金光明經文句 4.9.3

4.9.3

When one undertakes the contemplation of impurity as an auxiliary path, if one contemplates an unwholesome mind grasping an object, that is defiling the five aggregates. If it is a wholesome mind with shame and conscience, that is an expedient for submerging the five aggregates. These views all rely on matter; matter is itself impure, and because it is impure, there is neither person nor self; therefore [the sūtra] says, "Where is there a person?" The wisdom that contemplates is also like this; therefore it says, "Where is there a person?" If spoken of in terms of achieving awakening, destroying the twenty kinds of view of personal identity (kāyadṛṣṭi) is attaining the emptiness of the sentient being, with delusion of views no longer remaining. But one who performs the twenty kinds of contemplation eliminates delusion regarding real dharmas; if delusion regarding real dharmas is eliminated, one immediately enters the path of cultivation (bhāvanā-mārga), and one should then say, "Where is there any dharma?" If spoken of in terms of one who is not yet awakened: although one performs the twenty kinds of contemplation, the delusion of views is not yet eliminated, and one merely suppresses craving upon nominal designations, passing into real dharmas and conceiving a self. Hence the Lotus Sūtra says: "Sentient beings are attached at every point, abandoning one and grasping another like an inchworm." One must further perform the twenty kinds of contemplation upon real dharmas, causing the wisdom of emptiness to become distinct and clear, so that performing it everywhere entails no fault. From "These great [elements]" downward, two lines explain the contemplation of real dharmas. When one achieves awakening through the emptiness of the sentient being above, one immediately understands dharmas; [this] is further stated for the sake of those who have not yet awakened. The text also falls into three parts: the first two phrases mean that dharmas are identical to emptiness; the next line and one phrase mean that the original nature of dharmas is neither empty nor provisional; the next phrase means that dharmas are identical to the provisional—analogous to the three meanings in the emptiness of the sentient being. "These great [elements]" indicates the dharmas of the four great elements. "None of them is real" directly explains the contemplation of emptiness. If the four great elements each preserved their own nature, earth preserving the nature of solidity should not move and should not become warm; water preserving the nature of moisture should not turn into ice and should not form waves; fire preserving the nature of heat should not turn into fuel and should not be a flame; wind preserving the nature of motion should not sustain and should not stop upon striking a wall. Since a single great element possesses the three [other] natures and is not wholly solid, not wholly moist, not wholly hot, and not wholly moving, having lost its original nature, it is not real; being not real, it is empty. The Sūtra on Requesting Avalokiteśvara says: "Earth has no nature of solidity; the nature of water does not abide; fire arises from conditions; the nature of wind is unobstructed; each and every one enters the limit of reality." This is precisely its meaning. Above, inquiring into the emptiness of the sentient being, it therefore said, "Where is there a person?" Now, inquiring into the emptiness of dharmas, it therefore says, "None of them is real." "Not real" means precisely empty. "Originally unarisen of themselves" means that the original nature of dharmas is unarisen and unceasing—the contemplation of neither empty nor provisional. Realizing that their origin does not arise, there is no combination in the middle, nor emptiness at the end. Originally there are no four great elements; how could the four great elements come to arise? Since the origin is unarisen, how could there be combination in the middle? Since the four great elements do not combine, how could the five aggregates combine? Since the great [elements] and the aggregates do not combine, how could there be emptiness of dharmas? They are originally unarisen and unceasing of themselves; it is not that the wisdom of contemplation causes them to be unarisen and unceasing. This is what is meant by "the immediate identity of phenomena and principle." "Through these causes and conditions" refers to the causes and conditions of contemplative understanding. Contemplation and principle merge, realizing that [dharmas are] immediately empty, immediately provisional, and immediately the middle. The Great Sūtra says: "There are also causes and conditions: by extinguishing ignorance, one immediately obtains the blazing lamp of sambodhi." This is precisely the meaning of causes and conditions. "Coming into existence through combination" means that dharmas are immediately provisional. Since their original substance is not real, how could there be the great [elements] and the aggregates? This is due to the causal conditions of ignorance and karma: by relying on the resultant physical body left behind in the present world, the four great elements and five aggregates come to exist. That is, they exist through the combination of causes and fruits of delusion. Because these dharmas exist, their substance has