[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [肇論疏](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1859) › 2.43 # 肇論疏 2.43 肇論疏 2.43 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [2.43](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1859.2.43) 書有三章：第一、序暄涼；第二、正致問；第三、總結。今初。暄涼中文有數節，通是一段也。而言和南者，外國致敬之辭也。頃飡徽聞有懷遙佇者，頃者俄頃，謂比來也。飡者耳中承聞，如飡食也。徽，美也。聞者名聞。雖是「聞」字，而作「問」音也。承聞美名懷中遙思相見，故云遙佇。佇，待也。音寄壅隔增用抱蘊者，當爾之時，南是晉、北是秦，兩國既其不通，書信難得。傳寄懷抱，以此增加蘊積也。弟子沈痾下，有本云「枕」，亦可然也。今以沈滯痾疾，在草澤之中。瘵，猶是疾也。因慧明道人北遊下，謂此已前曾有慧明道人向北通書信也。古人不以形疎致淡下，形雖乖疎而情不淡薄，悟解相關即為近矣。而言古人者，《世說》云：嵆康、呂安暫一相思，則千里命駕。安時尋康，康不在，見嵆熹。熹要安過，安不應，直書門上作鳳字。古鳳字凡中著鳥，謂熹為凡鳥，故不過也。是以雖復江山悠邈不面當年下，悠邈皆是遠也。不面當年，謂當今之年不對面也。企懷風味，謂懷抱企慕肇法師體風理味也。鏡心像迹，謂鏡照其心於肇法師〈無知論〉，論如肇法師之像及迹也。佇，待也。悅，忻也。懃，勞也。良，信也。緬然無因瞻霞永歎者，緬，遠也。南北隔絕，無因相見，瞻望雲霞長歎息也。有本作「遐遠」字，不及「雲霞」字也。順時愛敬者，順四時，自愛自敬也。冀行李承問者，冀，望也。《左傳》注云：行李，使人也。有人云：古時字少，即以「李」字當履，相仍不改以至于今。李猶是履，履謂人信行履來往也。望得書問，故云承問耳。伏願彼大眾康和者，康，樂也。外國法師常休納者，什法師也。休謂休泰，納謂內也。出鄭玄註《詩》耳。上人以悟發之一器而遘茲淵對者，遘，遇也。有本作「構」，謂架構也。上人，謂肇法師也。器謂才器。悟解發明，故云悟發。問答深玄，故云淵對也。想開究之功足以盡過半之思者，《爾雅》云：究，窮也。《周易．繫辭》云：知者觀其彖辭，則思過半矣。所以然者，彖謂斷也。斷一卦之吉凶，故名為彖。尋《易．彖辭》，則於易道思慮通悟過於一半。今謂此論開究般若義過於半，如〈彖辭〉之開易道也。故每惟乖濶憤愧何深者，為肇法師能如此開究般若之理，故每欲相見；思惟南北乖闊，懷抱憤結愧歎何深也。彌厲者，厲嚴也。恂恂穆穆者，《爾雅》云：恂恂，慄也。《廣雅》云：恂恂，敬也。王肅注《論語》云：恂恂，溫恭貌也。穆穆，和順也。宿心者，本心求隱，今從本志，故云遂也。上軌者，軌是車軌。軌，訓法也。通謂佛法為上軌也，亦可別說廬山德眾軌則也。感寄之誠日月銘至者，感遠法師之思，寄在佛法之中，至誠明顯如日月也。而言銘者，銘記也。有人云：銘訓明也，明已云誠如日月也。遠法師頃恒履宜者，履休宜也。思業精詣者，心思精業行詣。詣，進也。乾乾宵夕者，《周易》乾卦九三之爻辭云：君子終日乾乾，夕惕若厲。今用此語也，言宿夜精懃也。自非道用潛流理為神御者，《說文》云：御者使馬也。《尚書》云：御，治也。按乘馬曰御，「御馬」字經史皆作「馭」也。以遠法師用道潛流於心內、用理御心神，故能然也。孰以過順之年下，孰，誰也。誰，何也。過順，謂六十已上也。《論語》云：吾十有五而志于學，三十而立，四十而不惑，五十而知天命，六十而耳順，七十而從心所欲不逾矩也。六十已上老人，神氣湛然，如此懃厲也。所以憑慰既深下，仰憑法師，俯慰思深，不能仰謝，故云逾絕也。此才運清俊旨中沈允者，運才思清雅俊逸，意旨中當沈深允愜也。《易》云：允當也。《尚書》：允執其中，四海困窮，天祿永終。孔安國注云：允，信也。推涉聖文婉而有歸者，《左傳》云：婉，曲也。《說文》云：婉，順也。聖文，謂佛經。推驗佛經，肇法師所作有旨歸也。披味殷勤下，披閱翫味手不釋也。真可謂浴心方等之淵下，謂肇法師將心於大乘水中得浴，將懷於幽玄之津取悟。亦可劉公自云：今尋此論，有如此也。而言津者，《爾雅》云：津，極也。若令此辨遂通下，此辨謂〈無知論〉也。宣流天下為通也。般若眾流，謂諸部《般若》也。殆不言而會者，殆字有多義。《易》云：殆，差也。《廣雅》云：殆，敗也。鄭玄註云：殆，幾也。毛長《詩傳》云：殆，始也。今依鄭玄也。殆者是幾也，幾者是近也。此論若流通天下，則般若之理不待言，近可契會也。可不欣乎者，意言欣也。再言者，謂大欣也。《廣雅》云：欣，喜也。然其理微者辭嶮者，道理既幽微，言辭則嶮絕。如前云：知非為知，欲以通其鑒；不知非不知，欲以弁其相。弁相不為無，通鑒不為有。又云：言用則同而異，言寂則異而同；同故無心於彼此，異故不失於照功等，並是言語嶮絕處也。唱獨者應希者，謂肇法師唱此般若無知之義，文理獨絕，難應和也。其事者，《文選》宋玉對楚王問云：客有歌於郢中者，其始曰下里巴人，國中屬而和者數千人。其為陽阿薤露，國中屬而和者數百人。其為陽春白雪，國中屬而和者數十人。引商引羽雜以流徵，屬而和不過數人。是其曲彌高，和彌寡也。苟非絕言像之表下，若絕言像之人則無所復疑，且非其人則執文多滯。謂言般若是智，不得無知也。言謂文言，像謂象辭也。意謂若以緣求智之章下，歎前答中善巧也。婉轉，謂迴曲皆盡也。無所間然，謂無有間阻不通處也。但暗者難可頓曉下，敘問意也。《方言》云：曉，明也。餘疑如後問也。想縱容之暇復能粗為釋之者，《廣雅》云：縱容，舉動也。《國語》云：暇，閑也。粗，略也。然書中「縱容」字皆單作，今此論諸本皆作「縱容」也。釋者，〈小雅〉云：釋，解也。《字林》云：漬米。今謂解釋問義，如漬米之釋也。 > The letter has three sections: first, the exchange of greetings; second, the formal presentation of questions; and third, the concluding summary. Here is the first section. The text of the greetings contains several passages, but taken together they form a single section. As for "bowing in respect" (henan), this is a foreign expression of respect. "Recently having received your glorious renown, I have harboured longings from afar": "recently" (qing) means in a short while, referring to lately. "Received" (can) means hearing it with one's ears, just as one partakes of food. "Glorious" (hui) means fine. "Renown" (wen) means fame; although written with the character wen ("to hear"), it is pronounced in the departing tone (wen, "reputation"). Having heard your fine reputation and longing from afar in his heart to meet, he therefore says "longings from afar" (yaozhu). Zhu means waiting. "Words and messages being blocked and separated, this only increases what I harbour within": at that time, the south was the Jin and the north was the Qin; since the two states had no communication, letters were difficult to receive. Conveying and sending what was harboured within increased what was stored up. From "Your disciple's lingering illness" down: some editions have the character zhen ("bedridden"), which is also acceptable. Here, on account of lingering illness and disease, he was among the grasses and marshes. Zhai is likewise an illness. From "Taking advantage of the śramaṇa Huiming's journey north" down: this refers to the śramaṇa Huiming having previously gone north to deliver letters. From "The ancients did not, because of physical distance, let feelings grow cold" down: although