四教義 8.12

8.12

Fourth, regarding the stage of seeing: this is when the three vehicles equally see the principle of the paramārtha-satya of the four noble truths of non-arising, and equally exhaust the severance of the eighty-eight entanglements of delusions of view. Question: Above it was explained that one enters emptiness through embodying dharmas, and afterward refutes what belongs to craving and views; why are delusions of view exhausted first, while what belongs to craving is severed only afterward? Answer: Views are new while craving is old. Although entering emptiness through embodying the provisional refutes both simultaneously, views are easy to exhaust while craving is difficult to eliminate. It is like breaking a lotus root: if broken by hand, the lotus root snaps but the fibers remain connected; if cut with a knife, both root and fibers are severed. For persons who realize the fruits sequentially, although delusions of view are exhausted, delusions of thought still remain. For persons who realize by leaping over, both view and thought are severed together.