金剛經纂要刊定記 2.67

2.67

In this land, past and present, there are three kinds of teachings; as their shallowness and depth differ, what they hold as central also diverges. First, the Confucian teaching: its master is the King of Propagating Culture, namely Kong Qiu. It takes as its central doctrine the five constants: benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness. Its intent is to cultivate the person and be cautious in conduct, govern the state and manage the family, and spread one's fame to later generations. Second, the Daoist teaching: its master is the Emperor of the Dark Origin, namely Lao Dan. It takes spontaneity (ziran) as its central doctrine; spontaneity melts away right and wrong, levels birth and death, and ultimately returns to nothingness. Third, the Buddhist teaching: its master is Śākya[muni]. It takes cause and condition as its central doctrine; its intent is to cause one to recognize delusion and break through perplexity, realize truth, and activate function. Therefore the commentary says, "cause and condition are the central doctrine." Now, the entire teachings of the Buddha's lifetime universally take cause and condition as central; although there are differences in shallowness and depth—such as Hīnayāna arising and ceasing, and Mahāyāna naturelessness—speaking in comprehensive terms, they are all cause and condition. However, there are two kinds: first, the mundane; second, the supramundane. The mundane has two: first, internal; second, external. The external further has two: first, where a seed is the cause, and water, earth, human labor, time, and so forth are conditions, and the sprout is able to grow; again, where a lump of clay is the cause, and the wheel, cord, potter, and so forth are conditions, and the vessel is able to be completed. Second, the internal: ignorance is the cause, and the factor of volitional formation is the condition, giving rise to the five factors such as consciousness, as well as the two factors of birth and aging-and-death. The former two are the vessel world, and the latter is the world of sentient beings. Hence we know that the formation of this mundane world of the three realms is due solely to the two words "cause" and "condition." Second, the supramundane has three kinds: first, original enlightenment's internal perfuming is the cause, and the teacher's instruction's external perfuming is the condition, whereby initial enlightenment comes to arise; second, initial enlightenment is the cause, and the five pāramitās such as giving are conditions, whereby the fruit of Buddhahood is accomplished; third, great compassion is the cause, and sentient beings are the condition, whereby response and transformation flourish. Thus we know that all pure and sublime matters of the supramundane do not go beyond the two words "cause" and "condition." Therefore the *Lotus Sūtra* says: "The Buddha-seeds arise from conditions; / for this reason I preach the Single Vehicle." The *Madhyamaka-śāstra* says: "Never has there been a single phenomenon / that does not arise from causes and conditions." It also says: "I say these causes and conditions / are able to extinguish all conceptual proliferation." However, comprehensively gathering all mundane and supramundane phenomena: the meanings of existence, śūnyatā, conventional designation, and the middle—although varying in shallowness and depth—all fall under cause and condition.