觀音義疏 2.21

2.21

Question: How can sons and daughters be used to represent the dharma gates? Since there are no sons or daughters, there are no dharma gates. As the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says: "Eternally transcending the ten marks is called great nirvāṇa." The Great Treatise says: "Because it lacks the marks of male and female, it is called markless." The Jingming jing says: "All dharmas are neither male nor female, just as the Buddha taught, also neither male nor female." The "Comfortable Conduct" chapter says: "Nor does one differentiate whether it is male or female." The "Entry into the Dharma Gate of Non-Duality" says: "Without the śrāvaka mind, there is no concentration; without the bodhisattva mind, there is no wisdom." The Three Piṭakas of the Small Vehicle accord with the truth of the principles; I have heard that in liberation there is no verbal expression, and the Tattvasiddhi Śāstra (Chengshi lun) in entering the equality of emptiness also has neither male nor female. Since male and female do not exist, where is that which they represent? Therefore we know there are no dharma gates of concentration and wisdom.