法華義疏 7.245

7.245

略明四異：一者、大乘明人法本性空，小乘明折法空，故大乘是真空、小乘非真空。故〈方便品〉云，小乘涅槃非是真滅，諸法從本來常自寂滅相，大乘涅槃方是真滅，滅諦即空，滅既有真偽，空亦然也。二者、小乘但明三界內人法空，空義即短，大乘明三界內外皆空，空義即長。三者、小乘人但見於空不見不空，大乘人具見空與不空故名中道，以空無諸累不可言有，有於眾德不可言無，非有非無即中道。四者、小乘人入空則失有，出有則失空，是故取捨行心斷常二見。《中論》云「若有所受法則墮於斷常，當知所受法若常若無常」，大乘人不壞假名而說實相，故即有而常空，不動真際建立諸法，即空而常有，故不墮斷常名中道觀。

Briefly, four differences are clarified: First, the Mahāyāna clarifies that persons and dharmas are empty by original nature, whereas the Hīnayāna clarifies emptiness by deconstructive analysis of dharmas; thus the Mahāyāna is true emptiness, while the Hīnayāna is not true emptiness. Therefore the “Expedient Means Chapter” states that Hīnayāna nirvāṇa is not true extinction; all dharmas from the very beginning are ever of themselves the characteristic of quiet extinction, and only Mahāyāna nirvāṇa is true extinction. The truth of cessation is emptiness; since cessation has the true and the false, emptiness is likewise so. Second, the Hīnayāna clarifies only the emptiness of persons and dharmas within the three realms, so the meaning of emptiness is short; the Mahāyāna clarifies that both inside and outside the three realms are empty, so the meaning of emptiness is broad. Third, persons of the Hīnayāna see only emptiness and do not see non-emptiness; persons of the Mahāyāna fully see emptiness and non-emptiness, and this is therefore called the middle way. Because it is empty of all afflictions, it cannot be said to exist; because it possesses all virtues, it cannot be said not to exist. Neither existent nor nonexistent is precisely the middle way. Fourth, when persons of the Hīnayāna enter emptiness they lose existence, and when they emerge into existence they lose emptiness; therefore their practicing mind grasps and rejects, holding the two views of annihilation and permanence. The Mūlamadhyamakakārikā states: “If one accepts any dharma, one falls into annihilation or permanence; one should know that the accepted dharma must be either permanent or impermanent.” Persons of the Mahāyāna do not destroy provisional names while expounding the true mark; thus, identical with existence, it is constantly empty; without moving from the true limit, they establish all dharmas, so identical with emptiness, it is constantly existent; therefore they do not fall into annihilation or permanence, and this is called the middle way contemplation.