大般涅槃經集解 1.27

1.27

The collective deliberation states: In what has traditionally been closely studied, there are five kinds of explanations. First: The wondrous, ultimate dharmakāya is serene and unconditioned, equal in bounds to Suchness. The single mark is markless; how could words and virtues reach it? Although one may borrow words to discern it, even as it is discerned it transcends words, just as one perceives the moon by means of a finger, yet the moon is not the finger. Second: Words are square while the principle is round; it is difficult to discern and describe. The spiritual path is dark and indistinct; it can be converged with but cannot be spoken. It is like Wheelwright Bian chisseling a wheel, unable to transmit the knack to his son. Conventional truth, being coarse and shallow, is already difficult to express in words; how much less could the deep and wondrous true truth be named? Third: What is called transcending words is merely that the stage of dharmakāya transcends the names of ordinary defilements. Its substance is wondrous being, exalted and supreme; why could it not be attained through the name of 'exalted and supreme'? Fourth: Names are dharmas of mutually entangled marks. If one invokes a stage of mutually entangled marks, it corresponds to that which is invoked. If it is a stage without marks, though it is attained through invocation, in the end it transcends invocation. Fifth: All dharmas fundamentally transcend names. Speaking from this perspective, how could it apply solely to the dharmakāya? One could also designate saṃsāra as nirvāṇa, and designate nirvāṇa as saṃsāra. Now names are already fixed, and we merely consider nirvāṇa's transcendence of the names of saṃsāra to be precious.