大乘起信論略述 1.96

1.96

[Treatise:] "Just as the water of the great ocean… because the nature of wetness is not destroyed."

Commentary: This presents the simile. There are four similes to illustrate tathatā: 'Water of the great ocean surging into waves due to the wind' illustrates the true turning in accord with the deluded. 'The phase of water and the phase of wind do not abandon each other' illustrates the mutual reliance of the true and the deluded. 'Water is not by nature mobile' illustrates that the true essence is unchanging; that is, the nature of water has only wetness as its self-nature, merely moving in accord with the other and not moving of itself. 'If the wind ceases…' illustrates quelling the deluded to manifest the true: if water moved of itself, then when the phase of movement ceased, the nature of wetness would cease along with it; but because it moves in accord with the other, when the phase of movement ceases, the nature of wetness is not destroyed.