大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 87.17

87.17

Regarding the commentary's: "The sixth, the good friend of the pariṇāmanā of roots of goodness entering into universal equality": phenomenon and principle do not contradict each other, and all enter the equal principle. Regarding the commentary's: "The *Laṅkā[vatāra]* says: 'There is no nirvāṇa-buddha,'" and so forth: this is at the beginning of the sūtra where Mahāmati praises the Tathāgata as fully knowing the three natures to accomplish the three bodies. At first there are four verses clarifying the imagined (parikalpita) and the dependent (paratantra), stating that the world is free from arising and ceasing, which was already cited in the "Ten Forbearances" chapter. Now this verse praises the complete possession of the consummate (pariniṣpanna). It states: "In all things there is no nirvāṇa; / There is no nirvāṇa-buddha, / Nor is there a Buddha's nirvāṇa, / Far removed from the cognizer and the cognized. / Whether existent or non-existent, / Both of these are completely transcended; / The Muni's tranquil contemplation / Is thus far removed from arising. / This is called non-grasping, / Pure in this world and the next." There are two and a half verses. Dayun explained: "The first verse causes one to understand the single Suchness; that is, this relies on the contemplation of wishlessness to reveal the consummate; because there is no nirvāṇa-buddha, there is no wish. The first line means that among all dharmas such as form and mind, there is no obtaining of nirvāṇa, because the original nature of all dharmas is Suchness. If one were to obtain nirvāṇa, that would be the view of annihilation or eternity: extinguishing dharmas is annihilation, and realizing and obtaining is eternity. In the next two lines, since there is no nirvāṇa, how could there be a Buddha? Therefore a subsequent passage in the sūtra says: 'Seeing that through severing afflictions one attains buddhahood—this is called destroying the Buddha's Dharma, because afflictions and the buddha-nature are quiescent.' In the third and fourth lines, because the cognized is Suchness, there is no nirvāṇa; because the cognizer is Suchness, there is no obtaining of buddhahood; transcending both the cognizer and the cognized, they blend into a single Suchness." Explanation: However, while the above explanation exhausts the principle, the textual analysis is not subtle. I now say: the first line dispels the realized nirvāṇa; the second line dispels the realizing Buddha; the third line negates the union of subject and object; the fourth line summarizes the reason. Because of being free from subject and object, all are non-existent; non-existence is the meaning of emptiness, identical with a single Suchness. Next, the two lines beginning with "Whether existent" explain that the two views do not arise, directly revealing that the consummate is far removed from the fault of views. The previous verse broke attachments; this one reveals non-clinging. In the first line, persons and dharmas are 'existent', while non-self is 'non-existent'; the two obstructions are 'existent', while marklessness is 'non-existent'; nirvāṇa and the Buddha are 'existent', while freedom from cognizer and cognized is 'non-existent'—all these become faults of views, and by principle one must transcend them; hence it says: 'Both of these are completely transcended.' The final verse clarifies the Muni's correct contemplation, praising the World-Honoured One's tranquil merit: understanding that all dharmas are originally tranquil, there is not a single dharma that arises. When the view of arising is gone, how could non-arising exist? Free from arising and ceasing, there is nothing to grasp and nothing to discard. Neither defiled nor pure, therefore both worlds are pure. Now at first only two lines are cited, which are sufficient to prove that he does not enter parinirvāṇa. Regarding the commentary's: "The Buddha-seed arises from conditions; the Buddha's conditions arise from principle": the upper line is from the *Lotus Sūtra*, and the lower line is Master Sheng's explanation. Formerly there were two explanations, both as cited before. Citing Master Sheng here precisely accords with the sūtra's words that the Buddha-seed is inexhaustible. That this is the permanent body and the dharmakāya is also a passage from the *Nirvāṇa [Sūtra]*. Fascicle twenty-three of the *Nirvāṇa* says: "Furthermore, good sons! Severing afflictions is not called nirvāṇa; the non-arising of afflictions is called nirvāṇa. The non-arising of afflictions in the Buddhas, the Tathāgatas, is called nirvāṇa. Whatever wisdom is unobstructed in regard to dharmas is the Tathāgata. Not being an ordinary person, śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, or bodhisattva is called buddha-nature. The Tathāgata's body, mind, and wisdom pervade immeasurable, boundless, asaṃkhyeya lands without obstruction; this is called empty space. Eternally abiding in Suchness without alteration is called the true mark. For this reason, the Tathāgata truly does not enter ultimate nirvāṇa." Explanation: All these clarify that there is no nirvāṇa of perpetual extinction, and that this is the permanently abiding true nirvāṇa.