華嚴經義海百門 1.55

1.55

Seventh, understanding the one and the many: the dust mote's own characteristic is one; because its own 'one' is unmoved, it can universally respond and become many. If its own 'one' were moved, it would lose universal response, and the many would also not be established; two and three are also like this. Furthermore, the one and the many are established in mutual dependence: only when one is entirely many can it be called one, and only when many is entirely one can it be called many. Outside the many, there is no separate one, so we know it is the one within the many; outside the one, there is no separate many, so we know it is the many within the one. Truly, because it is not many, it can be the one-many; because it is not one, it can be the many-one. Only by not losing the absence of intrinsic nature does the wisdom of the one and the many exist. The sūtra says: 'Just like the method of calculation, / Increasing from one up to ten, / And even unto what has no measure, / All arise from the fundamental number, / Yet wisdom has no distinction.'