肇論 1.10

1.10

夫生死交謝，寒暑迭遷，有物流動。人之常情。余則謂之不然。何者？《放光》云：「法無去來，無動轉者。」尋夫不動之作，豈釋動以求靜？必求靜於諸動。必求靜於諸動，故雖動而常靜；不釋動以求靜，故雖靜而不離動。然則動靜未始異，而惑者不同，緣使真言滯於競辯，宗途屈於好異。所以靜躁之極，未易言也。何者？夫談真則逆俗，順俗則違真。違真故迷性而莫返，逆俗故言淡而無味。緣使中人未分於存亡，下士撫掌而弗顧，近而不可知者，其唯物性乎！然不能自已，聊復寄心於動靜之際，豈曰必然！試論之曰：

That birth and death alternate and decline, that cold and heat successively change, and that existent things flow and shift—this is the ordinary feeling of humanity. I, however, say that this is not so. Why? The Fangguang jing says: 'Phenomena have no coming or going, and nothing that moves or turns.' When we examine the activity of being motionless, how could it be abandoning motion to seek rest? One must seek rest within all motions. Because one must seek rest within all motions, though in motion, it is always at rest; because one does not abandon motion to seek rest, though at rest, it is not separated from motion. Thus, motion and rest have never differed, yet the confused perceive them differently, which causes true words to get bogged down in contentious debate, and the essential path to be compromised by a fondness for peculiarities. Therefore, the culmination of rest and agitation is not easily spoken of. Why is this? To speak of the truth goes against convention; to accord with convention goes against the truth. Going against the truth, one is confused about nature and does not return; going against convention, words are bland and tasteless. This causes persons of middling capacity not to distinguish between being and non-being, and base men to clap their hands and pay no heed. That which is near yet cannot be known—is it not indeed the nature of things? Yet unable to stop myself, I venture once more to lodge my mind in the juncture between motion and rest—how could I claim it to be definitive! Let me attempt to discuss it, saying: