般若心經略疏連珠記 2.15

2.15

From "Therefore" below is the second [part]: taking up [the above] to indicate the reason for perfect penetration. "Therefore" is an expression that takes up the above. Because the above three meanings are unobstructed, they cause true emptiness and wondrous form each to possess four meanings, accomplishing the perfect penetration of emptiness and form. Zhenguo said: "Furthermore, due to the above three meanings, all dharmas of emptiness and existence universally possess four meanings. One should know that although the emptiness of ultimate truth explained in the Initial Teaching is said to be the emptiness that is identical to form, it does not possess the four meanings and three gates. This is because if one speaks of its existence, attachment to dharmas has not yet been exhausted. One should deeply investigate the emptiness identical to form and the form identical to emptiness explained in this sūtra: each possesses four gates and three meanings, mutual preservation and mutual eradication, non-compliance and compliance, concealment and manifestation, possessing virtues with sovereignty; do not conflate it with the Emptiness school, falsely stating that existence is conventional and ultimate truth is emptiness." Zhenguo explained the Nature school: form identical to emptiness is wondrous form; emptiness identical to form is true emptiness; thus existence that is not-existence, and emptiness that is not-emptiness, are emptiness and existence possessing virtue. Our Patriarch cited and explained them sentence by sentence; fearing there might be stubborn attachments, he did not dare to avoid complexity, and thus recorded them in full. In this there are two [parts]: first, true emptiness looking toward wondrous form. His text says: "First, the meaning of abolishing oneself to accomplish the other: because emptiness is identical to form, form manifests and emptiness is concealed; this is the third gate, relying on principle to accomplish phenomena. Second, the meaning of eradicating the other to manifest oneself: because form is identical to emptiness, form is exhausted and emptiness is manifested; this is the eighth gate, phenomenal dharmas being identical to principle. Third, the meaning of self and other both being preserved: because concealment and manifestation are non-dual, it is true emptiness. That is to say, not being different from emptiness is illusory form, so form is preserved; not being different from form is called true emptiness, so emptiness is manifested. Because they are mutually not different, both are preserved; this is the ninth gate, true principle not being phenomena. Fourth, the meaning of self and other both being eradicated: because the entire essence is mutually identical, wholly usurping and both dying out, cutting off the two extremes; this is the fifth gate, usurping phenomena through principle." The above four meanings are all emptiness looking toward form. From "Form looking toward" below is the second: wondrous form looking toward true emptiness. First, indicating it. Taking form as self and emptiness as other, it is therefore different from the previous gate. First, the meaning of manifesting the other while oneself is exhausted: this is the fourth gate, phenomena being able to manifest principle. Second, the meaning of manifesting oneself while concealing the other: this is the seventh gate, true principle being identical to phenomena. Third, the meaning of both being preserved: this is the tenth gate, phenomenal dharmas not being principle. Fourth, the meaning of both being eradicated: this is the sixth gate, phenomena being able to conceal principle. Regarding "and consider them following the model of the above": first, because form is identical to emptiness, emptiness manifests and form is concealed. This is because manifesting emptiness as other exhausts form as self; thus phenomena have the ability to manifest principle. The remaining three can be known. Furthermore, having the former four gates necessarily entails the latter four gates; having the latter four gates necessarily entails the former four gates; combined, they universally become the four gates: the emptiness of complete existence and the existence of complete emptiness; therefore they are universally combined into four. From "Thus it is" below is the second [part]: uniting in perfect penetration to conclude by showing the sūtra's central theme. "Thus it is" is an expression that follows the preceding. Because form possesses unfathomable and profound virtues such as manifesting the other and exhausting oneself, it can be preserved or destroyed without obstruction; because emptiness possessing virtues is concealed or manifested, compliant or non-compliant with sovereignty. True emptiness identical to illusory existence, illusory existence identical to true emptiness, wondrously and perfectly harmonizing without different characteristics—therefore it is said: combining into one flavor of perfect penetration without abode, which is the dharma explained; therefore the sūtra says: "Form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form," etc. The reason why they are mutually contradictory yet unobstructed and mutually making each other is that the dharmas of pratītyasamutpāda have four meanings: first, existing because of arising through conditions; second, being empty because of arising through conditions; third, existing because of lacking self-nature; fourth, being empty because of lacking self-nature. Due to the difference between the two meanings—the first and the fourth—there is the meaning of mutual contradiction. Due to the second and third, there is the meaning of mutual making: that is, being empty because of arising through conditions, existence makes emptiness; existing because of lacking self-nature, emptiness makes existence. Due to the above four meanings, being the same pratītyasamutpāda, there is the meaning of non-obstruction. Furthermore, due to the first two meanings, existence looking toward emptiness accomplishes four meanings; due to the latter two meanings, emptiness looking toward existence accomplishes four meanings. That is, due to existing because of lacking self-nature, there is the meaning of expanding oneself to accomplish the other; due to being empty because of lacking self-nature, there is the meaning of eradicating the other to manifest oneself; due to the above two meanings being unobstructed, there is the meaning of both being preserved; due to the above two meanings contrasting with each other, there is the meaning of self and other both being eradicated. Existence looking toward emptiness follows the model of these four meanings. Furthermore, because of arising through conditions without self-nature, it exists; thus it is not the existence of eternalist views or existence views, but is illusory existence. Because of arising through conditions without self-nature, it is empty; thus it is not the emptiness of annihilationist views or non-existence views, but is true emptiness. Illusory existence is precisely non-existent existence; true emptiness is precisely non-empty emptiness; neither empty nor existent is the meaning of the middle way. Because existence and non-existence being non-dual constitutes illusory existence, and emptiness and non-emptiness being non-dual constitutes true emptiness: existence that is non-empty and existence are non-dual as one illusory existence; emptiness that is non-existent and emptiness are non-dual as one true emptiness; furthermore, illusory existence and true emptiness are non-dual as the dharma of one flavor. All of the above is Upādhyāya Zhenguo using the purport of this section of the sūtra and the commentary text to explain that dharmadhātu of the unobstructedness of principle and phenomena; thus the correct principle of this sūtra can be seen here. If one relies on this explanation, the scope of this sūtra corresponds precisely to the Common Teaching within the Perfect [Teaching]. In this, if one only takes mutual preservation, the meaning corresponds to the Final Teaching; if one only takes both being eradicated, it corresponds to the Manifest Teaching. If one wishes to assign it to the sūtra text, as with the two meanings of the Xuanjing cited previously, it also corresponds to the Final and Sudden. Furthermore, by means of the questions and answers at the end of clarifying what is abandoned together with the commentary's words on opening and combining dharma characteristics, the sūtra from beginning to end entirely discusses the profound purport of the middle way wherein form and emptiness mutually interpenetrate and principle and phenomena are unobstructed. Closely examining the commentary master's deep intent, he would not easily agree to demote even a single character of the sūtra text to being provisional and shallow. How much more so when below there is the section on clarifying what is attained, which manifests the Buddha's virtues as perfect and eternal? Due to such meanings, the commentary master judged it to be subsumed under the Real Teaching, thereby uniting the latter three of our school's five teachings into the one real; its principle is extremely clear.