法華文句記 9.59

9.59

次約總別作十八空者，於前體相亦可以為總體別體總相別相，今總別者，於前九句除後二句，以餘七句離為十七，進取如實相句合為十八，以前七中初之三句二二為句，第四句單，第五六句三三為句，第七一句四句為句，故使句法盈縮不同。此十八空從所得名，能空秖是一大空耳。大無大相即圓空也。故次文云「中道正慧」，即是能空，故句句中皆有能空及以所空，能空即是如不無斷等也，所空即是顛倒乃至礙障等也。如云「顛倒」，顛倒是內，內顛倒空故名為「不」，下去準知。於空空中先立能所者，餘句所無，以此句中能所名同，是故別顯，餘文相別是故不論。於中雖復所空名空，望能空智猶名為有，此中甚略，委釋相狀及以離合，具如《止觀》第五記。若曉妙境及圓十觀，方了此中十八觀境，若不爾者，彼《止觀》文乃成徒設。故彼正當安樂行人之觀法也，故知始行須達彼意，方可弘經。若具不愜，為利為名為眾為勝，復肯同於二乘道不？大乘進退審自思之。所以勤勤於弘經者，願共霑斯大利故耳。故彼境境結成大車，故彼觀觀皆依實相，四十餘年祕要之教，教已難覩，所詮行理何由可曉？自非四依弘法之力，末學迷滯安遇斯文？遇而不求，何異日月於盲者耶？何異雷霆於聾者乎！但今文中觀法未周，屬在彼部，文雖不委品相略周。今粗點之使緣心有在。何者？實相妙境也，慈悲發心也，止觀安心也，一切破遍也，十八道品也，亦不分別通塞也，離十惱亂助道也，夢中所見表後三也。通括四行十觀略周。通論又以四行助十，若四若十並涉因果，四總十別，若總若別，俱通橫豎，四行事儀且在於始，十法導理無不剋終，豈涅槃行獨在於始？又此十八名在《大品》，《大論》委釋，經通三教論釋復含，但簡二乘而不細辨通別菩薩，是故讀者彌須置心，故須對經一一圓釋。

Next, regarding treating the eighteen forms of emptiness in terms of general and specific: in the preceding essence and marks, one could also take them as general essence, specific essence, general mark, and specific mark; here, regarding general and specific, one excludes the last two phrases from the preceding nine phrases, and divides the remaining seven phrases into seventeen, further taking the phrase "as true character" to combine them into eighteen. Because among the preceding seven, the first three phrases form pairs of two, the fourth phrase is single, the fifth and sixth phrases form groups of three, and the seventh single phrase forms a group of four phrases, the phrase structures vary in expansion and contraction. These eighteen forms of emptiness receive their names from what is attained; that which empties is merely the one great emptiness. The great having no mark of greatness is precisely the perfect emptiness. Therefore, the subsequent text says "correct wisdom of the middle way," which is precisely that which empties. Thus, in phrase after phrase, there is both that which empties and that which is emptied: that which empties is "like," "not," "without," "severed," and so forth; that which is emptied is "inversion" down to "impediment and hindrance," and so forth. For example, in saying "inversion," inversion is internal, and the internal inversion being empty is therefore called "not"; the rest should be understood accordingly. The reason why that which empties and that which is emptied are first established in emptiness of emptiness—which is absent in the other phrases—is that in this phrase the names for that which empties and that which is emptied are identical, so it is separately clarified; the other passages have different marks, so it is not discussed. Within this, although that which is emptied is called empty, when viewed in relation to the wisdom that empties it is still called existent. Here it is very brief; detailed explanations of the marks and the divisions and combinations are fully set forth in *Notes on Cessation and Contemplation*, fascicle five. Only if one understands the wondrous object and the perfect ten contemplations will one comprehend the eighteen objects of contemplation here; if not, that text of *Cessation and Contemplation* would be established in vain. For that precisely constitutes the method of contemplation for the practitioner of peaceful practices. Therefore, one must know that beginning practitioners must grasp that meaning before they can propagate the sūtra. If one is entirely inadequate, acting for gain, for fame, for followers, or for superiority, would one still be willing to conform to the path of the two vehicles? Practitioners of the Great Vehicle should carefully reflect on their own advance and retreat. The reason for being diligent in propagating the sūtra is simply the wish to share together in this great benefit. Therefore, each of those objects is concluded as the great carriage, and each of those contemplations is based on true character. The secret and essential teaching of over forty years is already difficult to encounter; how could the practice and principle it expounds be easily understood? If not for the power of the four reliances propagating the Dharma, how could later students, mired in delusion and attachment, encounter this text? Encountering it and not seeking it, how does that differ from the sun and moon to the blind? How does that differ from thunderclaps to the deaf! But in the present text the method of contemplation is not fully detailed, belonging properly to that work (*Mohe zhiguan*); though the text is not exhaustive, the characteristics of the chapter are sketched in broad strokes. Now I briefly point them out so that the mind that contemplates will have a focus. What are they? True character is the wondrous object; compassion is the arousal of the mind; cessation and contemplation is the calming of the mind; tearing down everything is tearing down through all; the eighteen are the aids to the path; also not discriminating is the open and obstructed; leaving the ten disturbances is the auxiliary aids; what is seen in dreams represents the final three. Generally encompassing the four practices, the ten contemplations are briefly complete. Discussing them generally, one also uses the four practices to assist the ten. Whether four or ten, they both involve cause and effect: the four are general and the ten are specific; whether general or specific, they both penetrate horizontally and vertically. The ritual forms of the four practices are provisionally at the beginning; the guiding principle of the ten dharmas unfailingly attains the end—how could the practice of nirvāṇa be only at the beginning? Furthermore, the names of these eighteen are found in the *Large Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra*, and the *Great Treatise* explains them in detail. The sūtra spans the three teachings, and the treatise's explanation also embraces them, merely excluding the two vehicles without distinguishing in detail between the shared and distinct bodhisattvas; therefore, the reader must all the more apply the mind, and so must interpret each one perfectly in accordance with the sūtra.