大通方廣懺悔滅罪莊嚴成佛經 3.3

3.3

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."