辯中邊論 辯修分位品第五（連續
修行有沒有「進度」？從凡夫到成佛，這一路要經過哪些階位？——上一品講了「修什麼」，這一品專答這個問題。
它先把修行的全程開為十八位：從住種性的因地、發心、加行，到有學無學的聖位，到菩薩的十地，直至佛的法身、報身、化身。一條線，把凡夫到佛的整段路貫穿起來。接著，它又把這十八位收成三位——不淨、淨不淨、清淨；而且點明：這三位不是三樣東西，而是同一個真如，在被煩惱纏縛、漸漸解開、終於出纏時，所現的三種面貌。階位再多，本只是一真如的染淨分際。
但這一品最深的一著，在最後一頌。它問：那麼「修行人」是什麼？答案出人意料——並沒有一個實在的「我」在爬這道階梯。 我們說「住種性的人」「已發心的人」，全是依著「階位」假立的名；位次有別，名就有別，但那個「人」始終了不可得。一品講階位，卻落在「無我」上收束。
換句話說，這一品一手精細地畫出修證的階梯，另一手又當下告訴你：登梯的，從來不是一個「我」。
如果你想知道十八位逐位指什麼、三位如何約法界染淨而分、「人依法假立」如何與唯識的無我相貫，義疏層會帶你逐段走過；想再深入，還有逐頌原文、世親釋與古德考據。先在這裡，把一個問題放在心上：你在修行路上掛念的那個「進步的我」，真的有嗎？
Does practice have "progress"? From the ordinary being to buddhahood, what stages does the road pass through? The previous chapter said what is cultivated; this chapter answers exactly this.
It first opens the whole course of practice into eighteen stages: from the causal ground of one who abides in the lineage, through aspiration and preparation, to the noble stages of learner and beyond-learner, to the bodhisattva's ten grounds, all the way to the buddha's dharma body, enjoyment body, and transformation body. One line threads the entire road from ordinary being to buddha. Then it gathers these eighteen into three — impure, pure-and-impure, pure — and makes plain that these three are not three things but one and the same suchness, showing three faces as it is bound by the afflictions, gradually freed, and at last unbound. However many the stages, they are only the defilement-and-purity phases of one suchness.
But the deepest move of this chapter is its closing verse. It asks: what, then, is a "practitioner"? The answer is unexpected — there is no real "self" climbing this ladder. When we say "one who abides in the lineage" or "one who has aspired," these are entirely names posited according to "stage"; the stages differ, so the names differ, but that "person" is never to be found. A chapter on stages closes, of all places, on "no-self."
In other words, this chapter draws the ladder of realization in fine detail with one hand, and with the other tells you, here and now: the one who climbs was never a "self" at all.
If you want to know what each of the eighteen stages refers to, how the three stages divide by the purity of the dharma-realm, and how "the person is posited upon dharmas" joins with the no-self of Yogācāra, the exposition layer will walk you through it section by section; to go deeper, there are the verses themselves, Vasubandhu's commentary, and the ancient masters' findings. For now, just here, let one question settle in you: that "self who makes progress," which you carry with you along the path — is it really there at all?
彌勒菩薩頌 · 世親菩薩釋《辯中邊論》· T31n1600 · 大唐三藏法師玄奘奉詔譯（661）。本品頌曰／論曰逐字錄自 CBETA，一仍其舊，非詮釋。
已說修對治，修分位云何？
頌曰：所說修對治，分位有十八，謂因、入、行、果、作、無作、殊勝、上、無上、解行、入、出離、記、說、灌頂及證得、勝利、成所作。
論曰：如前所說修諸對治，差別分位有十八種。一因位，謂住種性補特伽羅。二入位，謂已發心。三加行位，謂發心已，未得果證。四果位，謂已得果。五有所作位，謂住有學。六無所作位，謂住無學。七殊勝位，謂已成就諸神通等殊勝功德。八有上位，謂超聲聞等已入菩薩地。九無上位，謂已成佛，從此以上無勝位故。十勝解行位，謂勝解行地一切菩薩。十一證入位，謂極喜地。十二出離位，謂次六地。十三受記位，謂第八地。十四辯說位，謂第九地。十五灌頂位，謂第十地。十六證得位，謂佛法身。十七勝利位，謂受用身。十八成所作位，謂變化身。此諸分位差別雖多，應知略說但有三種。其三者何？
頌曰：應知法界中，略有三分位，不淨、淨不淨、清淨隨所應。
論曰：於真法界位略有三，隨其所應攝前諸位。一不淨位，謂從因位乃至加行；二淨不淨位，謂有學位；三清淨位，謂無學位。云何應知依前諸位差別建立補特伽羅？
頌曰：依前諸位中，所有差別相，隨所應建立，諸補特伽羅。
論曰：應知依前諸位別相，如應建立補特伽羅，謂此住種性、此已發心等。修分位總義者，謂堪能位即種性位，發趣位即入加行位，不淨位、淨不淨位、清淨位、有莊嚴位、遍滿位謂遍滿十地故無上位。
The canonical text stands in Chinese only. This edition renders the essence, the plain reading, the exposition and the apparatus into English — never the sūtra itself. Switch to 漢讀本 or 並行雙語 above to read it.
本品辨修對治所歷之位次：開為十八分位，總攝為三分位，終明補特伽羅惟依位差別而假立。
〔一〕十八分位
頌曰：
所說修對治，分位有十八， 謂因、入、行、果、作、無作、殊勝、 上、無上、解行、入、出離、記、 說、灌頂及證得、勝利、成所作。
前所說修對治之行，就其所歷之分位有十八： 一因位（種性，修之所依因）、二入位（始入修習）、三行位（正修加行）、四果位（修所得果）、五有作位（猶有功用可作，學位）、六無作位（無功用可作，無學位）、七殊勝位（已成就神通等殊勝功德）、八有上位（超聲聞等已入菩薩地，其上猶有佛地）、九無上位（已成佛，從此以上更無勝位）； 復就菩薩道別開：十勝解行位（地前勝解而行）、十一入位（入見道登地）、十二出離位（修道出離）、十三受記位（蒙佛授記）、十四說法位（堪能說法）、十五灌頂位（十地法雲，受職灌頂）、十六證得位（證大菩提）、十七勝利位（得涅槃勝利）、十八成所作位（成辦利生佛事）。十八位攝修之始終。
〔二〕三分位
頌曰：
應知法界中，略有三分位， 不淨、淨不淨、清淨隨所應。
十八位復略攝為三，就法界（真如）為客垢所覆之分齊而分： 不淨位（法界全為客塵所覆，凡夫位）、 淨不淨位（法界分淨分染，地上菩薩之有學位）、 清淨位（法界客垢盡淨，佛之無學位）。 隨其所應，諸位攝入此三——其體一法界，異惟垢淨之分。
〔三〕依位假立補特伽羅
頌曰：
依前諸位中，所有差別相， 隨所應建立，諸補特伽羅。
依前諸分位中所有之差別相，隨其所應而假立種種補特伽羅（凡夫、有學、無學、菩薩、佛等）。〔顯義：〕補特伽羅非有實我，惟隨修位之差別而施設假名——位異則名異，名異而我不可得。此正契前品「人無我」之旨。分位既辨，下「辯得果品」乃辨依位所得之果。
This chapter sets out the stages through which the cultivation of antidotes proceeds: opened into eighteen stages, gathered into three, and concluding that "persons" are merely posited according to the differences of stage.
