大般涅槃經疏 6.5

6.5

今釋祕密藏，文為三：一譬三點、二譬三目、三合以三德。此之三文，一往而言是從事入理，三點是文字，此約言教；三目是天眼，此約修行；三德是佛師，此即約理。又是佛印印於教行，凡有言說與此相應即祕密教，修習相應是祕密行，證得相應是祕密理，故約三釋稱理、教、行。初三點中言云何如世伊字，外國有舊新兩伊，舊伊橫豎斷絕相離，借此況彼橫如列火、豎如點水，各不相續；不橫不同列火、不豎不同點水，應如此土草下字相細畫相連，是新伊相。舊伊可譬昔教三德，法身本有，般若修成，入無餘已方是解脫無復身智，如豎點水縱而相離。又約身約智分得有餘解脫，橫一時有、三法各異，如橫列火各不相關。新伊字者，譬今教三德，法身即照亦即自在，名一為三，三無別體故是不橫，非前非後故是非縱。一即三如大點，三即一如細畫，而三而一、而一而三，不可一三說、不可一三思，故名不可思議。不可思議者，即非三非一名祕密藏，如世伊字。此句是茲經之根本，為顯斯義廣立問答，致二十五品洋洋無盡。若失此意全迷根本，將何指歸（云云）。次約三目釋者，摩醯首羅居色界頂，統領大千，一面三目、三目一面，不可單言一三縱橫若並若別，能嚴天顏作世界主徹照三千，若不縱橫，嚴主照世一切皆成。三德亦爾，縱橫並別祕藏不成，不縱不橫祕密藏則成（云云）。次約三德釋祕密藏者，果地眾德但言三者，蓋舉略兼諸。法身之身非色非無色，非色故不可形相見、非無色故不可心想知，雖非色而色充滿十方，巨細相容不廣不狹；雖非非色亦可尋求，能發眾生深廣智慧，故曰如來色無盡等即法身德。般若者，非知非字，非知故不可動慮分別、非字故不可言說書紳，亦非不知非不字，非不知故不同灰滅、非不字故不同偏空。雖非知，無所不照三諦遍朗，極佛境界凡聖並明；雖非字，而半滿具足，世間出世間出世間上上諸字悉了，法界流注若懸河海涌不可窮盡。《淨名》云「能以一音演說法，眾生隨類各得解，皆謂世尊同其語，斯則神力不共法。」即般若德。解脫者，非喧非寂、非縛非脫，非縛故五住不能繫、非脫故十智不能虛。非脫而脫，二邊之所不拘，如百句解脫中說；非縛而縛，為訥鈍邪癡闡提外道所縛，故有病行、嬰兒行，住首楞嚴示現善惡，隨所調伏眾生之處雖鄙必施，如醫療病、如華在水無染無著，名解脫德。佛身業，不可思議法身則攝；佛口業，不可思議般若則攝；佛意業，不可思議解脫則攝。故知三德攝一切德。又《大品》名為色淨般若淨，受想行識淨般若淨。《法華》云如來莊嚴，又云六根清淨。總諸經異說，悉為三德所收。包含總別囊括事理，以略收廣不逾三德；若偏縱橫並別一異，皆非祕藏。文云「法身亦非、般若亦非、解脫亦非，不縱不橫不並不別，三一相即，一中無量無量中一，非一非無量者是名祕藏。」

