四明尊者教行錄 3.170

3.170

Third, the immeasurable four truths of the distinct teaching: this teaching expounds the distinct bodhisattva dharma, practicing and cultivating the sands-of-the-Ganges buddha-dharmas through kalpas; hence it is called 'immeasurable'. Yet although what is cultivated is called immeasurable, if one points to its essentials, it does not go beyond the four kinds of medicine and illness. Hence it is said: 'Suffering has immeasurable characteristics, because the retributions of the ten realms are different. Origination has immeasurable characteristics, because the dust-and-sand afflictions are different. The path has immeasurable characteristics, because it is not what śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas know. Cessation has immeasurable characteristics, because the pāramitās are different.' Since there are the illnesses of suffering and origination, there are the medicines of the path and cessation. That the various counteractions of medicine and illness are different is truly because in this teaching the tathāgatagarbha principle is covered by dust-and-sand afflictions; therefore, one cultivates dust-and-sand Dharma gates to counteract them. Hence the Fuxing says: 'Illuminating and knowing that the one mind gives rise to immeasurable minds; because the mind is immeasurable, delusion and understanding are immeasurable: delusion is the suffering and origination of the ten realms, while awakening is the path and cessation of the ten realms.' This is precisely the meaning. However, when this teaching discusses the principle, it is the middle-way buddha-nature beyond the realms; this nature serves as the support for all phenomena, but its essence does not speak of intrinsic inclusion, speaking only of nature-arising, thus causing phenomena to not be intrinsically identical right where they are. What Jingxi called '派出的 (dispatched and arising), not saying that principle is [phenomena]; thus we know it is the distinct' is precisely this. Question: The perfect teaching explains the middle way intrinsically possessing phenomena, giving rise to the functions of the three thousand according to conditions; why does it not receive the name 'immeasurable'? Answer: That perfect [teaching] is called 'uncontrived' based on the principle of the true mark. Since this teaching establishes the nature by attaching to the provisional, saying that what is produced is not [the principle], how could it be the same as the perfect? One should know that the reason the distinct teaching differs from the perfect is truly because the dull faculties beyond the realms are deeply deluded about the principle; hence it is depreciated as the 'immeasurable four truths'.