金光明經文句 4.4

4.4

夫空者，應有四種，謂滅色入空、即色是空、滅邊入空、即邊是空。此經通諸乘懺悔，應須四種空，而今品但標空者，專是即邊而空也。何故爾？經云「無量餘經已廣說空」，是故此中略而解說也。又空者，空有、空無。空有者，空二十五之塊有。空無者，空二乘之灰無。兩邊清淨，名之為空。直作此說，惑者迷名濫理，不能超悟。今作六句分別：空破非有非無、非有非無破空、空修非有非無、非有非無修空、空即非有非無、非有非無即空。空破非有非無者，所謂凡邪非有非無見，二乘偏住非有非無證，別教教道執非有非無門，悉為空品空所破也。凡邪之見多種，一單四見、二複四見、三具足四見。單四見，可解。複四見者，謂有有有無、無有無無、亦有亦無有亦有亦無無、非有非無有非有非無無，此是複四見。具足四見者，於一句中具有四句，四四十六句，故名具足也。雖單複具足，皆苦集浩然。雖計為非有非無，實是妄見，故為空品空所破也。二乘偏住非有非無證者，斷常見故言非有，斷斷見故言非無。有無二見滅無餘，三界見思永已盡，生滅度想、生安隱想，梵行已立、所作已辦、不受後有。保此而已，不復進求三菩提。但二乘發真，斷常見斷斷見，其門不同。或從有門入，如《阿毘曇》；或從無門入，如《成實論》；或從亦有亦無門入如《昆勒》；或從非有非無門入如《那陀迦旃延經》。離斷離常，名聖中道。四門俱斷斷常，名同中道，實是保偏取證，故為〈空品〉空所破也。別教教道執非有非無門者，佛為鈍根菩薩方便權巧作四門說中道，如彼栰喻。不得意者，四門成諍。故《涅槃》云「真善妙有大般涅槃空，佛性亦色、非色、非色非非色。若各執一門，則於如來有諍訟心，不見中道。」執此教門，猶為〈空品〉空所破也。新本云「初地菩薩欲行有相道」，斯即一門之意也，文中悉有四門之說。《大經》云「自此之前，我等悉名邪見人也。」非有非無破空者，還是凡邪之空見、二乘之空證、教道之空門，墮在二邊，故為中道非有非無所破也。相修者，見空、證空、教道空，應修中道非有非無也。非有非無見、非有非無證、非有非無教門，應修中道空也。相即者，破二邊空即是中道非有非無。中道非有非無，即是破二邊空無二無別。般若是一法，佛說種種名，空即是非有非無，而不以非有非無為名者，為略說故，故言〈空品〉也。此品來意者，〈懺品〉破惡、〈讚品〉生善，〈空品〉導成滅惡生善也。亦是導成用宗體等，故《釋論》云「若以無此空，一切無所作。」導成上品，故明〈空品〉也。又常果顯體，滅惡生善非不明空，利者已解，為鈍根故起大悲心，更明五陰生法本性空寂爾

