The Perfect Teaching's Stage and the Three Tracks

As for clarifying the most real stage: this is precisely the perfect teaching's own stage. This is treated under ten headings: first, distinguishing the name and the sense; second, clarifying the number of stages; third, clarifying severing and subduing; fourth, clarifying its function; fifth, clarifying the coarse and the wondrous; sixth, clarifying the rise of the stage; seventh, clarifying the abolition of the stage; eighth, opening the coarse to reveal the wondrous; ninth, citing scripture; tenth, the wondrous stage from beginning to end.

First, as for distinguishing the name and the sense: as to how the perfect differs from the distinct, this carries its own ten senses, explained below within the clarification of the Essence. Here, this is distinguished according to three statements — the shared, the distinct, and the perfect: first, the name shared while the sense is perfect; second, the name distinct while the sense is perfect; third, both the name and the sense perfect.

As for the name being shared while the sense is perfect: the text below says, "We, today, are true arhats, and ought, everywhere within it, to receive offerings." And again: "We, today, are truly śrāvakas, and, by the very sound of the buddha-path, cause everyone to hear it." These names are the same as those of the Tripiṭaka and shared teachings, yet their sense differs. Why is this? Those teachings' own arhat merely slays the thief of the four abiding afflictions, while ignorance still remains — this is a one-sided sense of "no longer arising"; hence the heavenly maiden says, "The habitual residue of the fetters not yet exhausted, the flowers still cling to the body." Here, however, one slays both the shared and distinct teachings' own confusion at once, attaining the Tathāgata's own extinction — hence, the sense of "slaying the thief" is perfect. Again, those teachings' own arhat is free of segmented birth-and-death, yet is still born beyond the three realms. The Ratnagotravibhāga says: "The two vehicles, within the uncontaminated realm, still give rise to three kinds of mental aggregates." Here, however, one is free of both segmented birth-and-death and transformational birth-and-death together — hence, the sense of "no longer arising" is perfect. Those teachings' own arhat is worthy of offerings only within the three realms, not worthy of offerings beyond them. The Vimalakīrti Sūtra says: "Whoever makes offering to you is not, thereby, named a field of merit." This is a one-sided sense of "worthy of offerings." Here, however, one is everywhere within it worthy of receiving offerings — hence, the sense of "worthy of offerings" is perfect. Those teachings' own arhat is merely the Hīnayāna, hearing the sound of the Four Noble Truths from another — this is a one-sided sense of both "sound" and "hearing." Here, however, one is able to cause the entire dharma-realm to hear the sound of the one real Four Noble Truths, the very sound of the buddha-path, making everyone hear it — hence, the sense of "śrāvaka" itself is perfect. One should therefore know that this relies on the sense, not on the mere words, in judging the stage according to the perfect teaching.

As for the name being distinct while the sense is perfect: as with the fifty-two stages, whose names are the same as the distinct teaching's own. Yet the initial, middle, and final stages are perfectly fused, wondrous, and real, spoken according to one's own intent rather than as the teaching's own expedient path — relying on the sense, not on the mere words, one ought to judge the stage according to the perfect teaching.

As for both the name and the sense being perfect: the text says, "Opening, showing, awakening, and entering are all alike the buddha's own knowledge and vision." Knowing through the buddha's own wisdom knowing all modes, seeing through the buddha-eye — this knowledge and vision lacks nothing at all, diminished in no respect. Again, entering the Tathāgata's room, sitting in the Tathāgata's seat, adorned with the Tathāgata's own adornment — this, then, is both the name and the sense perfect, judged as the perfect stage.

Second, as for clarifying the number of stages: this, too, is of three parts — first, clarifying the number itself; second, citing evidence for how many there are; third, resolving doubts.

As for the number itself: people's understandings differ. Some say: sudden awakening is itself buddhahood, with no further distinction of sequential stages at all — citing the Viśeṣacintibrahma-paripṛcchā Sūtra: "Such a student as this does not proceed from one ground to another ground." Others say: sudden awakening at the initial mind is itself the ultimate, perfect extreme, and the existence of forty-two stages is merely an expedient means for transforming the dull-faculty practitioner, establishing names of shallow and deep only for their sake — citing the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra: "The first ground is itself the second ground, the second ground is itself the third ground — within quiescent extinction and suchness itself, what sequential stage could there possibly be?" Still others say: the initial sudden awakening, up through the ten abidings, is itself already the ten grounds; and the further speaking of the ten practices, the ten dedications, and the ten grounds is merely a repeated restatement of the same thing. Here, it is held that every one of these interpretations is one-sided. Yet, within the equality of the dharma-realm itself, one does not even discuss awakened versus unawakened at all — how, then, could one possibly distinguish shallow from deep? But since one is already able to discuss awakened versus unawakened, what obstacle could there be to also discussing shallow versus deep? Among the ultimate Mahāyāna scriptures, none surpasses the Avataṃsaka, the Mahāsaṃnipāta, the Larger Perfection of Wisdom Sūtra, the Lotus Sūtra, and the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra — and though these clarify the dharma-realm's own equality, beyond all speech and beyond all demonstration, the bodhisattva's own practice-stages remain, in the end, perfectly evident of themselves nonetheless.

Again, some say: the equality of the dharma-realm admits, with certainty, of no sequential stage whatsoever. Here, this statement may be challenged by the same example: does the real truth admit of discrimination, or does the real truth admit of no discrimination at all? Those who see the real distinguish the seven worthies, the seven sages, the twenty-seven worthies and sages, and the rest. If the equality of the real mark, though admitting of no sequential stage, may nonetheless be distinguished into sequential stages by whoever sees the real mark — what fault could there possibly be in this? The Treatise says: "It is like entering the sea — there is the one who has only just entered, the one who has reached its middle, and the one who has arrived at the far shore." If one distinguishes stages in terms of seeing the real, this is like the differing depths of a river; if one distinguishes stages in terms of the real mark itself, this is like the differing depths of the sea itself. Hence the Samantabhadra Meditation Sūtra says: "The cause of the Mahāyāna is the real mark of every dharma." The fruit of the Mahāyāna, too, is the real mark of every dharma — discussing these various sequential stages is not mere idle speculation. According with the scriptures themselves, clarifying the stages by means of the four siddhāntas presents no obstacle at all; here, too, the stage is clarified according to seven kinds, namely the ten faiths, the ten abidings, the ten practices, the ten dedications, the ten grounds, equal enlightenment, and wondrous enlightenment.

Here, before the ten faiths, the stage of the five ranks is further clarified, and so on. If a person's past cultivation has been deep and abundant, whether through encountering a good spiritual friend or through a scriptural text, hearing the perfect, wondrous principle — that one dharma is every dharma, that every dharma is one dharma, that it is neither one nor every, inconceivable, exactly as explained before — one gives rise to perfect faith and understanding, believing that the single mind is already complete with all ten dharma-realms, just as a single mote of dust contains within it a scroll as vast as the great trichiliocosm itself. Wishing to open this mind and cultivate the perfect practice — the perfect practice being one in which a single practice is every practice — this may be stated briefly as ten: knowing this single thought to be, of itself, equally complete, inconceivable; grieving over one's own confusion and torpor, extending loving-kindness to all; further knowing that this mind is ever quiescent and ever illuminating; using this mind of quiescent illumination to break through every dharma, at once empty, at once provisional, at once the middle; further knowing that, within this single mind, every mind is either penetrating or obstructed; being able, within this mind, to become complete with the factors of the path, turning toward the road of bodhi; further understanding, within this mind, the correct and auxiliary dharmas; further knowing one's own mind, and the mind of the ordinary being and of the sage alike; further settling the mind so that it is unmoving, unfalling, unretreating, and unscattered. Though one knows that this single mind possesses immeasurable merit and virtue, one gives rise to no defiled attachment toward it — the ten minds are thereby accomplished. To state the essential point: this mind, thought after thought, corresponds entirely to every pāramitā — this is named the perfect teaching's own initial rank of sympathetic joy.

The practitioner, this perfect faith just having arisen, must skillfully nourish and sustain it. Should one become entangled in worldly affairs and their agitation, this would cause the sprout of the path to break and wither. One should therefore only cultivate the contemplation of principle inwardly, while, outwardly, upholding, reading, and reciting the Mahāyāna scriptures, since hearing them carries a power that assists this contemplation. Inward and outward mutually reinforcing one another, this perfect faith grows ever more distinct, and the ten minds become firm and secure. The Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā says: "Giving one's own body as gifts, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, three times a day, does not equal the merit of upholding a single phrase." The first rank's own contemplative wisdom is like the eye; the second rank's own reading and reciting is like the sun — since the sun possesses light, the eye is thereby able to see every manner of form. The Treatise says: "With respect to the real, this is named the revealing cause; with respect to what remains, this is named the generating cause. Merit alone does not proceed toward bodhi; only these two together are able to proceed toward bodhi." The great benefit of hearing the scriptures lies precisely in this sense — this is named the stage of the second rank.

As the practitioner's own inward contemplation grows stronger still, and outward support grows firmer as well, perfect understanding held within, the universal vow stirred and moved, one further takes up teaching the dharma, proclaiming and spreading it exactly as it truly is. The Peaceful Practices chapter says: "Answering only by means of the Mahāyāna dharma; and, even where skillful means are employed as fitting, in the end always causing awakening to the great vehicle." The Vimalakīrti Sūtra says: "Where the teaching of the dharma is pure, wisdom, too, is pure." The Abhidharma says: "Teaching the dharma is liberation; hearing the dharma is liberation." Teaching the dharma to guide others is the very complete cause and condition by which another person attains the path, and, since this transformative merit returns to oneself as well, the ten minds accordingly grow three times more distinct — this is named the stage of the third rank.

Up to this point, one has first thoroughly cultivated the contemplation of mind, without yet having leisure to engage in worldly affairs. Now, as this correct contemplation grows somewhat more distinct, one incidentally also takes up benefiting others. Being able, through even a small act of giving, to equal empty space and the dharma-realm itself, causing every dharma to converge upon giving, giving itself becoming the dharma-realm. The Larger Perfection of Wisdom Sūtra says: "The bodhisattva's small act of giving surpasses even the śrāvaka and the pratyekabuddha — one should study prajñā" — this is precisely this same sense. The remaining five pāramitās are exactly the same. Though the outward phenomenal act is small, the mind it carries is vast indeed. Here, the contemplation of principle remains the primary practice, and worldly action remains only incidental to it — hence, this is called "incidentally practicing giving." As this worldly merit nourishes principle, the ten minds grow ever more abundant — this is named the stage of the fourth rank.

The practitioner's own perfect contemplation, growing somewhat mature, causes principle and worldly action to fuse together — engaging in worldly action no longer obstructs principle, and abiding in principle no longer sets itself apart from worldly action; hence, one now practices the six pāramitās directly and completely. When giving, one is free of attachment to either extreme; the dependent and direct retributions across all ten dharma-realms, relinquishing one is relinquishing all — wealth, body, and life itself, and the giving of fearlessness, are all given equally. When upholding the precepts, there is no distinction between grave inherent wrong and what the world finds objectionable; the grave and light offenses across the five divisions of the vinaya are none of them ever transgressed. When practicing patience, birth and dharmas alike are seen as quiescent extinction, bearing every burden with calm endurance. When practicing diligence, body and mind alike are purified, without interruption and without retreat. When practicing dhyāna, one roams freely into every dhyāna, whether stillness or dispersal presenting no obstacle. When cultivating wisdom, both the provisional and the real wisdom are thoroughly penetrated and understood; even worldly wisdom itself, and one's own livelihood and occupation, are none of them ever in conflict with the real mark. Complete with the full explanation of the buddha's own knowledge and vision, and with respect to correct contemplation, this is like fire fed further with firewood. This is the stage of the fifth rank.

The merit and virtue of this perfect faith across these five ranks cannot be compared to anything in the eight directions of east and west alike. Though this is still the initial mind, it already surpasses the merit and virtue of the śrāvaka beyond further learning — set out fully as the sūtra itself explains. If one wishes to compare this against other schemes to aid understanding, it is comparable to the Tripiṭaka teaching's own particular and general applications of mindfulness; reasoned by sense, it is like the shared teaching's own ground of dry wisdom, and likewise like the stage of subduing forbearance; reasoned by sense, it may also be taken as the distinct teaching's own stage of the ten faiths, and so on.

In my own view: the stage of the five ranks is the perfect teaching's own expedient means, meant at the outset to make understanding easier by measuring the small against the great, just as the Tripiṭaka teaching has its own five methods of stilling the mind. The first rank's perfect faith in the dharma-realm — believing upward in every buddha, believing downward in every sentient being, giving rise to sympathetic joy toward both alike — is the perfect teaching's own version of stilling the mind through loving-kindness, universally treating jealousy and envy throughout the dharma-realm. The second rank's reading and reciting of the Mahāyāna's own text — the text being the very vital breath of the Dharma-body — reading and reciting it with clarity and sharpness is the perfect teaching's own version of stilling the mind through counting the breath, universally treating applied and sustained thought throughout the dharma-realm. The rank of teaching the dharma, able to purify one's own mind and likewise purify the minds of others, is the perfect teaching's own version of stilling the mind through causes and conditions, universally treating delusion, both one's own and others', throughout the dharma-realm. Since delusion departs, every formation departs, on through old age and death departing as well; the rank of incidentally practicing the six pāramitās is the perfect teaching's own version of stilling the mind through the contemplation of impurity. The first of the six coverings is named craving desire; if one relinquishes craving desire, both its cause and its fruit are relinquished together. Since this is relinquished, no further retribution-body remains — neither pure nor impure. The rank of directly practicing the six pāramitās is the perfect teaching's own version of stilling the mind through mindfulness of the Buddha. When directly practicing the six pāramitās, the very phenomenon itself is already principle; principle presents no obstacle to the path, while worldly phenomena alone obstruct the path — yet, since the very phenomenon itself is already principle, there remains no obstacle whatsoever to discuss. This is, in general outline, the sense of it, and so on.

First, clarifying the stage of the ten faiths: at the outset, through perfect hearing, one is able to give rise to perfect faith, cultivating the perfect practice; through skillful means, this is further increased, causing this perfect practice to become five times deeper and more distinct, and, through this perfect practice, one is thereby able to enter the perfect stage. Skillfully cultivating the equality of the dharma-realm, one enters the mind of faith.

Skillfully cultivating compassionate pity, one enters the mind of mindfulness. Skillfully cultivating quiescent illumination, one enters the mind of diligence. Skillfully cultivating the breaking-through of dharmas, one enters the mind of wisdom. Skillfully cultivating what is penetrating and what is obstructed, one enters the mind of concentration. Skillfully cultivating the factors of the path, one enters the mind of non-retrogression. Skillfully cultivating the correct and auxiliary practices, one enters the mind of dedication. Skillfully cultivating the stages of the ordinary being and the sage, one enters the mind of guarding the dharma. Skillfully cultivating the unmoving, one enters the mind of the precepts. Skillfully cultivating non-attachment, one enters the mind of the vow. This is named entering the stage of the ten faiths. The Yingluo Sūtra says: "One faith already possesses ten; the ten faiths already possess a hundred — these hundred dharmas are the very root of every dharma." This is named the perfect teaching's own iron-wheel stage of the ten faiths, which is precisely the purification of the six sense-faculties, the perfect teaching's own resembling understanding, and the dharma of warmth, of the summit, of forbearance, and the supreme worldly dharma. The Samantabhadra Meditation Sūtra clarifies ten realms present before the forbearance of no-generation — this is precisely this same stage.

Entering this mind of faith, one is able to break through the views and thought within the three realms completely, and further break through the ignorance-of-particulars beyond the three realms, and is able to subdue the affliction of the ground of abiding ignorance. The Renwang Prajñāpāramitā says: "The bodhisattva of the ten wholesome acts arouses the great mind, and forever departs from the sea of suffering's wheel across the three realms" — this, too, is this same stage. This stage is set out differently across different sūtras. In the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, the bodhisattva Dharmamati, answering the heavenly son of Right Mindfulness, clarifies the bodhisattva's contemplation of the emptiness of the ten kinds of brahma-practice, studying the ten kinds of power of wisdom, and entering the first abiding — the emptiness of the ten kinds of brahma-practice is precisely the one real truth, and is likewise the unconditioned truth of cessation; studying the ten kinds of power of wisdom is precisely contemplating the unconditioned truth of the path — this is precisely the stage of the ten faiths.

The Larger Perfection of Wisdom Sūtra says: "It is like entering the sea and, at first, seeing only its level surface" — this, too, is this same vehicle emerging from within the three realms. The Renwang Prajñāpāramitā and the Samantabhadra Meditation Sūtra are cited as before. The text below, on entering the Tathāgata's room, seat, and robe, and the rest, is precisely cultivating the four peaceful practices' own sphere of action and sphere of intimacy. The Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says: "There is, further, a single practice that is the Tathāgata's own practice, namely, the Mahāyāna." The Treatise says: "The bodhisattva, from the very first arousing of the mind, already contemplates nirvāṇa while walking the path. If one contemplates nirvāṇa while walking the path, giving rise to a resembling understanding of it, this is already the single practice that is the Tathāgata's own practice," and so on.

Second, clarifying the stage of the ten abidings: proceeding from the resembling understanding of the ten faiths, one is thereby able to enter the ten abidings' own real wisdom of the middle. At the very moment the initial abiding of the arousing of the mind is brought forth, three kinds of mind are brought forth together: first, the wholesome mind of the conditioning cause; second, the wisdom-mind of the revealing cause; third, the mind of principle of the correct cause — this is precisely the threefold opening and unfolding of the object, wisdom, and practice discussed before. "Abiding" means abiding in the nirvāṇa of the three virtues. The mind of the conditioning cause brought forth is precisely abiding in the inconceivable liberation, the Śūraṅgama samādhi; the mind of wisdom brought forth is precisely abiding in the great prajñā's own ultimate emptiness; the mind of the correct cause brought forth is precisely abiding in the real mark's own Dharma-body, the middle way's own ultimate meaning. To state the essential point: this is precisely abiding in the three virtues, every buddha-dharma at once.

Again, one abides in the pure and perfectly complete bodhi-mind, the compassion that takes no object, the unconditioned vow, universally covering the entire dharma-realm. Again, one abides within a single thought, accomplishing every one of the myriad practices, every pāramitā. Again, one abides in the wisdom knowing all modes, perfectly severing the views, thought, and ignorance of the entire dharma-realm. Again, one abides in attaining the buddha-eye, perfectly seeing the dharma of the three truths across all ten dharma-realms. Again, one abides in perfectly entering every dharma-gate, namely the twenty-five samādhis, secretly benefiting sentient beings. Again, one accomplishes the bodhisattva's own perfectly complete karma, able to manifest every spiritual power, namely the inconceivable transformation of the three wheels, filling the entire dharma-realm, manifestly benefiting sentient beings. Again, one is able to accomplish opening the provisional to reveal the real, entering the path of the one vehicle. Again, one is able to adorn and purify every buddha-land, able to raise up the three karmic activities, making offering to every buddha of the ten directions, attaining the perfectly complete dhāraṇī, upholding every buddha-dharma, like a cloud holding rain. Again, one abides in being able, from a single ground, to become complete with the merit and virtue of every ground at once, thought after thought quiescent and extinct, flowing naturally into the ocean of omniscience itself.

