四教義 11.2

11.2

Fourth, clarifying the stages and explaining the meaning of Pure Stainless Fame in terms of the perfect teaching: The perfect teaching elucidates the principle of causes and conditions being identical to the inconceivable Buddha-nature nirvāṇa of the middle way. When a bodhisattva receives this teaching gate, although the principle is neither shallow nor profound, for those who realize it there are nevertheless stages of shallow and profound. Now, to clarify entering the Path in the perfect teaching, it also fully possesses four gates: first, the gate of existence; second, the gate of emptiness; third, the gate of both emptiness and existence; and fourth, the gate of neither emptiness nor existence. Although the perfect teaching possesses four gates, the purport of the various Mahāyāna sūtras mostly employs the gate of neither emptiness nor existence to clarify the stages. Just as in this sūtra the various bodhisattvas each speak on entering the gate of non-duality: on an initial view they may seem alike, but upon close examination there is indeed the distinction among the four gates; yet they mostly employ the gate of neither emptiness nor existence to enter inconceivable liberation. This meaning will be naturally apparent below. If responding to capacities to benefit beings, entering through the four gates in response to conditions all leads to inconceivable liberation—how could one rely on only one! But for the preliminary purpose of explaining the stages of practice conveniently, it must be done in this way. Therefore, now in explaining the stages of the perfect teaching, we precisely determine them in terms of the gate of neither emptiness nor existence. In this there are five points: first, distinguishing the differences in explaining stages between the distinctive and perfect teachings; second, directly clarifying the determination of stages in the perfect teaching; third, citing various sūtras and treatises as proof; fourth, resolving objections; fifth, explaining the meaning of Pure Stainless Fame in terms of the stages of the perfect teaching.