遊心安樂道 1.61

1.61

總分九品，略有二家：一釋，此之九品，並是十信菩薩，約進、約退，造善、造惡，昇、降不同，分成九品。初三人是十信位，從本不退直趣入者，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，成中品三；下三品人，退大乘心，趣生死流，退大乘行，造生死罪，罪有重、輕，成下品三。二釋，言發大菩提心，修行菩薩行，行有淺、深，成上三品；發菩提心，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，唯趣生死心，唯造生死罪，造罪重、輕，成下三品。此即麁分九品也。

Concerning the overall division into nine grades, there are briefly two traditions. The first interpretation: these nine grades are all bodhisattvas of the ten faiths; in terms of progressing and regressing, creating good and creating evil, and differences in ascending and descending, they are divided into nine grades. The first three kinds of people are in the stage of the ten faiths, those who from the start do not retrogress and proceed straight ahead; their practice has degrees of shallowness and depth, constituting the three upper grades. The people of the three middle grades retrogress from the Mahāyāna mind and generate the Hīnayāna intention, retrogress from Mahāyāna practice and cultivate Hīnayāna karma; their practice has degrees of shallowness and depth, constituting the three middle grades. The people of the three lower grades retrogress from the Mahāyāna mind and head toward the current of birth and death, retrogress from Mahāyāna practice and commit sins of birth and death; their sins have degrees of heaviness and lightness, constituting the three lower grades. The second interpretation: generating the great mind of bodhi and cultivating bodhisattva practice, with practice having degrees of shallowness and depth, constitutes the three upper grades; generating the mind of bodhi and cultivating śrāvaka practice, with practice having degrees of shallowness and depth, constitutes the three middle grades; not generating the mind of either the Mahāyāna or Hīnayāna, not cultivating the practice of either the Mahāyāna or Hīnayāna, having only a mind that heads toward birth and death and creating only the sins of birth and death, with the created sins having degrees of heaviness and lightness, constitutes the three lower grades. This is the rough division into nine grades.