金光明經文句記 5.18

5.18

First, praising the substance. The principle protected by the Buddhas is immeasurable and extremely profound: horizontally it subsumes all dharmas universally, and vertically it gathers all dharmas exhaustively. If the principle were not so, how could it be called the king of sūtras? Question: The text expresses this principle, hence it is called the king of sūtras. In that case, the sūtra text is merely the expressive means, and the king resides solely in the principle. Why does the explanation of the title say that the text is named the king of sūtras and that the teaching subsumes all scriptures? Pointing to the text and pointing to the principle are two different points; how are they reconciled? Answer: If under the previous three teachings text and principle do not unite, this would indeed be an objection. But now, proceeding from the perfect [teaching], dharmas are all non-dual: there is no principle outside of the text, and no text outside of the principle. If in explaining the title one cited the text in isolation, how could it be called a king? If the present commentary pointed to the principle without subsuming the text, it would conversely belong to the previous teachings; trusting that text and principle unite as both sūtra and king, its meaning is secret and subtle, not to be sought through ordinary concepts. Praising the substance as the king of sūtras here does not differ from the "Introductory Chapter".