[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [妙法蓮華經玄義](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1716) › 8.27 # 妙法蓮華經玄義 8.27 妙法蓮華經玄義 8.27 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [8.27](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1716.8.27) 何者？《大品》云：「一切法趣色，是趣不過。」此色能詮一切法。如黑墨色：一畫詮一，二畫詮二，三畫詮三，竪一畫則詮王，足右畫則詮丑，足左畫則詮田，出上詮由，出下詮申，如是迴轉，詮不可盡。或一字詮無量法，無量字共詮一法，無量字詮無量法，一字詮一法，於一黑墨小小迴轉，詮量大異，左迴詮惡，右迴詮善，上點詮無漏，下點詮有漏，殺活與奪、毀譽苦樂，皆在墨中，更無一法出此墨外。略而言之，黑墨詮無量教、無量行、無量理，黑墨亦是教本、行本、理本。黑墨從初一點至無量點，從點至字，從字至句，從句至偈，從偈至卷，從卷至部。又從點一字句中，初立小行，後著大行。又從點字中，初見淺理，後到深理，是名黑色教、行、義三種微發。又從黑色涌出點，出字、句、偈，不可窮盡。涌出諸行無盡，涌出義無盡，是名黑色具三涌泉。又約黑色裁教、行、義邪。又約黑色結教、行、義鬘，又以嚴身。又色是由，由色故縛，有六道生死；由色故脫，有四種聖人。又色訓法，法色故，能成教、行、理。又色是常，色教不可破，色行不可改，色理不可動。又色不可翻，色義多含故。又色可翻，名色為經。故見色經時，知色愛見，知色因緣生法，知色即空即假即中，色即法界，總含諸法。法界文字，文字即空，無點、無字、無句、無偈。句偈文字，畢竟不可得，是名知字非字，非字亦字。 > Why? The Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā states: "All dharmas tend toward form; this tendency is unsurpassable." This form can express all dharmas. Take, for instance, the color of black ink: one stroke expresses "one"; two strokes express "two"; three strokes express "three"; a vertical stroke expresses "king" (王); adding a stroke to the right expresses "ox/chou" (丑); adding a stroke to the left expresses "field" (田); protruding at the top expresses "reason/you" (由); protruding at the bottom expresses "extend/shen" (申). Turning about in this manner, what it expresses is inexhaustible. Or one character expresses immeasurable dharmas; immeasurable characters together express a single dharma; immeasurable characters express immeasurable dharmas; a single character expresses a single dharma. With a slight turning about of a single black ink stroke, what is expressed varies greatly: turning left expresses evil; turning right expresses good; a dot above expresses the undefiled; a dot below expresses the defiled. Slaying, enlivening, giving, taking away, defaming, praising, suffering, and pleasure are all within the ink; there is not a single dharma that goes outside of this ink. Stated briefly, black ink expresses immeasurable teachings, immeasurable practices, and immeasurable principles; black ink is also the root of teaching, the root of practice, and the root of principle. From the initial single dot to immeasurable dots, from dots to characters, from characters to sentences, from sentences to verses, from verses to scrolls, from scrolls to divisions. Furthermore, from dots, single characters, and sentences, first lesser practices are established, and later greater practices are manifested. Furthermore, from dots and characters, first shallow principles are seen, and later deep principles are reached: this is called the three subtle emanations of teaching, practice, and principle in the color black. Furthermore, from the color black, dots surge forth, producing characters, sentences, and verses inexhaustibly; producing all practices inexhaustibly; producing principles inexhaustibly: this is called the color black possessing the three bubbling springs. Furthermore, in terms of the color black, one trims away deviations in teaching, practice, and principle. Furthermore, in terms of the color black, one strings together the garlands of teaching, practice, and principle, and also adorns the body. Furthermore, form is the condition: conditioned by form there is bondage, having the saṃsāra of the six destinies; conditioned by form there is liberation, having the four kinds of sages. Furthermore, form is glossed as "model/dharma": because form is modeled, it can accomplish teaching, practice, and principle. Furthermore, form is "constant": the teaching of form cannot be broken; the practice of form cannot be altered; the principle of form cannot be moved. Furthermore, form cannot be translated, because the meaning of form contains manifold senses. Furthermore, form can be translated, naming form as jing. Therefore, when seeing the form-jing, one knows form-attachment and form-views, knows form as dharmas born of causes and conditions, knows form as identical to emptiness, identical to the provisional, and identical to the middle; form is itself the dharma realm, comprehensively containing all dharmas. The characters of the dharma realm: characters are themselves empty, without dots, without characters, without sentences, without verses. The characters of sentences and verses are ultimately unobtainable: this is called knowing that characters are non-characters, and that non-characters are also characters. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 8.26](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1716.8.26) - [Next: 8.28](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1716.8.28) - [Up: 8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1716.8) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1716~en-mt.8.27) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1716.8.27](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1716.8.27) · Pramāṇa