四教義 10.35

10.35

The bodhisattva of the first stage is complete with the five conducts, which perhaps constitutes the first merit. The remaining nine kinds of merit may correspond to the nine stages. As for what is called destroying the view delusions of ignorance, the Nirvāṇa Sūtra says: 'All those prior to this are named people of wrong view.' Thus, the people of the three vehicles of the two teachings have not yet seen this principle, and are therefore named people of wrong view. It is on this account that the Great Being rebuked Subhūti: 'The six teachers are your teachers, and heavenly demons and non-Buddhists join hands with you as companions in toil.' The meaning lies in this. Even in the distinctive teaching, though the ten faiths and thirty minds subdue these delusions, since they have not yet severed them, they still possess distinct views of ignorance; this may also be the intent in rebuking the bodhisattvas. From the second to the sixth stage is called the path of cultivation, severing the distinct afflictions of desire in the three realms. As the Dà zhìdù lùn explains, when Kāśyapa heard the sound of the harp of the gandharva king, he could not compose himself, saying: 'I have already completely severed the five desires of the three realms, yet these are the five desires born of the bodhisattva's pure, wondrous merits; therefore I cannot endure them in this matter.' The same applies by analogy to the desire for form and the formless. In this sūtra, the Great Being rebukes Subhūti, saying: 'Joining with afflictions without reaching the other shore; entering the eight difficulties without attaining freedom from difficulty.' The meaning lies in this. Therefore, from the second stage to the sixth stage is collectively called the path of cultivation, severing these distinct delusions. Now inferring this by meaning: the second stage, Freedom from Defilement, provisionally severs the desire-realm craving of the distinctive teaching, and is called the direction toward the sakṛdāgāmin. The third stage, Radiance, is the fruit of the sakṛdāgāmin of the distinctive teaching. The fourth stage, Blazing Wisdom, is the direction toward the anāgāmin of the distinctive teaching. The fifth stage, Difficult to Conquer, is the fruit of the anāgāmin of the distinctive teaching, completely ending the distinct delusions of desire-realm craving. The sixth stage, Manifestation, is the direction toward the arhat of the distinctive teaching, severing the distinct craving for form. The seventh stage, Far-Reaching, is the fruit of the arhat of the distinctive teaching, completely severing the distinct craving for the formless; therefore from here on it is named the path of beyond-training. Question: What sūtras or treatises do these correspondences to the four fruits come from? Answer: When the distinctive teaching explains severing and subduing in correspondence to the four fruits, sūtras and treatises differ greatly. What the various Mahāyāna masters employ is also diverse. In the shared teaching's classification of stages by the Dilun masters, it says: 'The first stage severs views, the second stage severs craving for desire, the third stage severs craving for form, and the fourth stage severs craving for the formless.' In the general school's classification of stages by the Dilun masters, some employ the third stage as severing views and name it srotāpanna; from the fourth to the sixth stage is named sakṛdāgāmin, the master relying on the second refuge; the seventh stage is named anāgāmin, the master relying on the third refuge; the tenth stage and equal awakening are named arhat, which is the master relying on the fourth refuge. Some hold that the third stage severs views, the fourth stage is named sakṛdāgāmin, the fifth stage is named anāgāmin, and the sixth stage is named arhat. Some employ the Humane Kings Sūtra, where the fourth stage severs views, the fifth stage is named sakṛdāgāmin, the sixth stage is named anāgāmin, and the seventh stage is named arhat. With divergent explanations like these, it is difficult to determine which to rely on. Now inferring it by meaning, we make these correspondences to the four fruits. Provisionally, this seems convenient for understanding; yet since there is no definitive text and the Buddha's intent is difficult to fathom, one should not rigidly cling to it. Question: Why are the explanations indeterminate? Answer: As already explained earlier. The eighth stage, Immovability, is the stage of the pratyekabuddha of the distinctive teaching. The Dilun masters say: 'From here on, the path of beyond-training is explained,' but its definitive provenance in sūtras and treatises is unknown. Not only does the eighth stage attain the forbearance of non-arising, but being tranquil yet constantly functioning, functioning yet