華嚴經明法品內立三寶章 2.52

2.52

Second, speaking in terms of Dharma: the kerchief is a metaphor for tathatā and the tathāgatagarbha; the rabbit is a metaphor for the saṃsāra of sentient beings, and so forth. Neither one nor different also has ten gates, which can be understood by contemplating them in accordance with the metaphor. Furthermore, the rabbit is immediately born and immediately dies without obstruction; the kerchief is immediately hidden and immediately apparent without obstruction. The alternating interweaving of saṃsāra and hiding/manifestation, contrary and conforming, and the fusing of the various gates, can all be understood by contemplating and subsuming them according to the preceding [explanation]. Second, the clarification of meanings has four gates: (1) unfolding and combining, (2) oneness and difference, (3) mutual identity, and (4) mutual presence. First, unfolding and combining consists of first unfolding and then combining. As for unfolding, in the conventional truth of dependent origination there are four meanings: (1) the meaning that the various conditions have efficacy, (2) the meaning of being without efficacy, (3) the meaning of being without self-nature, and (4) the meaning of phenomena being accomplished; within ultimate truth there are also four meanings: (1) the meaning of emptiness, (2) the meaning of non-emptiness, (3) the meaning of supporting, and (4) the meaning of completely exhausting phenomena. As for combining, there are three gates: (1) combining the conventional, (2) combining the ultimate, and (3) combining the two. As for the first, there are three [aspects]: first, in terms of function, meaning that having efficacy and lacking efficacy are non-dual; second, in terms of essence, meaning that having nature and lacking nature are non-dual; third, unobstructedness, meaning that essence and function are non-dual, being solely the single conventional truth. Combining the ultimate also has three [aspects]: first, in terms of function, meaning that supporting to accomplish the conventional is itself the subversion of the conventional, being completely exhausted and non-dual; second, in terms of essence, emptiness and non-emptiness are non-dual; third, unobstructedness, meaning that essence and function are non-dual. Third, combining the two has four gates: (1) in terms of giving rise to function, meaning that the supporting meaning in the ultimate is non-dual with the efficacious meaning in the conventional; (2) in terms of obliterating characteristics, meaning that the exhaustion of the conventional in the ultimate is non-dual with the lack of efficacy in the conventional; (3) in terms of revealing reality, meaning that the non-empty meaning in the ultimate is non-dual with the natureless meaning in the conventional; (4) in terms of accomplishing phenomena, meaning that the empty meaning in the ultimate is non-dual with the preserving of phenomena in the conventional. The gate of unfolding and combining is concluded. As for the gate of whether principle and phenomena are identical or not identical: herein, the mutual identity and non-identity of principle and phenomena, and their unobstructed fusion, each have four propositions. First, among the four propositions of non-identity: (1) two phenomena are not mutually identical, because the conditioned characteristics of phenomena obstruct each other; (2) the principle of two phenomena is not mutually identical, because there are not two; (3) principle and phenomena are not mutually identical, because principle is quiescent and not active; (4) phenomena and principle are not mutually identical, because phenomena are active and not quiescent. Second, among the four propositions of mutual identity: (1) phenomena are identical with principle, because dependent origination is devoid of self-nature; (2) principle is identical with phenomena, because principle follows conditions so that phenomena come to be established; (3) the principles of two phenomena are mutually identical, because converging in reality is through conventional designation; (4) two phenomena are mutually identical, because phenomena that are identical with principle have no distinct phenomena. Therefore, phenomena are like principle and are unobstructed.