大乘起信論義疏 1.55

1.55

言非非自相者，雖無別自相，取萬中不生滅義以為常故，即是常相也。餘皆同爾。非非他相者常，對樂非是常相故，名非非他也。非自他俱相者，雙遣也。言非大相者，就假實門，俗中假大實小，總別異故。真法不爾，無有優劣差別之相，等同一味。又可俗中，以實成假，不得以假成實法也。真法不爾，於一常中俱有總別，攬樂成常，名之為總。還即是常成樂之義，名之為別。何以爾者？以無常者不得成樂故。非總定大相別定小相也；非非大者恒總故也；非非小相者恒別故也。非非大小俱相者，是雙遣也。萬法皆有總別之義，總別無障礙，是真法中真諦空也。

Regarding "not the characteristic of non-self": although there is no separate characteristic of self, taking the meaning of non-arising and non-ceasing among the ten thousand [phenomena] as permanence, it is precisely the characteristic of permanence. The rest are all like this. Regarding "not the characteristic of non-other": permanence, contrasted with bliss, is not the characteristic of permanence, hence it is called "not non-other". "Not the characteristic of both self and other" negates both. Regarding "not the characteristic of greatness": with respect to the gate of provisional and real, in conventional [truth] the provisional is great and the real is small, because the general and specific are different. Real phenomena are not like this; they are without characteristics of difference such as superior and inferior, being equally of a single flavor. Furthermore, in conventional [truth], the provisional is established through the real, and real phenomena cannot be established through the provisional. Real phenomena are not like this: within a single permanence there are both general and specific; gathering bliss to form permanence is called the general; and that very permanence forming the meaning of bliss is called the specific. Why is this so? Because without permanence, bliss cannot be formed. It is not that the general is definitively a characteristic of greatness and the specific definitively a characteristic of smallness. "Not non-great" is because it is constantly general. "Not the characteristic of non-small" is because it is constantly specific. "Not the characteristic of both greatness and smallness" negates both. All ten thousand phenomena possess the meanings of general and specific; that the general and specific are unobstructed is the emptiness of ultimate truth within real phenomena.