翻譯名義集 3.271

3.271

[Seal]
The Da zhidu lun says: "There are three seals of the Buddha's Dharma: first, all conditioned phenomena arise and cease from moment to moment and are impermanent; second, all phenomena are without self; third, nirvāṇa is quiescence. A practitioner knows that all three realms are conditioned, arising and ceasing, created phenomena: previously existing and now non-existent, presently existing and subsequently non-existent. Because they arise and cease from moment to moment, in continuous and similar succession, they can be seen and known. Just like flowing water, the flame of a lamp, or a continuous wind, because they are similar and continuous, people take them to be one. Because sentient beings are constantly inverted regarding impermanent phenomena, they claim that what passes away is permanent; this is called the seal that all created phenomena are impermanent. 'All phenomena are without self': within phenomena there is no master, no agent, no knower, no seer, no producer, and no maker of karma. All phenomena depend upon causes and conditions; because they depend upon causes and conditions, they are not independent; because they are not independent, they are without self; because the mark of a self cannot be found—as spoken in the 'Chapter on Refuting the Self'—this is called the seal of non-self (and so forth). 'Quiescence': this is nirvāṇa; because the fires of the three poisons and the three decays are extinguished, it is called the seal of quiescence. Question: 'In the seal of quiescence, why is only one phenomenon mentioned, and not expounded extensively?' Answer: 'In the first seal the five aggregates are spoken of; in the second seal it is spoken that all phenomena are without self; and in the third seal the fruit of these two seals is spoken of—this is called the seal of quiescence. When all created phenomena are impermanent, one dismantles the objects of self: the external five desires and so on. If one speaks of non-self, one dismantles the internal phenomenon of self. Because the self and what belongs to the self are dismantled, this is the quiescence of nirvāṇa.'"
The treatise also asks: "In the Mahāyāna it is said that all phenomena neither arise nor cease, having a single mark, namely, marklessness. Why is it said here that all conditioned and created phenomena are impermanent, and this is called a Dharma seal? How do the two doctrines not contradict each other?" Answer: "Contemplating impermanence is just the condition for contemplating emptiness. For example, contemplating matter as impermanent from moment to moment, one immediately knows it to be empty. Past matter has perished and decayed, unable to be seen, therefore it has no mark of matter. Future matter has not arisen, without activity or function, unable to be seen, therefore it has no mark of matter. Present matter likewise has no abiding; it cannot be seen or known through discrimination, therefore it has no mark of matter. The lack of the mark of matter is just emptiness; emptiness is just non-arising and non-ceasing. Non-arising and non-ceasing, and arising and ceasing, are in truth one; they are spoken of in expanded and abridged forms." Question: "Past and future matter cannot be seen, so they have no mark of matter; present matter can be seen when it abides, so why say it has no mark of matter?" Answer: "Present matter likewise has no time of abiding, as spoken in the Four Applications of Mindfulness. If a phenomenon is later seen to have the mark of decay, one should know that it had the mark of decay at its initial arising; but because it follows on so subtly, it is not recognized. For example, when someone wears clogs, if on the first day they are new and have no wornness, they should later always be new and never have wornness. If they have no wornness, they would have to be permanent; if permanent, there would be no demerit and no merit; and because there would be no demerit and no merit, the ways of the world and of the Path would be thrown into chaos. Furthermore, the marks of arising and ceasing constantly follow created phenomena; there is no time of abiding. If there were a time of abiding, then there would be no arising and ceasing. For this reason, present matter has no abiding."