The Avataṃsaka Sūtra says: "The merit and virtue possessed by the bodhisattva of the initial abiding cannot be exhausted even by the buddhas of the three times praising it; were it explained in full, an ordinary person hearing it would become confused and deranged, their mind driven mad." In my own view: the ten virtues accomplished at the initial abiding ought to correspond to the ten dharmas among the ten faiths, turned from resembling to real, a single abiding already complete with all ten. Examined carefully, they correspond exactly to one another. Why is this? Since the ten faiths' own hundred dharmas are already the very root of every dharma, how could this correlation not be made? The initial abiding being thus, the three contemplations manifest before one, and the mind of effortless function severs the immeasurable grades of ignorance throughout the dharma-realm, beyond all reckoning or calculation. Taken broadly as a whole, this is, in brief, divided into ten grades of wisdom-and-severance, and this is precisely why there are ten abidings. The Renwang Jing says: "Entering the prajñā of principle is named abiding" — this is precisely the tenfold advance in bringing forth the uncontaminated, alike seeing the middle way's own buddha-nature, the principle of ultimate meaning. Since one no longer abides in any dharma, proceeding from the shallow to the deep, one abides in the buddha's own three virtues and in every buddha-dharma — hence, this is named the stage of the ten abidings.

This stage is set out differently in the different sūtras' own sources. The Avataṃsaka Sūtra says: "At the very moment the mind is first aroused, one thereby already accomplishes true and correct enlightenment" — fully penetrating the real, true nature of every dharma, whatever dharma one hears, one awakens to it without relying on another. This bodhisattva accomplishes the ten kinds of power of wisdom, ultimately free of every falsehood, untainted like empty space itself; the pure, wondrous Dharma-body, tranquil and clear, responds to everything — one should know that this is precisely bringing forth the real, the uncontaminated, severing the first grade of ignorance. The Vimalakīrti Sūtra says: "Knowing every dharma within a single thought is precisely sitting at the very seat of enlightenment, since it accomplishes the wisdom that knows all things" — this is likewise entering the gate of non-duality, attaining the forbearance of no-generation. The Larger Perfection of Wisdom Sūtra clarifies: "From the very first arousing of the mind, one already sits at the seat of enlightenment, turns the wheel of the Dharma, and saves sentient beings." One should know that this bodhisattva is equivalent to a buddha, and is likewise the gate of the letter "a" — namely, that every dharma, from the very outset, never arises at all. This is precisely why the present sūtra causes sentient beings to open the buddha's own knowledge and vision, and is likewise why the dragon girl, in the space of a single instant, arouses the bodhi-mind and accomplishes perfect, complete enlightenment. This is precisely what the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra clarifies as the arousing of the mind and its ultimate attainment being, in the end, not two different things — though, of these two minds, the first mind is the more difficult. All of these Mahāyāna scriptures alike clarify the perfect teaching's own initial abiding of the arousing of the mind, on through the tenth abiding, and so on.

Third, clarifying the stage of the ten practices: proceeding from the ten abidings onward, the real mark's own real clarity becomes inconceivable. Undergoing ten further rounds of wisdom-and-severance, breaking through ten grades of ignorance, a single practice is every practice, advancing thought after thought, flowing into the ocean of the equality of the dharma-realm. Every pāramitā arises and grows of its own accord, one's own practice and the transformation of others alike, their merit and virtue equal to empty space itself — hence, this is named the stage of the ten practices.

As for the stage of the ten dedications: this is precisely the path of effortless function following the ten practices — the inconceivable real clarity opening and unfolding the entire dharma-realm thought after thought, the vow and its practice, phenomena and principle, naturally fused together, turning to enter the ocean of the equality of the dharma-realm. Realizing ten further rounds of wisdom-and-severance, breaking through ten grades of ignorance, this is accordingly named dedication.

As for the stage of the ten grounds: this is precisely the uncontaminated real clarity entering the path of effortless function, just like the great earth itself, able to give rise to every buddha-dharma, bearing the burden of every sentient being throughout the dharma-realm, universally entering the buddha-ground of the three times. Realizing ten further rounds of wisdom-and-severance, breaking through ten grades of ignorance, this is accordingly named the stage of the ten grounds.

As for the ground of equal enlightenment: contemplating and penetrating through to the very source and depth of beginningless ignorance, the wisdom of its outermost limit is fulfilled, ultimately pure and undefiled. Severing the last, most subtle ignorance at the very source itself, one ascends to the very summit of the mountain of the middle way, taking leave at last of ignorance, one's own father and mother — this is named one who still has something left to sever, and is named a superior person still with something above.

Seventh, clarifying the ground of wondrous enlightenment: since this is the ultimate liberation, the unsurpassed wisdom of the buddha, this is spoken of as one with nothing further left to sever, and is named the unsurpassed person, with nothing above. This is precisely the three virtues, neither vertically arranged nor horizontally arranged, the ultimate, final mind, the great nirvāṇa itself. Every kind of greatness is present: the greatness of principle, the greatness of the vow, the greatness of adornment, the greatness of wisdom-and-severance, the greatness of complete knowledge, the greatness of the path, the greatness of function, the greatness of the provisional and the real, the greatness of benefit, and the greatness of non-abiding. This is precisely the ten contemplations discussed earlier accomplishing the vehicle, perfect and ultimate at last in the buddha himself, beyond the letter "dha," with no further letter left to speak of, and so on. Hence Vairocana Buddha is named "pure and full" — everything, without exception, is thereby fulfilled.

Second, next citing many sūtras to clarify how many stages there really are: the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says: "The moon-love samādhi: from the first day up through the fifteenth day, the moon's own light and color gradually increase and grow; and, from the sixteenth day up through the thirtieth day, the moon's own light and color gradually diminish and wane." The increase and growth of light and color is a metaphor for the fifteen virtues of wisdom, the great prajñā; the gradual diminishing of light and color is a metaphor for the fifteen virtues of severance, liberation free of all encumbrance. The three sets of ten minds count as three units of wisdom-and-severance; the ten grounds count as ten units of wisdom-and-severance; equal enlightenment and wondrous enlightenment each count as a single unit of wisdom-and-severance — together, fifteen units of wisdom-and-severance in all. The very body of the moon itself is a metaphor for the Dharma-body. The Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says: "The moon's own nature is ever full and round; in reality, it neither increases nor decreases at all." It is only because of Mount Sumeru that it appears to wax and wane. Without truly increasing, it increases — the bright moon growing gradually more visible; without truly decreasing, it decreases — the dark moon growing gradually less visible. The Dharma-body is exactly the same: in reality, it possesses no wisdom and no severance at all; it is only on account of ignorance that, spoken of in terms of suchness, wisdom is discussed — though, in reality, suchness is not wisdom at all; and, spoken of in terms of suchness, severance is discussed — though, in reality, suchness has nothing at all to sever. Though there is no wisdom, wisdom is spoken of nonetheless, and prajñā grows gradually more distinct; though there is no severance, severance is spoken of nonetheless, and liberation grows gradually more complete. Raising up the moon as a metaphor, one thereby knows this to be the perfect teaching's own stage of wisdom-and-severance. The Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says: "Having, from the very outset, placed my disciples within the secret treasury, the nirvāṇa of the three virtues, only afterward shall I myself enter parinirvāṇa within this same secret treasury" — this is precisely the final wisdom-and-severance.

Question: How can one know that the moon simile is truly a metaphor for the stages? Answer: The Renwang Jing clarifies fourteen forbearances: the three sets of ten minds count as three kinds of prajñā; the ten grounds count as ten kinds of prajñā; equal enlightenment counts as a single kind of prajñā — these fourteen kinds of prajñā, while still present within the bodhisattva's own mind, are all alike named "forbearance"; only once turned into the buddha's own mind are they named "wisdom." This corresponds exactly to the fifteen-day waxing period clarifying the stage of wisdom just discussed. The Śrīmahādevī Prajñāpāramitā clarifies the fourteen stages of prajñā, using precisely the fourteen days of the moon's own waxing as its own metaphor — hence, this same interpretation is made here.

The Larger Perfection of Wisdom Sūtra clarifies the gate of the forty-two letters, where speech is equal and letters are equal; the master of Nanyue says: "This is the secret language of every buddha — why must it not represent the forty-two stages?" The various students who cling to the Treatise, saying no such interpretation exists there, mostly doubt this and refuse to accept it. Yet the Treatise's own original text runs to a thousand fascicles, and Master Kumārajīva condensed it down to a ninth of its length — how could one be certain no such interpretation exists within it? Here, it is held that this interpretation deeply and rightly accords with the truth. Why is this? The sūtra says: "Beginning with 'a' and ending with 'dha,' there are forty in between; the initial letter 'a' gate is already complete with all forty-one letters, and the final letter 'dha' is exactly the same." The Avataṃsaka Sūtra says: "From the very first ground onward, one is already complete with the merit and virtue of every ground" — this sense is exactly the same. The sūtra says: "If one hears the gate of the letter 'a,' one thereby understands every meaning, namely that every dharma, from the very outset, never arises at all" — is this not precisely the perfect teaching's own initial abiding, first attaining the forbearance of the dharma of no-generation? And beyond the letter "dha," with no further letter left to speak of — is this not precisely wondrous enlightenment itself, unsurpassed, with nothing beyond it? The "Chapter on the Vast Vehicle" clarifies that every dharma is, in its entirety, the Mahāyāna, and only then speaks of the gate of the forty-two letters — is this not precisely the perfect teaching's own bodhisattva, from the very first arousing of the mind, attaining the real mark of every dharma, complete with every buddha-dharma, and hence named the letter "a"; and, reaching the ground of wondrous enlightenment, exhausting the very depths of every dharma, and hence named the letter "dha"? This sense, and this number, correspond to the perfect stage with perfect clarity of themselves. Again, after the forty-two letters, the bodhisattva's own ten grounds are spoken of next — this reveals the distinct teaching's own expedient sequence of stages. And, next, after these same ten grounds, the three vehicles' own shared ten grounds are spoken of — this reveals the shared teaching's own expedient stage. The sūtra's own text places these in this very sequence, and the three senses stand out clearly of themselves. Here, the forty-two letters are taken as proof of the perfect stage.

This present sūtra's own "Distinctions in Merit" chapter clarifies the initial-mind stage of the five ranks of disciples, its own text entirely clear on this point. The "Merits of the Dharma Teacher" chapter clarifies the mark of the purification of the six sense-faculties. The "Skillful Means" chapter says: "Every buddha, on account of the one great cause and condition, appears in the world, in order to cause sentient beings to open the buddha's own knowledge and vision." The master of Nanyue explains these four phrases: "Opening the buddha's own knowledge and vision is the stage of the ten abidings; showing the buddha's own knowledge and vision is the stage of the ten practices; awakening to the buddha's own knowledge and vision is the stage of the ten dedications; entering the buddha's own knowledge and vision is the stage of the ten grounds and equal enlightenment. Wherever 'the buddha's own knowledge' is spoken of, this is attaining the wisdom knowing all modes; wherever 'the buddha's own vision' is spoken of, this is attaining the buddha-eye in full." Again, the sūtra says, "this is every buddha's own one great cause and condition," meaning alike entering the one vehicle's own real mark of every dharma. Again, it says, "only a buddha together with a buddha is able to fathom the real mark of every dharma to its very end," meaning precisely the stage of wondrous enlightenment.

Again, in the "Parable" chapter, the children, seeking carriages outside the gate, are each given by the elder an equally great carriage; at that time, the children, riding upon this treasure-vehicle, roam throughout the four directions, sporting joyfully, free and unobstructed, arriving directly at the very seat of enlightenment. Speaking of "the four directions" is precisely a metaphor for the forty stages of opening, showing, awakening, and entering; "arriving directly at the seat of enlightenment" is precisely fathoming the real mark to its very end, the stage of wondrous enlightenment. In the "Introduction" chapter, the heavens rain down four kinds of flowers, representing these same forty causal stages. As cited above, the many sūtras together provide the proof; and, citing the present text as well, the forty-two stages are made perfectly clear — all of them being the sequential stage of no sequential stage at all, reaching the real mark, while yet discussing sequential stages in terms of advancing the path and diminishing birth.

Third, resolving doubts. Question: Does the ignorance that covers buddha-nature and the middle way only admit of being severed into these forty-two grades? Answer: Though ignorance possesses nothing at all, it is, without truly possessing being, nonetheless present, and does not lack its own gradations. Taken broadly as a whole, it is divided into forty-two grades; yet the true number of its grades is immeasurable and boundless. The Treatise says: "The categories of ignorance are so numerous that, for this very reason, the samādhi that breaks through ignorance is spoken of again and again, in one place after another." It also says: "Attachment to the dharma is difficult to exhaust completely, and so prajñā is taught again and again, in one place after another."

All of these perfect stages are inconceivable. If one insists on correlating them rigidly with specific dharma-gates, one who searches for them in this way will lose their true sense, falling into one separate interpretation and rigid attachment after another, thereby departing from the very path of perfect fusion. With stages such as these, one must never grasp at them narrowly with an ordinary mind's own sentiment, nor can an ordinary mind ever fully proclaim them. The Avataṃsaka Sūtra says: "The various grounds cannot even be spoken of — how much less could they be shown to another!" Let this matter be set aside for a moment. Even at the level of raising up the initial mind of sympathetic joy in Mahāyāna repentance and perfect faith, once one attains a single dhāraṇī of complete revolution, this already cannot be spoken of to another; though one may discriminate it in every manner of way, it still cannot be understood. How much more so, then, the later stages beyond this — even the two vehicles have never so much as heard their names, so how could an ordinary person possibly speak of them? This remark carries a real point: the Great Master is here speaking of his own personal realization. Let this matter, too, be set aside for a moment: the śrāvaka who studies the four applications of mindfulness and brings forth the dharma of warmth likewise cannot fully explain it to an exterior ordinary person; though one offers every manner of explanation, that person still cannot know it. Let this, too, be set aside. It is like a person practicing seated meditation who first brings forth the five factors of the first dhyāna — this cannot be explained to one who has not yet realized it; even if explained through skillful means, that person still would not understand it. Let this, too, be set aside. The wheelwright is unable to transmit his own skill to his very son through words alone — how much less, then, could these profound dharmas possibly be spoken of directly?

Students of this later age mostly cling rigidly to the sūtras and treatises, disputing and quarreling over the expedient means of severing and subduing affliction, and so on. It is like the coldness of water's own nature — without drinking it oneself, how could one truly know it? This is simply the inconceivable language by which every buddha responds to conditions, increasing or decreasing according to capacity, so that the number of stages differs from one account to the next. Since you yourselves have not yet realized any of this, what is the use of empty disputation? May it be universally wished that every sentient being throughout the dharma-realm return to the saṅgha, put an end to contentious argument, and enter together the great ocean of harmonious accord.

Again, the perfect stage may be resolved according to four statements: opening the earlier and combining the later; opening the later and combining the earlier; opening both the earlier and the later; or combining both the earlier and the later. As the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra clarifies: the deathless ambrosia of Trāyastriṃśa is drunk together by the ruler and his ministers alike. This is a metaphor for the various stages: opening the earlier portion into the three sets of ten minds, while combining the ten grounds into one and equal enlightenment into one, is a metaphor for the thirty-two ministers, representing the causal stage; wondrous enlightenment as the ruler is a metaphor for the fruit-stage. The ruler and his ministers alike drink the same ambrosia; the cause and the fruit alike realize the same permanence and bliss. Without interpreting this passage according to the perfect stage, it would be difficult to make sense of at all. This is opening the earlier and combining the later, used to clarify the perfect stage.

As for the fourteen kinds of prajñā: combining the three sets of ten minds into three kinds of prajñā, while opening the ten grounds into ten kinds of prajñā, and reaching equal enlightenment as the fourteenth kind — all of these together are the causal stage; turning to enter omniscience itself is precisely the fruit-stage. This is combining the earlier and opening the later, used to clarify the perfect stage. As for the gate of the forty-two letters: this is precisely opening both the earlier and the later together, used to clarify the perfect stage. As for the heavens raining down the four kinds of flowers, representing opening, showing, awakening, and entering, and roaming through the four directions — this is precisely combining both the earlier and the later together. The various sūtras differ in how they open and combine these stages, yet all of this is simply the expedient means of the siddhāntas, and the perfect stage stands out clearly and distinctly throughout.

Third, clarifying the severing and subduing of the perfect stage: at the five ranks, one has already perfectly understood the one real Four Noble Truths, this mind, thought after thought, corresponding to every pāramitā throughout the dharma-realm, its entire embodiment free of every deviant distortion and one-sided inversion, perfectly subduing the branch afflictions, the guest afflictions, and the root affliction alike — hence, this is named subduing forbearance. The initial mind of the other teachings possesses no trace of this quality at all. The Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says: "One who studies the Mahāyāna, though still possessing the physical eye, is named to possess the buddha-eye" — like the cry still within the eggshell, already surpassing every other bird. This is comparable to the Hīnayāna's own dharma of warmth: the buddha's own teaching possesses it, while the non-Buddhist path does not. Here, too, this subduing forbearance is possessed by the perfect teaching, while the other three teachings do not possess it.

At the stage of the ten faiths, the subduing path grows ever stronger. Bringing forth the resembling understanding, one breaks through the views and thought within the three realms, and the ignorance-of-particulars and dust-and-sand both within and beyond the three realms. As the sūtra's own text says, "attaining the three dhāraṇīs" — yet these are only named the resembling path, not yet the real path. The dhāraṇī of revolution is revolving from the provisional to enter the real. The dhāraṇī of a hundred thousand revolutions is revolving from the real to enter the conventional. The dhāraṇī of skillful means in the sound of the Dharma is precisely the subduing path itself, not yet having entered the middle. Just as the Yingluo Sūtra's own contemplation of entering emptiness from the provisional, though it severs views and thought, only frees one from falsehood, and is named liberation — yet, in reality, one has not yet attained liberation in every respect. One should therefore know that, though the six sense-faculties are purified, this is still only the perfect teaching's own dharma of warmth and the summit, the four good roots, accordant forbearance — merely the stage of the subduing path.

