大乘義章 3.4

3.4

第一釋名。苦、集、滅、道，名四聖諦。逼惱名苦，聚積稱集，寂怕名滅，能通曰道。何故名聖而復云諦？如《涅槃》云「聖者所謂諸佛菩薩一切聖人。」就聖辨諦，故云聖諦。何故就聖而辨諦乎？良以諦實唯聖所知，非凡能覺。聖所知者方名諦故，就聖辨之。所言諦者，世人一向以實釋之。此非一向，如《涅槃》中，諦實兩別，故彼經言「有苦有諦有實」。直論苦事，名之為苦。就彼苦中，因緣有無法相不謬，故稱為諦。窮其本性非有非無，說之為實。通相釋之，實故名諦。實相云何？今以兩門分別釋之：一隨法深淺彰實不同、二隨教宗別明實有異。

First, explaining the names. Suffering, origination, cessation, and the path are called the four noble truths. Oppressive affliction is called suffering; accumulation is named origination; tranquility is named cessation; that which can lead through is called the path. Why are they called 'noble' and furthermore called 'truths'? As the Nirvāṇa Sūtra states: 'The noble refers to all buddhas, bodhisattvas, and all noble persons.' Truths are distinguished in relation to the noble; hence they are called 'noble truths'. Why are truths distinguished in relation to the noble? It is truly because reality is known only by the noble and cannot be realized by ordinary beings. Only what is known by the noble is named a truth; therefore, they are distinguished in relation to the noble. As for what is called 'truth', worldly people uniformly explain it as 'real'. This is not uniformly so: as in the Nirvāṇa Sūtra, 'truth' and 'real' are distinct, which is why that sūtra states, 'There is suffering, there is the truth, and there is the real.' Simply discussing the phenomena of suffering is called 'suffering'. Within that suffering, because the causal conditions of existence and non-existence and the characteristics of dharmas are not erroneous, it is called 'truth'. Exhaustively examining its fundamental nature as neither existent nor non-existent, it is spoken of as 'real'. Broadly explaining their common aspect, because it is real, it is named 'truth'. What is the character of reality? We now explain it through two doors: first, showing the differences in reality according to the depth of dharmas; second, clarifying the differences in reality according to the doctrinal tenets of the teachings.