shih miao guang - bringing together the teachings of tiantai and the awakening of faith

8122019 Shih Miao Guang - Bringing Together the Teachings of Tiantai and the Awakening of Faith

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullshih-miao-guang-bringing-together-the-teachings-of-tiantai-and-the-awakening 128

1

Annotated Translation of Chapter on Bringing Together

the Teachings of Tiantai and The Awakening of Faith in the

Mahayanardquo

四明知禮四明知禮四明知禮四明知禮《《《《天台教與起信論融會章天台教與起信論融會章天台教與起信論融會章天台教與起信論融會章》》》》之英譯及註釋之英譯及註釋之英譯及註釋之英譯及註釋

Shih Miao Guang

Abstract

The Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana presents itself as one of the most profound

concise and authoritative summaries of Mahayana thought Written from the

perspective of essence (體) and function (用) The Awakening of Faith sought to

harmonize the tathāgatagarbha (or Buddha nature) and ālayavijntildeāna (or yogacara)

into the concept ldquothe One Mind in Two Aspectsrdquo which later exerted tremendous

influences on different schools of Chinese Buddhism This paper aims to examine the

textrsquos influence on Tiantai thinker Siming Zhili (960-1028) based on his work

ldquoChapter on Bringing Together the Teachings of Tiantai and The Awakening of Faith

in the Mahayanardquo from A Record of Siming Zhilirsquos Teachings Through providing an

English translation of this text the basic Tiantai concepts such as nature inclusion

following conditions the unchanging and doctrinal classification will be assessed

and their possible links to The Awakening of Faith examined

Key words

Fazang Huayan Zhili Tiantai following conditions (sui-yuan) unchanging (bu-bian)

Separate Teaching Complete Teaching tathāgatagarbha ālayavijntildeāna tathata

nature inclusion buddha-nature



2

1 Introduction

Amongst all Tiantai master thinkers from the Song dynasty Siming Zhili stood

out as a unique one for his interpretation of Zhiyi and Zhanranrsquos thought He was

also a leader of the Shanjia defending ldquothe orthodox Tiantai doctrinerdquo against the

Shanwai thinkers A majority of his work consists of criticisms of the Shanwai

interpretation of the Tiantai doctrine for example Exposition of the Essentials of the

Ten Gates of Nonduality (Shibu-ermen-zhi-yao-chao 十不二門指要鈔) ldquoChapter

on Bringing Together the Teachings of Tiantai and The Awakening of Faith in the

Mahayanardquo (天台教與起信論融會章) Jin-guang-ming-jing-wen-ju-ji (金光明經文

句記) Jin-guang-ming-jing xuan-yi shi-yi-ji (金光明經玄義拾遺記)

The Shanjia and Shanwai clash started off as a disagreement in theinterpretation of whether the tathata (true thusness) follows conditions or not The

Shanjia thinkers criticized Shanwairsquos classification of Huayanrsquos Advanced

Mahayana Teaching and Sudden Teachingrsquos interpretation of ldquotathata which follows

conditionsrdquo (真如隨緣) highlighting the inappropriateness of regarding them as

equivalents of Tiantairsquos Complete Teaching Zhilirsquos main approach to this dispute

was through the use of doctrinal classification (判教) In his ldquoChapter on Bringing

Together the Teachings of Tiantai and The Awakening of Faith in the Mahayanardquonot only did Zhili seek to harmonize teachings from The Awakening of Faith with

that of Tiantai thought he also attributed in his mind an appropriate position to this

text That is the Separate Teaching It is also quite clear in the chapter that Zhili did

not completely reject the Huayan point of view nor that there is an un-harmonizable

contradiction between him and the Huayan School Instead he incorporated such

teachings and absorbed it into the Tiantai system of thought

The Awakening of Faith has been elucidated and commented on by Fazang of

the Huayan School and is thus regarded as a very important text in the school On

the other hand Tiantai thinkers had not made any commentaries on The Awakening

of Faith and claimed that it is ldquoa work of the other schoolrdquo Even though Zhanran

had borrowed the term ldquofollowing conditions while remaining unchangedrdquo (隨緣不

變) he nevertheless attributed such a term to The Awakening of Faith only and had

not agreed to the way Huayan thinkers understood it Zhanran adopted the concept

of tathata which follows conditions based on the holistic entailment by the mindwhich Zhili interpreted as a theory that was based on nature inclusion (性具) and



3

thus qualifies as a part of the Complete Teaching

Although Huayan thinkers also discuss the tathata which follows conditions

they have based this theory on natural origination (性起) therefore it is still only a

part of the Separate Teaching Knowing that placing his own school in a superiorposition would stir up disputes Zhili pictured this scenario in his Chapter on

Bringing Together as ldquorejection by the guestrdquo who does not accept Huayan as the

Separate Teaching which is inferior to the Tiantai Complete Teaching when both

teachings are based on the same theory of following conditions while remaining

unchanged

Zhili also pointed out ldquowhat difficulty is there for The Awakening of Faith to be

incorporated or included into the Tiantai schemerdquo to express his approval for

teachings of the text which also incorporates the Huayan thoughts as expounded by

Fazang to be included as a part of Tiantai thoughts However while accepting what

the text says about ldquothe tathata transforms to all dharmas by following conditions

while the essence and nature of the tathata is permanent and unchangedrdquo he also

stressed that ldquofollowing conditionsrdquo is not necessarily always a part of the Complete

Teaching

He raised two points in the chapter about how the Huayan School is insufficient

to be the Complete Teaching

1) ldquoThis [theory] may bear the name of the Complete Teaching but in fact shapes its

meaning in the Separate Teachingrdquo In Zhilirsquos mind the essence of the tathata as

discussed by Fazang only included nature origination not nature inclusion which

causes an absence of identity amongst all dharmas Nature origination holds that all

dharmas in this world are caused by dharma-nature or the tathata which follow

conditions but this exclusiveness of nature contradicts with the Tiantai idea that all

dharmas are inherently included by nature This lack of identity thus makes the

Huayan teaching on following conditions not complete and thus can only be

regarded as an exclusive teaching

2) In saying ldquo[Fazang] made an erroneous quotation of the Prajna-paramita Sastra

which says lsquothe insentient possesses only the dharma-nature not buddha-naturersquordquo

Zhili contends that Huayanrsquos concepts of nature inclusion and buddha-nature are not

sufficient which also gave him ground to place it in a more inferior position to

Tiantai This is also his attempt to incorporate and include teachings of other schools



4

into the Tiantai system of thought Although a very obvious use of doctrinal

classification can be sensed in the Tiantai thinkerrsquos claim that Huayan is only a

branch and the Lotus Sutra is the root where the original root (or Complete

Teaching) can only be attained through the routes of these branches it nevertheless

has brought these two schools closer and thus exhibited a harmony of teachings

amongst them

2 Annotated Translation of Chapter on Bringing Together the Teachings of

Tiantai and The Awakening of Faith in the Mahayanardquo

A guest once asked me a question ldquoWhich of Tiantairsquos

Four Teachings can The Awakening of Faith1 be included

intordquo

I answered ldquoThe Awakening of Faith was commented on

and expounded on the whole by Venerable Fazang of the Tang

dynasty No word for word explanations as such were seen

within the Tiantai School That is to say that the commentary

to The Awakening of Faith is his work which is hard to

combine with oursrdquo

In this work Zhili insisted that the Huayan and Tiantai teachings were two different

systems that cannot be harmonized or brought together (難可和會) as he believed

that the Tiantai Complete teaching which was defined by natural inclusion (性具) is

totally different from the Huayan concept of nature origination (性起)

With changed countenance the guest asked ldquoEverybody

says that the Tiantai School is the one most able for

harmonizing and putting teachings together That is to say

that the doctrinal classification by the Five Periods and Eight

Doctrines incorporates and leaves nothing out of teachings that

were taught by the Buddha during his lifetime and transferred

to the East What does this meanrdquo

I tried to reason ldquoI am afraid that [the teachings of The

Awakening of Faith] cannot be harmonized and incorporated

1 Dacheng-qixin-lun 大乘起信論

T32 No1666



5

into the Tiantai School If you believe that there is a reason for

the incorporation into ( she 攝攝攝攝) and belonging to ( shu 屬屬屬屬)

[other teachings] by the Tiantai School then it should not be

difficult for The Awakening of Faith to do the same By thisyou will be able to see the beauty and ugliness of each school

