御注金剛般若波羅蜜經宣演 2.198

2.198

[Sūtra:] "If this multitude of fine dust motes… the Buddha would not have spoken of a multitude of fine dust motes." / [Exposition:] The fourth is the explanation. The treatise points to this text: this is the expedient of having nothing seen. What meaning does this statement have? 'If an aggregate of fine dust motes existed in paramārtha, the World-Honoured One would not speak of a non-aggregate. The World-Honoured One speaks of an aggregate of fine dust motes as a non-aggregate, which is called an aggregate of fine dust motes, because the substance of this aggregate is unestablished. If it were otherwise, even without being spoken, it would be known by itself; what meaning would there be in having to speak of it as an aggregate?' / [Exposition:] This clarifies that the Buddha's speaking of fine dust motes differs from non-Buddhists. If they were real as non-Buddhists [claim], they would be known by themselves without being spoken—why would the Buddha need to speak of them? Now, since the Buddha speaks of them, it clarifies that dust motes have no substance, merely causing one to contemplate their reduction as unreal. Therefore the Cheng Weishi Lun says: 'For the sake of those who grasp coarse form as having real substance, the Buddha spoke of paramāṇus to cause them to eliminate and reduce it, not meaning that forms really have paramāṇus.' That precisely explains the meaning of these passages. Here, taking the superior principle of contemplative practice, it is called paramārtha, not referring to the ultimate truth. Another explanation is: relying on the real, it is named paramārtha; because those paramāṇus, observed according to convention, are nonexistent upon entering the real. If one relies on this explanation, it differs slightly from the intent of the Cheng Weishi Lun; reflecting on it, it can be understood. That treatise's commentary says: 'If there were truly one entity aggregated, the Tathāgata would not speak of an aggregate of fine dust motes.' / [Exposition:] The explanation of the metaphor is the same as this. The meaning of the application to phenomena is: the provisional marks of the nirmāṇakāya are not the true Buddha; hence they are likewise equivalent to provisional dust motes.