Once one enters the initial abiding, one attains the dhāraṇī of the real sound of the Dharma, directly breaking through ignorance — only now is this named the path of severance. Seeing buddha-nature's own permanently abiding, ultimate-meaning principle is named the perfect teaching's own forbearance of no-generation. The ten practices, the ten dedications, the ten grounds, and equal enlightenment all break through ignorance, alike belonging to the stage of the forbearance of no-generation. Wondrous enlightenment, the path of severance already complete all the way around, its ultimate accomplishment fulfilled, is named the forbearance of quiescent extinction.

Judged according to the stages taken separately: the two forbearances of subduing and of according only subdue without severing, comparable to the uninterrupted path. Wondrous enlightenment's own single forbearance severs without subduing, comparable to the path of liberation. The single forbearance of no-generation both subdues and severs, both is uninterrupted and is liberated. Discussed in terms of the shared sense, however, wondrous enlightenment's own forbearance of quiescent extinction is likewise named the forbearance of no-generation. The Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says: "'Nir' is spoken of as no-arising; 'vāṇa' is spoken of as no-ceasing — no-arising and no-ceasing together are named the great nirvāṇa" — and this, too, is named subduing forbearance. The Renwang Jing says: "From the very first arousing of the mind all the way to the vajra summit, all of this is named subduing forbearance" — "subduing" carries the sense of "worthy." The bodhisattva Samantabhadra dwells at the very summit of the multitude of subduers. Since subduing forbearance already extends throughout in this shared sense, according forbearance may be understood the same way; and since subduing and according forbearance already extend upward in this shared sense, quiescent-extinction and no-generation forbearance ought likewise to extend downward in the same way.

The Viśeṣacintibrahma-paripṛcchā Sūtra says: "Every sentient being is already the concentration of cessation itself." The Vimalakīrti Sūtra says: "Every sentient being is already suchness itself" — this suchness is precisely the forbearance of no-generation. Again, spoken of in terms of the phenomenal, this is no-generation; spoken of in terms of principle, this is quiescent extinction. Again, a partial realization is named quiescent extinction; yielding to the fruit itself is named no-generation. Discussed in terms of cause and fruit, this, too, admits of both a shared and a particular sense: in the shared sense, every sentient being is already the great nirvāṇa itself — this discusses the fruit in terms of the cause. Buddha-nature is named the cause — this discusses the cause in terms of the fruit. The Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says: "What is fruit and not cause is named the great nirvāṇa; what is cause and not fruit is named buddha-nature." Fully seeing buddha-nature is already being a buddha — hence, this, too, may be taken as the cause, and so on. Equal enlightenment, measured against wondrous enlightenment, is the cause; measured against the bodhisattva stages below it, it is the fruit. From this point downward, each stage is both cause and the cause of a cause, both fruit and the fruit of a fruit. Discussed in terms of careful distinction: the two forbearances of subduing and according are not yet the real cause; the single forbearance of no-generation is not yet the real fruit. From the ten abidings onward is named the real cause; wondrous enlightenment alone is named the real fruit. Why are subduing and according forbearance not the real cause? This is comparable to the Hīnayāna's own stage of expedient means, which is not yet named the path of cultivation — only from the seeing of the truths onward is this named, in the real sense, the path of cultivation; this same sense may be understood here. Within according forbearance, the severing and removal of views and thought is like oil floating upon water — this falsehood is easily blown away. Ignorance, however, is an affliction of one and the same essence as the real itself, like milk mixed within water — only the bodhisattva who is the king of geese, already having ascended to the abidings and beyond, is able to sip out the milk of ignorance and leave the clear water of the dharma-nature behind; only from this point onward, therefore, is the real cause properly judged to begin.

Again, the distinct teaching judges that the third or fourth ground exhausts the severing of views, and the sixth or seventh ground exhausts the severing of thought. This ought not to be so. Why is this? Ignorance, views, and thought are afflictions of one and the same essence — how could they possibly be severed one before the other in sequence? This must be the distinct teaching borrowing, in a roundabout way, from the Hīnayāna's own expedient explanation. If views were exhausted first, then the real principle would no longer carry any obstruction at all — why, then, would the tenth ground's own seeing still not be perfectly clear? The Bodhisattva-bhūmi says: "The ninth is the pure dhyāna free of every view." The ninth is the ground of equal enlightenment; entering the dhyāna free of views is precisely what accomplishes the great fruit of bodhi. If views were already severed beforehand, what, then, would equal enlightenment still be freeing itself from? If thought were exhausted before this, then the later grounds ought to possess no retribution-fruit or dhyāna concentration at all. Why is this? The Avataṃsaka Sūtra clarifies clouds of incalculable fragrance and clouds of flowers, inconceivably filling the entire dharma-realm — these are the five sense-objects called forth by the bodhisattva's own superior and wondrous retribution-fruit, and this is named the affliction of thought within the desire realm. Every bodhisattva enters and emerges from immeasurable hundreds of thousands of samādhis, the very dharma of concentration's own mind-dust, and this is named the affliction of thought within the form and formless realms. If the seventh ground already exhausted thought, the higher grounds ought to be entirely free of the six sense-objects — why, then, does it further say, "the three worthy stages and the ten sage-stages still abide in retribution-fruit"? If one still abides in retribution-fruit, has thought truly been exhausted beforehand at all? Here, it is clarified that views and thought such as these extend all the way through to the higher grounds, only exhausted upon reaching buddhahood itself. Hence it is said: "Only the buddha alone dwells in the pure land; only the buddha alone is able to exhaust the very source." This is accordingly why subduing and severing are distinguished as explained before, and so on.

Question: Within the three realms, one must necessarily sever views first, then thought, and only afterward ignorance-of-particulars — why is it not the same beyond the three realms? Answer: Within the three realms, since the suffering of the three evil destinies is severe, one severs views first, then thought, then, afterward, ignorance-of-particulars as well. Beyond the three realms, suffering is light, and so the branch is severed first, the root only afterward. Again, thought and ignorance-of-particulars do not obstruct the one-sided real, so, for the sake of seeing the true principle, views are removed first. Dust-and-sand beyond the three realms is an affliction upon the very essence itself, able to obstruct principle from a distance — hence, the distant obstruction is set aside first, and the near obstruction removed only afterward, and so on. Again, within the Tripiṭaka teaching, the bodhisattva in his final body and the two vehicles who leap over a fruit sever views and thought together at once, and, even then, sever thought first, and so on. Those who do not leap over a fruit sever them in sequence, one after the other. The shared teaching, too, admits of both the leaping and the non-leaping senses. The distinct teaching severs them in sequence, one after the other; the perfect teaching severs them together at once. The question of sequence versus simultaneity, then, is simply a matter of which single path one happens to be looking at, and so on.

Fourth, clarifying function: if the two characters are parsed and their sense explained separately, "merit" discusses one's own advancement, while "function" discusses benefiting others. Taken together as a compound, this speaks precisely of transforming others. At the stage of the five ranks, though principle has not yet been made manifest, contemplative wisdom is already perfect and complete; still possessed of the nature of affliction, one is nonetheless able to know the Tathāgata's own secret treasury, and is already fit to serve the world as its first reliance. Relying upon such a person is just like relying upon the Tathāgata himself — one should know that, before long, this person will arrive beneath the tree of enlightenment, drawing near to the threefold bodhi. Everyone in the entire world ought to bow toward such a person; every worthy and sage alike delights in seeing them.

As for the six sense-faculties' own resembling understanding: perfect contemplation grows ever more distinct, and one forever departs the sea of suffering. Being able, with a single wondrous sound, to fill the entire trichiliocosm, wherever one's own intention reaches, every heavenly being and dragon alike turns toward that place to hear the Dharma; whatever this person teaches is able to bring the whole assembly joy — this, too, is still the first reliance. The Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra sets out the four reliances, and their sense extends to both the perfect and the distinct teachings. Teachers commonly judge them in terms of the distinct teaching. Before the ground is reached, this is generally named the initial reliance. Once the ground is reached, up through the third ground, severing views completely, this is named stream-entry. Up through the fifth ground, encroaching upon thought, this is named once-returning, the second reliance. Up through the seventh ground, thought is exhausted, this is named non-returning, the third reliance. From the eighth ground through the tenth, the three kinds of habitual residue with respect to the desire realm, form, and mind are exhausted, this is named arhatship, the fourth reliance. Reasoning the perfect teaching measured against the distinct, one ought to take the ten abidings as the basis for clarifying three of the four reliances, with what precedes the abidings serving as the remaining one. Judged from beginning to end: the five ranks and the six sense-faculties' own purification are the initial reliance; the ten abidings are the second reliance; the ten practices and ten dedications are the third reliance; the ten grounds and equal enlightenment are the fourth reliance.

From the initial abiding onward, function is discussed in general: if the vertical merit is not yet deep, the horizontal function is not yet broad; once the vertical merit grows deep, the horizontal function necessarily grows broad. It is like every kind of tree: the deeper the root, the broader the branches, and the more abundant the flowers and leaves as well. At the initial abiding, one vertically breaks through a single portion of ignorance, obtaining a single portion of the twenty-five samādhis, revealing a single portion of the true nature of self. Discussed in terms of its own real place, this is inconceivable, and is here explained only by relying on the teaching's own gateway. Horizontally, one manifests across a hundred buddha-worlds, dividing the body and scattering its shadow, taking the form of every one of the ten dharma-realms, benefiting and protecting sentient beings. In just this way, abiding after abiding, one enters ever more vertically, growing doubly deeper each time — ignorance gradually exhausted further, the samādhis increasing further still, the true nature of self revealed portion by portion further, the horizontal function gradually broadening further. A thousand buddha-worlds, ten thousand buddha-worlds, buddha-worlds as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, buddha-worlds beyond all telling — pervading every such world, accomplishing the path through the eight aspects, transforming sentient beings — how much more so, then, the bodies taken in the remaining nine dharma-realms as well? Every practice, every ground, is exactly the same. Discussed in terms of its full completion, only a buddha together with a buddha is able to fathom the very source of ignorance to its very end. Hence the sūtra says: "Just as the buddha's own mind holds no ignorance at all, only the Dharma-king buddha abides in the ultimate king samādhi. Vairocana's own Dharma-body, horizontally pervading the entire dharma-realm, vertically reaching the very summit of bodhi, its great merit perfectly complete, its supreme function fully provided," and so on.

Fifth, discussing coarse and wondrous across all the stages together: the small herb only escapes the four evil destinies, neither unmoved nor emerged from the three realms. The middle herb, though already unmoved and emerged, has a wisdom that does not fathom the source, and a kindness that does not reach every being. The superior herb, though able to benefit both self and others together, is still clumsy in extinguishing form. The small tree, though skillful, has its merit confined within the three realms — hence, all of these stages are coarse. The great tree's own real matter, alike taking the middle way as its object, all breaking through ignorance, all alike possessing function beyond the three realms — hence, this stage is wondrous. Yet the distinct teaching, proceeding through the gate of expedient means, its path winding and circuitous, the very ground it relies upon still clumsy, its own stage, too, remains coarse. The perfect teaching's own gate is direct — hence, it alone is wondrous.

Again, the Tripiṭaka teaching's own bodhisattva, who does not sever affliction at all, measured against the perfect teaching's own five ranks, is both equal to it and inferior to it: alike not severing affliction, they are accordingly equal; yet the five ranks perfectly understand the permanently abiding, while that bodhisattva has never even heard of the permanently abiding at all — hence, he is inferior. As for the Tripiṭaka teaching's own buddha-stage, severing views and thought completely, measured against the stage of the purification of the six sense-faculties, it is both equal to it and inferior to it: alike removing the four abiding afflictions, this much is equal; yet, with respect to subduing ignorance, the Tripiṭaka teaching's own buddha is inferior. If even the buddha of that teaching is thus inferior, the two vehicles may be known accordingly. One should therefore know that the three herbs, still wrapped in obscurity, produce only a shallow and limited function — hence, all of these stages are coarse. As for the ground of dry wisdom and the ground of nature, measured against the stage of the five ranks, they are both equal and inferior, following the same pattern as before, and so on. As for the eighth ground of the eight kinds of person, views and thought being exhausted, the seventh ground cultivating expedient means, and reaching the buddha with habitual residue exhausted — measured against the perfect teaching's own resembling understanding, they are both equal and inferior, to be understood following the same pattern as before. The stage of the small tree has not yet the capacity to soar into the clouds and spread wide like a great canopy — hence, all of it remains coarse.

As for the distinct teaching's own ten faiths, measured against the stage of the five ranks, they are both equal and inferior: alike not yet severing affliction, they are accordingly equal; yet the ten faiths proceed through separate, distinct stages, while the five ranks understand perfectly — in this respect, the five ranks are superior. The distinct teaching's own ten abidings sever the views and thought shared with the shared teaching; the ten practices break through dust-and-sand; the ten dedications subdue ignorance — these correspond only to the perfect teaching's own stage of the ten faiths, equal in some respects and superior in others, and so on. As for breaking through ignorance upon reaching the ground, this corresponds only to the perfect teaching's own initial abiding. Why is this? If the ten grounds break through ignorance across ten grades, the perfect teaching's own ten abidings likewise break through ignorance across ten grades. Even were the ten grounds opened out into thirty grades, this would correspond only to the perfect teaching's own ten abidings' own thirty grades equally. If discussed comparatively, since the perfect teaching does not open out its own ten abidings this way, but instead takes the three sets of ten minds together as thirty grades, and these are equal to the distinct teaching's own ten grounds' thirty grades, then the ten grounds correspond to the perfect teaching's own ten dedications instead. If discussed by taking away, the distinct teaching's own ground of buddhahood corresponds only to the perfect teaching's own initial practice; if discussed by granting, the distinct teaching's own ground of buddhahood corresponds to the perfect teaching's own initial ground. One should therefore know that the distinct teaching's own provisional account judges its buddha to be exalted, yet, measured in terms of the real, this same buddha remains, in fact, still lower.

It is like a border region not yet pacified, where an official is granted a high rank at the outset; but once the realm is settled and merit properly assessed, that same official's rank is set lower than before. The distinct teaching's own provisional account, though high, remains coarse; the perfect teaching's own real account, though seemingly lower, is wondrous — this metaphor may be understood accordingly. Taking my own cause as your own fruit, the distinct teaching's own stage remains coarse in this respect. One should know that, though the great tree grows to an enormous girth, it must still depend upon the earth in order to grow gradually. One thus knows that the perfect teaching's own stage, from the very first to the very last, is entirely a real account throughout — its subduing real, its severing real, all alike named wondrous, and so on. The Treatise says: "It is like a tree named 'Excellent and Firm': remaining in the earth for a hundred years, the very moment it emerges, it grows a hundred zhang tall in an instant, its canopy covering the crown of every other tree." This is a metaphor for the perfect stage.

Sixth, clarifying the rise of the stages: Question: if every provisional stage is coarse, why did the Buddha teach them at all? Answer: because sentient beings' own delights differ, the conditions giving rise to their goodness differ, their ways of recognizing fault and reforming evil differ, and the moment at which the teaching should be given for them to attain awakening differs — for this reason, the Tathāgata's own many and various teachings all carry their own benefit. Wherever delight accords with what lies within the three realms, the stages of the first two teachings are taught; wherever delight accords with what lies beyond the three realms, the stages of the latter two teachings are taught. Where phenomenal goodness arises within the three realms, the Tripiṭaka teaching's own stage is taught. Where goodness of principle arises within the three realms, the shared teaching's own stage is taught. Where phenomenal goodness arises beyond the three realms, the distinct teaching's own stage is taught. Where goodness of principle arises beyond the three realms, the perfect teaching's own stage is taught. To break through phenomenal evil within the three realms, the Tripiṭaka teaching's own stage is taught. To break through evil of principle within the three realms, the shared teaching's own stage is taught. To break through the phenomenal evil of dust-and-sand, the distinct teaching's own stage is taught. To break through the evil of the principle of ignorance, the perfect teaching's own stage is taught. Taking the phenomenal as one's object to enter the real, the Tripiṭaka teaching's own stage is taught. Taking principle as one's object to enter the real, the shared teaching's own stage is taught. Proceeding from the phenomenal to enter the middle, the distinct teaching's own stage is taught. Taking principle as one's object to see the middle, the perfect teaching's own stage is taught. For the sake of these senses, the various stages are able to arise, their gradations of higher and lower beyond all measure.

Seventh, clarifying the abolition of the stages: principle itself fundamentally has no stage at all; stages arise only in response to conditions. Since conditions arise one after another in succession, stages, too, are set aside one after another in succession — this is not something that only began with the Lotus Sūtra's own abolition of them now. One must recognize the intent behind each act of refuting and establishing, and must not refute or establish carelessly, at random. Why is this? Originally, when the Tathāgata established the Tripiṭaka teaching's own stage, this was a provisional means for generating phenomenal goodness. Once this phenomenal goodness had already been generated, and its function of salvation was already sufficient, it accordingly had to be set aside. The shared and distinct teachings' own stages are exactly the same. This is the Tathāgata's own intent in refuting and establishing. As for the clarification of the meaning of the bodhisattva found within the Abhidharma and the Mahāvibhāṣā, Nāgārjuna repeatedly refutes it there, holding that it has lost sight of the Buddha's own skillful means — hence, it had to be refuted; yet, in order to extend the Buddha's own skillful means, it likewise had to be established. This is Nāgārjuna's own intent in refuting and establishing.

As for the ordinary Mahāyāna master who fails entirely to properly order the Tripiṭaka teaching's own material — this, too, is losing sight of the Buddha's own skillful means. As for the ordinary Hīnayāna master who searches out the sense of the sūtras to explain the very treatise he expounds, distinguishing the meaning of the bodhisattva — the Mahāvibhāṣā itself already states its own account of the bodhisattva's meaning, yet he refuses to make use of it, instead taking up Mahāyāna sūtras to interpret the Tripiṭaka teaching's own twin gates of emptiness and existence — how could these possibly be made to agree with one another? This carries two faults: first, it buries the Buddha's own skillful means; second, it exposes the treatise's own author as not understanding the meaning of the bodhisattva at all — hence, this must be refuted. Even granting that sūtras are cited to explain the sense of the Mahāyāna, what kind of Mahāyāna is this meant to be? If it is meant as the shared teaching's own Mahāyāna, then the three vehicles alike enter the real truth, and this remains so all the way to buddhahood — how, then, could the eighth ground contemplate the middle way and break through ignorance? Constructed as the shared teaching's own sense, this fails to hold together — hence, it must be refuted. If it is meant as the distinct teaching's own sense of the Mahāyāna, then, from the very first mind onward, it already differs from the two vehicles — how, then, could the sixth ground be made equal to the arhat? Constructed as the distinct teaching's own sense, this, too, fails to hold together — hence, it must be refuted. Moreover, the distinct teaching is itself only an expedient means; clinging to the provisional while slandering the real must accordingly be refuted as well. In the past, once a person had passed away, their doctrine became fixed; now, seeing through to its own faults, it must accordingly be refuted. Yet, in order to extend the Buddha's own skillful means, it must accordingly also be established once more — this is the very intent behind refuting and establishing in the present age. The perfect teaching, however, arises from a single master alone, transcending the three provisional teachings and being itself the one real teaching — its object, wisdom, practice, and stage are not the same as what came before. If the text and its principle can be reconciled, let us together walk this level road; but where the aim is lost and the track departed from, please follow a worthy guide instead. Having first set forth this intent, the abolition of the stages is next clarified.

