大乘義章 18.5

18.5

次第二門彰滅分齊。分齊有四：一是事滅。斷生死因、滅生死果，名為涅槃。二者能滅。諸佛涅槃圓備萬德，雖具眾德，妙寂離相，稱之為滅。又復離性亦說為滅。言離相者，如下文說「譬如一切眾生心識，體雖是有而無一相。亦如醍醐，體雖是有而無青黃赤白等相。涅槃亦爾，體雖實有而無一相，故稱為滅。」無何等相？謂無他相及無自相。無他相者，如經中說「離於十相名為涅槃，謂離色聲香味觸相、生住滅相、男相女相。」經中復說「離十三相名為涅槃，離前十相及離苦樂不苦樂相。」又經復言「大涅槃中無有日月星辰諸宿、寒熱風雨、生老病死、二十五有及諸憂苦。」此等皆是無他相也。無自相者，大涅槃中雖有色身而無色相，雖有覺知而無知相，雖有一切無一切相，備如經說。言離性者，諸德同體，緣起相成，無有一法別守自性。如就諸德宣說常義，離諸德外無別常性，我樂淨等類亦同爾。又就常等宣說法身，離常等外無別身性，餘亦如是。故經說言「又性別異，故成涅槃。由非別異，名無別性，故成涅槃。」問曰：涅槃體既是有，說有稱當，何勞說之門解義，故就障滅。此是第二德寂之滅。三者應滅。應滅有二：一現斷有因，盡生死果，名之為滅；二息化歸真，用息稱滅。四者理滅。如經中說：一苦滅諦，一切眾生即涅槃相，如是等也。理滅有二：一者相虛。妄情所起一切諸法，相有體無，名之為滅。此即經中空如來藏。二者真空。真如來藏離相離性，名之為滅。言離相者，如馬鳴說，謂非有相、非無相、非非有相非非無相、非有無俱相，非異相、非非一相非非異相、非一異俱相，非自相、非他相、非非自相非非他相、非自他俱相。如是一切妄心分別，悉不相應唯證境界。言離性者，如來藏中具過一切恒沙佛法，是諸佛法同一體性緣起相成，不離不斷、不脫不異。以同體故，無有一法別守自性，雖無一性而無不性。無有一性，法如也；而無不性，法界別也。今說如是以之為滅。滅如是。此四相望，亦有本末。理滅為本，由見理中相空之滅成前事滅，悟理捨情離生死故。由證理中真空之滅成前德滅，如彼真法離性相故。依德起用，故有應滅。此四種中，分相言之，說前三種以為涅槃；攝相論之，四滅俱是涅槃為門，統攝諸義成涅槃故。分齊如是。

Next, the second section reveals the demarcations of cessation. There are four demarcations:
First is the cessation of phenomenal facts: severing the causes of saṃsāra and extinguishing the fruits of saṃsāra is named nirvāṇa.
Second is the cessation consisting of the capable [realizer]: the nirvāṇa of the Buddhas is completely endowed with the myriad virtues; although possessing all virtues, it is wondrously quiescent and free from signs, so it is called cessation. Furthermore, being free from intrinsic nature is also spoken of as cessation. As for being free from signs, as stated below: "Just as the mental consciousness of all sentient beings, though its substance exists, lacks any single sign; and just as ghee, though its substance exists, lacks signs of blue, yellow, red, or white; nirvāṇa is also like this: though its substance truly exists, it lacks any single sign; hence it is called cessation." Lacking what signs? It lacks other-signs and lacks self-signs. As for lacking other-signs, as the sūtra says: "Being free from ten signs is named nirvāṇa: namely, being free from the signs of form, sound, smell, taste, and touch, the signs of arising, abiding, and cessation, and the signs of male and female." The sūtra further says: "Being free from thirteen signs is named nirvāṇa: being free from the previous ten signs, and being free from the signs of suffering, pleasure, and neither-suffering-nor-pleasure." Furthermore, the sūtra states: "In great nirvāṇa there are no sun, moon, stars, or constellations, no cold, heat, wind, or rain, no birth, old age, sickness, or death, no twenty-five states of existence, and no worries or sufferings." All these are the absence of other-signs. As for lacking self-signs: in great nirvāṇa, although there is a form body, there is no sign of form; although there is awareness and cognition, there is no sign of cognition; although there is everything, there is no sign of anything—all as fully stated in the sūtras. As for being free from intrinsic nature: all virtues share the same substance and mutually establish one another through dependent origination; no single dharma separately preserves its own intrinsic nature. Just as when permanence is explained with respect to all virtues, apart from all virtues there is no separate nature of permanence, and self, bliss, and purity are likewise the same. Furthermore, when the dharmakāya is explained with respect to permanence and the others, apart from permanence and the others there is no separate nature of the body; the rest are also like this. Hence the sūtra says: "Furthermore, because natures are distinct, nirvāṇa is accomplished; because they are not distinct, it is called lacking a distinct nature, and thus nirvāṇa is accomplished." Question: Since the substance of nirvāṇa exists, saying it exists is fitting; why bother speaking of it as cessation? Answer: To open up understanding, it is discussed in terms of the cessation of hindrances. This is the second: cessation as the tranquility of virtues.
Third is responsive cessation. Responsive cessation has two aspects: first, manifesting the severance of the causes of existence and exhausting the fruits of saṃsāra is named cessation; second, putting an end to transformation and returning to the real, the cessation of function is called cessation.
Fourth is cessation in terms of principle. As stated in the sūtras: "The single truth of the cessation of suffering: all sentient beings are themselves the mark of nirvāṇa," and so forth. Cessation in terms of principle has two aspects: First is the emptiness of signs. All dharmas arising from deluded sentiments have signs that exist but essences that are absent; this is named cessation. This is the empty tathāgatagarbha in the sūtras. Second is true emptiness. The true tathāgatagarbha is free from signs and free from intrinsic nature; this is named cessation. As for being free from signs, as Aśvaghoṣa stated: it is neither the sign of existence, nor the sign of nonexistence, nor the sign of neither existence nor nonexistence, nor the sign of both existence and nonexistence; neither the sign of difference, nor the sign of neither oneness nor difference, nor the sign of both oneness and difference; neither the sign of self, nor the sign of other, nor the sign of neither self nor other, nor the sign of both self and other. All such discriminations of the deluded mind do not correspond [to it]; it is solely the realm of realization. As for being free from intrinsic nature: the tathāgatagarbha is endowed with Buddha-dharmas exceeding the sands of the Ganges; these Buddha-dharmas share the same substance and nature and mutually establish one another through dependent origination, neither separated nor severed, neither detached nor different. Because they share the same substance, not a single dharma separately maintains its own intrinsic nature; although it lacks any single nature, there is no nature it lacks. Lacking any single nature is the suchness of dharmas; lacking no nature is the differentiation of the dharma-realm. Now, explaining it in this way constitutes cessation. Such is cessation.
Viewing these four in relation to each other, they also have root and branches. Cessation in principle is the root: by seeing the cessation of the emptiness of signs in principle, the aforementioned factual cessation is accomplished, because awakening to principle and relinquishing sentiment departs from saṃsāra. By realizing the cessation of true emptiness in principle, the aforementioned cessation of virtues is accomplished, because that true dharma is free from nature and signs. Based on virtue, function arises; hence there is responsive cessation. Among these four types, distinguishing their characteristics, the first three are spoken of as nirvāṇa; synthesizing their characteristics, all four cessations are approaches to nirvāṇa, comprehensively unifying all meanings to constitute nirvāṇa. Such are the demarcations.