中觀論疏 6.6

6.6

From "Question: If without an agent and without an action, action cannot be done" onward is the second gate, refuting half-existence and half-non-existence. The outsider says: A person is half-existent, able to initiate karma; a person is half-non-existent, completed by karma. Karma is half-existent, able to complete a person; karma is half-non-existent, requiring a person to initiate it. If so, then there should be person and karma. Question: One should establish half-existence and half-non-existence; why does one only speak of existence? Answer: There are two meanings. First, in contrast to the words "both non-existent" in the prose, it is weighed as existence; second, by briefly citing half-existence, half-non-existence can be known. Question: Whose position is half-existence and half-non-existence? Answer: Person and phenomena possess the two truths: on the side of the meaning of conventional truth, they are half-existent; on the side of the meaning of ultimate truth, they are half-non-existent. Furthermore, Master Kaishan said: The provisional person lacks substance and has function; the meaning of lacking substance is half-non-existent, and the meaning of having function is called half-existent. Provisional phenomena also lack substance and have function, explained in the same way as the person. Furthermore, a single person possesses both provisional and real: when real phenomena perish, it is half-non-existent; when provisional phenomena continue, it is half-existent. This is common to various masters. The first half of the verse directly takes up and refutes it; the second half explains the refutation. As for the word "contradictory," there are two kinds: first, person and karma contradict individually; second, they contradict together. Contradicting individually means: person-existent contradicts person-non-existent, and person-non-existent contradicts person-existent. Karma is also like this. Contradicting together means: person-existent contradicts karma-non-existent, and person-non-existent contradicts karma-existent; karma-non-existent contradicts person-existent, and karma-existent contradicts person-non-existent.