金剛經纂要刊定記 2.25

2.25

Regarding "not penetrating", etc.: the nature and characteristics of all dharmas have distinct and common [aspects]. Distinctly, for instance, water has wetness as its nature, and movement and stillness as its characteristics, and so forth. Commonly, all dharmas together have the asaṃskṛta as their nature and the saṃskṛta as their characteristics. Because one lacks this wisdom, one cannot comprehend them. Comprehending the mind is the fundamental cognition, while comprehending nature and characteristics is the subsequently attained cognition. That these two cognitions do not become manifest is entirely due to ignorance; without eradicating ignorance, the Buddha-Dharma cannot be accomplished. Therefore it is said: "Even if one transcends the three realms, one still remains stuck in the two vehicles," and so forth. In this case, although one has left the burning house, one still halts at the conjured city and does not reach the place of jewels. If we trace back its source, it is due to attachment to dharmas; thus we know that attachment to dharmas is the fundamental root of faults and afflictions. However, these two hindrances do not operate in opposition [to each other]; they are both produced by the one mind, differing only in being subtle or coarse. The cognitive [hindrance] is subtle, while the afflictive [hindrance] is coarse; although coarse and subtle differ, they have no separate essence whatsoever, just as when a single body of water is stirred into waves, there are differences in subtlety and prominence. Within this there are also two senses: when it just begins to stir, it cannot reflect images, which corresponds to the cognitive [hindrance]; when it is fierce and surging, it capsizes boats and drowns people, which corresponds to afflictions. The correspondence between doctrine and metaphor is clearly visible. Furthermore, regarding the liberation of mind and wisdom, when examined in terms of persons, four propositions are formed: liberation of mind without liberation of wisdom applies to the two vehicles; liberation of wisdom without liberation of liberation of mind applies to the bodhisattvas of great compassion; liberation of both applies to the Buddhas; liberation of neither applies to ordinary beings.