〔1〕The eighteen stages
所說修對治，分位有十八， 謂因、入、行、果、作、無作、殊勝、 上、無上、解行、入、出離、記、 說、灌頂及證得、勝利、成所作。
The practice of cultivating antidotes, just expounded, passes through eighteen stages: (1) the cause stage (the lineage, the causal basis of cultivation), (2) the entering stage (first entry into cultivation), (3) the practice stage (the actual preparatory practice), (4) the fruition stage (the fruit cultivation attains), (5) the stage with action (effort still remaining to be done, the learner), (6) the stage without action (no effort left to do, beyond learning), (7) the distinguished stage (having accomplished the supernormal powers and other distinguished qualities), (8) the stage that still has a beyond (having surpassed the śrāvakas and entered the bodhisattva grounds, with buddhahood still above), (9) the unsurpassed stage (the ultimate buddha-ground, above which there is no higher stage); then, opened out for the bodhisattva path in particular: (10) the stage of resolute practice (practicing through resolve, before the grounds), (11) the entering stage (entering the path of seeing and ascending the grounds), (12) the emergence stage (emerging on the path of cultivation), (13) the stage of receiving prophecy (receiving the buddha's prediction), (14) the teaching stage (capable of teaching the Dharma), (15) the consecration stage (the tenth ground, the Dharma-cloud, the consecration to office), (16) the realization stage (realizing great awakening), (17) the benefit stage (gaining the benefit of nirvāṇa), and (18) the stage of accomplishing what is to be done (accomplishing the buddha-work of benefiting beings). The eighteen stages comprise cultivation from beginning to end.
〔2〕The three stages
應知法界中，略有三分位， 不淨、淨不淨、清淨隨所應。
The eighteen stages are further gathered briefly into three, dividing by the degree to which the dharma-realm (suchness) is veiled by adventitious stain: the impure stage (the dharma-realm wholly veiled by adventitious dust, the stage of the ordinary being), the pure-and-impure stage (the dharma-realm partly pure and partly defiled, the learner's stage of the bodhisattva on the grounds), and the pure stage (the dharma-realm with adventitious stain wholly purified, the buddha's stage beyond learning). As appropriate, the stages are subsumed under these three — one dharma-realm in substance, differing only in the measure of stain and purity.
〔3〕Persons are merely posited according to stage
依前諸位中，所有差別相， 隨所應建立，諸補特伽羅。
In dependence on the differences found among the foregoing stages, the various persons (ordinary being, learner, one beyond learning, bodhisattva, buddha, and so on) are posited as appropriate. 〔The point made explicit:〕 A person is no real self; it is merely a designation set up according to the difference of cultivation-stage — the stage differing, the name differs; and though the name differs, no self can be found. This accords precisely with the "selflessness of person" of the earlier chapter. The stages now expounded, the next chapter, on the attainment of fruit, sets out the fruit attained in dependence on the stages.
上一品（辯修對治品）講了「修什麼」——三十七菩提分。這一品緊接著問：這修行，要經歷哪些階位？ 全品只有四頌，卻把一條從凡夫直到成佛的階位線，先開為「十八位」，再收為「三位」，最後點出一個容易被忽略的道理：所謂「修行人」，其實只是依著階位假立的名，並沒有一個實在的「我」在修。
窺基點出本品「重立」的理由很要緊：前一品辯修對治，是「約凡聖三乘」泛說修行的差別，並不約位次說；所以要另立這一品，專就「修行所歷的位次」來辯。一句話概括它的精神——「依位方修」：修行不是平地一蹴，而是位位相續、依著階位逐步深入。
一、十八分位：一線收盡菩薩道的全程
第一段（兩頌貫為一段），把修對治的「差別分位」開為十八種。
所說修對治，分位有十八，謂因、入、行、果、作、無作、殊勝、 上、無上、解行、入、出離、記、說、灌頂及證得、勝利、成所作。
世親逐一安立這十八位。前九位是通說（通於三乘的修行歷程）：
- 因位——住「種性」的人（修行的因地依託）。
- 入位——已發心。
- 加行位——發心已，但還未證果。
- 果位——已得果。
- 有所作位——住「有學」（還有修證的工夫可作）。
- 無所作位——住「無學」（再無工夫可作）。
- 殊勝位——已成就神通等殊勝功德。
- 有上位——超過聲聞等、已入菩薩地（其上還有佛地，故曰「有上」）。
- 無上位——已成佛，從此再無更高之位。
後九位，則是專就菩薩道而開——其中六位即菩薩十地之「七種地」：
- 勝解行位——地前以勝解而行的一切菩薩。
- 證入位——極喜地（初地）。
- 出離位——其次的六地（二至七地）。
- 受記位——第八地（蒙佛授記）。
- 辯說位——第九地（堪能說法）。
- 灌頂位——第十地（法雲地，受職灌頂）。
末三位，即佛的三身：
- 證得位——佛法身。
- 勝利位——受用身（報身：望菩薩而言，為其勝利）。
- 成所作位——變化身（化身：圓滿因地所願，成辦利生佛事）。
要記住一句：這十八位並非別有自體（窺基「更無別體」）——它就是前一品「修對治」的前後差別，依其先後而分成十八。它的意義在於：用一條線，把菩薩道的全程貫穿起來——從凡夫的因、入、加行，到聖位的果、有學無學，到菩薩的十地，直到佛的三身。
二、三分位：約「法界」之染淨，收十八為三
十八位雖細，世親隨即把它收成三位——這一次，是約「真法界」（真如）的染淨來分。
應知法界中，略有三分位，不淨、淨不淨、清淨隨所應。
「隨所應」是說：前面的十八位，隨其所宜，都收攝進這三位裡——
- 不淨位——從「因位」到「加行位」（還是有漏，故名不淨）。
- 淨不淨位——「有學位」（已通無漏，而煩惱猶在，淨與不淨相雜）。
- 清淨位——「無學位」（障盡，純然清淨）。
這一頌最該記住的，是開頭「應知法界中」一語。世親說「於真法界位略有三」——意思是：這三位並非離開真如別有一物，而是同一個真如，隨著染淨的分位而現出三種面貌。所以這三位，正是「真如」的轉依三際：在纏（不淨）→ 漸離（淨不淨）→ 出纏（清淨）。十八位之繁，到這裡收歸染淨三位之簡；而三位之本，只是一真法界。
三、依位假立補特伽羅：人，是依法立的假名
末頌是本品的結頌，也是它最深的一著：講「補特伽羅」（人、眾生）是怎麼安立的。
依前諸位中，所有差別相，隨所應建立，諸補特伽羅。
世親說得直白：依著前面那些位次的「差別相」，隨其所宜，安立種種「人」——「此是住種性的人、此是已發心的人」等等。
關鍵在窺基點破的一句：「人既是假，約實辯人，依法別相方立人故。」也就是說——補特伽羅並沒有一個實在的自體；我們之所以能說「住種性者」「已發心者」，全是依著「位次」（法）的差別相，假名安立的。位次（法）有別，人的名就有別；但名雖有別，那個「人」始終了不可得。
這一著，正與前面辯真實品所說「於蘊等對治十種我見」、以及《唯識二十論》破「補特伽羅實有」同一旨趣：人是依法假立的名，不是實我。 一品講修行的位次，最後卻落在「無我」上收束——這不是離題，而是唯識的本色：連「修行人」這個概念，也要看破它只是依位假立，並無實我在其中修、在其中得。
結：辯修分位品的一條線
把這四頌連起來看，辯修分位品是一條由繁入簡、由法及人的線：
十八分位用一條線收盡菩薩道全程（凡 → 聖 → 十地 → 三身）；三分位再約真法界的染淨，把十八收成不淨、淨不淨、清淨三際——點明這只是一真如的轉依分位，非別有體；末頌則更進一步，說連「修行人」也只是依位假立的名，並無實我。
從「修行歷哪些位」起，到「這些位只是一真如的染淨分際」，再到「連修行的人也是假名」——辯修分位品，給人的是一幅既精細勾勒階位、又當下消歸無我的修證地圖。
The previous chapter said what is cultivated — the thirty-seven factors of awakening. This chapter asks next: through what stages does that cultivation pass? In only four verses it lays out a line of stages from the ordinary being all the way to buddhahood — first opening it into "eighteen stages," then gathering it into "three," and finally pointing out a truth easily overlooked: what we call a "practitioner" is only a name posited according to stage; there is no real "self" doing the cultivating.
