The interpretation of objects consists of six parts; the objects of the ten suchnesses; the objects of conditioned co-arising; the objects of the four noble truths; the objects of the two truths; the objects of the threefold truth; and the objects of the One Truth.

There are indeed many places in all of the Sūtras where the objective realm is clarified in terms of “conditions.” Is there any need to list them all? In short, there are six types. The sequence of the six is as follows: The ten suchlikes is a teaching of this Lotus Sūtra, therefore it comes at the beginning. “Twelvefold conditioned co-arising [Pratītyasamutpāda] and transmigration in the past, present, and future, is in its completeness inherent from the beginning.³⁷² The Tathāgata appears in this world, discriminates and skillfully teaches [the Dharma], and calls it the four noble truths. In advancing from the general to the specific, the two truths [samvṛtisatya and Paramārthasatya] are expounded next. Although the term “two truths” is used generally, it is another term which manifests [the meaning of] the middle path. Next, the threefold truth is clarified. The [concept of the] threefold truth still contains expedient means, but directly manifests true reality. Next, the one truth is clarified. The [term] “one truth” still is verbal and has [discriminative] marks.³⁷³ Finally “no-truth” is clarified.³⁷⁴

In short it is enough for one to utilize these six categories [in dealing with everything in the objective realm] from ignorance to ultimate reality.

372

In other words, the objective world exists in and of itself from all time, and was not created out of nothing nor made from something else. return

373

Lit., “name and form, or appearance.” In other words, to call reality “one truth,” or any name at all, is to give it a verbal and discriminative identity which is not adequately descriptive of the real thing, and thus not completely valid, even though the term “one truth” comes closer to defining the nature of reality than many other attempts at verbal description. return

374

But no real attempt is made to describe the content of “no-truth” because then one would be back in the realm of verbal description and conceptual discriminations, which are inadequate and even misleading in communicating the true meaning and “thusness” of reality. return