大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 37.36

37.36

As for the commentary's phrase “since it is like empty space, how could there be a characteristic of the unconditioned?”: when I speak of inexhaustibility, its essence has nothing that can be exhausted, and so it is like empty space. It does not mean that there is an entity, like clouds emerging from a high mountain, whose function is inexhaustible. Hence it says that the wise speak of inexhaustibility, yet here nothing is spoken of either. Because exhaustion is precisely inexhaustibility, it is neither exhaustion nor impermanence. Since inexhaustibility is like empty space, it is neither inexhaustibility nor permanence. This is the dual negation of permanence and impermanence. It doubly departs from exhaustion and non-exhaustion, and also doubly negates the conditioned and the unconditioned. Thus the Madhyamakaśāstra says: “If there were conditioned dharmas, then there would be unconditioned dharmas. Since there are no conditioned dharmas, how could there be the unconditioned?”