宗鏡錄 40.3

40.3

答。以事驗知。因用可辯。事能顯理。用能彰體。如見波生。知有水體。十八空論云。不捨離空菩薩。修學此定。止為功德善根無盡。何以故。一切諸佛。於無餘涅槃中。亦不捨功德善根門。有流果報。已盡。功德善根。本為化物故。恒有此用。如來雖入涅槃。猶隨眾生機緣。現應化兩身。導利含識。即是更起心義。故眾生不盡。應化之用亦不盡。故言雖入無餘。而不捨功德善根也。若二乘入滅。無更起心。以慈悲薄少。不化眾生。若佛入無餘。而更起心者。以諸佛菩薩。三身利物無窮故。如來法身。即是一切無流法之依處。故言不捨離功德也。所以得知涅槃之中。猶有法身者。以用證體。既覩應化之用不盡。故知此身之體。常自湛然。永無遷壞。如毘婆沙師。說無涅槃。無有自相而可言無。何以故。為能顯事用故。若不依涅槃。不成智慧。智慧不成。則煩惱不滅。涅槃既能生道。道能滅惑。即是涅槃家事。既見有事。則知應有體。故不得言無也。

Answer: It is verified and known through phenomena; it can be distinguished by means of function. Phenomena can reveal principle; function can manifest substance. Just as seeing waves arise, one knows there is the substance of water. The Treatise on the Eighteen Kinds of Emptiness states: 'The bodhisattva who does not abandon emptiness cultivates and learns this samādhi solely for the sake of the inexhaustibility of virtues and roots of goodness. Why? All buddhas, within remainderless nirvāṇa, also do not abandon the gate of virtues and roots of goodness. Tainted retributions have ended; virtues and roots of goodness were originally for transforming beings, and thus constantly have this function. Although the Tathāgata enters nirvāṇa, he still, in accordance with the capacities and conditions of sentient beings, manifests both the response and transformation bodies to guide and benefit conscious beings; this is the meaning of giving rise to citta anew. Therefore, as sentient beings are not exhausted, the functions of response and transformation are also not exhausted. Hence it is said that although entering the remainderless [nirvāṇa], he does not abandon virtues and roots of goodness. If the two vehicles enter cessation, there is no giving rise to citta anew, because their compassion is slight and scanty, and they do not transform sentient beings. If the Buddha enters the remainderless and yet gives rise to citta anew, it is because for all buddhas and bodhisattvas the three bodies benefit beings boundlessly. The Tathāgata's dharmakāya is precisely the ground of reliance for all untainted dharmas; hence it is said that he does not abandon virtues.' Therefore, how it is known that within nirvāṇa there is still the dharmakāya is by proving the substance through function. Having seen that the function of response and transformation is inexhaustible, we know that the substance of this body is ever pellucid of itself, eternally without change or destruction. Like the Vibhāṣā masters who speak of non-nirvāṇa: having no self-characteristic, it could be called non-existent. Why? Because it is able to manifest phenomenal functions. If one does not rely on nirvāṇa, wisdom is not accomplished; if wisdom is not accomplished, kleśas are not extinguished. Since nirvāṇa can give rise to the Path, and the Path can extinguish delusion, these are the affairs of nirvāṇa. Having seen that there are affairs, we know there must be a substance; therefore it cannot be said to be non-existent.