起信論疏筆削記 9.42

9.42

Fourth, concluding the contemplation. The Śāstra states: "By abandoning..."—this text has two aspects: first, it concludes the contemplation; second, it explains what precedes. The two below are to be understood by analogy. The Commentary explains: "Because in..." means that because one awakens to self-emptiness, the afflictions of self-grasping do not arise; hence it is called "abandoning coarse conceptual differentiation," and so forth. "Yet still..." means that because they are not yet able to awaken to dharma-grasping, this comprehensively clarifies that both the two vehicles and the three stages of worthies are called "approximate enlightenment." "Because..." below explains the reason. Bodhisattvas who have not yet realized their original portion are approximate to the two vehicles; although [the two vehicles] are in their own vehicle, it is termed "entering realization," [yet] in relation to the Mahāyāna they have only attained self-emptiness and not yet realized dharma-emptiness, so they are also termed "not yet having realized"; thus both are alike in approximate enlightenment. Hence, in relation to the realization of tathatā at the first bhūmi, this is termed "approximate." In the question, quoting what precedes to raise an objection is obvious. In the answer, it first concedes. "If from the perspective of..." below refutes [the objection], meaning: based on enlightenment there is non-enlightenment; non-enlightenment is delusion. Non-enlightenment and enlightenment are directly opposed; only by turning and relying on the delusion of non-enlightenment does one begin to create karma. Karma is separated from the meaning of enlightenment by another layer, so it is not directly opposed. Because it is directly opposed, it is called "approximate enlightenment"; because it is not directly opposed, it is called "non-enlightenment." It is like a dusty mirror in a case: the case and the mirror are not directly opposed, but the dust and the mirror are directly opposed. This meaning is also like that.