大乘義章 6.43

6.43

邊無邊中四種見者，一神及世間二俱有邊、二神及世間二俱無邊、三神及世間亦有邊無邊、四神及世間非有邊非無邊。今先就神分別四種，後就世間。神有邊者，有人宣說：眾生神我猶如微塵，或如芥子麻麥黍豆，或如棗等、寸燈尺蛇、蛛母中縷。或有說言：小人神小，大人神大，或云一等。如是一切，名為有邊。神無邊者，有人說言：神遍虛空，無處不有，身所至處能覺苦樂，若無身處則不能覺，覺雖不遍，神實周普。言神有邊亦無邊者，有人說神有麁有細，麁者作身、細者常身，作身有邊、常身無邊。言非有邊非無邊者，有人見彼邊與無邊二俱有過，故說非邊非無邊也。雖復宣說非邊無邊，而不離神。就神如是。次就世間明邊無邊，於中先就眾生五陰明邊無邊。言有邊者，說有種種。有人以想分別思惟眾生陰身，求其根本，不得其始，便作是念：「若無原始亦無中後，無初中後便無世間，是故世間應當有始。」以有始故，名為有邊。此是一論。復有宣說：八萬劫外冥性為始，始是其邊。此義云何？如《僧佉經》說：迦毘羅仙，得世俗禪，發宿命通，能知宿命，見過去世八萬劫事。過是已前不復能見，便作是念：「八萬劫外，不應無法，應有冥性。」冥性微細，五情不知。從彼冥性，初生覺心。《涅槃經》中名之為大，所謂最初中陰心識。從彼覺心生於我心，《涅槃經》中名之為慢。從此我心生二種法：一色、二心。就色法中，初從我心生五微塵，所謂色聲香味及觸。從彼五塵生於五大，所謂地水火風及空。從聲一塵生於空大，聲觸二塵生於風大，色聲觸塵生於火大，色聲觸味生於水大。從於色聲香味觸塵生於地大，地大從於多塵生故，最能生成一切萬物。次從五大生於五根，從火生眼，從空生耳，從地生鼻，從水生舌，從風生身。復更生於五作業根，一手、二脚、三口聲、四男根、五女根。復有一種心平等根，所謂完心。諸大合成，故云平等。色法如是。就心法中有其三種，謂染、麁、黑，染者是貪、麁者是瞋、黑者是癡。如是次第從細生麁，後還從麁以至於細。如微塵中有其瓶瓫諸器之性，故從微塵出彼瓶等，瓶等壞時還作微塵。世性如是，此性是常，從來有之，是故說之為眾生邊。此是二論。復有人言：自然之性是世間邊，貧賤富貴皆是自然，不由往因。此是三論。復有人說：微塵是其世間之邊，微塵是常，不可破壞、不可燒斫，以微細故。但由罪福，故有離合，罪福業集塵合成身、罪福業盡塵還離散，是故微塵是世間邊。此是四論。復有人說：自在天王是世間邊。由彼出生一切人民，故說為邊。此是前邊。此是五論。復有人說：一切眾生，受苦樂盡自然至邊，譬如山頂轉於縷丸，縷盡自止，止處是邊。此是後邊。此是六論。言無邊者，有人宣說：眾生五陰廣多無量，故曰無邊。復有宣說：眾生五陰，前無原始、後無盡時，故曰無邊。問曰：此說與佛法同，何過之有？以其定執眾生相故。言亦有邊亦無邊者，有人宣說：眾生五陰前後有邊，十方無邊。或有宣說：十方有邊，前後無邊。言非有邊非無邊者，有人見彼有邊無邊皆悉有過，故說非有邊非無邊也。雖復宣說非有非無，以其定執眾生五陰，所以是過。次就國土明邊無邊者，言有邊者，有人宣說：微塵是其世間之邊，微塵聚集世間便成，微塵散故世間便壞，是故微塵是世間邊。此是一論。復有人說，自在天王是世界主，造作天地一切萬物，萬物滅時天還攝取，如是天主是世間邊。此是二論。復有人說：自然之性是世間邊，國土世界自然而有。言無邊者，有人宣說：國土世間，前後十方皆悉無邊。言亦有邊亦無邊者，有人宣說：國土世間，前後有邊，十方無邊；十方有邊，前後無邊。或有宣說：上下有邊，八方無邊。或有宣說：八方有邊，上下無邊。言非有邊非無邊者，有人見彼有邊無邊二俱有過，便著非有非無邊也，以其定執所以是過。上來廣辨邊無邊等四見差別（此二門竟）。

Among the views on the finite and infinite, the four kinds are: first, that both the soul and the world are finite; second, that both the soul and the world are infinite; third, that both the soul and the world are both finite and infinite; and fourth, that both the soul and the world are neither finite nor infinite. Now we first distinguish the four kinds with respect to the soul, and subsequently with respect to the world. Regarding the soul being finite, some state: the soul-self of sentient beings is like a subtle atom; or like a mustard seed, a grain of hemp, wheat, broomcorn millet, or a bean; or like a jujube; or like a one-inch lamp flame, a one-foot snake, or the thread in the belly of a mother spider. Or some say: the soul of a small person is small, and the soul of a large person is large; or they say it is of a single uniform size. All such views are called finite. Regarding the soul being infinite, some say: the soul pervades empty space and is nowhere absent; wherever the body goes it can perceive suffering and pleasure, and where there is no body it cannot perceive them; though perception is not all-pervasive, the soul is indeed omnipresent. Regarding the claim that the soul is both finite and infinite, some say the soul has a coarse aspect and a subtle aspect: the coarse aspect creates the body, while the subtle aspect is the permanent body; the body-creating aspect is finite, while the permanent body is infinite. Regarding the claim that it is neither finite nor infinite, some see that both the finite and the infinite entail faults, and therefore say that it is neither finite nor infinite. Although they state that it is neither finite nor infinite, they do not abandon the soul. Such is the discussion regarding the soul. Next, the finite and infinite are explained with respect to the world, and within this, the finite and infinite are first explained with respect to sentient beings' five aggregates. Regarding the claim of being finite, various explanations are given. Some, using conceptualization to discern and reflect upon the aggregate-bodies of sentient beings, seek