大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 14.4

14.4

Regarding the commentary’s section beginning with "As for Confucianism and Daoism in this land": the second part recounts [the traditions of] this land. The commentary text divides into two: first, pointing out their agreement with the two [false] causes; second, from "As in Zhuangzi and Laozi" downward, briefly setting forth their various doctrines. Now, the profundity of Confucianism and Daoism in this land does not exceed the Three Mysteries: the Zhouyi is the True Mystery, the Laozi is the Mystery of Emptiness, and the Zhuangzi is the Discourses on the Mystery. Here the commentary has two parts: first, citing the Zhuangzi and Laozi together; second, citing the Zhouyi separately. In the former there are also two parts: first, citing texts; second, judging their meaning. Now for the first. Citing directly from the Laozi and the Zhuangzi, it therefore says: "They all posit nature (ziran)." This sentence is the statement of the thesis. Thus the Zhuangzi states: "Not knowing the reason why it is so, and yet it is so, is therefore called 'nature.'" From "Saying that man models himself on earth" downward refers to the chapter on "There was a thing formed in chaos" from the Daodejing (the "Classic of the Dao") of the Laozi. Prior to this, it states: "There was a thing formed in chaos, born before heaven and earth. Silent and boundless, standing alone without changing, operating everywhere without peril, it may be regarded as the mother of heaven and earth. I do not know its name; I style it 'Dao.' Forced to give it a name, I call it 'great.' Great means departing; departing means distant; distant means returning. Therefore the Dao is great, heaven is great, earth is great, and the king is also great." The commentary [of Wang Bi] says: "It is explained according to what makes them great; those that attained the One are heaven, earth, and the king. Heaven is great because it can cover; earth is great because it can support; the king is great because he can model himself on earth, emulate heaven, and practice the Dao; therefore it says 'is also great.'" It further says: "Within the realm there are four great things, and the king occupies one of them." The commentary says: "The upright ruler is the lord of human spirits; the prosperity and decline of the myriad things are tied to him. Intending to present a model and warning, it therefore says 'and the king occupies one,' wishing to caution the king so that he has something to model himself upon." The following text says: "Man models himself on earth, earth models itself on heaven, heaven models itself on the Dao, and the Dao models itself on nature." The commentary says: "'Man' refers to the king. One who is a king should first model himself on the tranquility of the earth. Having done so, he should then model himself on heaven’s operations that generate and complete. Having generated and completed, he should then model himself on the pure non-action (wuwei) of the Dao, letting things transform of themselves. A human sovereign who can do so conforms to the nature of the Dao that models itself on nature." Furthermore, the above explanation of the Dao being great says: "Because it permeates and generates, manifesting its virtue, it is styled 'Dao'; because it encompasses all, naming its essence, it is arbitrarily named 'great.'" These passages follow one upon the other, which is why they are cited in detail; the underlying point is simply that the Dao models itself on nature. The Dejing (the "Classic of Virtue") further states: "The Dao generates the One; the One generates the two; the two generate the three; the three generate the myriad things." The previous passage was a reverse deduction; this one is a forward presentation. The commentary says: "The 'One' is the harmonious qi (chongqi). It means that the Dao stirs and emits the subtle, harmonious qi. Because this is not yet sufficient as the principle for generating things, it further generates yang qi. Yang qi cannot generate on its own, so it further generates yin qi. Accumulating the one of the harmonious qi, it therefore says 'the One generates the two.' Accumulating the two of the yang qi, it therefore says 'the two generate the three.' When yin and yang unite in pregnancy and the harmonious qi harmonizes them, only then are the myriad things richly completed; hence it says 'the three generate the myriad things.'" Right below, it further states: "The myriad things carry yin on their backs and embrace yang, harmonizing them through the harmonious qi." All the above explains that the myriad things are generated naturally; these are the words of the Laozi. If we cite the Zhuangzi, the "Great Ancestral Master" chapter of the Zhuangzi states: "Now the Dao has reality and trust, yet is without action and without form." The commentary [of Guo Xiang] says: "It has the reality of having no feelings, hence it is without action. It has the trust of being constant non-being, hence it is without form." It also says: "It can be transmitted, but cannot be received." The commentary says: "From past to present, it is transmitted and abided in, but none can receive and possess it." It also says: "It can be attained, but cannot be seen." The commentary says: "All attain self-containment, yet none see its form." It also says: "It is its own root and its own trunk; before heaven and earth existed, it had firmly endured from ancient times." The commentary says: "This makes clear that non-being does not depend on being in order to be non-being." It also says: "It spirits the ghosts and spirits the gods; it generates heaven and generates earth." The commentary says: "Now, can non-being generate spirits? It does not spirit ghosts and gods, yet ghosts and gods are themselves spirited—this is the spiriting of non-spiriting. It does not generate heaven and earth, yet heaven and earth are themselves generated—this is the generating of non-generating. Therefore, when the 'spirit' is an actual result, it is insufficient to be spiritual; but when it does not spirit, then it is spiritual. What achievement is there worthy of being possessed? What event is there worthy of being relied upon?" It also says: "Being prior to the Supreme Ultimate (taiji), it is not high; being below the six directions, it is not deep; being born prior to heaven and earth, it is not long-lasting; being older than high antiquity, it is not old." The commentary says: "This speaks of the Dao being omnipresent. Therefore, being in the high, it is without highness; being in the deep, it is without depth; being in the long-lasting, it is without long-lastingness; being in the old, it is without oldness. There is nowhere it is not present, yet wherever it is, all is non-being." It also says: "Xiwei obtained it to hold heaven and earth in order; Fuxi obtained it to inhale the primal breath; the Great Dipper obtained it and never deviated throughout antiquity; the sun and moon obtained it and never rested throughout antiquity; Kanpi obtained it to enter Kunlun; Fengyi obtained it to wander the great rivers; Jianwu obtained it to dwell on the great mountain; the Yellow Emperor obtained it to ascend to the cloudy heavens, and so forth." The commentary says: "The Dao has no abilities. These statements about obtaining it from the Dao are simply used to clarify their self-attainment." It also says: "One who knows what Heaven does and knows what man does has reached the utmost!" The commentary says: "Knowing what Heaven and man do are both nature (ziran). Then internally he sets his body free, and externally he merges with things; identical with the mysterious harmony of all, he gives rein to it and reaches everywhere." The meaning is: wherever there is knowing and action, all are acting without acting; hence they are nature. Regarding the commentary’s "If one takes nature as the cause," and so on: this is judging the meaning. Unfolding its two trajectories: the first is the perspective of the Laozi. Since the Dao generates the One, and the Dao is nature, taking the Dao as its cause is a false cause. Regarding the commentary’s "If one says the myriad things are generated of themselves (ziran)" downward: this brings out the perspective of the Zhuangzi. Then the myriad things are naturally so without anything making them so; hence it is called nature, which is [the view of] no cause. The commentary's "Like the blackness of a crow" and so on is text from the Zhuangzi and also the idea from the Nirvāṇa-sūtra.