Now, in explaining the secret treasury, the text has three parts: first, the analogy of the three dots; second, the analogy of the three eyes; third, matching them with the three virtues. Speaking provisionally of these three passages, they proceed from phenomenon to principle: the three dots are written graphs, which pertains to verbal teaching; the three eyes are the divine eye, which pertains to cultivation and practice; the three virtues are the Buddha-master, which pertains to principle. Furthermore, they are the Buddha-seal that seals teaching and practice: whenever there is verbal expression corresponding to this, it is secret teaching; cultivation and practice corresponding to this is secret practice; realization and attainment corresponding to this is secret principle. Therefore, the explanation in terms of the three is designated principle, teaching, and practice. First, among the three dots, it says "How is it like the worldly letter *i*?" In foreign lands there are both old and new forms of the letter *i*. In the old *i*, the horizontal and vertical are discontinuous and separated from each other; using this to illustrate that: horizontally it is like a row of fire [dots], vertically it is like water droplets, each not continuing one into the other. Being neither horizontal (unlike the row of fire) nor vertical (unlike the water droplets), it should be like the character *xia* (下) written in the grass script of this land, where the fine strokes are interconnected—this is the form of the new *i*. The old *i* can serve as an analogy for the three virtues of the past teachings: the dharmakāya is inherently existent, prajñā is accomplished through cultivation, and only upon entering the [nirvāṇa] without residue is there liberation, with no further body or wisdom—like the vertical water droplets, vertical and separated from each other. Furthermore, in terms of body and wisdom, one partially attains the liberation with residue: horizontally existing at the same time, the three dharmas are distinct from each other, like the horizontal row of fire, each unrelated to the other. The new letter *i* is an analogy for the three virtues of the present teaching: the dharmakāya is identically illumination and identically sovereignty; though designated as one they are three, and because the three have no separate essences, they are not horizontal; because they are neither earlier nor later, they are not vertical. The one is identically the three, like the large dot; the three are identically the one, like the fine strokes: yet three yet one, yet one yet three, they cannot be spoken of as one or three, nor can they be conceived of as one or three, and hence are called inconceivable. What is inconceivable is neither three nor one—it is called the secret treasury, like the worldly letter *i*. This sentence is the foundation of this sūtra: to reveal this meaning, questions and answers are extensively established, resulting in the boundless expansiveness of the twenty-five chapters. If one misses this meaning, one is entirely deluded about the foundation, and where can one find the final refuge? (and so on). Next, explaining in terms of the three eyes: Maheśvara resides at the summit of the form realm and commands the great trichiliocosm; he has one face with three eyes, and three eyes upon one face, which cannot be spoken of simply as one or three, vertical or horizontal, conjoined or distinct; they are able to adorn the divine countenance, make him the lord of the world, and penetrate and illuminate the three thousand [realms]. If they were not vertical or horizontal, the adorning lord's illumination of the world is entirely accomplished. The three virtues are also thus: if vertical, horizontal, conjoined, or distinct, the secret treasury is not established; if neither vertical nor horizontal, the secret treasury is established (and so on). Next, explaining the secret treasury in terms of the three virtues: among the manifold virtues of the fruit-stage, only three are mentioned because the summary encompasses the rest. The body of the dharmakāya is neither form nor formlessness: because it is not form, it cannot be seen through shapes and characteristics; because it is not formlessness, it cannot be known through mental concepts. Although it is not form, form fills the ten directions, the vast and the minute containing each other, neither wide nor narrow; although it is not non-form, it can also be sought, and is able to arouse deep and vast wisdom in sentient beings. Therefore, it is said that the Tathāgata's form is inexhaustible and so forth—this is the virtue of the dharmakāya. Prajñā is neither knowing nor letters: because it is not knowing, it cannot be distinguished by moving thoughts; because it is not letters, it cannot be spoken or inscribed on a sash; nor is it non-knowing or non-letters: because it is not non-knowing, it is not the same as ash-like extinction; because it is not non-letters, it is not the same as one-sided emptiness. Although it is not knowing, there is nothing it does not illuminate, the three truths brightly evident throughout, the ultimate realm of the Buddha clarifying both ordinary and sage alike; although it is not letters, both the half-word and full-word teachings are complete, and all letters—mundane, supramundane, and supramundane supreme—are completely understood, the dharmadhātu flowing forth like a hanging river or a surging ocean, inexhaustible. The *Vimalakīrti Sūtra* (*Jingming*) says: "He is able to expound the Dharma with a single voice, / and sentient beings understand each according to their kind; / each thinks that the World-Honoured One speaks their own language— / this is the divine power, the unshared dharma." This is the virtue of prajñā. Liberation is neither commotion nor quiescence, neither bound nor liberated: because it is not bound, the five entanglements cannot tie it down; because it is not liberated, the ten wisdoms cannot render it empty. Being not liberated yet liberated, it is not restrained by the two extremes, as expounded in the hundred phrases on liberation; being not bound yet bound, it is bound for the sake of the dull, the foolish, the perverse, the ignorant, the icchantikas, and the non-Buddhists, and therefore there are the practice of illness and the infant-like practice; abiding in the śūraṅgama[-samādhi], it manifests good and evil, and wherever it tames sentient beings, even if base, it must bestow [teachings]—like a physician curing illness, like a lotus in water unstained and unattached—this is named the virtue of liberation. The Buddha's bodily actions are embraced by the inconceivable dharmakāya; the Buddha's verbal actions are embraced by inconceivable prajñā; the Buddha's mental actions are embraced by inconceivable liberation. Therefore, one knows that the three virtues encompass all virtues. Furthermore, the *Large Perfection of Wisdom Sūtra* (*Dapin*) calls them: "purity of form is purity of prajñā; purity of feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness is purity of prajñā." The *Lotus Sūtra* speaks of the "adornment of the Tathāgata" and also speaks of the "purity of the six sense faculties." Synthesizing the diverse statements of the various sūtras, all are gathered within the three virtues. Encompassing the general and the particular, embracing phenomena and principle, collecting the broad by means of the brief does not go beyond the three virtues; if biased toward the vertical, horizontal, conjoined, distinct, one, or different, none of these is the secret treasury. The text says: "The dharmakāya is also not [it], prajñā is also not [it], liberation is also not [it]; neither vertical nor horizontal, neither conjoined nor distinct, the three and the one mutually identical, the immeasurable within the one, the one within the immeasurable, that which is neither one nor immeasurable—this is named the secret treasury."