Today I will present a concise version of the sastra from the

point of view of the Tiantai doctrine and then see what Fazang

says in his commentary Since this sastra summarizes the

meanings of ten million sutras it bears the word Mahayana in

its title its principle should be in accordance and penetrate

into the Three Teachings of the Mahayana gate Therefore it is

said in the Secret Meaning of the Vimalakirti Sutra that sastras

such as Buddhatva-śā stra and Vijntildeanavada-śā stra

all penetrate

through the Three Teachings of Mahayana If even the

Vijnanavada School has its own Three Teachings then why

does The Awakening of Faith not incorporate the Three

Teachings Generally speaking it and the Buddhatva-śā stra are

largely identical with only minor differences For a start of

todayrsquos discussion I shall present the teachings of The

Awakening of Faith in concise form which I will then use to

put into correspondence with the Three Mahayana Doctrines

The sastra itself has the One Mind as its main topic and says

that [this one mind] ldquoincorporates all mundane dharmas and

dharmas that lead one out of the worldrdquo This belongs to the

category of the Complete Teaching (圓教圓教圓教圓教) and integrates the

remaining two Since the aspect of tathatha (true reality) bears

the aspects of that which cannot be described by words that

which can be described by words empty and non-empty the

meanings of Three Teachings are thus quite clear The gate of

birth and extinction of the One Mind indicates that in the

initial stage of original intention one will be able to slightly see

the dharmakaya Since [The Awakening of Faith] talks about

the Eight Signs of the Attainment of Buddhahood how can



6

they not have a position in the Complete Teaching Next it

turns over to the nine characteristics the three subtleties and

six coarse aspects thus how can it not be a part of the Separate

Teaching ( biejiao 別教別教別教別教) At the Eighth Stage of the Way a

bodhisattva acquires the effortless way is this not the

transition from the Common Teaching Here I made a concise

reference to this text so that everything can be exposed

properlyrdquo

In his arguments against Shanwai thinkers Zhili resorted to Zhiyirsquos Four

Categories of Buddhist Teachings (shijiao 四教 )2 1) the Tripitaka Teaching

( zangjiao 藏) 2) the Common Teaching (tongjiao 通) 3) the Separate Teaching

(biejiao 別) 4) and the PerfectComplete Teaching ( yuanjiao 圓) The last two

categories were particularly important in contrasting the exclusive nature of Huayan

Teachings with the all-inclusive scope of Tiantai teachings The Perfect Teaching

represents the all-inclusive character of the Tiantai teachings which holds that all

phenomena are entailed within enlightenment or buddhahood thus there is a ground

for practice which helps one attain buddhahood On the other hand the Separate

Teaching emphasized that the Shanwai (or Huayan) teachings privileged certainmodes of existence over others as the proper focus for practice Zhili contended that

although Fazang attributed the Huayan Teaching of ldquothe tathat which follows

conditionsrdquo to the Complete Teaching it should in fact be classified under the

Separate Teaching3

By means of ldquoincorporation into and belonging tordquo Zhili assessed in depth and

absorbed the teachings of The Awakening of Faith and incorporated them into his

own system of thought In other words Zhili thought that The Awakening of Faith

with the elucidation by Fazang through his use of the Huayan Teachings can be

incorporated and included into the Tiantai scheme Zhili accepted the theory that

ldquothe tathata follows conditions to establish all dharma while remaining unchanged in

nature and essencerdquo from The Awakening of Faith but he pointed out the flaws of

the Huayan promotion of ldquofollowing conditionsrdquo to prove that such a theory does

2 As an implicit hermeneutic strategy Zhiyi used a variety of different classification schemes for

different purposes throughout his works These Four Categories were only expounded by Zhiyi in hisSsu-jiaoyi (T46 721a-769a) and his commentary on the Vimalakirti Sutra (T38 519a-562b)3 T46 No1937 871c



7

not always make it for the Complete Teaching

1) By saying that Fazangrsquos theory of sui-yuan ldquomay bear the name of the Complete

Teaching but in fact shapes its meaning in the Separate Teachingrdquo Zhili means

that Fazang only reached the Separate Teaching because he only discussed

nature origination and not the natural inclusion thus making all dharmas

non-identical (當體不即)4 Any theory that says dharmas are not identical (in

essence) with each other cannot qualify as the Complete Teaching Nature

origination holds all dharmas are caused by dharma-nature or the tathata which

follow conditions In Zhilirsquos mind to say that dharma-nature or the tathata is the

origin of all dharmas contradicts with the concept of natural inclusion which

holds that nature is inherently possessed by all dharmas ldquoyet it needs to be

known that nature includes everything thus it is able to incorporate into and

establish all dharmas It cannot be said that this original enlightenment is

independent or that it only exists by following the conditions of delusion5rdquo

2) In saying that Fazang ldquomade an erroneous quotation of the Prajna-paramita

Sastra which says lsquothe insentient possesses only the dharma-nature not

buddha-naturersquordquo Zhili means that the Huayan Schoolrsquos way of discussing the

issues of nature origination and natural inclusion is not brilliant enough which

allowed him to degrade the position of Huayan and raise that of Tiantai at the

same time This is one of the effects of the Tiantai means of she-shu (攝屬) over

other schools which although still displaying a heavy color of doctrinal

classification in fact displays a close connection between these different schools

of thoughts Thus this reflects on some level a sense of harmony in bringing

together the different teachings

Question What are the classifications of the commentary

composed by Master Fazang

Answer ldquoWhen Fazang established his meanings he was

imitating the Tiantai doctrines but he did not see the Separate

Teaching as penetrative and square Why is this The Separate

Teaching consists of a way of teaching and a way of attainment

yet he only discussed the former Of the Separate Teachingrsquos

4

See Questions and Answers to the Four Types of Four Noble Truths 四種四諦問答

T46 No1937884c5 T46 No1937 870b



8

Four Gates6 which cover all types of capacities he only spoke

about two Furthermore the Separate Teaching also has its

own horizontal and vertical aspects [which unfold in time and

space] Fazang was only discussing the vertical aspects of

practice Although he had not spoken of the multiple meanings

which the Separate Teaching possesses it does not mean that

the Separate Teaching unfolds in a penetrative and square way

as it is only a biased view hererdquo

Just like every other teaching the Separate Teachingrsquos system is also based on

a set of sutras (in this case the Mahayana Sutras) and sastras (for example the

Yogacara texts and The Awakening of Faith) A general discussion on this system

will be omitted in this paper and instead the focus will be on the two major

characteristics of the Separate Teaching the alaya-vijanana and the tathagatagarbha

Based on these two characteristics the Separate Teaching has been further divided

into the Initial Separate Teaching (始別教) and Final Separate Teaching (終別教)7

The former is attributed to the alaya-vijnana which only provided an explanation on

how deluded dharmas are established while the latter is represented by the

tathagatagarhba which not only explains how the true thusness is related to the

establishment of pure and eluded dharmas but also mentions the need to eliminate

the deluded dharma before liberation can be attained

Zhilirsquos argument with the Shanwai thinkers was caused for the very reason that

the latter were not aware of such a division within the Separate Teaching Their

claim in that the Separate Teaching does not speak of following conditions and only

those that do follow are within the Complete Teaching is an example of the Initial

Separate Teaching which is regarded by the Tiantai School as a ldquobiased pathrdquo (界外

一途法門) The alaya-consciousness is said to be unchanging immutable neither

arising or ceasing and eternal In other words it is absolutely pure compared to the

6 The Separate Teachingrsquos Four Gates 1) The Gate of Existence this refers to the buddha-nature as

mentioned in the Lankavatara Sutra which is like cream 酪 within the milk 乳 or gold hidden

inside a stone 2) the Gate of Emptiness this is as if the nature of gold is absence inside the rock orthat cream is missing within the milk 3) The Gate of Both Existence and Emptiness this means the

general possession of the buddha-nature within all sentient beings that they are both with and

without it This is similar to how milk can either be said to be with the nature of cream or without it

4) The Gate of Neither Existence or Emptiness This means that buddha-nature is also the Mean

where it dispatches both meanings of existence and emptiness Thus within the milk it is neither withthe nature of cream nor without the nature of cream7 Mou Zongsan

「天台宗之判教與發展」

《現代佛教學術叢刊》

56 pp51-55



9

world that is polluted This creates a substantial gap between the two and is

regarded by the Tiantai school as too exclusive and out of reach to those who are

practicing to attain buddhahood For this reason the alaya-vijnana is in sufficient to

cover all characteristics of the Separate Teaching thus it is only a biased view

The Huayan school adopts the theory of ldquothe unchanging which follows

conditions and to follow conditions while remaining unchangingrdquo from The

Awakening of Faith which is based on the tathagatagarbha This differs from the

unchanging or unconditioned state of the alaya-vijnana Instead it is able to follow

deluded conditions to give rise to deluded dharmas while remaining unchanged in

nature Nevertheless there is still a gap between the true nature and delusion Thus

it is also only a biased view within the Separate Teaching

On the other hand Zhilirsquos claim that following conditions is a part of the

Separate Teaching and that sui-yuan does not necessarily mean that it is the

Complete Teaching is the Final Separate Teaching While absorbing the Huayan

Schoolrsquos theory of following conditions while remaining unchanged Zhili also

criticizes the insufficiency of Huayanrsquos theory in saying that it is yet to attain the

identity between the tathata and the real world While Huayanrsquos Separate Teaching

claims that it is the true mind which follows conditions Tiantairsquos Separate Teaching

holds that what follows conditions can be the dharma-nature and also ignorance at

the same time Thus this lack of all inclusiveness makes Huayanrsquos Separate

Teaching to be only a part of the whole Separate Teaching scheme thus biased

The guest objected ldquoIn [Fazangrsquos] commentary it says

that the essence of the teaching is the reality which follows

conditions ( sui-yuan 隨緣隨緣隨緣隨緣 ) while remaining unchanged

( bu-bian 不變不變不變不變 ) Tiantai also attains its theory of the

all-penetrative nature of the Three Causes of Enlightenment

through the same teaching How can it said to be a Separate

Teaching while it is in fact that of the Complete Teachingrdquo

The Three Causes of Enlightenment are the basis upon which the fruit of

buddhahood is attained Nevertheless this whole process from the cause to the

result has a consistent display of the theories of following conditions and remaining

unchanged Since this is so the guest wonders why the same theory as discussed by

Huayan should be classified as something inferior to that of Tiantai



10

Answer ldquoAlthough Fazang adopts the name of the

Complete Teaching he was in fact expounding the meanings of

the Separate Teaching Why is this According to him the

tathata transforms to all dharmas by following conditions

while the essence and nature of the tathata is permanent and

unchanged Yet he made an erroneous quotation of the

Prajna-paramita Sastra which says ldquothe insentient possesses

only the dharma-nature not buddha-naturerdquo This [theory]

may bear the name of the Complete Teaching but in fact

shapes its meaning in the Separate Teachingrdquo

This concept of suiyuan (following conditions) traces back to Fazangrsquos

Da-cheng-qi-xin-lun-yiji8 but has also been used by Zhanran in his various works

such as An Outline of Smatha-vipasyana ldquoTo follow conditions but remain

unchanged it is nature to remain unchanged while following conditions it is the

mind9rdquo Or The Diamond Scalpel ldquoThe myriad dharmas are the tathatha for they are

unchanged the tathatha is the myriad dharmas for it follows conditions10

rdquo Later

when Zhili revitalized the Tiantai School he wrote Shibu-ermen-zhi-yao-chao 11

and held that the concept of following conditions is adopted by both the Separate

