大般涅槃經疏 25.9

25.9

「佛性非內非外」下，是品中第二大段。前作佛性說，此作中道說。文為三：一略標中道、二廣破邊執、三結歎佛性。初標中道有三句。初句云非內非外者，舊解云：不定在眾生身內，故言非內；復不離眾生，即此識神而得成佛，故言非外。觀師解云：非在眾生身內故言非內，亦不在眾生身外故言非外。今皆不然，舊說取捨如步屈蟲，次說如鳥除二翅。何者？眾生五陰是因緣生法，即是空，不在俗諦，故非外；此法即假，不在真諦，故非內；此法即中，故不俱在二諦。此法遍一切處，故不獨在中道諦，此法不可思議，不縱不橫、不並不別，豈作單能說之？上文云一切覺者名為佛性，諸師單說非一切覺則非佛性，不名中道。三點具足名一切覺，是名佛性，乃是中道。只以即空非外不在俗諦，只依此意，任運破諸師所說。標第二句，云雖非內外而不失壞，此還成上意。舊云：非外故不失、非內故不壞。若定在外，應東西散失；若定在內，應同於死身有臭壞，故言非失非壞。觀師云：其本無成所以不壞，其本無得所以非失。今明二師解初句未成、釋後句無託。此句釋成上非內非外，而復即中，故言不壞；而復雙照，故言不失。標第三句，云故名眾生悉有者，觀師云：雖非內外亦不有無，而假名為有。今相釋上不失不壞，即遍一切處故名悉有。

From 'The buddhadhātu is neither internal nor external' onward is the second major section in this chapter. Previously it was explained in terms of the buddhadhātu; here it is explained in terms of the middle way. The text has three parts: first, briefly setting forth the middle way; second, extensively refuting one-sided attachments; third, concluding with praise of the buddhadhātu. First, setting forth the middle way has three phrases. In the first phrase, 'neither internal nor external', an old explanation says: 'It is not definitively inside the bodies of sentient beings, hence it says neither internal; nor is it separate from sentient beings, for this very conscious spirit attains buddhahood, hence it says neither external.' Master Guān's explanation says: 'Because it is not inside the bodies of sentient beings, it says neither internal; nor is it outside the bodies of sentient beings, hence it says neither external.' Now, neither is correct: the old explanation makes choices like an inchworm, and the next explanation is like a bird stripped of both wings. Why is this? Sentient beings' five aggregates are dharmas produced by causes and conditions, which are immediately empty; not existing in the conventional truth, they are therefore 'not external'. These dharmas are immediately provisional; not existing in the ultimate truth, they are therefore 'not internal'. These dharmas are immediately the middle; therefore, they do not simultaneously reside in the two truths. These dharmas pervade all places, so they do not uniquely abide in the truth of the middle way. These dharmas are inconceivable, neither vertical nor horizontal, neither combined nor separate; how could a one-sided statement express them? An earlier passage says that the all-awakened is called the buddhadhātu. The various masters speak one-sidedly; not being the all-awakened, it is then not the buddhadhātu, and cannot be called the middle way. Complete with the three dots [of the letter i], it is called the all-awakened, which is named the buddhadhātu, and only then is it the middle way. Simply through 'immediately empty, hence not external, not abiding in conventional truth'—relying solely on this meaning—one naturally refutes what the various masters say. Setting forth the second phrase: 'Although it is neither internal nor external, it is not lost or destroyed.' This in turn establishes the above meaning. The old [view] says: 'Because it is not external, it is not lost; because it is not internal, it is not destroyed. If it were definitively external, it would scatter and be lost east and west; if it were definitively internal, it would be foul and decayed like a dead body; hence it says neither lost nor destroyed.' Master Guān says: 'Originally having no completion, it is therefore not destroyed; originally having no acquisition, it is therefore not lost.' Now I clarify: the two masters failed to establish the explanation of the first phrase, and their interpretation of the latter phrase has no footing. This phrase explains and establishes the preceding 'neither internal nor external', and being furthermore immediately the middle, it is therefore said to be 'not destroyed'; being furthermore doubly illuminating, it is therefore said to be 'not lost'. Setting forth the third phrase: 'Therefore it is said that sentient beings all possess it.' Master Guān says: 'Although neither internal nor external, nor existent or non-existent, it is provisionally named as existent.' Now, explaining it in mutual connection with the preceding 'not lost and not destroyed', it pervades all places and is therefore called 'all possess it'.