大般涅槃經集解 38.56

38.56

案僧亮曰：外道謂有為無為皆無始，故名無始空也。僧宗曰：遣真諦之計也。佛法之中皆由無明諸行造生死苦，豈有真諦為始邪？今以解心照知無始，明其所計是空也。

Sengliang comments: Non-Buddhists claim that both conditioned and unconditioned are beginningless, hence it is called beginningless emptiness. Sengzong says: It dispels the imputation of the real principle (tattva/pradhāna). Within the Buddha's teaching, all is caused by ignorance and karmic formations producing the suffering of saṃsāra; how could there be a real principle as the beginning? Now, illuminating and knowing beginninglessness with an understanding mind clarifies that what they impute is empty.