Tao-sheng Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p211They said to their father, ‘Father! Give us the toys! Give us the sheep-carts [carriages], deer-cart and bullock-carts you promised us!’
Even though they, having understood what they were told, know there are no three in reality, yet they have not yet come fully out of the doorway; this is tantamount to saying that they do not really know yet. As they have come out, they begin to realize that there are no three, though they still do not know the One. Hence there is the demand for the doctrine the [Buddha] promised [namely, of the three]. Yet as the Buddha himself has not previously promised them the One, they dare not demand the One. This is the reason why they demand the reward of the three. If li does not lie in three, it follows logically (tzu-jan) that [the Buddha] will give them the One. The meaning of their demand is such, with the implication that their subtle triggering-mechanism (chi) for grasping (k’ou) the One has been so profoundly manifested that [the Buddha], for their sakes, has devised this manner of speaking. Carriage points to the consummate knowledge of the two vehicles; that is, the knowledge of non-origination. How could there be no “carriage” in the three spheres? [The Buddha] merely gives no names to them, because he wants to lead travelers [to enlightenment] even in their ignorance. “Carriage” is [the means] that takes them to the ultimate destination. What does the Greater Vehicle refer to? Because the domain the Buddha is so subtle, profound, remote, and hard to connect with the coarse [world], [the Buddha] has brought himself close to men by means of the trace of [the Buddha,] [in the form of the transformation body] sixteen feet tall. Hence, [the Greater Vehicle] points to the superficial level of knowledge of [the Buddha] sixteen feet tall; it is “carriage.” The bodhisattvas in the seventh stage are the ones who have suppressed the bondage of the three spheres. The doctrine is outside of “the house” [of the three realms], and this is what men are demanding.