起信論疏筆削記 7.32

7.32

Śāstra: "One should know..." below: second, the four propositions; first, the four propositions on existence and non-existence. Commentary: "Free from false existence": because people cling to existence, it is said to be "not existent"; if there were nothing clung to, based on what could one speak of "not"? The words "false existence" subsume all marks. "Deluded ones..." below: because they do not understand that the words "not existent" dismiss the existence of sentimental clinging, they instead assume that the dharma-essence is non-existent. Now this explains: above, it only used "not" to negate your clinging to existence, not saying that this dharma is itself non-existent; hence it says "not non-existent". "Both negations are the true dharma": thinking that tathatā is non-existence and non-non-existence, it is therefore refuted: "not the mark of non-existence, not the mark of non-non-existence". In all these, the upper character "not" is the medicine that cures, and the lower three characters are the disease that is cured. "The explanation says..." below: can be understood through careful examination. Among the four occurrences of the word "deem" before and after this: in the first two, the upper is the "deem" of conceptual estimation, and the lower is the "deem" of verbal expression; the latter two are analogized to this. "Further positing..." and so forth: clinging to the first and second propositions as simultaneously having the marks of existence and non-existence, both being tathatā. "Not admitting that both are..." and so forth: if I merely said "not-not", you would be allowed to double-cling to the marks of existence and non-existence. But I use two negations together, negating the mark of existence and the mark of non-existence simultaneously—why be confused and upside-down, double-clinging to both existence and non-existence? Therefore the śāstra now says: "not the mark of both existence and non-existence together". "Mark of both": namely, the simultaneity of existence and non-existence; now both are negated.