Fazang: The Rafter Dialogue of the Treatise

(T 1866, Hua-yen i-ch'eng chiao i fen-ch' i chang = Paragraphs on the

Doctrine of Difference and Identity of the One Vehicle of Huayan)

The Perfect Interpenetration of the six Characteristics

[507c] The interdependent origination of the six characteristics will be divided [for
discussion] into three parts. First, the names [of the six characteristics] will be briefly
explained; second, the concepts which have given rise to this doctrine will be shown;
third, [this teaching] will be elucidated by means of questions and answers.

FIRST, the names: They are the characteristics of universality, particularity,

identity, difference, integration, and disintegration. "Universality" means
that the one includes many qualities. "Particularity" means that the many
qualities are not identical, because the universal is necessarily made up of
many dissimilar particulars. "Identity" means that the many elements
[which make up the universal] are not different, because they are identical
in forming the one universal. "Difference" means that each element is
different from the standpoint of any other element. "Integration" means
that [the totality of] interdependent origmation is formed as a result of [the
collaboration of] these [elements]. "Disintegration" means that each element
remains what it is [as an individual with its own characteristics] and is not
disturbed [in its own nature].

SECOND, the concepts which have given rise to this teaching [of the six
characteristics]: This teaching attempts to show such things as the interdependent
origination of the dharma-dhatu, which is the perfect doctrine of
the one vehicle [i.e., Hua-yen], the infinite interpenetration [of all things],
the unimpeded identity [of all things], and all other matters including the
infinite interrelationship of noumenon and phenomenon, [the interrelationship
of phenomenon and phenomenon,] and so on, shown in the symbol
of the net of Indra. When these concepts are manifested [in the mind of the
Bodhisattva], then when one of the many obstacles [avarana] is overcome,
all are overcome, and one acquires the destruction of [moral and intellectual
faults, or klesa of] the nine times and ten times. In practicing the virtues,
when one is perfected, all are perfected, and with regard to reality, when one
[part] is revealed, everything is revealed. All things are endowed with universality
and particularity, beginning and end are the same, and when one first
arouses the aspiration for enlightenment [bodhicittotpada], one also becomes
perfectly enlightened. Indeed, the interdependent origination of the dharma-dhatu
results from the interfusion of the six charactenstics, the simultaneity
of cause and result, perfectly free identity, and the fact that the goal is
inherent in causal practice. The cause [of enlightenment] is the comprehension
and practice, as well as enlightenment, of Samantabhadra, and the result
is the infinitude which is revealed in the realm of the ten Buddhas, all the
details of which can be found in the Avatamsaka Sutra.

