維摩義記 2.7.2

2.7.2

所無有三：一、無橫計神我眾生； 二、於假名眾生之中無其定性； 三、無假名眾生之相。 此等皆是情相之有，故悉無之，餘用類爾。 「離生垢」者，破情顯理。 取我之心名眾生垢； 真法之中無此我心，名離生垢。 以無垢心，故無眾生。 第二句中，「法無我者」，正明理無。 亦真法中無三種我，準前可知。 「離我垢」者，破情顯理，義同前解。 此兩句中破情顯理，後二句中破相顯理，宜須記知。 第三句中，「法無壽命」，正明理無，亦真法中無三種壽，準前可知。 「離生死」者，破相顯理。 若真法中有其生死，故可就之說有壽命； 既無生死，就何說壽？ 第四句中，「法無人」者，正明理無，亦真法中無三種人，準前可知。 「前後際斷」，破相顯理。 有為之法前後相起，前為前際、後為後際。 若真法中有此二際，則可就之以說於人； 真中無此，就何說人？ 於情為有、於理本無，翻情顯理故說為斷，非有所除。 就後六句明法空中，初二離相、次二離名，次有一句結前離相，末後一句結上離名。 初兩句中，前之一句正明離相。 後之一句破去心緣成前離相。 就初句中，「法常寂然」，正明理無。 真法不動故曰寂然。 「滅諸相」者，破相顯寂。 五陰是相，於真本無，名滅諸相。 有相不寂，無故寂矣。 就後句中，「法離於相」，正明理無。 於真法中無五陰相，名法離相。 「無所緣」者，破相顯理。 若真法中有相可緣，不名離相； 於真法中無相可緣，故法離相。 以無所緣，能緣亦無。 次兩句中，前之一句破名破說，後之一句破去心覺成前離說。 就初句中，「法無名字」，正明理無，謂真法中無彼妄想所立名字。 「言語斷」者，破去言說顯成無名。 名是言本，以無名故言語不生，名言語斷。 舉語言斷，成名無矣。 就後句中，「法無言說離覺觀故」，破情顯理。 覺觀言因，以真法中無覺觀故言語不生，故無言說。 麁思名覺，細思稱觀，此皆情道； 真法出情，故無覺觀。 次下一句，結前離相。 「法無形相」，正辨理無，謂真法中無陰形相。 以此結前離相之義，故說無相。 「如虛空故」，類以顯之。 真法離相，似世大虛，故言如空。 自下一句，結前離名。 「法無戲論」，正明理無。 理外名言斯成戲論，真中離此名無戲論。 以此結前離名之義，故說無戲。 「畢竟空故」，釋以顯無。 永絕言論，名畢竟空。 上來就陰明法離相。 自下第二，就十八界明法離相。 六根、六塵及以六識是十八界。 文中句別有其十九：初之一句明人無我，後十八句明法無我。 就初句中，「法無我所」，正明理無。 明真法中無我及所，義如上解。 「離我所故」，釋以顯無。 法空中句雖十八，相從為三：初有六句，明六根空； 「法無動」下五句之文，明六識空； 「法離好」下七句之文，明六塵空。 初六句中，前三破相，後三即實。 就前三中，初句約識以明根空，第二約塵以彰根空，第三約自而顯根空。 就初句中，「法無分別」，正明理無。 於真法中無有六根生識了塵，名無分別。 「離諸識故」，釋以顯無。 於事分齊，六根生識； 真中無此，名離諸識。 以離諸識，故無分別。 第二句中，「法無有比」，正明理無。 根塵相對，名之為比； 真中無此，名法無比。 「相待者無」，釋以顯無。 以無根塵相形待故，說為無比。 第三句中，「法不屬因」，正明理無。 於事分齊，根從因起，與因作果，名為屬因； 真中無此，名不屬因。 「不在緣故」，釋以顯無。 親生名因，疎助稱緣。 有緣可在則可對之說其屬因； 無緣可在，知復對何說為屬因？ 亦可緣者因之別稱，言不在緣，當知猶是不在因矣，不能重言彰不在緣。 生不離緣，因之為在； 真不假緣，故曰不在。 不在緣故，不屬因耳。

That which is absent comprises three aspects: first, there is no arbitrarily imagined soul-self as a sentient being; second, within conventionally designated sentient beings there is no determinate nature; third, there are no characteristics of conventionally designated sentient beings. These are all the existence of emotional mental marks, and therefore are entirely absent; the rest are to be analogized accordingly. "Apart from the defilement of being": this refutes feelings to reveal the principle. The mind that grasps at a self is called the defilement of sentient beings; within the true Dharma there is no such mind of self, which is called being apart from the defilement of being. Because there is no defiled mind, there are no sentient beings. In the second phrase, "the Dharma is without a self": this directly clarifies the absence in principle. Likewise, within the true Dharma there are no three kinds of self, which can be understood according to the above. "Apart from the defilement of self": this refutes feelings to reveal the principle, its meaning being the same as the previous explanation. In these two phrases, feelings are refuted to reveal the principle; in the subsequent two phrases, characteristics are refuted to reveal the principle, which should be remembered and understood. In the third phrase, "the Dharma is without a life span": this directly clarifies the absence in principle; likewise, within the true Dharma there are no three kinds of life span, which can be understood according to the above. "Apart from birth and death": this refutes characteristics to reveal the principle. If within the true Dharma there were birth and death, one could accordingly speak of having a life span; since there is no birth and death, based on what could one speak of a life span? In the fourth phrase, "the Dharma is without a person": this directly clarifies the absence in principle; likewise, within the true Dharma there are no three kinds of person, which can be understood according to the above. "The previous and subsequent limits are severed": this refutes characteristics to reveal the principle. Conditioned dharmas arise sequentially before and after; the prior is the anterior limit, and the subsequent is the posterior limit. If within the true Dharma these two limits existed, one could accordingly speak of a person; since in the true these do not exist, based on what could one speak of a person? Existing for emotional feelings, but originally nonexistent in principle, inverting feelings to reveal the