四教義 9.2

9.2

Third, regarding explaining the stages according to the distinctive teaching to elucidate the meaning of "Stainless Renown" (Vimalakīrti): the distinctive teaching elucidates the principle of the provisional names of causes and conditions and the Tathāgatagarbha buddha-nature. When a bodhisattva receives this doctrinal gateway and cultivates practice to attain realization, there must be degrees of depth; hence, the stages must be clarified. This distinctive teaching also has four gateways for entering the Path: first, the gateway of existence; second, the gateway of emptiness; third, the gateway of both existence and emptiness; and fourth, the gateway of neither existence nor emptiness. Although the distinctive teaching has four gateways, when one examines the intent of the sūtras and treatises, it mostly uses the gateway of both existence and emptiness to clarify the stages of practice. As the Nirvāṇa Sūtra says: "Paramārtha emptiness is called buddha-nature." It also says: "The wise see emptiness as well as non-emptiness; voice-hearers and pratyekabuddhas only see emptiness and do not see non-emptiness." That which is non-empty is precisely buddha-nature. If one is responding to capacities to benefit beings, the entering of the Path through the four gateways each accords with their faculties and conditions; how could one use only one exclusively! Yet for the purpose of a preliminary, convenient explanation of the stages, matters must be done in this way. Therefore, in now clarifying the stages of practice in the distinctive teaching, we still distinguish them in reference to the gateways of emptiness and existence. Regarding this, there are four points: first, the variations in the presentation of the bodhisattva stages of the distinctive teaching across sūtras and treatises; second, clarifying the stages in general; third, explaining them separately; and fourth, explaining the meaning of "Stainless Renown" according to the stages of the distinctive teaching.