中觀論疏 1.34

1.34

From “Hearing ultimate emptiness taught in the Mahāyāna Dharma” downward is second, clarifying delusion regarding the Mahāyāna. One may also say that the previous text was attached to existence, while this text is stranded in emptiness—that is, deluded about the two truths. Thus the earlier preface says: “Seeing the teaching of emptiness, they claim that guilt and merit are both obliterated; hearing the exposition of existence, they are fixated on determinate nature.” It was composed by anticipating this passage. In the text there are four parts: first, hearing the teaching; second, failing to recognize the intent of the teaching; third, the arising of delusion; fourth, concluding the fault. “Hearing ultimate emptiness taught in the Mahāyāna Dharma” is hearing the teaching. Ultimate emptiness is not taught in the Hīnayāna Dharma; ultimate emptiness exists only in the Mahāyāna Dharma; hence it says “hearing ultimate emptiness taught in the Mahāyāna Dharma.” From “not knowing through what causes and conditions it is empty” downward is second, clarifying the failure to recognize the intent of the teaching. There are four reasons why ultimate emptiness is taught in the sūtras: First, to counter and destroy the disease of existence, emptiness is taught. Once the disease of existence has subsided, the medicine of emptiness is also removed, until none of the five positions is relied upon. But by abandoning existence and clinging to emptiness, they fail to understand the Buddha's intent. Thus the chapter on Examination of Actions says: “The Great Sage taught the Dharma of emptiness / to separate from all views. / If one again sees emptiness as an entity, / the Buddhas cannot convert them.” Second, when the sūtras teach ultimate emptiness, this clarifies that the ultimate truth is ultimately empty, not that the conventional truth is ultimately empty. Yet those of the Fangguang school mistakenly took the Buddha's intent to mean that the conventional truth is also ultimately empty; thus they did not know the causes and conditions for teaching emptiness. As the first fascicle of the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: “It explains that persons and so forth exist through conventional truth and are non-existent through ultimate truth; while the true limit and so forth exist through ultimate truth and are non-existent through conventional truth.” This is its proof. Third, the gateway of the Path is neither empty nor non-empty; within that which lacks names and characteristics, for the sake of sentient beings, names and characteristics are provisionally spoken, calling it “empty.” Neither empty nor non-empty is the middle way; empty and non-empty is the provisional designation. But students of the teaching do not understand the middle and provisional, thinking that there is real emptiness; thus they do not know the causes and conditions for teaching emptiness. Thus the chapter on Examination of the Four Noble Truths says: “Phenomena arisen through causes and conditions, / I declare to be empty; / this is also a provisional designation, / and also the meaning of the middle way.” The prose commentary explains: “Phenomena arisen through causes and conditions are empty because they lack intrinsic nature; emptiness is also empty again. It is only to teach and convert sentient beings that it is provisionally designated.” This is its proof. Fourth, existence through causes and conditions is distinctly none other than ultimate emptiness. Although it is ultimately empty, it is distinctly existent through causes and conditions; this is explaining the true nature without destroying provisional designations, establishing all phenomena without stirring from the true limit. Yet students of the teaching, upon hearing of existence through causes and conditions, lose sight of ultimate emptiness; hearing of ultimate emptiness, they lose sight of existence through causes and conditions. Thus they do not know the intent of teaching emptiness.