Qin is 'wisdom' (zhìhuì). Illuminating and discerning that all dharmas are ungraspable, yet capable of thoroughly penetrating everything without hindrance, is called 'wisdom'. Wisdom has three kinds: first, the wisdom of śrāvakas; second, the wisdom of pratyekabuddhas; third, the wisdom of buddhas. First, seeking the wisdom of śrāvakas has three kinds: of the trainee (śaikṣa), of the beyond-training (aśaikṣa), and of neither-trainee nor beyond-training. The wisdom of neither-trainee nor beyond-training includes the stage of dry wisdom, the contemplation of impurity, ānāpāna[smṛti], the four bases of mindfulness bound to the desire realm, the heat stage, the peak stage, the patience stage, and the worldly supreme dharma stage, and so on. The wisdom of the trainee is the wisdom of the patience with the dharma of suffering, up to the vajra-samādhi wisdom in the ninth uninterrupted [path] of the arhat. The wisdom of the beyond-training is the arhat's ninth liberation cognition. From this point onward, all cognitions beyond training—such as the cognition of exhaustion and the cognition of non-arising—are the wisdom of the śrāvaka. Seeking the wisdom of the pratyekabuddha path is also like this; however, because this person's untainted wholesome roots are fully ripened, even though born in an age without a buddha, without hearing it from another, they awaken spontaneously, attain meditative absorption, and exhaust the taints of the three realms. The meritorious qualities they attain, such as the three knowledges and six superknowledges, slightly surpass those of the śrāvaka; this is the wisdom of the pratyekabuddha. Furthermore, because of contemplating the twelve links of dependent origination, their wisdom is profound and sharp, and able to diminish and eradicate latent habit-energies, surpassing the śrāvaka's severing of fetters through the gate of contemplating the four noble truths; this is the difference. As for the wisdom of seeking the buddha path, from their initial arousal of the aspiration onwards, the bodhisattva practices the six pāramitās, shatters the hordes of Māra and all afflictions, attains the all-knowledge, completes the buddha path, and ultimately enters nirvāṇa without remainder. In accordance with the power of their fundamental vows, all the wisdom intermediate to these, fully knowing all universal aspects and particular aspects, is the buddha's wisdom. When a bodhisattva cultivates these three kinds of wisdom with a straightforward and pure mind, it is therefore called 'prajñā'. 'Pāramitā' is translated as explained before. If, within whatever wisdom they cultivate, a bodhisattva is able to fulfill the five kinds of mind, then at that time prajñā is called a 'pāramitā'. What are the five? First, the bodhisattva understands the real mark of wisdom as neither object nor subject, with the mind having nothing to grasp, yet is able to universally study the wisdom of the three vehicles and all worldly views and notions. The other four minds are categorized as explained in [the section on] dāna. If within the wisdom cultivated a bodhisattva is able to possess these five minds in this way, then in accordance with the wisdom attained, speaking of the fruition within the cause, all three meanings are possessed. For this reason, the wisdom cultivated by a bodhisattva is all called 'practicing the prajñāpāramitā'. Only when arriving at the fruit of buddhahood of unexcelled awakening is the prajñāpāramitā fully and completely accomplished.