維摩義記 3.99

3.99

In the fifteenth [section], first, "Pushou (Samantagupta) said" indicates the person to set up the individual statement. Below, what was said is clarified. "Self and non-self are two" contrarily sets up two characteristics. There are three distinctions: First, ordinary persons grasp the skandhas as a self, whereas noble wisdom examines and knows that the skandhas are not a self. These identical five skandhas are a self to ordinary persons and not a self to the noble; hence they are called "two." Second, the five skandhas harmonize to form a provisional person, in which ordinary persons establish a determinate nature and call it a self, whereas noble wisdom examines that there is only provisionality without nature, calling it non-self. Third, phenomena of deluded characteristics aggregate to form the characteristic of a person and call it a self, whereas noble wisdom deeply contemplates that the characteristic of a person is empty and non-existent, calling it non-self. Below, these two are reversed to clarify non-duality; the two characteristics are both eliminated to constitute non-duality. First it explains, and then concludes. "If a self is still unobtainable, how could a non-self be obtained?" refutes characteristics to enter into reality. The preceding three levels of self are all unobtainable; how could there be a non-self that eliminates self to be obtained? "Seeing the true nature of the self without giving rise to duality" realizes reality to eliminate characteristics. The essence of the tathāgatagarbha, being neither existent nor non-existent, is the true nature of the self; this is also the true nature of non-self. Speaking for now in terms of self: in this reality there has never been a self; with no duality counterpart to a self, there is no non-self that can be grasped, and therefore one does not give rise to duality. "This is..." below concludes.