大般涅槃經集解 54.189

54.189

案僧亮曰：第一證甚深也。僧宗曰：釋甚深也。續故不斷、滅故不常，故能辨果也。雖念念滅者，以相似種類，遂有一用也。寶亮曰：第五意，讚歎十二因緣理深。本歎此理深者，乃意在神明體真，不論生死。生死虛搆，有何甚深？而所以獨歎十二因緣、不歎五陰十二入十八界等者，是等因成假名法門，非始終相續。十二因緣是始終法門，故就此為歎也。無知無見者，理既深遠，豈易可知見？唯佛行滿，得具足見，十住髣髴見也。不可思惟者，法性理幽，唯佛境界，非是二乘下地可思忖也。以何義故名甚深者，此下去正釋因緣之體所以甚深之意。明眾生行業不常不斷，而果報不忘。眾生若造業，直以虛偽神明為體，應逐三相無常。若逐三相所作善惡業，云何得在？而起業後，經百千萬劫，由自得報故，知有法性為神解主，常繼真不滅。其體既無興廢，用那得滅？若得解以後，癡用乃可無；後未有解來，常癡故是業。業即是癡，障智之義，呼為煩惱；招生感果，因之為業，即一體而義分也。雖念念滅，無所失者，既真俗共為神明，俗邊乃可三相滅；就真邊往取，癡義常存，故無所失也。雖無作者，雖無有如神我作者，而不無作業也。雖無受者，雖無有如十六知見神我受者，而有因必得果也。無有慮知和合有者，亦無有如外道所計神我和合知者。然有因故牽果，理數相感召。如其無此法性為體，起業之後寄致何處？昔經乃唱有成就之語，定若為成就耶？

Sengliang comments: The first point proves that it is exceedingly profound. Sengzong comments: This explains its being exceedingly profound. Because it continues, it is not cut off; because it ceases, it is not permanent; hence it can bring about effects. Although it perishes thought-moment by thought-moment, by continuing in a similar category, it consequently has a single function. Baoliang comments: The fifth point praises the principle of the twelve links of dependent origination as profound. Originally, praising this principle as profound aimed at the spirit embodying the real, without discussing saṃsāra. Saṃsāra is falsely constructed—what is exceedingly profound about it? And the reason for exclusively praising the twelve links of dependent origination, and not praising the five aggregates, twelve sense-bases, eighteen realms, and so forth, is that these are dharma-gates of nominal conventions formed by causes, not an unbroken continuum from beginning to end. The twelve links of dependent origination are a dharma-gate from beginning to end; hence the praise is made in terms of them. 'Without knowledge and without vision': since the principle is so deep and distant, how could it be easy to know or see? Only the Buddha, whose practice is complete, is able to see it fully; bodhisattvas of the ten abodes see it only faintly. 'Inconceivable': the principle of dharmatā is subtle and obscure, the sphere of the Buddha alone, not something that can be fathomed by the two vehicles or lower stages. 'For what reason is it called exceedingly profound?': from here down directly explains why the substance of dependent origination is exceedingly profound. It clarifies that the actions and karmas of sentient beings are neither permanent nor cut off, and their karmic fruits are not lost. If sentient beings, in creating karma, merely took the false spirit as their substance, they should follow the impermanence of the three characteristics. If they followed the three characteristics, how could the wholesome and unwholesome karma created remain? Yet after giving rise to karma, even passing through hundreds of thousands of millions of kalpas, they still receive the retribution themselves; therefore one knows that dharmatā serves as the master of spiritual understanding, constantly succeeding the true without perishing. Since its substance has neither rise nor decline, how could its function perish? Only after attaining understanding can the function of ignorance be eliminated; before understanding has arisen, because of constant ignorance there is karma. Karma is simply ignorance; in the sense of obstructing wisdom, it is called defilement; in bringing about rebirth and evoking fruits, it is considered karma; thus they are one substance divided by aspect. 'Although it perishes thought-moment by thought-moment, nothing is lost': since the real and the conventional together constitute the spirit, on the conventional side it may indeed perish with the three characteristics, but taking it from the real side, the sense of ignorance constantly persists; therefore nothing is lost. 'Although there is no agent': although there is no agent such as a spiritual self, karmic activity is not absent. 'Although there is no recipient': although there is no recipient such as the spiritual self among the sixteen views, when there is a cause, one must obtain the fruit. 'Having no deliberative cognition, yet coming to be through combination': nor is there an agent of cognition combined with a spiritual self as posited by non-Buddhists. However, because of causes, effects are drawn forth, the principles and numbers mutually evoking one another. If one did not have this dharmatā as substance, after giving rise to karma, where would it be lodged? Earlier sūtras proclaimed the phrase of 'achievement' (prāpti)—how indeed was that achievement established?