華嚴法界玄鏡 2.11

2.11

Explanation: These four phrases regarding phenomena were not present in the earlier question, but now are brought out implicitly. In the earlier simile, however, they were present; the simile said: when a single wave completely encompasses the great ocean, all waves also each completely encompass it, mutually not obstructing one another. First, it brings up a single wave to view it in relation to the ocean; hence these are the four phrases concerning phenomena. Therefore earlier it stated: “because multiple phenomena are unobstructed.” If one were to make a separate question, one should ask: when a single phenomenon pervades principle, do other phenomena also pervade principle or not? If they also pervade, then principle would have multiple layers; if they do not pervade, then multiple phenomena would not accord with principle. Therefore now it answers: multiple phenomena accord with principle, and pervade identically with principle, so there are no multiple layers. Why is this? Because principle is non-dual; simply, when phenomena are identical with principle, they have no boundaries or limits, hence they are called “pervading.” Within this, the first phrase: the pervasion of one phenomenon does not obstruct the pervasion of multiple phenomena; the second phrase: the pervasion of multiple phenomena does not obstruct the pervasion of one phenomenon; the third phrase: all phenomena simultaneously pervade; the fourth phrase: the characteristics of the one and the many are distinct. Question: When principle is viewed in relation to phenomena, being in one phenomenon is being within, and being in multiple phenomena is being without. Now when phenomena are viewed in relation to principle, what is considered inside and outside? Answer: It also takes one phenomenon as within, and multiple phenomena as without. If so, how does this differ from the previous gate of principle viewed in relation to phenomena? Answer: The previous gate first brought up principle pervading phenomena, named “principle viewed in relation to phenomena.” The present gate first brings up phenomena pervading principle, named “phenomena viewed in relation to principle,” hence they are divided into two gates. The original intent only asked: when multiple phenomena pervade principle, does one phenomenon pervade or not? The previous gate answered it. Furthermore, it asked: when one phenomenon pervades principle, do multiple phenomena pervade or not? Therefore it uses this gate to answer it. Generally, all take phenomena as inside and outside, so in the previous gate there was only a single layer of questioning—namely the first phrase: one phenomenon completely pervades principle, hence it is within; this does not obstruct each and every one also pervading principle, hence it is immediately without. Because the one and the many are both identical to principle, it is said to completely pervade; it is not that there are multiple principles that pervade along with phenomena. Therefore the fourth phrase states: “viewed from one to another, they are neither within nor without.” Previously concerning principle, the fourth merely took the nature as not being all, so it is naturally neither within nor without. Now here regarding phenomena viewed in relation to principle, principle has no inside or outside; how could there be neither identical nor different? Therefore it says: since their characteristics are not destroyed, it is necessary that within one phenomenon it is not all, and within all phenomena it is not one, only then completing the fourth; hence it must be that “viewed from one to another, they are neither within nor without.” The explanation of the first pair of mutual pervasion is finished.