仁王般若經疏 2.126

2.126

From "Great King! Just as the thusness of written words..." down is the second part of the reply to the question, clarifying three kinds of buddha-nature: first, the presently eternal buddha-nature; second, the future eternal buddha-nature; third, the revealing-cause buddha-nature. Buddha-nature is neither future nor present, yet because it varies according to conditions as future or present, there is the explanation of three kinds. If one speaks in accordance with conditions without reliance and without acquisition, there is no fault; but if one clings to future and present as fixed and real, it leads to disputation. As for the first, the presently eternal, the text says: "Just as the thusness of written words cultivates the mother of the wisdom of all buddhas, the root mother of wisdom of the nature of all sentient beings is precisely the substance of sarvajñā": because one previously heard that the twelve divisions of the canon are thusness, one knows that written words are precisely thusness. Thusness is precisely prajñā, and prajñā is the mother of the buddhas; hence it is called "mother of wisdom." Saying "the root mother of wisdom of the nature of all sentient beings" means that knowing that the nature of sentient beings is ungraspable is precisely thusness; hence it says "is precisely the substance of sarvajñā." If one comprehends that sentient beings and sarvajñā are neither one nor two, what is future and what is present? The present is spoken of merely to refute the future. From "Before all buddhas have attained buddhahood..." down, the second part clarifies the future-fruit buddha-nature. How is this known? The text says: "Before all buddhas have attained buddhahood, they take the future buddha as the mother of wisdom, not having yet attained it as their nature." Hence one knows that there is the future, not the present. "Present existence" is possessing the hidden nature; "future non-existence" is lacking the future nature. Hence one knows that because it is manifested it is called future, and because it is hidden it is called present. To discuss its true nature, its substance transcends all negations. The future is not the present; the present is through causal conditions; hence the future and the present are spoken of. From "having already attained..." down, the third part clarifies the revealing-cause buddha-nature. It clarifies that the prajñā of the three vehicles reveals the unproduced and unextinguished: because one attains the correct contemplation of prajñā, one personally realizes that what is produced is unproduced, and what is extinguished is unextinguished; hence it says "its self-nature is eternally abiding." All sentient beings transmigrate in the six destinies through false causal conditions; personally realizing that falsehood has no origin is precisely the unproduced and unextinguished; hence it says that they "take this eternally abiding self-nature as their awakening nature."