妙法蓮華經玄義 1.27

1.27

Regarding the substance, there are four points: first, explaining the character; second, citing corroborating views; third, eliminating what is incorrect; fourth, concluding with the correct view. The character "substance" (體) is glossed as "propriety" (禮). Propriety is law: each is devoted to their own kin, each treats their own child as a child, and ruler and subject exercise restraint. If there is no propriety, then it is not lawful. The substance of the supramundane Dharma is likewise: wholesome and unwholesome, ordinary beings and sages, bodhisattvas and buddhas—none fall outside the dharma-nature. Directly pointing to the true aspect of reality constitutes the correct substance. Therefore, the "Life Span" chapter states: "It is not as the triple world is seen by the triple world; it is neither such nor different." If beings of the triple world see the triple world as different, people of the two vehicles see the triple world as such, bodhisattvas see the triple world as both such and different, and the Buddha sees the triple world as neither such nor different, while simultaneously illuminating both suchness and difference. Now, we take what the Buddha sees as the correct substance of the true aspect of reality. Vajragarbha speaks of the "Buddha's extremely subtle wisdom"; the phrasing differs, but the meaning is identical. His words say: "Empty and existent, non-dual, not different, inexhaustible." Emptiness is not an annihilationist non-existence; hence it is called "empty and existent." Existence is precisely emptiness, and emptiness is precisely existence; hence it is called "non-dual." It is not that apart from emptiness and existence there is separately a middle way; hence it is called "not different." Pervading all places, it is therefore called "inexhaustible." This also agrees with the intention of Nāgārjuna. The Mūlamadhyamakakārikā states: "The phenomena that arise from causes and conditions are identical to emptiness, identical to provisional designation, and identical to the middle." That the phenomena arising from causes and conditions are identical to emptiness means that this is not annihilationist non-existence. Being identical to provisional designation is non-duality. Being identical to the middle is being not different. That phenomena arise from causes and conditions means they pervade all places. Now, stating that the substance of the true aspect of reality is identical to the real through the provisional eliminates the slander of annihilationist non-existence; that it is identical to the provisional through the real eliminates the slander of establishment; that the provisional and the real are precisely non-provisional and non-real eliminates the slander of difference; that it simultaneously illuminates both the provisional and the real, pervading all places, eliminates the slander of exhaustion. This synthesizes the dual excellences of the two sūtras, elaborates the shared purport of the two treatises, reveals the distant convergence of the two masters, and illuminates the correct substance of the present sūtra.