[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) › 3.27 # 肇論疏 3.27 肇論疏 3.27 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [3.27](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1859.3.27) 覈，實也。責覈涅槃之體，故云如此也。有名曰夫名號不虛生稱謂不自起，有名是難。難家謂，涅槃應有名字，不得言無也。此兩句一意，皆明有因緣，故有名耳。蓋是返本之真名神道之妙稱者，《中本起經》云：一切諸法本，因緣空無主，息心達本源，故號為沙門。今言反本，是達本源也。神道，謂神妙之道也。謂如來大覺始興、佛初成道也。法身初建，始得五分法身，戒、定、智慧、解脫、解脫知見也。澡八解之清流，以八解為之請流而澡浴也。內有色相外觀色，一解脫也；內無色相外觀色，二解脫也；淨解脫身證，三解脫也；空處定，四解脫也；識處定，五解脫也；無所有處定，六解脫也；非有想非無想定，七解脫也；滅盡想定，八解脫也。《出大品》等經。憩七覺之茂林，以七覺為茂林而憩息也。擇法覺分、精進覺分、念覺分、定覺分、喜覺分、捨覺分、除覺分為七。亦出《大品》、《涅槃》等經。蕩無始之遺塵，無始已來遺餘塵垢，所謂習氣也。三明鏡於內，內，心也。天眼、宿命、漏盡明也。神光朗於外，外謂法界也。結僧那於始心，僧那僧涅，此梵語也，翻為四弘誓願。初發心時，先弘此願耳。終大悲以赴難，終以大悲之心，赴救眾生之苦難也。仰攀玄根，仰求玄理之根源也。俯提弱喪，俯，下也。提，接也。言大聖下接微弱將喪之眾生，故云俯提弱喪也。超邁三域獨蹈大方，邁，越也。超，過也。蹈，踐也。三域，三界也。大方，大乘也。啟八正之平路坦眾庶之夷塗，啟，開。開八正耳。正見、正思惟、正語、正業、正命、正精進、正念、正定，為八也。出《大品》、《涅槃》等經耳。眾庶，眾生也。夷塗，猶上平路也。騁六通之神驥，《廣雅》云：騁，奔也。《字林》云：驥，千里馬也。以六神通之俊驥而馳騁也。天眼、耳、他心、宿命、如意、漏盡，為六通也。乘五衍之安車，衍，梵語云摩訶衍，摩訶大也，衍乘也。言五者，五乘。人乘、天乘、聲聞乘、緣覺乘、佛乘也。此之五乘，入如來乘，皆名為大，故乘五衍也。言安車者，〈曲禮〉云：大夫七十而致仕，則安車、賜之以几杖。適四方時即乘安車，自稱曰老夫。注云：安車者，坐乘也，若今之小車耳（玄湜問曰：佛既乘彼大乘，只可喻以大車。今云坐乘如似小也，何耶？代疏主答曰：既稱老夫，老必大也。以人攝乘，人大乘大，既大且安耳。言餘乘未安，故詺佛乘為安車也。亦如前五衍義，小乘入如來乘，皆名大乘也。經曰：是大乘安隱快樂。即其義也。此是中道，非如〈曲禮〉耳）。至能出生入死與物推移，應物之生為出。出，生也。應物之滅為入。入，死也。進退隨同世間，故云與物。言推移，即進退也。洽，霑洽也。施，施設也。化母，正道能育萬物，如子從母而生。千變萬化不出道體，佛盡其源，故云化母也。玄樞者，玄謂幽玄，樞樞要也。謂至理幽玄、教門樞要，佛窮盡之耳。廓虛宇於無疆，開廓法宇，無有疆界也。如《華嚴》蓮華藏莊嚴世界海是也。曜薩雲以幽燭，薩雲，梵語也，此云一切智。照燭幽暗，故云燭幽。亦法光潛照，故云燭幽也。將絕朕於九止，將，欲也。絕，滅也。朕，迹也。九止謂九居也。欲界中除三惡趣，取人天為一；四禪中除第四禪，取前三禪為三；無想天為一；四空為四，合九居也。九類眾生居止之處，為九止耳（玄湜謂曰：既云除第四禪，復云無想為一，此豈非彼四禪天乎？幸詳之）。永淪大虛，長沒虛中也。而有餘緣不盡餘迹不泯，餘緣，謂所應化度眾生也。餘迹，謂有餘身迹未亡泯也（玄湜謂，此諸語皆是前九折家之難詞耳。難意云：既能廓虛宇、曜薩雲、將絕朕，如此即令淪同大虛逈無一物，何得復有眾生未度、餘緣不盡也？佛身尚存，餘迹不泯也。若直讀疏，都不見折難之意。今指出其文，似如可解，幸鑒者詳之。如錯，勿哂也）。次疏業報猶魄聖智尚存，魂者身之主，既有其身必有餘業，業必須受，受之曰報，如木槍償對、食馬麥等，是謂業報之事。尚如魂魄，魂魄必存身中，有身有魂，即令招業，故云業報猶魂耳。猶，如也。故下句云聖智尚存。存，在也。佛既有智慮猶在，即知業不可忘也（亦折難之詞耳。玄湜意）。經曰陶練滓穢如練真金，練金之法，水中陶汰、鑪中冶鑄。言聖人陶練塵滓如此也。無餘者下，翻上有餘，即無餘也。大患莫若於有身，身患最大。若，如也，故云莫若也。智動最先，故云莫先也。滅智以淪虛，謂淪沒同於虛空也。脩塗，脩塗長路也。弗已，無止也。經曰智為雜毒形為梏桎，智慧離好，終勞神識，如食雜毒終能害身。《說文》云：桎，足械也。梏，手械也。文云桎械梏枷害身之具。淵默以之而遼患難以之而起，淵，深也。默，寂也。言有身有智則分別患難由之而生，至於幽微之道則遼遠也，故云淵默以之而遼、患難以之而起耳。灰身滅智捐形絕慮，捐，棄也。言身既如此患難，須磨滅令同灰塵，棄絕智慮使無患累耳。內無機照之勤外息大患之本，內若無智則無機動之心，亦無照察之慮；外若無身則無寒暑之患，亦無資費之勞也。超然與群有永分下，謂鑒知諸法性本自空義。如超超然與群有長別，其實不別。不別者何？蓋色即空、空即色也。對凡未解，似若永分；聖鑒體之，豈唯無色，空亦無也。寂焉無聞，無音聲故不可聞，無萌兆故不可見。莫知所之，不知所適也。其猶燈盡火滅膏明俱竭，《涅槃》第九卷云：一闡提人見於如來畢竟涅槃，猶如燈滅膏油俱盡也。然則有餘可以有稱下，結難也。謂有餘涅槃可名為有，無餘涅槃可名為無也。忻尚於冲默，愛重空者，聞無餘則欣喜貴尚而求之也。彌仰於聖功，愛重有，聞有餘則信仰功德而求之也。斯乃典誥之所以垂文下，典籍誥訓，垂布文理也。謂諸大乘經。群聖行路，故云軌轍。軌者，作車之法。轍，謂車之轍迹也。使夫懷德者自絕下，懷德者聞涅槃非有，則不求也。宗虛者聞涅槃非無，則不學也。自絕者，謂無心求。靡託，謂無託，無託心處也。無異杜耳目於胎㲉下，杜塞耳目於胎㲉之中，而責有辨宮商，不可得也。掩玄象於雲霄之外，而令辨玄素，不可得也。玄象，謂天象也。玄，黑。幽，幽然也。素，白也。而論旨竟莫知所歸，不知何所明也。幽途故自蘊而未顯，道理蘊積，故未顯明也。靜思幽尋寄懷無所，無安懷抱處也。豈謂，不謂也。朗大明於幽室，眾生暗昧如冥室，今作此說，非謂朗冥室令其見也。眾生無知無聞，今作此說，非是奏玄響令聞也。《小雅》云：奏、詣，皆進也。 > “Examining” (覈) means investigating reality. It means critically examining the essence of nirvāṇa, hence it is spoken of in this way. “The Named One says: Now designations do not arise in vain, and titles do not emerge of themselves”: “The Named One” is the challenger. The challenger maintains that nirvāṇa must have names and designations and cannot be said to have none. These two lines share a single meaning, both explaining that because there are causes and conditions, therefore names exist. “They are truly the real names for returning to the origin, the wondrous designations of the spiritual path”: The Zhongbenqi jing says: “All dharmas are fundamentally empty and without a master through causes and conditions; ceasing mental activity and reaching the fundamental source is therefore called being a śramaṇa.” Now, speaking of “returning to the origin” means reaching the fundamental source. “Spiritual path” refers to the wondrously spiritual Path. This refers to the Tathāgata’s great awakening first arising, the Buddha first achieving enlightenment. “The Dharma-body was first established”: first obtaining the five-part Dharma-body, namely morality, concentration, wisdom, liberation, and the knowledge and vision