大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 10.28

10.28

Regarding the Commentary's 'The above two gates...' and so on: it combines the seventh and eighth gates to integrate the previous five meanings. First, it integrates the emptiness and existence of the two truths, which is the meaning of mutual identity within departure and distinction. Wetness is an analogy for the ultimate truth, and waves are an analogy for the conventional truth. Regarding the 'Yāma verse', it is the verse by Bodhisattva Forest of Zeal (Vīryasena). His first verse says: 'All dharmas are without distinction; / there is no one who can know them. / Only Buddha and Buddha know them, / because their wisdom is ultimate.' The next text then says: 'Just as with gold and the colour of gold, / their nature is without distinction; / dharmas and non-dharmas are also thus, / their essential nature is without difference.' However, 'dharmas and non-dharmas' has two meanings: first, wholesome dharmas are dharmas, and unwholesome dharmas are non-dharmas; this follows the opening statement that all dharmas are without distinction. Second, the characteristics of dharmas are dharmas, and dharmatā is non-dharma; here gold is an analogy for dharmatā, and colour is an analogy for phenomenal characteristics. The present text specifically employs the latter intention; hence it proves that phenomenal dharmas are identical to principle, and that the two truths are mutually identical.