Kuiji notes a telling reason why this chapter is set up separately. The previous chapter, on cultivating the antidotes, spoke of the differences in cultivation "in terms of the ordinary, the noble, and the three vehicles" — but not in terms of stages; so a separate chapter is needed, devoted to the stages through which cultivation passes. Its spirit in a phrase: "cultivation proceeds by stages" — practice is not won at one stroke on level ground, but advances stage upon stage, each in succession.
1. The Eighteen Stages: One Line Gathering the Whole Bodhisattva Path
The first section (two verses joined as one) opens the "differentiated stages" of cultivating the antidotes into eighteen.
The cultivation of antidotes, just spoken of, has eighteen stages: cause, entering, practice, fruition, with-action, without-action, distinguished, having-a-beyond, unsurpassed; resolute-practice, entering, emergence, prophecy, teaching, consecration, and realization, benefit, accomplishing-what-is-to-be-done.
Vasubandhu sets out the eighteen one by one. The first nine are stated in common (the course of cultivation common to the three vehicles):
- The cause stage — one who abides in the "lineage" (the causal support of cultivation).
- The entering stage — having given rise to the aspiration.
- The stage of preparation — having aspired, but not yet realized the fruit.
- The fruition stage — having gained the fruit.
- The stage with action — abiding as a "learner" (with work of realization still to be done).
- The stage without action — abiding "beyond learning" (with no work left to do).
- The distinguished stage — having accomplished the supernormal powers and other distinguished qualities.
- The stage having a beyond — having surpassed the śrāvakas and entered the bodhisattva grounds (with the buddha-ground still above, hence "having a beyond").
- The unsurpassed stage — having become a buddha, above which there is no higher stage.
The latter nine are opened for the bodhisattva path in particular — six of them being the "seven grounds" of the bodhisattva's ten:
- The stage of resolute practice — all bodhisattvas who practice through resolve, before the grounds.
- The entering stage — the Joyous Ground (the first ground).
- The emergence stage — the next six grounds (second through seventh).
- The stage of receiving prophecy — the eighth ground.
- The teaching stage — the ninth ground (able to teach the Dharma).
- The consecration stage — the tenth ground (the Dharma-cloud, the consecration to office).
The last three are the three bodies of a buddha:
- The realization stage — the buddha's dharma body.
- The benefit stage — the enjoyment body (the reward body: relative to bodhisattvas, it is their benefit).
- The stage of accomplishing what is to be done — the transformation body (fulfilling the vows of the causal stage, accomplishing the buddha-work of benefiting beings).
Keep one point in mind: these eighteen stages have no separate substance of their own (Kuiji: "no further substance"). They simply are the before-and-after differences of the previous chapter's "cultivating the antidotes," divided by their sequence into eighteen. Their value lies in this: by a single line they thread the whole bodhisattva path — from the ordinary being's cause, entering, and preparation, through the noble stages of fruition and learner / beyond-learner, through the bodhisattva's ten grounds, all the way to the buddha's three bodies.
2. The Three Stages: Gathering Eighteen into Three by the Purity of the Dharma-realm
Detailed as the eighteen are, Vasubandhu at once gathers them into three — this time dividing by the purity or defilement of the "true dharma-realm" (suchness).
Within the dharma-realm, know, there are in brief three stages: impure, pure-and-impure, and pure, as appropriate.
"As appropriate" means: the foregoing eighteen, each as fits, are subsumed under these three —
- The impure stage — from the "cause stage" through the "stage of preparation" (still tainted, hence impure).
- The pure-and-impure stage — the "learner stage" (already partaking of the untainted, yet with afflictions still present, pure and impure mixed).
- The pure stage — the "beyond-learning stage" (obstacles exhausted, wholly pure).
What to remember most from this verse is its opening phrase, "within the dharma-realm." Vasubandhu says "within the true dharma-realm there are in brief three stages" — meaning: these three stages are not some thing apart from suchness, but one and the same suchness showing three faces according to the stages of defilement and purity. So the three stages are precisely the three phases of the "transformation of the basis" (āśraya-parāvṛtti) of suchness: bound (impure) → gradually freed (pure-and-impure) → unbound (pure). The complexity of the eighteen here gathers into the simplicity of the three stages of defilement-and-purity; and the root of the three is only the one true dharma-realm.
3. Persons Posited According to Stage: A Person Is a Name Set Up upon Dharmas
The closing verse is the chapter's conclusion, and its deepest move: how the "person" (pudgala, the being) is posited.
In dependence on the differences found among the foregoing stages, as appropriate, the various persons are posited.
Vasubandhu says it plainly: in dependence on the "differential characteristics" of those stages, and as fits each, the various "persons" are set up — "this is one who abides in the lineage, this is one who has given rise to the aspiration," and so on.
The key is the point Kuiji drives home: "a person being only a designation, when one speaks of a person in terms of what is real, one sets up the person only upon the differential characteristics of dharmas." That is: the person has no real substance of its own; that we can say "one who abides in the lineage" or "one who has aspired" is entirely a name posited upon the differential characteristics of the "stages" (dharmas). The stages (dharmas) differ, and so the name of the person differs; but though the name differs, that "person" is never to be found at all.
This move is of one purpose with what was said earlier in "Reality" — that the ten views of self are countered upon the aggregates and the rest — and with the refutation of "a really existent person" in the Viṃśatikā: the person is a name posited upon dharmas, not a real self. A chapter on the stages of cultivation closes, of all places, on "no-self" — and this is no digression but the very character of Yogācāra: even the concept "practitioner" must be seen through as merely posited according to stage, with no real self within it cultivating, within it attaining.
Conclusion: A Single Line through the Stages of Cultivation
Drawing the four verses together, this chapter is a line that moves from the many to the few, and from dharmas to persons:
The eighteen stages gather the whole bodhisattva path into one line (ordinary → noble → ten grounds → three bodies); the three stages then divide by the purity of the true dharma-realm, gathering the eighteen into the three phases of impure, pure-and-impure, and pure — making plain that these are only the transformation-phases of one suchness, with no substance apart; and the closing verse goes further still, saying that even the "practitioner" is only a name posited according to stage, with no real self.
From "what stages does cultivation pass through" to "these stages are only the defilement-and-purity phases of one suchness" to "even the one who cultivates is a mere designation" — the "Stages of Cultivation" chapter offers a map that traces the stages in fine detail and, at the same moment, dissolves them back into no-self.
