大乘起信論廣釋卷第三．四．五 5.88

5.88

論。若諸凡夫至無有是處　釋曰。次對理事二定以明真偽。於中有二。初明理定是真。後顯事定是偽。此初也。謂諸外凡十信人等修行大乘菩薩行者莫不皆依真如三昧得入十住種姓位中。除此更無能入之道。故云不習無有是處。如來種姓有其二種。一者本住。謂眾生身本覺。真性即是始覺。如來之種本來有故。二者始起。謂初住上位如來家。當體佛位。是為佛種。今方起故。今此得入如來種者。即是始起如來種也。然此種性復有六種。一習種性。謂十住位。由習信故。其此位中不退大乘定成佛故。二性種姓。謂十行位。久習成性至此位中不退行即向佛位故。三道種姓。謂十向位。修二定道至此位中不退觀照向佛智故。四聖種姓。謂十地位。由觀照力至此位中得真聖道成佛位故。五等覺姓。謂金剛定。至此位中因行已滿剎那斷滅與佛齊故。六妙覺性。謂佛果位。諸障相淨至此始覺道□窮本覺故。此中初二與十三住種姓住中。性習二種其名既同。有前後者。彼則本習二義別開。因本起習。性先習後。此云於前習種以中因習成性。習先性後。性習名同而義有別。故雖前後不相違也。

Treatise: "If ordinary persons... [down to] ...there is no such possibility." Commentary: Next, the two concentrations—of principle and of phenomena—are contrasted to clarify the true and the counterfeit. In this there are two parts: first, clarifying that the concentration of principle is true; second, revealing that the concentration of phenomena is counterfeit. This is the first. It means that when ordinary persons outside [the stages], people of the ten faiths, and the like cultivate the practices of the Mahāyāna bodhisattva, none of them fails to rely on the samādhi of tathatā to attain entry into the lineage stages of the ten abodes; apart from this, there is no other path capable of entry. Therefore, it says: "Without practicing it, there is no such possibility." There are two kinds of Tathāgata lineages: first, inherently abiding—meaning that in the body of sentient beings, original awakening's true nature is precisely the initial awakening, because the seed of the Tathāgata is fundamentally present; second, newly arisen—meaning that above the first abode, one is in the home of the Tathāgata, embodying the Buddha stage, which is the Buddha seed, because it now just arises. Now, this "attaining entry into the Tathāgata lineage" refers to the newly arisen Tathāgata lineage. However, this lineage furthermore has six kinds: 1. The lineage of practice, meaning the stage of the ten abodes: because of practicing faith, in this stage one does not retrogress from the Mahāyāna and is certain to become a Buddha. 2. The lineage of nature, meaning the stage of the ten practices: long practice becomes nature, and arriving at this stage one's non-retrogressing practice heads toward the Buddha stage. 3. The lineage of the path, meaning the stage of the ten dedications: cultivating the path of the two concentrations, arriving at this stage one's non-retrogressing contemplative illumination heads toward Buddha wisdom. 4. The lineage of the noble, meaning the stage of the ten grounds: through the power of contemplative illumination, arriving at this stage one attains the true noble path and accomplishes the Buddha stage. 5. The lineage of equal awakening, meaning the vajra concentration: arriving at this stage causal practice is perfected, and in an instant it severs [subtle ignorance] and equals the Buddha. 6. The lineage of wondrous awakening, meaning the stage of the Buddha fruit: the marks of all obstacles are purified, and here the path of initial awakening [...] exhausts original awakening. Here, the first two and the thirteen dwelling lineages: in the stages, the two kinds—nature and practice—share the same names. As for why there is an earlier and a later: in that [other text], the two meanings of fundamental and practice are opened separately; based on the fundamental, practice arises, so nature is first and practice is later. Here, it is said in the preceding lineage of practice that through practice nature is accomplished, so practice is first and nature is later. Nature and practice have identical names but different meanings, so although they are reversed, they do not contradict each other.