大乘起信論義疏 1.53

1.53

自下第二明其空相。此中尋經本中有其六種：一者有無相對以辨空相；二者一異相對以辨；三者自他相對以辨；四者大小相對以辨；五者彼此相對以辨；六者就眾生心念以辨空相。而此論文，但有前二後一句耳，略無中三。何故爾者？義例以故，論主不備，經中具有。此六句中，前五之中具有五句，後一句者結排淺相。言「當知真如自性」者，欲寄相顯故略顯。言「非有相」是第一句，非如虛有故言非有；言「非無」者是第二句，非如獨無故。此是二句題其所無，非同世間有無法也。然則何物「非非有相」是第三句，淨法滿足故；「非非無相」者，是第四句，真如湛然故，此之二句顯其所有。然則有無合相可取故是第五「非有無俱相」，爾乃法相了顯然矣。餘後五句，其相同爾。「非一相」者，就實法門，非是令一一相，故名非一相。無守性故，如一常法，萬皆是常，萬德之外，無得常體，餘皆亦爾。言「非異相」者，非是別，故非異相也。萬德皆是同一體，故非是別體異也。「非非一」者，能無一性而無不性，常義為言終日是常，非是樂義。餘皆同爾。言「非非異」者，常義樂義非一，故名非非異也。「非一異相」者，是雙遣也。言非自相者，離相離性。言離相者，猶如醍醐湛然滿器，而無青黃赤白等相，亦如眾生心識無大小長短等相，真法亦爾，故名離相也。言離性者，無別守性，萬法之外，常體匹得，故名離性，故言非自相也。非他相者，無生死相故。

From here below, the second [part] explains the characteristics of emptiness. Examining the sūtra texts on this point, there are six kinds: first, distinguishing the characteristics of emptiness by contrasting existence and non-existence; second, distinguishing them by contrasting identity and difference; third, distinguishing them by contrasting self and other; fourth, distinguishing them by contrasting large and small; fifth, distinguishing them by contrasting this and that; sixth, distinguishing the characteristics of emptiness with respect to the thoughts of sentient beings' minds. However, this treatise text contains only the first two and the final phrase, abridging and omitting the middle three. Why is it so? Because the doctrinal principle is analogous, the treatise author did not present them exhaustively, though the sūtras contain them completely. Within these six phrases, the first five contain five phrases each, while the final one concludes by rejecting shallow characteristics. Regarding "It should be known that the intrinsic nature of tathatā": wishing to rely on characteristics to reveal it, it is briefly shown. The phrase "is not the characteristic of existence" is the first phrase: because it is not like illusory existence, it is called "not existent". The phrase "is not non-existence" is the second phrase: because it is not like isolated non-existence. These two phrases state what is non-existent, being unlike the worldly phenomena of existence and non-existence. What, then, is it? "Is not the characteristic of non-existence" is the third phrase, because pure phenomena are replete; "is not the characteristic of non-non-existence" is the fourth phrase, because tathatā is serene. These two phrases reveal what it has. Then, could a combined characteristic of existence and non-existence be grasped? Therefore the fifth is "is not the characteristic of both existence and non-existence"; thus the characteristics of phenomena are clearly manifest. The remaining five phrases share the same characteristic. Regarding "is not the characteristic of unity": with respect to the gate of real phenomena, it does not mean that each is a single characteristic, hence it is called "not the characteristic of unity". Because there is no fixed intrinsic nature: just as with a single permanent phenomenon, all ten thousand are permanent; outside of the ten thousand virtues, no permanent substance can be obtained; the rest are also all like this. The phrase "is not the characteristic of difference": because they are not separate, it is "not the characteristic of difference". The ten thousand virtues are all of one identical substance, hence they are not differentiated into separate substances. "Is not non-unity": it can be without a single nature and yet not be without nature; speaking in terms of the meaning of permanence, it is permanent all day long, yet it is not the meaning of bliss. The rest are all like this. The phrase "is not non-difference": the meaning of permanence and the meaning of bliss are not one, hence it is called "not non-different". "Is not the characteristic of both unity and difference" negates both. Regarding "is not the characteristic of self": it is free from characteristics and free from nature. Being "free from characteristics" is like ghee serenely filling a vessel, yet without characteristics such as blue, yellow, red, or white; it is also like the mind and consciousness of sentient beings, which are without characteristics such as large, small, long, or short; real phenomena are also like this, hence it is called "free from characteristics". Being "free from nature" means having no separate fixed nature; outside of the ten thousand phenomena, can an equivalent permanent substance be obtained? Hence it is called "free from nature", and therefore it is said "not the characteristic of self". "Not the characteristic of other" is because it is without the characteristics of saṃsāra.