Teaching and Complete Teaching Not only does the Separate Teaching discuss it

so does the Complete Teaching Nevertheless the Separate Teaching discusses both

the following and non-following of conditions thus the concept of the Separate

Teachingrsquos Following Conditions (bie-li-sui-yuan) has been established Zhili

pointed out that although Zhanran never mentioned bie-li-sui-yuan directly his

teachings in fact already contained such meanings Furthermore he has compared

the Tiantai doctrine with that of Huayan and contended that the latterrsquos concept of

sui-yuan only measures up to that of Tiantairsquos Separate Teaching

I had once heard someone quote the Prajana-paramita Sastra

ldquothe tathata is named dharma-nature amongst the insentient and

it is only amongst the sentient that it is named buddha-naturerdquo

8 大乘起信論義記

T44 No 18469

止觀大意

T46 No 191410

金剛錍

11

十不二門指要鈔

T46 705a-720a In Zhilirsquos attempt to clarify the difference between Tiantai and

Huayan teachings he identified the perfect teaching with the Tiantai doctrine of xing-ju and theseparate teaching with the Huayan doctrine of xing-chi in a debate over the meaning of Chan-janrsquos

Ten Gates of Non-duality (shih-pu-erh-men) and thus wrote this particular commentary





12

understood in the same manner For this reason it should be

understood that the name lsquodharma-naturersquo is not exclusive to the

reality of insentient beings14

Based on the above theory Zhili went on to discuss the difference of the theory on

sui-yuan and bu-bian between Tiantairsquos Complete Teaching and Fazangrsquos Complete

Teaching in question nine of his ldquoTwenty Questions about The Separate Teachingrsquos

Theory of Following Conditions15

rdquo where he argued that if according to The

Diamond Scalpel that the tathata represents the myriad dharmas because it follows

conditions while the myriad dharmas also represent the tathatha because they are

unchanging in nature Based on these two theories even the insentient possess the

buddha-nature On the other hand although the Advanced Mahayana Teaching in the

Huayan School speaks of following conditions and the unchanging it nevertheless

distinguishes buddha-nature from dharma-nature based on the differences between

the sentient and the insentient Since there is such a distinction the unchanging is in

fact changing Since it does not correspond with that said in The Diamond Scalpel

how can it be regarded as part of the Complete Teaching16

Therefore Fazangrsquos

sui-yuan and bu-bian in meaning cannot be regarded as part of the Complete

Teaching

Question ldquoThe Separate Teaching holds immutability as

its principle yet it now talks about tathata which follows

conditions as the principle of the Separate Teaching what is

the textual basis for thisrdquo

I asked him in return ldquoWe can find out a little bit about

this principle (li) which follows conditions ( yuan) according to

the Separate Teaching which follows conditions but where

does this idea about the immutable being the principle come

fromrdquo

14 Jin-gan-bei《華嚴》又云『眾生非眾生二俱無真實如是諸法性實義俱非有』言

『眾生非眾生』豈非情與無情二俱隨緣並皆不變故『俱非有』所以法界實際一切

皆然故知法性之名不專無情中之真如也」

15

Bie-li-sui-yuan-er-shi-wen 別理隨緣二十問

T46 No193716 See T46 No 1937

彼終教不變隨緣與金錍所明不變隨緣同耶異耶若異則非今圓

若同金錍明真如是萬法由隨緣故萬法是真如由不變故約此二義立無情有佛性也

終教雖立隨緣不變而云在有情得名佛性在無情但名法性不名佛性既分二派徒云不

變正是變也既違金錍那名圓理須知權教有名無義以有佛性之言約解約理說故約解

約理尚未云遍非權是何



13

In Zhilirsquos Shih-pu-erh-men chih-yao-chao he adopted the phrase ldquothe Separate

Teaching of following conditionsrdquo (bie-li-sui-yuan 別理隨緣) to characterize the

Huayan understanding of reality in contrast to that of Tiantai Bie-li-sui-yuan is a

phrase which traces back to Fazangrsquos commentary on The Awakening of Faith inwhich he mentioned the ideas of ldquofollowing conditionsrdquo (sui-yuan 隨緣) and

ldquounchangingrdquo (bu-bian 不變) to elucidated the One Mind and its Two Aspects as

mentioned in the sastra ldquoFollowing conditionsrdquo represents the aspect of arising and

ceasing of the One Mind where this originally pure tathata follows the conditions

and consequently gives rise to the states of defilement and differentiation

ldquoUnchangingrdquo represents the essential nature of the tathata which is always pure

and undisturbed This process of the defiled phenomenal world which is transformedfrom the pure state of the tathata happens to be the Huayan teaching of nature

origination On the other hand in the Vijnanavada School only the alaya-vijnana is

said to follow conditions while the tathata is regarded as the real unchanging

reality17

(圓成實相) underlying all established phenomena which does not follow

conditions This type of tathata is regarded by the Huayan School as the ldquoimmutable

tathata18

rdquo ( 凝然真如) For this reason the Vijnanavada was classified by the

Huayan School as only the primary stage of the Mahayana Teaching (大乘始教)

which holds the meaning of not following conditions while The Awakening of Faith

was classified as the Advanced Mahayana Teaching (大乘終教) which states the

concept of the tathata which follows conditions

The guest replied ldquoAll exponents of this doctrine of

Huayan had said this but I have never seen it written

anywhere

Then I said ldquoSeparating the two principles of following

conditions and the immutable can also be seen generally as a

division between the School of Characteristic and School of

Nature This comes from Fazang as no texts on such a division

were ever found in Tiantai The ldquoprinciple following the

conditionsrdquo is not yet the ultimate Complete Teaching but the

17 Samdhinirmocana-sūtra see chapter two on Xuanzangrsquos explanation of the

parinispanna-svabhā

va圓成實相

18 See chapter 2 of Fazangrsquos Huayan-yisheng-jiao-fenqi zhang

華嚴一乘教義分齊章 (T45

No1866)



14

Huayan School establishes it as its own type of teaching known

as the Final Teaching This does not reach the Complete

Teaching thus how can one regard Tiantairsquos Complete

Teaching as an equivalent to their Final Teaching It needs to

be known that be it the immutable or the following of

conditions both are expedient means and are both classified

as the Separate Teachingrdquo

This division between the School of Characteristic and School of Nature by the

Huayan School has already been explained above and in note 23 of the running

translation Now the Shanwai thinkers may have classified the tathata which

incorporates both meanings of sui-yuan and the bu-bian into the Tiantai Complete

Teaching just because Zhanran also mentioned these two concepts in his

Zhiguan-dayi ldquoTo follow conditions but remain unchanged it is nature to remain

unchanged while following conditions it is the mindrdquo and also in The Diamond

Scalpel ldquoThe myriad dharmas are the tathatha for they are unchanged the tathatha

is the myriad dharmas for it follows conditionsrdquo What they have failed to realize

was that Zhanran interpreted sui-yuan and the bu-bian rather differently from

Fazang While Fazang classified The Awakening of Faith as the Final Teaching

Zhanran attributed sui-yuan to the Tiantai Complete Teaching Thus this sui-yuan

holds different meanings within the Separate and the Complete Teachings Zhili

explained why the Huayan teaching of the tathata which follows conditions 真如隨

緣 does not measure up to the Tiantai Complete Teaching

The other school [ie Huayan] makes clear that the unitary

principle when it adapts to conditions engenders differentiated

dharmas ( 差別法 ) Differentiation ( 差別 ) is the characteristic of

ignorance (無明 ) Pure unity is the characteristic of suchness

When [suchness] adapts to conditions it has [the characteristic

of] differentiation When [it] does not adapt to conditions it lacks

[the characteristic of] differentiation Therefore we know that

when the nature [ie suchness] and ignorance combine the

characteristic of differentiation is engendered This is the

meaning of ldquocombinationrdquo but not of ldquononduality of essencerdquo

because when ignorance is removed there is no characteristic of



15

differentiation19

Zhili sees Fazangrsquos unitary principle in following conditions as a differentiation

This unitary principle is the pure tathata which is thus the subject of sui-yuan while

the differentiating nine dharma realms are the object of sui-yuan If differentiation is

a characteristic of ignorance then pure unity should be a characteristic of the tathata

