英語訳
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Question: The Water Commentary asks: "Two-vehicle people first receive transformational [birth] and then enter the first ground. Compassion-dominant bodhisattvas only enter at the eighth ground. How can the commentary master say 'the three types of mentally-produced bodies all enter the first ground'?" How should this be answered?
Answer: The next answer states: "The commentary master speaks exclusively about those among the three-vehicle people who attain simultaneously, but the explanation is actually insufficient."
Question: What is the meaning of this question and answer?
Answer: This question and answer quite miss the commentary master's original intention. Saying "all enter the first ground" indicates the reason why the three types of people are at the first ground and above; it does not point to the place where the three types of people equally attain transformation. It does not contradict that the two vehicles attain transformation before the second ground, and compassion-dominant bodhisattvas attain transformation at the eighth ground. It merely cites two-vehicle practitioners who turn their minds, attain transformation, and enter the first ground to conclude the meaning of comprehensive essence. Therefore this question and answer quite contradict the original intention.
Question: What are the positions of these three types of people?
Answer: It is difficult to determine definitively. However, judging by principle, the first—the mentally-produced body of samāpatti joy in Dharma—is a mind-turned arhat. The second—the mentally-produced body of awakening to self-nature—is a mind-turned pratyekabuddha. These two people necessarily attain transformational bodies before the grounds and later enter the first ground. Therefore one should say they span both pre-ground and ground stages, establishing these two people. The third—the mentally-produced body of species-born effortless activity—is a sudden-awakening bodhisattva of the eighth ground and above.
Question: The previous three fruit-stages of sages also attain transformation when they turn their minds. Sudden-awakening wisdom-dominant bodhisattvas attain transformation at the first ground. Why are they not called these three types of people?
Answer: The Yogācāra Commentary states: "What is explained here are two-vehicle stream-enterers and those from the eighth ground onward receiving transformational birth, because this is definite. The previous three fruits and those before the seventh ground do not definitively receive transformational birth and death, so they are not mentioned. These three types are definite, so they are mentioned."
Question: How are they not definite?
Answer: People of the previous three fruits, after turning their minds, according to their inclinations, either attain transformational bodies at the stage of learners, or attain transformational bodies upon reaching the stage of non-learners. Therefore the Yogācārabhūmi and Buddhabhūmi state: "Voice-hearers who turn toward bodhi either at the learner stage can abandon the aspiration seeking voice-hearership, or at the non-learner stage have the power to abandon it," etc. Sudden-awakening bodhisattvas before the seventh ground have two types. Wisdom-dominant people attain transformation at the first ground; compassion-dominant people before the seventh ground still have birth-and-death bodies. Therefore these are called "indefinite."
Question: Ancient masters use these three people to correspond with the grounds above, namely establishing the first as the first through fifth grounds, the second as the sixth through eighth grounds, and the third as the ninth and tenth grounds. Why say it is difficult to determine?
Answer: The ancient masters' making the three people of the Śrīmālā Sūtra the same as the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra, explaining the three types of mentally-produced bodies and judging these positions, is quite difficult to believe. Why? Because in that sūtra and this sūtra, though naming the three people "mentally-produced bodies" is the same, the personal essences are completely different. This sūtra's explanation of personal essence is as quoted above. That sūtra's explanation of personal essence divides sudden-awakening bodhisattvas into three people according to differences in what they study and realize, establishing them within the ten grounds, which is not the same as this sūtra. Therefore the Yogācāra Commentary reconciles these two sūtras, saying: "However, the Śrīmālā and this [Yogācāra treatise] speak about those who definitively receive transformational birth and death across the three vehicles. The Laṅkāvatāra speaks about direct-path bodhisattvas who, spanning both definite and indefinite, receive transformational birth and death at superior positions."
Another explanation: "Direct-path practitioners only attain at the eighth ground. Explaining these indirect-path practitioners: though they already attain before the grounds, it speaks of the superior ones. Therefore those two sūtras' three types of mentally-produced bodies have different names and positions but do not contradict each other."
Question: What is the meaning of this "another explanation"?
