俱舍論記 5.166

5.166

Regarding "Yet the scripture reiterates ... indicates good or non-good": the Sautrāntika explains the scripture. Although the preceding scriptural passage said there are three conditioned characteristics of the conditioned, the scripture should have simply said there are three characteristics of the conditioned. However, that the scripture reiterated the subsequent word 'conditioned' is to make it known that this characterizing mark indicates that the entity of the characterized dharma is conditioned. If it only said 'characteristics of the conditioned,' then one would not know that this characteristic definitely indicates that the entity of the characterized dharma is conditioned, or one might doubt that this characteristic indicates that the conditioned exists, or is good, bad, and so forth. Therefore, by adding the subsequent word 'conditioned,' it makes it known that this characteristic indicates that the characterized dharma is definitely conditioned; hence it says: do not think that this characteristic indicates that conditioned dharmas exist, just as the dwelling of a white heron indicates that water is not absent; nor should one think that this characteristic indicates that conditioned dharmas are good or bad, just as the physical marks of a maiden can indicate good or non-good events for men and women. If she is chaste, her legs and knees will be slender and rounded, her skin soft and smooth, her teeth white, and her lips thin, and she will certainly bear good sons; these marks indicate good. If she is not chaste, her legs and knees will be clumsy and large, her skin coarse and rough, her teeth black, and her lips thick, and she will bear bad sons; these marks indicate non-good. These conditioned characteristics are not like a white heron indicating the presence of water, nor like the marks of a maiden indicating good or non-good; they only indicate that the entity of the characterized dharma is conditioned.