bodies may be separated and distant, feelings do not become slight; when understanding and insight are aligned, they are close. As for "the ancients": the Shishuo \[xinyu\] says that when Ji Kang and Lü An briefly thought of each other, they would order their carriages across a thousand li. Once An sought Kang and Kang was not at home, but he met Ji Xi. Xi invited An to stay, but An did not comply; he simply wrote the character feng ("phoenix") on the gate. In ancient script, the character feng had "bird" inside "common" (fan), meaning that Xi was an ordinary bird, and therefore he did not enter. From "Therefore, although rivers and mountains are vast and remote, and we cannot meet face to face this year" down: "vast and remote" (youmiao) both mean distant. "Cannot meet face to face this year" means not facing each other in the present year. "Yearning for your refined style": this means harbouring admiration for Master Sengzhao's stylistic flair and theoretical profundity. "Mirroring my mind in your image and traces": this means mirroring his mind in Master Sengzhao's Bore wuzhi lun, the treatise being like Master Sengzhao's image and traces. Zhu means waiting. Yue means rejoicing. Qin means toil. Liang means truly. "Distant and without means, looking at the clouds and mist with a long sigh": mian means distant. North and south being cut off, there being no means to meet, he looks toward the clouds and mist and sighs deeply. Some editions have the characters xiayuan ("far off"), but they are not as good as the characters yunxia ("clouds and mist"). "Caring for and respecting yourself according to the seasons": following the four seasons, to love oneself and respect oneself. "Hoping that travellers will bring inquiries": ji means hoping. The commentary on the Zuozhuan says: "travellers" (xingli) means messengers. Some say: in ancient times characters were few, so the character li ("plum") was used for lu ("treading/footwear"), and this has been handed down without change to the present day. Li is just lu, and lu refers to human trust and letters being carried back and forth on foot. Hoping to receive letters and inquiries, he therefore says "bring inquiries". "Humbly wishing that the great assembly there is in good health and harmony": kang means happiness. "And that the foreign Dharma master always enjoys tranquil well-being": this refers to Master Kumārajīva. Xiu means tranquil prosperity, and na means internal; this comes from Zheng Xuan's commentary on the Shijing. "A person of superior standing, with a single vessel of awakened insight, encountering these profound dialogues": gou means to encounter. Some editions have gou ("to construct"), meaning to build. "Person of superior standing" refers to Master Sengzhao. "Vessel" refers to talent and capacity. Awakening and bringing understanding to light is why it says "awakened insight". The questions and answers are profound and mysterious, hence called "profound dialogues". "I imagine that the merit of your thorough investigation is sufficient to exhaust more than half of \[our\] deliberations": the Erya says: jiu means to exhaust. The "Xici" of the Zhouyi says: "When the wise observe its judgment (tuan) statements, more than half of their thoughts will be grasped." The reason is that tuan means to judge; judging the good or ill fortune of a hexagram is why it is called tuan. Investigating the Yi's judgment statements, one's contemplation and understanding of the Way of the Changes exceeds half. Here it means that this treatise's opening and investigating the meaning of prajñā exceeds half, just as the judgment statements open up the Way of the Changes. "Therefore, whenever I reflect on our separation, how deep is my frustration and shame!": because Master Sengzhao was able to thus unfold and investigate the principle of prajñā, he always wished to meet him; reflecting on the separation between north and south, how deep are the frustration, knot of feelings, and shameful sighs he harboured! "Ever more rigorous": li means strict and solemn. "Solemn and dignified" (xunxun mumu): the Erya says: xunxun means trembling with respect. The