of liberation. “Bathing in the pure stream of the eight liberations”: taking the eight liberations as a pure stream in which to bathe. Inwardly possessing the conception of material form while outwardly observing forms is the first liberation; inwardly having no conception of material form while outwardly observing forms is the second liberation; experiencing the pure liberation in one's person is the third liberation; the concentration of the sphere of empty space is the fourth liberation; the concentration of the sphere of consciousness is the fifth liberation; the concentration of the sphere of nothingness is the sixth liberation; the concentration of the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception is the seventh liberation; the concentration of cessation \[of perception and feeling\] is the eighth liberation. These are found in the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā and other sūtras. “Resting in the luxuriant grove of the seven factors of awakening”: taking the seven factors of awakening as a luxuriant grove in which to take rest. The awakening factor of analysis of dharmas, the awakening factor of energy, the awakening factor of mindfulness, the awakening factor of concentration, the awakening factor of joy, the awakening factor of equanimity, and the awakening factor of tranquility constitute the seven. These also appear in sūtras such as the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā and the Nirvāṇa Sūtra. “Washing away the lingering dust from the beginningless \[past\]”: the lingering dust and defilements from the beginningless past, namely the subtle habitual propensities (vāsanā). “The three clarities reflect within”: “within” refers to the mind. These are the divine eye, \[knowledge of\] past lives, and \[knowledge of\] the exhaustion of taints. “The spiritual radiance shines brightly without”: “without” refers to the Dharma realm. “Fastening the armor (saṃnāha) at the initial mind”: saṃnāha-saṃnaddha is Sanskrit, translated as the four universal vows. When first generating the \[bodhi-\]mind, one first puts on these vows broadly. “Culminating in great compassion to rush to calamity”: ultimately, with a mind of great compassion, rushing to rescue sentient beings from their suffering and distress. “Looking up to grasp the profound root”: looking up to seek the root source of the profound principle. “Reaching down to lift those weak and lost”: “reaching down” is descending; “lifting” is receiving. It means the Great Sage descends to receive the weak sentient beings about to be lost, hence it says “reaching down to lift those weak and lost.” “Transcending the three realms to tread alone upon the great expanse”: “transcending” is crossing beyond; “stepping” is treading. The three realms are the triple world. The “great expanse” is the Mahāyāna. “Opening the level road of the eightfold correct path, flattening the even way for the multitude”: “opening” is initiating, initiating the eightfold correct path. Right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration make eight. These appear in sūtras such as the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā and the Nirvāṇa Sūtra. The “multitude” refers to sentient beings. The “even way” is like the level road mentioned above. “Spurring the divine steeds of the six supernormal powers”: The Guangya says: “Spurring means racing.” The Zilin says: “A steed is a thousand-li horse.” Galloping with the talented steeds of the six supernormal powers. The divine eye, \[divine\] ear, \[reading\] other minds, \[knowledge of\] past lives, \[supranormal\] powers, and the exhaustion of taints constitute the six supernormal powers. “Riding the peaceful carriage of the five vehicles”: “Vehicle” (衍) is from the Sanskrit mahāyāna; mahā is great, yāna is vehicle. Speaking of “five” refers to the five vehicles: the human vehicle, the heavenly