大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 6.34

6.34

Regarding the commentary's "Furthermore, prajñā is free from the four propositions..." onward, this is the fourth: a refutation through concession and elimination. First, through elimination, it wipes away traces to enter the profound: the principle transcends the hundred negations, and words cease before the four propositions. If one takes prajñā to be merely emptiness, that is not true prajñā. Thus the sūtra says: "Prajñā has no characteristic of existence, no characteristic of non-existence, neither the characteristics of existence and non-existence, nor the characteristics of neither existence nor non-existence." Being free from all characteristics, how could emptiness remain? Thus the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: "The Buddhas expound the dharma of emptiness / In order to free [beings] from views of existence. / If one further holds a view of emptiness, / The Buddhas cannot convert them." As for the commentary's "If prajñā does not destroy the four propositions, how could it lack wondrous existence?", this is the concession. Even conceding that it is emptiness, it must also be existence. If emptiness is still subject to the four propositions, how much more so is existence? Thus the Prajñāpāramitā-sūtra says: "Prajñā does not destroy form, nor does it destroy sensation, perception, volition, or consciousness." That is, it does not destroy existence. The rest of the text is clear. Thus the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: "All is real, unreal, / Both real and unreal, / Neither real nor unreal: / This is called the teaching of the Buddhas." Thus all four propositions are real. Moreover, phenomena born of causes and conditions are identical to emptiness, identical to conventional existence, and identical to the middle; they have both negation and affirmation, which are the latter two propositions. Thus we know that if one misses the intent, the four propositions immediately become the four slanders; but if one attains the purport, the four propositions immediately become the four virtues. The exposition of the correct doctrine below follows and arises from this.