摩訶止觀 6.55

6.55

If we consider what is explained in the *Tattvasiddhi*: "The self and the person are originally non-existent; though real dharmas exist, they are empty, illusory, and unreal." If one is confused about this emptiness and illusion, delusions of view and thought arise arbitrarily, and one wanders in transmigration. When one contemplates that these delusions of view and thought are all empty and illusory across the three provisionalities, both provisional and real are non-existent; this is termed "equal emptiness." Cultivating this contemplation breaks simple, compound, complete, and immeasurable views, and also breaks the eighty-one grades of thought [delusions], bringing about the non-arising of delusion, wisdom, cause, effect, and so forth; this is called the purpose of breaking down dharmas through the emptiness gate in the Tripiṭaka teaching. Therefore, that treatise says: "I now properly wish to clarify the real meaning within the Tripiṭaka." The real meaning is emptiness. The *Āgama* says: "'This is old age and death' and 'Who is of old age and death?' are both wrong views." "This is old age and death" is the emptiness of dharmas; "Who is of old age and death?" is the emptiness of sentient beings. It also says: "The Buddha's dharmakāya is emptiness itself." Subhūti's wisdom of emptiness was exceptionally lucid, enabling him to see the Buddha's dharmakāya from within his stone cave; hence in the *Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā*, he was empowered to explain emptiness, while Śāriputra was empowered to explain prajñā. The Buddha wished to align great emptiness with small emptiness, and great wisdom with small wisdom, so he caused the two of them to propagate the teaching. The *Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa* says: "If one does not obtain the expedient means of prajñā, entering emptiness one will fall into non-existence." The *Mahāsaṃnipāta* says: "People holding the view of annihilation say that cessation occurs in a single thought-moment." Is this not the meaning of equal emptiness? One should know that the Tripiṭaka also explains the gate of emptiness. How could the Abhidharma masters sweepingly assert that "this is the Mahāyāna meaning of emptiness"?