Now, as for emptiness, there should be four kinds: namely, entering emptiness through the destruction of form, form itself being emptiness, entering emptiness through the destruction of extremes, and the extremes themselves being emptiness. This sūtra extends to the repentance of all vehicles and ought to require the four kinds of emptiness; yet this chapter merely labels it "emptiness" because it is solely that the extremes themselves are emptiness. Why is this so? The sūtra says: "Immeasurable other sūtras have already extensively explained emptiness"; therefore, it is briefly explained here. Furthermore, emptiness means emptying existence and emptying non-existence. Emptying existence means emptying the lump-like existence of the twenty-five [realms of existence]. Emptying non-existence means emptying the ash-like non-existence of the two vehicles. When both extremes are purified, it is named emptiness. If one merely speaks thus, deluded people will be confused by terms and distort the principle, unable to transcend and awaken. Now we make an analysis through six phrases: emptiness refuting neither existence nor non-existence; neither existence nor non-existence refuting emptiness; emptiness cultivating neither existence nor non-existence; neither existence nor non-existence cultivating emptiness; emptiness being identical to neither existence nor non-existence; and neither existence nor non-existence being identical to emptiness. "Emptiness refuting neither existence nor non-existence" means that ordinary heterodox views of neither existence nor non-existence, the two vehicles' biased abiding in the realization of neither existence nor non-existence, and the doctrinal path of the distinctive teaching clinging to the gate of neither existence nor non-existence, are all refuted by the emptiness of the Chapter on Emptiness. Ordinary heterodox views are manifold: first, single four views; second, compound four views; third, fully equipped four views. Single four views are easy to understand. As for compound four views, they are existence-existence, existence-non-existence; non-existence-existence, non-existence-non-existence; both-existence-and-non-existence-existence, both-existence-and-non-existence-non-existence; neither-existence-nor-non-existence-existence, neither-existence-nor-non-existence-non-existence—these are the compound four views. As for the fully equipped four views, within a single phrase there are fully the four phrases: four times four makes sixteen phrases, hence named "fully equipped". Though single, compound, and fully equipped, they are all vast suffering and origination. Though conceptualized as neither existence nor non-existence, they are actually false views; therefore, they are refuted by the emptiness of the Chapter on Emptiness. "The two vehicles' biased abiding in the realization of neither existence nor non-existence": because they sever the eternalist view they speak of non-existence, and because they sever the annihilationist view they speak of non-non-existence. The two views of existence and non-existence are eliminated without remainder, and view and thought [defilements] of the three realms are forever exhausted; they generate the thought of extinction and the thought of peace and security: "holy life established, what was to be done is done, there is no further existence." They merely cling to this and do not advance further to seek saṃbodhi. However, when the two vehicles awaken to the truth, severing the eternalist view and the annihilationist view, their gates are different. Some enter through the gate of existence, as in the Abhidharma; some enter through the gate of non-existence, as in the *Tattvasiddhi-śāstra*; some enter through the gate of both existence and non-existence, as in the *Peṭaka*; some enter through the gate of neither existence nor non-existence, as in the *Nātha-Kātyāyana-sūtra*. Freedom from annihilation and freedom from permanence is named the noble Middle Way. All four gates sever annihilation and permanence, so they are similarly called the "Middle Way", but in truth they cling to bias and grasp realization; therefore, they are refuted by the emptiness of the Chapter on Emptiness. "The doctrinal path of the distinctive teaching clinging to the gate of neither existence nor non-existence": for dull-facultied bodhisattvas, the Buddha skillfully set forth the four gates to speak of the Middle Way, like the raft parable. For those who do not grasp the meaning, the four gates turn into dispute. Thus the *Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra* says: "The true, good, and wondrous existence of great mahāparinirvāṇa is empty; Buddha-nature is also form, non-form, and neither form nor non-form. If one clings respectively to a single gate, one harbors contentious thoughts toward the Tathāgata and does not see the Middle Way." Clinging to this doctrinal gate is still refuted by the emptiness of the Chapter on Emptiness. The new translation says: "A bodhisattva on the first stage wishes to practice the path with marks"; this is the import of one gate, and within the text there are explanations of all four gates. The *Great Sūtra* says: "Prior to this, we were all named persons of false views." "Neither existence nor non-existence refuting emptiness" means that ordinary heterodox views of emptiness, the two vehicles' realization of emptiness, and the emptiness gate of the doctrinal path fall into the two extremes; therefore, they are refuted by the Middle Way of neither existence nor non-existence. "Mutual cultivation" means that viewing emptiness, realizing emptiness, and doctrinal emptiness should cultivate the Middle Way of neither existence nor non-existence; and the view of neither existence nor non-existence, the realization of neither existence nor non-existence, and the doctrinal gate of neither existence nor non-existence should cultivate the Middle Way of emptiness. "Mutual identity" means that the emptiness that refutes the two extremes is itself the Middle Way of neither existence nor non-existence. The Middle Way of neither existence nor non-existence is itself the emptiness that refutes the two extremes, with neither duality nor difference. Prajñā is a single dharma, which the Buddha spoke of under various names; emptiness is itself neither existence nor non-existence, and the reason it is not named "neither existence nor non-existence" is that, for the sake of brief exposition, it is called the "Chapter on Emptiness". As for the intent of this chapter's occurrence: the Chapter on Confession destroys evil, the Chapter on Praise generates good, and the Chapter on Emptiness guides and fulfills the destruction of evil and the generation of good. It also guides and fulfills the function, principle, and substance; therefore, the *Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa* says: "If one lacked this emptiness, nothing whatsoever could be done." Guiding and fulfilling the preceding chapters, it therefore clarifies the Chapter on Emptiness. Furthermore, the eternal fruit reveals the substance; destroying evil and generating good is not without clarifying emptiness. Those of sharp faculties have already understood; for the sake of dull faculties, [the Buddha] gives rise to great compassion, further clarifying that the five aggregates and the born dharmas are originally empty and quiescent in their fundamental nature.