[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [中觀論疏](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1824) › 1.8 # 中觀論疏 1.8 中觀論疏 1.8 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [1.8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1824.1.8) 「蕩蕩焉」下，第四讚論功能。又開三別：初顯道益物嘆；次舉大對小嘆，亦名抑小揚大嘆；三感幸欣遇嘆。蕩蕩者，書云「王道蕩蕩，無偏無儻。」蓋是泯內外兩迷、息凡聖二見，同歸乎大道，故秤蕩蕩。蕩蕩是曠遠之貌也。「坦夷路於沖階」者，龍樹未出之前，虛言將實教並興、險逕與夷路爭徹，是以論主出世更整坦夷路，故言坦也。夷路既整，則菩薩之因、道場之果階位可登，故言於沖階也。「敞玄門於宇內」者，前化及一方，此明遐宣六合。玄門者，《老子》云「玄之又玄，眾妙之門。」借斯言以目今論也。天地上下曰宇，往古來今秤宙，故云敞玄門於宇內也。「扇惠風於陳枚」者，前二句明顯道，今兩句明益物。陳枚者，陳者朽故之名也。《毛詩》云「伐其條枚」，枚者小枝也。惠風者，謂春風也。以扇斯論智慧之風，使凡夫之流以得益也。「流甘露於枯椊」者，前句辨益凡、此章明利聖，前句益外道、後句利小乘，又前句利小乘、後句益菩薩，具此諸意也。「夫柏梁之構興」者，第二舉大對小嘆。又開二別：前譬、後合。柏梁者，漢武帝臺名也。外書釋此自有二家：一云以柏木為梁，故云柏梁。此臺初成，柏木香氣流數十里。元帝以柏梁對柘舘，以此詳之，應是柏木之梁。又云：梁有百數，故云百梁。「茅庂茨陋」者，茨之言次，撰次於茅故秤為茨。庂者，長安扁鵲舍但有一邊，故秤為庂。陋猶隘義也。又柏梁大臺即法華長者大宅，茅茨庂陋其猶門外草菴。睿師一言含內外兩事也。「覩斯論」下，第二合譬。「鄙倍」者，出《論語》。鄙猶鄙惡，倍是倍戾。「幸哉此區之赤縣」者，第三感幸欣遇嘆，亦二句。幸者幸遇。此區者，區秤區域，而言此以對彼也。彼總名天竺，天竺別開則五，次有十六大國、五百中國、十千小國；此區總名赤縣。河圖云：崑崙山東地方五千里，一曰神洲亦名赤縣。禹於赤縣之內畫地分疆以為九州，故鑄九鼎鎮九州。則知赤縣是九州之總名。「忽得移靈鷲以作鎮」者，赤縣唯以五岳為鎮，而今假設移靈鷲而鎮赤縣，喻斯論而化九州也。「險陂之邊情乃蒙流光之餘慧」者，第二重舉事以合上喻。《毛詩》云「內有佐公進賢之志，外無私謁險陂之心。」禮注云「偏立曰陂，故云勞而無袒、立而不陂。」陂謂偏險之心耳。流光之餘惠者，中道正觀光流此土，惠益險陂之人。而秤邊情者，一者目此土為邊地，彼秤為中國。昔河承公與嚴法師諍此土天竺偏正之事，嚴師善解外國曆算云：「正陽之月方中無影，故知天竺為正國也。」河公善解此土曆算，不能難之，故知彼為中國、此曰邊情。又彼有佛出故云中國，此無佛出秤曰邊情。又四依等出於彼土故名正國，不出此土目為邊情。又轉輪王常出彼土故為中國，此唯粟散故曰邊情。餘光者，龍樹造論正益彼土、傍化此國，故名餘光。「而今而後談道之賢始可與論實矣」者，《論語》云「而今而後」，用此事也。睿師云：「自羅什未度之前，講肆流詠已來，格義迂而乖本、六家偏而不即，《中》、《百》二論文未及此，又無通鑒，誰與正之？前匠所以輟章遐慨，思決言於彌勒者，良在於此。而今已後《中》、《百》二論既傳來此土，論道之賢始可與言實矣。」故知斯論定佛法之偏正、判得失之根源也。 > From "Vast and magnificent..." onward is the fourth part, praising the functional power of the treatise. It also has three divisions: first, praise through revealing the Way and benefiting beings; next, praise through contrasting the great against the small, also called praise by subordinating the small and elevating the great; third, praise in rejoicing at this fortunate encounter. "Vast and magnificent" (dangdang): the Book of Documents says, "The king's way is vast and magnificent, without partiality or partisanship." This indeed obliterates both inner and outer delusions and pacifies the two views of the ordinary and the sage, returning together to the Great Way; hence it is called "vast and magnificent". "Vast and magnificent" is an appearance of broadness and vastness. "Leveling the easy road upon the subtle steps": before Nāgārjuna appeared, empty words and the true teaching flourished side by side, and perilous paths vied with the easy road for passage. Therefore, when the treatise master appeared in the world, he once again smoothed the easy road; hence it says "leveling". Once the easy road was smoothed, then the stages of the bodhisattva's cause and the enlightenment site's fruit could be scaled; hence it says "upon the subtle steps". "Opening the profound gate within the universe": the former was his transforming reaching one region; this clarifies his proclaiming it afar to the six directions. The "profound gate": Laozi says, "Mystery upon mystery, the gate of all marvels." He borrows these words to designate the present treatise. Heaven, earth, above, and below are called "yu"; past, present, and future are called "zhou"; hence it says "opening the profound gate within the universe". "Fanning the gracious wind upon the old branches": the former two lines clarify the revelation of the Way; the present two lines clarify the benefit to beings. "Old branches": "old" (chen) is a name for the decayed and aged. The Mao Commentary on the Book of Songs says, "Cut down its twigs and branches"; a "branch" (mei) is a small bough. "Gracious wind" refers to the spring wind. By fanning the wind of wisdom of this treatise, he causes the sort of ordinary beings to attain benefit. "Shedding sweet dew upon the withered trunks": the former line explains benefiting the ordinary; this passage clarifies benefiting the sage. The former line benefits outer paths; the latter line benefits the Hīnayāna. Again, the former line benefits the Hīnayāna; the latter line benefits bodhisattvas—it possesses all these meanings. "Now, the construction of the Cypress Beam Terrace arose": second, praise through contrasting the great against the small. It also has two divisions: first, the metaphor; second, the application. "Cypress Beam" was the name of a terrace of Emperor Wu of the Han. Outer texts have two traditions explaining this: one says that cypress wood was used for the beams, hence it is called Cypress Beam. When this terrace was first completed, the fragrance of the cypress wood drifted for tens of li. Emperor Yuan contrasted the Cypress Beam Terrace with the Cane Cottage; examining it by this, it should be beams of cypress wood. Another says: the beams were a hundred (bai) in number, hence it is called the Hundred-Beam Terrace. "A thatched and narrow, crude hut": ci ("thatched") means "ordered"; selecting and ordering thatch, hence it is called ci. Ze ("narrow") means that Bian Que's lodge in Chang'an had only one side; hence it is called ze. "Crude" is also the meaning of cramped. Furthermore, the great