THIRD, the elucidation [of the six characteristics] by means of questions

and answers. Now, the law of interdependent origination is common to all
situations, but here, briefly, I shall discuss this through the use of [the
analogy of] a building formed by conditions.
First, the characteristic of universality, the view of corresponding object as a whole.
Question: What is the universal? Answer: It is the building. Question: That
is nothing but various conditions, such as a rafter; what is the building itself?
Answer: The rafter is the building. Why? Because the rafter by itself totally
makes the building. If you get rid of the rafter, the building is not formed.
When there is a rafter, there is a building.
Question: If the rafter all by itself totally creates the building, then if there
are still no roof tiles and other things, how can it (wholly) create the building ,
[508a] Answer: When there are no tiles and such things, the rafter is not a
rafter, so It does not create the building. A nonrafter is a rafter which does
not create a building. Now, when I say that the rafter does create it, I am
only discussing the ability of a (real) rafter to create it. I am not saying that
a nonrafter makes it. Why is that? A rafter is a condition [for the building].
When it has not yet created the building, it is not yet a condition, and
therefore it is not a rafter. If it is a [real] rafter, it totally forms [the building].
If it does not totally form it, it is not called a rafter.
Question: If all the various conditions such as the rafter each exerts [its own]
partial power, thus creating [the building] together [through the collaboration
of many individual partial powers] and not through total power, what
would be the error?
Answer: There would be the errors of eternalism and annihilationism.
If [each part] does not wholly cause [the building] to be
made and only exerts partial power, then each condition would have only
partial power. They would consist simply of many individual partial powers
and would not make one whole building. This is annihilationism [because
there could be no building]. Also, the various conditions cannot completely
make the building if they each possess partial power, so that if you maintain
that there is [still] a whole building, then since it exists without a cause, this
is eternalism. Also, if [the rafter] does not wholly create [the building], then
when the one rafter is removed, the whole building should remain. However,
since the total building is not formed, then you should understand that
the building is not formed by the partial power [of a condition such as the
rafter] but by its total power.
Question: Why would there be no building if a single rafter is lacking?
Answer: That would only be a spoiled building, not a perfect building.
Therefore, you should know that the perfect building is inherent in the
one rafter. Since it is inherent in this one rafter, you should know therefore
that the rafter is the building.
Question: Since the building is identical with the rafter, then the remaining
planks, tiles, and so on, must be identical with the rafter, aren't they?
Answer: Generally speaking, they are all identical with the rafter.
The reason is that if you take away a rafter, there is no
building, because if there is no rafter, the building is spoiled. And when
you have a spoiled building, you cannot speak of planks, tiles, and so on.
Therefore, the planks, tiles, and so on, are identical with the rafter. If they
are not the rafter, then the building is not formed, for planks, tiles, and so
on, do not become formed either. Now, since they all are formed together,
you should know that they are identical [with the rafter]. Since this is so
of the one rafter, the other rafters are the same. Therefore, if all the dharmas
which constitute interdependent origination are not formed [as an integrated
totality of interdependence], then they cease. If they are all formed [together],
then they are all identical with each other, interfused, completely free in
their interrelationships, extremely difficult to conceive, and surpass commonsense
notions. The nature of things, which is interdependent origination, is universal,
so you can understand everything else by analogy with the above example.

Second, the characteristic of particularity [or specificity]: All the conditions such as the
rafter are parts in the whole. If they were not parts, they could not form
a whole, because without parts, there is no whole. What this means is that
intrinsically the whole is formed of parts, so that without parts, there can
be no whole. Therefore, the parts become parts by means of the whole.
Question: If the whole is identical with the parts, how can it be a whole?
Answer: It can be a whole precisely because it is identical with the parts.
Just as the rafter is identical with the building, which is called the characteristic
of universality [possessed by the rafter-part], so also because it is a
rafter, we speak of the characteristic of particularity. If the rafter is not
identical with the building, it is not a rafter; if [the building] is not identical
with the rafter, it is not a building. The universal and the particular are
identical. [508b] This is how you should understand it.
Question: If they are identical, how can you [even] speak of parts? Answer:
Because [parts] become parts on the basis of their identity [with the whole].
If they [i.e., part and whole] were not identical, the whole would exist
outside the parts, and could not then be a whole; the parts would exist
outside the whole and could not then be parts. If you think about it, it is clear.
Question: What would the error be if they are not parts? Answer: the
errors of annihilationism and eternalism. If there were no parts, there would
be no distinct rafters, tiles, and so on. This would be annihilationism, because
without distinct parts such as rafters, tiles, and so on, there would be no
building. If it is maintained that there can still be a building without distinct
rafters, tiles, and the like, this is eternalism.

Third, the characteristic of identity [or similarity]: The various conditions such as the
rafter all combine and create the building. Because there is no difference among
them [as conditions], all are called "conditions of the building". This is
called the characteristic of identity because they are all identically conditions
within the context of the building which they create. Question: What is the
difference between this and the [above] characteristic of universality?
Answer: The characteristic of universality is spoken of only from the standpoint
of the one [whole] building; the characteristic of identity concerns
all the various conditions such as the rafter. Even though each part is different
in its own nature, they each possess the characteristic of identity because
they are all identical in their power of creation. Question: What is the error
if they are not identical? Answer: The errors of annihilationism and eternalism.
If they are not identical, the [particular] conditions such as the rafter
would oppose each other, and thus would not be able to create the building
identically. This is annihilationism, because there would be no building.
If [on the other hand] they cannot create the building, because each is
different, and you still say that there is a building, this is eternalism, because
there is a building without any cause.

