大般涅槃經集解 51.44

51.44

案道生曰：不見虛空者，虛空自表無空知空者為不見空，今以譬理結句後明也。若是無物名虛空者，如是虛空乃名為實者，有虛空相則是三界之物，以無物故乃是真實也。以是實故則名常無者，無物之空，理無移易，為常無也。以常無故無樂我淨者，既無空相，亦無常樂我淨。義在於無，不得云有，乃是所以有也。譬如世間無物名空者，形相空耳。而取無物為無相空，譬也。僧宗曰：唯慧眼見者，如無而見也。以光明故故名空者，以其有通光之用為空耳。虛空是太虛也。是物無之字，外道恒言虛空可造作；若解虛空非可造作之法，亦是如法修行也。故佛下借譬，言猶如世諦，實無其性。直自為眾生說有此因緣，然世諦從本來是空，未曾暫有。今虛空亦然，直以物無處故名虛空，何處復有虛空之可得乎？

Daosheng comments: 'Not seeing empty space' means that empty space itself manifests no emptiness; one who knows emptiness does not see emptiness; here it is used as an analogy for principle, with the concluding phrase clarified later. 'If the absence of things is called empty space, such empty space is then called real' means that having the characteristic of empty space would make it a thing of the three realms; because of the absence of things, it is genuine and real. 'Because it is real, it is called permanently non-existent' means that the emptiness of the absence of things has a principle without change, being permanently non-existent. 'Because it is permanently non-existent, it lacks bliss, self, and purity' means that since it lacks the characteristic of emptiness, it also lacks permanence, bliss, self, and purity. Its meaning lies in non-existence; one cannot call it existent, and this is why it exists. 'Just as in the world the absence of things is called emptiness' refers simply to the emptiness of physical form; taking the absence of things as the emptiness without characteristics is an analogy. Sengzong comments: 'Only the wisdom eye sees it' means seeing it as non-existent. 'Because of light it is called empty' means that having the function of transmitting light constitutes empty. Empty space is great empty space; it is a word for the absence of things. Non-Buddhists constantly say that empty space can be created; if one understands that empty space is not a dharma that can be created, this is also practicing in accordance with the Dharma. Therefore, the Buddha below borrows an analogy, saying that just like conventional truth, it truly lacks its own nature; he simply speaks of these causes and conditions for the sake of sentient beings, yet conventional truth is originally empty from the beginning and has never existed even for a moment. Now empty space is also like this: simply because of the absence of things, it is called empty space; where else could an empty space be found?