仁王般若經疏 2.114

2.114

"Markless is the ultimate truth": this distinguishes ultimate truth. The Tathāgata's preaching of the Dharma is not uniform in sequence: sometimes he first preaches conventional truth and later clarifies ultimate truth, which clarifies entering from the shallow to the deep; sometimes he first preaches ultimate truth and later clarifies conventional truth, which clarifies that the fundamental doctrine has a source. "Markless": the principle of dharmatā cuts off existence and non-existence, and is called markless. Things cannot fathom it, hence it is called "foremost" (paramārtha). The reason behind it is called "meaning" (artha). "Neither self-made nor made by another": it is originally markless; how could it be non-existent only now? Since it is said to be originally markless, how could there suddenly be creative action? Therefore it says "neither self-made nor made by another." As in the Western Regions, the ninety-five kinds of non-Buddhist paths are exhaustively included under the four kinds of production. Therefore the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra says: "It is not self-made, nor made by another, nor jointly made, nor made without a cause; therefore it surpasses all non-Buddhist paths." This sūtra mentions only two kinds for the sake of brevity. "Causes and conditions originally exist of themselves" clarifies that conditioned emptiness and existence constitute conventional truth. Causes and conditions originally exist of themselves; how could they exist only now? Since they are said to originally exist, it says "neither self-made nor made by another." Therefore the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: "By whom were the twelve links of conditioned co-arising made? The Buddha said: They were not made by a Buddha, not made by a bodhisattva, (up to) not made by any noble one." Hence it says "neither self-made nor made by another." The next verse, "Dharmatā...", has two parts: the upper half explains the preceding upper half, and the lower half explains the preceding lower half. "Dharmatā is originally devoid of self-nature" is the preceding "markless is the ultimate truth." The dharmatā of all phenomena is called dharmatā; dharmatā takes the lack of self-nature as its nature. This is speaking of the lack of self-nature in contrast to nature; if there is no nature, there is also no lack of nature. "Ultimate emptiness is as such" is the emptiness of the ultimate truth. Because it has nothing to rely upon and nothing to attain, it is called empty and as such. "All existent phenomena originally exist" explains the preceding "causes and conditions originally exist of themselves." "Aggregated through the three designations, they conditionally exist" clarifies that they have no substantial entity, and exist only by depending on others. In the third verse, "The non-existence of non-existence is truly and genuinely non-existent" concludes again the preceding "markless is the ultimate truth." "Quiescence is the foremost emptiness" concludes "neither self-made nor made by another." "All phenomena exist through causes and conditions" concludes the preceding "causes and conditions originally exist of themselves." "Such is the meaning of existence and non-existence" summarizes the preceding eleven lines. "Existence" concludes the lower halves of the preceding three verses clarifying existence; "non-existence" concludes the upper halves of the preceding three verses clarifying non-existence; hence it says "such is the meaning of existence and non-existence." Another explanation: "The non-existence of non-existence is truly and genuinely non-existent" means that the two non-existences eliminate the two substantial entities; hence it says "the non-existence of non-existence is truly and genuinely non-existent." "Quiescence is the foremost emptiness" means that self-entity is originally non-existent, hence it says "quiescence is the foremost emptiness." All conditioned phenomena are produced relying on the six causes and four conditions, hence it says "all phenomena exist through causes and conditions." Yet another explanation: "The non-existence of non-existence is truly and genuinely non-existent": one "non-existence" eliminates the aforementioned various existences, and the second "non-existence" eliminates the aforementioned non-existence; hence it says "the non-existence of non-existence." "Truly and genuinely non-existent": wisdom illumines like real wisdom, hence it says "truly and genuinely non-existent." "Quiescence is the foremost emptiness": it is the most refined among quiescent dharmas, cutting off the four propositions and separating from the hundred negations, unlike the annihilatory emptiness of the two vehicles; hence it is called "foremost emptiness." "All phenomena exist through causes and conditions, such is the meaning of existence and non-existence" summarizes the above. Yet another explanation: regarding "the non-existence of non-existence," one non-existence negates conventional truth, and the other non-existence negates ultimate truth.