起信論疏筆削記 18.23

18.23

In listing and explaining: [Commentary:] "The teacher of all Buddhas" reveals the fundamental basis in terms of the person. That is, on the causal ground, Buddhas base themselves on tathatā to give rise to faith and understanding, cultivate practice relying on the principles of tathatā, and attain buddhahood only upon ultimately realizing tathatā. Therefore the Avataṃsaka states: "Because all Tathāgatas revere the Dharma, and because practicing as taught gives birth to all Buddhas." In terms of this meaning, tathatā is said to be the teacher of the Buddhas. Thus a sūtra says: "That which is the teacher of all Buddhas is what is called the Dharma; because the Dharma is eternal, all Buddhas are also eternal." Since it is the teacher of the Buddhas, it is called the fundamental basis. "The manifold practices..." and below reveals the fundamental basis in terms of the Dharma, meaning that all gates of practice arise from the real. Therefore the Yuanjue jing says: "The unexcelled Dharma King has a great dhāraṇī gate called perfect enlightenment, from which flow forth all pāramitās, instructing bodhisattvas," and so forth. This is why the straightforward mind was previously indicated as the root of the practices benefiting oneself and others. One knows that practices not flowing from the real cannot accord with the real; how could any practice that accords with the real not arise from the real? This is therefore the fundamental basis of practices such as faith.