vehicle, the śrāvaka vehicle, the pratyekabuddha vehicle, and the Buddha vehicle. When these five vehicles enter the Tathāgata vehicle, all are called great; hence, “riding the five vehicles.” Regarding the “peaceful carriage,” the Quli says: “When a grand master reaches seventy and retires from office, he is granted a peaceful carriage and bestowed an armrest and cane. When traveling to the four directions he rides the peaceful carriage and calls himself ‘this old man’.” The commentary says: “A peaceful carriage is one ridden seated, like today's small carriage.” (Xuanzhi asked: “Since the Buddha rides that Great Vehicle, he should only be compared to a great carriage. Now calling it a seated carriage makes it seem small—why is that?” Answering on behalf of the commentator: “Since he is called ‘old man,’ age implies greatness. Subsuming the vehicle under the person: when the person is great, the carriage is great; it is both great and peaceful. Saying other vehicles are not yet peaceful, the Buddha vehicle is therefore termed a peaceful carriage. It is also like the previous meaning of the five vehicles: when the lesser vehicles enter the Tathāgata vehicle, all are called the Great Vehicle. The sūtra says: ‘This Great Vehicle is secure and blissful.’ This is precisely its meaning. This is the Middle Way, not like that of the Quli.”) “Even able to go forth into birth and enter into death, shifting along with things”: Responding to the birth of things is going forth; “going forth” is birth. Responding to the cessation of things is entering; “entering” is death. Advancing and retreating in accord with the mundane world, hence it says “with things.” “Shifting along” means advancing and retreating. “Reaching” means soaking and permeating. “Dispensing” means establishing. “Mother of transformations”: the correct Path can nurture the myriad things, just as children are born from a mother. The thousand changes and myriad transformations do not depart from the substance of the Path; the Buddha exhausts its source, hence it is called the “mother of transformations.” “The profound pivot”: “profound” means obscure and deep; “pivot” means the essential hinge. This means that the utmost principle is profound and the gateway of teachings is the essential hinge, which the Buddha exhausts completely. “Broadening the empty expanse without bounds”: opening wide the Dharma-realm expanse so that it has no boundaries, like the Lotus Treasury Adornment World-Ocean in the Avataṃsaka. “Illuminating the obscure with sarvajñā”: sarvajñā is Sanskrit, translated here as omniscience (all-knowledge). Shining upon the obscure and dark is called illuminating the obscure. It also means the light of the Dharma shines secretly, hence illuminating the obscure. “About to sever traces in the nine abodes”: “about to” is desiring to; “sever” is extinguish; “traces” are tracks. The “nine abodes” refers to the nine dwellings of sentient beings: within the desire realm, excluding the three evil destinies, taking humans and devas as one; within the four dhyānas, excluding the fourth dhyāna, taking the first three dhyānas as three; the Heaven of Non-perception as one; the four formless realms as four, making nine dwellings in total. The places where the nine classes of sentient beings dwell are the nine abodes. (Xuanzhi noted: “Since it says excluding the fourth dhyāna, and then says non-perception is one, isn't that precisely the fourth dhyāna heaven? Please examine this closely.”) “Forever submerging in the Great Void”: sinking long into empty space. “Yet with residual conditions not exhausted, lingering traces not obliterated”: residual conditions refer to the sentient beings that ought to be transformed and saved. Lingering traces refer to the bodily traces of the \[nirvāṇa\] with residue that have not yet vanished. (Xuanzhi noted: “All these words are the challenging arguments from