翻譯名義集 7.98

7.98

First, Tracing the Source: The Madhyamaka-śāstra says: "The Buddhas rely on the two truths to teach the Dharma to sentient beings: first, through conventional truth; second, through ultimate truth." Indeed, because the Buddha's preaching of the Dharma is never in vain, whenever he sets forth teachings, they all explain real principles. Thus, all those who hear the Dharma attain realization, for it is taught according to their faculties in reliance upon the two truths. As the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra states: "There are two kinds of sentient beings: the first understand that all dharmas are provisional designations; the second are attached to names and letters. For the sake of sentient beings attached to names and letters, he speaks of signlessness; for the sake of sentient beings who understand that all dharmas are provisional designations, he speaks of conventional truth." Therefore, conventionality reveals the facts of conditioned arising, in which all phenomena are distinct and apparent. Hence, within the realm of Buddha-work, not a single dharma is abandoned: he exhorts ministers with loyalty, exhorts sons with filial piety, exhorts states with good order, and exhorts families with harmony; promoting goodness, he shows the joy of the heavens; punishing wrongdoing, he reveals the suffering of the hells. This is relying on conventional truth. Ultimate truth makes evident the principle of fundamental quiescence, where the single nature is completely obliterated. Therefore, in the ground of true reality, not a single speck of dust is admitted. Right and wrong are both obliterated, subject and object both vanish. It points to the myriad phenomena as true suchness, and gathers the three vehicles to return to true reality. This is relying on ultimate truth.

Second, Explaining the Names: These dharmas of the two truths take their names based on what expresses them. Speaking of the ultimate runs counter to the conventional, and according with the conventional goes against the ultimate. Because "truth" (zhen) means the real, what is examined and found real is the ultimate; because "convention" (su) means the provisional, what is examined and found provisional is the conventional. Thus the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra says: "What is known by people of the supramundane world is called ultimate truth; what is known by worldly people is called conventional truth." The Beishan lu says: "Attaining the utmost and relinquishing sentiment is called ultimate; giving rise to the subtle and engaging in movement is called conventional. The ultimate is emptiness of nature; the conventional is provisional existence. The existence of provisional existence is termed semblance existence; the emptiness of the emptiness of nature is termed true emptiness." This explains them in mutual contrast through fact and principle. Crown Prince Zhaoming stated: "The ultimate truth is free from both existence and non-existence; the conventional truth is identical with existence and identical with non-existence. Being identical with existence and non-existence is provisional designation; being free from both existence and non-existence is the Middle Way." This determines and explains them in terms of the middle and the extremes.

Third, Differentiating the Meanings: The Zongjing lu asks: "The single mind and two truths, principle and phenomena, are not unreal. Realizing the nature of principle constitutes the ultimate; examining facts and phenomena constitutes the conventional; both possess fully established meaning without destroying the portals of the two truths. Since both the Mahāyāna and the Hīnayāna jointly establish them, what is meant by 'fully established meaning'?" It answers: "What is established is definitive and unalterable; following the ultimate or following the conventional, each has its rationale. The Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra states: 'First, there is worldly fully established reality; second, there is rationally fully established reality. Worldly fully established reality refers to the identical nature seen by cognitive wisdom that has entered into understanding, according with the conventionally posited common usages of all the world regarding various matters—namely, that earth is solely earth and not fire or the like, up to suffering is solely suffering and not pleasure, and pleasure is solely pleasure and not suffering or pleasure. To state the essence, this is simply like this, not unlike this; it is simply so, not not-so. This is the objective domain of definitive, resolute determination, handed down from beginningless time in all the world, mutually established through ideation and differentiation, grasped without first having to reflect, deliberate, and observe: this is called worldly fully established reality. Rationally fully established reality refers to the matters known and traversed by definitive wisdom that, relying on direct perception, inference, and the valid cognition of sacred teaching, has most thoroughly reflected and selected—the meanings established and posited through proving reason: this is called rationally fully established reality.'"

