般若波羅蜜多心經幽贊 2.12

2.12

The commentary says: This shows that by practicing profound prajñā, one obtains the correct wisdom-eye. Penetrating emptiness is called "illuminating": that is, all saṃskṛta dharmas such as form, sensation, and the rest all possess the three periods of time, internal and external, coarse and subtle, inferior and superior, near and far. An accumulation is called an "aggregate"; these five are form, sensation, perception, mental formations, and consciousness. The word "and so forth" encompasses dharmas such as the sense bases and the rest. Those of the Superior Emptiness school say: Previously, the grasping of the subject of contemplation was refuted to reveal the emptiness of the subject of contemplation; now, the grasping of the object of contemplation is refuted to reveal the emptiness of the object of contemplation. If clouded by delusion, one is confused about the ultimate principle and falsely grasps the aggregates and the rest as existent, like someone dreaming who sees objects appear before them. If one correctly understands the principle of paramārtha-satya, grasping does not arise, like when awakened from a dream one understands that the objects do not exist. Therefore, practicing prajñā, one immediately illuminates the emptiness of nature. Those of the Appropriate Response school say: Although cultivating everything is practicing prajñā, realizing the real and expelling the false is done through wisdom illuminating emptiness; hence this is particularly emphasized here. The word "empty" here refers to the three non-natures: the imagined nature (parikalpita) is originally non-existent in substance, and its marks lack own-nature, which is why it is called empty; the dependently arisen (paratantra) dharmas — form like a cluster of foam, sensation likened to a floating bubble, perception resembling a mirage, mental formations akin to a plantain tree, consciousness like an illusion — lack an intrinsically produced nature as grasped, so they are also called empty; the consummate nature (pariniṣpanna) is realized by contemplating the emptiness of what is grasped, or it lacks the real nature falsely grasped, so the true ultimate is also called empty. In reality, the three natures are neither empty nor non-empty; in order to counter and refute grasping at existence, emptiness is taught collectively with implicit intention. It is not that the latter two natures are completely non-existent and called empty; teaching that all is empty is the Buddha's implicit intention, speaking of emptiness collectively with regard to both existence and non-existence, as the Bhagavat said: