肇論疏 3.57

3.57

涅槃之法古今同一，故云通古也。無名曰夫至人空洞無像而物無非我者，《字林》云：洞音動，疾流也。比來學者皆作同音。空故無象，故以萬物為己體也。會萬物以成已下，聖人無體，以萬物之體為己體耳。何則非理不聖下，非悟理不成聖，非聖人不悟理也。理而成聖者，既悟理成聖，則聖與理不異也。肇公此言妙盡幽極也。故天帝曰，《大品》文也。又曰見緣起為見法性，《大品》、《大集》皆有此文。斯則物我不異之効者，十二因緣即是。明知萬物不異己體，以此文為効驗也。所以至人戢玄機於未兆者，戢，謂欽歛也。戢（阻立反），《文選》詩云：戢翼希驤首，乘流畏暴鰓。言歛翼也。玄機，謂聖人心也。未萌之事未現無兆，至人歛心預見之也。藏冥運於既化者，冥運亦是聖心也。過去之事已往無形，至人運心却見之也。總六合以鏡心，觀現在也。四方上下曰六合。至人之心皎明如鏡，照萬事耳。一去來以成體，知三世同體也。言聖人以此三世萬物為體，無別體也。故〈物不遷〉云：道遠乎哉，觸物而真也。即三世萬物耳。真者物性即無生，無生即真，真即空也。聖人體此空理以成聖，故云成體也。古今通下，謂聖人知古今，終始不別、本末不二，浩汗然、大均平。得此心者，名曰涅槃耳。亦可以古今終始本末等法體平等，是大涅槃也。經曰不離諸法而得涅槃者，即《維摩》云：不斷煩惱而入涅槃也。又《中論》云：不離於生死，而別有涅槃。又云諸法無邊故下，此謂諸法與菩提同也。以知涅槃之道存於妙契，契會妙理即是涅槃也。本乎冥一者，知萬法冥然一體，是謂妙契也。然則物不異我下，覆明不二也。物我玄會歸于無極者，物我同歸無極之理也。進之不先下，推進涅槃於先而不先，抑退涅槃於後而不後。既而不先不後，有何始終乎？天女曰下，《維摩》文也。耆年，謂舍利弗也。言：汝得解脫有久近乎？解脫既無久近，我止此室亦無久近。今引此文，直明解脫無久近也。解脫，涅槃也。久近，始終也。

The Dharma of nirvāṇa is identical in both ancient and modern times; hence it is called 'Pervading the Ancient'. Where the Nameless says, 'Now the ultimate person is empty, hollow, and formless, yet there is nothing that is not himself': The *Zilin* states that *dong* [洞] is pronounced like *dong* [動], meaning a rushing torrent. Scholars of late have all pronounced it like *tong* [同]. Because he is empty, he is formless; hence he takes the myriad things as his own essence. Where it says, 'He gathers the myriad things to form himself,' and so forth: The sage has no essence [of his own]; he takes the essence of the myriad things as his own essence. 'Why is this? Without the principle, one is not a sage': without awakening to the principle, one does not become a sage; without being a sage, one does not awaken to the principle. 'Becoming a sage through the principle': once he awakens to the principle and becomes a sage, the sage and the principle are not different. These words of Master Zhao exhaustively fathom the profound and ultimate. 'Therefore Śakra said': this is a passage from the *Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā*. It also says, 'To see dependent arising is to see dharma-nature'; this passage appears in both the *Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā* and the *Mahāsaṃnipāta*. Where it says, 'This is the proof that things and self are not different': the twelve links of dependent arising are precisely this. One clearly knows that the myriad things are not different from one's own essence; this passage serves as verification. Where it says, 'Therefore the ultimate person conceals the profound mechanism before any omen appears': *ji* [戢] means to restrain and gather. *Ji* (pronounced *zha* with *li* as the rime): a poem in the *Wen Xuan* says, 'Gathering wings, hoping to lift the head; riding the current, fearing exposed gills.' This means folding the wings. 'Profound mechanism' refers to the sage's mind. An event not yet sprouted has not appeared and has no omen; the sage gathers his mind and foresees it. Where it says, 'He conceals dark workings in what has already transformed': 'dark workings' also refers to the sage's mind. Past matters have already gone and have no form; the sage directs his mind and looks back to see them. 'Uniting the six directions to mirror the mind': observing the present. The four directions, above, and below are called the 'six directions'. The ultimate person's mind is bright like a mirror, illuminating the myriad things. 'Unifying the past and future to form his essence': knowing that the three times share the same essence. It means that the sage takes the myriad things of the three times as his essence, having no separate essence. Thus 'Things Do Not Shift' says, 'Is the Way far off? Touch a thing and it is real.' This refers precisely to the myriad things of the three times. What is 'real' is that the nature of things is non-arising; non-arising is the real, and the real is emptiness. The sage embodies this principle of emptiness to become a sage; hence it says 'forming his essence'. Where it says, 'Pervading ancient and modern,' and so forth: It means that the sage knows ancient and modern, end and beginning are not distinct, root and branch are not two; vast and boundless, they are immensely equal. One who attains this mind is called 'nirvāṇa'. It can also mean that dharmas such as ancient and modern, end and beginning, root and branch, are equal in essence; this is great nirvāṇa. As for the scripture saying, 'Without departing from all dharmas, one attains nirvāṇa': this is just what the *Vimalakīrti* means by 'Without cutting off afflictions, one enters nirvāṇa.' Furthermore, the *Mūlamadhyamakakārikā* states, 'Not departing from saṃsāra, is there separately nirvāṇa.' It also says, 'Because all dharmas are limitless,' and so forth: This means that all dharmas are identical with bodhi. 'Hence one knows that the Path of nirvāṇa resides in wondrous tallying': tallying with the wondrous principle is precisely nirvāṇa. Where it says, 'Rooted in dark unity': knowing that the myriad dharmas are darkly of one essence is called wondrous tallying. Where it says, 'If so, then things are not different from oneself,' and so forth: It re-clarifies non-duality. Where it says, 'Things and self profoundly unite and return to the limitless': things and self together return to the principle of the limitless. Where it says, 'Pushing it forward, it is not prior,' and so forth: Pushing nirvāṇa forward into the past, it is not prior; pressing nirvāṇa back into the future, it is not subsequent. Since it is neither prior nor subsequent, how could it have beginning or end? Where the goddess says, and so forth: This is a passage from the *Vimalakīrti*. 'Elder' refers to Śāriputra. She says, 'Is your attainment of liberation of long or recent standing?' Since liberation has neither long nor recent standing, my abiding in this room likewise has neither long nor recent standing. Citing this text now is simply to clarify that liberation has neither long nor recent standing. Liberation is nirvāṇa. 'Long or recent standing' refers to beginning and end.