As for the Buddha's own responding to capacity in raising up, abolishing, refuting, and establishing these teachings: as the Sūtra of Innumerable Meanings says, "The innumerable dharmas arise from a single dharma — namely, the two paths, the three vehicles, and the four fruits." The two paths are the sudden and the gradual. The three dharmas are the three vehicles. The four fruits are the four stages. These innumerable dharmas all arise from this single dharma. Why is this? Since the two paths are already the sudden and the gradual, and the sudden is precisely the great path, like the sun illuminating the high mountains — let this be set aside for now, not yet discussed. Here, the very beginning of the gradual path is clarified, which is precisely the Tripiṭaka teaching. Its teaching says: whoever seeks buddhahood must cultivate the six pāramitās across three incalculable eons, planting the seeds of the auspicious marks across a hundred further eons, before buddhahood can finally be attained. This is spoken in order to cause phenomenal goodness to arise. For whoever wishes to seek buddhahood, reforming evil and following goodness, once this goodness is established, the teaching is accordingly set aside. It is thereupon refuted, saying: how could there possibly be a bodhisattva who attains bodhi without severing confusion and affliction at all? A poisoned vessel cannot be trusted to hold food — this teaching is accordingly abolished, and its practices and stages are abolished along with it. Since this teaching originally looked to the fruit in order to practice the cause, once there is no fruit left to look toward, the buddha-wisdom and the buddha-stage it promised are both abolished together.

As for distinguishing the abolition in terms of the two vehicles: originally, this was meant to let phenomenal practice temper the mind, seeing the real by way of the clumsy method of gradual analysis; once the real has already been seen, the teaching's own intent is already fulfilled — hence, the analytical teaching is accordingly abolished. For the sake of these various senses, it is accordingly said that the Tripiṭaka teaching is abolished while the shared teaching is established. Those who originally received only the shared teaching and never studied the Tripiṭaka teaching at all are not the ones this discussion of abolition concerns. The very purpose of establishing the shared teaching was to give rise to goodness of principle, embodying dharmas directly to sever confusion, entering the real by way of the skillful method; once this, too, the teaching's own intent is already fulfilled. The wise person, having seen emptiness, ought then also to see the not-empty — how could one remain forever fixed within emptiness alone? The shared teaching is accordingly abolished, its bodhisattva's own practice and wisdom abolished along with it, and the buddha-wisdom and buddha-stage it promised abolished as well, and so on. For the two vehicles, only the teaching itself is abolished; the rest, and so on. This shared teaching is itself shared both with the shared-teaching-proper reading and with the shared-teaching-as-received-by-the-distinct reading: in the sense shared with the Perfection of Wisdom teachings, it is as explained above; in the sense not shared with the Perfection of Wisdom teachings, there is, in that respect, no abolition at all, and so on. One should therefore know that the masters of the Satyasiddhi Śāstra and the Daśabhūmika Śāstra see only the sense shared with the Perfection of Wisdom teachings, and fail to see the sense not shared with them; the masters of the Middle Treatise grasp the sense not shared with them, but lose the sense shared with them. Since the shared teaching already possesses both senses at once, for the bodhisattva who remains within the shared teaching proper, and for the śrāvaka of expedient means, this is precisely the sense of abolition; for the śrāvaka who abides in the fruit, this is not yet the sense of abolition; and for the bodhisattva not shared with the two vehicles, this is, accordingly, the sense of no abolition at all, and so on.

As for when the distinct teaching arises: it gives rise to phenomenal goodness beyond the three realms. Once ignorance-of-particulars and dust-and-sand are broken through, and this phenomenal goodness is already accomplished, the teaching's own intent is already fulfilled, and it, too, must accordingly be refuted. This is language accommodated to another's own intent — hence, the distinct teaching's own teaching is abolished, its stages and practices before the ground entirely abolished, and its stages upon the ground and its own buddha-stage likewise abolished, the higher returning to the lower — hence, the distinct teaching is abolished and the perfect teaching established in its place. The perfect teaching's own eightfold stage is, every one, a real stage — hence, it need not be abolished at all. The Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says: "Every river and stream has its own bends and turns; every forest and grove necessarily has its own trees." The various teachings accommodate sentiment, and hence have their own bends and turns. The three herbs and the two trees are the Buddha's own skillful means, and hence are not the real itself — it is fitting that their stages be abolished. The great river of golden sand flows directly into the western sea; the trees of gold and silver are, every one, a forest of jewels — these are not bent, but straight, and hence are not abolished. Formerly, proceeding from the sudden to bring forth the gradual, the gradual did not yet accord with the sudden; drawing the gradual to enter the sudden required abolition at every turn. Now that the sudden has already been reconciled, what further need has the sudden itself to be abolished? The text says, "only now do they first see my own body," and so on — hence, this one teaching is not abolished. It also says, "I teach only the unsurpassed path" — this path is not abolished. "Formerly, within the one buddha-vehicle, I distinguished and taught three" — the three vehicles did not yet accord with one another, and wishing to bring the three together into one required abolition at every turn; now that the three are reconciled and returned to the one, riding together upon the one vehicle alike, this one practice is accordingly not abolished. Formerly, the four fruits stood apart, separate and distinct — namely, the arhat, the pratyekabuddha, the bodhisattva's own habituated fruit, and the fruit of expedient buddhahood; and, again, the four buddhas as four fruits. Wishing to bring these fruits together required abolition at every turn; now that the thatched hut has already been broken open, and the phantom city, too, has vanished, arriving together alike at the very place of treasure, this one fruit is accordingly not abolished. Reasoned according to this same sense, three are abolished while one is not abolished. Yet, in fact, each of the three teachings itself carries both an abolished and an unabolished aspect.

Why is this? From the very night of attaining the path to the very night of entering nirvāṇa, the four Āgama Sūtras that were taught, gathered together as the śrāvaka canon — when has this initial teaching ever truly been abolished? It accomplishes goodness for the person who came before, while accommodating goodness for the person who comes after — hence, it carries both an abolished and an unabolished aspect. The shared teaching, accomplishing for the one before and accommodating the one after, is exactly the same. The distinct teaching, accomplishing for the one before and accommodating the one after, is exactly the same as well. The perfect teaching itself carries both an establishing and a not-yet-establishing aspect: its initial illumination of the high mountains is already, of itself, an establishing, while, with respect to the Tripiṭaka teaching's own audience, it is not yet established. The text says, "only now do they first see my own body and enter the Tathāgata's own wisdom" — this is precisely the earlier establishing; those who studied the lesser teachings, now entering the buddha's own wisdom, is precisely the later establishing — what lies between these two may be understood accordingly. Every practice and every wisdom carries both an abolished and an unabolished aspect. Every fruit and every stage carries both an abolished and an unabolished aspect.

Traced across the Five Flavors: the milk flavor has two teachings — one teaching's own practice and stage both carry an abolished and an unabolished aspect; the other teaching's own practice and stage carry no abolition at all. The cream flavor's own teaching, practice, and stage carry both an abolished and an unabolished aspect. The curdled-butter flavor has four teachings: three teachings' own practice and stage carry both an abolished and an unabolished aspect; one teaching's own practice and stage carry no abolition at all. The clarified-butter flavor has three teachings: two teachings' own practice and stage carry both an abolished and an unabolished aspect; one teaching's own practice and stage carries no abolition at all. In the Lotus Sūtra, the practice and stage of three teachings are all abolished, while the practice and stage of the one remaining teaching are not abolished at all. It simply teaches the unsurpassed path, all riding together upon the one treasure-vehicle alike, arriving directly at the very seat of enlightenment together — hence, all three senses alike remain unabolished. The Sūtra of Innumerable Meanings says that the two paths, the three vehicles, and the four fruits do not yet accord with one another; by the time of the Lotus Sūtra, they are all brought into accord — hence, no further abolition is discussed. From the accomplishment of the path onward, across more than forty years, the real had not yet been revealed; the Lotus Sūtra is where the real is first revealed. It has been handed down that the Buddha was seventy-two years of age when he taught the Lotus Sūtra, and so on.

Again, the teaching may be abolished while the practice and stage are not abolished; the practice and stage may be abolished while the teaching is not abolished; both may be abolished together; or both may remain unabolished together. How is it that the teaching is abolished while the practice and stage are not abolished? The śrāvaka who abides in the fruit, still dwelling within the thatched hut, has his own practice and stage not abolished, even though the teaching itself is abolished. How is it that the practice and stage are abolished while the teaching is not abolished? The sharp-faculty practitioner, secretly benefited without waiting for the teaching to be abolished, sets aside his own practice and stage early — this is such a case. How is it that both are abolished together? The Tripiṭaka teaching's own bodhisattva is such a case. How is it that both remain unabolished together? Whoever is being accommodated for a later condition is such a case. The shared and distinct teachings may be understood by the same example, and so on.

In terms of bestowing the provisional, the three teachings' own practice and stage are established while the one remaining teaching is not established in this same sense; in terms of abolishing the provisional, the three teachings' own practice and stage are abolished while the one remaining teaching is not abolished. In terms of the sharp-faculty practitioner, one teaching is established while the three are not; in terms of the dull-faculty practitioner, the three are established while the one is not; in terms of turning dullness into sharpness, one is established while the three are not. Discussed with sharp and dull together, both established and not established, both abolished and not abolished all hold at once. In terms of the equality of the dharma-realm itself, neither established nor not established, neither abolished nor not abolished.

Again, there is abolishing a teaching and hearing a further teaching afterward; there is abolishing a teaching without hearing any further teaching; there is not abolishing a teaching yet still hearing a further teaching; and there is not abolishing a teaching and not hearing any further teaching either. How is it that a teaching is abolished and a further teaching heard afterward? As when the phenomenal goodness of the six pāramitās is abolished, and one hears further of the goodness of principle in the extinction of the three vehicles. How is it that a teaching is abolished without any further teaching heard? As when the two vehicles who abide in the fruit, their teaching already abolished, enter extinction. How is it that a teaching is not abolished yet a further teaching is still heard? As when a student proceeding through the stages in sequence, within the Vaipulya period, hears the names of both the lesser and the greater teachings together. How is it that a teaching is neither abolished nor a further teaching heard? Whoever enters secretly without the teaching ever having been abolished at all.

Again, there is abolishing one's own wisdom and cultivating a further wisdom afterward; not abolishing one's own wisdom yet cultivating a further wisdom; abolishing one's own wisdom without cultivating any further wisdom; and not abolishing one's own wisdom and not cultivating any further wisdom either. How is it that one's own wisdom is abolished and a further wisdom cultivated afterward? The Tripiṭaka teaching's own bodhisattva abolishes his own wisdom and cultivates, afterward, the wisdom of no-generation. How is it that one's own wisdom is not abolished yet a further wisdom is still cultivated? The śrāvaka who abides in the fruit, not abolishing his own wisdom, nonetheless further wanders into contemplation, studying the wisdom of no-generation, though, in reality, making no use of this skillful wisdom to sever the fetters — and likewise whoever studies the stages in sequence is such a case. How is it that one's own wisdom is not abolished and no further wisdom is cultivated? This, too, is the śrāvaka who abides in the fruit, giving rise to the notion of having already reached extinction, and refusing to cultivate the Mahāyāna at all — as when the four disciples, expressing their own understanding, say: "Formerly, our bodies and minds were weary and slack; we thought only of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness, and held, toward the bodhisattva's own dharma, no wish or delight in it whatsoever" — this is such a case, as is whoever is accommodated for a still-later condition. How is it that one's own wisdom is abolished and no further wisdom cultivated? The bodhisattva who abolishes the Tripiṭaka teaching's own wisdom and retreats into every manner of evil is such a case — and likewise whoever, having abolished this wisdom, secretly enters the sudden teaching without cultivating the wisdom of expedient means at all.

Again, there is abolishing a stage and entering a further stage afterward; abolishing a stage without entering any further stage; not abolishing a stage and not entering any further stage; and not abolishing a stage yet still entering a further one. How is it that a stage is abolished and a further stage entered afterward? The Tripiṭaka teaching's own bodhisattva abolishes the stage of not severing affliction and enters the stage of severing affliction. How is it that a stage is abolished without any further stage entered? Whoever abolishes this stage and secretly awakens to the sudden teaching does not enter any stage in sequence at all. How is it that a stage is not abolished and no further stage entered? The two vehicles who abide in the fruit are such a case. How is it that a stage is not abolished yet a further stage is still entered? Whoever is accommodated for a later condition, likewise not yet having abolished anything, secretly awakens and enters a higher stage nonetheless. The shared and distinct teachings' own wisdom and stage may be resolved in exactly the same way, and so on.

Question: Abolishing and then further cultivating may indeed bring benefit — but what benefit is there in abolishing without further cultivation? Answer: There is indeed abolishing-and-cultivating that brings benefit. But there is also reproving the abolition itself: though one hears it without cultivating further, one is nonetheless made ashamed of one's own base and inferior smallness, breaking one's own mind's grasping at premature realization — this, too, is a benefit. Again, though one is equal in having severed the fetters, and it might be said this brings no benefit, turning the mind to enter the Mahāyāna is itself already the benefit gained, and so on.

Eighth, opening the coarse stage to reveal the wondrous stage: as for breaking through the three to reveal the one, this is the sense of the relative reading, and may be understood as explained before. As for the three being themselves already one, this is the sense of the absolute reading, and its meaning is not the same. Why is this? Formerly, the provisional held the real concealed within it, like a flower still containing its lotus-seed; opening the provisional to reveal the real is like the flower opening to reveal the lotus-seed within. Apart from this same flower, there is no separate lotus-seed to be found elsewhere; apart from this same coarse, there is no separate wondrous to be found elsewhere. What need, then, is there to break through the coarse in order to arrive at the wondrous? Simply opening the provisional stage is itself already revealing the wondrous stage.

As for opening the coarse mind of birth-and-death: this clarifies that the ordinary being possesses the capacity to turn back and reconsider, easily able to arouse the bodhi-mind. Birth-and-death is itself already nirvāṇa, neither two nor separate — the coarse itself is already the wondrous. If, beginning from the ordinary being, one arouses any of the four minds — the analytical, the embodying, the distinct, or the perfect — these are, every one, the initial mind of one of the four stages. All are minds arisen from causes and conditions, and this very arising through causes and conditions is at once empty, at once provisional, at once the middle, neither two nor separate from the perfect teaching's own initial mind. Every one of these initial minds, then, reveals the wondrous already within the milk itself — this is precisely placing poison within milk, and it is already able to kill a person. The killing may be swift or slow: if measured according to the stage while still nominally wondrous, this becomes the merely nominal wondrous; if advanced further into expedient means, this becomes the resembling wondrous; if advanced further still into principle itself, this becomes the wondrous of a partial realization of the real, and so on.

As for opening the six pāramitās' own provisional stage and practice: giving itself is a dharma arisen from causes and conditions, at once empty, at once provisional, at once the middle. Opening giving in this way, one attains the seeing of buddha-nature; and prajñā, too, is exactly the same. This, too, is named placing poison within milk, already able to kill a person. Measured according to the stage, this is the merely nominal wondrous; advanced further into expedient means, this becomes the resembling wondrous; advanced further still into principle, this becomes the wondrous of a partial realization of the real, and so on. For the śrāvaka of expedient means who has not yet entered any stage, opening the provisional to reveal the real is exactly the same.

As for the Tripiṭaka teaching's own stage of severing the fetters: if the provisional has not yet been opened, there can never be any turning back and reconsidering at all — like a scorched seed that can never sprout. Here, opening the analytical emptiness of this teaching to reveal that it, too, is at once provisional, at once the middle, is like placing poison within cream — this, too, is already able to kill a person. Measured according to the coarse, this is already the wondrous, and is the resembling stage; advanced further, the wondrous is judged according to whatever stage is reached. Next, opening the shared teaching's own two vehicles and bodhisattva is exactly the same. As for the stage of the bodhisattva emerging into the provisional: resolving and fully understanding this same provisional, the provisional is itself already the middle — like placing poison within curdled butter, which is likewise able to kill a person. Measured according to the coarse, this is already the wondrous, and is the resembling stage; advanced further, the wondrous is judged according to whatever stage is reached.

As for opening the distinct teaching's own stage of the ten faiths: this is exactly the same as before. As for opening the ten abidings: this is exactly the same as the two vehicles, and so on. As for opening the stage of the ten practices: this is exactly the same as the shared teaching's own bodhisattva emerging into the provisional. As for opening the ten dedications, the stage of subduing ignorance: this very provisional is itself already the middle — this is named placing poison within clarified butter, already able to kill a person. Measured according to the coarse, this is already the wondrous, and is the resembling stage; advanced further, the wondrous is judged according to whatever stage is reached. As for the stage of reaching the ground without yet having fully resolved it: this remains merely the stage of the clumsy method. Here, resolving this same provisional, causing the real to be revealed, is precisely placing poison within ghee itself, and killing a person thereby.

Measured according to the coarse, this is already the wondrous — this is the stage of the ten abidings. Advanced further, the wondrous is judged according to whatever stage is reached. Once every provisional teaching is thus resolved, whether measured as wondrous according to its own stage, or wondrous through further advancement, there remains no coarse left to set against it — all alike become the one single wondrous, and this sense has already been made clear. Here, a further metaphor may be given: it is like a great minister from a small country coming to pay court at a great country — he loses his own original rank, and, though placed among its own ranks of office, is limited to an honorary post outside its actual structure. But a lesser minister of the great country itself, trusted with its very heart and sinew, though his own title may not yet be high, is honored and prized by everyone else nonetheless. Every teaching, every stage, once its own provisional is resolved and it enters the wondrous, though it may thereby enter the same stream, still, measured against the perfect teaching's own eight kinds of wondrous, remains something that has come from dullness after all. The perfect teaching's own arousing of the mind, though not yet having entered any stage at all, is already able to know the Tathāgata's own secret treasury, and is already called "buddha" outright. If the initial mind is already thus, how much more so, then, the later stages themselves! And so on.

