大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 64.16

64.16

Regarding the commentary's "the above nine clauses" onward: this is the second, a general appraisal. The commentary's text has two parts: 1. explaining the elimination of the three [alternatives] and converging them into the one, namely eliminating existence, eliminating non-existence, and eliminating both existence and non-existence, thereby converging into the middle way of neither existence nor non-existence; 2. from "furthermore, this non-duality does not destroy existence and non-existence" onward, re-explaining that the ninth accomplishes the meaning of non-destruction. It can eliminate the clause of both and the clause of neither, and is thus divided into two: first, using the non-destruction of existence and non-existence to establish the meaning of neither, thereby eliminating the clause of both; second, using the non-destruction of existence and non-existence to establish the meaning of both, thereby eliminating the clause of neither. Now, the first begins by indicating non-duality. The idea is: if there were no existence and non-existence, what would be non-dual? Thus the Nirvāṇa [Sūtra] says: "If there were no one or two, how could one say 'neither one nor two'?" Therefore, the meaning of non-duality is accomplished through non-destruction. From "speaking of emptiness eliminates attachment to existence" onward, it discerns the characteristics. Within this, it first explains non-destruction to establish neither. This clause clarifies not destroying emptiness, yet not regarding emptiness as a mark; therefore, emptiness is non-emptiness. As for "speaking of existence is to eliminate delusion about emptiness": this clause clarifies not destroying existence, yet not preserving existence; therefore, existence is non-existence. Thus neither is established. Next, it says: "Existence is the existence that is not different from emptiness; emptiness is the emptiness that is not different from existence": these two clauses reveal the sūtra's non-duality, accomplishing the meaning of non-destruction. Next, it says: "There is no separate emptiness and existence that form a duality": this directly eliminates both.