肇論疏 3.23

3.23

Regarding the passage beginning with "Niyue, nihuan, niepan": these few words vary across different editions. Some place them before the "Nine Refutations", some after the "Ten Expositions", and some after "Opening the Fundamental Doctrine". I consider placing them before to be more convenient, and take this as definitive. There are also editions that place the title of the treatise Niepan lun before these words and after the memorial text, and only then state "nihuan, niyue", and so forth; this is also acceptable. When ancients translated the scriptures, they mostly called it niyue first, next nihuan, and later niepan; hence it is said that they appeared differently earlier and later. As for the statement "differing as Chu and Xia": Xia is the central state, while Chu is a peripheral state. The Book says: "The barbarian tribes having rulers are not equal to the various Xia without." The commentary states: "The various Xia means the central state." The reason Xia is called the central state is that Huangfu Shi'an's Diwang shiji states: "Yu was enfeoffed as the Earl of Xia, south of the region beyond the borders of Yuzhou in the Yu gong. Before the Qin and Han, it belonged to Yingchuan, originally the land of Han, which is present-day Yangzhai in Henan. He avoided Shun's son at Yangcheng in Yingchuan, present-day Heyangcheng. The Xia received the abdication at Pingyang, or at An'yi." (Xuanshi states: Although the commentator cites so many ancient traces to explain the Central Xia, these are merely non-Buddhist books. The texts of the Duke of Zhou and Confucius discuss this Central Xia of the Nine Regions of the Great Tang, and fail entirely to grasp the treatise's intention. Why is this? Why did Master Sengzhao, the author of the treatise, explain the distinctions among these three names—niyue and the others? He was merely stating that the names vary among the five regions of India in the West, and that although the names differ, their meaning is one. The reference to "Chu and Xia" means that the languages of the five regions of India are compared to the distinction between Chu and Xia here in the Great Tang. Just as people of Wu in the Great Tang call fire hui, designate water as chui, and call coming li, though the pronunciations differ, their meanings are identical. How could one take the land east of the Congling Mountains as the central state? The central state refers exclusively to the five regions of India. In terms of the four continents, the five regions of India are also the center. In terms of the trichiliocosm, the five regions of India are also the center; therefore, the Buddhas of the three periods of time appear in the world in the central state of Central India. May the wise examine this carefully. Next, the commentator states: As for "Xia", the Baihu tong says: "Xia means great"; this implies that because it occupies the center and dwells in greatness, it is called Xia.) Regarding the "nine refutations and ten expositions": there are nine objections and nine replies, making eighteen in total. The single topic of "Opening the Fundamental Doctrine" is the root of the replier, and also belongs to the replies; therefore there are ten expositions, forming nineteen chapters in all. "Refutations" refers to breaking down the intention of the objector. "Expositions" refers to expounding and clarifying the intention of the replier. The Xiaoya states: "Yan means to broaden." Although this has already been stated in the memorial, it is briefly explained again here.