the previous ninefold refutation. The meaning of the challenge is: Since he can broaden the empty expanse, shine with sarvajñā, and is about to sever traces, thus causing him to sink into identity with the Great Void where nothing at all remains, how could there still be sentient beings not yet saved, residual conditions not exhausted? And the Buddha's body still remaining, lingering traces not obliterated? If one simply reads the commentary, one does not see the intention of refuting and challenging at all. Now pointing out this text, it seems understandable; may the discerning examine it. If mistaken, do not sneer.”) Next, the commentary \[explains\]: “Karmic retribution is like the soul, and holy wisdom still remains”: the soul is the master of the body; having that body, there must be residual karma; karma must be experienced, and experiencing it is called retribution, such as paying the penalty of the wooden spear, eating horse barley, and so forth—these are matters of karmic retribution. It is still like the soul (hunpo): the soul necessarily abides in the body; having a body and having a soul directly incurs karma; hence it says “karmic retribution is like the soul.” “Like” (猶) means resembling. Thus the next line says “holy wisdom still remains.” “Remains” means persists. Since the Buddha still has wisdom and thought persisting, one knows that karma cannot be forgotten. (This is also the wording of the refutation and challenge; Xuanzhi's opinion.) The sūtra says: “Smelting and purifying dregs and defilements is like refining genuine gold.” The method of refining gold is washing it in water and smelting it in a furnace. It means the sage purifies defilements and dregs in this way. “The \[nirvāṇa\] without residue below”: reversing the \[nirvāṇa\] with residue above is the \[nirvāṇa\] without residue. “Of great troubles, none is worse than having a body”: bodily troubles are the greatest. “Worse” (若) means like, hence “none is like \[it\].” Intellectual stirring comes first, hence “none is prior \[to it\].” “Extinguishing wisdom to submerge in emptiness”: meaning sinking and submerging into identity with empty space. “A long journey”: a long road. “Without ceasing”: without stopping. The sūtra says: “Wisdom is a mixed poison; the physical form is shackles and manacles.” When wisdom departs from goodness, it ultimately exhausts the consciousness; like eating mixed poison, it ultimately harms the body. The Shuowen says: “Zhi are leg shackles; gu are hand manacles.” The text says that shackles and manacles are instruments that harm the body. “Deep silence becomes distant on this account; troubles and calamities arise on this account”: “deep” means profound; “silence” means quiescent. It means that having a body and having wisdom, discrimination, troubles, and calamities arise from them, while reaching the profound and subtle Path becomes distant; hence it says “deep silence becomes distant on this account; troubles and calamities arise on this account.” “Ashing the body and extinguishing wisdom, abandoning the form and ending cognition”: “abandoning” is casting away. It means since the body is such a source of trouble and calamity, it must be ground down and extinguished to be like ash and dust, and intellectual cognition must be cast away and cut off, so that there are no troubles or entanglements. “Inwardly, there is no toil of active contemplation; outwardly, the root of the great trouble is stilled”: inwardly, if there is no wisdom, then there is no mind of active stirring, nor the concern of examining contemplation; outwardly, if there is no body, then there is no affliction of cold and heat, nor the toil of provisions and expenses. “Aloof, forever separated from the realms of being below”: refers to the meaning of discerning that the nature of all dharmas is fundamentally empty. Aloof as if permanently parted from all realms of