This way when in the state of sui-yuan differentiation is engendered when the

unitary principle and ignorance combine On the other hand when in a state of

bu-sui-yuan the tathata preserves its nature and does not become involved in the

establishment of dharmas and thus differentiation does not exist If sui-yuan takes

place only when reality and delusion combine then this is similar to the combining

of two distinct objects If ignorance is eliminated so will the nine realms If there is

only one nature then it does not comply to the identificalness (相即義) of the

nonduality of essence and function Although Fazang also once discussed the

identificalness (相即) of bu-bian and sui-yuan but since he established the result of

buddhahood as the only possibility for tathata it means that the nine realms must be

eliminated in order to attain the realm of the buddha Thus he in fact only

established the identificalness of the bu-bian and sui-yuan in name not in meaning

In terms of the concept of sui-yuan established by the Complete Teaching in the

Tiantai School the myriad principles follow conditions to give rise to myriad

phenomena In this sense the essence is the unchanging while the function is that

which follows conditions When not following conditions the principle includes all

dharmas While there is no differentiation between nature and ignorance this is also

the nonduality of differentiation and nature Based on the absence of this discussion

on the inclusive nature within all dharmas thus the holism of all dharmas within the

Huayan School Zhili attributes their concept of sui-yuan to something that is only

equivalent to Tiantairsquos Separate Teaching

Zhili thinks that without inclusive nature (體具) the talk about following

conditions or not following conditions is merely a provisional teaching and both

would only be a part of the Separate Teaching In explaining the Separating

Teachingrsquos concept of sui-yuan and bu-sui-yuan (following and not following

conditions) Zhili referred to Zhiyirsquos explanation of sui-yuan in the Fahua-xuanyi

19 Fazangrsquos commentary to The Awakening of Faith (Qixinlun-Ichi) T46 No1928

他宗明一理隨緣

作差別法差別是無明之相淳一是真如之相隨緣時則有差別不隨緣時則無差別故知一

性與無明合方有差別正是合義非體不二以除無明無差別故



16

and held that the Separate Teaching speaks of the dharma-nature which gives rise to

all dharmas means that this dharma-nature in fact follows the conditions of

ignorance in giving rise to the nine realms this indeed represents the meaning of

following conditions Furthermore the Separate Teaching speaks of the

alaya-vijnana which gives rise to all dharmas and this is once again a reference to

ignorance as the cause of dharmas To not speak of the tathata that follows

conditions in fact represents the meaning of ldquonon following conditionsrdquo Zhili

pointed out that not following conditions (bu-sui-yuan) and immutability (ning-ran)

share the same meaning while Fazangrsquos attempt to separate sui-yuan and ning-ran

into the School of Characteristics and School of Nature can only be classified as the

Separate Teaching Furthermore in discussing the relationship between sui-yuan and

bu-bian Zhili holds that what remains unchanged may not necessarily follow

conditions while following conditions always leads to that which is unchanged

because the idea of sui-yuan is the tathata which follows conditions If whatever

follows conditions becomes changed in the process of doing so then it cannot be

regarded as nature20

The concept of the unchanging as mentioned in the Complete Teaching has its

essence (svabhava 體體) based on the three thousand dharmas entailed within the

principletathata (理具三千) while the concept of following conditions has its

essence based on the phenomenal which establishes the three thousand dharmas

both the unchanging and the following of conditions have one moment of delusion

as their object of dependence (所依體) Furthermore this unchanging state has the

entailment of the three thousand dharamas within nature and characteristics as they

are as its characteristic while following conditions is based on the mutual influence

between the tathata and ignorance where the states of defilement and purity are its

characteristic On the other hand the Separate Teaching bases this unchanging state

on the exclusive nature of the tathata or the tathagatagarbha which has ignorance

and differentiation as the object dependence while the state of following conditions

has its essence based on ignorance and differentiation and the tathagatagarbha as its

object of dependence while the unchanging has the unitary principle and

20 See Shibu-ermen-zhi-yao-chao


and A Record of Siming Zhilirsquos Teachings四明尊

者教行錄



17

non-differentiation as its characteristic and following conditions has ignorance and

differentiation as its characteristic21

Question ldquoWhat is the textual basis upon which the

Tiantai School established its doctrine on the Separate

Teaching of following conditionsrdquo

Answer ldquoAccording to Mohe-zhiguan in establishing the

Separate Teachingrsquos object of intention ( fa-xin-jing 發心境發心境發心境發心境)

the sense organ and its object can either become the basis of

delusion or liberation ( mi-jieben 迷迷迷迷解本解本解本解本) in one moment of

thought just as Zhanran in his Fahua-Wenju-ji had separated

the tathagatagarbha into good and bad causes FurthermoreZhanran held that in the Separate Teaching all dharmas are

established from ldquothe basis of non-abidingrdquo (wu-zhu-ben 無住無住無住無住

本本本本) and this ldquonon-abidingrdquo he went on further to say is also

known to be ignorance as both the ability and object which

covers up the principle Furthermore true reality (tathata)

gives birth to all dharmas when it is in a state of delusion and

ignorance as the cause ( yin 因因因因) that creates the nine realms

must depend on dharma-nature as its essential auxiliary

condition ( yuan 緣緣緣緣) The above texts should be sufficient to be

the proofrdquo

Here Zhili refers mostly to Zhanranrsquos words in interpreting the Separate Teaching

through the concept of ldquofollowing conditionsrdquo According to Zhili Zhanran once

explained in his Miaofalianhuajing-wenjuji that the Separate Teaching is also based

on ldquodharmas established on the basis of non-abidingrdquo because if the Separate li

(principle) does not follow conditions how can dharmas be established

Furthermore he supported the following of conditions by mentioning that the tathata

in a state of delusion creates the nine realms Therefore since the tathata acts as the

basis of dharmas that are established how can it be said to not follow conditions In

addition in chapter one of his Zhiguan-fuxing-zhuan-hongjue22

Zhanran used the

tathagatagarbha as good and bad causes to explain this source of delusion and

21 See

《十不二門指要鈔》卷下及《十不二門指要鈔詳解》卷三

22

《止觀輔行傳弘決》

T46 No1912



18

liberation (mi-jie-ben) which is created by the sense organ and its object in one

moment of thought He argued if delusion means the creation of the nine realms by

following the conditions of ignorance and liberation the establishment of the

buddha-realm by following the teachings then this explains exactly the meaning of

following conditions as in the Separate Teaching

The Basis of Delusion or Liberation ( mi-jie-ben 迷解本迷解本迷解本迷解本)

Mi-jie-ben traces back to Mohe-zhiguan where it says ldquoThe sense organ and its

object give rise to dharmas in one moment of mind The arising of this mind makes

it provisional [ie unreal] and this mind with such a provisional positing is the

basis of either delusion or liberation23

rdquo Here it can be seen that Zhiyi sees this

unreal mind as the cause of ignorance Once the sense organ and its object come

together a moment of thought arises and to believe that this thought is real is in fact

a state of ignorance Therefore whatever [that is the myriad dharmas] follows

ignorance is therefore delusion and unreal Zhiyi used examples such as ldquoThe three

realms are created by this one mind which is like an artist that paints all kinds of

matters and the mind is what creates the six realms of rebirth24

rdquo to hold that while

suffering and ignorance is caused by this mind enlightenment and liberation also

come from the same cause is

Similar to how a painter who washes out all colors to apply the

white clay colorhellipTo contemplate the purity of the body and even

the impermanence of the mindhellipThe contemplation of the body

leads to emptiness of the body and eventually the contemplation of

the mind leads to emptiness of the mind There is no impermanence

within emptiness and thus there is no impurity25

Since this delusive mind is the cause of ignorance a clear observation of this mind

can also lead to enlightenment Zhili went further to use Zhanranrsquos reference on the

tathagatagarbha from the Lankavatara Sutra to explain mi-jie-ben in his

Zhiguan-fuxing-zhuan-hongjue26

he uses the example of a pond of water as the

23

《摩訶止觀》

T46 No1911 p 8 b21-22秖觀根塵一念心起心起即假假名之心為迷解本

24

《摩訶止觀》

T46 No1911 p 8 b23-25三界無別法唯是一心作心如工畫師造種種色心構

六道分別校記無量種別

25

《摩訶止觀》 T46 No1911 p 8 b27-c2 譬如畫師洗蕩諸色塗以墡彩所謂觀身不淨乃至觀

心無常如是道品紆通化城觀身身空乃至觀心心空空中無無常乃至無不淨如是道品直

通化城

26


T46 No1912



19

basis of purity and pollution while the pearl and the elephant are the conditions of

purity and pollution to explain that without recognizing this basis (nature) both

discussions on following and not following conditions would be merely a part of the

Separate Teaching27

All dharmas are established from ldquothe basis of non-abidingrdquo

This ldquobasis of non-abidingrdquo (wuzhuben) traces back to the Vimalakirti Sutra

[Manjusri] also asked ldquoWhat is the fundamental basis of good

and bad [dharmas]rdquo

Answer ldquoThe body is their fundamental basisrdquo

[Manjusri] also asked ldquoWhat is the fundamental basis of the

bodyrdquo

Answer ldquoDesire is its fundamental basisrdquo

[Manjusri] also asked ldquoWhat is the fundamental basis of desirerdquo

Answer ldquoFalse discrimination is its fundamental basisrdquo

[Manjusri] also asked ldquoWhat is the fundamental basis of false

discriminationrdquo

Answer ldquoConfused conception is its fundamental basisrdquo

[Manjusri] also asked ldquoWhat is the fundamental basis of confused

conceptionrdquo

Answer ldquoThe non-abiding is its fundamental basisrdquo

[Manjusri] also asked ldquoWhat is the fundamental basis of

non-abidingrdquo

Answer ldquoNon-abiding is without any fundamental [basis]