考據Apparatus
辯修分位品共 4 偈（[078]–[081]）·修對治之位次。genus 分段 · 3 段：十八分位[078]–[079] · 三分位[080] · 依位假立補特伽羅[081]。
科判定位（窺基《述記》T1835·卷中）
本品 genus 段聚偈所依之古德科判——窺基《辯中邊論述記》(T44n1835) 之科文，逐字錄並對位玄奘頌。〔科判＝詮釋史座標·顯既有段結構之古德權威·非新立義。〕
品大文三段：[0026b15]「此品之中大文三段。初結前生後以發論端。次依問正解廣中宗意。後釋義既終略為總結。」
正解四頌：[0026b19]「自下第二依徵正解。合有四頌。初三辯法。第四辯人。」（初二頌明有為治法勝劣位別·第三頌明法界差別）
| 窺基科判 | 頌數 | 玄奘頌 | genus 段 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 十八分位（勝劣位別） | 2 | [078]–[079] | 十八分位 |
| 三分位（法界差別） | 1 | [080] | 三分位 |
| 辯人（依位假立補特伽羅） | 1 | [081] | 品結 |
偈 [078]–[079] · 十八分位 — 修對治之十八位
校本錨 · T1601 [p0479b20 / b22] 頌 · T1600 [p0472c24 頌 / p0472c28 論曰] 世親釋 · T1599 [p0459b28 修住十八] 真諦 · T1835 [p0026b10–0027a04 述曰] 窺基述記
所說修對治，分位有十八，謂因、入、行、果、作、無作、殊勝、 上、無上、解行、入、出離、記、說、灌頂及證得、勝利、成所作。
深入三門
論諍 / 義理脈絡（樞紐：品轉）
前品（[064]–[077]）辯「修對治」竟，本品辯其位次——「依位方修、位位不修前」（窺基），故於修後明位。修對治之差別分位有十八（前十約三乘通位·後八純菩薩位·末三即三身）：
| # | 位 | 攝 | # | 位 | 攝 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 一 | 因位 | 住種性 | 十 | 勝解行位 | 勝解行地菩薩 |
| 二 | 入位 | 已發心 | 十一 | 證入位 | 極喜地（初地） |
| 三 | 加行位 | 發心未得果 | 十二 | 出離位 | 次六地（二至七） |
| 四 | 果位 | 已得果 | 十三 | 受記位 | 第八地 |
| 五 | 有所作位 | 住有學 | 十四 | 辯說位 | 第九地 |
| 六 | 無所作位 | 住無學 | 十五 | 灌頂位 | 第十地 |
| 七 | 殊勝位 | 成神通等 | 十六 | 證得位 | 佛法身 |
| 八 | 有上位 | 超聲聞入菩薩地 | 十七 | 勝利位 | 受用身 |
| 九 | 無上位 | 已成佛 | 十八 | 成所作位 | 變化身 |
要義：十八位非別有體，即前修對治之前後差別（窺基「更無別體」）。其貫穿凡（因入加行）→聖（果·有無學）→菩薩十地（解行至灌頂）→佛三身（法·受用·變化），一線收菩薩道全程之位。
世親釋要
論曰：如前所說修諸對治，差別分位有十八種。一因位，謂住種性補特伽羅。二入位，謂已發心。三加行位，謂發心已，未得果證。四果位，謂已得果。五有所作位，謂住有學。六無所作位，謂住無學。七殊勝位，謂已成就諸神通等殊勝功德。八有上位，謂超聲聞等已入菩薩地。九無上位，謂已成佛，從此以上無勝位故。十勝解行位，謂勝解行地一切菩薩。十一證入位，謂極喜地。十二出離位，謂次六地。十三受記位，謂第八地。十四辯說位，謂第九地。十五灌頂位，謂第十地。十六證得位，謂佛法身。十七勝利位，謂受用身。十八成所作位，謂變化身。
世親逐一安立十八位：前九通說（因·入·加行·果·有無作·殊勝·有上·無上）·後九別約菩薩（勝解行至灌頂十地之七種地·末三即三身）。證得（法身）·勝利（受用身）·成所作（變化身）三位即佛三身，修位之極。
諸家異釋
窺基《辯中邊論述記》（T44n1835，沙門基撰，p0026b10–0027a04）：
- 重品之由：「修行所在稱位、位別不同名分」；前品末約凡聖三乘辯治差別、不約位說，故須重立分位品。
- 分位無別體：「即前對治前後差別各分位故」。
- 位次配釋：因位＝性種性（對治種子未起現行）·第二位去＝習種性；十至十五位即菩薩七種地（如《攝大乘論》《瑜伽》）；十六至十八即三身（報身望菩薩名勝利·化身滿因所願名成所作）。
譯名 — 古譯對讀（玄奘·真諦）
| 譯本 | 譯文與分析 |
|---|---|
| 陳 真諦《中邊分別論》 (T31n1599) p0459b28 修住十八 (c. 557–569) | 真諦頌「修住有四種，因、入、行、至得，有作不作意，有上亦無上。願樂位、入位、出位、受記位、說者位、灌位、至位、功德位、作事位」。真諦「修住」＝玄奘「分位」·「至得」＝「果」·「願樂位」＝「勝解行位」·「功德位」＝「勝利位」·「作事位」＝「成所作位」。十八位配釋與玄奘全同（末三即法·應〔受用〕·化三身）。玄奘從。 |
| ★ 唐 玄奘《辯中邊論頌》 (T31n1601) p0479b20–b22 (661) · 釋 (T31n1600 p0472c24) | 「所說修對治，分位有十八……勝利、成所作。」底本：有世親釋＋窺基述記漢傳釋讀鏈。 |
進階參考
★ 四論互讀
| 百法 | 三十頌 | 二十論 | 辯中邊論 |
|---|---|---|---|
| —（位次假立） | 五位（資糧·加行·通達·修習·究竟） | — | 本段（十八分位·凡聖菩薩十地三身） |
十八分位之凡→聖→十地→三身，與《唯識三十論頌》五位、《攝大乘論》彼入因果·彼果智（十地·三身）相發；末三位即佛三身（法·受用·變化），通《攝論》彼果斷·彼果智分。
互見:
- 辯修對治品 [064]–[077]（修對治·本品所位次者）· [080]（三分位，本段之略攝）·《攝大乘論》彼果（十地·三身）。
- 所本：《攝大乘論》彼入因果·彼果 ·《瑜伽師地論》— 十地·三身之所本。
偈 [080] · 三分位 — 不淨·淨不淨·清淨
校本錨 · T1601 [p0479b24] 頌 · T1600 [p0473a13 頌 / p0473a15 論曰] 世親釋 · T1599 [p0459c18 三位] 真諦 · T1835 [p0027a05–0027a24 述曰] 窺基述記
應知法界中，略有三分位，不淨、淨不淨、清淨隨所應。
深入三門
論諍 / 義理脈絡
十八位略攝為三分位，約「真法界」之染淨而分（隨所應攝前十八）：
| 三分位 | 攝十八位 | 義 |