Ninth, citing the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra's own five similes to establish the stages of the Four Teachings: without using the Four Teachings to interpret these similes, the similes themselves cannot be understood; and without these five similes to judge the stages of the Four Teachings, it would be difficult to gain confidence in them. If one has faith in the sūtra's own text, then the sense of the stages becomes easy to grasp; and, once the sense of the various stages is understood, that same simile becomes perfectly clear and cool to the touch. Each depends upon the other, and together they may be said to bring out the best in both. That text says: "The ordinary being is like milk. The stream-enterer is like cream. The once-returner is like curdled butter. The non-returner is like clarified butter. The arhat, the pratyekabuddha, and the buddha are like ghee." This is a simile for the Tripiṭaka teaching's own five stages. Why is this? The ordinary being, entirely unripened, has not yet been able to remove confusion at all, and the bodhisattva, too, is exactly the same — attaining only the equivalent of milk. The stream-enterer breaks through views, transforming from the ordinary into the sage, like milk transformed into cream. The once-returner encroaches upon six grades of thought, and hence is like curdled butter. The non-returner exhausts thought within the desire realm, and hence is like clarified butter. The arhat, the pratyekabuddha, and the buddha all alike sever the views and thought of the three realms completely, and hence are alike named ghee. Hence the Treatise says: "Within the śrāvaka's own scriptures, the arhat's own ground is named the buddha-ground — hence, they are together named a single flavor."

Question: The present sūtra takes the Tripiṭaka teaching's own bodhisattva as the superior herb — why, then, does that other sūtra take the bodhisattva as the milk flavor? Answer: The sūtra takes the strength of his transformation of others as the basis for the metaphor of the superior herb; here, however, the weakness of his own personal realization places him, alike with the ordinary being, at the milk flavor, and so on.

Fascicle thirty-two says: "The ordinary being is like milk mixed with blood; the stream-enterer and once-returner are like pure milk; the non-returner is like cream; the arhat is like curdled butter; the pratyekabuddha and the bodhisattva are like clarified butter; the buddha is like ghee." This is a simile for the shared teaching's own five stages. The ordinary being, not yet having severed affliction, remains milk mixed with blood. The second fruit, not yet encroaching heavily upon thought, is grouped with the first fruit as mere milk. The third fruit has already exhausted desire-realm thought, and hence is like cream. The fourth fruit has exhausted both views and thought together, and is like curdled butter. The pratyekabuddha, sharp of wisdom and encroaching further upon habitual residue, slightly surpassing the śrāvaka, is accordingly grouped together with the bodhisattva as clarified butter. The tenth ground, named the buddha-ground, is precisely ghee.

Earlier, the bodhisattva was grouped together with the ordinary being's own flavor — hence, one knows this to be the Tripiṭaka teaching. Here, the bodhisattva is grouped together with the pratyekabuddha instead — hence, one knows this to be the shared teaching. Without interpreting the sense of these similes according to the shared teaching specifically, how could this possibly be understood otherwise? And so on.

The ninth fascicle says: "The ordinary being's own buddha-nature is like a newborn calf, its blood and milk not yet distinguished. The śrāvaka's own buddha-nature is like pure milk. The pratyekabuddha is like cream. The bodhisattva is like curdled and clarified butter. The buddha is like ghee." This is a simile for the distinct teaching's own five stages. Milk is a metaphor for ignorance; blood is a metaphor for the four abiding afflictions. The ordinary being possesses both together, and hence is spoken of as mixed with blood. The ten abidings have already severed the blood of the four abiding afflictions, equal in this respect to the two vehicles — hence, it is said that the śrāvaka is like milk. The ten abidings' own final mind, its principle clear and its wisdom sharp, resembling the pratyekabuddha's own encroachment upon habitual residue, and hence is said to be like cream. The ten practices break through dust-and-sand, and are like curdled butter. The ten dedications break through the dust-and-sand beyond the three realms, and are like clarified butter — hence, it is said that the bodhisattva is like curdled and clarified butter. Reaching the ground, breaking through ignorance, revealing buddha-nature, attaining a single body that is immeasurable bodies, accomplishing buddhahood through the eight aspects across a hundred buddha-worlds — hence, it is said that the buddha is like ghee.

Fascicle twenty-five says: "On the Snowy Mountains, there is a grass named forbearance; if a cow eats it, ghee is obtained directly." The cow is a metaphor for the ordinary being; the grass is a metaphor for the eightfold correct path. Being able to cultivate the eightfold correct path, one thereby sees buddha-nature directly, named obtaining ghee. This is a simile for the perfect teaching: practicing the great, direct path, contemplating that every sentient being already bears the mark of nirvāṇa itself, never again to be extinguished. Perfect faith and perfect practice do not proceed through separate, distinct stages one by one — within a single lifetime, one enters directly into the initial abiding, attaining the sight of buddha-nature. Just as the cow that eats the forbearance-grass obtains ghee directly, without passing through the four intervening flavors at all, standing out and reaching ghee outright — one thereby knows this to be the perfect teaching's own sense. The forbearance-grass is a metaphor for the wondrous of the object; the cow is a metaphor for the wondrous of wisdom; the eating of it is a metaphor for the wondrous of practice; and obtaining ghee is a metaphor for the wondrous of stage — this is the perfect teaching's own sense. A cow that eats any other grass has its blood and milk gradually transformed, passing through the four intervening flavors before finally becoming ghee. Every other, expedient teaching's own object, wisdom, practice, and stage are, all of them, a sense of the coarse.

In the four similes discussed before, there are, accordingly, four separate places where ghee is clarified. Though the Four Teachings each clarify buddha-wisdom differently, all being alike named "buddha," they alike point to buddha-wisdom itself as ghee. The Tripiṭaka and shared teachings' own two buddhas do not clarify the middle way at all, and take only the fruit-stage buddha's own wisdom of the two truths as ghee. The distinct teaching, reaching the ground and breaking through ignorance, is thereby able to become a buddha, taking the principle-wisdom of the middle way as ghee. The perfect teaching, at the initial abiding, attains the wisdom of the middle way, and this, too, is named ghee. The Yingluo Sūtra says, "the World-Honored One suddenly awakened" — this refers precisely to this same initial abiding's own wisdom as ghee. The first two kinds of ghee are provisional, not real — hence, there is a teaching there, but no person who has actually attained it. The distinct teaching's own ghee is named provisional in name but real in principle. The perfect teaching's own ghee is named both principle and name together real. For this reason, the stages and Five Flavors of the first three teachings are, every one, coarse, while the perfect teaching's own single flavor is, every one, wondrous.

Fascicle twenty-seven says: "It is like a person who places poison within milk — this is already able to kill a person; and, on through ghee, this, too, is able to kill a person." This simile has two uses: first, in terms of the gradual and the sudden together, it clarifies the indeterminate teaching, whereby buddha-nature may be seen in any and every place at once; second, in terms of the practitioner's own indeterminacy. The practitioner's own mind and practice are likened to the milk; the wisdom of the real mark is likened to the poison — poison carries the power to end a life, and this wisdom carries the power to break through ignorance. From distant eons past, the poison of the real mark has been taught, placed within the ordinary being's own mind, which is the milk; this poisoned wisdom's own opening and unfolding cannot be fixed in advance — it may open at the first flavor, or it may open only at the last flavor, and cannot be judged by sequence alone — hence, it is said that poison is placed within milk, and, on through ghee, throughout all five flavors, there is, everywhere, this same sense of killing.

If a sentient being, beginning still at the ordinary stage, hears the Avataṃsaka Sūtra and thereby directly sees principle, entering the buddha's own wisdom, this is killing within blood-and-milk. If one had already attained the ten abidings, and now, through the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, attains awakening, this is killing within cream. Whoever awakens at the ten practices, this is killing within curdled butter. Whoever awakens at the ten dedications, this is killing within clarified butter. Whoever awakens further at any of the grounds, this is killing within ghee. If, in a past life, one had already reached the perfect teaching's own nominal or resembling stage, and now, hearing the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, attains awakening, this is likewise killing within milk, and likewise killing within cream, curdled butter, or clarified butter. If one had already reached any of the abidings or practices, and now, further hearing the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, attains the advancing of the path and the diminishing of birth, this is killing within ghee itself, and so on.

Traced through the Tripiṭaka teaching: if the ordinary being, or one at the stage of expedient means, or one at the bodhisattva stage, hears the Tripiṭaka teaching and, within it, is secretly able to see the middle way, this is killing within milk. If one at the stage of the four fruits secretly sees the middle way, this is killing within cream. Within the revealed teaching itself, no such thing occurs. As for the shared teaching: if the ordinary being, or one at the three vehicles' own stage of expedient means, hears the shared teaching and secretly sees buddha-nature, this is killing within milk. If one who has already entered a stage proceeds secretly onward, this is killing within cream. If one proceeds within the bodhisattva's own wisdom of the paths, this is killing within curdled butter. If one proceeds within the ninth ground, this is killing within clarified butter. If one proceeds within the tenth ground, this is killing within ghee. The shared teaching's own śrāvaka has only this secret killing, and no killing through the revealed, indeterminate teaching.

Traced through the distinct teaching: whoever proceeds from hearing the teaching at the ten faiths, this is killing within milk. Whoever proceeds within the three sets of ten minds, this is killing within cream, and killing within curdled and clarified butter. Whoever proceeds upon reaching the ground, this is killing within ghee. Traced through the perfect teaching: whoever, upon first hearing the sūtra, immediately breaks through ignorance and sees buddha-nature, this is killing within milk. Whoever proceeds from the purification of the six sense-faculties, this is killing within cream, curdled butter, and clarified butter. Whoever proceeds from the initial abiding, this is killing within ghee.

If there is a practitioner who, having passed entirely through the four similes and Five Flavors of the various teachings, only then attains entry into the perfect teaching's own killing within ghee — this is breaking through the three to reveal the one, the wondrous read in relation to something else, the relative sense. If poison is placed within milk, and every single flavor, one after another, is equally able to kill — this is opening the provisional to reveal the real, seeing the middle way directly within every dharma whatsoever. Hence the text says: "What you yourselves have been practicing is already the bodhisattva path" — there is no need to change course or alter one's own track in search of the real elsewhere; the coarse itself is seen as the wondrous directly — hence, the placing of poison is used as this same metaphor. Every other sūtra already possesses this same wondrous sense of secretly placed poison, yet none of them yet possess entering the wondrous openly, through the revealed teaching, across the flavors in sequence; nor do any of them possess resolving the coarse to reveal the wondrous openly, through the revealed teaching either. Only with the present Lotus Sūtra are both of these senses finally present together. Riding together upon the one treasure-vehicle alike, all alike opening the buddha's own knowledge and vision, this matter is made openly and clearly manifest — hence, the Lotus Sūtra alone is named wondrous, and this is precisely the sense of it. Entering the wondrous in sequence, and opening the coarse to reveal the wondrous directly, each carry two senses in turn: revealing the wondrous according to one's own present stage, and entering the wondrous through further advancement. As it is said, resolving and fully understanding the śrāvaka's own dharma is itself the very king of all the sūtras — having heard it, reflecting upon it carefully, one draws near to the unsurpassed path; this is precisely revealing the wondrous according to one's own present stage. Advancing the path and diminishing birth is precisely entering the wondrous through further advancement. Hence, the Lotus Sūtra alone is named wondrous.

Tenth, clarifying the wondrous stage from beginning to end: within the dharma of suchness itself, there is no sequence of exposition at all — no first ground, no second ground; the dharma-nature is equal throughout, ever quiescent of itself — how, then, could one possibly distinguish a beginning and an end, a first and a last? It is simply that, by means of the equal, great wisdom, contemplating the dharma-realm as possessing no distinctions of any kind whatsoever, one is able to break through ignorance of every kind, and thereby reveal wisdom possessing no distinctions of any kind. In terms of this same wisdom: without any beginning, and yet beginning nonetheless, this is precisely the initial letter "a"; without any end, and yet ending nonetheless, this is precisely the final letter "dha"; without any middle, and yet a middle discussed nonetheless, this is precisely the forty minds in between. Though distinctions are, once again, present, there is, in reality, no distinction at all — hence, this is named the inconceivable stage. As the text below says: "The śrāvaka and the pratyekabuddha are like a bamboo grove; the newly arisen and the unretreating bodhisattva, and the rest, are none of them able to know this, except for those bodhisattvas whose power of faith is firm and secure." That the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha are unable to know this distinguishes the two kinds of the two vehicles found within the Tripiṭaka and shared teachings. The Tripiṭaka teaching's own bodhisattva, whose grasp of the real does not even equal the śrāvaka's own, cannot possibly know this if even the śrāvaka does not know it. The shared teaching's own bodhisattva, whose wisdom of entering the real is no different from that of the two vehicles, likewise does not know this if the two vehicles themselves do not know it.

Here, marking that the two vehicles do not know this, two further groups of bodhisattvas are likewise unable to fathom it. Those unable to know it as "newly arisen" refer precisely to the distinct teaching's own ten faiths; those unable to know it as "unretreating" refer precisely to the distinct teaching's own three sets of ten minds — the ten abidings being unretreating in rank, the ten practices unretreating in practice, and the ten dedications unretreating in mindfulness. All three of these unretreating stages are equally unable to know this. Since even the unretreating of the Tripiṭaka teaching does not equal the two vehicles, and the unretreating of the shared teaching only equals the two vehicles — if the two vehicles themselves do not know this, why would the bodhisattva be raised again as a separate case? Here, marking "newly arisen" and "unretreating" together is meant to point specifically to the persons within the distinct teaching. "Power of faith" is the nominal stage; "firm and secure" is the iron-wheel stage. Stages such as these, hearing the sūtra, immediately understand it — hence, they are able to be named wondrous, the very beginning of the resembling stage. Opening the buddha's own knowledge and vision for the first time, riding upon this treasure-vehicle, roaming through the eastern direction, is precisely the beginning of the real stage. The three remaining directions are the middle stage; arriving directly at the very seat of enlightenment, beyond the letter "dha," with no further letter left to speak of, is precisely the final stage.

As for these various stages — which vehicle does each ride upon? There are three kinds of vehicle: the teaching, the practice, and the realization. As it is said, this vehicle emerges from the three realms and comes to abide within omniscience itself. This "abiding" carries two senses: first, abiding because realization has been attained — this is the shared teaching's own sense; second, abiding because the vehicle ridden has reached its own limit — this is the distinct and perfect teachings' own sense. At the initial mind, relying on what the teaching itself expounds, believing the teaching and establishing practice upon it, one is able to emerge from the three realms; yet, ignorance not yet broken through, there is not yet any realization attained, and so the real is not yet seen — one has merely ridden the vehicle of the teaching, arriving only this far. Within our own perfect teaching, who corresponds to this? The disciples of the five ranks, able skillfully to arouse the great mind, forever departing the sea of suffering's wheel across the three realms — these are precisely such persons. The vehicle of the teaching having already come to rest, while the vehicle of realization has not yet been reached, one uses the resembling understanding-wisdom to advance in cultivating every practice, taking practice itself as the vehicle, emerging from the three realms of expedient means and coming to abide within the initial abiding's own omniscience. Within our own perfect teaching, who corresponds to this? Those of the ten faiths' own mind whose six sense-faculties are purified — these are precisely such persons. From the initial abiding all the way through equal enlightenment, further advancing the path and diminishing birth, this takes realization itself as the vehicle, emerging from the three realms of causes and conditions all the way through the three realms with no further remainder, arriving within wondrous enlightenment itself, beyond the letter "dha," with no further letter left to speak of — hence, it is said to arrive and abide within omniscience itself. Every vehicle discussed before this still had some further dharma still above it, and so could not yet be named "abiding." The letter "dha" has no further dharma above it at all — hence, it alone is spoken of as "abiding." Abiding in the place of no abiding at all is precisely the very end of the wondrous stage.

Again, within the distinct teaching, the ten abidings' own breaking through views and thought is traveling three hundred yojanas; the ten practices' own breaking through dust-and-sand is four hundred; the ten dedications' own subduing of ignorance is five hundred. The ten grounds' own severing of ignorance, this partial seeing of the middle way, is precisely the place of treasure itself.

In the perfect teaching, the time of the purification of the six sense-faculties is traveling four hundred yojanas. Breaking through ignorance to enter the initial abiding is traveling five hundred. As for the two vehicles who, hearing the sūtra, break through the confusion of ignorance, open the buddha's own knowledge and vision, and receive the prediction of buddhahood — this is precisely resolving every coarse stage fully, passing beyond the five hundred yojanas, and arriving at the initial abiding. This is precisely the very beginning of the wondrous stage, attaining the vehicle of realization, roaming through the eastern direction. As for reaching the origin gate and there further advancing the path and diminishing birth, riding the vehicle of realization further still, roaming through the southern direction — this is advancing into the stage of the ten practices. The western direction is advancing into the ten dedications. The northern direction is advancing into the ten grounds. Again, as the text says: "At the time when the Tathāgata's own lifespan, vast and distant, was proclaimed, six hundred and eighty ten-thousand koṭis of nayutas of people, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, attained the forbearance of the dharma of no-generation" — this is precisely the ten abidings. "A further thousand times that number of bodhisattvas attained the dhāraṇī of hearing and upholding" — this is the ten practices. "A further number of bodhisattvas, equal to the motes of dust in an entire world-system, attained eloquence delighting in teaching" — this is the ten dedications. "A further number equal to the motes of dust in an entire world-system attained the dhāraṇī of revolution" — this is the first ground. "A number equal to the motes of dust in a great trichiliocosm attained non-retrogression" — this is the second ground. "A number equal to the motes of dust in two thousand lands were able to turn the pure wheel of the Dharma" — this is the third ground. "A number equal to the motes of dust in a small thousand-world-system will attain bodhi after eight further rebirths" — this is the fourth ground. Those who will attain it after seven further rebirths are the fifth ground. After six further rebirths, the sixth ground. After five further rebirths, the seventh ground. "After four further rebirths" is the eighth ground. "After three further rebirths" is the ninth ground; "after two further rebirths" is the tenth ground. "After one further rebirth" is equal enlightenment. Beyond this one further rebirth is precisely passing beyond the letter "dha," with no further letter to speak of — this is precisely the ground of wondrous enlightenment, the very end of the wondrous stage.

Taking up the Lotus Sūtra's own text already cited within the stages listed before, and gathering it together here as a single unified section, spares any further repetition.

Fifth, as for the wondrous of the three tracks: this is precisely the dharma abided within by the wondrous stage itself. Speaking of the three dharmas, this refers to the three tracks. "Track" names a guiding rule and pattern — it is simply that these same three dharmas are themselves able to serve as this guiding rule and pattern. This is treated under seven headings: first, clarifying the three tracks in general; second, clarifying the three tracks in particular; third, judging the coarse and the wondrous; fourth, opening the coarse to reveal the wondrous; fifth, clarifying the beginning and the end; sixth, classifying other schemes as instances of the three dharmas; seventh, resolving doubts by way of the siddhāntas.