Manjusri all dharmas are established on the fundamental [basis]

of non-abidingrdquo28

And wuzhuben is explained by Kumarajiva as follows

Dharmas have no nature and arise as a response to conditions

When not yet arisen it cannot be known what it is attached to

Since there is no knowing what [this un-arisen dharma] is attached

to it is thus non-abiding Since it is non-abiding it is thus neither

existence nor nothingness Since it is neither existence nor

27

T46 No1928 p715 c5-1828 The Vimalak ī rti Sutra trans John R McRae Berkeley Calif Numata Center for Buddhist

Translation and Research 2004 pp142-143



20

nothingness it is thus the basis of existence and nothingness Since

it is non-abiding its origin is thus exhausted and thereby has no

place of origin Thus it is called non-abiding which is thus the

basis of all matters For this reason it is said to be [that which]

establishes all dharmas29

In the Vimalakirt Sutra this basis of the good and bad starts off as the body

which then leads to desire false discrimination and confused conception all four of

which are provisional positing of that which is not substantial which then land on

the basis of non-abiding If this non-abiding itself just as Kumarajiva has explained

abides in nothing and is thus neither existent (有) nor nothingness (無) then

ultimately the previous four are also based on this non-abiding That is why

Kumarajiva spoke about this absence of nature in all dharmas which arise as a

response to conditions Since all dharmas are empty in nature they are thus

non-abiding In other words all dharmas are established on the basis of

non-abiding30

Zhanran then uses this non-abiding as a support of the doctrine of ldquomutual

embodimentrdquo (huju 互具) which is elaborated most extensively as ldquothe three

thousand dharmas inherently contained in each moment of thoughtrdquo ( yinian sanqian

一念三千)

As it has been said all dharmas are established from the basis of

non-abiding Since ignorance is the basis of all dharmas

[ignorance] is thus dharma-nature While ignorance is based on

dharma-nature it should be known that all dharmas are also

based on dharma-nature thus dharma-nature is ignorance

Dharma-nature is also based on ignorance thus dharma-nature is

ignorance Since dharma-natures have no place of abiding and

since ignorance is dharma-nature ignorance also has no place of

abiding As both ignorance and dharma-nature have no place of

abiding they are both the basis of all dharmas That is why it is

29注維摩詰經

T38 No1775 p 386 c1-5法無自性緣感而起當其未起莫知所寄莫知所寄故無

所住無所住故則非有無非有無而為有無之本無住則窮其原更無所出故曰無本無本而

為物之本故言立一切法也

30

牟宗三

Mou Zongshan explains this as五住煩惱

which ultimately means causation of

something which is empty in nature佛性與般若

p676



21

said that all dharmas are established from the basis of non-abiding

Since this basis of non-abiding is interpenetrative truth therefore

refers to principle and all dharmas and this consequently refers to

the lsquothree thousandrsquo [dharmas] as the myriad of things31

In explaining this basis of non-abiding as the non-abiding of both

dharma-nature and ignorance Zhanran also gave a condition under which this is

classified as the Separate Teaching

When it is said that ignorance depends on dharma-nature to be

established [it needs to be known that] dharma-nature is not

defilement thus it cannot be said to be the basis of defilement

Thus we say that which is non-abiding is thus non-basis If all

dharmas are established based on dharma-nature since ignorance

does not depart from dharma-nature then this dharma-nature is

the basis of ignorance This is thus the basis of dharma-nature

Now after the Vimalakirti Sutra has assessed the basis of

defilement and sees that dharma-nature is not defilement it thus

says that it is non-abiding and has a non-basis It cannot self-abide

and thus depends on other [conditions] to abide To say that it is

self-abiding while regarding the dharma-nature as its condition it

also stands to say that it abides in conditions This concept of

self-abiding belongs to the Separate Teaching while that which

abides in conditions belongs to the Complete Teaching32

In his Shibu-ermen-zhi-yao-chao Zhili offers an explanation of the distinction

between self-abiding (自住) and abiding in conditions (依他住)

Words contained within the commentary are simple yet high in

meaning One must rely on notes and explanations in order to

clearly grasp their main points Thus self-abiding is expounded so

Dharma-nature and defilements look up each other thus

31《法華玄義釋籤》

T33 No1717 p 920 a24-b3云從無住本立一切法者無明為一切法作本

無明即法性無明復以法性為本當知諸法亦以法性為本法性即無明法性復以無明為本

法性即無明法性無住處無明即法性無明無住處無明法性雖皆無住而與一切諸法為本

故云從無住本立一切法無住之本既通是故真諦指理也一切諸法事也即指三千為其森羅」

32

《維摩經略疏》 T38 No1778 p 677 a12-19 若無明依法性是有始者法性非煩惱不可指法

性為煩惱本故言無住則無本若依法性立一切法者無明不出法性法性即為無明之本此

則以法性為本今經撿覈煩惱之本法性非煩惱故言無住無本既無有本不得自住依他而住

若說自住望法性為他亦得說是依他住也說自住即別教意依他住即圓教意」



22

self-abiding and abiding in conditions stand Therefore these two

self-abiding and condition-abiding do not represent the complete

meaning as its nature of defilement will certainly become the

obstacle and only by eradicating this obstacle In expounding the

meaning of abiding in conditions not only are [self-abiding and

abiding in conditions] inter-depent and identical also because

they are the same in essence and therefore identical In conclusion

based on the identity and difference in essence they are classified

as two [separate] teachings33

Thus the basis of non-abiding as a part of the Separate Teaching should be

quite clear

On ignorance which covers up principle

Now as Zhanran held that ldquosince ignorance is the basis of all dharmas [ignorance]

is thus dharma-naturerdquo This ignorance is also non-abiding whether as the object or

subject that covers up the principle This relationship between nature and its

characteristics has been explained by The Awakening of Faith with the examples of

water and waves

This is like the relationship that exists between the water of the

ocean [ie enlightenment] and its waves [ie modes of mind]

stirred by the wind [ie ignorance] Water and wind are

inseparable but water is not mobile by nature and if the wind

stops the movement ceases But the wet nature remains

undestroyed Likewise mans Mind pure in its own nature is

stirred by the wind of ignorance Both Mind and ignorance have

no particular forms of their own and they are inseparable Yet

Mind is not mobile by nature and if ignorance ceases then the

continuity of deluded activities ceases But the essential nature of

wisdom [ie the essence of Mind like the wet nature of the water]

remains undestroyed34

33《十不二門指要鈔》

T46 no 1928 p 715 c21-26疏中語簡意高須憑記釋方彰的旨故釋自

住法性煩惱更互相望俱立自他結云故二自他並非圓義以其惑性定能為障破障方乃

定能顯理釋依他云更互相依更互相即以體同故依而復即結云故別圓教俱云自他由

體同異而判二教

34

《大乘起信論》

T32 No1666 p 576 c9-16以一切心識之相皆是無明無明之相不離覺性

非可壞非不可壞如大海水因風波動水相風相不相捨離而水非動性若風止滅動相則滅



23

From what has been said so far the following points made by Zhili regarding the

basis of non-abiding the basis of delusion or liberation and the tathagatagarbha as

good and bad causes should be clear

1) Zhanran has stated in his Fahua-Wenju-ji that the Separate Teaching holds that

all dharmas ldquoare established from the basis of non-abidingrdquo If this separate

principle does no follow conditions then how can all dharmas be established

2) In the same chapter of Fahua-Wenju-ji Zhanran also stated that in the Separate

Teaching ldquothe tathata in the state of delusion gives rise to the nine realmsrdquo

Since this tathata is the basis of all established dharmas then how can it be said

to not follow conditions

3) In his Zhiguan-fuxing-zhuan-hongjue Zhanran used ldquothe tathagatagarbha as

good or bad causerdquo to explain the Separate Teachingrsquos concept of ldquothe sense

organ and its object can either become the source of delusion or liberation in one

