止觀輔行傳弘決 2.52

2.52

From 'Like this' downward is the middle contemplation. First, it distinguishes the characteristics of the contemplation. It gathers together the preceding two contemplations of emptiness and provisionality; only by being identical to the extremes and thereby the middle is it named the wonderful middle. Therefore, it first says, 'When contemplating like this,' pointing to the previous two contemplations, both of which investigated action and experience to accomplish emptiness and provisionality. Now, within emptiness and provisionality one sees identity with the middle; hence it says 'clearly and distinctly'. 'Illusory transformations' refers to the preceding provisionality of the ten dharma-dhātus; 'and emptiness' refers to the preceding two emptinesses of nature and characteristics. Emptiness, provisionality, and nature—these three dharmas are mutually identical and thus without obstruction; hence we know that the term 'illuminating both' here is forever different from the former. Mahāsattva Fu's 'Poem on Solitude' says: 'Solitary essence is truly free from sound and name. / The three contemplations in a single mind fuse the myriad kinds; / Thorns and dense groves all naturally level out.' Thus we know that the Mahāsattva also practiced the three contemplations with respect to action and experience.

From 'Why is this so?' downward re-explains the characteristics of the mutual identity of the three contemplations. In the preceding contemplation of emptiness, it merely spoke of arising and illuminating, without reaching seeing and so forth. Here, dharma-nature and obstruction are mutually identical; therefore, the middle contemplation is forever distinct from emptiness. Lust, being extremely coarse, is still identical to dharma-nature; how much more so for other dharmas—how could they not be the three truths? Regarding 'If obstruction hinders dharma-nature' and so forth: that dharma-nature and obstruction do not hinder each other is spoken from the perspective of principle, just as water and waves do not obstruct each other. Up to dharma-nature being mutually identical with the arising and cessation of obstruction, this directly clarifies directing contemplation to the dharma-nature within obstruction. Dharma-nature has no arising and no cessation; because obstruction has arising and cessation, it is called arising and cessation. If so, since nature has no arising and cessation while obstruction has arising and cessation, their natures being as far apart as heaven and earth, how can they be called of one essence? Answer: Precisely because the essence of obstruction and nature are non-dual, it says that dharma-nature has no further arising and cessation. Thus, from the perspective of principle, both lack arising and cessation; spoken from the perspective of phenomena, obstruction has arising and cessation while nature has no arising and cessation; if absolute, there is neither obstruction nor nature, nor is there arising and cessation. If one grasps this meaning, merely contemplating lust is itself dharma-nature; dharma-nature has no [own-]nature, and therefore it is called the worldly truth breaking nature, which is nature-emptiness. This nature is itself dharma, and the essence of dharma is empty, which is called characteristic-emptiness.

From 'The Wuxing jing says' downward cites proof. The sūtra says: 'Lust is itself the Path; anger and delusion are likewise. / Within these three dharmas are immeasurable Buddha-dharmas. / If someone discriminates between lust, anger, delusion, and the Path, / that person is far from the Buddha, as distant as heaven and earth.' The intent of the sūtra directly clarifies that obstruction and nature are non-dual; therefore, it admonishes against permitting discrimination.

From 'Jingming' downward again cites the *Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa*: the non-path is obstruction, and the Buddha-path is nature. That sentient beings are identical to bodhi and nirvāṇa should fully be stated: 'All sentient beings are identical to bodhi and cannot be attained again. All sentient beings are identical to the mark of nirvāṇa and cannot be extinguished again.' Bodhi is the path that is realized; since it is identical to sentient beings, there is nothing to be attained. Nirvāṇa is the fruit of quiescent extinction; since it is identical to sentient beings, there is no separate extinction. Bodhi and nirvāṇa are dharmas of the fruit, yet they are already identical to sentient beings; how could dharma-nature be separated from lust?

From 'For the overbearingly arrogant' downward resolves doubt. The doubt asks: If so, why does the sūtra instruct to sever lust? Therefore, it resolves this by saying: It speaks of severing lust for the sake of the overbearingly arrogant. Ordinary persons claim realization, and the two vehicles claim the ultimate; for these two people, it speaks of parting from lust and anger. Why? Because ordinary persons have foolish arrogance, they are instructed to sever it; the capacities of the two vehicles are shallow, so it is appropriate to speak of severing for them. If these two did not exist and there were purely bodhisattvas, one would directly speak to them of the nature of lust, anger, and delusion being identical to liberation. Hence, in presently contemplating obstruction, it does not mean these two overbearingly arrogant persons.

Regarding 'All afflictions are the seeds of the Tathāgata', later the sūtra fully clarifies the three kinds of seed-natures: afflictions are the seed of the revealing cause, the five inexpiable sins and so forth are the seed of the conditioning cause, and the six sense-bases and seven consciousnesses are the seed of the direct cause; hence we know that the obstruction of lust is the seed of dharma-nature. The sūtra text correlates them separately; the present text follows the general, and therefore merely says that obstruction is identical to dharma-nature.

Regarding 'The color of the mountain and the flavor of the ocean' and so forth, metaphors are adduced, such as the color of Mount Sumeru and the flavor of the great ocean. Both the *Abhidharmakośa* and the *Abhidharma* texts state: 'Mount Sumeru has a distinct color on each of its four sides: gold in the east, lapis lazuli in the south, silver in the west, and crystal in the north. According to the direction, the water shares the color of the mountain, and sentient beings entering into it all take on the color of the water.' Fascicle 100 of the *Dazhidulun* says: 'Non-Buddhist texts say that this mountain is pure gold, and sentient beings plunging into it have colors non-dual with it'; hence it says 'the color of the mountain'. As for 'the flavor of the ocean', the *Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra* says: 'When the many streams flow into the sea, they share a single salty flavor'; hence it says 'the flavor of the ocean'. With the text spaced and characters paired, it says 'the color of the mountain and the flavor of the ocean'. Dharma-nature is likewise: when all dharmas enter into it, they share the single flavor of principle; hence outside of dharma-nature there are no further remaining dharmas, which is why it says 'without duality and without difference' and so forth.