妙法蓮華經文句 8.44

8.44

問：方便真實互得為門，亦得方便為方便門，實相為實相門不？此有四句，二如前，三、實相為實相門，四、方便為方便門。如名為義門、義為名門，由方便名顯方便義，故名為義門；由方便義應方便名，故義為名門，實相亦爾，《中論．序》云「實非名不悟，故寄中以宣之」即其事也。

Question: Expedient and real can mutually serve as gates; can expedient also serve as the gate of expedient means, and the real mark serve as the gate of the real mark? There are four propositions here: two are as before; the third is that the real mark serves as the gate of the real mark; the fourth is that expedient serves as the gate of expedient means. Just as name is the gate to meaning and meaning is the gate to name: because the expedient name reveals the expedient meaning, name is the gate to meaning; because the expedient meaning corresponds to the expedient name, meaning is the gate to name. The real mark is also like this. As the Preface to the Madhyamaka-śāstra states, "The real cannot be awakened to without name, so it is declared by relying on the Middle"—this is precisely the point.