moment of thoughtrdquo He said since basis of delusion exists when the

tathagatagarbha follows the condition of ignorance to create the nine dharma

realms and the basis of liberation exists when the teachings are followed to

create the buddha-realm this distinction explains exactly the meaning of

following conditions within the Separate Teaching

Question ldquoHaving now understood that the meaning of

the commentary lies within the Separate Teaching I now make

a further request for an analysis on the elucidation of the

Three Teachings by the sastrardquo

Answer Do raise any questions you may still have

Question ldquoThe gate of the tathata expounds the realm of

principle altogether therefore it can incorporate the Three

Teachings The gate of birth and extinction ( sheng-mie-men) is

explained according to grounds ( bhumis) abiding practice and

attainment of a bodhisattva both of which should follow the

same track The Separate has been the Separate from

beginning to end while the Complete has always been the

Complete Thus how should these Three Teachings be

arranged in orderrdquo

濕性不壞 983131 983089 983094 983133 故如是眾生自性清淨心因無明風動心與無明俱無形相不相捨離而心非

動性若無明滅相續則滅智性不壞故



24

Answer ldquoThis sastra represents the meanings of all the

sutras and thus clarifies several theories Since there is not just

one theory (li) how can there be only one path for the different

positions practices and attainment Just as Huayan began

explaining the Perfect Teaching by holding that ldquothe

samyak-sambodhi is attained immediately upon the moment of

initial intentionrdquo yet it mentions that the state of an-abhoga is

attained at the eighth stage of a bodhisattva when it later spoke

about the stages Furthermore a verse from the

Renwang-huguo-jing says that the Three Virtuous Positions of

a bodhisattva and the Ten Excellent Characteristics of a sage

attain their rewards in the Complete Teaching the Fourteen

Prajnas in the Separate Teaching and the Five Ksanti in the

Common Teaching This couple of sutras have already clearly

clarified the position of such not to mention this sastra

represents the meanings of ten million sutras Thus how can it

turn out to be limited to any one single position In the text

which says that it holds no position within the Tripitaka since

it takes the title of Mahayana it can only be classified as the

Mahayana Teachingrdquo

Question ldquoFor someone as well-learned in both

characteristic and nature as Fazang who abides by the

position of the Four Reliances what makes his commentary

inferior to the Tiantai teachingsrdquo

Answer ldquoBodhisattvas adopt appropriate means for

beings with different aptitudes when they propagate the

teachings since one type of path is appropriate for one

particular level of aptitude That is why he made this

interpenetrative teaching It does not necessarily mean that he

was incomplete in following the Four Reliancesrdquo

Question ldquoIf each of them is good at their own [means of

teaching] and presents their own means for different levels of

aptitude why is there the need to incorporate or classify one

anotherrdquo



25

Answer ldquoSince you know that the two traditions each has

their own appropriate means to accommodate different levels

of aptitudes why is there the need to ask this question Since

they are classified and incorporated just as expounded above

if the sastra covers the [different] aptitudes then there is no

need for harmonization or convergencerdquo Upon hearing this

the guest retreated in agreement

In general Zhili affirmed the distinction between the Separate Teaching and

Complete Teachingrsquos concepts of sui-yuan by examining whether the essence and

function were identical or not (相即) To speak of the tathata which follows

conditions (真如隨緣) without mentioning the inclusive principle (理具) this still

does not qualify as identical In other words within the Complete Teaching the nine

realms are identical to the buddha realm while distinguishing the nine realms from

the buddha realm is a concept from the Separate Teaching Based on the above the

following distinctions between these two teachings can seen

The Separate Teaching holds a more exclusive means of following conditions

The nine realms are not inclusive to nature but are only established by following

conditions Thus the buddha realm is exclusive and is regarded as distinct from the

nine realms

The Complete Teaching sees ignorance and dharma-nature as identical in

nature thus everything follows conditions while remaining unchanged in nature

Obstacles or defilements are equivalents to merits which do not have to be

eliminated On the other hand the Separate Teaching distinguishes ignorance from

dharma-nature and sees ignorance as the main cause for its exclusive mean (但中)

to follow conditions in a defiled state to establish the nine realms Here ignorance is

regarded as an obstacle where the nine realms must be eliminated in order for the

buddha realm to be attained thus making this buddha exclusive not inclusive

Within the Complete Teaching ignorance and dharma-nature are identical in

essence and both follow conditions The Separate Teaching on the other hand

separates ignorance and dharma-nature in terms of essence and in a deluded state

this exclusive mean can create the nine realms thus it is the working of ignorance

here In order to eliminate this ignorance and attain the realm of the buddha the nine

realms must be destroyed



26

While the Complete Teaching holds that the principle includes all dharmas and

is thus not produced by conditions (無作) while the Separate Teaching only

discusses a single principle which by following conditions transforms and

establishes dharmas thus it is not that which is not produced by conditions

3 Conclusion

The translation and annotation of Zhilirsquos ldquoChapter on Bringing Together the

Teachings of Tiantai and The Awakening of Faith in the Mahayanardquo from A Record

of Suu-ming Zhilirsquos Teachings has enabled a clear picture of how Tiantai was

influenced by the concept of ldquofollowing conditionsrdquo from The Awakening of Faith

and how Tiantai confirmed its superiority over other schools based on its holistic

and intersubjective interpretation of ldquofollowing conditionsrdquo

Although it was Zhanran who borrowed the concept of ldquofollowing conditions

while remaining unchangedrdquo (隨緣不變) from Fazangrsquos commentary on The

Awakening of Faith it was Zhili who furthered the Separate Teachingrsquos concept of

following conditions (別理隨緣) in the Tiantai School Through this Zhili provided

a very clear picture of Tiantairsquos position among other schools such as Huayan and

Vijananvada while presenting the fundamental view of the Tiantai School at the

same time

In sum Zhili was able to achieve the following three purposes with his concept

of bie-li-sui-yuan

1) The incorporation and inclusion (攝屬 ) of Huayan Schoolrsquos concept of

ldquoremaining unchanged while following conditionsrdquo (不變隨緣) which was

inspired by The Awakening of Faith

2) To reveal the unique characteristic of Tiantairsquos concept of ldquonature inclusionrdquo (性具)

3) Settle the Shanwai and Shanjia dispute by classifying the Huayan School and

other Shanwai conepts of ldquofollowing conditionsrdquo as the Separate Teaching while

elevating the status of Tiantai by classifying it as the Complete Teaching within

its doctrinal scheme

It is also important to note that although Zhili deemed Fazangrsquos interpretation of

ldquofollowing conditionsrdquo as something of a lower position this does not mean that hedid the same for The Awakening of Faith Instead he sought to harmonize the textrsquos



27

concepts by giving it a position within the Tiantai doctrinal scheme thus allowing a

close connection between the different schoolsrsquo interpretation of the same theory

underneath the same big picture thereby achieving the purpose of she-shu (攝屬)

which is also a characteristic of Tiantairsquos concept of holism and intersubjectivity



Bibliography

1) PRIMARY SOURCES ndash Canonical Texts

1 Asvagosha 馬鳴 Da-cheng-qi-xin-lun《大乘起信論》 T32 No1667

2 Fazang (Tang) 法藏 Da-cheng-qi-xin-lun-yiji《大乘起信論義記》 T44 No

1846

3 Zhanran (Tang) 湛然 Jin-gang-bei《金剛錍》T46 No 1932

4 Zhanran (Tang) 湛然 Zhiguan-fuxing-zhuan-hongjue《止觀輔行傳弘決》T46

No 1912

5 Zhili (Sung) 知禮 Siming zunzhe jiaoxing lu《四明尊者教行錄》T46 No 1937

6 Zhili (Sung) 知禮 Shibu-ermen-zhi-yao-chao《十不二門指要鈔》T46 No

1928

2) SECONDARY SOURCES ndash English and Chinese1 Chen Ying-shan 陳英善 The Tiantai Teaching of Natural Inclusion天台性具思

想 Taiwan Dong Da Books 1997

2 Gong Jun龔雋 The Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana and the Sinification of

Buddhism 大乘起信論與佛學中國化 Taiwan Wenchin Publishing 1995

3 Hakeda Yoshito S The Awakening of Faith (New York 1893)

4 Kimura Kiyotaka 木村清孝 Lee Hui Ying trans History of Chinese Huayan

Thought 中國華嚴思想史 Taiwan Dong Da Books 1996

5 Wang Zhi Yuan王志遠 A Look into Sung Dynasty Tiantai Thought 宋初天台佛學窺豹 Taiwan Fo Guang Cultural Enterprise 1992

6 Wang Zhi Yuan 王志遠 ed Jin-gang-bei 金剛錍 Selected Chinese Buddhist

Texts in Modern Language中國佛教經典寶藏精選白話版 vol 54 Taiwan Fo

Guang Cultural Enterprise 1998

7 Yu Huey Jen 尤惠貞 A Study on the Tiantai Perfect Teaching of Natural

Inclusion 天台性具圓教之研究 Taiwan Wenchin 1993

8 Yusuki Ryoei 湯次了榮 Feng Zhi Kai trans A New Interpretation of The

Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana大乘起信論新釋 Taiwan Heavenly Lotus

Publishing 1981

9 Ziporyn B Evil andoras The Good Omnicentrism Intersubjectivity and

Value Paradox in Tiantai Buddhist Thought (Cambridge 2000)

3) INTERNET SOURCES

1 Chinese Buddhist Electronic Text Association (CBeta)

httpccbsntuedutwcbetaindexhtm

2 Digital Dictionary of Buddhism httpwwwbuddhism-dictnetddb

3 Fo Guang Buddhist Dictionary httpetextfgsorgtwetext6search-1htm



2

1 Introduction

Amongst all Tiantai master thinkers from the Song dynasty Siming Zhili stood

out as a unique one for his interpretation of Zhiyi and Zhanranrsquos thought He was

also a leader of the Shanjia defending ldquothe orthodox Tiantai doctrinerdquo against the

Shanwai thinkers A majority of his work consists of criticisms of the Shanwai

interpretation of the Tiantai doctrine for example Exposition of the Essentials of the

Ten Gates of Nonduality (Shibu-ermen-zhi-yao-chao 十不二門指要鈔) ldquoChapter

on Bringing Together the Teachings of Tiantai and The Awakening of Faith in the

Mahayanardquo (天台教與起信論融會章) Jin-guang-ming-jing-wen-ju-ji (金光明經文

句記) Jin-guang-ming-jing xuan-yi shi-yi-ji (金光明經玄義拾遺記)

The Shanjia and Shanwai clash started off as a disagreement in theinterpretation of whether the tathata (true thusness) follows conditions or not The