existence, non-existence, and neither existence nor non-existence; they are immediately empty, immediately provisional, and immediately neither empty nor provisional. The clear text of the threefold contemplation is right in the sūtra; how could one not believe it? Further, for persons of dull faculties, one characterizes the delusion regarding real dharmas: some say the four great elements and five aggregates are existent, are non-existent, are both existent and non-existent, or are neither existent nor non-existent. Once the four attachments arise, arising is called existence. These views rely on matter; relying on matter, they give rise to a self; the self gives rise to the five sharp [afflictions]. Becoming angered on account of dharmas, they further give rise to the five dull [afflictions]. The ten emissaries are the origin (samudaya), which then brings forth future suffering. Failing to understand in future lives, [this continues] endlessly in cyclical transmission: the surging waves on the great ocean of birth and death; lifetime after lifetime, they are constantly deluded by the great [elements] and aggregates. Delusion regarding this material dharma is the aggregate of matter; sorrow and joy are the aggregate of sensation; grasping appearances is the aggregate of perception; initiating wholesome and unwholesome is the aggregate of formations; making discriminations is the aggregate of consciousness. Because the aggregate mind arises, it is called having dharmas, which is not the emptiness of dharmas. When the mind does not rely on matter, nor does it rely on sensation, perception, formations, or consciousness, it becomes serene and puts an end to all evils, and immeasurable sins are eliminated. A person of such noble excellence is able to see wisdom (prajñā); this is also the profound dharmatā, and within the golden radiance one is able to see me, Śākyamuni. If a practitioner is able to contemplate the two emptinesses of the sentient being and dharmas in this way, it is like carrying a precious jewel while returning home; within one or two lifetimes, one will accomplish something, guaranteed not to be left stranded. From "The substance and characteristics of ignorance" downward, five lines explain the contemplation of the two emptinesses of the sentient being and dharmas through the twelve links of dependent origination. The text falls into two parts: the first three lines present the characteristics of the object, and the latter two lines present the characteristics of the contemplation. The first part also has two sections: the first two lines explain the object of the emptiness of the sentient being; hence the text says, "It is called ignorance." The Treatise says: "Who grows old and dies?" Thus we know it is the object of the emptiness of the sentient being. The latter one line presents the object of the emptiness of dharmas; the text says, "Old age, death, sorrow, and affliction." The Treatise says: "This is old age and death." Thus we know it is the object of the emptiness of dharmas. However, the sūtras and treatises differ regarding the twelve links of dependent origination: sometimes [explaining them in terms of] the three periods of time, sometimes retribution, sometimes a single thought-moment, or sometimes ten kinds. The three periods of time means that the two past causes destroy the view of an eternal spirit; the five present results destroy the view of a spirit as self; the three present causes and two future results destroy the view of the annihilation of the spirit—this is what is conventionally used. Retribution means: from the initial entry into the womb as a kalala considered as ignorance, through the twelve links spanning the entire course of a single lifetime from beginning to end. A single thought-moment means: the Avataṃsaka Sūtra says, "The twelve links of dependent origination are within a single thought-moment of the mind"; the Mahāsaṃnipāta Sūtra says, "The twelve links of dependent origination are completely present in a single thought-moment of one person. For example, when the eye sees forms, not understanding is called ignorance; generating craving and aversion is called formations; the mind and consciousness at the center are called consciousness; matter operating together with consciousness is called name-and-form; greed arising in the six sense-bases is called the six internal bases; matter making contact with the eye is called contact; reception is called sensation; clinging attachment to matter is called craving; having conceptualized the marks of matter is called grasping; the thought of matter arising in the mind is called becoming; the arising of the mind is called birth, and the cessation of the mind is called death. The same applies through to the mind thinking of dharmas. In a single day and night, how many networks of the wheel of the twelve links of dependent origination does the ordinary consciousness spin to entangle itself?" Now we further explain the characteristics of their causal arising. If one contemplates that name-and-form arises from formations, and formations arise from ignorance, and regarding ignorance one fails to understand, saying it is existent, non-existent, both existent and non-existent, or neither existent nor non-existent—grasping through the tetralemma is entirely ignorance.