維摩經疏卷第三．第六 3.18

3.18

自下七句明塵空中。初有四句正就塵體以說其空。次有一句約根辯空。次有一句約就塵體以明其空。末後一句約識彰空。就初句中法離好醜者。遠云。明離相也。於事分齊塵有美惡。美名為好。惡稱為醜。真法離此故無好醜。莊云。善法為好。不善為醜。法無善惡。有何好醜。叡云。實智為好。無明為醜。真法性空。何好何醜也。法無增損者。遠云。明離塵用。順益名增。違情稱損。真法離此名無增損。叡云。若生即增。若滅即損。法無生滅故離增損。莊云。無相真法有佛無佛。其性常住無有二相。如來說法普度眾生。滅盡法亦不減。涅槃亦不增也。法無生滅。法無歸者明離塵體。六塵之體有起有盡。說為生滅。屬人曰歸。真法離此故無生滅亦無所歸。又云。生滅從緣而無體性。雖生不生。雖滅不滅。法若有生即歸於滅。以其無生故無歸滅也。法過眼耳鼻舌身心者。約對六根以明塵空。於事分齊六塵是其六根所行。二乘不名為過。真中無塵。眼等不及故名過。法無高下常住不動者。還就塵體以辯其空。於事分齊塵有勝劣。上地塵勝為高。下地塵劣為下。三界俱空。真法離此故無高下。又在聖不高。居凡不下。以法性平等體無高下也。生死為下。涅槃為高。空法之中無生死故無下。無涅槃故無高也。常住不動釋無高下也。法離觀行者。約識辯空。於事分齊塵為識緣。不離觀行。於真法中無塵可緣。是故名離一切觀行。問。真法既離觀行。無分別智豈不緣如。答言。離觀行者。謂離凡夫二乘有相觀心緣真不及所言離。若望真智緣亦不離行也。或可。無分別智雖復緣如亦離觀行。何以故。智證如時不取如相。所以言離。或可。智雖緣如。緣無所緣。亦離觀行也。上來別教也。法相如是豈可說乎者。以理返責牒前所辯名法也。是名相俱絕心行亦無。豈可宣說。上來約就所說法體以教。

From here on, the seven phrases explain the emptiness of sense objects. First, there are four phrases directly taking the substance of sense objects to explain their emptiness. Next, there is one phrase examining emptiness in relation to the sense faculties. Next, there is one phrase directly taking the substance of sense objects to clarify their emptiness. The final phrase reveals emptiness in relation to consciousness. In the first phrase, 'the Dharma is free from the fine and the ugly': Huiyuan says, this clarifies freedom from marks. In the sphere of conventional affairs, sense objects have beauty and ugliness; the beautiful is called fine, the ugly is called base. The true Dharma is free from these; hence it has no fine or ugly. Zhuang says: wholesome dharmas are fine; unwholesome are ugly. The Dharma has neither good nor evil; what fine or ugly could there be? Sengrui says: real wisdom is fine; ignorance is ugly. The nature of the true Dharma is empty; what is fine, what is ugly? 'The Dharma has no increase or decrease': Huiyuan says, this clarifies freedom from the function of sense objects. Benefiting is called increase; running counter to feelings is called decrease. The true Dharma is free from these; hence it is called having no increase or decrease. Sengrui says: if there were arising, there would be increase; if there were ceasing, there would be decrease. The Dharma has no arising or ceasing; hence it is free from increase and decrease. Zhuang says: whether a Buddha exists or not, the nature of the signless true Dharma is eternally abiding and has no dual characteristics. The Tathāgata's teaching universally delivers sentient beings; yet when dharmas are completely extinguished, it does not diminish, and nirvāṇa does not increase. 'The Dharma has no arising or ceasing, and the Dharma has no destination': this clarifies freedom from the substance of sense objects. The substance of the six sense objects has emergence and end, which is spoken of as arising and ceasing; belonging to a person is called destination. The true Dharma is free from these; hence it has no arising or ceasing, nor does it have any destination. It is also said: arising and ceasing follow conditions and lack intrinsic substance; although arising, they do not arise; although ceasing, they do not cease. If a dharma had arising, it would return to cessation; because it has no arising, it has no returning to cessation. 'The Dharma transcends the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind': this explains the emptiness of sense objects in opposition to the six faculties. In the sphere of conventional affairs, the six sense objects are the domain of the six faculties; for the two vehicles, this is not called transcending. In the truth there are no sense objects; the eye and the others cannot reach it; hence it is called transcending. 'The Dharma has neither high nor low, eternally abiding and unmoving': this returns to the substance of sense objects to examine their emptiness. In the sphere of conventional affairs, sense objects have superiority and inferiority: the objects of higher realms are superior and considered high; the objects of lower realms are inferior and considered low. The three realms are completely empty; the true Dharma is free from this, so it has neither high nor low. Furthermore, it is not high in the sage, nor low in the ordinary person; because the dharmatā is equal, its substance has neither high nor low. Saṃsāra is low; nirvāṇa is high. In the empty Dharma there is no saṃsāra, so there is no low; there is no nirvāṇa, so there is no high. 'Eternally abiding and unmoving' explains the absence of high and low. 'The Dharma is free from contemplative practice': this examines emptiness in relation to consciousness. In the sphere of conventional affairs, sense objects are the conditions for consciousness, not separated from contemplative practice. In the true Dharma, there is no sense object that can be conditioned; therefore, it is said to be free from all contemplative practice. Question: since the true Dharma is free from contemplative practice, does non-discriminative wisdom not condition tathatā? Answer: saying it is free from contemplative practice means it is free from the conditioned contemplative minds of ordinary people and the two vehicles, which fall short of conditioning the real, hence called 'free'. If viewed from true wisdom, the conditioning is also not separate from practice. Alternatively: although non-discriminative wisdom conditions tathatā, it is also free from contemplative practice. Why? When wisdom realizes tathatā, it does not grasp the signs of tathatā; therefore, it is said to be free. Alternatively: although wisdom conditions tathatā, in conditioning there is nothing conditioned, so it is also free from contemplative practice. The above is the specific instruction. 'If the mark of the Dharma is like this, how could it be spoken?': this uses principle to turn back with a reprimand, citing what was previously discussed as the Dharma. Here name and mark are both eliminated, and the movement of mind is also absent; how could it be proclaimed? The above was instruction regarding the substance of the Dharma that is taught.