[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) › [勝鬘寶窟](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1744) › 3.19 # 勝鬘寶窟 3.19 勝鬘寶窟 3.19 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [3.19](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1744.3.19) 「聖諦者說甚深義」下，晚講人從此是如來藏章，次此後明法身章。今不同也，依古舊猶是四諦。上正明佛有聖諦，此下第二舉藏及法身歎諦甚深義。所以非別章者，此章名四諦章，釋四諦義猶未竟，而復明如來藏及法身章者，則義成雜亂；是故舉藏及身歎諦甚深，猶屬聖諦章也。就歎諦甚深，更開三別：一舉藏甚深歎諦甚深、二舉藏類法身、三總舉身藏權實勸信解二諦。此章既言涉於藏，即得釋如來藏義。以二門釋之：來意門者，上已明佛有聖諦，今就諦說藏深。欲舉藏深歎諦深義，是故說如來藏也。又一乘由於藏成，故須藏。遠而言之，由如來藏故，一切顛倒及不顛倒其義得成。言由如來藏顛倒成者，眾生失佛性，故輪轉苦海。如《涅槃》云「是一味藥，隨其流處成六道味。」又如來藏為生死作依持建立，是故顛倒由藏而成。言不顛倒由藏成者，若無佛性，雖起大行大願，不得成佛。如龍樹云：「鐵無金性，雖復鍛煉，終不成金。」要由來有佛性，然後起大行大願，然後成佛。如龍樹云：「如黃白石有金銀性，由人功鑪冶，故有金銀。」故不顛倒法由藏而成。又顛倒由藏而成，故有苦集；不顛倒由藏而成，故有滅道。故四諦義成由如來藏，故就四諦明藏義也。又破二乘執，自謂究竟，故說如來藏，唯如來藏無有餘乘。又為破外道，故說如來藏。如《楞伽》云「大慧！我說如來藏者，為諸外道執著於我，攝取彼故，令彼外道離於神我妄想見心執著之處，入三解脫門得成菩提，故說如來藏。」又為斷見眾生，謂眾生之性同於草木，盡在一期，無復後世。為破此故，是故今明如來藏，必當作佛，不同草木盡在一期。故《涅槃》云「佛性者，非如牆壁瓦石」也。如《法華》常不輕菩薩，為令增上慢人發菩提心，故說眾生悉有佛性。又令眾生知自身中有於佛性，發菩提心、修行成佛，故說佛性。又令眾生知他心身中悉有佛性，不行殺等十惡業罪。又於眾生不起二乘等見，既唯有佛性則無復二乘，故於眾生不起二乘之見。又欲說波若，故說佛性。波若即是中道智慧。中道智慧者，令眾生遠離有無二見，令知生死之中無虛妄我故，息其有見；有如來藏，息於無見。如《攝論》云「為破外道邪我，故說波若為我因。」以如是等諸因緣故，說如來藏。此是佛法之大意也。 > From "The noble truths are spoken of as extremely profound in meaning" onwards: later lecturers take this point as the chapter on the tathāgatagarbha, and what follows this as explaining the chapter on the dharmakāya. The present \[reading\] differs: according to the ancient tradition, this is still the four truths. Above, it directly explained that the Buddha possesses the noble truths; here below, second, it raises the garbha and the dharmakāya to praise the extremely profound meaning of the truths. Why is this not a separate chapter? This chapter is named the Chapter on the Four Truths; if before the explanation of the four truths was finished, one were again to explain chapters on the tathāgatagarbha and the dharmakāya, the meaning would become confused and disordered. Therefore, raising the garbha and the \[dharma\]kāya to praise the profundity of the truths still belongs to the Chapter on the Noble Truths. In praising the profundity of the truths, three further distinctions are opened: first, raising the profundity of the garbha to praise the profundity of the truths; second, taking the garbha as analogous to the dharmakāya; third, collectively raising the provisional and real of the \[dharma\]kāya and the garbha to exhort faith and understanding in the two truths. Since this chapter touches upon the garbha, one may explain the meaning of tathāgatagarbha. It is explained through two gates: as for the gate of the intention behind its appearance, above it was already explained that the Buddha possesses the noble truths, and now the profundity of the garbha is stated in terms of the truths. Wanting to raise the profundity of the garbha to praise the profound meaning of the truths, the tathāgatagarbha is therefore taught. Furthermore, because the ekayāna is accomplished by relying on the garbha, the garbha is necessary. To speak broadly, by virtue of the tathāgatagarbha, all perversions and non-perversions can be established in their meaning. Saying that perversion is accomplished by virtue of the tathāgatagarbha means that sentient beings lose their buddhadhātu and therefore transmigrate in the ocean of suffering. As the Nirvāṇa \[Sūtra\] says: "It is a single-flavored medicine; following the places it flows, it becomes the flavors of the six destinies." Furthermore, the tathāgatagarbha serves as the support and basis for saṃsāra; therefore perversion is accomplished through the garbha. Saying that non-perversion is accomplished through the garbha means that if there were no buddhadhātu, even if one were to arouse great practices and great vows, one could not attain buddhahood. As Nāgārjuna says: "Iron lacks the nature of gold; even if forged, it ultimately