起信論疏筆削記 9.8

9.8

此文下，二、通辨論意。此如好人成睡人，睡人成覺人，此顯展轉成立也。始覺同本下，明展轉泯絕也。如覺人同好人，以同好人故，即無睡人。無睡人故，即無覺人。無覺人故，即無好人。無好人故平等，平等亦不可。言平等者，無始本異故。再言之者，有二意：一則始覺與本覺平等，始即本故。本覺與不覺平等，不覺即本覺故。二即始本不覺竟無差別，本自平等，又差別平等亦復平等。離言者，欲言始覺，體同本故；欲言本覺，無所對故；欲言不覺，體即覺故。言之不及，故云離言。以離言故，無相可得，心行處滅，故云絕慮，此即泯同真如門也。

Regarding "this text" and what follows: second, broadly discerning the treatise's intention. This is like a sound person becoming a sleeping person, and a sleeping person becoming an awakened person; this shows how they are established in successive stages. Regarding "actualized enlightenment identical with the original" and what follows: this clarifies how they are successively eliminated. It is like an awakened person being identical with the sound person: because of being identical with the sound person, there is no sleeping person. Because there is no sleeping person, there is no awakened person. Because there is no awakened person, there is no sound person. Because there is no sound person, there is equality; yet even equality is untenable. It is called "equality" because there is no difference between actualized and original. Stating it twice contains two meanings: first, actualized enlightenment and original enlightenment are equal, because the actualized is itself the original; and original enlightenment and non-enlightenment are equal, because non-enlightenment is itself original enlightenment. Second, actualized, original, and non-enlightenment are ultimately without distinction, being primordially equal, and distinction and equality are also equal. Regarding "transcending words": if one wishes to speak of actualized enlightenment, its essence is identical with the original; if one wishes to speak of original enlightenment, it has nothing to contrast with; if one wishes to speak of non-enlightenment, its essence is itself enlightenment. Words cannot reach it; hence it is called "transcending words". Because it transcends words, no mark can be grasped and the locus of mental activity is extinguished; hence it is called "terminating contemplation". This is the complete dissolution into identity with the gate of tathatā.