教觀綱宗 1.40

1.40

The shared teaching shares with the preceding Tripiṭaka teaching for those of dull faculties, and shares with the subsequent distinct and complete [teachings] for those of sharp faculties; hence it is named 'shared.' Furthermore, it gets its name from within the teaching itself, meaning that the three vehicles together enter emptiness by embodying phenomena through the ineffable path; hence it is named 'shared.' This has no separate textual corpus; rather, wherever in the Vaipulya and Prajñā [periods] the shared practice of the three vehicles is explained, it belongs to this teaching. It explains the unproduced four truths (suffering has no characteristic of affliction, origination has no characteristic of combination, the path has no dual characteristic, cessation has no unproduced characteristic). It also explains the conceivable non-arising and non-perishing twelve links of dependent origination (ignorance is like empty space, and so on up to old age and death being like empty space, because ignorance is ungraspable like an illusion, and so on up to old age and death being ungraspable like an illusion). It also explains the practice of the rational six perfections (each of the three wheels is empty in its substance). It also explains the two truths of illusory existence and emptiness (illusory existence is the conventional, and illusory existence as identical with emptiness is the real). It also explains two kinds of the two truths that contain the middle: (First, illusory existence is the conventional, and illusory existence as identical with both emptiness and non-emptiness together is the real; this is the shared containing the distinct two truths, and therefore it is susceptible to reception by the distinct [teaching]. Second, illusory existence is the conventional, and illusory existence as identical with emptiness and non-emptiness, with all dharmas tending toward emptiness and non-emptiness, is the real; this is the shared containing the complete two truths, and therefore it is susceptible to reception by the complete [teaching].) It also explains the distinct entering the shared three truths (the contaminated is conventional, the uncontaminated is real, and neither contaminated nor uncontaminated is the middle). It also explains the complete entering the shared three truths (the two truths are the same as before, but pointing out that neither contaminated nor uncontaminated is endowed with all dharmas, which is different from the previous middle). It discloses [the teaching] to living beings of sharp faculties within the realms, causing them to cultivate the contemplation of emptiness through embodiment (the aggregates, realms, and entrances are all like illusions, ungraspable in their very substance), escape fragmented birth-and-death, and realize the nirvāṇa of the truth of the real. It primarily converts bodhisattvas, and secondarily converts the two vehicles.