Fourth, the characteristic of difference [or distinctness]: The various conditions such as
the rafter are different from each other in conformity with their own individual
species. Question: If they are different, how can they be identical? Answer:
They are identical precisely because they are different. If they were not
different, then since the rafter is [about] eleven feet long, the tiles would be
the same, and since this would destroy the original condition [i.e., the tile
as it should be], then, as before, they could not function identically as
conditions for the building. Now, since there is a building, they must all
function identically as conditions, and so you can understand that they are
different.
Question: What is the difference between this and the characteristic of
particularity? Answer: Particularity means that all the conditions, such as
the rafter, are distinct within the one building. Now, when we speak of
difference, we mean that each of the various conditions, such as the rafter,
are different from each other.
Question: What is the error if they are not different [from each other]?
Answer: There would be the errors of annihilationism and eternalism. If
they are not different, then [as I have said,] the roof tiles would be [about]
eleven feet long, like the rafter. This would destroy the origmal condition
[of the tile] and the building could not be formed. Therefore, you have
annihilationism. Eternalism results from attachment to the existence of a
building which has no conditions, because if the various conditions are not
different, then the necessary conditions for the building do not exist.

Fifth, the characteristic of integration [or composition]: Because the building is created as
a result of these various conditions, the rafter and other parts are called conditions.
If this were not so, neither of the two [i.e., forming conditions or
formed result] would come to be. Now, since they actually form [the
building], you should know that this is the characteristic of integration.
Question: [508c] When we actually see the various conditions such as the
rafter, each retains its own character and does not literally become a building;
how is It able to form the building? Answer: Simply because the various
conditions such as the rafter do not become [the building, and retain their
own character], they are able to create the building. The reason for this is
that if the rafter becomes the building, it loses its intrinsic character of being
a rafter, and therefore the building cannot come into being. Now, because
it does not become [the building], conditions such as the rafter and so on
are manifested. Because they are manifested [as being just what they are],
the building is created. Also, if they do not make the building, the rafters
and so on are not to be called conditions. However, since they can be said
to be conditions, you should know that they definitely create the house.
Question: If they do not become integrated, what is the error? Answer:
The errors of annihilationism and eternalism. Why? The building is created
originally as a result of the various conditions such as the rafter. Now, if
they do not create the building all together [in their integration], the existence
of the building is not possible, and this is annihilationism. Originally,
the conditions create the building, and thus they are called rafters and so on.
Now, since [hypothetically] they do not create the building, they are not
rafters, and this [also] is annihilationism. If they do not become integrated,
then because a building exists without a cause, this is eternalism. It is also
eternalism if the rafters do not create the building but are still called rafters.

Sixth, the characteristic of disintegration [or decomposition]: Each of the various

conditions such as the rafter retains its own separate character [i.e., svadharma] and
does not [literally] become [the building]. Question: If you see the various
conditions such as the rafter right in front of you, creating and perfecting
the building [i.e., integrated into the building], how can you say that they
do not intrinsically become [the building]? Answer: Simply because they do
not become [the building], the dharma or building can be formed. If they
[actually] become the building and do not retain their own characters, then
the building cannot come into being. Why? Because if they [literally] become
[the building], they lose their [individual] characters, and the building cannot
be formed. Now, since the building is formed, you should know that they
do not [literally] become [the building].
Question: If they were to become the building, what would be the error?
Answer: There would be the errors of annihilationism and eternalism. If it
is claimed that the rafter [literally] becomes the building, the character of
rafterness is lost. Because the character of the rafter is lost, the building has
no conditions [for its existence] and cannot exist. This is annihilationism.
If the character of the rafter is lost, and yet a building were able to exist,
this would be eternalism, because the building would exist without conditions.
Also, universality is the one building, particulanty consists of the various
conditions, identity is the nondifference [of the parts as conditions for the
whole] difference is the difference of the various conditions [from the standpoint
of each other], integration means that the various conditions create
the result, and disintegration means that each [condition] retains its own
character. To summarize this in a verse:
The many in the one is the characteristic of universality;
The many not being the one is the charactenstic of particularity;
[509a] The universal is formed by many species which are in themselves identical;
Their identity is shown in the difference of each in its own essence;
The principle of the interdependent origination of the one and the many is
wonderful integration;
Disintegration means that each retains its own character and does not become
[the whole].
This all belongs to the realm of [Buddha-] wisdom and is not said from the
standpoint of worldly knowledge.
By means of this skillful device [of the teaching of the six characteristics],
you can understand Hua-yen.