[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [大乘起信論裂網疏](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1850) › 2.16 # 大乘起信論裂網疏 2.16 大乘起信論裂網疏 2.16 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [2.16](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1850.2.16) 此明心真如性，即是一切法真如性。言語道斷，故不可言說；心行處滅，故不可分別。且如世間諸物，尚且喚火不熱、喚水不濕，故亦不可言說。念火不燒、念水不浸，故亦不可分別。況復真如第一義諦，離過絕非，唯是自覺聖智之所冥證，如何而可言說及分別耶！以一切言說唯是假名，非有實義，但隨妄念之所強立，畢竟無所有故。此中應有問曰：既云不可言說，則真如二字獨非言耶？既云不可分別，則真如不生滅相獨非相耶？故今釋曰：言真如者，此亦無相，但是一切言說中極，以言遣言而已。如《唯識論》云「真如亦是假施設名，遮撥為無，故說為有；遮執為有，故說為空；勿謂虛幻，故說為實；理非妄倒，故名真如。不同餘宗離色心等有實常法，名曰真如。」（文）即是言說中極，以言遣言之旨也。又恐迷者聞此遣言，謬計有法可遣，故云：非其體性有少可遣。仍恐迷者聞說無遣，謬計有法可立，故云：非其體性有少可立。夫非少可遣，則非頑空；非少可立，則非幻有。由非幻有，故成真實空義；由非頑空，故成真實不空義也。梁本云「此真如體無有可遣，以一切法悉皆真故。亦無可立，以一切法皆同如故。」《大佛頂經》云「五陰、六入、十二處、十八界，生滅去來，皆如來藏妙真如性。」即是無可遣義。又云「性真常中，求於去來、迷悟、生死了無所得。」即是無可立義。初正詮法體竟。 > This clarifies that the nature of the mind's tathatā is the nature of the tathatā of all dharmas. The path of language is cut off, hence it cannot be spoken of; the place where the mind functions is extinguished, hence it cannot be conceptualized. Moreover, consider worldly things: calling 'fire' does not make it hot, and calling 'water' does not make it wet, so they cannot be spoken of either. Thinking of fire does not burn, and thinking of water does not drench, so they cannot be conceptualized either. How much less can tathatā, the ultimate truth, free from errors and cutting off non-\[truth\], which is only tacitly realized by the sacred wisdom of personal awakening, be spoken of or conceptualized! For all verbal explanations are merely provisional designations, not possessing real meaning; they are merely forced impositions following upon deluded thoughts, and are ultimately nonexistent. Here, someone might ask: 'Since you say it cannot be spoken of, are not the two words "tathatā" themselves speech? Since you say it cannot be conceptualized, is not the mark of tathatā's neither arising nor ceasing itself a mark?' Therefore, it is now explained: 'What is called tathatā is also markless; it is merely the culmination of all verbal explanations, using words to dismiss words,' and that is all. As the Vijñaptimātratāsiddhi says: 'Tathatā is also a provisionally posited designation: to refute the rejection \[of dharmas\] as nonexistent, it is spoken of as existent; to refute the grasping \[of dharmas\] as existent, it is spoken of as empty; lest it be deemed illusory, it is spoken of as real; because its principle is not false and inverted, it is called tathatā. It is unlike other schools where there is a real, permanent dharma apart from form, mind, and so forth, called tathatā.' (Text) This is precisely the purport of it being the culmination of verbal explanations, using words to dismiss words. Furthermore, fearing that confused people, upon hearing this dismissal of words, might mistakenly reckon that there is a dharma to be dismissed, it says: 'not that its essential nature has anything that can be dismissed.' Still fearing that confused people, upon hearing that there is nothing to dismiss, might mistakenly reckon that there is a dharma to be established, it says: 'or anything that can be established.' Indeed, having nothing that can be dismissed, it is not inert emptiness; having nothing that can be established, it is not illusory existence. Because it is not illusory existence, it establishes the meaning of true emptiness; because it is not inert emptiness, it establishes the meaning of true non-emptiness. The Liang translation says: 'This essence of tathatā has nothing that can be dismissed, because all dharmas are completely true. Nor is there anything that can be established, because all dharmas are equally such.' The Da foding jing says: 'The five aggregates, six sense-entrances, twelve sense-bases, and eighteen elements, arising, ceasing, departing, and coming, are all the wondrous tathatā-nature of the tathāgatagarbha.' This is the meaning of having nothing that can be dismissed. It also says: 'Within the true, permanent nature, seeking for coming, going, delusion, awakening, birth, and death, nothing whatsoever can be found.' This is the meaning of having nothing that can be established. The first part, directly expressing the essence of the dharma, is concluded. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 2.15](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1850.2.15) - [Next: 2.17](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1850.2.17) - [Up: 2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1850.2) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1850~en-mt.2.16) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1850.2.16](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1850.2.16) · Pramāṇa