大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 74.31

74.31

From the commentary's "Among the latter seven similes" onward: second, explaining the similes. Within this there are two: first, synthesizing six explanations; afterward, from "Guangtong" onward, discriminating the comprehensive and the restricted. In this there are also two: first, recounting the past [masters]; afterward, the commentary synthesizes and reconciles them. In the former part, there are seven masters in total: 1. Guangtong, 2. Xianshou, 3. the Mahāyānasaṃgraha, 4. Master Yuan, 5. the Vajracchedikā-śāstra, 6. the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā, 7. the Laṅkāvatāra. Now, Guangtong has two parts: first, recounting the past; afterward, synthesizing and reconciling. In the former, he first correlates the seven similes with the three dharmas above, because their doctrinal categories are identical; afterward, from "It also says an illusion" onward, he shows the characteristics of the similes individually, largely the same as the Mahāyānasaṃgraha. Saying "arising without arising": illusory phenomena arise from conditions and have no fixed nature. "An object without an object": objects of the six sense spheres are like mirages resembling water, yet not being water. "Knowing without knowing": awareness within a dream is not real awareness. "Hearing without hearing": echoes produced by a valley are not original sounds. "Abiding that is non-abiding": lightning refers to the Jin translation of the sūtra, taking the meaning from the Vimalakīrti: "This body is like lightning, not abiding from thought-moment to thought-moment." From "Since it now says shadow" onward, he explains by analogy with that, also taking the meaning of the Vimalakīrti. The sūtra says: "This body is like a shadow, appearing from karmic conditions"; hence it says appearing without the characteristic of appearing. An apparition suddenly exists from nothing, hence it says "the characteristic of existence without existence". Space does not impede actions, hence it says "the characteristic of doing without doing". All of these take specific meanings from within the similes.