principle is therefore spoken of as being severed; it is not that there is something eliminated. Regarding the subsequent six phrases that clarify the emptiness of dharmas: the first two are apart from characteristics, the next two are apart from names, the next single phrase concludes the preceding being apart from characteristics, and the final phrase concludes the above being apart from names. In the first two phrases, the preceding single phrase directly clarifies being apart from characteristics. The subsequent single phrase refutes mental objects to establish the preceding being apart from characteristics. In the first phrase, "the Dharma is constantly quiescent": this directly clarifies the absence in principle. Because the true Dharma is unmoving, it is said to be quiescent. "Extinguishing all characteristics": this refutes characteristics to reveal quiescence. The five skandhas are characteristics, which are originally nonexistent in the true; this is called extinguishing all characteristics. That which possesses characteristics is not quiescent; because they are absent, it is quiescent. In the subsequent phrase, "the Dharma is apart from characteristics": this directly clarifies the absence in principle. That within the true Dharma there are no characteristics of the five skandhas is called the Dharma being apart from characteristics. "Without cognitive objects": this refutes characteristics to reveal the principle. If within the true Dharma there were characteristics that could be taken as objects, it could not be called being apart from characteristics; within the true Dharma there are no characteristics that could be taken as objects, and therefore the Dharma is apart from characteristics. Because there are no cognitive objects, that which cognizes is also absent. In the next two phrases, the preceding phrase refutes names and refutes discourse; the subsequent phrase refutes mental initial and sustained thought to establish the preceding being apart from discourse. In the first phrase, "the Dharma has no names": this directly clarifies the absence in principle, meaning that within the true Dharma there are no names established by that false discrimination. "Words and speech are severed": this refutes words and speech to reveal and establish the absence of names. Names are the basis of speech; because there are no names, words and speech do not arise, which is called words and speech being severed. Bringing up the severance of words and speech establishes the absence of names. In the subsequent phrase, "the Dharma is without discourse, because it is apart from initial and sustained thought": this refutes feelings to reveal the principle. Initial and sustained thought are the causes of speech; because within the true Dharma there is no initial and sustained thought, words and speech do not arise, and therefore there is no discourse. Coarse thinking is called initial thought, and subtle thinking is called sustained thought; these are all paths of emotional feelings. The true Dharma transcends feelings, and therefore has no initial or sustained thought. The next phrase concludes the preceding being apart from characteristics. "The Dharma has no form or characteristics": this directly explains the absence in principle, meaning that within the true Dharma there are no forms or characteristics of the skandhas. Using this to conclude the preceding meaning of being apart from characteristics, it is therefore said to be signless. "Because it is like empty space": this illustrates it by comparison to reveal it. The true Dharma is apart from characteristics, resembling the great space of the world, and so it is said to be like empty space. The next phrase concludes the preceding being apart from names. "The Dharma is without prapañca": this directly clarifies the absence in principle. Names and words outside of principle constitute prapañca; within the true, being apart from these is called being without prapañca. Using this to conclude the preceding meaning of being apart from names, it