|---|---|---|
| 不淨位 | 因位→加行（一·二·三） | 有漏故不淨 |
| 淨不淨位 | 有學位（通無漏而有煩惱） | 淨不淨雜 |
| 清淨位 | 無學位 | 障盡清淨 |
要義：三分位以「法界（真如）」為軸——不淨（凡）·淨不淨（有學）·清淨（無學），即真如在纏（不淨）→漸離（淨不淨）→出纏（清淨）之轉依三際。十八位之繁，收歸此染淨三位之簡。
世親釋要
論曰：於真法界位略有三，隨其所應攝前諸位。一不淨位，謂從因位乃至加行；二淨不淨位，謂有學位；三清淨位，謂無學位。
世親約真法界立三位：不淨（因至加行）·淨不淨（有學）·清淨（無學）。「於真法界」一語明三位非離真如別有，乃真如隨染淨分位而現——此即唯識轉依之骨。
諸家異釋
窺基《辯中邊論述記》（T44n1835，沙門基撰，p0027a05–0027a24）：
- 約法界辯三位：「由真法界成有為治，故約法界辯治分位。」
- 名攝·體攝：不淨位（名·體皆攝因入加行三）；淨不淨位（名攝唯有學·體攝第四五八十一至十五位全·第七少分）；清淨位（名攝唯無學·體攝第六九十六十七十八位全·第七少分）。
譯名 — 古譯對讀（玄奘·真諦）
| 譯本 | 譯文與分析 |
|---|---|
| 陳 真諦《中邊分別論》 (T31n1599) p0459c18 三位 (c. 557–569) | 真諦頌「法界復有三，不淨、不淨淨、清淨如次第」。釋「一不淨位住者，從因位乃至行住；二不淨淨位住者，有學聖人；三清淨位住，無學聖人」。真諦「不淨淨」＝玄奘「淨不淨」。配三位與玄奘全同。玄奘從。 |
| ★ 唐 玄奘《辯中邊論頌》 (T31n1601) p0479b24 (661) · 釋 (T31n1600 p0473a13) | 「應知法界中，略有三分位，不淨、淨不淨、清淨隨所應。」底本：有世親釋＋窺基述記漢傳釋讀鏈。 |
進階參考
★ 四論互讀
| 百法 | 三十頌 | 二十論 | 辯中邊論 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 無為·真如（法界三位之轉依） | 轉依（不淨→清淨·捨染得淨） | — | 本頌（法界三分位） |
法界三分位（不淨·淨不淨·清淨）即真如在纏·漸離·出纏之轉依三際，與《唯識三十論頌》轉依義相發——「於真法界」明三位即一真如之染淨分位，非別有體。
互見:
- [078]–[079]（十八分位，本段之所略攝）· [081]（依位假立補特伽羅，下科）· 辯相品 [017]（空之染淨差別·客塵）·《唯識三十論頌》轉依。
- 所本：《攝大乘論》彼果·轉依 — 法界三位之所本。
偈 [081] · 辯修分位品結 — 依位假立補特伽羅
校本錨 · T1601 [p0479b26] 頌 · T1600 [p0473a19 頌 / p0473a21 論曰 / p0473a23 總義] 世親釋 · T1599 [p0459c23 安立人] 真諦 · T1835 [p0027a25–0027b17 述曰] 窺基述記
依前諸位中，所有差別相，隨所應建立，諸補特伽羅。
深入三門
論諍 / 義理脈絡（品結）
辯修分位品結頌。依前十八位（及三位）之差別相，隨所應假立補特伽羅——「此住種性（人）·此已發心（人）」等。要義在「依法立人·人是假」（窺基）：補特伽羅無實自體，唯依「位（法）」之別相而假名安立。此與辯真實品 [055]–[056] 蘊等治十我見、二十論破補特伽羅實有同其旨——說「住種性者」非有實人，乃約位假名。修位之辯，終歸「人法俱依、無實我」。
世親復出修分位總義：堪能位（種性）·發趣位（入·加行）·不淨/淨不淨/清淨位·有莊嚴位（殊勝）·遍滿位（遍滿十地，即無上位）——以數門總攝前位。
世親釋要
論曰：應知依前諸位別相，如應建立補特伽羅，謂此住種性、此已發心等。
修分位總義者，謂堪能位即種性位，發趣位即入加行位，不淨位、淨不淨位、清淨位、有莊嚴位、遍滿位謂遍滿十地故無上位。
世親明補特伽羅依位別相而立（住種性者·已發心者等），人依法立、法外無實人。末以「總義」數門（堪能·發趣·不淨淨清淨·有莊嚴·遍滿）收攝，明分位之大綱。
諸家異釋
窺基《辯中邊論述記》（T44n1835，沙門基撰，p0027a25–0027b17）：
- 依法立人·人假：「人既是假，約實辯人，依法別相方立人故。若種姓法，名住種姓人，乃至廣說十八三位。」
- 總義數門：發趣位（前位未發心不名發趣·此二〔入加行〕發心趣求聖道）·有莊嚴位（即第七殊勝位·有勝德）·遍滿位（通十地）·無上位（佛）。
譯名 — 古譯對讀（玄奘·真諦）
| 譯本 | 譯文與分析 |
|---|---|
| 陳 真諦《中邊分別論》 (T31n1599) p0459c23 安立人 (c. 557–569) | 真諦頌「此中安立人，應知如道理」。釋「因此住別異故，如道理應知，諸凡聖別異安立，此人者自性中住，此人已入位」。真諦「安立人」＝玄奘「建立補特伽羅」·明依位別異而立凡聖人，人依法立。配與玄奘全同。玄奘從。 |
| ★ 唐 玄奘《辯中邊論頌》 (T31n1601) p0479b26 (661) · 釋 (T31n1600 p0473a19) | 「依前諸位中，所有差別相，隨所應建立，諸補特伽羅。」底本：有世親釋＋窺基述記漢傳釋讀鏈。 |
進階參考
★ 四論互讀
| 百法 | 三十頌 | 二十論 | 辯中邊論 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 不相應行（補特伽羅·依位假立） | 由假說我法（補特伽羅無我） | 破補特伽羅實有 | 本頌（依位假立補特伽羅·人依法立） |
「依位假立補特伽羅」即《唯識三十論頌》「由假說我法」、《唯識二十論》破補特伽羅實有之同旨——補特伽羅是依位（法）假立之名，非實我。與辯真實品 [055]–[056] 蘊等治我見相貫。
互見:
- [078]–[080]（十八分位·三分位，本頌所依之位）· 辯真實品 [055]–[056]（蘊等治十我見·補特伽羅無我）·《唯識二十論》破補特伽羅實有。
- 所本：《瑜伽師地論》補特伽羅 — 依位假立之所本。
Covers all 4 verses of this chapter ([078]–[081]), the stages of the cultivation of the antidotes, grouped into 3 genus sections: the eighteen stages [078]–[079] · the three stages [080] · persons posited according to stage [081].