First, clarifying the three tracks in general: first, the track of real nature; second, the track of contemplative illumination; third, the track of resource-and-accomplishment. Though named as three, this is simply the one single dharma of the Mahāyāna. The sūtra says: "Seeking earnestly throughout the ten directions, there is no other vehicle at all — only the one buddha-vehicle." This one buddha-vehicle is already complete with all three dharmas, also named the truth of ultimate meaning, also named the emptiness of ultimate meaning, also named the tathāgatagarbha. These three are not fixed as three — three, and yet discussed as one. The one is not fixed as one — one, and yet discussed as three — inconceivable, neither juxtaposed nor separate, the Siddhaṃ letter i, the three eyes upon a single face. Hence the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says: "Buddha-nature is at once one, not one, and neither one nor not one. It is one because every sentient being alike belongs to the one vehicle" — this speaks of the truth of ultimate meaning. "It is not one because it consists of dharmas that can be numbered" — this speaks of the tathāgatagarbha. "It is neither one nor not one, since the dharma that can be numbered and the dharma that cannot be numbered are both indeterminate" — this speaks of the emptiness of ultimate meaning. And each of these is spoken of with the qualifier "at once," out of careful emphasis. This is simply the one single dharma, merely also named three. Hence, it cannot be taken singly, nor can it be taken as multiple — neither vertically arranged nor horizontally arranged, and yet three, and yet one.

The various truths discussed before, whether opened out or combined, whether coarse or wondrous, and the rest, are already the mark of the track of real nature. The various kinds of wisdom discussed before, whether opened out or combined, whether coarse or wondrous, are the mark of the track of contemplative illumination. The various practices discussed before, whether opened out or combined, whether coarse or wondrous, are already the mark of the track of resource-and-accomplishment. The various stages discussed before are simply the fruit realized through cultivating these same three dharmas. If this is so, why discuss them again? Discussing them again carries three senses: first, the object, wisdom, and practice discussed before are the three tracks ridden upon within the cause; here, it is clarified that the vehicle ridden is the Mahāyāna itself, already arrived at the very seat of enlightenment, the three tracks abided within as the realized fruit. Second, what was discussed before, under the separate names of object, wisdom, and so on, is discussed separately; here, it is discussed together under the single name "dharma." Third, what was discussed before was simply set out dispersedly, without discussing its own root and branch; here, tracing it back to its very root, this is precisely the three tracks of inherent virtue, also named the tathāgatagarbha; and following it out to its furthest branch, this is precisely the three tracks of cultivated virtue, also named the secret treasury. Root and branch together contain every dharma whatsoever. From the three dharmas of inherent virtue arises the three dharmas at the level of mere name; from the three dharmas at the level of mere name, one cultivates the three dharmas of contemplative practice; from the three dharmas of contemplative practice, one brings forth the three dharmas of resembling realization; on through the three dharmas of partial realization, and the three dharmas of ultimate realization. There is the threefold dharma accomplished for oneself, and the threefold dharma that transforms others — for the sake of these senses, it is fitting that they be discussed once again.

In my own view: a single phrase is already all three phrases, and the three phrases are already a single phrase — this is named the perfect buddha-vehicle. Since the commentary already derives the various expedient means from the single phrase of the tathāgatagarbha, this is a particular judgment that ought, by the same example, to be opened out in general as well. "Not one," since it consists of dharmas that can be numbered — pointing to this as the tathāgatagarbha opens out the phenomenal, expedient means of the three vehicles within the Tripiṭaka teaching. "Neither one nor not one," since it is indeterminate — pointing to this same single phrase as the emptiness of ultimate meaning opens out the shared teaching's own three kinds of persons, the very phenomenon itself already the real. "At once one," since every sentient being alike belongs to the one vehicle — pointing to this same single phrase as the truth of ultimate meaning opens out the distinct teaching's own bodhisattva-only vehicle. Every one of these expedient means issues, in every case, from the perfect teaching itself. Hence the sūtra says: "Within the one buddha-vehicle, I distinguish and teach three" — this is precisely this same sense.

Second, clarifying the three dharmas in particular: one must first recognize the Tathāgata's own skillful means of opening out and combining together, and only then can one understand gathering the three dharmas together as the one single Mahāyāna. From what dharma does the Buddha open out the various provisional vehicles? As the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra clarifies, buddha-nature is not one, consisting of dharmas that can be numbered, and teaches the three vehicles accordingly. One should therefore know that the numbered dharmas of the various vehicles are all gathered within the tathāgatagarbha. The Buddha opens out, from this same treasury, the śrāvaka, the pratyekabuddha, and the various bodhisattva vehicles of the shared and distinct teachings.

Why is this? Since the various vehicles are already skillful means, while the tathāgatagarbha is itself the very substance — proceeding from the substance to bring forth skillful means — hence, it is said that these various provisional vehicles are gathered within the tathāgatagarbha. This is also grounded in the sūtra itself: the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says, "The śrāvaka's own saṅgha is named the conditioned saṅgha." It also says, "the six pāramitās are the adornment of merit." It also says, "the śrāvaka, since his power of concentration predominates, does not see buddha-nature." One should therefore know that this power of concentration is precisely merit, and merit itself is simply the conditioned. The Śrīmālādevī Sūtra names this the contaminated. Comparably: since views and thought within the three realms are not yet broken through, there remains something still being brought about — hence, this is named the conditioned; since grasping principle is not yet correct, this is named the contaminated; since it is not the dharma of wisdom, this is named merit. Here, reasoning from below upward, the same pattern ought to apply: since the two vehicles have not yet broken through transformational change, this, too, remains the conditioned; since ignorance is not yet cast off, this, too, is named the contaminated; since it is not the wisdom of the middle way, this, too, is named merit. For this reason, one should know that every expedient vehicle is, in every case, gathered within the track of resource-and-accomplishment, each issuing forth as a partial derivation from the single phrase of the Mahāyāna itself, not the ultimate dharma — hence it is said, "within the one buddha-vehicle, I distinguish and teach three." This is precisely this same sense. This is likewise, within the one buddha-vehicle, distinguishing and teaching five; likewise distinguishing and teaching seven; likewise distinguishing and teaching nine. According to this interpretation, the single phrase of the tathāgatagarbha opens out every manner of skillful means, every provisional vehicle's own dharma.

Next, tracing through the Four Teachings, each discussing its own three dharmas: within the Tripiṭaka teaching, the uncontaminated wisdom is named the track of contemplative illumination. What is directly taken as the vehicle's own substance, together with the auxiliary path that completes the vehicle's own equipment, is named the track of resource-and-accomplishment. The vehicle formed by the direct and auxiliary together, severing confusion to enter the real, this real is the track of real nature. The teaching that comes to expound this is accordingly taken as the vehicle itself, the teaching-vehicle. The pratyekabuddha is exactly the same; the bodhisattva takes the contemplation of impermanence as contemplative illumination, the fattening of merit and virtue as resource-and-accomplishment, and sitting at the seat of enlightenment to sever the fetters and see the real as real nature. Since this teaching expounds the real, the vehicle ridden is the vehicle of the teaching itself, emerging from the three realms and coming to abide within omniscience — yet, once the teaching's own words are already exhausted, there is no further vehicle of the teaching remaining. The real itself is unable to convey anything further, and so realization itself is not a vehicle at all — hence, there remains the sense of the children seeking a carriage outside the gate, and so on.

Second, the shared teaching takes the track of real nature as the vehicle's own substance. Why is this? Form is itself already empty, and, within the very phenomenon, principle is already present — this principle is itself the real, and hence is taken as the vehicle's own substance. The wisdom that form is itself empty is taken as contemplative illumination; the multitude of practices are taken as resource-and-accomplishment. Since this teaching expounds the real, the vehicle ridden is the vehicle of the teaching itself, emerging from the three realms and coming to abide within omniscience. Once the bodhisattva has already emerged from the three realms, he takes practice itself as his vehicle, purifying buddha-lands and transforming sentient beings, all the way to the seat of enlightenment — only then can this be named "abiding." This, too, is a teaching with no person who has actually attained it — there is no one left to abide, since here, too, the teaching comes to rest while realization itself remains quiescent, with no further sense of conveyance left at all — hence, here, too, remains the sense of the children seeking a carriage outside the gate, and so on.

Third, clarifying the distinct teaching's own three dharmas: it takes the contemplative illumination cultivated through conditions as the vehicle's own substance, with the various practices as resource-and-accomplishment, these two dharmas together constituting the wisdom cultivated through conditions. Wisdom is able to break through confusion and reveal principle; principle itself is unable to break through confusion — for if principle could break through confusion by itself, then, since every sentient being already possesses this same nature of principle, why would confusion not already be broken through in every case? Only once this wisdom is attained is one thereby able to break through confusion — hence, wisdom itself is taken as the vehicle's own substance. Hence the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says: "The uncontaminated, unconditioned is named the bodhisattva-saṅgha — this is precisely the wisdom of the first ground, the second ground, on through the tenth ground, named the adornment of wisdom." Using this wisdom to convey one through all ten grounds — hence, it is taken as the vehicle's own substance.

Yet the Mahāyānasaṃgraha clarifies three kinds of vehicle: the vehicle of principle, the vehicle of according, and the vehicle of attainment. "Principle" is precisely suchness prior to the path. "According" is precisely contemplating suchness, wisdom according with its object. "Attainment" is every practice and vow permeating through habituation, this habituation permeating the wisdom free of discrimination, uniting with the object free of discrimination, corresponding to suchness itself. These three senses, taken all at once, do indeed correspond to the three tracks — yet, in sequence, they are not truly fused together. Why is this? The ninth consciousness is suchness after the path; suchness itself has no phenomenal activity, and the root seeds of wisdom and practice are all accomplished through habituation stored within the ālaya-consciousness, from which the light of discrimination-free wisdom is attained, accomplishing the real, true nature. This, then, makes the vehicle of principle originally already present, while the vehicle of attainment is only now present, and suchness after the path only then becomes able to transform beings — is this not precisely a vertical arrangement? And if the three vehicles are all, every one, gathered within the ālaya-consciousness, this is likewise a horizontal arrangement, and moreover comes dangerously close to the doctrine of an original, primordially arisen awareness. Being already both vertical and horizontal at once, this stands opposed to the true Siddhaṃ letter i itself.

Originally, when the Tathāgata first appeared in the world, he wished to teach the real directly; yet, for the sake of those unable to bear it, he first used impermanence to dispel inversion, next used the purity of emptiness to sweep away attachment, next used the arousing of the mind through distinct, separate stages — and only afterward did he finally clarify permanence, bliss, self, and purity. Nāgārjuna, composing his treatise, extended the Buddha's own intent in just this way, using the emptiness of the unobtainable to wash away sealed-in attachment, habituating oneself to correspond with the emptiness of every dharma — this is named according with prajñā itself. How could this emptiness fail to empty ignorance as well? If ignorance itself is empty, where, then, could any seed possibly remain? Once every dharma has already been purified in this way, only then is emptiness itself pointed to and the teaching given, forming the mark of the fourfold statement. This language is empty and profound, holding to nothing at all. It is like a sickness already cured, only then may one take food, and this food, too, is properly digested. How, then, could one begin from the outset by grounding everything in the ālaya-consciousness to bring forth every dharma? Rooted still in the view of pride, never yet truly subdued at all, sealing oneself within this new text is like adding water to already-lengthening ice. One should therefore know that this treatise was not addressed to the heavily attached beings of a later age, but was rather only a single particular dharma-gate for beyond the three realms.

Moreover, if the ālaya-consciousness is truly complete with every dharma, how could it fail to be complete with suchness after the path as well? And if it is said to be complete with it, how, then, can it be said that suchness is not the eighth consciousness? It is to be feared that this remains only an expedient means, itself opened out from within the tathāgatagarbha. If one clings to it as merely expedient, this greatly obstructs the real; and if one takes it as the real itself, clinging to it in turn becomes a view fixed in mere words, containing much that is still infantile and unripe, and this may well endanger one's own life. If one is able to skillfully understand the intent behind refuting and establishing in this way, one may remain, with respect to every sūtra and treatise, entirely pure and free of any obstruction or attachment.

Fourth, clarifying the perfect teaching's own three dharmas: it takes the track of real nature as the vehicle's own substance. Not false is named real; not altering is named nature — this is precisely the correct cause, permanently abiding, that which every buddha takes as teacher; this same dharma is what is meant here. Every sentient being, too, alike belongs to the one vehicle; the sentient being already bears the mark of nirvāṇa itself, never again to be extinguished; nirvāṇa is itself already birth-and-death, without extinction and without arising. Hence the Larger Perfection of Wisdom Sūtra says: "This vehicle is unmoving and does not emerge" — this refers precisely to this same vehicle.

As for contemplative illumination: this is simply pointing to real nature itself — quiescent, and yet ever illuminating — this alone is contemplative illumination, precisely the emptiness of ultimate meaning. As for resource-and-accomplishment: this is simply pointing to real nature as the dharma-realm itself, containing and holding within it every practice, every immeasurable provision — this is precisely the tathāgatagarbha. The three dharmas are neither one nor different, just as, pointing to a wish-fulfilling jewel, one may discuss its light or discuss its substance as a jewel — the light and the jewel-substance are neither one with the jewel itself nor different from it, neither vertically arranged nor horizontally arranged. The three dharmas are exactly the same: at once one, at once not one, at once neither one nor not one — the inconceivable three dharmas.

If one is deluded with respect to these three dharmas, three obstructions are accordingly formed: first, dust-and-sand within and beyond the three realms obstructs the tathāgatagarbha; second, the views and thought of the shared and distinct teachings obstruct the emptiness of ultimate meaning; third, fundamental ignorance obstructs the principle of ultimate meaning. If one directly penetrates through the obstruction of dust-and-sand to reach the immeasurable dharma-gates, the track of resource-and-accomplishment is thereby revealed. If one directly penetrates through the obstruction of views and thought to reach the emptiness of ultimate meaning, the track of contemplative illumination is thereby revealed. If one directly penetrates through the obstruction of ignorance to reach the truth of ultimate meaning, the track of real nature is thereby revealed. Once the track of real nature is revealed, this is named the Dharma-body. Once contemplative illumination is revealed, this is named prajñā. Once resource-and-accomplishment is revealed, this is named liberation. These latter two are precisely the adornment of concentration and wisdom, adorning the Dharma-body itself. The Dharma-body is the vehicle's own substance; concentration and wisdom are its equipment. The text below says: "This carriage is tall and broad, adorned all over with every kind of jewel" — this is named the very vehicle ridden by the perfect teaching's own practitioner, arriving at omniscience itself, beyond the letter "dha," with no further letter left to speak of.

Since there is no further letter left to speak of, ought there not also be no further vehicle left to convey anything at all? If one's own practice has already finished conveying itself, the sense of the vehicle accordingly comes to rest. Yet, if the transformation of others through skillful means is not yet finished, conveying others never comes to rest. Hence the text says: "The Buddha himself abides in the Mahāyāna, and, according to the dharma he himself has attained, adorned with the power of concentration and wisdom, uses this very dharma to save sentient beings" — this is precisely this same sense. It is like a charioteer: once the carriage has already conveyed him to his destination, it is nonetheless still named a carriage. The fruit-vehicle is exactly the same — it, too, is nonetheless still named "conveying."

Again, why must one always interpret "vehicle" entirely in terms of the sense of conveyance? If one takes real nature itself, unmoving and not emerging, then this is neither conveying nor not conveying. If one takes contemplative illumination and resource-and-accomplishment, able to move and able to emerge, then this alone is named conveying. Yet moving-and-emerging is itself already unmoving-and-not-emerging; and unmoving-and-not-emerging is itself already moving-and-emerging. Discussed in terms of function, moving-and-emerging is unmoving-and-not-emerging; discussed in terms of substance, unmoving-and-not-emerging is moving-and-emerging. Substance and function are not two, and yet are two. Comparably: whether turning or not turning, both alike are avaivartika, the unretreating stage; whether moving or unmoving, both alike are vinaya. For this same reason, whether advancing or not advancing, both alike are named "vehicle," and so on.

Third, clarifying the coarse and the wondrous: the Tripiṭaka teaching, discussing its own conditioned merit, treats the three dharmas as its vehicle. The four applications of mindfulness are the wisdom of hearing, riding the vehicle of the teaching, arriving at the four good roots. The four good roots ride the vehicle of practice, arriving at the seeing of the truths. The seeing of the truths rides the vehicle of realization, arriving at the stage beyond further learning. Since this is already a provisional dharma, emerging beyond the three realms and taking the real as its own realization — once realization is reached, there is no further conveyance, and the real vehicle itself is never actually seen. "Alas!" one reproaches oneself, wishing to ask the World-Honored One whether it has been lost, or not lost — this is precisely this same sense. Drawn along gradually by half-words, this is not yet the ultimate sense — hence, all three dharmas here remain coarse. The shared teaching, taking the wisdom that form is itself empty, treats the three dharmas as its own skillful vehicle, its remaining sense largely the same. The ground of dry wisdom rides the vehicle of the teaching; the ground of nature rides the vehicle of practice; the ground of the eight kinds of person and the ground of seeing ride the vehicle of realization. This, too, is a one-sided account — hence, it remains coarse. The distinct teaching takes resource-and-accomplishment as the resource for contemplative illumination, and contemplative illumination opens out into real nature, treating the three dharmas as its vehicle: the ten faiths ride the teaching, the ten abidings ride the practice, the ten grounds ride the realization, arriving at wondrous enlightenment's own abiding within omniscience. Yet, once what is cultivated through conditions is accomplished, it is thereupon set aside, and only the cultivation of the real itself remains. If this is so, then resource-and-accomplishment comes first, contemplative illumination follows next, and real nature comes last — these three, vertically distinct one from another, though not the Mahāyāna in a sequential sense, and these three, juxtaposed as separate from one another, though not the Mahāyāna in a parallel sense either, remain, in either case, an expedient dharma — hence, this, too, remains coarse.

