大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 73.60

73.60

疏「謂此真如」下，釋文。先釋無邊，故經云「無相者，無有無等相故。」即無有無二邊之義。言「不可說法即離言真如」者，真如有二：一安立真如，謂真實如常，寄言顯故。二離言真如，故《起信》云「心真如者，即是一法界大總相法門體，所謂心性不生不滅，一切諸法唯依妄念而有差別，若離心念則無境界差別之相。是故一切法從本已來離言說相、離名字相、離心緣相，畢竟平等無有變易，不可破壞，唯是一心，故名真如。以一切言說假名無實，但隨妄念不可得故。言真如者亦無有相，謂言說之極，因言遣言。此真如體無有可遣，以一切法悉皆真故。亦無可立，以一切法皆同如故。當知一切法不可說、不可念，故名真如。」釋曰：此即離言真如意也。次下論文云「復次真如依言說分別，有二種義。何者為二？一者如實空，以能究竟顯實故。二者如實不空，以有自實體無漏性功德故。」釋曰：上即依言真如也。《法華》云「知法常無性」，此義玄中已引，今是義引。若具云「諸佛兩足尊，知法常無性。佛種從緣起，是故說一乘。」「無去無來重顯真如即是中道」者，中道非唯非有非無，非斷非常等皆中道義。

The commentary states: "This means this tathatā..." and so forth, explaining the text. First, it explains boundless; hence the sūtra says: "Signless means being without the characteristics of existence and non-existence, etc." This is the meaning of being free from the two extremes of existence and non-existence. As for the statement "ineffable dharmas are precisely tathatā beyond words," there are two kinds of tathatā: first, posited tathatā, which means real as always, revealed by relying on words; second, tathatā beyond words. Thus the Awakening of Faith states: "The tathatā of the mind is the essence of the great comprehensive characteristic dharma-gate of the single dharmadhātu; that is to say, the mind-nature is unarisen and unceasing. All dharmas are differentiated solely based on false thought; if free from mental thoughts, there are no differentiated characteristics of objective realms. Therefore, all dharmas from the beginningless past are free from the characteristics of verbal expression, free from the characteristics of names, and free from the characteristics of mental conditioning; they are ultimately equal, without alteration, indestructible, and solely the one mind; hence it is named tathatā. Because all verbal expressions are provisional designations without reality, they merely follow false thoughts and cannot be grasped. The term tathatā also has no characteristics; it is the culmination of verbal expression, using words to discard words. In this essence of tathatā, there is nothing to be discarded, because all dharmas are completely true; nor is there anything to be established, because all dharmas are equally thus. One should know that all dharmas are ineffable and unthinkable; hence it is named tathatā." Exegesis: this is precisely the meaning of tathatā beyond words. Next, the treatise text below says: "Furthermore, tathatā differentiated according to verbal expression has two meanings. What are the two? First, truly empty, because it can ultimately reveal the real; second, truly not empty, because it has its own real essence of undefiled nature-merits." Exegesis: the above is tathatā dependent on words. The Lotus Sūtra says: "Knowing that dharmas are constantly devoid of nature." This meaning has already been cited in the profound commentary; here it is an essential citation. If stated fully: "The Buddhas, the two-footed honoured ones, / Know that dharmas are constantly devoid of nature. / The Buddha-seed arises from conditions; / Therefore they preach the One Vehicle." Regarding "having no departure and no arrival re-clarifies that tathatā is precisely the Middle Way": the Middle Way is not merely being neither existent nor non-existent; neither severed nor eternal, and so forth, are all meanings of the Middle Way.