Doctrinal Outline (Kuiji's 科判, T1835 · fasc. 中)
The ancient doctrinal outline (科判) underlying this chapter's genus-grouped verse sections — Kuiji's Madhyāntavibhāga Shuji (T44n1835), transcribed verbatim and aligned to Xuanzang's verses. 〔科判＝詮釋史座標·顯既有段結構之古德權威·非新立義。〕
Chapter's three-part division: [0026b15]「此品之中大文三段。初結前生後以發論端。次依問正解廣中宗意。後釋義既終略為總結。」
The main exposition — four verses: [0026b19]「自下第二依徵正解。合有四頌。初三辯法。第四辯人。」 (the first two verses set out the stages of superiority and inferiority among the conditioned antidote-dharmas; the third verse sets out the differentiation of the dharma-realm)
| Kuiji's 科判 node | Verses | Xuanzang verse | Genus segment |
|---|---|---|---|
| The eighteen stages (superior / inferior stage-differences) | 2 | [078]–[079] | The Eighteen Stages |
| The three stages (differentiation of the dharma-realm) | 1 | [080] | The Three Stages |
| Persons (the pudgala posited according to stage) | 1 | [081] | Conclusion of the Stages Chapter |
Verse [078]–[079] · The Eighteen Stages — the eighteen stages of cultivating the antidotes
Source anchor (combined) · T1601 [p0479b20 / b22] verse · T1600 [p0472c24 verse / p0472c28 論曰] bhāṣya · T1599 [p0459b28 修住十八] Paramārtha · T1835 [p0026b10–0027a04 述曰] Kuiji 述記
所說修對治，分位有十八，謂因、入、行、果、作、無作、殊勝、 上、無上、解行、入、出離、記、說、灌頂及證得、勝利、成所作。
In Depth · The Three Gates
The Debate · Doctrinal context (the pivot: the turn of the chapter)
The previous chapter ([064]–[077]) having completed the discussion of "cultivating the antidotes," this chapter discusses their stages — "one cultivates according to stage, and at each stage one does not cultivate the previous one" (Kuiji); hence, after cultivation, it clarifies the stages. The differentiating stages of the cultivation of the antidotes are eighteen (the first ten taken broadly, the stages common to the three vehicles · the latter eight purely bodhisattva stages · the last three being the three bodies):
| # | Stage | Subsumes | # | Stage | Subsumes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | the cause stage | abiding in the lineage | 10 | the stage of resolute conduct | bodhisattvas of the ground of resolute conduct |
| 2 | the entering stage | having raised the mind [of awakening] | 11 | the stage of entering [realization] | the Joyous Ground (first ground) |
| 3 | the preparatory-effort stage | having raised the mind, not yet attained the fruit | 12 | the stage of leaving-forth | the next six grounds (the second through the seventh) |
| 4 | the fruit stage | having attained the fruit | 13 | the stage of receiving the prediction | the eighth ground |
| 5 | the stage of having something-to-do | abiding as a learner | 14 | the stage of [eloquent] expounding | the ninth ground |
| 6 | the stage of nothing-to-do | abiding as a non-learner | 15 | the stage of consecration | the tenth ground |
| 7 | the distinguished stage | having accomplished the supernormal powers and other distinguished qualities | 16 | the stage of realization-attainment | the Buddha's dharma-body |
| 8 | the stage of being-surpassed | having surpassed the śrāvakas, entered the bodhisattva grounds | 17 | the stage of [its] benefits | the enjoyment-body |
| 9 | the unsurpassed stage | having become a Buddha | 18 | the stage of accomplishing what is to be done | the transformation-body |
The essential sense: the eighteen stages have no separate substance — they are just the before-and-after differentiation of the previously-treated cultivation of the antidotes (Kuiji: "there is no further separate substance"). They run from the ordinary (cause · entering · preparatory effort) → the noble (fruit · the learner and non-learner) → the bodhisattva's ten grounds (resolute conduct through consecration) → the Buddha's three bodies (dharma · enjoyment · transformation), one line gathering up the whole course of the bodhisattva path's stages.
From Vasubandhu
論曰：如前所說修諸對治，差別分位有十八種。一因位，謂住種性補特伽羅。二入位，謂已發心。三加行位，謂發心已，未得果證。四果位，謂已得果。五有所作位，謂住有學。六無所作位，謂住無學。七殊勝位，謂已成就諸神通等殊勝功德。八有上位，謂超聲聞等已入菩薩地。九無上位，謂已成佛，從此以上無勝位故。十勝解行位，謂勝解行地一切菩薩。十一證入位，謂極喜地。十二出離位，謂次六地。十三受記位，謂第八地。十四辯說位，謂第九地。十五灌頂位，謂第十地。十六證得位，謂佛法身。十七勝利位，謂受用身。十八成所作位，謂變化身。
Translation (mine): "Commentary. The cultivating of the various antidotes, as stated above, has eighteen kinds of differentiating stage. (1) The cause stage — namely, the person abiding in the lineage. (2) The entering stage — namely, having raised the mind [of awakening]. (3) The preparatory-effort stage — namely, having raised the mind but not yet attained the realization of the fruit. (4) The fruit stage — namely, having attained the fruit. (5) The stage of having-something-to-do — namely, abiding as a learner. (6) The stage of nothing-to-do — namely, abiding as a non-learner. (7) The distinguished stage — namely, having accomplished the supernormal powers and other distinguished qualities. (8) The stage of being-surpassed — namely, having surpassed the śrāvakas and the rest, having entered the bodhisattva grounds. (9) The unsurpassed stage — namely, having become a Buddha, because beyond this there is no superior stage. (10) The stage of resolute conduct — namely, all bodhisattvas of the ground of resolute conduct. (11) The stage of entering [realization] — namely, the Joyous Ground. (12) The stage of leaving-forth — namely, the next six grounds. (13) The stage of receiving the prediction — namely, the eighth ground. (14) The stage of [eloquent] expounding — namely, the ninth ground. (15) The stage of consecration — namely, the tenth ground. (16) The stage of realization-attainment — namely, the Buddha's dharma-body. (17) The stage of [its] benefits — namely, the enjoyment-body. (18) The stage of accomplishing what is to be done — namely, the transformation-body."
Vasubandhu posits the eighteen stages one by one: the first nine stated broadly (cause · entering · preparatory effort · fruit · the having- and nothing-to-do · the distinguished · the surpassed · the unsurpassed) · the latter nine taken specifically of the bodhisattva (the seven kinds of ground from resolute conduct to consecration, comprising the ten grounds · the last three being the three bodies). The three stages of realization-attainment (dharma-body) · benefit (enjoyment-body) · accomplishing-what-is-to-be-done (transformation-body) are the Buddha's three bodies, the summit of the cultivation-stages.
Commentarial Forks
Kuiji's exegesis (辯中邊論述記, Shuji; T44n1835, by 沙門基, p0026b10–0027a04):
- Why a separate chapter (重品之由): "the place of practice is called the stage (位); the differing of stages, this and that, is called differentiation (分)"; the close of the previous chapter discussed the differentiation of antidotes by the ordinary and noble of the three vehicles, not by stage — hence a separate Stages chapter must be set up.
- The stages have no separate substance: "they are just the before-and-after differentiation of the previous antidotes, each [being] a stage."
- Mapping the stages: the cause stage = the lineage-by-nature (the antidote-seed not yet given rise to in actual operation) · from the second stage on = the lineage-by-cultivation; stages ten through fifteen are just the bodhisattva's seven kinds of ground (as in the Mahāyāna-saṃgraha and the Yogācārabhūmi); stages sixteen through eighteen are the three bodies (the recompense-body, named "benefits" from the bodhisattva's standpoint · the transformation-body, named "accomplishing what is to be done" because it fulfils the vows made on the causal ground).