does not become gold." It is necessary that there originally be buddhadhātu, and only then does one arouse great practices and great vows, and only then does one achieve buddhahood. As Nāgārjuna says: "Just as yellow and white stones possess the nature of gold and silver, and due to human effort and smelting furnaces gold and silver come to exist." Therefore non-perverted dharmas are accomplished through the garbha. Furthermore, because perversion is accomplished through the garbha, there are suffering and origination; because non-perversion is accomplished through the garbha, there are cessation and the path. Thus the establishment of the meaning of the four truths depends on the tathāgatagarbha; therefore the meaning of the garbha is explained in terms of the four truths. Furthermore, to refute the attachments of the two vehicles who regard themselves as having reached the ultimate, the tathāgatagarbha is taught: there is only the tathāgatagarbha, and no other vehicle. Furthermore, to refute non-Buddhists, the tathāgatagarbha is taught. As the Laṅkāvatāra says: "Mahāmati, my teaching of the tathāgatagarbha is for the sake of non-Buddhists who cling to a self, in order to gather them in, cause those non-Buddhists to leave behind the attachments of their conceiving minds with erroneous views of an ātman, enter the three gates of liberation, and attain bodhi; therefore I teach the tathāgatagarbha." Furthermore, for sentient beings with the annihilationist view who claim that the nature of sentient beings is identical to grass and trees, exhausted within a single lifetime with no subsequent life, to refute this, the tathāgatagarbha is now clarified: they will definitely become buddhas, unlike grass and trees that are exhausted within a single lifetime. Thus the Nirvāṇa \[Sūtra\] says: "The buddhadhātu is not like walls, tiles, or stones." Just as Bodhisattva Sadāparibhūta in the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka, in order to make people of overweening pride arouse the bodhicitta, stated that sentient beings all possess buddhadhātu. Furthermore, to make sentient beings know that within their own bodies they possess buddhadhātu, arouse bodhicitta, and practice to become buddhas, the buddhadhātu is taught. Furthermore, to make sentient beings know that within the minds and bodies of others there is everywhere buddhadhātu, so that they do not commit the ten evil deeds such as killing. Furthermore, so that regarding sentient beings one does not generate views of the two vehicles and the like: since there is only the buddhadhātu, there are no longer two vehicles; therefore regarding sentient beings one does not arouse the view of the two vehicles. Furthermore, wishing to expound prajñā, the buddhadhātu is taught. Prajñā is the wisdom of the middle way. The wisdom of the middle way causes sentient beings to leave behind the two views of existence and non-existence, and causes them to know that within saṃsāra there is no falsely imagined self, thereby putting an end to the view of existence; and that there is the tathāgatagarbha, thereby putting an end to the view of non-existence. As the Mahāyānasaṃgraha says: "To refute the erroneous self of non-Buddhists, prajñā is taught as the cause of the self." Due to such various causes and conditions, the tathāgatagarbha is taught. This is the great purport of the Buddhadharma. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 3.18](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1744.3.18) - [Next: 3.20](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1744.3.20) - [Up: 3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1744.3) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1744~en-mt.3.19) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1744.3.19](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1744.3.19) · Pramāṇa