法華玄論 2.44

2.44

答：佛身無漏者，子結斷也。佛身無為不墮諸數者，果縛斷也。子果既斷，豈非常耶？又佛身無漏，故異凡夫身；佛身無為，異二乘無常身。是故佛身常恒，無有變易。又佛身無漏，五住皆傾；佛身無為，二死俱離。此異菩薩身。菩薩從初發意至金剛已還，一念無明未斷，猶名諸漏無常；苦報猶在，不名無為。佛已離之，故是常也。又佛身無漏，不可為有；佛身無為，不可言無。非有非無，即是中道法身，故名為常。若是二邊，則名無常也。又佛身無漏即是解脫，佛身無為謂法身、般若，但點雖有三，不出得離以具三德，是故名常。又佛身無漏名之為空，佛身無為名為不空，故大涅槃具空不空義，即是常也。《淨名》尚辨法身是常，況《法華》耶？又《淨名》云「諸仁者！此身無常，當樂佛身」。既言此身無常當樂佛身，佛身猶是無常，與己身同，何所樂哉？

Answer: “The Buddha’s body is free of outflows” means that seed afflictions have been severed. “The Buddha’s body is unconditioned and does not fall into any reckoning” means that fruitional bonds have been severed. Since both seeds and fruits have been severed, how could it not be permanent? Moreover, because the Buddha’s body is free of outflows, it differs from the bodies of ordinary people; because the Buddha’s body is unconditioned, it differs from the impermanent bodies of the two vehicles. Therefore, the Buddha’s body is eternal and without change. Furthermore, because the Buddha’s body is free of outflows, the five entrenchments are all overthrown; because the Buddha’s body is unconditioned, both kinds of death are transcended. This differs from the bodies of bodhisattvas. Bodhisattvas, from their initial resolve up to the vajra[-samādhi], have not yet severed a single moment of fundamental ignorance and are still said to have outflows and impermanence; their suffering retribution still remains, so they are not called unconditioned. The Buddha has already transcended this; therefore, it is permanent. Furthermore, the Buddha’s body is free of outflows, so it cannot be regarded as existent; the Buddha’s body is unconditioned, so it cannot be said to be non-existent. Being neither existent nor non-existent is precisely the middle way dharmakāya, and hence is called permanent. If it were in the two extremes, it would be called impermanent. Furthermore, the Buddha’s body being free of outflows is liberation; the Buddha’s body being unconditioned refers to the dharmakāya and prajñā; though there are three dots, they do not exceed attainment and transcendence so as to possess the three virtues; therefore it is called permanent. Furthermore, the Buddha’s body being free of outflows is termed empty; the Buddha’s body being unconditioned is termed not empty; therefore, the great nirvāṇa possesses both the meanings of empty and not empty, which is precisely permanence. If the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa already discerns that the dharmakāya is permanent, how much more so the Lotus Sūtra? Moreover, the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa says: “Worthy ones! This body is impermanent; you should delight in the Buddha’s body.” Since it says that this body is impermanent and one should delight in the Buddha’s body, if the Buddha’s body were still impermanent, it would be identical to one’s own body; what would there be to delight in?