觀音玄義 1.35

1.35

Ninth, explaining in terms of the revealing cause and conditioning cause: 'revealing' means bringing forth and disclosing; 'conditioning' means assisting and supporting; assisting the revealing brings forth and discloses the dharma-kāya. The revealing is prajñā contemplative wisdom, also called the practice of wisdom as the direct path and the adornment of wisdom. The conditioning is liberation, the practice of actions as the assisting path and the adornment of merit. The Dàzhìdù lùn says: 'One person can weed; one person can plant.' Planting is an analogy for the conditioning, and weeding is an analogy for the revealing. Generally speaking, each of the teachings possesses the meaning of conditioning and revealing; now we specifically clarify the cause of the two kinds of adornment of the Perfect Teaching, and the fruit of the Buddha possessing the two kinds of adornment. Tracing back to the root of these causes and fruits, it is precisely the conditioning and revealing of inherent nature. This inherent nature is fundamentally possessed in itself, not just appearing now. The Great Sūtra says: 'All dharmas are fundamentally empty by inherent nature.' Also, because bodhisattvas cultivate emptiness, they see that all dharmas are empty; this means the seed of the revealing cause is fundamentally possessed in itself. It also says: 'All sentient beings possess the initial stage's savor-absorption.' The Viśeṣacinti says: 'All sentient beings are precisely the cessation absorption.' This means the seed of the conditioning cause is fundamentally possessed in itself. Using these two kinds of upāya to cultivate, gradually increasing, arising from a minute tip, they can become a cultivated, great tree that takes both arms to embrace: mahā-prajñā and Śūraṅgama absorption. This section does not discuss the six identities, but merely explains in terms of the meaning of the root inherent nature. The previous question and answer receives its name from the revealing seed; the latter question and answer receives its name from the conditioning seed. Hence we know that through the revealing cause and conditioning cause, it is named Avalokiteśvara Universal Gate.