中觀論疏 1.27

1.27

「佛欲斷如是等」下，第二明佛出世破邪顯正，即是辨應義也。問：前既是邪，即應障佛。云何感佛？答：有二種邪。一者若邪定不可改，便障於佛，不得感佛。故《法華》云「入邪見稠林，於千萬億劫不聞佛名字，亦不聞正法。」二者本習正教，中途逢邪緣起於邪迷，此邪將滅、正觀將生，是故感佛。故《智度論》云「惡將滅、善將生，是時見佛聞法也。」江南廣明有三種感：一者未來感佛，如上。二過去感佛，引《法華》云「我等宿福，慶今得值世尊。」三現在感佛，如《勝鬘》云「即生此念，時佛於空中現」也。問：他亦云惡將滅、善將生，與今何異？答：此是龍樹舊義，他取用之，故非他義也。又他言：有惡之可滅、有善之可生。今明諸法本性清淨，未曾善惡，亦非生滅，但約倒情虛妄故有惡生，倒情若歇秤之為滅耳，實非定有生滅也。就文為二：一明說教意、二正明說教。就說教意中凡有二意：一者破邪、二者顯正。「佛欲斷如此等諸邪見」，即破邪也。「令知佛法故」，謂顯正也。此是對邪所以說正，在邪若去、正亦不留，至論道門未曾邪正。

From "The Buddha, wishing to cut off such [views]" onward is the second [section], explaining that the Buddha appeared in the world to refute errors and elucidate the correct, which explains the meaning of response. Question: Since the previous [condition] was error, it should obstruct the Buddha; how could it evoke the Buddha? Answer: There are two kinds of errors. First, if an error is fixed and cannot be changed, it obstructs the Buddha and cannot evoke the Buddha. Hence the Lotus Sūtra says: "Entering the thicket of wrong views, for thousands of myriads of koṭis of kalpas they do not hear the Buddha's name, nor do they hear the correct Dharma." Second, having originally practiced the correct teaching, halfway along they encounter erroneous conditions and give rise to erroneous delusion; when this error is about to be extinguished and correct contemplation is about to arise, it therefore evokes the Buddha. Hence the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: "When evil is about to be extinguished and goodness is about to arise, at this time one sees the Buddha and hears the Dharma." In Jiangnan it is widely explained that there are three kinds of evocation: First, evocation of the Buddha in the future, as above. Second, evocation of the Buddha in the past, citing the Lotus Sūtra: "Our past blessings have brought the joy of now meeting the World-Honoured One." Third, evocation of the Buddha in the present, as the Śrīmālādevī-sūtra says: "As soon as she gave rise to this thought, at that moment the Buddha appeared in the sky." Question: Others also say that evil is about to be extinguished and goodness is about to arise; how does this differ from [the position] now? Answer: This is an old teaching of Nāgārjuna's which others have adopted and used; therefore it is not their own doctrine. Furthermore, they say that there is evil that can be extinguished and goodness that can be produced. Now it is explained that all phenomena are by their original nature pure, never having been good or evil, nor are they arising or ceasing; it is only based on inverted emotional attachments and delusion that there is the arising of evil, and when inverted emotional attachments subside, it is called extinction—in reality there is no determinate arising and ceasing. Within the text there are two parts: first, explaining the intention behind expounding the teaching; second, directly explaining the expounding of the teaching. Within the intention behind expounding the teaching, there are two points: first, refuting errors; second, elucidating the correct. "The Buddha, wishing to cut off such wrong views as these" is refuting errors. "In order to make them know the Buddha-Dharma" is elucidating the correct. This is expounding the correct in contrast to error; if error is gone, the correct also does not remain—when it comes to the gate of the Path, there has never been error or correctness.