Cypress Beam Terrace is precisely the great mansion of the Elder in the Lotus Sūtra; the thatched and narrow, crude hut is like the grass hut outside the gate. Master Sengrui's single statement embraces both outer and inner affairs. From "beholding this treatise..." onward is the second part, applying the metaphor. "Despised and perverse" comes from the Analects. "Despised" is like vile; "perverse" is contrary and rebellious. "How fortunate is the Red County of this region!": third, praise in rejoicing at this fortunate encounter, also in two lines. "Fortunate" means a fortunate encounter. "This region": region is called territory; "this" is said in contrast to "that". "That" is collectively called India; subdivided, India has five regions, then sixteen great states, five hundred middle states, and ten thousand small states. "This region" is collectively called the Red County. The Hetu says: To the east of Mount Kunlun, the land is five thousand li square; it is called the Divine Continent and also named the Red County. Yu marked out the land and divided the boundaries within the Red County to make the Nine Provinces, and thus cast nine tripods to stabilize the Nine Provinces. Thus we know that the Red County is the collective name for the Nine Provinces. "Suddenly able to transplant Vulture Peak to serve as its anchor": the Red County had only the Five Sacred Mountains as its anchors, but now it is hypothesized that Vulture Peak was transplanted to anchor the Red County, a metaphor for this treatise transforming the Nine Provinces. "The perilous sentiments of this frontier then received the remaining wisdom of the flowing light": second, reiterating the matter to apply the above metaphor. The Mao Commentary on the Book of Songs says, "Inwardly having the intention to assist the Duke and advance the worthy; outwardly having no private, corrupt, or perilous mind." The Commentary on the Rites says, "Standing lopsidedly is called slanted; hence it says: 'Weary without baring oneself, standing without being slanted.'" "Perilous" means a biased and precarious mind. "The remaining wisdom of the flowing light": the light of the right contemplation of the middle way flows to this land, bestowing benefit upon perilous persons. Why are they called "sentiments of the frontier"? First, designating this land as a frontier land, while that land is called the Middle Country. In the past, Master Hecheng and Dharma Master Yan debated the biased and central nature of this land versus India. Master Yan, being skilled in foreign calendars and calculations, said: "In the month of upright yang, at precise noon there is no shadow; thus we know that India is the upright country." Master Hecheng, though skilled in the calendars and calculations of this land, could not refute him; thus we know that that is the Middle Country and this is called frontier sentiments. Moreover, that land has Buddhas appearing, hence it is called the Middle Country; this land has no Buddhas appearing, hence it is called frontier sentiments. Furthermore, the four reliances and the like appear in that land, hence it is called the upright country; they do not appear in this land, hence it is termed frontier sentiments. Furthermore, wheel-turning sage kings always appear in that land, hence it is the Middle Country; here there are only scattered-grain rulers, hence it is called frontier sentiments. "Remaining light": Nāgārjuna composed the treatise primarily to benefit that land and secondarily to transform this country; hence it is named remaining light. "From now on, the worthy who discuss the Way may at last discuss reality with one another": the Analects says "From now on"; he makes use of this matter. Master Sengrui said: "Before Kumārajīva crossed over, since the lecture halls had been chanting and reciting, the concept-matching (geyi) method was roundabout and deviated from the source, and the Six Schools were biased and did not directly touch \[reality\]. The texts of the two treatises, the Madhyamaka and the Śata-śāstra, had not yet arrived here, and there was no comprehensive discernment—who could correct them? This is truly why past masters broke off their writings with deep laments, wishing to resolve their questions with Maitreya. From now on, since the two treatises, the Madhyamaka and the Śata-śāstra, have been transmitted to this land, the worthy who discuss the Way may at last discuss reality with one another." Thus we know that this treatise determines the biased and the upright in the Buddha-Dharma, and decides the root source of errors and gains. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 1.7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1824.1.7) - [Next: 1.9](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1824.1.9) - [Up: 1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1824.1) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1824~en-mt.1.8) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1824.1.8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1824.1.8) · Pramāṇa