法華玄義釋籤 9.2

9.2

Next, explaining the noble practice of wisdom has two parts: first, marking and listing; next, explaining. The reason why the explanation only explains the four kinds of four truths and does not further classify or open them is that the preceding two practices both belong to the outer ordinary [stages]; although their shallowness and depth were distinguished, when establishing faith in the initial mind one must clarify the dense and the slight in order to indicate distant aspirations. Now, the noble practice of wisdom begins from the initial dwelling and ends at the first bhūmi; since the practice is personally realized by oneself, it is not necessary to classify it. Moreover, traversing the stages vertically in depth is synonymous in meaning with the four teachings, which already corresponds to classification, and realization being identical at the first bhūmi corresponds in meaning to opening; therefore, this practice does not further distinguish opening. If one wished to classify them, before the dwellings is like milk, while the four [teachings] of arising-and-perishing and so on are like the subsequent four flavors. As for what is called 'opening,' upon reaching the first bhūmi, all practices prior to the bhūmis enter the ocean of sarvajñā of the first bhūmi, transforming into the marks of all dharmas of non-conditionality, fully as explained below. Now, although these four [kinds of] four truths all reside within the Separate Teaching, since vertically classifying a single teaching is based on the four [kinds] of arising-and-perishing and so forth, the bodhisattvas of the Separate Teaching use their own practice to transform others; therefore, horizontally distinguishing these four within the ten practices is entirely for the sake of benefiting beings. For this reason, the marks of the four each conform to that teaching as their characteristics: thus, compassion and the six perfections of the arising-and-perishing teaching are initially explained within the truth of the path; next, in [the teachings of] non-arising and the immeasurable, compassion and the six perfections are explained after the truth of cessation; next, in [the teaching of] non-action, after the four truths, non-conditional compassion is briefly mentioned, and it explains the subsumption of all perfections, freedom from fears, and attainment of the twenty-five samādhis. Furthermore, among the four, both the truths of suffering and origination place suffering first and origination after, and both the path and cessation place the path first and cessation after. The reason for this is that although the four wisdoms of arising-and-perishing and so on differ in skillfulness and clumsiness, when setting out they all without exception know suffering and sever origination, and first broadly practice the dharmas of the path and later attain nirvāṇa; therefore, this differs slightly from the standard sequence. Since the bodhisattva of arising-and-perishing does not sever delusions, the truth of the path fully contains various vows and practices; those of non-arising and the immeasurable only step forward to face difficulties after having severed delusions. Non-action, being already realized at the first bhūmi, is for the time being not discussed due to the fulfillment of vows. True suchness partially fulfills and partially contains all practices; therefore, here it merely explains broad subsumption. If discussed comprehensively, the beginning of vows is entirely at the beginning of the noble practice of discipline; here, it is because progress and divisions are discussed part by part. Now, initially explaining the four truths of arising-and-perishing itself has four different passages. First, as for the truth of suffering: because the substance of suffering always performs oppressive, agonizing, and constricting matters without self-mastery, the three sufferings and eight sufferings are broadly as explained in the 'Noble Practices' [chapter] of the Great Sūtra. Because they can all be seen, they are evident dharmas; hence it says 'manifest marks.' The three realms are all suffering and do not go beyond these three; hence it says 'three sufferings.' The three sufferings are as recorded in the seventh [fascicle] of the Zhiguan. Regarding 'by not giving rise to delusion and attachment to the environmental and bodily retributions': it is feared that the word 'not' is redundant here. In this wisdom of the truth of origination, it first explains that the three evil [destinies] arise from delusion concerning the environmental and bodily retributions; next, it explains that the three good [destinies], through understanding the faults of worldly causes and fruits, do not practice the ten unwholesome deeds and [instead practice] the ten wholesome deeds. Both wholesome and unwholesome are marks of growth and proliferation; hence we know the word 'not' is redundant. From 'never' down to 'deviant and biased, straying from the real,' it explains the path of the ten wholesome karmas, with the single word 'never' heading all the following sentences: 'never killing another to sustain oneself' is non-killing. 'Never seizing another's possessions to enrich one's body' is non-stealing. 'Never indulging in impurity' is non-licentiousness. 'Never acting deviously to seek straightness' is non-falsehood. 'Never causing separation or union to bring about honor or disgrace' is non-duplicity; that is, separating close ones and uniting enemies, inserting discord between the honored and contriving disgrace. 'Never being inwardly flattering and outwardly sycophantic' is non-frivolous speech. Non-harsh speech is omitted because duplicity subsumes it. 'Never receiving insatiably without limit' is non-covetousness. 'Never releasing poison to harm the path' is non-anger. 'Never being deviant and biased, straying from the real' is non-wrong view. As for 'marks of growth, proliferation, and so forth': because of origination one reaches future lives, so it is called 'proliferation.' Because one transmigrates due to origination, it is called 'turning.' Universally giving rise to the causes of existence, it is 'called the marks of the twenty-five states of existence.' In the wisdom of the truths of path and cessation, both are called 'marks of removal': removal is the mark belonging to cessation; suffering and origination are that which is removed, the path is that which can remove, and cessation is already removed, so there is no word for 'capable.' Taking its name from what is eliminated, it is therefore called 'the mark of removal.'