起信論疏筆削記 9.9

9.9

Regarding "therefore" and what follows: third, concluding summary. "Perfect interfusion" means completely subsuming defilement and purity. Enlightenment and non-enlightenment interfuse and return to a single essence, pure and void of burdens, and so it is called unfettered. Delusion, enlightenment, and the Middle Way do not abide anywhere at all; hence it is named "nothing extraordinary". How much less could there be the differences of the three bodies? Since the three bodies are formed through the actualized and the original, and since actualized and original are not even established, how could there be the distinctions of the three bodies? This excludes the provisional teachings that definitively claim the distinctions among the three bodies, differentiating between conditioned and unconditioned, and the differences among the three eternals. Regarding "merely in accordance with" and what follows: resolving a doubt. Someone might ask: "Below it explains the mark of inconceivable karma, the mirror of conditions and vāsanā, the reward body, and the response body; and it also states: 'When ignorance is exhausted, there is inconceivable karma capable of manifesting in the ten directions to benefit sentient beings.' Are these not the functions of the reward and transformation bodies? Why say there are no three bodies?" Hence this is explained: it is only with reference to differences in the capacities and perceptions [of beings] that they are named reward and transformation bodies. If speaking from the ocean of fruition, there is in truth no talk of bodies. The text below refers to the greatness of function of tathatā, where the text states: "All Buddha-Tathāgatas are merely bodies of the mark of wisdom of the dharmakāya, the supreme ultimate truth, lacking any worldly truth dharma that could be seen; it is merely in accordance with sentient beings seeing, hearing, and obtaining benefit that it is spoken of as function."