Fourth, Showing the Essence: The dharma of the two truths clarifies the essence that is expressed. As Prince Zhaoming said: "What worldly people know has the produced dharma as its essence; what sages know has the unproduced as its essence; though differing according to the person, their essence is not different." Therefore, Jingxi said: "Pointing to just a single dharma, the two truths are completely intact: conventionally, it is the hundred realms and thousand suchnesses; ultimately, they reside together in a single thought-moment." Furthermore, the Awakening of Faith says: "Mahāyāna, generally speaking, has two aspects. What are the two? The first is dharma, and the second is meaning." This divides two meanings from a single dharma: speaking of the real mark does not destroy provisional designations, and discussing distinctions does not violate equality. Prince Zhaoming said: "The ultimate means that existence is empty; the conventional points to emptiness as existence." The Zongjing lu says: "Conventional truth cannot avoid having existence, yet existence is ever inherently empty; ultimate truth cannot avoid being empty, yet emptiness directly penetrates existence." Therefore, the Commentary on the Treatise on the Ten Doubts states: "Speaking of marks, the myriad dharmas stand in array, yet in reality nothing is attained; discussing nature, the single suchness is quiescent, yet does not obstruct according with conditions. The ultimate is the ultimate of the house of convention, so the myriad dharmas naturally vanish; the conventional is the convention of the house of the ultimate, so the single nature is constantly distinct. Because provisional designations are not destroyed, differences of arising and ceasing between this and that exist; because the true mark of all dharmas is spoken, arising and ceasing between this and that naturally disappear. It is precisely within non-unity that non-duality is illuminated." Thus the Humane Kings Sūtra says: "In understanding, it is always naturally one (wisdom's illumination merges and penetrates; the dharmatā is always one); in the truths, it is always naturally two (the sage sees the ultimate; the ordinary person sees the conventional). Completely understanding this unity and duality, one truly enters the truth of the noble meaning." Hence the ancient worthy said: "The two truths are never merely a pair; always in tension, they have never been separate. The two dualities reveal and obliterate the middle, meaning neither ultimate nor conventional. A single pair of solitary wild geese brush the earth and fly high; two mandarin ducks stand alone beside the pond." Another former worthy said: "Ultimate and conventional are both obliterated, yet the two truths constantly persist; emptiness and existence both vanish, yet the single flavor is ever present." Thus we know that clinging to each leads to failure, while mutual interpenetration leads to attainment. Clinging to each leading to failure is as in the saying: although the conditioned is artificial, if one abandons it, the great enterprise cannot be accomplished; although the unconditioned is empty, if one abides in it, the mind of wisdom will not be radiant. Mutual interpenetration leading to attainment is as in the saying: although one knows that all Buddha lands and sentient beings are empty, one constantly cultivates the Pure Land to teach and transform sentient beings. Therefore, the Commentary on the Treatise on the Ten Doubts states: "The sage grasps its meaning: in the very place of according with conditions he speaks of the unvarying, and in the very place of accomplishing matters he speaks of essential emptiness." Hence Jingxi said: "You should know that the myriad dharmas are true suchness, because of unvaryingness; true suchness is the myriad dharmas, because of according with conditions." Such clear texts all discuss that the essence of the ultimate and the conventional is one.

