淨名玄論 5.27

5.27

The two cognitions possess four propositions of opening and uniting: First, opening the two wisdoms. As explained previously, illuminating the dharmatā of all phenomena is called prajñā; illuminating all phenomena of dharmatā is called upāya. The Tathāgata inwardly illuminates these two, and therefore has two wisdoms. The Buddha is born from these two, and thus has a father and a mother; externally, he directly explains these two for sentient beings. As the Dazhidulun states: 'First he taught the path of prajñā, and next he clarified the path of upāya. First he clarified the mother of the Buddha, and next he clarified the father of the Buddha. The sūtra therefore regards prajñā as the revered sūtra that is the father and mother of all buddhas of the ten directions and the three times; having faith in it brings great blessing, while slandering it incurs great guilt.'

Question: Since the two wisdoms are taken as the father and mother, what are the grandparents?

Answer: They are distinguished in terms of object and cognition. First, the two objects—dharmatā and all phenomena—are able to generate the two wisdoms; this is the meaning of grandparents. Therefore the objective sphere (jñeya) is called the mother of cognition. If one discusses it in terms of the various practices, it is due to great compassion that prajñā arises; hence great compassion is the mother of prajñā. It is also due to great compassion that there is upāya; being the mother of upāya, it possesses the sense of a father, but they are simply spoken of together. This is the opening of the two wisdoms.

Question: If prajñā is the mother and upāya is the father, why is it said that prajñā is the mother and pratyutpanna-samādhi is the father? And why is it said that prajñā is the mother and the [other] five pāramitās are the father?

Answer: *Prajñotpanna* translates as 'present before one'; 'present before one' means seeing the Buddha manifest before oneself. This is an active practice of existence, and so belongs to upāya; it is called the father. The five pāramitās are also practices of existence, and likewise belong to upāya.

Next, the second proposition, uniting the two wisdoms, explains that both prajñā and upāya are prajñā. Why is this? Prajñā is the essence and upāya is the function; the essence is the essence of prajñā, and the function is the function of prajñā, so both are named prajñā. Therefore, although the Tathāgata spoke the ninety chapters of the Large Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra unfolding the two paths, all are called the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra, and it is not additionally called the Upāya Sūtra. Hence we know that both wisdoms are named prajñā. Again, as the treatise says: 'Gold is made into various utensils, yet the utensils are just gold, with no other separate essence.' Again, it says: 'Among the six pāramitās, uniting both upāya and real wisdom, both are named prajñā.'

Question: How is this known to be so?

Answer: The other five pāramitās merely explain five kinds of active practices of existence, but do not distinguish the illumination and knowledge of emptiness and existence. Now, the meaning of illuminating emptiness belongs to prajñā, and the meaning of knowing existence also belongs to prajñā; hence we know that both wisdoms are named prajñā, which is the meaning of uniting the provisional and the real and calling them both real.

Third, uniting the provisional and the real and calling them both provisional: Since the skillful function of illuminating existence is called upāya, the skill of illuminating emptiness is also upāya; thus the two illuminations are equally skillful, and so both are upāya. Moreover, regarding the fact that the seventh bhūmi is called the Upāyapāramitā, the Dazhidulun says: 'At this time, prajñā is purified and changes its name to upāya. Because up to the sixth bhūmi the function of prajñā is not yet subtle, it is not named upāya. When reaching the seventh bhūmi, the function of prajñā is subtle, and so it is named upāya.' As the text on the seventh bhūmi states: 'From expedient wisdom one gives rise to ten subtle practices, beginning to know that the three realms are empty, yet adorning the three realms,' and so forth. Hence we know that both wisdoms are called upāya. In contrast to this meaning, one may also say that on the sixth bhūmi there are both upāya and prajñā, and both are named prajñā. Again, as the Śrīmālādevī Sūtra says: 'The Great Expedient of the One Vehicle.' Within the One Vehicle, whether illuminating emptiness or illuminating existence, whether speaking of emptiness or speaking of existence, all are named upāya, because all are the great skill-in-means of the buddhas. This is also uniting the two wisdoms as upāya.

Fourth, the two cognitions are neither opened nor united: this negates the previous three propositions, explaining that the correct contemplation of all buddhas has never been real nor ever been provisional, has never been opened nor ever been united. Thus it is said: 'This phenomenon cannot be demonstrated; the characteristics of verbal expression are utterly extinguished.' A buddha cannot practice it, nor can a buddha overturn it. That there are now the opening and uniting of the real and the provisional is entirely within the unnameable and formless, explaining different openings and unitings for sentient beings in various states.