瑜伽師地論略纂 8.32

8.32

The treatise says, "The later watch means that passing the final watch of the four watches is called the later watch of the night." The night has only four watches, and passing the final watch leads straight to dawn—how can it be night? Here, saying "passing the final watch" means that entering the final watch among the four watches is called "passing," not that the final watch has ceased to exist and is thus called "passing." There are two kinds of passing: first, just entering is called "passing," which is what this treatise text means; second, when matters are concluded it is called "passing," as when dawn passes into night. Here, because of entering, it is called "passing." If the three periods subsume the four watches, this final watch is the final period. Among the four watches of the night, taking a watch in an forward direction is called "passing"; the final watch passes forward, not backward. Therefore, the text on the middle watch says, "During the middle watch of the night, passing one watch of the four watches of the night"; this is the middle period, passing one watch of the initial period. Furthermore, as for the middle period, since the middle period subsumes the watches, it is also formed by passing one watch, which takes the majority of the second watch and the majority of the third watch to constitute the middle period.