肇論疏 1.59

1.59

此論第二明空申真諦教也。諸法虛假，故曰不真；虛假不真，所以是空耳。有人云：真者是有、空者是無，言不真空，即明不有不無中道義也。此是為蛇畫足，非得意也。若如所云，則空非中乎？大分深義為何所在？既不然矣，今不用焉。所明空者，諸大乘經論皆以空為宗本。今之學者多生誹謗，謂說空者為不了義。無有慧明，可不悲哉。《佛藏經》云：舍利弗！於未來世，當有比丘不修身戒心慧，是人輕笑如來所說、如來所行。如來常於第一義空，恭敬供養、常樂是行。是諸比丘輕笑如來所說所行真際畢竟空法。爾時有苦行比丘共輕笑。爾時有行空者、我讚其善。當爾之時、咸共不能護持重戒、而言諸法自相空何所能作？如那羅戲人種種變現，無所知者，見之大笑。何以故？不解戲法其術隱故，生希有心，驚怪大笑。如是舍利弗！爾時真實比丘說空寂法，求活命者咸共嗤笑。何以故？是人不知佛法義故，聞說空法驚疑怖畏。舍利弗！汝觀此人，於安隱處生衰惱心、於衰惱處生安隱心。金口所言，信非謬矣。

This is the second treatise, which clarifies emptiness to expound the teaching of the ultimate truth. All dharmas are deceptive and provisional, and therefore are called "unreal"; being deceptive and unreal, they are precisely empty. Someone said: "'Real' means existence; 'empty' means non-existence. Speaking of the emptiness of the unreal clarifies the Middle Way meaning of neither existence nor non-existence." This is drawing feet on a snake; it does not capture the intended meaning. If it were as he said, would emptiness not be the Middle Way? Where then would the profound meaning of the great division reside? Since it is not so, we do not adopt it here. As for the emptiness clarified here, the Mahāyāna sūtras and treatises all take emptiness as their fundamental doctrine. Many scholars today give rise to slander, calling those who speak of emptiness proponents of the provisional meaning. They lack the light of wisdom—is it not sorrowful? The Fozang jing says: "Śāriputra! In future ages, there will be bhikṣus who do not cultivate bodily conduct, moral precepts, mind, or wisdom. These people will lightly mock what the Tathāgata spoke and what the Tathāgata practiced. The Tathāgata constantly reveres, makes offerings to, and always delights in the practice of ultimate emptiness. These bhikṣus lightly mock the Dharma of the real limit and ultimate emptiness spoken and practiced by the Tathāgata. At that time, there will be ascetic bhikṣus who mock it together. At that time, when there are those who practice emptiness, I praise their goodness. At that time, they will all be unable to maintain the grave precepts, and will say: 'Since all dharmas are empty in their self-marks, what can one do?' It is like actors performing various illusions: those without knowledge see them and laugh loudly. Why? Because they do not understand the magic tricks and their art is concealed, they give rise to thoughts of rarity, marveling and laughing loudly. Thus, Śāriputra! At that time, when real bhikṣus speak of the Dharma of empty tranquility, those seeking a livelihood will all sneer together. Why? Because these people do not know the meaning of the Buddha-Dharma; hearing the Dharma of emptiness, they are startled, doubt, and fear. Śāriputra! Look at these people: in a place of tranquility, they generate a mind of distress; in a place of distress, they generate a mind of tranquility." What came from the golden mouth is truly not mistaken.