大通方廣懺悔滅罪莊嚴成佛經 3.3

3.3

爾時眾中。師子吼菩薩摩訶薩。即從坐起。正衣服。頂禮佛足。而白佛言。世尊。如上所說。聞佛名亦滅罪。聞法名亦滅罪。聞僧名亦滅罪。為佛力。為法力。為僧力。如其佛力應求佛。如其法力應求法。如其僧力應求僧。何須求三。如上所說。唯有一乘。眾生見三。佛自說三。何況眾生。佛告師子吼菩薩摩訶薩言。善哉善哉。快問是義。利益眾生。諦聽諦聽。今當為汝。分別解說。非但佛力。非但法力。非但僧力。皆是眾力。佛是眾生歸處父母。菩薩僧者是證明知識。迷子眾生。若有惺悟。自生厭離。念力多故。求出三界煩惱大海。方廣經典為作大船。善男子。佛即是法。法即是僧。僧即無為。無為是空。無為空。有為空。內空外空。大空小空。皆歸一空。更無別空。善男子。汝向所問。應當求一。何須求三。善男子。譬如有人。怖畏虛空。處處遊行。藏護其身。不離虛空。善男子。十方佛說。及我所說。萬善因緣。三寶三乘。不過有一。為初中後善。一切眾生。分別說三。是故名為。一相三寶。師子吼菩薩言。善哉善哉。實如聖教。我以久知。為諸眾生。問如此事。

At that time, in the assembly, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Siṃhanāda arose from his seat, straightened his robes, touched his head to the Buddha's feet in reverence, and said to the Buddha: "Bhagavat, as said above, hearing the name of the Buddha also eradicates sins; hearing the name of the Dharma also eradicates sins; hearing the name of the Saṅgha also eradicates sins. Is this by the power of the Buddha, by the power of the Dharma, or by the power of the Saṅgha? If it is by the power of the Buddha, one should seek the Buddha; if it is by the power of the Dharma, one should seek the Dharma; if it is by the power of the Saṅgha, one should seek the Saṅgha. Why is there a need to seek all three? As said above, there is only the One Vehicle; sentient beings see three, and the Buddha himself spoke of three, so how much more so sentient beings?"
The Buddha told the bodhisattva mahāsattva Siṃhanāda: "Excellent, excellent! Well asked is this meaning, which benefits sentient beings. Listen attentively! Listen attentively! I shall now explain and analyze it for you. It is not merely the power of the Buddha, not merely the power of the Dharma, and not merely the power of the Saṅgha: all are the collective power [of the Three Jewels]. The Buddha is the refuge and parent of sentient beings; the bodhisattva-saṅgha is the witness and spiritual friend. If confused children, sentient beings, awaken, they will spontaneously give rise to revulsion [for saṃsāra]; because their power of mindfulness is great, they seek to escape the great ocean of afflictions in the three realms. The vaipulya scriptures serve as a great vessel for them. Good son, the Buddha is the Dharma; the Dharma is the Saṅgha; the Saṅgha is the unconditioned; the unconditioned is emptiness. The unconditioned is empty, the conditioned is empty, the internal is empty, the external is empty, the great is empty, the small is empty—all return to the one emptiness, and there is no other distinct emptiness. Good son, as for what you just asked: one should seek the one; why need one seek three? Good son, it is like a person who is terrified of empty space, wandering everywhere and hiding to protect their body, yet never leaving empty space. Good son, what the Buddhas of the ten directions speak and what I speak—the ten thousand wholesome causes and conditions, the Three Jewels, and the three vehicles—do not exceed the one. For the sake of all sentient beings who are good in the beginning, middle, and end, they are explained distinctively as three; therefore they are called the Three Jewels of One Characteristic."
Bodhisattva Siṃhanāda said: "Excellent, excellent! It is truly as the holy teaching says. I already knew this long ago, but asked about such matters for the sake of all sentient beings."