大毘盧遮那成佛經疏 7.8.4

7.8.4

…and because the mind-realm has neither acquisition nor abandoning, one should know that the dharmadhātu also has neither acquisition nor abandoning. When even abandoning does not exist in itself and there is no dharma to be abandoned, how much less could there be anything to acquire? If the dharmadhātu were of an acquirable characteristic, it would be produced from a multitude of causes and conditions. If it were produced from a multitude of causes and conditions, one should know that it lacks an intrinsic essence of its own, so how could it serve as the essence of all dharmas? Therefore, the dharmadhātu is merely the self-realized eternal mind, with no separate dharma apart from it. Furthermore, the great gift of the Tathāgata is what is called the mahākaruṇā-maṇḍala. The dharmadhātu is itself the universal-gateway dharmatā. Such dharmatā cannot be shown to others through the divine power of adhiṣṭhāna; therefore, there is no dharma that can be acquired. As for 'The syllable PA gateway, because the ultimate truth of all dharmas cannot be apprehended,' the Sanskrit is paramārtha, which is translated as 'first meaning' (ultimate truth) or 'supreme meaning' (paramārtha). Satya is translated here as 'truth' (satya); the meaning of 'truth' will be explained at the syllable SA gateway. Now, this syllable PA gateway directly clarifies the characteristic of the ultimate truth. Nāgārjuna says: 'The ultimate truth is called the dharmatā of all dharmas, because it cannot be broken or destroyed.' Furthermore, the supreme among all dharmas is called nirvāṇa, as the Abhidharma says: 'What is the unsurpassed dharma? It refers to cessation through discernment (pratisaṃkhyānirodha).' Cessation through discernment is nirvāṇa. If one sees the syllable PA, one knows that all dharmas are not separate from the ultimate truth, and the ultimate truth is not separate from the dharmatā of all dharmas: this is the characteristic of the syllable. As for the true meaning of the syllable gateway, even the ultimate truth cannot be apprehended. Why is this? Because there is neither attachment nor craving. The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa also says: 'Because sentient beings are attached to the sound of nirvāṇa, they engage in prapañca as to whether it exists or does not exist. In order to break attachment, it is taught that nirvāṇa is empty: this is called the emptiness of the ultimate truth (paramārthaśūnyatā). It does not overturn what is attained in the minds of the noble ones, because noble ones do not grasp at characteristics in any dharmas.' Furthermore, all dharmas enter into the equal dharmadhātu and thus have neither superiority nor inferiority; how could one wish to introduce superior and inferior characteristics into unborn dharmas? Therefore, the ultimate truth cannot be apprehended. As for 'The syllable PHA gateway, because all dharmas are unstable like a mass of foam,' the Sanskrit is phena, translated as 'a mass of foam.' Just as waves churn and clash furiously in great waters to form a mass of foam, various characteristics arise, and as they cohere and support one another, firmness eventually seems to appear. Yet, examining them one by one from coarse to subtle, they are merely conditions following from conditions, which cannot be grasped and entirely lack real nature. When reaching their fundamental limit, their entire substance is just water, with nothing whatsoever being produced. The various five skandhas of the world today are also like this. If one now gathers the branches back to the root, looking closely down to the finest measure, even the subtle movement at the threshold of a hair's breadth is an interrelated progression from conditions. If something is produced from a multitude of conditions, it lacks intrinsic nature (svabhāva); if it lacks intrinsic nature, one should know that this arising is non-arising. When reaching the threshold of the originally unborn, it is merely the ocean of the nature of the mind. Yet, following the deluded feelings of the six destinies, designations of the world eventually arise. Now, the ocean of the nature of the mind is itself the dharmadhātu, and the dharmadhātu is itself the supreme nirvāṇa. If one can see it in this way, even though great waves surge and clash to display all manner of universally manifest physical bodies, they do not destroy the tranquil and clear nature. As for 'The syllable MA gateway, because the bondage of all dharmas cannot be apprehended,' the Sanskrit is bandha, translated here as 'bondage.' It is like a person bound by cords who cannot move: this is the