淨名玄論 1.56

1.56

問：此經正明不二法門，云何乃釋法身佛性？答：上引經論，明眾生是佛，稱為不二。將就此義以辨佛性法身，以眾生是佛，故六道即法身。於迷者恒非，故隱名為佛性。問：〈不二法門品〉明眾生與佛俱空，故云不二。《中論》明生死涅槃皆不可得。是知生死即涅槃，斯乃明真諦空義。云何辨佛性法身？答：若見生死涅槃二，是故名生死。若了悟此二本無二，所以名涅槃。生死涅槃二法既爾，眾生與佛兩人亦然。見有眾生有佛二，即名為眾生。若了無佛無眾生，此乃為佛。是以不二法門得辨法身佛性。問：涅槃門可說佛性隱顯，法身是常義。淨名經宗，何得已明斷義？答：下云「我觀身實相，觀佛亦然」，乃明法身絕百非、體含於萬德，豈是明空？空可絕百非，真諦云何含於萬德？以此詳之，明不二義即是佛性法身義。又若言此經未明法身常者，何得復言佛身無漏諸漏已盡，佛身無為不墮諸數。漏盡無復諸漏，無為即不生不滅，豈非常耶？又云「但以名字故有三世，非謂菩提有去來今」，即前文辨法身無為，此句明菩提常住。以二文徵之，則五時之教土崩、四宗之說瓦解，宜改舊迷同栖不二矣。

Question: This sūtra directly clarifies the Dharma gate of nonduality; why then do you explain the dharmakāya and the Buddha-nature? Answer: The sūtras and treatises cited above clarify that sentient beings are the Buddha, which is termed nonduality. Drawing upon this meaning, we distinguish Buddha-nature and dharmakāya: because sentient beings are the Buddha, the six destinies are themselves the dharmakāya. For the deluded, it is constantly otherwise; hence, being concealed, it is called Buddha-nature. Question: The chapter "The Dharma Gate of Nonduality" clarifies that sentient beings and the Buddha are both empty, and therefore speaks of nonduality. The Mūlamadhyamakakārikā clarifies that both saṃsāra and nirvāṇa are unobtainable. One thus knows that saṃsāra is itself nirvāṇa, which elucidates the emptiness of paramārtha-satya. How does this distinguish Buddha-nature and the dharmakāya? Answer: If one sees saṃsāra and nirvāṇa as two, it is therefore called saṃsāra. If one realizes that these two fundamentally have no duality, it is therefore called nirvāṇa. Since this is so for the two dharmas of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa, it is also so for the two persons of sentient beings and the Buddha. If one sees sentient beings and the Buddha as two, one is called a sentient being. If one realizes there is neither Buddha nor sentient beings, this is being a Buddha. Therefore, the Dharma gate of nonduality allows one to distinguish dharmakāya and Buddha-nature. Question: In the gate of nirvāṇa one may speak of the concealment and manifestation of Buddha-nature, and the dharmakāya as eternal. How could the fundamental teaching of the Vimalakīrti Sūtra already clarify the doctrine of cessation? Answer: Below, it states: "I contemplate the dharmatā of the body, and contemplate the Buddha likewise." This clarifies that the dharmakāya transcends the hundred negations and in essence contains the myriad virtues; how could it merely clarify emptiness? Emptiness may transcend the hundred negations, but how could paramārtha-satya contain the myriad virtues? Examining it with this, clarifying the meaning of nonduality is precisely the meaning of Buddha-nature and the dharmakāya. Furthermore, if one claims that this sūtra does not clarify the eternity of the dharmakāya, why does it again state that the Buddha's body is uncontaminated, with all contaminations having been extinguished, and that the Buddha's body is asaṃskṛta, not falling into enumeration? When contaminations are extinguished, there are no further contaminations; being asaṃskṛta means neither arising nor ceasing—is this not eternal? Moreover, it states: "It is only on account of conventional designations that the three times exist, not that bodhi has past, future, or present." The former passage distinguishes the dharmakāya as asaṃskṛta, while this sentence clarifies the eternal abide of bodhi. Verifying this through these two passages, the teachings of the five periods collapse into dust, and the theories of the four tenets shatter like tiles; one should discard old delusions and together dwell in nonduality.