維摩經玄疏 1.55

1.55

Those who say it can be translated have translated it variously as 'establishing the fundamental principle' (zongcheng), or as 'ink' (mo), or as 'seal' (yin), or as 'real' (shi), or as 'accomplishment and culmination' (chengjiu jiujing). Such diverse translations are not just one, making it difficult to settle definitively on any. Dhyāna Master Nanyue said: 'This is like [the term] "Mahānirvāṇa"—it incorporates both Indian and Chinese.' Now, as for 'siddhānta': xi ('complete') is a Sui [Chinese] sound, and tan [dāna] is an Indian word. Xi means pervasive, and tan translates as giving (dāna). Because the Buddha uses these four dharmas to give pervasively to sentient beings, it is called siddhānta.