華嚴法界玄鏡 1.22

1.22

第三、揀形顯者，有云：第一句形色體空非斷空，第二句顯色無體自性空，第三句空無形顯一體空，第四句色空不二俱空空。解曰：此第三義乍觀有理，以見第二有青黃言謂為顯色；第一第三無青黃言便為形色，故為此釋。細詳有違。何者？一三何以不言形色長短等耶？第二何以遍言顯色耶？何以形色揀非斷滅，顯色不得揀斷滅耶？第二顯色何以得言青黃之相，非即真空之理，形色何以不得言長短方圓非真空耶？故第三釋非為愜當，但揀前二，足顯真空。而文第二遍言青黃非真空者，顯色明相，相顯著故。又形色是假，顯色是實，實色即空，例假形色亦即空矣。是知三句皆含形顯，二皆即空。

Third, regarding eliminating shape-form and color-form, some say: "The first proposition means that the essence of shape-form is empty and not annihilatory emptiness; the second proposition means that color-form lacks essence and is inherently empty by its own nature; the third proposition means that emptiness lacks shape-form and color-form and is empty as a single essence; the fourth proposition means that form and emptiness are non-dual and both are empty of emptiness." The interpretation says: At first glance, this third meaning seems reasonable, because seeing words like 'blue' and 'yellow' in the second proposition, they took it to mean color-form; and since the first and third propositions lack the words 'blue' and 'yellow', they took them to mean shape-form, and thus made this explanation. Examined closely, there are contradictions. Why? Why do the first and third propositions not mention shape-forms such as long and short? Why does the second proposition comprehensively mention color-form? Why is shape-form eliminated from being annihilatory, while color-form cannot be eliminated from being annihilatory? Why can the second proposition say that the characteristics of blue and yellow are not identical to the principle of true emptiness, while shape-form cannot say that long, short, square, and round are not true emptiness? Therefore, the third explanation is not fitting; merely eliminating the first two is sufficient to reveal true emptiness. That the second text comprehensively states that blue and yellow are not true emptiness is because color-form clearly displays characteristics, and its characteristics are prominent. Furthermore, shape-form is provisional, whereas color-form is real; when real form is identical to emptiness, by analogy provisional shape-form is also identical to emptiness. Thus we know that all three propositions contain both shape-form and color-form, and both are identical to emptiness.