meaning of bondage. If one unties this knot by means of upāya, it is called liberation. Apart from the body and the rope, there is no separate dharma of bondage or liberation. For instance, Śakra Devendra bound the asura king with a subtle bondage and placed him in the Trāyastriṃśa heaven. Whenever the thought arose to return, the five bonds were already upon his body; when his thoughts ceased, the bonds naturally disappeared and were undone. If one considers the snare of Pāpīyān, it exceeds this a hundred thousand times over, to say nothing of the unconditioned bonds of karma and afflictions. In short, only when one is free from all causes and conditions and does not fall into the enumeration of dharmas is it called non-bondage: this is the meaning of the syllable. The Mūlamadhyamakakārikā says: 'If there were a sentient being separate from the five skandhas, the skandhas should bind the sentient being; but in reality, there is no sentient being separate from the five skandhas. If there were afflictions separate from the five skandhas, the afflictions should bind the five skandhas; but in reality, there are no afflictions separate from the five skandhas. Through such diverse causes and conditions, one should know that there is no bondage; with no bondage, there is no liberation. Because there is neither bondage nor liberation, nirvāṇa is saṃsāra, and saṃsāra is nirvāṇa,' as explained at length in the 'Examination of Bondage and Liberation' (Bandhamokṣaparīkṣā). Furthermore, if all dharmas are originally unborn and like a mass of foam, who in this could be the one who liberates? Who could be the one bound? Therefore, all bondages cannot be apprehended. As for 'The syllable BHA gateway, because all becomings among all dharmas cannot be apprehended,' the Sanskrit is bhava, translated here as 'becoming' (or existence); 'becoming' refers to the three realms of becoming and up to the twenty-five realms of becoming. If one sees the syllable BHA, one knows that all dharmas have causes and conditions; because a multitude of conditions combine, they are called 'becoming,' and have no fixed nature. Why is this? If a dharma were determined to possess the characteristic of existence, it could never have the characteristic of nonexistence, which would be eternalism. For example, regarding the three times, if there were a characteristic of a dharma in the future, and this dharma came into the present and passed into the past without abandoning its original characteristic, one would fall into the eternalist view. If one were to say that there is definitely nonexistence, this nonexistence would mean that it definitely existed before and is nonexistent now, which would be the annihilationist view. Due to these two views, one remains far removed from the Buddha-Dharma, as explained at length in the refutation of existence and nonexistence in the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā. If one now contemplates all becomings as being conditioned, this is the very meaning of the originally unborn; because of the originally unborn, there is no making and no action, up to no bondage and no liberation. Therefore, because the syllable BHA gateway exists through conditions, it is fully endowed with all syllable gateways. If fully endowed with all syllable gateways, it is the king-of-samādhis samādhi, which can destroy the twenty-five realms of becoming. On account of this meaning, Śākyamuni is called the Dharma King who destroys becoming. As for 'The syllable YA gateway, because all vehicles among all dharmas cannot be apprehended,' the Sanskrit is yāna, translated here as 'vehicle,' also called 'path.' It is like someone riding a boat or chariot, who can then carry heavy burdens, reach distant places, and arrive somewhere. If one sees the syllable YA gateway, one knows that all sentient beings, by means of various causes and conditions, have their respective vehicles when advancing toward the fruits and retributions of saṃsāra or advancing toward nirvāṇa; one also knows that the immeasurable vehicles are all the Buddha Vehicle: this is called the characteristic of the syllable. Now, contemplating all dharmas as originally unborn, there is neither movement nor abiding, neither agitation nor regress. Who in this is the one who rides? What dharma should be ridden? Furthermore, if this vehicle departs from the three realms of becoming to reach sarvajñatā, and throughout the five hundred yojanas there is no place that is not the real, what path would one wish to travel, and where would one go? Therefore, all vehicles cannot be apprehended: this is called the Mahāyāna path.