大般涅槃經集解 46.82

46.82

Daosheng says: This answers the question on permanence and impermanence. Conditioned phenomena are permanent through continuity; hence he says birth is also permanent. Sengliang says: This answers the first two propositions. As for the appellation of 'conditioned': when discussing their arising and perishing, the conditioned dharma arises from it—this is birth; because of continuity, it abides; because of changing, it differs; because of perishing, it decays. The four characteristics are simultaneous. A present dharma arising is existent and should be permanent, for at the time of arising there is abiding; yet because birth succeeds perishing, abiding is impermanent, and therefore birth is impermanent. Sengzong says: It is not entirely permanent, nor is it entirely impermanent. It is by being both permanent and impermanent that dharmas can be born. Birth succeeds birth in continuity, hence it is called permanent. Baoliang says: Outside the dharma there is no separate characteristic of birth; it is just that at the moment of birth its position does not alter, so it can also be called permanent; because abiding intervenes, it is then named impermanent. The four characteristics in their respective moments are all like this.