大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 20.21

20.21

Under the commentary's "Second, neither coming nor going", there are three meanings in the explanation: first, solely in terms of essence; second, activating function based on essence; third, subsuming function back into essence. In the first, turning away and abandoning would be going, yet it says 'not going' because cognition illuminates delusion as empty, leaving nothing to abandon, and illuminating affliction as baseless is itself the cognitive essence. 'Approaching and verifying the true principle' should be the meaning of coming, as in 'Tathāgata'. Yet it says 'not coming' because the real cannot be attained. The illuminated essence has no selfhood and is itself the true principle. Therefore the sūtra states: 'The Tathāgata comes from nowhere.'