Shanjia thinkers criticized Shanwairsquos classification of Huayanrsquos Advanced

Mahayana Teaching and Sudden Teachingrsquos interpretation of ldquotathata which follows

conditionsrdquo (真如隨緣) highlighting the inappropriateness of regarding them as

equivalents of Tiantairsquos Complete Teaching Zhilirsquos main approach to this dispute

was through the use of doctrinal classification (判教) In his ldquoChapter on Bringing

Together the Teachings of Tiantai and The Awakening of Faith in the Mahayanardquonot only did Zhili seek to harmonize teachings from The Awakening of Faith with

that of Tiantai thought he also attributed in his mind an appropriate position to this

text That is the Separate Teaching It is also quite clear in the chapter that Zhili did

not completely reject the Huayan point of view nor that there is an un-harmonizable

contradiction between him and the Huayan School Instead he incorporated such

teachings and absorbed it into the Tiantai system of thought

The Awakening of Faith has been elucidated and commented on by Fazang of

the Huayan School and is thus regarded as a very important text in the school On

the other hand Tiantai thinkers had not made any commentaries on The Awakening

of Faith and claimed that it is ldquoa work of the other schoolrdquo Even though Zhanran

had borrowed the term ldquofollowing conditions while remaining unchangedrdquo (隨緣不

變) he nevertheless attributed such a term to The Awakening of Faith only and had

not agreed to the way Huayan thinkers understood it Zhanran adopted the concept

of tathata which follows conditions based on the holistic entailment by the mindwhich Zhili interpreted as a theory that was based on nature inclusion (性具) and



3








unchanged








Teaching



















4






amongst them





intordquo





















T32 No1666



5













all penetrate























6








properlyrdquo













Separate Teaching3













7
































4


T46 No1937884c5 T46 No1937 870b



8





































56 pp51-55



9




































10

















rdquo Later















T44 No 18469

止觀大意

T46 No 191410

金剛錍

11









12




















Teaching









fromrdquo




15


T46 No193716 See T46 No 1937








13













reality17



tathata18








anywhere









va圓成實相



No1866)



14




































15

differentiation19





































16


































者教行錄



17




















the proofrdquo










Zhanran used the


21 See


22


T46 No1912



18
































23

《摩訶止觀》


24

《摩訶止觀》



25



通化城

26


T46 No1912



19




Separate Teaching27







bodyrdquo





discriminationrdquo



conceptionrdquo



non-abidingrdquo










27





20















non-abiding30




一念三千)











29注維摩詰經




30

牟宗三




p676



21


































32







22











quite clear






water and waves


















34






23





































24


































anotherrdquo



25



















nine realms

















26





3 Conclusion













same time


of bie-li-sui-yuan













27







Bibliography




1846



No 1912



1928
















Publishing 1981



3) INTERNET SOURCES







3








unchanged








Teaching



















4






amongst them





intordquo





















T32 No1666



5













all penetrate























6








properlyrdquo













Separate Teaching3













7
































4


T46 No1937884c5 T46 No1937 870b



8





































56 pp51-55



9




































10

















rdquo Later















T44 No 18469

止觀大意

T46 No 191410

金剛錍

11









12




















Teaching









fromrdquo




15


T46 No193716 See T46 No 1937








13













reality17



tathata18








anywhere









va圓成實相



No1866)



14




































15

differentiation19





































16


































者教行錄



17




















the proofrdquo










Zhanran used the


21 See


22


T46 No1912



18
































23

《摩訶止觀》


24

《摩訶止觀》



25



通化城

26


T46 No1912



19




Separate Teaching27







bodyrdquo





discriminationrdquo



conceptionrdquo



non-abidingrdquo










27





20















non-abiding30




一念三千)











29注維摩詰經




30

牟宗三




p676



21


































32







22











quite clear






water and waves


















34






23





































24


































anotherrdquo



25



















nine realms

















26





3 Conclusion













same time


of bie-li-sui-yuan













27







Bibliography




1846



No 1912



1928
















Publishing 1981



3) INTERNET SOURCES







4






amongst them





intordquo





















T32 No1666



5













all penetrate























6








properlyrdquo













Separate Teaching3













7
































4


T46 No1937884c5 T46 No1937 870b



8





































56 pp51-55



9




































10

















rdquo Later















T44 No 18469

止觀大意

T46 No 191410

金剛錍

11









12




















Teaching









fromrdquo




15


T46 No193716 See T46 No 1937








13













reality17



tathata18








anywhere









va圓成實相



No1866)



14




































15

differentiation19





































16


































者教行錄



17




















the proofrdquo










Zhanran used the


21 See


22


T46 No1912



18
































23

《摩訶止觀》


24

《摩訶止觀》



25



通化城

26


T46 No1912



19




Separate Teaching27







bodyrdquo





discriminationrdquo



conceptionrdquo



non-abidingrdquo










27





20















non-abiding30




一念三千)











29注維摩詰經




30

牟宗三




p676



21


































32







22











quite clear






water and waves


















34






23





































24


































anotherrdquo



25



















nine realms

















26





3 Conclusion













same time


of bie-li-sui-yuan













27







Bibliography




1846



No 1912



1928
















Publishing 1981



3) INTERNET SOURCES







5













all penetrate























6








properlyrdquo













Separate Teaching3













7
































4


T46 No1937884c5 T46 No1937 870b



8





































56 pp51-55



9




































10

















rdquo Later















T44 No 18469

止觀大意

T46 No 191410

金剛錍

11









12




















Teaching









fromrdquo




15


T46 No193716 See T46 No 1937








13













reality17



tathata18








anywhere









va圓成實相



No1866)



14




































15

differentiation19





































16


































者教行錄



17




















the proofrdquo










Zhanran used the


21 See


22


T46 No1912



18
































23

《摩訶止觀》


24

《摩訶止觀》



25



通化城

26


T46 No1912



19




Separate Teaching27







bodyrdquo





discriminationrdquo



conceptionrdquo



non-abidingrdquo










27





20















non-abiding30




一念三千)











29注維摩詰經




30

牟宗三




p676



21


































32







22











quite clear






water and waves


















34






23





































24


































anotherrdquo



25



















nine realms

















26





3 Conclusion













same time


of bie-li-sui-yuan













27







Bibliography




1846



No 1912



1928
















Publishing 1981



3) INTERNET SOURCES







6








properlyrdquo













Separate Teaching3













7
































4


T46 No1937884c5 T46 No1937 870b



8





































56 pp51-55



9




































10

















rdquo Later















T44 No 18469

止觀大意

T46 No 191410

金剛錍

11









12




















Teaching









fromrdquo




15


T46 No193716 See T46 No 1937








13













reality17



tathata18








anywhere









va圓成實相



No1866)



14




































15

differentiation19





































16


































者教行錄



17




















the proofrdquo










Zhanran used the


21 See


22


T46 No1912



18
































23

《摩訶止觀》


24

《摩訶止觀》



25



通化城

26


T46 No1912



19




Separate Teaching27







bodyrdquo





discriminationrdquo



conceptionrdquo



non-abidingrdquo










27





20















non-abiding30




一念三千)











29注維摩詰經




30

牟宗三




p676



21


































32







22











quite clear






water and waves


















34






23





































24


































anotherrdquo



25



















nine realms

















26





3 Conclusion













same time


of bie-li-sui-yuan













27







Bibliography




1846



No 1912



1928
















Publishing 1981



3) INTERNET SOURCES







7
































4


T46 No1937884c5 T46 No1937 870b



8





































56 pp51-55



9




































10

















rdquo Later















T44 No 18469

止觀大意

T46 No 191410

金剛錍

11









12




















Teaching









fromrdquo




15


T46 No193716 See T46 No 1937








13













reality17



tathata18








anywhere









va圓成實相



No1866)



14




































15

differentiation19





































16


































者教行錄



17




















the proofrdquo










Zhanran used the


21 See


22


T46 No1912



18
































23

《摩訶止觀》


24

《摩訶止觀》



25



通化城

26


T46 No1912



19




Separate Teaching27







bodyrdquo





discriminationrdquo



conceptionrdquo



non-abidingrdquo










27





20















non-abiding30




一念三千)











29注維摩詰經




30

牟宗三




p676



21


































32







22











quite clear






water and waves


















34






23





































24


































anotherrdquo



25



















nine realms

















26





3 Conclusion













same time


of bie-li-sui-yuan













27







Bibliography




1846



No 1912



1928
















Publishing 1981



3) INTERNET SOURCES







8





































56 pp51-55



9




































10

















rdquo Later















T44 No 18469

止觀大意

T46 No 191410

金剛錍

11









12




















Teaching









fromrdquo




15


T46 No193716 See T46 No 1937








13













reality17



tathata18








anywhere









va圓成實相



No1866)



14




































15

differentiation19





































16


































者教行錄



17




















the proofrdquo










Zhanran used the


21 See


22


T46 No1912



18
































23

《摩訶止觀》


24

《摩訶止觀》



25



通化城

26


T46 No1912



19




Separate Teaching27







bodyrdquo





discriminationrdquo



conceptionrdquo



non-abidingrdquo










27





20















non-abiding30




一念三千)











29注維摩詰經




30

牟宗三




p676



21


































32







22











quite clear






water and waves


















34






23





































24


































anotherrdquo



25



















nine realms

















26





3 Conclusion













same time


of bie-li-sui-yuan













27







Bibliography




1846



No 1912



1928
















Publishing 1981



3) INTERNET SOURCES







9




































10

















rdquo Later















T44 No 18469

止觀大意

T46 No 191410

金剛錍

11









12




















Teaching









fromrdquo




15


T46 No193716 See T46 No 1937








13













reality17



tathata18








anywhere









va圓成實相



No1866)



