起信論疏筆削記 16.12

16.12

First, the conditions for the attachment. Śāstra: "Nirvāṇa is empty": The Sūtra of Complete Enlightenment says, "Saṃsāra and nirvāṇa are like yesterday's dream." "Tathatā is empty": The Śūraṅgama-sūtra says, "Words of falsehood reveal the various truths; both false and true are alike two falsehoods." It also says: "The unconditioned has no arising or ceasing; being non-real, it is like flowers in the sky," and so forth. Commentary: "The Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā-sūtra..." and so on: The complete passage states: At that time, five hundred devaputras silently reflected: "Why is it said that nirvāṇa and so forth are also like a dream?" Subhūti, knowing that the devaputras had formed such a thought, addressed them, saying: "Even if there were a dharma surpassing nirvāṇa, I would still declare it to be like an illusion and like a dream. Why is that? Because from the origin it has fundamentally been empty of itself."