Translation Choices · Two ancient witnesses (Xuanzang · Paramārtha)
| Witness | Text & Analysis |
|---|---|
| Chen · Paramārtha, 中邊分別論 (T31n1599) p0459b28 修住十八 (c. 557–569) | Paramārtha's verse: 「修住有四種，因、入、行、至得，有作不作意，有上亦無上。願樂位、入位、出位、受記位、說者位、灌位、至位、功德位、作事位」. Paramārtha's 修住 ("abode of cultivation") = Xuanzang's 分位 (stage) · 至得 ("reaching-attainment") = 果 (fruit) · 願樂位 ("the stage of aspiration-and-delight") = 勝解行位 (the stage of resolute conduct) · 功德位 ("the stage of merit") = 勝利位 (the stage of benefits) · 作事位 ("the stage of doing the deed") = 成所作位 (the stage of accomplishing what is to be done). The mapping of the eighteen stages fully agrees with Xuanzang (the last three being the three bodies: dharma · response 〔enjoyment〕 · transformation). Xuanzang followed. |
| ★ Tang · Xuanzang, 辯中邊論頌 (T31n1601) p0479b20–b22 (661) · bhāṣya (T31n1600 p0472c24) | 「所說修對治，分位有十八……勝利、成所作。」Base text: it carries the complete Chinese reading-chain — Vasubandhu's bhāṣya + Kuiji's 述記. |
For Scholars · notes, parallels, cross-references
★ Quartet Reading-Map
| Baifa | Sanshisong | Ershilun | Madhyāntavibhāga |
|---|---|---|---|
| —（the stages are posited [as a designation]） | the five stages (provisions · preparatory effort · penetration · cultivation · the ultimate) | — | this section (the eighteen stages · the ordinary, the noble, the bodhisattva's ten grounds, the three bodies) |
The eighteen stages' ordinary → noble → ten grounds → three bodies illumine, and are illumined by, the Triṃśikā's five stages and the Mahāyāna-saṃgraha's "cause-and-fruit of that entry" and "the wisdom of that fruit" (the ten grounds · the three bodies); the last three stages are the Buddha's three bodies (dharma · enjoyment · transformation), continuous with the Mahāyāna-saṃgraha's "the elimination that is its fruit" and "the wisdom that is its fruit" divisions.
Key Terms (IAST)
the stages [of cultivation] fēn-wèi — avasthā (分位; 辯修分位品)
The before-and-after differentiation of the cultivation of the antidotes; there is "no further separate substance" (Kuiji) beyond the antidote-cultivation of the previous chapter.
the distinguished stage shū-shèng wèi
The seventh stage, "having accomplished the supernormal powers and other distinguished qualities" (Vasubandhu); later (under [081]) it is gathered as "the stage of [its] adornment" (有莊嚴位), being a stage of distinguished merits.
the three bodies sān-shēn — dharma-body (dharmakāya) · enjoyment-body (saṃbhogakāya) · transformation-body (nirmāṇakāya)
The last three of the eighteen stages — realization-attainment (dharma-body) · benefits (enjoyment-body) · accomplishing-what-is-to-be-done (transformation-body) — the summit of the cultivation-stages.
sibling cross-references:
- The Cultivating-the-Antidotes chapter [064]–[077] (the cultivation of the antidotes, of which this chapter gives the stages) · [080] (the three stages, this section's brief subsuming) · Mahāyāna-saṃgraha "that fruit" (the ten grounds · the three bodies).
- Provenance: the Mahāyāna-saṃgraha's "cause-and-fruit of that entry" · "the wisdom of that fruit" · the Yogācārabhūmi — the source for the ten grounds · the three bodies.
Verse [080] · The Three Stages — impure · pure-and-impure · pure
Source anchor · T1601 [p0479b24] verse · T1600 [p0473a13 verse / p0473a15 論曰] bhāṣya · T1599 [p0459c18 三位] Paramārtha · T1835 [p0027a05–0027a24 述曰] Kuiji 述記
應知法界中，略有三分位，不淨、淨不淨、清淨隨所應。
In Depth · The Three Gates
The Debate · Doctrinal context
The eighteen stages are briefly subsumed into three stages, divided according to the defiled-and-pure of the "true dharma-realm" (subsuming the foregoing eighteen each as fits):
| The three stages | Subsumes the eighteen | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| the impure stage | the cause stage → preparatory effort (1 · 2 · 3) | impure because contaminated |
| the pure-and-impure stage | the learner stage (penetrated by the uncontaminated yet [still] with afflictions) | a mixture of pure and impure |
| the pure stage | the non-learner stage | pure, the obscurations exhausted |
The essential sense: the three stages take "the dharma-realm (suchness)" for their axis — impure (the ordinary) · pure-and-impure (the learner) · pure (the non-learner), that is, the three junctures of the transformation-of-the-basis of suchness: bound-in-the-defilements (impure) → gradually freed (pure-and-impure) → freed-from-the-defilements (pure). The manifoldness of the eighteen stages is gathered up into the simplicity of these three defiled-and-pure stages.
From Vasubandhu
論曰：於真法界位略有三，隨其所應攝前諸位。一不淨位，謂從因位乃至加行；二淨不淨位，謂有學位；三清淨位，謂無學位。
Translation (mine): "Commentary. In the stages of the true dharma-realm there are briefly three, subsuming the foregoing stages each as fits. (1) The impure stage — namely, from the cause stage up through preparatory effort. (2) The pure-and-impure stage — namely, the learner stage. (3) The pure stage — namely, the non-learner stage."
Vasubandhu posits three stages with respect to the true dharma-realm: impure (cause through preparatory effort) · pure-and-impure (the learner) · pure (the non-learner). The phrase "in the true dharma-realm" makes clear that the three stages are not something existing apart from suchness, but suchness manifesting according to its defiled-and-pure stages — this is the very bone of the consciousness-only transformation-of-the-basis.
Commentarial Forks
Kuiji's exegesis (辯中邊論述記, Shuji; T44n1835, by 沙門基, p0027a05–0027a24):
- The three stages discussed with respect to the dharma-realm: "because the true dharma-realm becomes the conditioned antidote, the stages of the antidote are discussed with respect to the dharma-realm."
- Subsumption-by-name · subsumption-by-substance (名攝·體攝): the impure stage (by name and by substance alike subsuming the three — cause, entering, preparatory effort) · the pure-and-impure stage (by name subsuming only the learner · by substance subsuming the whole of stages four, five, eight, ten through fifteen · and a small part of the seventh) · the pure stage (by name subsuming only the non-learner · by substance subsuming the whole of stages six, nine, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen · and a small part of the seventh).
Translation Choices · Two ancient witnesses (Xuanzang · Paramārtha)
| Witness | Text & Analysis |
|---|---|
| Chen · Paramārtha, 中邊分別論 (T31n1599) p0459c18 三位 (c. 557–569) | Paramārtha's verse: 「法界復有三，不淨、不淨淨、清淨如次第」. Commentary: 「一不淨位住者，從因位乃至行住；二不淨淨位住者，有學聖人；三清淨位住，無學聖人」. Paramārtha's 不淨淨 ("impure-pure") = Xuanzang's 淨不淨 (pure-and-impure). The mapping of the three stages fully agrees with Xuanzang. Xuanzang followed. |
| ★ Tang · Xuanzang, 辯中邊論頌 (T31n1601) p0479b24 (661) · bhāṣya (T31n1600 p0473a13) | 「應知法界中，略有三分位，不淨、淨不淨、清淨隨所應。」Base text: it carries the complete Chinese reading-chain — Vasubandhu's bhāṣya + Kuiji's 述記. |
For Scholars · notes, parallels, cross-references
★ Quartet Reading-Map
| Baifa | Sanshisong | Ershilun | Madhyāntavibhāga |
|---|---|---|---|
| the unconditioned · suchness (the transformation-of-the-basis of the dharma-realm's three stages) | the transformation-of-the-basis (impure → pure · relinquishing defilement and gaining purity) | — | this verse (the three stages of the dharma-realm) |
The three stages of the dharma-realm (impure · pure-and-impure · pure) are just the three junctures of the transformation-of-the-basis — suchness bound-in-the-defilements · gradually freed · freed-from-the-defilements — illumining, and illumined by, the Triṃśikā's sense of the transformation-of-the-basis: "in the true dharma-realm" makes clear that the three stages are the defiled-and-pure stages of one suchness, not something with a separate substance.