is therefore said to be without prapañca. "Because it is ultimate emptiness": this explains it to reveal nonexistence. Permanently cutting off words and discourse is called ultimate emptiness. The above has clarified the Dharma being apart from characteristics in terms of the skandhas. From here on, the second section clarifies the Dharma being apart from characteristics in terms of the eighteen dhātus. The six sense faculties, six sense dusts, and six consciousnesses are the eighteen dhātus. In the text, the distinct phrases number nineteen: the first single phrase clarifies the selflessness of persons, and the subsequent eighteen phrases clarify the selflessness of dharmas. In the first phrase, "the Dharma is without what belongs to a self": this directly clarifies the absence in principle. It clarifies that within the true Dharma there is neither self nor what belongs to it, its meaning being as explained above. "Because it is apart from what belongs to a self": this explains it to reveal nonexistence. Although the phrases in the emptiness of dharmas number eighteen, they group together into three: first there are six phrases clarifying the emptiness of the six sense faculties; from "the Dharma has no movement" downward, the five phrases clarify the emptiness of the six consciousnesses; from "the Dharma is apart from the favorable" downward, the seven phrases clarify the emptiness of the six sense dusts. In the first six phrases, the first three refute characteristics, and the last three conform to reality. In the first three, the first phrase clarifies the emptiness of faculties in relation to consciousness, the second clarifies the emptiness of faculties in relation to sense dusts, and the third reveals the emptiness of faculties in relation to themselves. In the first phrase, "the Dharma has no discrimination": this directly clarifies the absence in principle. That within the true Dharma there are no six sense faculties generating consciousness to apprehend sense dusts is called having no discrimination. "Because it is apart from the consciousnesses": this explains it to reveal nonexistence. In the division of phenomenal affairs, the six faculties generate consciousness; within the true these do not exist, which is called being apart from the consciousnesses. Because it is apart from the consciousnesses, it is without discrimination. In the second phrase, "the Dharma is without comparison": this directly clarifies the absence in principle. The mutual pairing of faculties and dusts is termed comparison; within the true this does not exist, which is called the Dharma being without comparison. "That which is mutually dependent does not exist": this explains it to reveal nonexistence. Because there is no mutual dependence between faculties and dusts, it is spoken of as being without comparison. In the third phrase, "the Dharma does not belong to causes": this directly clarifies the absence in principle. In the division of phenomenal affairs, faculties arise from causes and act as effects to causes, which is called belonging to causes; within the true this does not exist, which is called not belonging to causes. "Because it does not reside in conditions": this explains it to reveal nonexistence. That which directly produces is called a cause, and that which distantly assists is called a condition. If there were conditions that could be present, then relative to them one could speak of belonging to causes; if there are no conditions that can be present, relative to what could one again speak of belonging to causes? Alternatively, conditions may be another name for causes; when saying it does not reside in conditions, one should know that it still means not residing in causes, not repeating words to demonstrate not residing in conditions. Arising is not separate from conditions, and is said to reside in them as causes; the true does not depend on conditions, and therefore is said not to reside in them. Because it does not reside in conditions, it simply does not belong to causes.