二諦義 2.23

2.23

Question: How is conventional the meaning of ultimate, and ultimate the meaning of conventional? How is emptiness the meaning of form, and form the meaning of emptiness? Explanation: The Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā itself explains it. That sūtra says: "Form is emptiness; emptiness is form. The ultimate is the conventional; the conventional is the ultimate." Since it says that the ultimate is the conventional, how could the ultimate not be the meaning of the conventional? Furthermore, the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā says: "The dharmas arisen from causes and conditions, I explain as emptiness." Dharmas arisen from causes and conditions are existence; since they are emptiness, how could the ultimate not be the meaning of conventional? Explaining this verse fully explains the sūtra; the treatise cites the sūtra to explain, and the treatise is precisely explaining the sūtra. Furthermore, meaning is the reason for a name; the ultimate is the reason for the conventional; therefore, the ultimate is the meaning of the conventional. The sūtra says: "Wishing to cause sentient beings to deeply know the ultimate truth, the Tathāgata therefore preaches the conventional truth." Since preaching the conventional truth causes one to know the ultimate truth, the conventional is for the ultimate, and the ultimate is called the meaning of the conventional. Conventional truth being like this, ultimate truth is also so.