起信論疏筆削記 7.36

7.36

Second, general conclusion. Commentary: "False estimations like dust and sand": reveals that delusive clingings are numerous. Since they are generated from thought, how could they accord with the true principle of thoughtlessness? Therefore they do not associate. However, in this text it only concludes with respect to the mind and not with respect to objects, because all objective realms are generated from the mind: merely by stating that there is no mind, one knows that there are no objects, and so it is omitted and not mentioned. "By contrast with..." below: means that the essence of true reality is called empty in terms of being devoid of delusion, not that the true essence itself is non-existent and thus called empty. "It can also..." below: generally refers to this passage of concluding text as all being explanations of doubt, fearing that upon hearing that the self-nature of tathatā previously is free from the mark of existence and so forth, one would then assume that it completely lacks any self-essence and virtuous dharmas, falling into the view of annihilation; hence it is now explained saying "and so forth". Hearing of emptiness, one understands that the real is free from delusive marks; [hearing of] non-emptiness, one understands that the virtues of self-nature are pure and fundamentally so.