大乘法苑義林章 1.20

1.20

顯大乘中，復分為二：初顯邊體、後顯中道。顯邊體者，龍猛、清辨咸作是言：勝義諦中，一切無相，諸法皆空，何教何為體？世俗諦中，可亦說有句、言、章、論，聲為教體。梵云鉢陀，此翻為跡，當古之句。句有二種：一集法滿足句、二顯義周圓句。如說「不生亦不滅、不來亦不去、不一亦不異、不常亦不斷。」此一一句義雖未圓，亦名為句，法滿足故，此當中道所說名也。梵云縛（去聲）迦，此云言也。此當中道所說句也，義周圓故。梵云鉢剌迦羅，此云章也。章即章段，一章一段以明諸義，此無所當。梵云奢薩呾羅，此翻為論，總周一部立以論名。此四能詮，聲為教體。此准《般若燈論》所說，更應勘彼《智度論》文。

In revealing the Mahāyāna, there are again two parts: first, revealing the extreme essence; second, revealing the middle path. As for revealing the extreme essence: Nāgārjuna and Bhāviveka both stated: in ultimate truth, all is without characteristics and all phenomena are empty; what teaching is there, and what serves as its essence? In conventional truth, one may also say that sentences, words, chapters, and treatises exist, with sound as the teaching-essence. In Sanskrit it is called pada, translated here as "footstep" (跡), corresponding to the ancient "sentence" (句). Sentences are of two kinds: first, sentences that complete the gathering of terms; second, sentences that fully reveal the meaning. As in the saying: "Neither arising nor ceasing, neither coming nor going, neither one nor different, neither eternal nor annihilated." Although the meaning of each individual phrase here is not yet fully rounded, each is also called a sentence because the terms are complete; this corresponds to what the middle path calls a "name". In Sanskrit it is called vākya, translated here as "word" or "speech" (言). This corresponds to what the middle path calls a "sentence" (句), because the meaning is fully rounded. In Sanskrit it is called prakaraṇa, translated here as "chapter" (章). A chapter means a section; each section clarifies various meanings; this has no equivalent [in the standard threefold scheme]. In Sanskrit it is called śāstra, translated here as "treatise" (論); taking a whole work comprehensively, it is given the name of treatise. For these four expressive factors, sound is the teaching-essence. This is based on what is stated in the Prajñāpradīpa; it should further be checked against the text of the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa.