釋淨土群疑論 6.35

6.35

釋曰：麁分九品有於二家，細分九品乃有多說。言二家者，一釋：此之九品並是十信菩薩，約住約退、造善造惡、昇降不同分成九品。初三品人是十信不退住本位人，行有淺深成上三品。中三品人退大乘心發小乘意、退大乘行修小乘業，行有淺深成中三品。下三品人退大乘心起生死心、退大乘行造生死罪，罪有重輕成下三品。二釋言：發大菩提心修行菩薩行，行有淺深成上三品。發小菩提心修行聲聞行，行有淺深成中三品。不發大小二乘心、不修大小二乘行，唯起生死心、唯造生死罪，造罪有重輕成下三品。此即麁分九品也。細分九品者，且上品三人，諸師取捨有多同異。一師言：上品上生，四五六地菩薩；上品中生，初二三地菩薩；上品下生，地前三十心菩薩。一師言：上品上生十迴向，上品中生十行，上品下生十住。一師言；上品上生地前三十心，上品中生十住末心，上品下生十信初心。一師云：上品上生，十行、十迴向；上品中生十住；上品下生十信。一師云：上品上生十住初心，上品中生十信後位，上品下生十信初位。一師云：上品上生，取十信及十信前，能發三心、能修三行，悉名上品上生；上品中生、上品下生，唯取十信已前發菩提心、修善凡夫，起行淺深以分二品。所以諸師判此三品高下不同者，以無生法忍經論判位或下或上。《仁王般若》說無生法忍在七八九地，諸論之中說無生法忍在於初地或在忍位，《菩薩本業瓔珞經》說無生法忍在十住位，《華嚴經》說無生法忍在十信位，《占察經》說無生法忍在十信前凡夫位，故諸師各據一位得無生法忍，分上三品高下不同也。中三品中，一師云：中品上生是三果人，中品中生是七方便人，中品下生人是種解脫分善根人。一師云：中品上生忍位人，中品中生頂位人，中品下生𤏙位人。一師云：中品上生𤏙頂忍位人，中品中生前三解脫分善根人，中品下生曾種解脫分善根人。一師云：中三品人並是種解脫分善根人，只由持戒得有淺深及不持戒人但行世善以分三品，不約位地上下分成三品也。下三品人只由遇緣造罪多少輕重不同，分成下三品，無別位地也。無生忍有六位：一聞慧，在十信前。二生勝解，在十信後。三思慧，在十住後。四修慧，在𤏙後。五證得，在初地。六相續，在八地。此在因中，佛果圓滿。

Explanation: There are two masters who roughly divide the nine grades, while there are many explanations that finely divide the nine grades. As for the two masters: The first explanation states: these nine grades are all bodhisattvas of the ten faiths; based on abiding or retrogressing, performing good or creating evil, their differences in ascending or descending divide them into the nine grades. The people of the first three grades are those of the ten faiths who do not retrogress and abide in their original stage; according to the shallowness or depth of their practice, they form the upper three grades. The people of the middle three grades are those who retrogress from the Mahāyāna mind and generate the Hīnayāna intention, and who retrogress from Mahāyāna practice and cultivate Hīnayāna karma; according to the shallowness or depth of their practice, they form the middle three grades. The people of the lower three grades are those who retrogress from the Mahāyāna mind and give rise to a saṃsāric mind, and who retrogress from Mahāyāna practice and commit saṃsāric offenses; according to whether the offenses are heavy or light, they form the lower three grades. The second explanation states: those who generate the great bodhicitta and cultivate the bodhisattva practices, according to the shallowness or depth of their practice, form the upper three grades. Those who generate the small bodhicitta and cultivate śrāvaka practices, according to the shallowness or depth of their practice, form the middle three grades. Those who neither generate the mind of the great or small two vehicles nor cultivate the practices of the great or small two vehicles, but only give rise to a saṃsāric mind and only commit saṃsāric offenses, form the lower three grades according to whether the offenses committed are heavy or light. This is the rough division into nine grades. As for the fine division into nine grades: First, regarding the three kinds of people of the upper grade, the selections made by various masters have many similarities and differences. One master says: upper rebirth of the upper grade consists of bodhisattvas of the fourth, fifth, and sixth bhūmis; middle rebirth of the upper grade consists of bodhisattvas of the first, second, and third bhūmis; lower rebirth of the upper grade consists of bodhisattvas of the thirty minds prior to the bhūmis. One master says: upper rebirth of the upper grade consists of the ten dedications; middle rebirth of the upper grade consists of the ten practices; lower rebirth of the upper grade consists of the ten abodes. One master says: upper rebirth of the upper grade consists of the thirty minds prior to the bhūmis; middle rebirth of the upper grade consists of the final minds of the ten abodes; lower rebirth of the upper grade consists of the initial minds of the ten faiths. One master says: upper rebirth of the upper grade consists of the ten practices and the ten dedications; middle rebirth of the upper grade consists of the ten abodes; lower rebirth of the upper grade consists of the ten faiths. One master says: upper rebirth of the upper grade consists of the initial minds of the ten abodes; middle rebirth of the upper grade consists of the later stages of the ten faiths; lower rebirth of the upper grade consists of the initial stage of the ten faiths. One master says: upper rebirth of the upper grade takes those of the ten faiths and prior to the ten faiths who are able to generate the three minds and cultivate the three practices, all of whom are called upper rebirth of the upper grade; middle rebirth of the upper grade and lower rebirth of the upper grade take exclusively those pṛthagjanas who, prior to the ten faiths, generate bodhicitta and cultivate good, dividing into two grades according to the shallowness or depth of the practices they arouse. The reason why the various masters determine the height or lowness of these three grades differently is that sūtras and treatises classify the stage of the forbearance of non-arising of dharmas (anutpattikadharmakṣānti) sometimes lower and sometimes higher. The Renwang bore jing says that the forbearance of non-arising of dharmas is in the seventh, eighth, and ninth bhūmis; various treatises say that the forbearance of non-arising of dharmas is in the first bhūmi or in the stage of patience (kṣānti); the Pusa benye yingluo jing says that the forbearance of non-arising of dharmas is in the stage of the ten abodes; the Avataṃsaka Sūtra says that the forbearance of non-arising of dharmas is in the stage of the ten faiths; the Zhancha jing says that the forbearance of non-arising of dharmas is in the stage of pṛthagjanas prior to the ten faiths. Therefore, each master relies on a particular stage of attaining the forbearance of non-arising of dharmas, thus differing in how high or low they classify the upper three grades. Among the middle three grades, one master says: upper rebirth of the middle grade consists of people of the three fruits; middle rebirth of the middle grade consists of people of the seven expedient means; lower rebirth of the middle grade consists of people who plant the roots of good conducive to liberation (mokṣabhāgīya). One master says: upper rebirth of the middle grade consists of people in the stage of patience (kṣānti); middle rebirth of the middle grade consists of people in the stage of the summit (mūrdhan); lower rebirth of the middle grade consists of people in the stage of warmth (ūṣmagata). One master says: upper rebirth of the middle grade consists of people in the stages of warmth, summit, and patience; middle rebirth of the middle grade consists of people with the previous three roots of good conducive to liberation; lower rebirth of the middle grade consists of people who have previously planted the roots of good conducive to liberation. One master says: the people of the middle three grades are all people who plant the roots of good conducive to liberation; it is only due to the shallowness or depth of their upholding of the precepts, and those who do not uphold precepts but merely perform worldly good, that the three grades are distinguished, not divided into three grades according to the height or lowness of stages or bhūmis. As for the people of the lower three grades, it is simply due to the differences in whether they encounter conditions to commit few or many, light or heavy offenses that they are divided into the lower three grades, without distinct stages. The forbearance of non-arising has six stages: first, wisdom derived from hearing, prior to the ten faiths; second, arising of resolute understanding, after the ten faiths; third, wisdom derived from reflection, after the ten abodes; fourth, wisdom derived from cultivation, after warmth; fifth, realization, in the first bhūmi; sixth, continuation, in the eighth bhūmi. These are in the cause, and are perfected in the Buddha fruit.