Nagarjunas philosophy as presented in the maha prajnaparamita sastra (54)

NAGARJUNA'S PHILOSOPHY to fare in prajnaparamita (and realize the bhutakoti in order to help all people) (69.zc) As an individual, one is different from another ; this is the mundane truth where distinctions are essential But in the ultimate truth, with respect to their ultimate nature, the individuals are not different ; for the ultimate nature of one is itself the ultimate nature of all (The ultimate nature of,Subhiiti is the same as the ult.imate nature of the Buddha) The ultimately true nature of the Tathagata is neither going nor coming (:tzD*:tzDf!H:;*�*) The ultimately true nature of Subhiiti is also neither going nor coming Therefore it is that Subhiiti is born in the same way as the Buddha (�{;I!1:.) The ultimately true nature of the Tathagata is the same as the ultimately true nature of all things ; the ultimately true nature of all things is itself the ultimately true nature of the Tathagata ( :-WJ�:tzDfHJlP;(£llD*:tznf!l) It cannot even be (conceived) that within this ultimate reality there is any other ultimate reality 88 (S63 a) Again, the ultimately true nature of the Tathagata eternally stays ('ilt{±fH) The ultimately true nature of even Subhiiti eternally stays The ultimately true nature of the Tathagata has no change, no division (�A�}JIj) The ultimately true nature of the Tathagata and the ultimately true nature of all things are in truth but one reality, not two, not divided (-:tzD�=�»Ij) This ultimate reality is unmade (�f'F) ; it will never be other than what it always is (���:tzD) It is therefore that this ultimate reality is not two, not divided (The sam� is the case even with the ultimately true nature of Subhiiti and, in fact, of every being) It is altogether devoid of imaginative constructions (��) and devoid of divisions (�BIJ ) (S63a) • While one is in the mundane truth where the conditioned and the unconditioned are held relatively distinct, it can be said that the uncon­ ditioned reality is within the heart of the conditioned entities But to take it as an absolute statement is to conceive a total separation between the conditioned and the unconditioned ; this is to miss the point that that 268 REALITY was a way of expressing the truth that the conditioned is itself in its ultimate nature the unconditioned reality, and to misco�ceive the nature of the conditioned and of the unconditioned In the ultimate truth it does not hold that the unconditioned is within the distinct, determinate entities The ultimately real nature (the tathatiilak$al)a �[)tIl) of the Tathagata is not past or present or future The ultimately real nature of the Tathagata is not in the rcal nature of the past, etc ; the ultimately real nature of the past etc is not in the ultimately real nature of theTatha­ gata The ultimately real nature of the past etc and the ultimately real nature of the Tathagata, all this is one reality not two, not divided (-t/[)1!!t = 1!!t )JIJ) The ultimately real nature of the "I" (tlt�[)) the ultimately real nature of the knowledge of all forms (sarviikiirajiiatii) , the ultimately real nature of the Tathagata, all this is one reality, not two, not divided When the bodhisattva realizes this reality (tathatti) he is called the Tathagata (�':I::t([)$::tijl[)*) (563 b) While the determinate entities are themselves in their ultimate nature the indeterminate dhartml, it cannot be maintained that the ultimate nature of the determinate is itself anything determinate, that the nature of things in which they are undivided is itself anything divided, and that the determinate entities are subject to birth and death in their ultimate nature Thus the Siitra says: The non-dual nature of rupa is not rupa (f5�=:I:�f5) 'All the riipa that there is and the entire non-dual dharma, all this is in truth, the one, undivided, ultimate reality, which neither gathers nor scatters, is devoid of color, devoid of shape, devoid of resistance; it is all ·of one nature, viz., being of no particular nature (-ftlmm�fI]) It is there­ fore that the non-dual nature of rupa is not riipa Riipa enten nOll­ duality (A�.:-:�It) (All things enter non-duality The non-dual, undivided being is the unborn dharma.) Rtipa is not different from the unborn dharma (f5�.��), the unborn dharma is not different from rupa It is therefore that rupa cnters non-duality (436c) 269 NAGARjUNA'S PHILO SOPHY On this, the Sastra comments: (Truly) rupa is, by its very nature, ever unborn (15tEm- gH!�1:: ) It is not that it is now deprived of the nature of birth through the power of prajiiii Ifone would destroy rupa making it sunya and yet would retain the original thought of (clinging to) rupa (�ff*�;m), (that would not be the true comprehension of sunyata) But if one would comprehend that rupa, by its very nature, has been ever unborn (�*B*'iit § �1:), (that would be the true comprehension of rupa and) then one would not retain any more the thought that clings to rupa (as permanent or im­ permanent) Therefore it is said that the unborn dharma (which is the real nature) of rupa is not riipa (iS�1:: � �iS) The wayfarer, having comprehended the unborn, undying, nature o f rupa, might conceive, "Now, rupa has become unborn." (In truth, rupa has always been the unborn dharma.) It is therefore said that the unborn nature is itself the non-dual nature.36• (43 7a) The ultimate reality as (A) svabhava-siinyatii: The fundamental teach­ ing of the indeterminate, transcendent, non-conceptual nature of the ultimate reality which is yet the ground of determinate existence and of specific conceptual constructions, is conveyed in the Sutra as well as in the Sastra by means of such expressions as svabhava-si4nyata, complete siinyatii, samata and purity, and by means of such examples as island and akasa Complete sunyata means complete indeterminateness ; that this is the essential nature (svabhava) of the ultimate truth of things is conveyed by svablziiva-st"inyata Thus the Sastra says : The universal reality is just the svabhava-sunyata ('t1£�) (697c) This svabhava-sunya-dharma, the ultimate reality (dharma) that is es­ sentially (sI'abhava) indeterminate (stinya) should not be conceived either as dual or as non-dual,37 The svabhiiva-Siinya-dharma has truly no abode (1!