[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) › [觀心論疏](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1921) › 2.40 # 觀心論疏 2.40 觀心論疏 2.40 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [2.40](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1921.2.40) 答：《涅槃經》云「橫計常樂等，是蟲食木，偶得成字，是蟲不識是字非字」，經將此釋以斥於彼，今可借彼以釋此也。然佛初寂滅道場成道，即欲以此大法擬之，眾生無機，不受大化，故〈信解品〉中領解云：長者於師子床，見子便識，即遣傍人急追將還，于時窮子稱怨大喚「我不相犯，何為見捉？」我若強說，眾生則破法墮惡道，故云「我寧不說法，疾入於涅槃」，此即全生如乳。尋念過去佛所行方便力，我今亦如是，方便度眾生，即趣波羅柰為五比丘說，說生滅之教，斷四住惑，故云「更遣二人，追捉將來」。二十年中除見思之糞，即是從凡入聖，轉乳如酪。次說方等。帶三教方便，說圓教調伏。故《淨名》用圓別兩教，折十大弟子；用圓彈偏，行菩薩歷別之行，漸令調伏。何者？昔對其說大，破法不信，令不得說；今既得二乘聖道，聞其說大，即自傷敗種，故聲振大千，歎菩薩妙法難思。雖未得悟，而不起謗，故云「過是已後，心相體信，入出無難」。然其所止猶在草庵，下劣之心亦未能捨也。此是轉酪為生酥，即是三藏之後，說方等教也。次說般若，帶通別兩方便，說圓調伏，為諸菩薩說般若，故〈信解品〉云「長者知子漸已通泰，而命領知家業」。故偈頌云「佛勅我等為諸菩薩說波羅密，而我無有希取一餐之意」，此是轉生酥為熟酥，此方等後說般若教也。次般若後說法華圓教。經云「正直捨方便，但說無上道」，即是說今圓觀，觀一念之心即是中道如來寶藏，常樂我淨佛之知見，故云「為大事因緣故，出現於世」。舍利弗問云：「何名大事因緣？」佛云：「為令眾生開佛知見故，示、悟、入等亦復如是。」故〈信解品〉中云「長者自知，臨命終時，聚會親族，即云『我是其父，汝是我子，一切財物，皆悉付之。』」即般若之後說法華圓教也。故知前之三教並是為今圓教妙觀之方便調伏，令堪受今之妙觀，故知圓觀微而復妙，何得比前三教者乎？故經歎云「初發心時即坐道場」，又云「初發心時已過於牟尼」。譬如王子初生，即在百官之上，初發圓心即在三教之上。經格量第五十人功德尚不可稱量，況最初隨喜人，即是今圓觀人也。以是義故，借五味之教，顯今圓教之觀相也。然圓觀之道，體生死三道，即是三德涅槃，已如前釋。是即三道即法界，法界何所破壞？故偈云「問觀自生心，云何是圓教？不破壞法界，住三德涅槃」，斯之謂也。行法眾多而言其四。 > Answer: The Nirvāṇa Sūtra says, 'Arbitrarily reckoning \[samsara as\] permanent, blissful, and so forth is like an insect eating wood that by chance forms letters: that insect does not know whether it is a letter or not.' The sūtra uses this explanation to rebuke them; here we may borrow that to explain this. Now, when the Buddha first attained awakening at the quiet and extinct site of enlightenment, he wished immediately to apply this great Dharma to them. But sentient beings lacked the capacity and could not receive the great conversion. Therefore, in the 'Chapter on Faith and Understanding', \[the disciples\] express their realization, saying: The elder, upon his lion seat, saw his son and recognized him at once, and immediately dispatched a bystander to quickly pursue him and bring him back; at that time, the poor son cried out in grievance and shouted loudly, 'I have done no wrong to you, why am I being seized?' If I were to preach it forcefully, sentient beings would destroy the Dharma and fall into evil destinies; therefore \[the Buddha\] said, 'I would rather not teach the Dharma, but quickly enter into nirvāṇa.' This is completely raw, like milk. He then contemplated the power of expedients practiced by past buddhas: 'I now shall also do likewise, using expedients to cross over sentient beings.' Thereupon he went to Vārāṇasī to preach for the five monks, preaching the teaching of arising and ceasing to sever the delusions of the four abodes; hence it says, 'He again dispatched two men to pursue and bring him back.' For twenty years they removed the dung of views and inclinations, which was passing from the ordinary into the noble: transforming milk into curds. Next, he preached the vaipulya \[teachings\], carrying the expedients of the three teachings to preach the perfect teaching for taming and subduing. Thus the Vimalakīrti uses both the perfect and distinct teachings to reprimand the ten great disciples; using the perfect to castigate the biased, and practicing the progressive practices of bodhisattvas, gradually causing them to be tamed and subdued. Why? Formerly, when the great \[teaching\] was spoken to them, they would destroy the Dharma without believing, making it impossible to preach to them; now, having already attained the noble path of the two vehicles, when they hear the great \[teaching\] spoken, they grieve at their own ruined seeds, and thus their voices shake the great chiliocosm as they praise the bodhisattvas' wondrous Dharma as inconceivable. Although they have not yet attained awakening, they do not give rise to slander; hence it says, 'After this, their minds gained mutual trust, and entering and exiting without difficulty.' Yet his dwelling was still in a thatched hut, and his inferior mind could not yet be renounced. This is