Guangya says: xunxun means reverent. Wang Su's commentary on the Lunyu says: xunxun describes being warm and respectful. Mumu means harmonious and compliant. "Long-cherished aspiration": his original intention was to seek reclusion, and now following his original aim, it is therefore said to be "fulfilled". "Highest model": gui is a carriage track. Gui is glossed as standard or model. Broadly speaking, the Buddhadharma is the highest model; it can also specifically refer to the rules and conduct of the virtuous assembly at Mount Lu. "The sincerity of my relying devotion is engraved as brightly as the sun and moon": being moved by thoughts of Master Huiyuan and entrusting himself to the Buddhadharma, his utmost sincerity is as manifest as the sun and moon. As for "engraved" (ming), it means to inscribe and remember. Some say ming is glossed as bright (ming), meaning his sincerity is already as bright as the sun and moon. "Master Huiyuan has recently always walked in well-being": "walked" means experiencing auspicious well-being. "His meditative practice is refined and advanced": his mental contemplation and refined practice have advanced. Yi means to advance. "Vigilant from dawn to dusk": the text of the nine-in-the-third line of the Qian hexagram in the Zhouyi says: "The noble person is vigilant all day long, and in the evening remains cautious as if in peril." Here this phrasing is used, meaning he is diligent night and day. "Unless the function of the Way flowed secretly and principle governed his spirit": the Shuowen says: yu means driving horses. The Shangshu says: yu means to govern. Examining the term, riding horses is called yu, and in the classics and histories "driving horses" is written with the character yu with the horse radical. Because Master Huiyuan allowed the function of the Way to flow secretly within his mind, and used principle to govern his mental spirit, he was able to be thus. From "Who, past the age of compliance" down: shu means who. Who means how. "Past the age of compliance" refers to sixty years and older. The Lunyu says: "At fifteen I set my heart on learning; at thirty I took my stand; at forty I had no doubts; at fifty I knew the decrees of Heaven; at sixty my ear was compliant; at seventy I could follow my heart's desires without overstepping the bounds." For an elderly person over sixty, his spirit is so serene, and he is so diligent and rigorous! From "Therefore, relying and being comforted already being deep" down: looking up in reliance on the Dharma master, and looking down to comfort deep longings, he cannot repay it, hence he says "surpassing and beyond". "This talent's operation is clear and outstanding, and the tenets are profound and appropriate": the operation of his talent and contemplation is pure, elegant, and outstanding, and the purports are fitting, deep, and agreeable. The Yi says: yun means fitting. The Shangshu says: "Sincerely hold fast to the middle; if the four seas fall into distress, Heaven's emolument will end forever." Kong Anguo's commentary says: yun means sincere. "Investigating the sacred texts, it is subtle yet has a true destination": the Zuozhuan says: wan means indirect. The Shuowen says: wan means compliant. "Sacred texts" refers to Buddhist sūtras. Examining and verifying Buddhist sūtras, what Master Sengzhao composed has an ultimate destination. From "Perusing and savouring it with diligence" down: perusing and relishing it without letting it leave one's hands. From "Truly it may be called bathing the mind in the depths of the Vaipulya" down: this means Master Sengzhao bathed his mind in the waters of the Mahāyāna, and gained awakening by bringing his heart to the ford of the profound and mysterious. Alternatively, Liu Gong himself says: now examining this treatise, it is like this. As for "ford" (jin), the Erya says: jin means the utmost limit. From "If this discernment is allowed to circulate freely" down: "this discernment" refers to the Bore wuzhi lun. Flowing throughout the world is what is meant by "circulate freely". "The many streams of prajñā" refers to the various Prajñā\[pāramitā\] sections. "It will almost