大乘義章 2.73

2.73

四空之義，出《大品經》。所言空者，理之別目。理絕眾相，故名為空。空隨義別，難以具陳，今據一門且論四種。四名是何？一法相空、二無法空、三自法空、四他法空。四中前二，遣法有無；後之兩種，破情顯理，成初二門。法相空者，破法有相。一切世諦有為無為，通名法相。此之法相，無法為法、法即非法，故名為空。其猶世間陽炎之水，無水為水、水即無水。諸法像此，故龍樹言「一切法中，自相匹得，名法相空。」問曰：世諦之無為空，應是第二無法相空，今云何言是法相空？釋言：世諦之無為者，對彼理無，亦是其有，是故此空名法相空。故《地持》云「有為無為，名之為有。無我我所，名為無有。」問曰：無為應名為無，云何稱有？以此事無相有彼此，故名為有。無法空者，破法無相。諸法理空，名為無法。無法體狀，名無法相。此無法相，破有故立，無別自性，故名為空。是以經言「無為法相不可得故，名無法相空。」問曰：如來常以無生無住無滅說無為法，今云何言無法相空？龍樹釋言「對破生故，宣說無生。對破住故，宣說無住。對破滅故，宣說無滅。」此等皆從生住滅邊得其名字，無別自性，故名為空。又說「因緣非無之法，以之為無，良以非無以為無故。」無即非無，故名為空。自法空者，明前二空法性自寂，不由智慧強觀令空，名自法空。於中所空，有其二種：一世間性，謂地堅性、水濕性等。二聖人性，謂如、法性、實際法等。此二法性，同皆是空，名自法空。世間性空，猶是向前。法相之空、聖人性空，猶是向前。無法相空，既是前空，何勞重說？良以世人謂前二空由觀故空，非法自空。為破彼見，故復說之。他法空者，或有眾生謂如、法性、實際之外更有餘法，名之為他。今為破彼，明如等外更無他法，名他法空（此一門竟）。

The doctrine of the four emptinesses is derived from the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā Sūtra. That which is called "emptiness" is an alternate designation for principle. Principle is severed from all marks, and is therefore termed "emptiness". Emptiness varies according to different meanings, which are difficult to set forth fully; now, relying on a single approach, we shall briefly discuss four kinds. What are their four names? The first is the emptiness of the marks of dharmas (dharma-lakṣaṇa-śūnyatā); the second is the emptiness of non-existing dharmas (abhāva-śūnyatā); the third is the emptiness of intrinsic dharmas (svabhāva-śūnyatā); the fourth is the emptiness of other dharmas (parabhāva-śūnyatā). Among the four, the first two dispel the existence and non-existence of dharmas; the latter two shatter sentimental attachments and reveal principle, completing the first two gates. As for the emptiness of the marks of dharmas, it shatters the marks of existence of dharmas. All conditioned and unconditioned dharmas of conventional truth are generally called the marks of dharmas. These marks of dharmas take non-existence to be a dharma, and dharmas are immediately non-dharmas; therefore it is termed "emptiness". This is like the water of a mirage in the world: non-water is taken to be water, yet the water is immediately non-water. All dharmas resemble this; hence Nāgārjuna says, "Among all dharmas, the obtaining of their own marks is termed the emptiness of the marks of dharmas." Question: Unconditioned emptiness in conventional truth should be the second, the emptiness of the marks of non-existing dharmas; why now do you say it is the emptiness of the marks of dharmas? Explanation: The unconditioned of conventional truth, when contrasted with that absence of principle, is also an existence; therefore this emptiness is named the emptiness of the marks of dharmas. Hence the Bodhisattvabhūmi says: "Conditioned and unconditioned are called existence; the absence of self and what belongs to self is called non-existence." Question: The unconditioned should be named non-existence; why is it called existence? Because this absence of phenomena has the marks of this and that, it is therefore called existence. As for the emptiness of non-existing dharmas, it shatters the mark of the non-existence of dharmas. The emptiness of the principle of all dharmas is termed non-existing dharmas. The physical aspect of non-existing dharmas is termed the mark of non-existing dharmas. This mark of non-existing dharmas is established to shatter existence and lacks an independent intrinsic nature; therefore it is termed "emptiness". Thus the sūtra says: "Because the marks of unconditioned dharmas cannot be apprehended, it is termed the emptiness of the marks of non-existing dharmas." Question: The Tathāgata always explains unconditioned dharmas by non-arising, non-abiding, and non-cessation; why now do you say that marks of non-existing dharmas are empty? Nāgārjuna explains: "To counteract and shatter arising, he expounds non-arising. To counteract and shatter abiding, he expounds non-abiding. To counteract and shatter cessation, he expounds non-cessation." These all acquire their names on the basis of arising, abiding, and cessation, and lack an independent intrinsic nature; therefore they are termed empty. Furthermore, it is said: "Dharmas that are not non-existent in dependent origination are taken to be non-existent, precisely because what is not non-existent is taken to be non-existent." Non-existence is immediately not non-existent, and is therefore termed "emptiness". As for the emptiness of intrinsic dharmas, it clarifies that the dharma-nature of the preceding two emptinesses is intrinsically tranquil, and does not require wisdom to forcibly contemplate it to make it empty; hence it is named the emptiness of intrinsic dharmas. Within this, that which is emptied has two kinds: first, worldly nature, which refers to the hardness of earth, the wetness of water, and so forth; second, noble nature, which refers to tathatā, dharmatā, the bhūtakoṭi, and so forth. Both of these two kinds of dharma-nature are equally empty, which is named the emptiness of intrinsic dharmas. The emptiness of worldly nature is still the aforementioned emptiness of the marks of dharmas; the emptiness of noble nature is still the aforementioned emptiness of the marks of non-existing dharmas. Since they are the preceding emptinesses, why bother to state them again? It is precisely because people of the world assume that the preceding two emptinesses are empty due to contemplation, and that dharmas are not empty in themselves. To shatter that view, they are expounded again. As for the emptiness of other dharmas, there may be sentient beings who assume that beyond tathatā, dharmatā, and the bhūtakoṭi there are other dharmas, which they call "other". Now, to shatter that, it clarifies that outside tathatā and so forth there are no other dharmas; this is named the emptiness of other dharmas. (Here ends the first section.)