華嚴法界玄鏡 2.35

2.35

The Explanation states: The ten gates below arise successively from one another. Now, principle and phenomena conforming to each other largely corresponds to the preceding gate of mutual pervasion. It serves as the general sense, capable of establishing the eight below; these two still combine the non-obstruction of principle and phenomena. Because these two exist, the meaning of the non-obstruction of phenomenon and phenomenon is attained, so they are subsumed under phenomenon and phenomenon. However, some editions read: 'Principle manifests according to phenomena, and phenomena pervade according to principle.' At first glance, the explanatory text mostly contains the meanings of pervasion and manifestation, but upon closer examination, this becomes limited; if there were only pervasion and manifestation, the remaining meanings would be lacking. The two characters 'pervade and manifest' are absent in most editions; where they are absent, the meaning is broader, so we now rely on the editions without them. Now, 'principle conforming to phenomena' means conforming to the manifestation of phenomena, conforming to the limitedness of phenomena, conforming to the differentiations of phenomena, and conforming to the greatness, smallness, oneness, and multiplicity of phenomena. Therefore, in the subsequent gate, phenomena conforming to principle not only conform to principle's pervasion, but also conform to principle's lack of characteristics and non-obstruction, being neither internal nor external, and so forth. Furthermore, if 'pervade and manifest' were present, it would also resemble the mutual pervasion of principle and phenomena in the contemplation of the non-obstruction of principle and phenomena; therefore, the absence of 'pervade and manifest' is correct in terms of meaning. All ten gates first state the name and then explain it. Here, in the first gate, 'principle conforming to phenomena', it first directly explains: since phenomena are illusory and principle is real, and the essence of principle manifests, true principle conforms to the illusoriness of phenomena, taking the illusory name as the real essence; the illusory is itself the real, and this is called having no separate phenomena. Next, from 'Therefore, bodhisattvas…' onward, it verifies this through the practitioner: because one sees phenomena as real, therefore seeing phenomena is precisely seeing principle. Finally, from 'yet these phenomena are said…' onward, it is because characteristics are not destroyed; if characteristics were destroyed, to what would principle conform? Thus true principle conforms to the greatness and smallness of phenomenal characteristics.