being, in reality there is no parting. Why no parting? Form is emptiness, and emptiness is form. Facing ordinary mortals who do not understand, it seems as if permanently parted; but when the sage's contemplation realizes its essence, not only is there no form, even emptiness does not exist. “Silent, with nothing heard”: having no sound, it cannot be heard; having no omens, it cannot be seen. “None knowing where it goes”: not knowing where it proceeds. “Like the lamp being consumed, the flame extinguished, oil and brilliance exhausted together”: Fascicle 9 of the Nirvāṇa Sūtra says: “The icchantika sees the Tathāgata’s ultimate nirvāṇa as like a lamp being extinguished, the oil and fuel exhausted together.” “Therefore, \[the nirvāṇa\] with residue may be designated as existent below”: concludes the challenge. It means that nirvāṇa with residue may be named existent, and nirvāṇa without residue may be named non-existent. “Admiring and esteeming the tranquil and silent”: those who cherish and value emptiness, hearing of the \[nirvāṇa\] without residue, rejoice, esteem, and seek it. “Increasingly revering the sage's achievements”: those who cherish and value existence, hearing of the \[nirvāṇa\] with residue, place faith in its merit and seek it. “This is the reason why classic texts handed down their writings below”: canonical texts and instructions handed down their written principles. This refers to the various Mahāyāna sūtras. The path trodden by the assembly of sages is therefore called “the ruts and tracks.” “Ruts” (gui) are the rules for making carts; “tracks” (che) refers to the wheel-ruts left by carts. “Causing those who cherish virtue to cut themselves off below”: those who cherish virtue, hearing that nirvāṇa is not existent, do not seek it; those who take emptiness as fundamental, hearing that nirvāṇa is not non-existent, do not learn it. “Cutting themselves off” means having no mind to seek; “without reliance” means having nowhere to lodge the mind. “No different from blocking ears and eyes within an eggshell below”: blocking the ears and eyes inside an eggshell and demanding discrimination of the gong and shang musical notes cannot be done. Veiling heavenly phenomena beyond the clouds and skies and demanding discrimination of black and white cannot be done. “Mystic phenomena” refers to heavenly signs. “Mystic” (xuan) is black; “obscure” is dim; “plain” (su) is white. “Yet the purport of the treatise ultimately knows not where to turn”: not knowing what it clarifies. “The profound path is thus self-contained and not revealed”: principles are accumulated and stored, hence not clearly revealed. “Contemplating quietly and searching deeply, there is nowhere to lodge one's thoughts”: having no place to settle one's mind. “How could it be said”: it does not mean. “Illuminating the great brightness in a dark room”: sentient beings are blind and ignorant as in a dark room; making this exposition now is not meant to illuminate a dark room to let them see. Sentient beings are without knowledge and hearing; making this exposition now is not performing profound sounds to let them hear. The Xiaoya says: “Zou and yi both mean to advance.” > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 3.26](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1859.3.26) - [Next: 3.28](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1859.3.28) - [Up: 3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1859.3) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1859~en-mt.3.27) — English, machine translation ## Linked texts (2) - [肇論新疏](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1860.3.72) — Classical Chinese - [肇論](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1858.1.59) — Classical Chinese --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1859.3.27](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1859.3.27) · Pramāṇa