Fifth, Explaining the Marks: The Miaoxuan states: "Grasping the essence while keeping it brief, merely designating dharmatā as ultimate truth and the twelve links of dependent origination born of ignorance as conventional truth is sufficient in meaning. But because human minds are coarse and shallow and do not perceive its deep wonder, it must be further elucidated, thus discussing seven kinds of two truths." The Shiqian explains: "However, the passages for these seven are scattered across various sūtras and nowhere appear complete in a single place; only chapter twelve of the Great Sūtra [Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra] lists eight two truths. Guanding of Zhang'an organized them into seven two truths to resolve them: the first is general, and the remaining seven are specific. The sūtra says: 'What is seen by the minds of supramundane persons is called ultimate truth; what is seen by the minds of worldly persons is called conventional truth.' The commentary says: 'This generally heads all the truths. Worldly sentiments are of many kinds, bundled together as conventional truth; noble wisdom possesses much knowledge, bundled together as ultimate truth. This is following sentiment and following wisdom across the teachings.' The sūtra says: 'The harmony of the five skandhas is called by a certain name; this is called conventional truth. Understanding that within the skandhas there are no skandhas, nor is there a name, and that apart from the skandhas there is also nothing—this is called ultimate truth.' The commentary says: 'Name and non-name: that is, the two truths of arising and ceasing (The Miaoxuan says: "Real existence is conventional; the cessation of real existence is ultimate").' The sūtra says: 'Some dharmas have names and have reality: this is called ultimate truth. Some dharmas have names but lack reality: this is called conventional truth.' The commentary says: 'Real and not real: that is, the two truths of non-arising (The Miaoxuan says: "Illusory existence is conventional; that illusory existence is empty is ultimate").' The sūtra says: 'Such as self, person, sentient being, life span, knower, and seer, up to tortoise hair and hare horns, the skandhas, dhātus, and āyatanas—these are called conventional truth. Suffering, origination, cessation, and the path are called ultimate truth.' The commentary says: 'Definite and non-definite two truths: that is, single conventional and dual ultimate (The Miaoxuan says: "Illusory existence is conventional; that illusory existence is empty and not empty together constitute the ultimate").' The sūtra says: 'Worldly dharmas are of five kinds: the world of names, the world of phrases, the world of bondage, the world of dharmas, and the world of clinging: these are called conventional truth. Toward these five dharmas, having a mind without inversion is called ultimate truth.' The commentary says: 'Dharma and non-dharma: this is also the two truths containing the middle (The Miaoxuan says: "The fourth: illusory existence is conventional; illusory existence is identical to empty and not empty, all dharmas tending toward empty and not empty is ultimate").' The sūtra says: 'Burning, cutting, death, and destruction: these are called conventional truth. The absence of burning, cutting, death, and so forth: this is called ultimate truth.' The commentary says: 'Burning and non-burning: dual conventional and single middle (The Miaoxuan says: "Illusory existence and illusory existence being identical to emptiness are both called conventional; neither existent nor empty is ultimate").' The sūtra says: 'There are eight kinds of suffering: these are called conventional truth. There are not eight kinds of suffering: therefore this is ultimate truth.' The commentary says: 'Suffering and non-suffering two truths: this also is dual conventional and single middle (The Miaoxuan says: "Illusory existence and illusory existence being identical to emptiness are both called conventional; neither existent nor empty, all dharmas tending toward neither existent nor empty, is ultimate").' The sūtra says: 'Just as one person has many names, being born relying on father and mother is called conventional truth; being born relying on the coming together of the twelve links of dependent origination is called ultimate truth.' The commentary says: 'The two truths of coming together, where ultimate and conventional are non-dual, are dual conventional and dual middle (The Miaoxuan says: "Illusory existence and illusory existence being identical to emptiness are both conventional; all dharmas tending toward existence, tending toward emptiness, and tending toward neither existent nor empty is ultimate." It also says: "Briefly speaking, within the realm [of samsāra] being identical and not identical, and outside the realm being identical and not identical, are the four kinds of two truths. The Distinct connecting to the Pervasive is five; the Perfect based on the Pervasive is six; the Perfect connecting to the Distinct is seven. Tiantai thus clarified the teaching methods of the four orthodox and three connecting").'"

Sixth, Object and Wisdom: The Commentary on the Awakening of Faith asks: "Are object and wisdom one or different?" It answers: "The essence of wisdom is not two, and the object is also not two. That wisdom is not two means that it is only a single wisdom, with differences in meaning and function: regarding the point of knowing the ultimate, it is called ultimate wisdom; regarding the point of knowing the conventional, it is called conventional wisdom. That the object is not two means that form being identical to emptiness is the ultimate object, and emptiness being identical to form is the conventional object. Consequently, when one realizes the ultimate, one must penetrate the conventional; when one penetrates the conventional, one must realize the ultimate. Understanding that the conventional lacks self-nature is precisely true emptiness—how could there be before and after? What is more, with no object outside the mind, how could there be a mind outside the object? Thus mind and object melt together into a single dharmadhātu."

Seventh, Exhortation and Admonition: The Great Sūtra states: "What are called the two truths are actually one; they are provisionally spoken of as two. Like a drunkard who has not yet vomited seeing the sun and moon spinning and thinking there is a spinning sun and an unspinning sun, whereas a sober person only sees the unspinning and does not see spinning. To call them one is not one; to speak of two is not two. One must understand through wisdom and not cling through sentiment." Therefore, the Buddha told Ānanda: "In the past, when I was a man of great learning, I disputed with Mañjuśrī over the meaning of the two truths. Upon death I fell into the three evil destinies, passing through immeasurable kalpas swallowing red-hot iron pellets. Emerging from hell, I encountered Kāśyapa Buddha, who explained the two truths of existence and non-existence to me. Kāśyapa Buddha said: 'All dharmas are without fixed nature. That you speak of existence and non-existence is not correct. All the myriad dharmas are entirely empty and quiescent. These two truths are both existent and non-existent. You only know the text and do not understand its meaning. You should know that regarding the two truths, by conventional truth they exist, and by ultimate truth they do not; their essence is inconceivable, so how could you cling one-sidedly?'" Those who study the Buddha's teachings should cast off sentiment and conceptualization. Hence the Buddhapiṭaka-sūtra says: "Cutting and harming the people of Jambudvīpa with knives incurs relatively little sin; preaching the teaching of the true mark with a mind of grasping incurs far greater fault." One should know that the Buddha-dharma is inconceivable; only the doctrinal characteristics are difficult to understand. It is fervently hoped that future worthies will deeply investigate and thoroughly contemplate the Buddha's holy teachings, and not treat them coarsely or superficially.