\Ii'l'f:tJJ!) ; it does not come from anywhere, nor does it go anywhere This is the eternal REALITY dharma-la�a'Ja (#�l!.MD) The eternal Jharma-lak�at)a is another name for the svabhava-Junyatii It is also called the universal reality (��.;j:§) In it there is neither birth nor extinction (697C) The svabhava-Jiinya-dharma sh o uld not be clung to even as Jiinya To seize the funya nature of the svabhiiva-fiinya-dharma is to tum siinyata itself into something determinate, while the re ality that is the svabhava­ siinya-dharma is free from all determinations.37• (B) Samata: The ultimate nature of thing s, the svabhava-siinyata, also called samata nature is to mean the essential sameness of thing s in their true the siinyatii o f the external the 1iinyata o f self-nature, this is the samata o f things (�� ) which the bodhi­ sattva should cultivate Riipa is devoid (sjjnya) o f the cha racte r of riipa the unexcelled samyak-sambodhi (the complete bodhi par excellence) is devoid (sunya) of the character o f samyak-sambodhi This is the samata of things The bodhisattva dwelling in this samata o f things (�:l!��) realizes the samyak-sambodhi (604c) The fiinyatii of the internal This essential sameness of all things is comprehensible both in regard to their mundane and to their ultimate nature In respect to their mun­ dane nature it means their essentially conditioned relative, dependent nature In regard to their ultimate nature, it means the ultimate re ality of the undivided being which is the very real nature of all that is' The bodhisattva who comprehends the essehtial s:nneness of all beings as well as o f their constituent elements holds his mind "in balance" (tlofJ;) and fares with equanimity (.ljl�) of mind.a s The Sutra says : The samata of all things (g�ijl � ) is not made by anyone not by the Buddha Whether there are the Buddhas or there are not the Buddhas, the true nature of all things remains eternally siinya This slIabhava-siinyata is itself Nirval).a (728c-729a) even 271 NAGARJUNA'S PHILOSOPHY (C) Purity: This ultimate samata or the ultimate Junyatii is also called purity, Purity to indicate its comple te devoidness of all determinate nature another name for the undivided being , the ultimate reality is It is the ultimate samata of things that I call purity What is this sama­ tii? It is what is called the tathatii, the unchanging, the not-false, the dharma-lak�atJa, the dharma-dhiitu , dharma-sth;t;, dharma-sthiina, bhuta­ koti Whether there are the Buddhas or there are not the Buddhas, the dharmatii eternally stays It is this eternal dharmatii that is called purity B ut even this (name, purity) is mentioned only in the mundane truth (vyavahara); this is not a teaching o f the ultimate truth The ultimate truth transcends all definitions and descriptions, transcends all com­ ments and disputations transcends all words (724a) , (D) N;rvat}a, the Island: To indicate that the ultimate, p ro found nature of all things ever remains unaffected by the i mag inative con­ structions of the igno rant, it is calle d the island, the central land which the streams of ignorance and p assion not reach Nirvat).a, the ulti­ mate nature of things, is thus co mpar able to an isl and Thus the Sutra says: Whether in a river or in -a great ocean, (if in a spot) the water is p revented from flowing in from any of the four sides, the spot comes to be called an island Such is also the nature of riipa (and all other things when) the prior and the po s terio r ends a re terminated With the prior and the posterior ends stopped, all thing s themselves would be (the profound dharma) the peace, the most precious jewel, viz , the siinya, anupalambha (�m�), the residueless extinc tion of thi rst the compl e te freedom fro m p assio n (.�), the Nirval).a The bodhisattva teaches the world this dharma, the most profo und dharma, the complete peace (SS8c) And the Siistra comments : Water here refers to the three streams of defiling elements (iisra/1a ) (viz., ignorance and passion in rega rd to things of the world of desire and of the highe r worlds) all the kleSas and all the deeds and their , , • ... The ultimately real nature of the Tathagata is not in the rcal nature of the past, etc ; the ultimately real nature of the past etc is not in the ultimately real nature of theTatha­ gata The. .. is called the Tathagata (�':I::t([)$::tijl[)*) (563 b) While the determinate entities are themselves in their ultimate nature the indeterminate dhartml, it cannot be maintained that the ultimate... extinction (697C) The svabhava-Jiinya-dharma sh o uld not be clung to even as Jiinya To seize the funya nature of the svabhiiva-fiinya-dharma is to tum siinyata itself into something determinate,