Answer: "Direct-path" refers to sudden-awakening bodhisattvas. That Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra establishes this third person at the ninth and tenth grounds, while this Yogācāra treatise and the Śrīmālā Sūtra establish them at the eighth ground and above. Also, this Yogācāra treatise and Śrīmālā Sūtra's explanation says that the first two people are indirect-path practitioners, so though they attain transformation before the grounds, since it speaks of where they attain it superiorly, after these two people enter the first ground, they are called the first two mentally-produced bodies. Therefore those Laṅkāvatāra's three people and these Yogācāra's three people have different names and positions, not textual contradiction.
【Left Page】
Question: If so, essentially speaking, at what positions should these three people explained in the Śrīmālā and Yogācāra be established?
Answer: The first two people enter the first ground and then correctly receive their names. However, one cannot allocate their grounds as in the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra. The third person is definitely at the eighth ground and above.
Question: How about the three people explained in the Laṅkāvatāra?
Answer: Since this is not what is clarified here, it should not be discussed. One can see the Yogācāra Commentary's eighth fascicle and the Lamp Commentary, etc.
Question: Ancient people say "mentally-produced body" while new people say "mentally-accomplished body." Why the difference?
Answer: Ancient people say "produced according to mind, so called mentally-produced body." New people object: "This person is accomplished according to mind, but merely transforms, so it is not newly produced. Therefore one should not say 'produced.'" The meaning is: transformational bodies, according to mental aspiration, transform old coarse bodies to accomplish new subtle bodies. Therefore they should be called "mentally-accomplished bodies." Since they are not now first produced, one should not call them "mentally-produced bodies."
The above completes comprehensive essence.
Question: What is the meaning of "remaining归wisdom essence"?
Answer: Using only fruit-wisdom as the One Vehicle essence—this is the meaning of this essence.
Question: What is the meaning of the second "according-to-superior essence"?
Answer: Among cause, fruit, principle, and wisdom, taking superior dharmas as the One Vehicle essence—this is the meaning of this essence.
Question: How does one take that "according-to-superior" as the One Vehicle essence?
Answer: The treatise states: "This has six categories." First: encompassing phenomena returning to principle essence (according to principle-superiority in the fruit). Second: gathering remainder returning to wisdom essence (according to wisdom-superiority in the fruit). Third: concealing inferior following superior essence (according to principle-wisdom superiority in the fruit). Fourth: two-fold functioning extensive essence (according to wisdom-only superiority in the cause). Fifth: surpassing birth-and-death essence (principle-wisdom superiority spanning cause and fruit). Sixth: leading and gathering supreme essence (only explaining purport).
Question: What is the meaning of the first "encompassing phenomena returning to principle essence"?
Answer: The treatise states: "In the Nirvāṇa, Śrīmālā and other [sūtras], mostly using Dharma-body true principle Buddha-nature, it is called the One Vehicle." The meaning is: using true-suchness Buddha-nature as the One Vehicle—this is the meaning of this essence.
Question: "Vehicle" means the meaning of conveyance and support. True-suchness is a permanent dharma. Why call it a vehicle?
Answer: It is called vehicle because it is the nature of vehicles, like calling wisdom and elimination "wisdom." One can fully understand this when reaching below.
Question: In this essence meaning, does one only take principle as the One Vehicle and not take phenomena?
Answer: By making phenomena return to principle, there are phenomena within principle. But one exclusively takes principle as the essence.
Question: The treatise states: "Therefore the Śrīmālā says: 'The One Vehicle is precisely the Mahāyāna. The Mahāyāna is precisely the nirvāṇa realm.'" What is the meaning of this text?
Answer: This is citing proof. There are four proofs cited; this is the first.
Question: How does this text prove the doctrine of using true-suchness as the One Vehicle essence?
Answer: It uses the text "precisely the nirvāṇa realm" as proof. The meaning is: nirvāṇa is precisely true-suchness principle. Using the meaning of inherent quiescence, it is called nirvāṇa. Therefore, using "the Mahāyāna is precisely the nirvāṇa realm" as proof that true-suchness is called the One Vehicle.
Question: There are four [types of] nirvāṇa: first, inherently pure nirvāṇa, referring to the true-suchness principle of all dharma-characteristics; second, nirvāṇa with remainder-dependence, referring to true-suchness departing from afflictive obstacles; third, nirvāṇa without remainder-dependence, referring to true-suchness departing from birth-death suffering; fourth, non-abiding nirvāṇa, referring to true-suchness departing from knowledge obstacles. Are all equally made the One Vehicle essence?