Key Terms (IAST)
the dharma-realm fǎ-jiè — dharmadhātu (法界)
Suchness, the axis of the three stages. The three stages (impure · pure-and-impure · pure) are "not something existing apart from suchness" (Vasubandhu), but suchness manifesting according to its defiled-and-pure stages.
the transformation-of-the-basis zhuǎn-yī — āśraya-parāvṛtti
The three stages are the three junctures of one suchness: bound-in-the-defilements (impure) → gradually freed (pure-and-impure) → freed-from-the-defilements (pure) — this is "the very bone of the consciousness-only transformation-of-the-basis."
sibling cross-references:
- [078]–[079] (the eighteen stages, which this section briefly subsumes) · [081] (persons posited according to stage, the following rubric) · the Characteristics chapter [017] (the defiled-and-pure difference of emptiness · the adventitious dust) · Triṃśikā the transformation-of-the-basis.
- Provenance: Mahāyāna-saṃgraha "that fruit" · the transformation-of-the-basis — the source for the dharma-realm's three stages.
Verse [081] · Conclusion of the Stages Chapter — persons posited according to stage
Source anchor · T1601 [p0479b26] verse · T1600 [p0473a19 verse / p0473a21 論曰 / p0473a23 the general sense] bhāṣya · T1599 [p0459c23 安立人] Paramārtha · T1835 [p0027a25–0027b17 述曰] Kuiji 述記
依前諸位中，所有差別相，隨所應建立，諸補特伽羅。
In Depth · The Three Gates
The Debate · Doctrinal context (chapter conclusion)
The concluding verse of the Stages of Cultivation chapter. In dependence on the differentiating marks of the foregoing eighteen stages (and the three stages), persons (pudgala) are posited as fits — "this one [the person] abiding in the lineage · this one [the person] having raised the mind," and so on. The essential sense lies in "positing the person in dependence on the dharma · the person being a designation" (Kuiji): the person (pudgala) has no real self-substance, but is merely posited as a designated name in dependence on the differentiating marks of the "stage (the dharma)." This shares its purport with the Investigating-the-Real chapter [055]–[056] (the aggregates and the rest as antidotes to the ten views of self) and with the Viṃśatikā's refutation of the real existence of the person — to say "the one abiding in the lineage" is not to have a real person, but to designate provisionally with respect to the stage. The discussion of the cultivation-stages comes home, in the end, to "the person and the dharmas alike posited [in dependence] · there is no real self."
Vasubandhu further sets out the general sense of the cultivation-stages: the stage of capability (the lineage) · the stage of setting-forth (entering · preparatory effort) · the impure / pure-and-impure / pure stages · the stage of adornment (the distinguished) · the all-pervading stage (pervading the ten grounds, that is, the unsurpassed stage) — gathering up the foregoing stages by a few rubrics.
From Vasubandhu
論曰：應知依前諸位別相，如應建立補特伽羅，謂此住種性、此已發心等。
Translation (mine): "Commentary. Know that, in dependence on the particular marks of the foregoing stages, persons are posited as fits — namely, 'this one abides in the lineage,' 'this one has raised the mind,' and so on."
修分位總義者，謂堪能位即種性位，發趣位即入加行位，不淨位、淨不淨位、清淨位、有莊嚴位、遍滿位謂遍滿十地故無上位。
Translation (mine): "The general sense of the cultivation-stages: the stage of capability is the lineage stage; the stage of setting-forth is the entering-and-preparatory-effort stage; [then] the impure stage, the pure-and-impure stage, the pure stage, the stage of adornment, and the all-pervading stage — 'all-pervading' because it pervades the ten grounds, that is, the unsurpassed stage."
Vasubandhu clarifies that the person is posited in dependence on the particular marks of the stage (the one abiding in the lineage · the one who has raised the mind, and so on); the person is posited in dependence on the dharma, and apart from the dharma there is no real person. He closes by gathering it up with the few rubrics of the "general sense" (capability · setting-forth · impure-pure-and-impure-pure · adornment · all-pervading), making clear the overall outline of the stages.
Commentarial Forks
Kuiji's exegesis (辯中邊論述記, Shuji; T44n1835, by 沙門基, p0027a25–0027b17):
- Positing the person in dependence on the dharma · the person is a designation: "the person being a designation, when one discusses the person in terms of the real, it is only in dependence on the particular marks of the dharma that the person is posited. If [there is] the dharma of the lineage, [one] is named 'the person abiding in the lineage' — and so on at length through the eighteen and the three stages."
- The rubrics of the general sense: the stage of setting-forth (the previous stages, not having raised the mind, are not called "setting-forth" · these two 〔entering and preparatory effort〕 have raised the mind and set forth in pursuit of the noble path) · the stage of adornment (just the seventh, the distinguished stage · having distinguished merits) · the all-pervading stage (comprising the ten grounds) · the unsurpassed stage (the Buddha).
Translation Choices · Two ancient witnesses (Xuanzang · Paramārtha)
| Witness | Text & Analysis |
|---|---|
| Chen · Paramārtha, 中邊分別論 (T31n1599) p0459c23 安立人 (c. 557–569) | Paramārtha's verse: 「此中安立人，應知如道理」. Commentary: 「因此住別異故，如道理應知，諸凡聖別異安立，此人者自性中住，此人已入位」. Paramārtha's 安立人 ("positing the person") = Xuanzang's 建立補特伽羅 (positing persons/pudgala) · making clear that the ordinary and noble persons are posited in dependence on the difference of stage, the person being posited in dependence on the dharma. The mapping fully agrees with Xuanzang. Xuanzang followed. |
| ★ Tang · Xuanzang, 辯中邊論頌 (T31n1601) p0479b26 (661) · bhāṣya (T31n1600 p0473a19) | 「依前諸位中，所有差別相，隨所應建立，諸補特伽羅。」Base text: it carries the complete Chinese reading-chain — Vasubandhu's bhāṣya + Kuiji's 述記. |
For Scholars · notes, parallels, cross-references
★ Quartet Reading-Map
| Baifa | Sanshisong | Ershilun | Madhyāntavibhāga |
|---|---|---|---|
| the conditioned-disassociated factors (the person · posited according to stage) | "by provisional designation are self and dharmas spoken of" (the selflessness of the person) | the refutation of the real existence of the person | this verse (persons posited according to stage · the person posited in dependence on the dharma) |
"Persons posited according to stage" shares its purport with the Triṃśikā's "by provisional designation are self and dharmas spoken of" and the Viṃśatikā's refutation of the real existence of the person — the person (pudgala) is a name posited in dependence on the stage (the dharma), not a real self. It runs through with the Investigating-the-Real chapter [055]–[056] (the aggregates and the rest as antidotes to the view of self).
Key Terms (IAST)
person — pudgala (補特伽羅) — person (posited as a designation)
No real self-substance; merely a name posited in dependence on the differentiating marks of the stage (the dharma). "The person is a designation; in dependence on the particular marks of the dharma the person is posited" (Kuiji).
positing the person in dependence on the dharma yī fǎ lì rén
The principle of the chapter's close: it is in dependence on the dharma (the stage) that the person is provisionally named — the person and the dharmas alike posited [in dependence], there being no real self.
sibling cross-references:
- [078]–[080] (the eighteen stages · the three stages, the stages on which this verse depends) · the Investigating-the-Real chapter [055]–[056] (the aggregates and the rest as antidotes to the ten views of self · the selflessness of the person) · the Viṃśatikā's refutation of the real existence of the person.
- Provenance: Yogācārabhūmi the pudgala — the source for the person posited according to stage.