四教義 2.5

2.5

Third, explaining the immeasurable four noble truths: as the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says: 'Knowing the suffering of the aggregates is called the truth of suffering. Discriminating the aggregates as having immeasurable marks that are all various sufferings is called the immeasurable truth of suffering.' For the immeasurable accumulation, cessation, and path, the sūtra passages will naturally be fully cited below. Regarding such a principle of the four truths, the Nirvāṇa Sūtra says: 'None of it is known by śrāvakas or pratyekabuddhas'; hence we know that these are all the principle elucidated by the distinctive teaching. Question: These immeasurable four noble truths—what kind of immeasurability of the four truths is this? Answer: Now, explaining that the bodhisattvas elucidated by the four teachings learn the cognition of the aspects of the path, they all obtain the immeasurable four truths, yet these immeasurable four truths precisely belong to the distinctive teaching. Question: If so, when the Nirvāṇa Sūtra explains the immeasurable marks of the four truths, how can it be known for certain that they are the immeasurable four truths elucidated by the distinctive teaching? Answer: If immeasurability is spoken of without explaining Buddha-nature, it is the immeasurability elucidated by the previous two teachings. If immeasurable marks are spoken of while explaining Buddha-nature, it spontaneously constitutes the immeasurability explained by the latter two teachings. If the perfect teaching is also called the immeasurable four noble truths, it is an alternate name for the non-active four actual truths.