起信論疏筆削記 7.9

7.9

[On] "Serving as a standard to generate..." below: third, explaining "dharma gate" (法門). "Standard" (軌) means rule; "things" (物) means sentient beings; "understanding" (解) means cognitive understanding. This means that sentient beings possess the power of internal perfuming, so that on the essence of this dharmadhātu they generate the wisdom of actualized enlightenment. When wisdom arises, it reflects back, constantly cultivating in accordance with the standard of the dharmadhātu—namely, being neither empty nor existent, without self and without person, and so on; these are the standards of the dharmadhātu, which the wisdom of actualized enlightenment relies upon to practice. Thus the text below says: "In accordance with the fundamental nature, one cultivates the dāna-pāramitā," and so on. The Yuanjue jing also says: "Flowing forth the pāramitās and so forth, instructing bodhisattvas." However, dharma also has the meaning of "maintaining"; now, to accord with the text, he takes only this [former] meaning. [On] "Noble wisdom..." and so on: it means that the essence of the dharma is open and unobstructed, and because it can accommodate the entering and exiting of that noble wisdom, it receives the designation "gate." "Roaming" (遊) means entering and exiting; entering means self-realization, and exiting means benefiting others; both Buddhas and bodhisattvas possess these two meanings. However, this is restricted exclusively to those who have ascended the bhūmis and above, up to the ultimate; it does not extend to the stages of ordinary beings, which is why it says "noble wisdom." Because those prior to the bhūmis have not yet generated the uncontaminated and are unable to directly realize it, the preceding section heading called it the "realm of contemplative wisdom."