14




































15

differentiation19





































16


































者教行錄



17




















the proofrdquo










Zhanran used the


21 See


22


T46 No1912



18
































23

《摩訶止觀》


24

《摩訶止觀》



25



通化城

26


T46 No1912



19




Separate Teaching27







bodyrdquo





discriminationrdquo



conceptionrdquo



non-abidingrdquo










27





20















non-abiding30




一念三千)











29注維摩詰經




30

牟宗三




p676



21


































32







22











quite clear






water and waves


















34






23





































24


































anotherrdquo



25



















nine realms

















26





3 Conclusion













same time


of bie-li-sui-yuan













27







Bibliography




1846



No 1912



1928
















Publishing 1981



3) INTERNET SOURCES







10

















rdquo Later















T44 No 18469

止觀大意

T46 No 191410

金剛錍

11









12




















Teaching









fromrdquo




15


T46 No193716 See T46 No 1937








13













reality17



tathata18








anywhere









va圓成實相



No1866)



14




































15

differentiation19





































16


































者教行錄



17




















the proofrdquo










Zhanran used the


21 See


22


T46 No1912



18
































23

《摩訶止觀》


24

《摩訶止觀》



25



通化城

26


T46 No1912



19




Separate Teaching27







bodyrdquo





discriminationrdquo



conceptionrdquo



non-abidingrdquo










27





20















non-abiding30




一念三千)











29注維摩詰經




30

牟宗三




p676



21


































32







22











quite clear






water and waves


















34






23





































24


































anotherrdquo



25



















nine realms

















26





3 Conclusion













same time


of bie-li-sui-yuan













27







Bibliography




1846



No 1912



1928
















Publishing 1981



3) INTERNET SOURCES









12




















Teaching









fromrdquo




15


T46 No193716 See T46 No 1937








13













reality17



tathata18








anywhere









va圓成實相



No1866)



14




































15

differentiation19





































16


































者教行錄



17




















the proofrdquo










Zhanran used the


21 See


22


T46 No1912



18
































23

《摩訶止觀》


24

《摩訶止觀》



25



通化城

26


T46 No1912



19




Separate Teaching27







bodyrdquo





discriminationrdquo



conceptionrdquo



non-abidingrdquo










27





20















non-abiding30




一念三千)











29注維摩詰經




30

牟宗三




p676



21


































32







22











quite clear






water and waves


















34






23





































24


































anotherrdquo



25



















nine realms

















26





3 Conclusion













same time


of bie-li-sui-yuan













27







Bibliography




1846



No 1912



1928
















Publishing 1981



3) INTERNET SOURCES







13













reality17



tathata18








anywhere









va圓成實相



No1866)



14




































15

differentiation19





































16


































者教行錄



17




















the proofrdquo










Zhanran used the


21 See


22


T46 No1912



18
































23

《摩訶止觀》


24

《摩訶止觀》



25



通化城

26


T46 No1912



19




Separate Teaching27







bodyrdquo





discriminationrdquo



conceptionrdquo



non-abidingrdquo










27





20















non-abiding30




一念三千)











29注維摩詰經




30

牟宗三




p676



21


































32







22











quite clear






water and waves


















34






23





































24


































anotherrdquo



25



















nine realms

















26





3 Conclusion













same time


of bie-li-sui-yuan













27







Bibliography




1846



No 1912



1928
















Publishing 1981



3) INTERNET SOURCES







14




































15

differentiation19





































16


































者教行錄



17




















the proofrdquo










Zhanran used the


21 See


22


T46 No1912



18
































23

《摩訶止觀》


24

《摩訶止觀》



25



通化城

26


T46 No1912



19




Separate Teaching27







bodyrdquo





discriminationrdquo



conceptionrdquo



non-abidingrdquo










27





20















non-abiding30




一念三千)











29注維摩詰經




30

牟宗三




p676



21


































32







22











quite clear






water and waves


















34






23





































24


































anotherrdquo



25



















nine realms

















26





3 Conclusion













same time


of bie-li-sui-yuan













27







Bibliography




1846



No 1912



1928
















Publishing 1981



3) INTERNET SOURCES







15

differentiation19





































16


































者教行錄



17




















the proofrdquo










Zhanran used the


21 See


22


T46 No1912



18
































23

《摩訶止觀》


24

《摩訶止觀》



25



通化城

26


T46 No1912



19




Separate Teaching27







bodyrdquo





discriminationrdquo



conceptionrdquo



non-abidingrdquo










27





20















non-abiding30




一念三千)











29注維摩詰經




30

牟宗三




p676



21


































32







22











quite clear






water and waves


















34






23





































24


































anotherrdquo



25



















nine realms

















26





3 Conclusion













same time


of bie-li-sui-yuan













27







Bibliography




1846



No 1912



1928
















Publishing 1981



3) INTERNET SOURCES







16


































者教行錄



17




















the proofrdquo










Zhanran used the


21 See


22


T46 No1912



18
































23

《摩訶止觀》


24

《摩訶止觀》



25



通化城

26


T46 No1912



19




Separate Teaching27







bodyrdquo





discriminationrdquo



conceptionrdquo



non-abidingrdquo










27





20















non-abiding30




一念三千)











29注維摩詰經




30

牟宗三




p676



21


































32







22











quite clear






water and waves


















34






23





































24


































anotherrdquo



25



















nine realms

















26





3 Conclusion













same time


of bie-li-sui-yuan













27







Bibliography




1846



No 1912



1928
















Publishing 1981



3) INTERNET SOURCES







17




















the proofrdquo










Zhanran used the


21 See


22


T46 No1912



18
































23

《摩訶止觀》


24

《摩訶止觀》



25



通化城

26


T46 No1912



19




Separate Teaching27







bodyrdquo





discriminationrdquo



conceptionrdquo



non-abidingrdquo










27





20















non-abiding30




一念三千)











29注維摩詰經




30

牟宗三




p676



21


































32







22











quite clear






water and waves


















34






23





































24


































anotherrdquo



25



















nine realms

















26





3 Conclusion













same time


of bie-li-sui-yuan













27







Bibliography




1846



No 1912



1928
















Publishing 1981



3) INTERNET SOURCES







18
































23

《摩訶止觀》


24

《摩訶止觀》



25



通化城

26


T46 No1912



19




Separate Teaching27







bodyrdquo





discriminationrdquo



conceptionrdquo



non-abidingrdquo










27





20















non-abiding30




一念三千)











29注維摩詰經




30

牟宗三




p676



21


































32







22











quite clear






water and waves


















34






23





































24


































anotherrdquo



25



















nine realms

















26





3 Conclusion













same time


of bie-li-sui-yuan













27







Bibliography




1846



No 1912



1928
















Publishing 1981



3) INTERNET SOURCES







19




Separate Teaching27







bodyrdquo





discriminationrdquo



conceptionrdquo



non-abidingrdquo










27





20















non-abiding30




一念三千)











29注維摩詰經




30

牟宗三




p676



21


































32







22











quite clear






water and waves


















34






23





































24


































anotherrdquo



25



















nine realms

















26





3 Conclusion













same time


of bie-li-sui-yuan













27







Bibliography




1846



No 1912



1928
















Publishing 1981



3) INTERNET SOURCES







20















non-abiding30




一念三千)











29注維摩詰經




30

牟宗三




p676



21


































32







22











quite clear






water and waves


















34






23





































24


































anotherrdquo



25



















nine realms

















26





3 Conclusion













same time


of bie-li-sui-yuan













27







Bibliography




1846



No 1912



1928
















Publishing 1981



3) INTERNET SOURCES







21


































32







22











quite clear






water and waves


















34






23





































24


































anotherrdquo



25



















nine realms

















26





3 Conclusion













same time


of bie-li-sui-yuan













27







Bibliography




1846



No 1912



1928
















Publishing 1981



3) INTERNET SOURCES







22











quite clear






water and waves


















34






23





































24


































anotherrdquo



25



















nine realms

















26





3 Conclusion













same time


of bie-li-sui-yuan













27







Bibliography




1846



No 1912



1928
















Publishing 1981



3) INTERNET SOURCES







23





































24


































anotherrdquo



25



















nine realms

















26





3 Conclusion













same time


of bie-li-sui-yuan













27







Bibliography




1846



No 1912



1928
















Publishing 1981



3) INTERNET SOURCES







24


































anotherrdquo



25



















nine realms

















26





3 Conclusion













same time


of bie-li-sui-yuan













27







Bibliography




1846



No 1912



1928
















Publishing 1981



3) INTERNET SOURCES







25



















nine realms

















26





3 Conclusion













same time


of bie-li-sui-yuan













27







Bibliography




1846



No 1912



1928
















Publishing 1981



3) INTERNET SOURCES







26





3 Conclusion













same time


of bie-li-sui-yuan













27







Bibliography




1846



No 1912



1928
















Publishing 1981



3) INTERNET SOURCES







27







Bibliography




1846



No 1912



1928
















Publishing 1981



3) INTERNET SOURCES







Bibliography




1846



No 1912



1928
















Publishing 1981



3) INTERNET SOURCES





shih miao guang - bringing together the teachings of tiantai and the awakening of faith

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