be grasped without words": the character dai has many meanings. The Yi says: dai means discrepancy. The Guangya says: dai means ruin. Zheng Xuan's commentary says: dai means nearly. Master Mao's commentary on the Shijing says: dai means beginning. Here we follow Zheng Xuan. Dai means nearly (ji), and ji means close to. If this treatise circulates throughout the world, then the principle of prajñā will not await words, but can almost be grasped and realized. "Can one not rejoice?": this expresses joy. Stating it twice means great joy. The Guangya says: xin means happiness. "Yet when the principle is subtle, the diction is steep": since the principle is profound and subtle, the wording is perilous and precipitous. As stated earlier: "Knowing is not meant as knowing, in order to penetrate its illumination; not knowing is not meant as not knowing, in order to distinguish its marks. Distinguishing marks does not make it non-existent; penetrating illumination does not make it existent." And also: "Speaking of function, they are the same yet different; speaking of tranquility, they are different yet the same. Because they are the same, it has no mind toward this or that; because they are different, it does not lose its illuminating function." These are all places where the language is steep and precipitous. "The one who sings alone finds few to respond": this means Master Sengzhao sang this principle of prajñā non-knowing, and its literary expression and principle being uniquely exceptional, it was difficult to respond in harmony. As for that matter, Song Yu's reply to the King of Chu in the Wenxuan says: "A guest sang in Ying; at first he sang 'The Lower Village and the Man of Ba', and several thousand people in the capital joined in harmony. When he sang 'The Sunny Bank and Dew on the Shallots', several hundred joined in harmony. When he sang 'Sunny Spring and White Snow', several tens joined in harmony. When he introduced the Shang and Yu modes, intermingling them with the flowing Zhi mode, those who could join in harmony were no more than a few. Thus, the higher the tune, the fewer who harmonize with it." From "Unless one is beyond words and images" down: if someone has transcended words and images, then they have no further doubt; but if one is not such a person, one clings to the text and is mostly obstructed. They claim that prajñā is wisdom, and cannot be non-knowing. "Words" refers to textual expressions; "images" refers to the statements of symbols. From "I thought that the chapter on 'seeking wisdom through conditions'" down: praising the skillfulness in the earlier reply. "Subtle and winding" (wanzhuan) means all the twists and turns are completely resolved. "Nothing left to be questioned" means there are no obstructed or unpenetrated places. From "Yet those in darkness can hardly understand all at once" down: narrating the intention behind the questions. The Fangyan says: xiao means bright. The remaining doubts are as presented in the questions below. "I imagine that in your leisure you may again roughly explain them": the Guangya says: congrong means demeanour or movements. The Guoyu says: xia means leisure. Cu means briefly. However, in texts the characters for congrong are written without the heart radical, but in all editions of this treatise they are written with congrong. As for "explain" (shi), the "Xiaoya" says: shi means to release or solve. The Zilin says: to soak rice. Here, explaining the meaning of the questions is like the soaking and loosening of rice. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 2.42](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1859.2.42) - [Next: 2.44](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1859.2.44) - [Up: 2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1859.2) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1859~en-mt.2.43) — English, machine translation ## Linked texts (1) - [肇論新疏](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1860.2.235) — Classical Chinese --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1859.2.43](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1859.2.43) · Pramāṇa