佛祖統紀 3.117

3.117

Regarding the fourth, the Prajñā period: Great persons receive its light and function, while infants lose their clarity. Therefore the text says, 'He expounded the real facts only for the sake of the bodhisattvas, and did not speak this true essential to us.' Although three persons studied it together, two obtained realization, as fully stated in the Larger Prajñāpāramitā. (The Fahua wenju jiyi, volume 1, says: 'Bodhisattvas receive the light of Prajñā and the function of all phenomena. Those of the two vehicles are like infants of seven days: if they look at the orb of the sun, it causes their eyes to lose their sight; because ignorance remains completely intact, its meaning is like losing [their sight]. A female is called ying, a male is called er.') Next, regarding the preaching of the Mahāprajñā, Avataṃsaka, Ocean-like Emptiness, and the practice across kalpas: this refers to elucidating the Larger Prajñāpāramitā after the Vaipulya [period]. The Larger Prajñāpāramitā sometimes speaks of impermanence and non-self, sometimes of emptiness, and sometimes of non-arising and non-ceasing; all of these traverse form and mind up to the knowledge of all aspects (sarvākārajñatā), sentence by sentence turning to elucidate methods of practice. Furthermore, hundreds of thousands of bhikṣus and myriad kotis of humans and devas attain stream-entry and arhatship, or abide as pratyekabuddhas; this verifies that it is the Common Prajñā. And as for saying 'Avataṃsaka, Ocean-like Emptiness': (The Jiyi says: 'From "and as for saying" downwards elucidates the Distinct Prajñā. "Common" means spoken in common with the two vehicles; "Distinct" means the Distinct and Perfect [teachings], not shared with the two vehicles.') According to the Treatise on Dharma-Nature (Faxing lun), dull-rooted bodhisattvas enter the Dharma-realm in three places: first in the Prajñā, next in the Lotus, and last in the Nirvāṇa. Entering the Dharma-realm due to hearing the Prajñā is precisely the Avataṃsaka's Ocean-like Emptiness (Miaoxuan, fascicle 10). Next, the Prajñā is preached: transmitting the teaching, entrusting the wealth, fusing together, and sifting out (the Collected Commentaries correctly reads 'sifting out' [taotai]). In this Prajñā, the Tripiṭaka teaching is not expounded; carrying along the Shared and Distinct teachings, it primarily expounds the Perfect teaching. (The Sijiaoyi. The Collected Commentaries says: 'As for "transmitting the teaching," Subhūti understands emptiness and Śāriputra has wisdom. The Buddha, with the Dharma of Prajñā's empty wisdom, empowers these two persons to turn and expound for all the bodhisattvas that all phenomena are empty and none are not pure. After this, they turn to deliver others. The sūtra says: "Although we expounded the bodhisattva Dharma for all during the time of sifting out, we had no wish to take it up." Hence it is called transmitting the teaching. As for "entrusting the wealth," the seven treasures are the wealth of worldly elders, while Prajñā is the wealth of the supramundane Dharma King. In terms of the Buddha's intent, empowering these two persons with this Prajñā is itself entrusting the wealth. As for the two vehicles, they merely consider it an empowered explanation. Therefore the Larger Prajñāpāramitā says: "How would śrāvakas dare to say anything? Whatever is spoken is all due to the Buddha's power." In terms of the teaching intent, it is merely coming to know and understand the family estate, secretly achieving distinct benefits; only upon reaching the Lotus can it be called entrusting the wealth. Hence the sūtra says: "All that I have now belongs to my son." As for "fusing together," if the Prajñā gathers all phenomena as entirely the Mahāyāna, this is the Dharma of fusing the three teachings together; it does not mean the "fusion" of perfect fusion. As the Jiyi says: "If using the Perfect to refute the three, and using the Perfect to refute the Tripiṭaka, then perfect fusion is the 'fusion.' Or, if using the three teachings to refute the Tripiṭaka, then fusing together is the 'fusion.'" As for "sifting out," the Da zhidu lun says: "To clarify and wash." It means sifting, washing, and selecting with the water of empty wisdom. The Shuowen says: xi and jian are pronounced xi and jian, meaning to wash rice. The Jiyi says: "The rebuke in the Vaipulya is slightly different from the shared meaning. Now this Prajñā properly corresponds to the shared section." The Fuxing says: "Secondarily using the Shared teaching and primarily using the Distinct and Perfect teachings, applying them to the two vehicles, secretly achieves distinct benefits." Furthermore, the Jiyi says: "Previously in the Vaipulya, the meaning was already made shared; hence upon reaching the Prajñā, only these two are needed. Clarifying the Distinct is the intent of expounding the section. Although the intent is distinct, there are still those who newly received the Hinayāna in the Vaipulya; upon reaching here, they must be shared. There are also those who secondarily obtained the Hinayāna in the Mahāyāna gate; therefore, both are used together." Now, speaking in contrast between biased and perfect, it is said that it carries the two and expounds the Perfect. If the Benevolent Kings Prajñā expounds the verse of the four impermanences to exhort King Universal Light to abandon his royal throne, its meaning seems to resemble the Tripiṭaka [teaching]; that clarifies an aid to the path, not the primary intent of this section.')