維摩經義疏 5.7.2

5.7.2

[…] Among the twenty-eight lunar lodges, the constellation Gui is named Puṣya; having encountered it at birth, he took his name from it. The ten wholesome deeds are wholesome, and the ten unwholesome deeds are unwholesome. If so, from an ordinary person producing the ten wholesome deeds up to the Buddha, all are wholesome; the rest are unwholesome—this encompasses all dharmas. Furthermore, conforming to the supramundane path is wholesome, which refers to the noble ones of the three vehicles; going against the supramundane is called unwholesome. All three natures of an ordinary person are unwholesome. Furthermore, seeking the Hīnayāna is unwholesome, while seeking the Mahāyāna is wholesome. Furthermore, seeking both the Lesser and Greater [vehicles] is also unwholesome; non-duality is called wholesome. Here it is spoken with respect to the initial approach.

"Bodhisattva Siṃha said: 'Guilt and merit are two. If one penetrates the nature of guilt, then it is no different from merit. One who definitively comprehends this characteristic with adamantine wisdom as being without bondage and without liberation—this is entering the gate of non-dual Dharma.'"

As for the difference between guilt and merit versus wholesome and unwholesome, their substance is one while their meanings differ. Detriment and benefit constitute wholesome and unwholesome; incurring retribution constitutes guilt and merit. Guilt and merit are mostly based on fruition: practicing wholesome deeds and obtaining the fruit of opulence is called merit; creating evil and incurring the retribution of guilt and fracture is called guilt. As for adamantine wisdom: if worldly adamantine is placed upon the mountain peak or upon level ground, it passes straight through without obstruction until it reaches the adamantine boundary, and only then does it stop. The wisdom of true reality, placed upon the mountain peak of merit or upon the level ground of guilt, passes straight through without obstruction until it reaches dharma-nature, which is identical in nature to neither guilt nor merit, and only then does it stop.

"Bodhisattva Siṃhamati said: 'Defiled and undefiled are two. If one attains the equality of all dharmas, then one does not give rise to notions of defiled and undefiled; not clinging to notions nor abiding in marklessness—this is entering the gate of non-dual Dharma.'"

When a lion crosses a river, it must cut straight across the flow; if it veers, it does not cross. This mahāsattva uses the wisdom of true reality to penetrate deeply into all dharmas and pass straight over to the other shore, hence this is borrowed for his name. The *Tattvasiddhi-śāstra* considers the mind that loses the principle and grasps at characteristics to be defiled, and the mind that attains the principle and forgets characteristics to be undefiled. The *Abhidharma* generally refers to all afflictions as defilements; their absence is non-defiled. Now, comprehending these two as non-dual is called entering the gate of non-dual Dharma.

"Bodhisattva Śuddhavimukti said: 'Conditioned and unconditioned are two. If one is free from all categories, then the mind is like empty space. One who encounters no obstruction with purified wisdom—this is entering the gate of non-dual Dharma.'"

Regarding conditioned and unconditioned: "condition" (*wei*) means to make. Apart from dharma, there are distinct four characteristics capable of making the dharma, hence it is called conditioned. Because dharma has this conditioning, it is called conditioned. The permanent dharma is unconditioned, hence it is called unconditioned. These are mutually relative as existing and non-existing. Next, regarding the four characteristics being identical to dharma: just as arising identical to dharma constitutes birth, it is therefore called conditioned. This conditioning exists identical to dharma; it is not that this conditioning exists apart from dharma. As with non-existent dharmas, it is that this conditioning is absent identical to dharma; it is not that it is absent only apart from dharma. The former is the doctrine of the *Abhidharma*, and the latter is the teaching of the *Tattvasiddhi-śāstra*; both are dual views and also non-dual.

"Bodhisattva Nārāyaṇa said: 'The mundane and the supramundane are two. The emptiness of the nature of the mundane is itself the supramundane; within them, neither entering nor exiting, neither overflowing nor dispersing—this is entering the gate of non-dual Dharma.'"

