中觀論疏 1.21

1.21

「我稽首禮佛」者，此第三推功歸佛。論主致敬，明向能說是因緣、善滅諸戲論者，此是佛說，非是我說也。又稽首者欲請佛加護，敢佛弟子有所說法無不承於佛力，今欲申佛無生二諦破於眾邪，故請佛加護。又龍樹未悟無生，欲自樹為佛從，託迹海宮得無生忍，方以佛為師、己為弟子，是故禮也。又論主因佛悟無生，今報佛恩，是故禮佛。又禮佛者，欲令後人於論生信，明八不者此是佛說，非天魔外道調達等說，亦非我說，此是佛說。以小乘人不信一切法畢竟空，如刀傷心，故推功歸佛也。問：云何名諸說中第一？答：九十六種術名為邪說，非是第一；諸佛正法名為第一。就佛說中有大乘小乘，小乘不了不名第一，大乘了義名為第一。就大乘中，此之八不是方等中心、諸佛要觀，是第一中之第一也。問：何故作此歎耶？答：欲明佛略說於前、龍樹廣敷於後，說之於前既是第一之經、敷之於後即是第一之論，學此論者蓋是第一之人矣。又欲勸信故作此言。小乘人云：生滅亦是佛說、無生滅亦是佛說，云何說無生以破生耶？是故明生滅是方便，非第一之說；無生是真實，名第一之說也。

“To the Buddha I pay homage with bowed head”: this is the third [section], attributing merit to the Buddha. The author of the treatise pays respect, clarifying that the one who could teach this dependent origination and skillfully extinguish all prapañca earlier was the Buddha who taught it, not I who taught it. Moreover, bowing the head is done desiring to entreat the Buddha's protection and support. Daring disciples of the Buddha, whenever they teach the Dharma, invariably rely on the Buddha's power; now, wishing to elucidate the Buddha's unproduced two truths to refute all heterodoxies, he therefore entreats the Buddha's protection and support. Furthermore, before Nāgārjuna awakened to non-production, he wanted to establish himself as a follower of the Buddha; after taking shelter in the ocean palace and attaining the forbearance of non-arising, he only then took the Buddha as master and himself as disciple, and for this reason he pays homage. Furthermore, because the treatise master awakened to non-production through the Buddha, he now repays the Buddha's kindness, and for this reason pays homage to the Buddha. Furthermore, paying homage to the Buddha is done wishing to cause later people to generate faith in the treatise, clarifying that these eight negations were spoken by the Buddha, not spoken by heavenly Māra, non-Buddhists, Devadatta, and others, nor spoken by myself—this was spoken by the Buddha. Because people of the Hīnayāna do not believe that all dharmas are ultimately empty, which is like a sword piercing the heart, he attributes merit to the Buddha. Question: Why is it called the foremost among all teachings? Answer: The ninety-six kinds of heterodox techniques are called false teachings, not the foremost; the true Dharma of all Buddhas is called the foremost. Within the Buddha's teachings there are the Mahāyāna and the Hīnayāna; the Hīnayāna is not definitive and is not called the foremost, while the Mahāyāna is definitive and is called the foremost. Within the Mahāyāna, these eight negations are the core of the Vaipulya and the essential contemplation of all Buddhas, the foremost among the foremost. Question: Why is this praise made? Answer: Wishing to clarify that the Buddha taught it concisely beforehand, and Nāgārjuna broadly unfolded it afterward: being taught beforehand, it is already the foremost sūtra; being unfolded afterward, it is precisely the foremost treatise; and those who study this treatise are surely the foremost of people! Furthermore, wishing to encourage faith, he made this statement. Hīnayāna practitioners say: “Arising and cessation were also spoken by the Buddha, and non-arising and non-cessation were also spoken by the Buddha; how can one teach non-arising to refute arising?” For this reason, it is clarified that arising and cessation are expedient, not the foremost teaching; non-arising is real, named the foremost teaching.