華嚴經探玄記 6.18

6.18

Seventh, comprehending the emptiness of the world is named Forest of Power Accomplishment; the meaning of the verses is to unite defilement and purity into emptiness and reveal praise for the true Buddha. The ten verses are divided into two: the first nine unite the object, and the latter one accomplishes practice. In the former, the first six rely on the nature of dependent arising to reveal non-production, and the latter three rely on the nature of the conceptually grasped to reveal signlessness. In the former, there are two: the first four reveal that worldly dharmas are unproduced, and the latter two analogously reveal the supramundane. In the former, the first two concern the emptiness of persons (pudgala-nairātmya), and the latter two concern the emptiness of dharmas (dharma-nairātmya). In the former, the first verse and a half traces the branches back to the root, and the latter half uses the root to reveal the branches. This means that the mind transforms according to perfuming to produce sentient beings; since the mind is like an illusion and not real, how could the sentient beings that are identical to the mind be real? In the bottom two [verses], the first indicates that because they do not know the falsity of the world, they continue to transmigrate in the empty world; the latter indicates that because they do not know the suffering of the world, they constantly drift in the world of suffering. Here, that the world is neither self-made nor made by another has four levels: first, in terms of non-Buddhists (and so forth). In the bottom two analogously revealing the supramundane, the first presents the topic, meaning that reversing this world is called the supramundane. Since the world is already empty, how could there be a supramundane that could be grasped? Hence it says: 'Both are not real.' The upper half is the real principle, and the lower half is conceptual delusion. In the latter verse explaining this, the first three lines explain and reveal the emptiness of the world; the bottom line indicates that because there is no world to be contrasted with, the supramundane is also not real. Moreover, based on this text, it merely negates the world to name it 'supramundane' without any other distinct indication; therefore it too is empty. In the second, relying on the conceptually grasped being signless, there are also two: the first two concern worldly emptiness, and the latter one analogously concerns the supramundane. In the former, the first one inquires into conceptual feelings, and the latter one reveals the principle. In the former, the first line inquires into essence, the next line inquires into marks, and the lower two lines explain ordinary delusion. In the latter verse, the upper half explains the non-existence of emotional clingings, and the lower half explains the manifestation of the nature of principle. In the latter analogously concerning the supramundane, the Buddha and the Dharma are supramundane, yet both in terms of emotional calculation are entirely non-existent. Below, accomplishing practice is explained: the upper half eliminates the false and sees the true; the lower half explains that the Dharma-Buddha constantly manifests.