Prior to the path of seeing is called the mundane; from the path of seeing upwards is called the supramundane. Furthermore, from the perspective of ordinary persons and noble ones: having a mind that grasps at characteristics is the mundane; having a mind that does not grasp at characteristics is called the supramundane. Master [Kumāra]jīva said: "The mundane is the three realms. The supramundane refers to all untainted, conditioned path factors." Neither entering nor exiting: having no entry into saṃsāra, it is therefore called non-entering. In the mundane, there is no exiting saṃsāra and no exiting the supramundane. Where there is entering, there is exiting; where there is exiting, there must be overflowing; where there is overflowing, there must be dispersing—these are the customary reckonings within worldly convention.

"Bodhisattva Subuddhi said: 'Saṃsāra and nirvāṇa are two. If one sees the nature of saṃsāra, then there is no saṃsāra, no bondage and no liberation, neither burning nor extinguishing. One who understands in this way—this is entering the gate of non-dual Dharma.'"

Above, speaking of conditioned and unconditioned was to summarize nirvāṇa; however, since nirvāṇa is the supreme dharma among the three unconditioned dharmas, it is spoken of separately. Furthermore, conditioned and unconditioned mostly refer to the nirvāṇa of the Hīnayāna, whereas the nirvāṇa of the Mahāyāna is neither conditioned nor unconditioned; therefore it is spoken of separately.

"Bodhisattva Pratyakṣa said: 'Exhaustible and inexhaustible are two.'"

Some say: forgetting and ceasing is exhaustible; truly attaining permanence is called inexhaustible. Master [Kumāra]jīva said: "Impermanence is the initial gate of emptiness; it does not exhaust dharmas completely, hence it is called inexhaustible. Ultimate emptiness exhausts dharmas completely, hence it is called exhaustible." Master Sengzhao said: "Conditioned, illusory dharmas are impermanent, hence they are called exhaustible. The unconditioned path of true reality is permanent, hence it is inexhaustible."

"'Whether dharmas are ultimately exhaustible or inexhaustible, both are the characteristic of inexhaustibility; the characteristic of inexhaustibility is itself emptiness, and in emptiness there are no characteristics of exhaustible or inexhaustible. One who enters in this way—this is entering the gate of non-dual Dharma.'"

According to the former interpretation: "ultimately exhaustible" takes up the above meaning of exhaustible, distinguishing it from the exhaustibility of impermanent arising and ceasing, hence it is called ultimate. "Or inexhaustible" takes up the previous inexhaustible, which is the truly permanent. "Both are inexhaustible": the previous two are both empty, and the principle of emptiness is permanent, hence it is called inexhaustible. Also, because in the principle of emptiness there is no dharma that can be eliminated, it is also called empty-exhaustible. According to Master Sengzhao's explanation: if one regards the exhaustible as exhaustible and the inexhaustible as inexhaustible, both are duality. If one can awaken to the non-exhaustible characteristic of the exhaustible and inexhaustible, one enters the non-dual Dharma gate of the single emptiness.

"Bodhisattva Parigupta said: 'Self and non-self are two. The self is already unobtainable, so how could non-self be obtained? One who sees the real nature of the self no longer gives rise to duality—this is entering the gate of non-dual Dharma.'"

Being sustained by myriad wholesome deeds is called universal (*pu*); being protected by the assembly of noble ones is called guarded (*shou*).

"Bodhisattva Vidyuddeva said: 'Clarity and ignorance are two. The real nature of ignorance is itself clarity, and clarity is also not to be grasped; being free from all categories, being equal and non-dual within them—this is entering the gate of non-dual Dharma.'"

The masters of the *Daśabhūmika* say: true and false share the same substance; gathering the false forms the true, hence it is called non-dual. Just as moving water forms waves, and the waves and water share the same substance, calming the waves again forms water, which is called non-dual. Now I say this is not so. The text says "clarity is also not to be grasped"; thus both are renounced, not gathered to form [one]. If one awakens to the real nature of ignorance, this is precisely renouncing clarity, hence it is called non-dual. If one sees clarity and ignorance, that is precisely ignorance; therefore we know that clarity is also not to be grasped.

"Bodhisattva Priyadarśana said: 'Form and the emptiness of form are two. Form is itself emptiness, not that form ceases and becomes empty; the nature of form is inherently empty. In this way, sensation, perception, volition, and consciousness, and the emptiness of consciousness, are two. Consciousness is itself emptiness, not that consciousness ceases and becomes empty; the nature of consciousness is inherently empty. One who thoroughly penetrates within them—this is entering the gate of non-dual Dharma.'"