法華玄論 2.7

2.7

Answer: The Perfect Person possesses skillfulness; provisionally, in contrast to the coarse, he speaks of the sublime. Those who cling to names claim that the Way is indeed not coarse, and its principle must be sublime. Therefore, it is said next that speaking of the sublime in contrast to the coarse is not yet the genuine sublime. Why is this? Although it cuts off the coarse, it has not yet cut off the sublime. If it is neither coarse nor sublime, with both coarse and sublime cut off, only then is it called 'sublime'. The designation of the absolute sublime originates from this. Master Sengguan's preface to the sūtra says: 'Using the flower to proclaim the subtle, the Way is profound and beyond images; naming it sublime, its essence transcends the fine and the coarse.' A verse says: 'This Dharma cannot be shown; the marks of words are tranquil and extinguished.' It is that by which the two vehicles cease their deliberations, and those bound to one last birth abandon hope; only Buddhas together with Buddhas can exhaust its depths. Evaluation: Master Guan's view silently coincides with our present intention. Objection: If one examines this explanation, it clarifies only the sublimity of the fruit; since the vehicle extends across cause and fruit, one should not grasp one side. Answer: Speaking from the perspective of principle, it is only the fruit that is sublime; the causal vehicle is not yet ultimate, so it is not sublime. It is only because the cause emulates the practice of the fruit that it is called sublime in accordance with its share. Those who hold only the causal vehicle to be sublime have not plumbed the source of sublimity.