大方廣佛華嚴經疏 17.26

17.26

Fifth, Diligent Wisdom (Vīryabuddhi) of the northeastern direction: because he diligently contemplates the true principle and gathers immeasurable good, both without abiding, he is named thus. The intention of the verses is to reveal the wish that his mind become increasingly energetic without defiled attachment, in the text because he sees in accordance with reality through freedom from discrimination. The ten verses are divided into two parts: the first nine contemplate phenomena, and the last one attributes the achievement. Within the former, there are three: the first three are the contemplation of the marklessness of what is grasped (parikalpita). Among these, the first points out the faults of discrimination. The latter two show the contemplation of marklessness: first, separation from the grasped object: the upper half knows it exists in emotional grasping, and the lower half knows it is nonexistent in principle; just like mistaking a tree for a ghost, knowing that the ghost exists through delusion is called knowing the ghost in accordance with reality; knowing that the ghost is originally nonexistent and that its entire substance is a tree is called seeing the tree. Second, separation from the grasping subject, because the grasped object is empty. The upper half points out the loss: if one sees the ghost, one does not see the tree; the lower half shows the gain: only when free from the vision of the ghost is it seeing the tree. The next three verses explain the contemplation of the unproduced nature of dependent origination (paratantra): first, discarding the cognitive object. For dependent nature has two meanings: first, illusory existence, arising from discrimination, which is the upper half; second, absence of intrinsic nature, which is the lower half. Second, extinguishing the cognitive subject: the upper half rehearses the previous fault of arising, where having a view of non-arising is, like the worldly, not real; the lower half says seeing equality as unproduced is called true seeing. Third, distinguishing the benefit of contemplation. The latter three explain the contemplation of the naturelessness of the perfected nature (pariniṣpanna): first, rehearsing the previous two absences, meaning that neither subject nor object discrimination can be apprehended, precisely because the perfected nature is pure. Second, directly showing the true nature: the first line states that its essence exists, and the second line states that its marks are nonexistent; because these two are interfused and identical, no one can explain it. Third, the benefits of the completed contemplation, and the second section on attributing the achievement, are both understandable from the text.