宗鏡錄 72.45

72.45

Answer: Because there are two errors. First, the error of not establishing the many: since it does not establish the many, the rest likewise cannot establish the many. Just as one does not establish ten, two, three, four, and so on also do not establish ten; hence there is the error of there being no ten. Second, the error of not establishing the one: if one does not establish ten, then it does not establish one. Since ten is not established, the meaning of one is also not established, because without ten, of what would it be the 'one'? If the one not being identical to the many constitutes an error like this, the many not being identical to the one likewise constitutes an error. Moreover, if they are not mutually identical, then within the gate of conditioned arising, the two meanings of emptiness and existence are not established, and there would be errors such as inherent nature and annihilationism. As for 'both persisting and both vanishing': 'both' means that precisely when one gathers the other to be identical with itself and relinquishes itself to be identical with the other, this is the many gathering the one to be identical with itself and relinquishing itself to be identical with the one. As for 'both vanishing': since the two meanings of one with respect to the other are precisely the two meanings of many with respect to the one, the two meanings of one with respect to the other vanish. Since the two meanings of many with respect to the one are precisely the two meanings of one with respect to the many, the two meanings of many with respect to the one vanish. The principle is not different from before; contemplate it. Sixth, the meaning of 'both substance and function fusing': 1. Taking substance towards function; 2. Taking function towards substance; 3. Both substance and function persisting; 4. Both substance and function vanishing. Because substance and function interpenetrate and form and deprivation both perish, they immediately enter the same origin; hence they are completely fused in one flavor. 5. Constituting the sphere of understanding; 6. Constituting the sphere of practice. Seventh, the meaning of 'identical substances mutually entering': this gate refers directly to the second gate above, because the second is the fundamental gate of identical substance. For example, the one intrinsically being one is the fundamental one; responding to two, it is the one of two; responding to three, it is the one of three, and so forth. It is merely a single one that, in contrast to others, constitutes the many. It is also like a single person: in relation to a father, he is called a son; in relation to a son, he is called a father; in relation to an elder brother, he is a younger brother; in relation to a younger brother, he is an elder brother, and so on. There is the same substance of one person, yet there are many names. Here the fundamental one is like the one person, and the many ones are like the various names. Eighth, the meaning of 'identical substances being mutually identical': since the one possessing many is empty, similarly the many ones possess substance. Because it is only due to the many ones that one designates the fundamental one as the fundamental one, the many ones have substance while the fundamental one lacks substance. Because the many ones have substance, they can gather the fundamental one; because the fundamental one lacks substance, it latently enters the many ones. Ninth, 'both fusing without obstruction': this is the same as the preceding gate of different substances. It is the sixth gate above: within the dharmas of conditioned arising of identical substance, capacities and functions interrelate, and the whole substance fuses; only then is conditioned arising accomplished. Tenth, the meaning of 'identity and difference being consummated': the preceding four gates of different substances, four gates of identical substances, and the third gate of identity and difference both persisting, all do not go beyond identity and difference. Residing together in one place, they do not lean toward any single gate; hence it is called 'consummated'. If fully endowed, all possess the ten mysteries; there are multiple doors of meaning: there are root and branch, identity and difference, identity and entering, four propositions, six propositions, and so forth. Combining the preceding nine gates constitutes the gate of simultaneity. For instance, because mutual entering of different substances carries mutual entering of identical substances, there is the gate of Indra's net: in mutual entering of identical substances, the one already contains the many; further entering different substances, there is the meaning of layer upon layer. Mutual entering of identical substances is like a mirror already containing many reflections; further entering different substances is like a mirror containing reflections further entering other mirrors; hence there is the meaning of infinite layers upon layers. The remaining nine mysteries are as in the text. Now to conclude their relations: because identity and difference were fused in the first fundamental gate, here the preceding six gates are fused; thus the three gates within different substances and the three gates within identical substances accomplish each other. Without different substances, identical substance is not accomplished; without identical substance, different substances are not accomplished; hence the six gates accomplish each other. The subsequent seven gates arise from the preceding three; because the preceding three are fused, the subsequent seven must also be fused; hence the ten gates are of a single boundary. Analogous to the third fusion above, there are also six propositions: 1. Or, taking the entire substance as completely different, it possesses entering, identity, and both; 2. Or, taking the entire substance as completely identical, it also possesses entering, identity, and both; 3. Or, possessing both identity and difference manifesting simultaneously, because there are not two substances; 4. Or, neither identity nor difference, because by mutually depriving they are both exhausted: identity is difference, hence it is not identical; difference is identity, hence it is not different; 5. Or, possessing the preceding four, as they constitute the sphere of understanding; 6. Or, cutting off the preceding five, as it constitutes the sphere of practice. Therefore, explaining the principle according to wisdom, the various gates are not the same; discarding wisdom and forgetting the trap, everything is impossible to speak of. Spoken or unspoken, it is unobstructed and difficult to conceive. Merged into the ocean of the fruit, only by forgetting words and leaving illumination behind may one hopefully attain it in a mysterious way. As the above general cause of conditioned arising says: 'The external transforms from the internal, root and branch mutually gathering.' The external container worlds are transformed all at once by the internal consciousness. The dominant fruit is also caused by one's own karma; hence it is said to 'transform from the internal'. The internal is precisely the root; the external is precisely the branch. In terms of the meaning of mind-only, the internal gathers the external, and the branch gathers the root. If one takes the dharmatā as the root, the dharmatā fuses and penetrates, and conditioned arising is mutually dependent; thus a dust mote encompasses a single body, and a pore contains lands. Therefore, they combine to make the great, great conditioned arising.