signless, without deliberate effort, it spontaneously severs the ignorance delusion of the dharmadhātu and exhausts traces of form. At the ninth stage, Good Wisdom, ignorance thins slightly, traces of mind are completely severed, wisdom becomes ever clearer, and one skillfully enters the true aspect. At the tenth stage, Cloud of Dharma, kindness, compassion, and wisdom are like a great cloud; kindness and compassion pervade everywhere, and it rains wisdom clouds over all, capable of upholding the dharma rain spoken by the buddhas of the ten directions and severing ignorance. Sixth, the stage of equal awakening: the terminal wisdom is fulfilled, and one enters the gate of repeated profundity. Looking back from the perspective of the Cloud of Dharma, it is called Buddha; looking toward wondrous awakening, it is called the diamond-mind bodhisattva, and also the taintless-stage bodhisattva. The three māras are already exhausted, and only one grade of the māra of death remains, abiding in severing traces of ignorance. Question: Why did the previous shared teaching not distinguish an equally awakened Buddha? Answer: Traces within the realms are easily exhausted, so there was no need to open up Cloud of Dharma to establish equal awakening. Question: Why is it that the sūtras and treatises of the distinctive teaching in various places explain that beyond Cloud of Dharma there is further diamond-mind equal awakening, while some sūtras and treatises merely explain that when the practice of the ten stages is fulfilled one attains the Buddha fruit, and northern and southern masters have disputed this meaning? Answer: Establishing equal awakening additionally does not pose an obstacle. Why is this? The Avataṃsaka Sūtra explains that the merit and wisdom of the tenth stage of Cloud of Dharma, when compared to the Buddha, are like dirt on a fingernail compared to the great earth. If so, although one grade of ignorance is spoken of, in reality the grades cannot be counted; how could a bodhisattva in the final thought of the path of non-effort be as swift as a violent wind, able in a single day to destroy countless grades of obscuring delusions of ignorance? Furthermore, the Yingluo jing explains that at the stage of equal awakening, for hundreds of thousands of ten-millions of kalpas, one enters the gate of repeated profundity and inversely cultivates the affairs of ordinary beings. Therefore, opening up the Cloud of Dharma stage to additionally establish the diamond-mind equal awakening Buddha is without logical flaw. If one knows that a single grade contains countless grades of ignorance and that it is exhausted through the unobstructed wisdom of the Cloud of Dharma stage, why would one need to open up the stage of equal awakening! Seventh, the stage of wondrous awakening: in the thought following the diamond mind, one is brightly and greatly awakened, wondrous wisdom reaches the source, and traces of ignorance are exhausted; this is called true liberation. Solemn and free of encumbrance, tranquil yet ever illuminating, it is called the stage of wondrous awakening. Eternally abiding in the Buddha fruit and endowed with all Buddha dharmas, it is called the fruit of bodhi. Nirvāṇa with the four virtues is called the fruit of fruits. Question: Is ignorance definitively severed using diamond-like wisdom, or is it severed using wondrously awakened wisdom? Answer: The Nirvāṇa Sūtra says: 'One who has something to sever is named a person with a superior; one who has nothing to sever is named an unsurpassed person.' Question: The Śrīmālādevī Sūtra says: 'The stage of the entrenchment of ignorance is greatest in power, and can only be severed by the Buddha's bodhi wisdom.' Answer: If using the distinctive teaching to bridge the ten stages and equal awakening, that is precisely the Buddha's bodhi wisdom. Why is this? The Nirvāṇa Sūtra says: 'Bodhisattvas of the ninth dwelling are said to have hearing-vision; bodhisattvas of the tenth dwelling are said to have eye-vision; though they see Buddha-nature, it is not clearly evident.' Because the unobstructed path abides together with delusion, it is not clearly evident. That all Tathāgata Buddhas see it clearly is because they possess true liberation and are solemn outside of all encumbrance, hence they see clearly. If explaining the meaning according to the distinctive teaching, from the initial stage of Joy one uses Buddha bodhi wisdom to sever the first grade of ignorance, and only in the thought following equal awakening is it completely severed. If explaining the meaning according to the perfect teaching, at the initial stage of the dwelling of generating the mind, one is able to use Buddha bodhi wisdom to sever the first grade of ignorance, and only in the thought following equal awakening is it completely severed.