因明入正理論疏 3.42

3.42

The Commentary says: This establishment of a contradictory meaning has two [parts]: the first three lines show that this reason is also capable of creating a contradiction against the qualification of that subject; the latter two lines explain the reason. "Acting as not the object of cognitive apprehension" means acting as not the object of cognitive apprehension of their intended category of the Great Existence. That is to say, this very reason can also establish the contradictory to the qualification intended by what they established—"acting as an object of cognitive apprehension"—by acting as not the object of cognitive apprehension of the Great Existence. Commonality-particularity possesses one substance, yet acts as not the object of cognitive apprehension of the Great Existence; existence-ness possesses one substance, so it ought to act as not the object of cognitive apprehension of the Great Existence. It does not negate acting as an object of cognitive apprehension in general, but only negates acting as the object of cognitive apprehension of the Great Existence. Therefore it contradicts the intended qualification. Otherwise, it would contradict the thesis that existence-ness can act as an object of cognitive apprehension. Although the phrasing is brief, an examination of the meaning confirms this. Explaining the reason, it says: "Because, just as with negating substance and so forth, both are equally determined." Since this reason of the Vaiśeṣikas establishes existence-ness, negating that it is substance and so forth while acting as an object of cognitive apprehension; this reason also negates that existence-ness acts as an object of cognitive apprehension of existence-ness. Just as with their negation, both are equally determined; therefore it constitutes a reason contradictory to their qualification. In this school, own-character and qualification are not fixed, as was already explained before. Here, we briefly take the explicit utterance as the own-character and what is intended as the qualification, so there is no flaw or objection.