教觀綱宗 1.16

1.16

Next, to clarify the distinct five periods: this refers to a class of the dullest śrāvakas who must undergo five turns of smelting and molding before they can enter reality. That is to say, initially at the Avataṃsaka, they neither saw nor heard, entirely raw like milk. (In the first eight assemblies of the Avataṃsaka, there were never any śrāvakas; hence it is said they 'neither saw nor heard'. Only in the ninth assembly, the Chapter on Entering the Dharma Realm in the Jetavana, were there śrāvakas. At that time they had already realized the holy fruit, yet in the realm of bodhisattvas, they were still like the deaf and mute. This proves that prior to this, even if they heard the Avataṃsaka, it would definitely have been of no benefit. However, Śāriputra and the others, by hearing the Tripiṭaka teaching, only then realized the holy fruit and only then could participate in the assembly of Entering the Dharma Realm; thus we know that the Chapter on Entering the Dharma Realm was definitely not expounded prior to the Āgamas. Why do people not reflect in the least, and falsely claim that the Avataṃsaka was confined to the three or seven days?) Next, at the Āgamas, hearing the dharmas of arising and ceasing through causes and conditions, they transformed from ordinary persons into sages, like transforming milk into coagulated milk (coagulated milk is cooked milk curd). Next, hearing the Vaipulya, which rebukes the biased and dismisses the small, praising the great and extolling the complete, they felt ashamed of the small and aspired to the great, lamenting that they were burnt seeds. Although they fully heard the four teachings, they secretly obtained only the benefit of the shared teaching, like transforming coagulated milk into fresh butter. Next, hearing Prajñā, which converges all dharmas into the Mahāyāna, instructing the bodhisattvas and managing the entire treasure-house of the Buddha's teachings; although it carried along the shared and distinct, it primarily clarified the complete teaching. Yet they secretly obtained only the benefit of the distinct teaching, like transforming fresh butter into clarified butter. Next, hearing the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka, which opens the expedient and reveals the real, they finally obtained the real benefit of the complete teaching, like transforming clarified butter into ghee. However, this distinct five-period teaching also is not rigidly fixed to years, months, days, or hours; whenever they were suited to hear it, they immediately heard it. When the Tathāgata expounds the Dharma, his spiritual power is sovereign, and one voice yields different understandings—how could it be conceived? Furthermore, there are those whose capacities are slightly sharper who need not undergo all five flavors, but through four, three, or two turns of smelting and molding can enter reality. If they awaken at any one among the Āgama, Vaipulya, or Prajñā, they are subsumed under the two conversion methods of secret and indeterminate. Moreover, there are sentient beings who are not yet capable of hearing the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka; some voluntarily withdrew from their seats, while others were transported to other lands. These must await the gleaning in the Nirvāṇa, or await other Buddhas after the parinirvāṇa. Things are not uniform; if one thoroughly examines the Fahua xuanyi and Fahua wenju, all doubts will naturally be resolved.