中觀論疏 8.6

8.6

From "The question says" downward is the third round, establishing the inexhaustible dharma (avipraṇāśa); first it establishes it, and next refutes it. Within the establishment there are three parts: 1. an introductory statement, 2. the direct statement, and 3. the explanation. "The question says: I shall now again explain the meaning that conforms to karma and retribution"—this chapter has seven rounds of refutation and establishment. In the first round, the substance of karma was established and immediately refuted. In the next round, he argued that karma is neither annihilated nor permanent to rescue the above establishment, and the treatise master immediately refuted it. Now he establishes that which preserves karma and retribution to comprehensively rescue the above thesis, hence he says, "I shall now again explain." "Conforms to karma and retribution" means that the thesis he establishes accords with cause and effect without violating the characteristics of phenomena; if the treatise master refutes it, he would oppose the principle of cause and effect and violate the characteristics of phenomena. Because it accords with cause and effect, it is praised by the worthy and noble of the three vehicles; if the treatise master refutes it, he would be disparaged by Buddhas and bodhisattvas. This one verse concludes the introductory statement. From "The so-called inexhaustible dharma is like a debt certificate, and karma is like borrowed property" downward is the second part, in which six verses directly establish the core thesis. In the text there are two parts: first, stating the two headings; next, explaining the two headings. "The inexhaustible dharma is like a debt certificate" states the heading of the inexhaustible dharma. "Karma is like borrowed property" states the heading of karma. Now let us explain them comprehensively. For people of the world to make a loan, four things are requisite: 1. having a creditor, 2. having a debtor, 3. executing a debt certificate to bind the debtor so that the property is not lost, and 4. the debtor must repay the property. The creditor is the sentient beings of the six destinies. The debtor is the wholesome and unwholesome karma of the six destinies. At the time of performing an action, there must be a dharma that arises following the karma, preserving the karma so that its fruit is not lost, just as when borrowing property a certificate must be executed. The debtor must repay the property to the creditor, and wholesome and unwholesome karma must yield the fruit of the six destinies, returning it to the practitioner to receive. The text of the treatise only explains the certificate and the debtor, merely citing the essentials for the sake of concision. Question: The creditor provides property to the other person, and only then does the other person repay the debt; can one say that the fruit comes forth from sentient beings and is given to karma, and only then does karma yield the fruit and return it to the practitioner? Answer: It is broadly citing a metaphor; it does not need to match completely. Even if it had to match completely, the principle is also there, for the retributions of the six destinies all emerge from within the minds of sentient beings; as the *Daśabhūmika Sūtra* says, "The triple realm is entirely made by the one mind." Question: How does the opponent's citing of this rescue [his position from] annihilation and permanence above? Answer: In observed everyday affairs these four things are present, and the actions of cause, effect, and karma also possess these four. Since this matches affairs and conforms to principle, and both the wise and foolish believe in it, one knows that karma and its fruit definitely exist. However, karma is conditioned and arises and ceases moment by moment, hence it is not permanent; this inexhaustible dharma preserves it so that the fruit is not lost, therefore it is not annihilated. Being neither annihilated nor permanent, it avoids the aforementioned fault. Question: Karma is conditioned and arises and ceases moment by moment, and the inexhaustible dharma is also conditioned and arises and ceases moment by moment; how can it be neither annihilated nor permanent? Answer: Tripiṭaka Master Paramārtha cited the Sammatīya school, explaining that the inexhaustible dharma possesses functional permanence (kāritra-nitya), waiting for the fruit to arise before it perishes, without momentary perishing in the interim. It is like a certificate, which is torn up only after the debt has been fully repaid. Both of these headings have both the doctrinal statement and the metaphor: "inexhaustible dharma" is the doctrinal statement, and "like a certificate" is the metaphor. "Karma" is the doctrinal statement, and "like borrowed property" is the metaphor. Wholesome karma is like another owing property, and unwholesome karma is like owing property to another; it can also broadly serve as a metaphor for wholesome and unwholesome karma inevitably repaying retribution, just like borrowed property.