their origin and, failing to find their beginning, then think: "If there were no primordial beginning, there would also be no middle or end; without beginning, middle, and end, there would be no world. Therefore, the world must have a beginning." Because it has a beginning, it is called finite. This is the first thesis. Furthermore, some state: outside of eighty thousand kalpas, the primal nature (prakṛti) is the beginning; the beginning is its boundary. What does this mean? As the Sāṃkhya-śāstra states: the sage Kapila attained worldly dhyāna and produced the supernormal knowledge of past lives (pūrvenivāsānusmṛti-jñāna), being able to know past lives and seeing events up to eighty thousand kalpas in the past. Prior to that, he could see no further, and then thought: "Beyond eighty thousand kalpas, there should not be nothingness; there must be a primal nature." The primal nature is subtle and cannot be known by the five senses. From that primal nature, the mind of intellect (buddhi) first arose. In the Nirvāṇa Sūtra, this is named the "great" (mahat), which refers to the consciousness of the intermediate state (antarābhava). From that mind of intellect, the ego-mind (ahaṃkāra) arose; in the Nirvāṇa Sūtra, this is named "conceit" (māna). From this ego-mind, two kinds of dharmas arose: first, physical form (rūpa); second, mind (citta). Among the physical dharmas, first from the ego-mind arose the five subtle elements (tanmātra), namely visible form, sound, smell, taste, and touch. From those five subtle elements arose the five great elements (mahābhūta), namely earth, water, fire, wind, and space. From the single subtle element of sound arose the great element of space; from the two subtle elements of sound and touch arose the great element of wind; from the subtle elements of visible form, sound, and touch arose the great element of fire; from visible form, sound, touch, and taste arose the great element of water; and from the subtle elements of visible form, sound, smell, taste, and touch arose the great element of earth. Because the great element of earth arises from the most subtle elements, it is best able to produce and complete all the myriad things. Next, from the five great elements arose the five cognitive faculties (buddhindriya): from fire arose the eye, from space arose the ear, from earth arose the nose, from water arose the tongue, and from wind arose the body. Furthermore, they gave rise to the five action faculties (karmendriya): first, the hands; second, the feet; third, the voice of the mouth; fourth, the male organ; and fifth, the female organ. Furthermore, there is a unified mental faculty (manas), which is the synthesizing mind. Because the great elements combine to form it, it is called "equal." Such are the physical dharmas. Among mental dharmas there are three kinds: defiled, coarse, and dark. Defiled is greed, coarse is anger, and dark is ignorance. In this sequence, the coarse arises from the subtle, and later the coarse returns to the subtle. Just as in subtle dust there is the nature of jars, basins, and various vessels, so from subtle dust those jars and the like emerge, and when the jars and the like break, they return to subtle dust. The cosmic nature (prakṛti) is like this: this nature is permanent and has existed from all time, and therefore it is called the boundary of sentient beings. This is the second thesis. Furthermore, some say: spontaneous nature (svabhāva) is the boundary of the world; poverty, lowliness, wealth, and honor are all spontaneous, not caused by past actions. This is the third thesis. Furthermore, some say: subtle atoms (paramāṇu) are the boundary of the world; subtle atoms are permanent, indestructible, and cannot be burned or cut, because they are subtle. It is only due to demerit and merit that there is separation and aggregation: when karmas of demerit and merit assemble, the atoms combine to form a body; when karmas of demerit and merit are exhausted, the atoms disperse again. Therefore, subtle atoms are the boundary of the world. This is the fourth thesis. Furthermore, some say: the Sovereign Deva King (Maheśvara) is the boundary of the world. Because he gives birth to all the people, he is called the boundary. This is the anterior boundary. This is the fifth thesis. Furthermore, some say: when all sentient beings exhaust the experience of suffering and pleasure, they spontaneously reach the boundary, just as rolling a ball of thread from a mountaintop naturally stops when the thread runs out; the place where it stops is the boundary. This is the posterior boundary. This is the sixth thesis. Regarding the claim of being infinite, some state: sentient beings' five aggregates are vast and immeasurable, hence called infinite. Furthermore, some state: sentient beings' five aggregates have no primordial beginning before and no exhaustion after, hence called infinite. Question: This explanation is the same as the Buddhadharma; what fault does it have? Because they rigidly grasp at the mark of sentient beings. Regarding the claim of being both finite and infinite, some state: sentient beings' five aggregates are finite before and after, but infinite in the ten directions. Or some state: they are finite in the ten directions, but infinite before and after. Regarding the claim of being neither finite nor infinite, some see that both being finite and being infinite entail faults, and therefore say that they are neither finite nor infinite. Although they state that it is neither finite nor infinite, because they rigidly grasp at the five aggregates of sentient beings, it is a fault. Next, explaining the finite and infinite with respect to the physical realm: regarding the claim of being finite, some state: subtle atoms are the boundary of the world; when subtle atoms aggregate, the world is formed, and because subtle atoms disperse, the world is destroyed; therefore, subtle atoms are the boundary of the world. This is the first thesis. Furthermore, some say: the Sovereign Deva King is the lord of the world; he creates heaven, earth, and all myriad things, and when the myriad things perish, the god takes them back again; such a divine lord is the boundary of the world. This is the second thesis. Furthermore, some say: spontaneous nature is the boundary of the world; the physical realm and world exist spontaneously. Regarding the claim of being infinite, some state: the world of the physical realm is entirely infinite both before and after and in the ten directions. Regarding the claim of being both finite and infinite, some state: the world of the physical realm is finite before and after, but infinite in the ten directions; or finite in the ten directions, but infinite before and after. Or some state: it is finite above and below, but infinite in the eight directions. Or some state: it is finite in the eight directions, but infinite above and below. Regarding the claim of being neither finite nor infinite, some see that both finite and infinite entail faults, and then attach to neither finite nor infinite; because they rigidly grasp at it, it is a fault. The above extensively discriminates the differences among the four views of the finite, infinite, and so on. (This concludes the second section.)