The description of the Worldly Siddhānta (Shih-chieh Hsi-t’an) is that the world is like a vehicle that comes into existence because of the combination of wheels, spokes, axle and rim. Human beings are likewise created because of the combination of five aggregates. The Buddha proclaims the worldly dharma of the correct causality to comply with living beings, with what they desire and with what they are pleased to hear, so that they can obtain the proper view of the world.

With regard to the Siddhānta for Each Person (Ko-ko Wei-jen Hsit’an), because of different capacities of people, certain doctrines the Buddha expounds are designed specifically for certain beings according to their degree of understanding.

The description of the Siddhānta of Counteraction (Tui-chih Hsit’an) is that for counteracting particular vices of living beings the Buddha offers different treatments.

The description of the Siddhānta of the Supreme Truth (Ti-i-i-ti Hsit’an) is that by knowing that his disciples are ready to receive the true teaching, the Buddha expounds the supreme truth in terms of “unexplainable” (Pu-k’o-shuo) and “explainable” (K’o-shuo). The true dharma, namely the truth of neither origination nor extinction (that transcends language, and is attained by the Buddha) is unexplainable. Although truth itself is unexplainable, i.e., it cannot be conceptualized and is beyond words, it is indeed necessary to be revealed for an educational and soteriological purpose. In this sense, Chih-i talks about truth that is explainable. The method of realizing the truth is provided by the formula of the Four Alternatives (Ch., S,su-chü; Skt., catusko/i), i.e., everything is real (I-ch ‘ieh-shih), everything is unreal (I-ch ‘ieh Pu-shih), everything is both real and unreal (I-ch ‘ieh I-shih I-pu-shih), and everything is neither real nor unreal (I-ch ‘ien Fei-shih Fei-pu-shih). (Vol. 2, Page 34)