法華玄論 9.167

9.167

答：前就法身義釋之，以因位之人不知其始終，故是無始終，所以是法身常義。今據報身，故有始無終。又初證法身二義：一初證義，故有始；二者同法身義者，故無始無終也。又此是以報身顯法身。初得報身，因位人尚不見其始終，況法身而可知耶？

Answer: The previous explanation was given in terms of the dharmakāya: because a person in the causal stages does not know its beginning or end, it is without beginning or end, which is why it is the meaning of the dharmakāya's permanence. Here, it is based on the reward body (saṃbhogakāya); hence it has a beginning but no end. Furthermore, the initial realization of the dharmakāya has two meanings: first, the meaning of initial realization, hence having a beginning; second, being identical with the dharmakāya, hence without beginning and without end. Furthermore, this uses the reward body to reveal the dharmakāya. When the reward body is first attained, even a person in the causal stages does not see its beginning or end; how much less could the dharmakāya be knowable?