起信論疏筆削記 20.47

20.47

In the general conclusion, the treatise's "the Buddhas, etc." refers to the persons capable of realizing and expounding. "Profound, vast..." onward refers to the Dharma that is realized and expounded. Here, "profound and vast," etc., generally indicate the three greatnesses: "profound" is spoken vertically, and "vast" is spoken horizontally. Both are beyond relativity; hence the words "extremely" and "vast" are added, meaning the profundity within profundity, not a profundity relative to shallowness, hence called "extremely profound"; and the greatness within greatness, not a greatness relative to smallness, hence called "vast and great." Alternatively, the three words "profound," "vast," and "great" correspond respectively to the three meanings of essence, attributes, and function: "Profound" is the greatness of essence, meaning that the true Dharma of the real mark cannot be fathomed in the causal stage and is exhaustively penetrated only by a Buddha. Thus the Da zhidu lun states: "The great ocean of prajñāpāramitā is bottomed only by a Buddha." Furthermore, the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka states: "Deep, solid, subtle, and remote—none can reach it." This is spoken with respect to having no beginning in the past and no end in the future, being neither arising nor ceasing; therefore it is called "profound." "Vast" is the greatness of function, meaning the marvelous functions surpassing the sands of the Ganges, subtly arising and secretly responding, without rest and without exhaustion. Each of these inexhaustible functions is identical with the nature of enlightenment, having no boundary and no limit. Thus the Śūraṅgama-sūtra states: "I unite the unarising and unceasing with the tathāgatagarbha, and the tathāgatagarbha's fundamentally marvelous and perfect mind pervades the dharmadhātu. Therefore within it, one is immeasurable and immeasurable is one; the small reveals the great and the great reveals the small. Without moving from the bodhimaṇḍa, it universally contains the lands of the ten directions; sitting within an atom, it turns the great Dharma wheel," and so forth; therefore it is called "vast." "Great" is the greatness of attributes. "Attributes" means conceptual attributes, which are the meanings elucidated previously, such as the meaning of the light of great wisdom, the meaning of universally illumining the dharmadhātu, and so forth. The anāsrava virtues of nature surpassing the sands of the Ganges are, with respect to the essence of tathatā, neither separated nor severed, neither different nor conceivable; they are neither profound nor vast, yet can be profound and can be vast; therefore they receive the designation "great." The word "extremely" runs through all three words, meaning "extremely profound," "extremely vast," and "extremely great," because all are beyond relativity. These three dharmas universally contain and subsume all the teachings of the Buddhas, and also subsume all the dharmas of sentient beings. Although what they contain and subsume is manifold, none depart from the One Mind. The One Mind is the ultimate realization of all Buddhas and the root of what is expounded by all Buddhas. Thus the treatise previously stated: "It is to explain the root meaning of the Tathāgata, so that all sentient beings may have correct understanding without error." Now the treatise master, using few words, accords with this Dharma and explains it in brief. Although the words are concise, the principles are fully complete; thus it is called a "dhāraṇī exposition." Therefore the previous text stated: "In this way, this treatise is to generally subsume the Tathāgata's vast and profound Dharma and its boundless meanings; therefore, this treatise should be expounded."