As for the perfect teaching: pointing to the real mark as the emptiness of ultimate meaning names this emptiness as vertical. Yet the emptiness of ultimate meaning is itself already the real mark, and the real mark is not vertical at all — how, then, could this emptiness be vertical? Pointing to the real mark as the tathāgatagarbha names this as horizontal. Yet the tathāgatagarbha is itself already the real mark, and the real mark is not horizontal at all — how, then, could this treasury be horizontal? Hence, it cannot be thought of as vertical, nor can it be thought of as horizontal — hence, it is named the inconceivable dharma, which is itself the wondrous. Simply pointing to emptiness and the treasury as the real mark, with emptiness vertical and the treasury horizontal — how could the real mark itself be either vertical or horizontal? Simply pointing to emptiness as the tathāgatagarbha — since emptiness is already not horizontal, how could the treasury become horizontal? Pointing to the tathāgatagarbha as emptiness — since the treasury is already not vertical, how could emptiness become vertical? Pointing to the real mark as both emptiness and the treasury, the real mark is neither vertical nor horizontal, and emptiness and the treasury, too, are neither vertical nor horizontal, turning and interpenetrating one another completely, inconceivable — hence, this is named the wondrous. Simply pointing to the tathāgatagarbha as breadth, and pointing to the emptiness of ultimate meaning as height — hence, it is said, "this carriage is tall and broad." The tathāgatagarbha is itself the real mark — hence, this carriage is not merely broad. The emptiness of ultimate meaning is itself the real mark — hence, this carriage is not merely tall. Yet, since the real mark is itself emptiness, how could it fail to be tall? And since the real mark is itself the tathāgatagarbha, how could it fail to be broad? Again, pointing to the real mark as the tathāgatagarbha, it is accordingly said, "adorned all over with every kind of jewel," and "attended and guarded by many servants." Pointing to the real mark as the emptiness of ultimate meaning, it is accordingly said, "there is a great white ox, fat and sturdy, of great strength, its gait level and even, swift as the wind" — wisdom free of every taint is named "white"; being able to break through confusion is named "of great strength"; the wisdom of the middle way is named "level and even"; entering effortless function is why it is "swift as the wind." The inconceivable three dharmas together accomplish this one great carriage — how, then, could there possibly be any distinction of vertical, horizontal, juxtaposed, or separate remaining at all?

This same teaching-vehicle, neither vertical nor horizontal, is ridden by the five ranks, arriving at the resembling understanding. This same practice-vehicle, neither vertical nor horizontal, is ridden by the resembling understanding, arriving at the ten abidings. This same realization-vehicle, neither vertical nor horizontal, is ridden by the ten abidings, arriving at wondrous enlightenment's own abiding within omniscience — hence, this alone is named the wondrous vehicle. It is also said: "This vehicle is subtle and wondrous, pure and supreme." Hence, when a lecture was once held at the Wa-guan Monastery, people dreamed that the listeners rode out through the crowded gate upon their own carriages; while, at a place where a different lecture was held, people dreamed that the road was filled with figures in yellow robes instead. Judged by these very signs, the deviant and the correct are made perfectly clear! If one takes this scheme of coarse and wondrous vehicles and correlates it with the Five Flavors: the milk teaching has one coarse and one wondrous; the cream teaching has one coarse; the curdled-butter teaching has three coarse and one wondrous; the clarified-butter teaching has two coarse and one wondrous. Every other sūtra carries some admixture of the vertical or horizontal as an expedient means, teaching the neither-vertical-nor-horizontal real only indirectly through it — hence, they are spoken of as coarse. The present sūtra alone, directly and without any expedient means, sets these aside entirely — hence, it alone is further named wondrous, and so on.

Fourth, opening the coarse to reveal the wondrous: this follows the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra's own three statements. The sūtra says: "Buddha-nature is at once one," since every sentient being alike belongs to the one vehicle. This is the one vehicle that is unmoving and does not emerge, and hence is already complete with the three dharmas, neither vertical nor horizontal. Now, everyone who possesses a mind at all already possesses this same principle in full — yet the members of this same household, great and small alike, remain entirely unaware of it — hence, this is coarse. Here, the treasury of every sentient being's own awakening is revealed, weeding away the coarse growth to open and reveal the buried gold within. Every unobstructed person walks the single path that leaves birth-and-death behind. Seeking earnestly throughout the ten directions, there is no other vehicle at all — only the one buddha-vehicle — hence, this is wondrous.

The sūtra says: "Buddha-nature is also neither one nor not one," since the numbered dharma and the unnumbered dharma are both indeterminate. If one clings to the wisdom cultivated through conditions as though it could, by itself, fix and determine the revealing of principle, then, since this wisdom is not itself principle, its own illuminating function remains unclear, and buddha-nature is not seen — hence, this is coarse. Here, the wisdom clung to as fixed and determinate is opened out into the indeterminate wisdom itself — wisdom is itself already principle, and principle is itself already wisdom, clinging neither to number, fixing it as three or fixing it as one, nor clinging to the unnumbered, as neither three nor one — this alone is named the wondrous wisdom free of attachment. It is able to break through every fixed mark and every indeterminate mark alike, with no breaker and nothing broken remaining either. Like the wheel-turning king, able both to conquer and to bring peace; like the sun, dispelling darkness and giving rise to life; like the physician, removing the cataract to nurture the pearl-like eye beneath — this is precisely the Mahāyāna's own wondrous wisdom, neither vertical nor horizontal.

The sūtra says: "Buddha-nature is also not one," since it teaches the three vehicles. This refers to the three vehicles, the five vehicles, the seven vehicles, and every other expedient vehicle. If one abides fixedly within any of these vehicles, this remains merely phenomenal goodness, or a one-sided real, its own penetration reaching only a nearby place — hence, this is coarse. Here, if one fully resolves that every one of these vehicles is itself already the tathāgatagarbha, and this treasury is itself named buddha-nature — then, from the goodness of humans and gods all the way through the bodhisattva-only vehicle, none of it ever departs from this same fundamental dharma — this alone is the wondrous. One should therefore know that these three statements together gather in every dharma whatsoever, none of it anything other than buddha-nature itself, every one of them, alike, already wondrous. With no coarse left to set against it, this is precisely the wondrous read in the absolute sense.

Fifth, clarifying beginning and end: this does not take the five ranks' own vehicle of the teaching as the beginning, but rather takes the single thought-moment of the mind at the ordinary stage — already complete with the ten dharma-realms and the ten kinds of mark-and-nature — as the beginning of the three dharmas. Why is this? The ten kinds of mark-and-nature are simply the three tracks themselves. Such an essence is precisely the track of real nature. Such a nature — nature being based on what is internal — is precisely the track of contemplative illumination. Such a mark — mark being based on what is external — is precisely merit and virtue, the track of resource-and-accomplishment. Such a power is the revealing cause, the track of contemplative illumination. Such an activity is the diligent exertion of every practice, precisely resource-and-accomplishment. Such a cause is the habituated cause, belonging to contemplative illumination. Such a condition is the retributive cause, belonging to resource-and-accomplishment. Such a fruit is the habituated fruit, belonging to contemplative illumination. Such a retribution is the habituated retribution, belonging to resource-and-accomplishment. As for the equality of beginning and end: the equality of emptiness corresponds to contemplative illumination; the equality of the provisional corresponds to resource-and-accomplishment; the equality of the middle corresponds to real nature. This discusses the three tracks directly in terms of a single dharma-realm's own ten suchnesses. Here, however, only the ordinary mind's single thought-moment is being clarified — this alone already possesses all ten dharma-realms within it, and each and every realm already possesses the mark-and-nature of affliction, the mark-and-nature of evil karma, and the mark-and-nature of the path of suffering.

If there is the mark-and-nature of ignorance and affliction, this is itself already the mark-and-nature of wisdom's own contemplative illumination. Why is this? It is precisely because clarity itself is deluded that ignorance arises.

If ignorance is understood, this is itself already clarity. The Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says: "Ignorance, transformed, is itself changed into clarity." The Vimalakīrti Sūtra says: "Ignorance is itself clarity." One should therefore know that clarity is never apart from ignorance — it is like ice being water, and water being ice.

Again, the ordinary being's own mind, in a single thought-moment, is already complete with the ten realms, each and every one already possessing the mark-and-nature of evil karma. Yet this very mark-and-nature of evil is itself already the mark-and-nature of good: it is by means of evil that good exists at all, and, apart from evil, there is no good — turning evil around is itself the resource-and-accomplishment of good. It is like the nature of fire already present within bamboo — this is not yet the actual event of fire, and so it is present without burning; once it meets the right condition and the event is accomplished, it becomes able to burn things. Evil is itself the nature of good, though not yet the actual event of good.

Once it meets the right condition and the event is accomplished, it becomes able to turn evil around. It is like the fire already present within bamboo: once the fire emerges, it burns the very bamboo that held it. Good is present within evil, and, once good is accomplished, it in turn breaks through evil. Hence this very mark-and-nature of evil is the mark-and-nature of good. In the ordinary being's own single thought-moment, there is already present, in every one of the ten realms, the mark-and-nature of the path of suffering — consciousness, name-and-form, and the rest. Deluded with respect to this path of suffering, birth-and-death surges on vast and unending — yet this is simply the Dharma-body itself, mistaken for the path of suffering; apart from the path of suffering, there is no separate Dharma-body to be found. It is like mistaking south for north — there is no separate south to be found elsewhere. If birth-and-death is awakened to, this is itself already the Dharma-body — hence it is said: the mark-and-nature of the path of suffering is itself the mark-and-nature of the Dharma-body.

Whoever possesses a mind at all already possesses the mark-and-nature of the three paths, which is itself already the mark-and-nature of the three tracks. Hence the Vimalakīrti Sūtra says: "The very company of afflictions is itself the seed of the Tathāgata" — this is precisely what is meant here. As for such a power and such an activity: these are the arousing of the bodhi-mind, precisely the first stirring of real nature and the rest. Such a cause is precisely the stirring of contemplative illumination. Such a condition is precisely the stirring of resource-and-accomplishment. Such a fruit, arising from the stirring of contemplative illumination, becomes the habituated cause, and, through this, the fulfillment of prajñā's own habituated fruit is obtained.

Such a retribution, arising from the stirring of resource-and-accomplishment, becomes the conditioning cause, and, through this, the fulfillment of liberation's own retributive fruit is obtained. Since the fruit and its retribution are both fulfilled, the Dharma-body, too, is fulfilled — this is precisely the ultimate fulfillment of the three virtues, named the secret treasury. As for the equality of beginning and end: the three tracks of inherent virtue lie hidden and dormant, neither vertical nor horizontal; the three tracks of cultivated virtue stand revealed and manifest, neither vertical nor horizontal. Hidden and dormant, they are equal in their suchness, equal in their number, equal in their wondrousness; revealed and manifest, they are equal in their suchness, equal in their number, equal in their wondrousness — hence it is said, "equal." This, too, is the equality of emptiness, the equality of the provisional, and the equality of the middle, and so on.

Sixth, correlating and connecting the three dharmas: the dharma of the three tracks, treated above from beginning to end, is precisely a vertical connection running through without obstruction. Here, one wishes to connect horizontally through every other dharma as well, making all of them alike unobstructed, correlating and connecting them with these same three dharmas. Why is this? Though the names differ according to the conditions they respond to, their sense, once grasped, is the same throughout — here, ten items are connected in broad outline, and the rest may be understood by the same pattern: the three paths, the three consciousnesses, the three buddha-natures, the three prajñās, the three bodhis, the three Mahāyānas, the three bodies, the three nirvāṇas, the Three Jewels, and the three virtues. The threefold dharmas are themselves without measure; only these ten are used here, taking up their broad essentials, to clarify beginning and end. The three paths, revolving through saṃsāra, are the fundamental dharma of birth-and-death, and hence come first. If one wishes to go against the very current of birth-and-death, one must understand the three consciousnesses, know the three buddha-natures, give rise to the three kinds of wisdom, arouse the three kinds of bodhi-mind, practice the three Mahāyānas, realize the three bodies, and accomplish the three nirvāṇas — this is the Three Jewels, benefiting all beings; and, once the conditions for transformation are exhausted, one enters the three virtues and abides within the secret treasury, and so on.

First, correlating and connecting the three paths: the track of real nature is precisely the path of suffering; the track of contemplative illumination is precisely the path of affliction; the track of resource-and-accomplishment is precisely the path of karma. As for the path of suffering being itself already real nature: the text below says, "The mark of the world abides eternally" — is this not precisely that very birth-and-death being itself already the Dharma-body? As for affliction being itself contemplative illumination: contemplative illumination fundamentally illuminates confusion, and, without confusion, there would be no illumination — every dharma being empty is exactly this.

The text says: "All dharmas, from their very origin, are forever, of themselves, marked by quiescent cessation" — this is precisely affliction being itself contemplative illumination. Illumination is like firewood giving rise to fire. The text says: "Among the buddhas of every past age, whoever has heard even a single phrase has, every one, already accomplished the path to buddhahood." And again: "Penetrating deeply into the mark of transgression and merit, illuminating everywhere throughout the ten directions" — this is precisely the wondrous phrase of hearing and fully embodying affliction itself. As for resource-and-accomplishment being itself the path of karma: evil is the very resource for good, and, without evil, there would likewise be no good. The text says: "Evil demons enter into their minds, and revile and insult us — yet, because we are mindful of the Buddha, we shall bear with all of this." If evil did not come to assail them, there would be no occasion to exercise this mindfulness — the exercise of mindfulness arises precisely because of evil's own assault, and so on. Again, among the assembly attached to the Dharma under Bhīṣmagarjitasvararāja Buddha, those who, on hearing Never-Disparaging's own words, reviled and struck him — it was precisely because of this evil karma that they came, in turn, to encounter Never-Disparaging once more, and, through Never-Disparaging's own teaching and transformation, all attained the stage of non-retrogression. Again, was not Devadatta himself a good spiritual friend? How, then, could this not be evil itself serving as resource-and-accomplishment? The three tracks being themselves already the three paths — this is precisely identity in principle, walking amid what is not the path, and yet thoroughly penetrating through to the buddha-path. At the five ranks, this is identity in contemplative practice, walking amid what is not the path, and yet thoroughly penetrating through to the buddha-path. With the purification of the six faculties, this is identity in resemblance, walking amid what is not the path, and yet thoroughly penetrating through to the buddha-path. From the ten abidings onward, this is identity in a portion of the truth, walking amid what is not the path, and yet thoroughly penetrating through to the buddha-path. At wondrous enlightenment, this is identity in the ultimate, walking amid what is not the path, and yet thoroughly penetrating through to the buddha-path, and so on.

Second, correlating and connecting the three consciousnesses: the stainless consciousness is precisely the track of real nature; the ālaya-consciousness is precisely the track of contemplative illumination; the ādāna-consciousness is precisely the track of resource-and-accomplishment. Masters of the Dilun tradition hold that the ālaya-consciousness is subsumed within the true, eternal, pure consciousness; masters of the Mahāyāna say it is instead a consciousness of the indeterminate, ignorant, and latent-tendency kind, also named the not-lost consciousness — the very dispute, among nine consciousnesses, over which alone deserves to be named the pure consciousness, and so on. Here, taking a nearby case as an analogy for what is further off: within a single person's own mind, what, after all, is truly fixed? Acting with good, it is the good consciousness; acting with evil, it is the evil consciousness; acting with neither good nor evil, it is the indeterminate consciousness. How, then, could these three consciousnesses possibly be as starkly opposed, all at once, as water and fire? It is simply that turning away from good becomes evil, turning away from evil becomes good, and turning away from both good and evil becomes the indeterminate — this is nothing but a single person's own three minds. The three consciousnesses, too, ought to be understood in exactly the same way. If, within the ālaya-consciousness, there is present the seed of birth-and-death, perfumed and increased through habituation, this becomes the consciousness of discrimination. If, within the ālaya-consciousness, there is present the seed of wisdom, perfumed and increased through hearing, this is transformed at its basis into the suchness that follows upon the attainment of the path, named the pure consciousness. Apart from these two consciousnesses, there is simply the ālaya-consciousness itself.

This, too, is discussing three within a single dharma, and discussing one within these three. The Mahāyānasaṃgraha says: "It is like gold, earth, defilement, and purity: defilement is a simile for the six consciousnesses; gold is a simile for the pure consciousness; earth is a simile for the ālaya-consciousness." The explicit text stands right here — why toil over any further dispute? The passage below gives the simile of a person arriving at a close friend's house and lying down drunk with wine — is this not precisely the ālaya-consciousness? The worldly consciousness of delusion and discrimination then arises and wanders about, seeking clothing and food — is this not precisely the ādāna-consciousness? The seed perfumed through hearing gradually arises and increases, and, upon encountering the close friend once more, is shown the jewel sewn into the robe — is this not precisely the stainless consciousness? The stainless consciousness is named the light of non-discriminating wisdom. If, within the ālaya-consciousness, this very seed of wisdom is present, this is the light of non-discriminating wisdom in principle. At the five ranks, this is the light of non-discriminating wisdom in contemplative practice.

With the purification of the six faculties, this is the light of non-discriminating wisdom in resemblance. From the initial abiding onward, this is the light of non-discriminating wisdom in a portion of the truth. At wondrous enlightenment, this is the light of non-discriminating wisdom in the ultimate. Coarse and wondrous, and so on.

Third, correlating and connecting the three buddha-natures: the track of real nature is precisely the correct cause; the track of contemplative illumination is precisely the revealing cause; the track of resource-and-accomplishment is precisely the conditioning cause. Hence the text below says: "You are truly my own child; I am truly your own father" — this is precisely the correct cause.

And again: "Since I, long ago, taught you the unsurpassed path, the vow of omniscience remains present within you, never lost" — the wisdom here is the revealing cause, and the vow is the conditioning cause. And again: "I dare not look down upon you — every one of you shall, without exception, become a buddha" — this is precisely the correct cause. "At that time, the four assemblies, by reading and reciting the various sūtras" — this is precisely the revealing cause. "Cultivating every kind of merit" — this is precisely the conditioning cause. And again: "The elder's own sons, whether ten, or twenty, or even thirty in number" — this refers precisely to the three kinds of buddha-nature. And again: "The sense of every kind of nature and mark, I have already, in every case, seen and known" — since this speaks of every kind of nature, there is accordingly present the three kinds of buddha-nature. If one knows the three tracks to be themselves already the three buddha-natures, this is named buddha-nature in principle. At the five ranks, this is seeing buddha-nature in contemplative practice. With the six faculties, this is seeing buddha-nature in resemblance. From the ten abidings through equal enlightenment, this is seeing buddha-nature in a portion of the truth. At wondrous enlightenment, this is seeing buddha-nature in the ultimate.

Hence this alone is named the wondrous, and so on.

