大般涅槃經集解 67.28

67.28

Sengliang comments: He formulates the idea from the opponent's perspective, answering the challenge above. This means: although unsalty things have the nature of saltiness, it is unnoticeable because it is subtle, requiring external saltiness to manifest it. Sengzong says: He exposes the absurdity of its possessing inherent nature. If you say that because unsalty things have the nature of saltiness they need salt to manifest it, now we see that when an unsalty thing is placed in a salty substance, its flavor is just rightly obtained; could it be that salt also has a subtle unsalty nature? If that were so, salty and unsalty would each possess both natures; why, then, when they are not combined, can neither be used alone? Therefore, we know that dharmas previously lack the effect. Zhixiu says: This is the sixth causal scenario, refuted by three subsequent arguments. First, he challenges them regarding each having both natures. Second, because they still cling to the causal factor not lacking the substance of the effect—as it necessarily requires external four great elements to augment it—he turns it back to question and challenge them: if it existed previously, it should not have a sequence. Third, he further adduces the *śirīṣa* fruit to prove that no effect exists previously in the cause. This is the first.