淨名玄論 1.49

1.49

九、明一句絕。如一假有，則絕四句。所以然者，假有不可定有、假有不可定無、假有不可定亦有亦無、假有不可定非有非無，故此假有絕於四句。問：假有何故不可定有？答：既言假有，豈可定有？若是定有，便是定性，何名假有？或者云：假有若不可言有，假有便是無。是故今明，既稱假有，寧是定無，但言假有？云何得亦有亦無，唯稱假有，寧言非有非無？故此假有絕乎四句。問：何故明此義耶？答：或者云：真諦無言，可絕四句。不知則假有一句便具四絕，故明一句四絕也。

Ninth, explaining a single phrase as transcended. For example, a single conventional existence transcends the catuṣkoṭi. Why is this? Conventional existence cannot be determinately existent; conventional existence cannot be determinately nonexistent; conventional existence cannot be determinately both existent and nonexistent; conventional existence cannot be determinately neither existent nor nonexistent. Therefore, this conventional existence transcends the catuṣkoṭi. Question: Why can conventional existence not be determinately existent? Answer: Since it is called conventional existence, how could it be determinately existent? If it were determinately existent, it would be a determinate nature; how could it be called conventional existence? Someone might say: 'If conventional existence cannot be called existent, then conventional existence is nonexistent.' Therefore it is now explained: since it is termed conventional existence, how could it be determinately nonexistent? It is merely called conventional existence; how could it be both existent and nonexistent? Being only called conventional existence, how could one speak of neither existence nor nonexistence? Therefore, this conventional existence transcends the catuṣkoṭi. Question: Why explain this meaning? Answer: Someone might say, 'Paramārtha-satya is ineffable and can transcend the catuṣkoṭi.' They do not know that the single phrase of conventional existence already possesses the four transcendences; therefore we explain a single phrase as the four transcendences.