Fourth, correlating and connecting the three prajñās: real nature is precisely the prajñā of the real mark; contemplative illumination is precisely contemplating prajñā; resource-and-accomplishment is precisely the prajñā of the written word — fully explained already above, in the mark of the three wondrous aspects of the object, of wisdom, and of practice. Hence the text below says: "Stop, stop — there is no need to speak of it further; my own dharma is wondrous, and difficult to conceive." And again: "This dharma cannot be pointed to directly; the mark of every word and phrase is itself quiescent cessation" — this is precisely the prajñā of the real mark. "I myself, and every buddha throughout the ten directions, alone are able to know this mark." "Only a buddha, together with another buddha, is able to fathom it fully." And again: "The wisdom that I myself have attained is subtle and wondrous, supreme above all else" — this is precisely contemplating prajñā. And again: "I constantly know whether sentient beings are walking the path or not walking the path, and, according to whatever is fit to deliver them, I teach them every kind of dharma accordingly" — the manifold words and phrases, skillfully adapted to what is fitting, are precisely the prajñā of the written word. And again: "The Tathāgata's own knowledge and vision are vast and profound, far-reaching." Being vast and profound, far-reaching, is precisely the prajñā of the real mark. The Tathāgata's own knowledge and vision being named vast and profound, far-reaching, is precisely contemplating prajñā. Saying that skillful means and knowledge-and-vision are both, in every case, already complete is precisely the prajñā of the written word. One should therefore know that the three tracks are themselves simply different names for the three prajñās. If the three kinds of wisdom reside in three separate minds, belonging to three separate persons, this remains coarse. If the three kinds of wisdom reside within a single mind, neither vertical nor horizontal, this is the wondrous in principle. At the five ranks, this is the three prajñās in contemplative practice. With the purification of the six faculties, this is the three prajñās in resemblance. At the forty minds, this is the three prajñās in a portion of the truth. At wondrous enlightenment, this is the three prajñās in the ultimate.

Fifth, correlating and connecting the three bodhis: the track of real nature is precisely the bodhi of the real mark; the track of contemplative illumination is precisely the bodhi of real wisdom; the track of resource-and-accomplishment is precisely expedient bodhi. Hence the text below says: "I have not, before this, said that all of you have already attained supreme perfect enlightenment" — and: "Neither real nor unreal, neither thus nor otherwise, it does not see the three realms the way the three realms themselves appear" — this is precisely the bodhi of the real mark.

"Since my own attainment of the path, an extremely vast span of time has already passed" — this is precisely the bodhi of real wisdom. "I have spoken of having gone forth from home while young, and of attaining full enlightenment near the city of Gayā" — this is precisely expedient bodhi. As for clarifying the three bodhis from the standpoint of the disciples: "Whenever I encounter sentient beings, I teach them, every one, the buddha-path in its entirety" — this is precisely the bodhi of the real mark. "Abiding securely within real wisdom, I shall surely, in time, become a buddha." And again: "Once the buddha's own children have finished walking the path, in a future age they shall attain buddhahood." "Riding this very jeweled vehicle, they proceed straight to the place of enlightenment" — this is precisely the bodhi of real wisdom accomplished through cultivation. The bestowal of the prediction, with its eight signs, is precisely expedient bodhi. Being neither one nor different is named suchness. Not yet fully resolved, this is named coarse; fully resolved, this is named wondrous. Every sentient being possesses bodhi in principle. At the five ranks, this is bodhi in name. With the six faculties, this is bodhi in resemblance. At the forty-one stages, this is bodhi in a portion of the truth. At wondrous enlightenment, this is bodhi in the ultimate, and so on.

Sixth, correlating and connecting the three Mahāyānas: real nature is precisely the vehicle of principle; contemplative illumination is precisely the vehicle of according; resource-and-accomplishment is precisely the vehicle of attainment. Hence the text below says: "The Buddha himself abides in the Mahāyāna, and, according to the dharma he himself has attained, adorned with the power of concentration and wisdom" — abiding in the Mahāyāna is precisely the vehicle of principle; being adorned with concentration and wisdom is precisely the vehicle of according; the dharma attained is precisely the vehicle of attainment. "The Buddha himself abides in the Mahāyāna" is the vehicle of principle; "having already known this, seated at the place of enlightenment" is the vehicle of according; "the guiding teacher expounds it through skillful means" is the vehicle of attainment. Again: "Śāriputra! Because of my own original vow, I teach the dharma of the three vehicles" — this is the vehicle of attainment together with the vehicle of according. Again: "This vehicle is subtle and wondrous, pure and supreme" is the vehicle of principle. "Within the one buddha-vehicle" is the vehicle of principle; "distinguished and taught as three" is the vehicle of attainment together with the vehicle of according. Wondrous in being neither vertical nor horizontal — opening the coarse to reveal the wondrous, passing through the seven stages, and so on. At the five ranks, this is the vehicle in name. With the six faculties, this is the vehicle in resemblance.

At the forty-one stages, this is the vehicle in a portion of the truth. At wondrous enlightenment, this is the vehicle in the ultimate, and so on.

Seventh, correlating and connecting the three bodies: the track of real nature is precisely the Dharma-body; contemplative illumination is precisely the reward-body; resource-and-accomplishment is precisely the response-body. As the Suvarṇaprabhāsottama Sūtra, in its new translation, says: "In dependence upon the Dharma-body, the reward-body is obtained to exist; in dependence upon the reward-body, the response-body is obtained to exist" — this is precisely as already clarified above, that, in dependence upon the wondrous of the object, the wondrous of wisdom is obtained to exist, and, in dependence upon the wondrous of wisdom, the wondrous of practice is obtained to exist. That same text says: "The Buddha's own true Dharma-body is just like empty space; responding to beings, it manifests a form, like the moon reflected in water." The reward-body is precisely the moon in the sky itself. This present text says: "The Buddha himself abides in the Mahāyāna" — this is precisely the body of the real mark, just like empty space.

"Adorned with the power of concentration and wisdom" — wisdom is like the moon in the sky, and concentration is like the moon reflected in the water. And again: "Only a buddha, together with another buddha, is able to fathom the real mark of every dharma fully" — this is precisely the Dharma-body. "The wisdom that I myself have attained is subtle and wondrous, supreme above all else" — this is precisely the reward-body. "Renown heard everywhere" is precisely the response-body. Again, neither being born nor manifesting birth, and the rest, are the response-body. Sometimes manifesting one's own body is the Dharma-body together with the reward-body; sometimes manifesting another's body is the reward-body together with the response-body. "I adorn my own body with these very marks, its light illuminating the ten directions, and, for this, teach the seal of the real mark" — the seal of the real mark is precisely the Dharma-body; illuminating the ten directions is precisely the response-body; the body adorned with these marks is precisely the reward-body. Again: "Penetrating deeply into the mark of transgression and merit, illuminating everywhere throughout the ten directions" is precisely the reward-body; "the subtle and wondrous, pure Dharma-body" is precisely the Dharma-body; "complete with the thirty-two marks" is precisely the response-body. Though the three tracks bear different names, their sense is precisely the three bodies — hence the Samantabhadra Meditation Sūtra says: "The buddha's three kinds of body arise from the vaipulya teachings." The Treatise on the Nature of the Dharma-realm says: "Mercury blended with true gold is able to coat every kind of image; merit blended with the Dharma-body responds and manifests everywhere." If these three bodies are neither vertical nor horizontal, the wondrous fully resolves the three bodies into the wondrous of the Dharma-body itself. Passing through the seven stages, the wondrous, and so on.

Eighth, correlating and connecting the three nirvāṇas: the Dilun masters say, "There are only the nature-pure and the expedient-means pure. The real mark is named the nature-pure nirvāṇa; what is accomplished through cultivated cause is the expedient-means pure nirvāṇa." Here, however, principle-in-itself is taken as the nature-pure nirvāṇa, and what is accomplished through cultivated cause is taken as the perfect pure nirvāṇa — this fits the sense better; the firewood exhausted and the fire extinguished is taken as the expedient-means pure nirvāṇa — this fits the text better. If what is accomplished through cultivated cause were instead taken as the expedient-means nirvāṇa, then to what nirvāṇa would the firewood exhausted and the fire extinguished then belong? One should therefore know that there must indeed be three nirvāṇas, and these three nirvāṇas are themselves precisely the three tracks. The text says: "This dharma cannot be pointed to directly; the mark of every word and phrase is itself quiescent cessation." And again: "All dharmas, from their very origin, are forever, of themselves, marked by quiescent cessation" — this is the nature-pure nirvāṇa. And again: "Every one of them, I cause to attain extinction through the Tathāgata's own extinction" — this is precisely the perfect pure nirvāṇa. And again: "Since my own attainment of buddhahood, an extremely vast span of time has already passed" — attained through long cultivation of practice, the light of wisdom illuminating without measure — this, too, is the perfect pure nirvāṇa. Repeatedly proclaiming birth, manifesting extinction everywhere, attaining extinction on this very night, like the firewood exhausted and the fire extinguished — is this not precisely the expedient-means pure nirvāṇa?

The Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra's own title, "mahāparinirvāṇa," is translated as "great extinction and crossing-over." "Great" refers to its nature being vast and expansive — this is precisely based on the nature-pure. "Crossing-over" refers to arriving at the further shore, wisdom fulfilled in its entirety — this is precisely based on the perfect pure. "Extinction" refers to affliction permanently exhausted, the virtue of severance accomplished — this is precisely based on the expedient-means pure. These three nirvāṇas are themselves precisely the three tracks.

Ninth, correlating and connecting the Three Jewels as a single essence: real nature is precisely the Dharma Jewel; contemplative illumination is precisely the Buddha Jewel; resource-and-accomplishment is precisely the Saṅgha Jewel. Hence the Dharma-nature, unmoving, is named "not awakened"; the Buddha's own wisdom, in accord with principle, is why the Buddha is named "awakened." Harmony in practice and harmony in principle are why the Saṅgha is named "harmonious assembly." The Viśeṣacintibrahma-paripṛcchā Sūtra says: "Knowing awakening is named the Buddha; knowing freedom is named the Dharma; knowing there is nothing is named the Saṅgha" — this is the Three Jewels as a single essence. Hence the text below says: "The Buddha himself abides in the Mahāyāna" — the Buddha here is the Buddha Jewel, and the Mahāyāna is the Dharma Jewel; "according to the dharma he himself has attained, he uses this very dharma to save sentient beings" — this is precisely being in harmony with principle, and, further, being in harmony with sentient beings, which is precisely the Saṅgha Jewel. "The mark of the world abides eternally" is named the Dharma Jewel; "having already known this, seated at the place of enlightenment" is named the Buddha Jewel; "the guiding teacher expounds it through skillful means" — above, in harmony with principle, and, below, in harmony with sentient beings — is named the Saṅgha Jewel. The Three Jewels as a single essence, being one that is not merely one, and three that are not merely three — this same three-in-one, neither vertical nor horizontal, is named the wondrous. Passing through the seven stages, and so on.

Tenth, correlating and connecting the three virtues: the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra's own three virtues together accomplish the great nirvāṇa; this present sūtra's three tracks together accomplish the Mahāyāna. That sūtra clarifies the virtue of the Dharma-body; here, this is called the real mark. That sūtra says, "Buddha-nature is also one," since every sentient being alike belongs to the one vehicle — this, too, points to the real mark as the one vehicle. That sūtra clarifies the virtue of prajñā; this present sūtra clarifies that its own gateway of wisdom is difficult to understand and difficult to enter. "The wisdom that I myself have attained is subtle and wondrous, supreme above all else," down through "fully resolving the śrāvaka's own dharma, this is the king of every sūtra" — all of this is prajñā. That sūtra clarifies the virtue of liberation; this present sūtra clarifies its repeatedly manifesting birth and manifesting extinction, according with wherever sentient beings are to be tamed and subdued — being itself already free of every entanglement, and causing others, too, to attain liberation, down through gathering up the merit accomplished amid every kind of good deed until the fruit itself is fully realized — is this not precisely liberation? These two sūtras' own senses converge — yet mediocre people, following the mere names, interpret them differently, comparable to hearing of the god Indra without recognizing that Kauśika is the very same being. Knowing only the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra's own text on buddha-nature, they fail to see that, beneath the twin śāla trees, the very same sense of the one vehicle is present. That sūtra's own text explicitly says buddha-nature is also one, and this very oneness is precisely the one vehicle. Yet people say: "This 'one vehicle' of the Nirvāṇa Sūtra is buddha-nature, while the Lotus Sūtra's own 'one vehicle' is not buddha-nature." If it is claimed that the Lotus Sūtra does not clarify buddha-nature, then the Nirvāṇa Sūtra itself ought not to have pointed toward it from afar, saying: "The eight thousand śrāvakas, within the Lotus Sūtra, received their own prediction of buddhahood, like the autumn harvest stored away for winter — they saw the Tathāgata's own nature, with nothing further left to accomplish." Yet people say: "The Nirvāṇa Sūtra does indeed contain this text pointing from afar, but the Lotus Sūtra itself contains no word of buddha-nature."

Here, however, based on this very text: "The sense of every kind of nature and mark, I have already, in every case, seen" — since this speaks of every kind, why should buddha-nature alone be excluded from it? Again: "The mark of the world abides eternally. Having already known this, seated at the place of enlightenment, the guiding teacher expounds it through skillful means" — is this not itself already a text on buddha-nature? The Treatise says: "The water of buddha-nature never disparages" — knowing that sentient beings possess buddha-nature. Again, the Nirvāṇa Sūtra's own three virtues together form the secret treasury: "I place every one of my own children within the secret treasury; I myself, too, before long, shall enter within it as well" — this is precisely self and other both entering the secret treasury together. This present sūtra says: "The Buddha himself abides in the Mahāyāna, and, with this very dharma, saves sentient beings — never, in the end, using the Hīnayāna to ferry sentient beings across, but causing every one of them to attain extinction through the Tathāgata's own extinction." This, too, is self and other both entering the Tathāgata's own extinction together.

Extinction is itself simply nirvāṇa, and nirvāṇa is itself simply the secret treasury. The Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom says: "The Lotus Sūtra is itself the secret treasury" — the two sūtras' own text and sense are, in every particular, forever the same. Why, then, do so many people insist on setting them against each other as different? Were their text and sense genuinely at odds, there would be no fault in regarding them as the same; but, since their text and sense are, from the outset, already in agreement, what merit could there be in separating them? It is simply that the Nirvāṇa Sūtra takes buddha-nature as its own cardinal doctrine, without thereby failing to clarify the sense of the one vehicle; and this present sūtra takes the one vehicle as its own cardinal doctrine, without thereby failing to clarify the sense of buddha-nature. Responding to differing capacities with differing accounts, their own sense remains, throughout, mutually consistent.

If the three virtues are vertical or horizontal, this is precisely coarse; if neither vertical nor horizontal, this is precisely the wondrous. Passing through the seven stages, and so on.

Seventh, resolving doubts through the siddhāntas.

Question: If the ten kinds of three dharmas, and everything else besides, are all alike simply the three tracks, then only the three tracks alone ought to be spoken of — why, then, are these differing accounts given?

Answer: Sentient beings' own capacities and what is fitting for them are not all the same, and one ought to respond according to each capacity, setting forth whatever is fitting — the siddhāntas are simply skillful means for drawing beings onward and receiving them. They differ according to what accords with the world; they differ according to what is named for convenience; they differ according to what pursues the antidote; they differ according to what causes a person to enter the path. "Three in the morning and four in the evening" delighted every one of the monkeys alike; bitter medicine and a warm bath, given to nurture an infant, are each administered at the fitting time. Skillfully responding to capacity, the square and the round are each employed as fits the thing at hand — comparable to a thousand carriages all following the very same rut — how, then, could one cling rigidly to one single account and doubt every other?

Here, the four siddhāntas are used throughout, passing through the ten dharmas, discussing the wondrous and the not-yet-wondrous; the three tracks are set forth fully, together accomplishing the Mahāyāna. Within the Mahāyāna, the three dharmas, and every dharma besides, are all fully present without being confused with one another — this is precisely the mundane siddhānta. Resource-and-accomplishment provides the resource that gives rise to wisdom, since it produces what is wholesome — this is the individual siddhānta. Contemplative illumination breaks through confusion, since every evil is thereby extinguished — this is the therapeutic siddhānta.

Real nature, the real principle itself, is the siddhānta of ultimate meaning. For this one particular group of sentient beings, it is fitting to teach using the very name "Mahāyāna," and thereby obtain all four benefits.

The three virtues are set forth in full as the great nirvāṇa. Though the three dots of the Siddhaṃ letter i are arranged above and below, there is no verticality to them; though set out front and back, there is no horizontality to them — one, without being confused together; three, without being separated apart — this is precisely the mundane siddhānta. Wholesome benefit, untouched by any calamity or fault, is why it stands out, distinct, transcending every entanglement — hence, liberation is precisely the individual siddhānta. Prajñā is like the vajra, shattering whatever it is aimed at — this is precisely the therapeutic siddhānta. The Dharma-body is precisely the siddhānta of ultimate meaning. This one particular group of sentient beings, upon hearing the names of the three virtues, thereby obtains all four benefits at once! Citing the first case and the last, the middle case follows the identical pattern.

Next, clarifying the wondrous and the not-yet-wondrous. The Treatise says: "The three siddhāntas belong to the conventional truth — they are where the mind actively operates, and can be broken and destroyed. The siddhānta of ultimate meaning is where the mind does not operate at all, the very dharma attained within the minds of every buddha and sage, unable to be broken or destroyed — this is precisely the real truth." If this is so, then the four siddhāntas, matched against this scheme, are gathered under the two truths — yet there remains, beyond this, the middle way as well — under which of the two, then, is it to be gathered?

If the middle is not gathered under either, then this remains merely the sense of the Tripiṭaka and shared teachings, and this account of the siddhāntas remains coarse. Here, however, when it is said that the conventional exists while the real is empty, this is a dharma divided and set apart — and this is exactly where the three siddhāntas' own mind actively operates, able to be broken and destroyed. The middle way of ultimate meaning, however, is neither existent nor empty; and, existence and emptiness being non-dual, there is no division or separation at all — being free of any such division is precisely the real truth. What the prior three siddhāntas lead to reaches only as far as the phantom city — the phantom city is not itself real, and so can be broken and destroyed; being able to be destroyed, it remains coarse. The middle way here, free of any division, leads instead all the way to the very place of treasure — nothing can surpass it, and nothing can destroy it — hence, unable to be destroyed, it is named the wondrous. If other sūtras, too, teach a siddhānta of ultimate meaning as the middle way, this does not differ from the present sūtra's own account. It is simply that, in those other sūtras, this is taught bearing traces of what the arhat has attained, taken as the siddhānta of ultimate meaning — hence, it is not there named the wondrous. This present sūtra, however, directly and without any expedient means, sets these aside entirely, possessing only the perfect and real four siddhāntas — hence, this is named the wondrous. If the three siddhāntas are not resolved into the siddhānta of ultimate meaning, this, too, remains coarse; if each and every siddhānta is resolved as already containing the siddhānta of ultimate meaning within it, this, then, is the wondrous.

At the disciple-stage of the five ranks, this is the four siddhāntas under a provisional name. With the purification of the six faculties, this is the four siddhāntas in resemblance. From the initial abiding through equal enlightenment, this is the four siddhāntas in a portion of the truth. At wondrous enlightenment, this is the four siddhāntas in the ultimate — hence, this is named the wondrous.

These five rounds of clarifying the wondrous, from cause through to fruit, distinguishing the wondrous of one's own practice, close out the first half of the wish-fulfilling jewel.