中觀論疏 4.5

4.5

Question: It was said earlier that this chapter explains the sūtras' meaning of non-going and non-coming. How does it explain it? Answer: The passages in the sūtras are very numerous, but now I will briefly cite the essentials. The Vimalakīrtinirdeśa-sūtra says: "Coming with the characteristics of non-coming, going with the characteristics of non-going; coming with nowhere to come from, going with nowhere to go to." This expresses the present meaning. The Nirvāṇa-sūtra says: "Vaidūrya came forward. The Buddha asked, 'Did you arrive and come, or did you not arrive and come?' He replied, 'Arriving, one also does not come; not arriving, one also does not come. Arriving is having already come, [so there is] no coming; not arriving is not yet coming, [so there is] no coming. As I observe this meaning, there is no going or coming whatsoever.'" Next, in the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā-sūtra, Sadāprarudita doubted the coming and going of the Buddha, and Dharmodgata refuted him inversely, saying: "Does the water in a mirage come from the eastern sea or the western sea, and go to the southern sea or the northern sea?" Sadāprarudita replied: "In a mirage there is not even any water; how could there be coming or going?" Through this, he awakened to the meaning that the dharmakāya has no coming or going. Next, the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa, in explaining the factors of awakening and expounding the right action of a bodhisattva, also clarifies that there is no coming or going, sweeping all such passages together here. Simply reading this chapter, one may not perceive it to be profound; yet when viewed in light of all the Mahāyāna sūtras, one then realizes its profound taste. Question: Setting aside the other sūtras for now, since the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa says "coming with the characteristics of non-coming," in terms of what meaning is this explained? Answer: The Tattvasiddhi masters say: "Substantial entities have no coming, but continuity has coming; therefore it says 'coming with the characteristics of non-coming.'" They also say: "In conventional truth there is coming, while in ultimate truth there is no coming; therefore it says 'coming with the characteristics of non-coming.'" The Daśabhūmika masters say: "The essence of the dharmadhātu has no coming, but its functioning has coming." The Middle and Provisional masters say: "In the middle way there is no going or coming, but in provisional designations there is going and coming." The present [teaching] agrees with none of these explanations. One simply must read the sūtra: coming is just evident, yet in reality there is nowhere it comes from; it cannot be split into two pieces.