transforming curds into raw butter, which is preaching the vaipulya teaching after the Tripiṭaka. Next, he preached the prajñā \[teachings\], carrying the two expedients of the shared and distinct \[teachings\] to preach the perfect \[teaching\] for taming and subduing, preaching prajñā for the bodhisattvas. Therefore, the 'Chapter on Faith and Understanding' says, 'The elder knew that his son had gradually become broad-minded and relaxed, and commanded him to manage and understand the family estate.' Therefore, the verses say, 'The Buddha commanded us to preach the pāramitās for the bodhisattvas, yet we had no intention of seeking even a single meal for ourselves.' This is transforming raw butter into clarified butter; this is preaching the prajñā teaching after the vaipulya. Next, after prajñā, he preached the perfect teaching of the Lotus \[Sūtra\]. The sūtra says, 'Honestly setting aside expedients, I preach only the unsurpassed Path.' This is speaking of the present perfect contemplation: contemplating the mind in a single thought-moment as being itself the Middle Way, the Tathāgata's treasure store, permanence, bliss, self, and purity, the vision and knowledge of the Buddha. Hence it says, 'It is for the sake of the one great causal occasion that \[buddhas\] appear in the world.' Śāriputra asked, 'What is meant by the one great causal occasion?' The Buddha said, 'It is to cause sentient beings to open the vision and knowledge of the Buddha; showing it, causing them to awaken to it, and causing them to enter it are likewise.' Therefore, in the 'Chapter on Faith and Understanding', it says: 'The elder knew that when the time of his death approached, he gathered together his relatives and said, "I am his father, and you are my son; all my wealth and possessions are entirely entrusted to you."' That is preaching the perfect teaching of the Lotus \[Sūtra\] after prajñā. Thus we know that the previous three teachings were all expedients to tame and subdue them for the present wondrous contemplation of the perfect teaching, making them capable of receiving the present wondrous contemplation. Thus we know that the perfect contemplation is subtle and wondrous—how could it be compared to the previous three teachings? Therefore, the sūtra praises it, saying, 'At the time of first giving rise to the mind \[for bodhi\], one immediately sits at the site of enlightenment'; and also says, 'At the time of first giving rise to the mind \[for bodhi\], one has already surpassed the Muni.' Just as a prince at birth is already above the hundred officials, so one who first gives rise to the perfect mind is above the three teachings. The sūtra weighs the merits of the fiftieth person as still immeasurable, not to mention the person who first rejoices in accord—who is none other than the practitioner of the present perfect contemplation. For this reason, borrowing the teachings of the five flavors reveals the characteristics of the contemplation of the present perfect teaching. Now, as for the Path of the perfect contemplation, embodying the three paths of samsara as the three virtues of nirvāṇa has already been explained as above. That is, the three paths are themselves the dharma realm; what is there in the dharma realm to be destroyed? Therefore, the verse says: 'Asking: contemplating the spontaneously arising mind, / How is this the perfect teaching? / Not destroying the dharma realm, / Abiding in the three virtues of nirvāṇa.' It refers to this. The practices are many, yet four are spoken of. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 2.39](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1921.2.39) - [Next: 2.41](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1921.2.41) - [Up: 2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1921.2) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1921~en-mt.2.40) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1921.2.40](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1921.2.40) · Pramāṇa