二諦義 2.12

2.12

Question: Others also clarify that there is an object truth and there is a teaching truth. They have the Dharma-jewel of the objective realm and the Dharma-jewel of spoken teaching; the Dharma-jewel of the objective realm is the object truth, and the Dharma-jewel of spoken teaching is the teaching truth. Since you have the teaching truth, others also have the teaching truth. You have the true and real words of the Tathāgata; could others lack the true and real words of the Tathāgata? If so, both have object and teaching—what difference is there in this? Explanation: There is a difference. Now we clarify that your natural object of the two truths is the error in the object from perspective of our school. Within the error in the object from perspective, there are immeasurable errors; this is the coarse error of our school, whereas subtle errors are beyond your reach. Therefore the sūtra says: 'The subtle signs of obstruction of bodhisattvas are not the realm of the two vehicles.' Now it is also like this: your natural object is the coarse error of our school, and therefore it is vastly different from theirs. For this reason, the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: 'The tīrthikas and the Buddha-Dharma are profoundly different from each other, just like heaven and earth.' It also says: 'Heavenly food, sudhā, compared to foul human excrement. It is also like the milk of a donkey and a cow: when donkey milk is churned it turns into dung, but when cow milk is churned it becomes ghee.' Now it is also like this: what others consider correct is error for our school. This is precisely preaching the Dharma by relying on the two truths, where the two truths have the meaning of object.