大般涅槃經疏 11.13

11.13

倒者惑也。上云醉人眩亂日月迴轉，況顯惑義。但倒數不定，或一二三四八乃至眾多。一者只是無明虛妄羅籠自繞；二者是見想取著而致毀傷；三者癡心心倒、狂狷想倒、分別見倒；四者常樂我淨偽藝無實；八者無常樂我淨瓦礫非真；眾多者但涅槃佛性畢竟清淨非倒非諦。從解惑因緣而說倒諦。先佛出世破倒之教遺法在世，時去聖遠執字亡旨，不知方便藥變成毒，即起常樂我淨四倒。佛初出世投無常藥而倒瀉之，病去藥存執之為是，迷佛方便起無常等，佛觀是病，應用常等以治其病。若後末世常等為病，傳付後佛乃能治之。通亘前後皆名四倒。若治常等則如昔教，治無常等如〈哀歎品〉。此品但明迷惑之病，若其解病即能解藥。離倒無諦，緣宜別說，故明四倒。文明八倒以四題品，經家從略就合為四。今從合題者，欲對四諦使相成故。近論三品相成，魔說佛說總論邪正，四諦別明正解，四倒別明邪惑。若但解諦倒者，如偏識人入，單知杌人非具足知，不名正善具成就，不能作善業。雙解邪正倒諦俱通，即是正善具成就，能作善業業者，即如來性。次第相成合為四倒，其義則便，故言四倒品。

An inversion is a delusion. Above, it said that a drunk person's vision is blurred and the sun and moon spin around, which metaphorically reveals the meaning of delusion. However, the number of inversions is indeterminate: sometimes one, two, three, four, eight, or even manifold. One refers simply to avidyā and delusions entrapping and wrapping around oneself. Two refers to grasping at views and conceptions, resulting in harm. Three refers to the inversion of mind due to ignorance, the inversion of thought due to delusion and rashness, and the inversion of views due to discrimination. Four refers to permanence, bliss, self, and purity being fabricated crafts lacking reality. Eight refers to impermanence, suffering, non-self, and impurity being like broken tiles and gravel, not real. Manifold refers to nirvāṇa and the buddhadhātu being ultimately pure, neither inversion nor truth. Inversion and truth are spoken of on the basis of causal conditions of understanding and delusion. When previous Buddhas appeared in the world, their teachings refuting inversions and their bequeathed Dharma remained in the world; with time passing far from the sage, people clung to the letter and lost the essential meaning, unaware that the provisional medicine had turned into poison, whereupon they gave rise to the four inversions of permanence, bliss, self, and purity. When the Buddha first appeared in the world, he administered the medicine of impermanence to purge them; once the sickness departed, the medicine remained, and grasping it as correct, they were deluded about the Buddha's provisional means and gave rise to impermanence, etc. The Buddha, observing this sickness, should apply permanence, etc., to treat their sickness. If in a later final age permanence, etc., becomes the sickness, it is transmitted and entrusted to a future Buddha, who alone can cure it. Extending from the past to the future, they are all called four inversions. If treating permanence, etc., it is like the past teachings; if treating impermanence, etc., it is like the "Chapter on Mourning and Lamentation." This chapter only clarifies the sickness of delusion; if one understands the sickness, one can understand the medicine. Apart from inversions there are no truths; since circumstances call for a separate explanation, the four inversions are clarified. The text explains eight inversions, but entitles the chapter with four, because the sūtra masters followed brevity and combined them into four. Now, in adopting the combined title, it is intended to contrast with the four truths to make them mutually complementary. Discussing the recent three chapters as mutually complementary: the Buddha's speech and Māra's speech broadly discuss heterodoxy and orthodoxy; the four truths specifically explain correct understanding; the four inversions specifically explain heterodox delusions. If one only understands the truths and inversions, like only partially recognizing someone entering, or merely knowing a wooden post rather than knowing fully, it is not called complete achievement of correct goodness and cannot perform good karma. Understanding both heterodoxy and orthodoxy, penetrating both inversions and truths, is complete achievement of correct goodness and the ability to perform good karma; that karma is precisely the nature of the Tathāgata. Since their sequential complementation combines them into four inversions, the meaning is convenient; therefore it is called the "Chapter on the Four Inversions."