大般涅槃經集解 10.9

10.9

Sengzong comments: Examining the intent of this explanation, from the beginning up to 'free of consciousness and apart from mind', it specifically clarifies that the true and the responsive are not different. From 'free of consciousness and apart from mind' onward, it clarifies the meaning in terms of non-identity. 'Not a body of humans or gods' means that its state surpasses the five destinies. Zhixiu says: Examining the purport of this answer, there are two distinctions: first, it broadly explains the characteristics of the dharmakāya using four categories; second, the conclusion. In the first category, from this up to 'the body of the Tathāgata is not a body', it first clarifies that it is not an evil body, to constrain Kāśyapa's objection. In the second category, from 'this body' down to 'free of consciousness', within names and characteristics it discerns the unborn and unceasing body. This is explained through two conditions: first, from 'not gathered and not cultivated' onward, it clarifies that it does not arise from collection; next, from 'without agitation or motion' onward, it clarifies that in the fruit, one no longer creates karma according to conditions. Through these two conditions, one knows that the dharmakāya is neither born nor ceases. In the third category, from 'apart from mind yet not apart from mind' onward, by carrying the response it clarifies the origin, directly revealing that because the response arises from the origin, the origin derives its designation from the response. In the fourth category, from 'the Tathāgata's body accomplishes' onward, although the characteristics of the dharmakāya were revealed earlier through three conditions, these were all within names and characteristics and did not exhaust its beauty; hence it further clarifies that the dharmakāya wondrously transcends all characteristics—not meaning that there is no Dharma that can be named, but precisely because the virtues of the dharmakāya are vast and cannot be exhausted by the local dialects of the lower stages.