妙法蓮華經文句 8.92

8.92

Now, the sphere of practice is explained in terms of three dharmas. First, focusing directly on the single truth: the single truth is that to which everything returns and serves as the foundation for everything, yet it is universally free of conceptual differentiation. That to which everything returns is the ground of forbearance. 'Ground' means the Middle Way; all dharmas return to it, and therefore it is called the 'ground'. All practices come to rest, and therefore it is called 'forbearance'. This is the practice of 'practicing non-practice'. Serving as the foundation for everything means that just as all things obtain the ground and are produced, so all practices obtain the principle and are accomplished. If one attains the foundation of principle, when in hardness one can be gentle, when in adversity one can be compliant, when in violent turbulence one can bring order, and when in alarm one can bring peace. Immeasurable virtues are born from the ground of the Middle Way; the ground produces nothing, yet produces virtues—this is the practice of 'not practicing practice'. Being universally free of conceptual differentiation means that one does not differentiate the distinctive characteristics of non-practice and practice; hence [the sūtra] says, 'and furthermore does not practice, does not differentiate', and so forth, which is 'neither practice nor non-practice'. Devoid of the three practices, yet having the three practices, it is therefore called 'practice'; being the same one real truth, it is therefore called 'sphere'. Matching this sphere of practice with the preceding sūtra text: the resting of all practices corresponds to the Tathāgata's robe; the virtues produced accordingly correspond to the Tathāgata's room; being universally free of conceptual differentiation corresponds to the Tathāgata's seat. This is called explaining the sphere of practice in terms of a single dharma, which is the model rule for propagating the sūtra.