四明尊者教行錄 3.161

3.161

答：夫言空者，必空假中一心三觀之道也。此道始則佛大聖人金口，中乃龍樹大士造論，後則北齊台衡祖承。然則雖曰佛祖宣揚，其實一切眾生身心本體。所言空觀者，一切法俱空，無假無中而不空。此空為妙觀遣蕩之法也。所言假觀者，一切法俱假，無中無空而不假。此假為妙觀立法之法也。所言中觀者，一切法俱中，無空無假而不中。此中為妙觀絕待之法也。此三，三一一三，無寄諦觀，名別體同。妙體天然，不勞造作。終日遣蕩而法法圓成，終日立法而法法離相，終日絕待而二邊宛然。今之圓人解了三觀體性相即，則達空中二觀不有纖塵而諸法備矣。

Answer: When we speak of emptiness, it must refer to the path of the three contemplations in one mind—emptiness, the conventional, and the middle. This path originated from the golden mouth of the Buddha, the Great Sage; midway, the Great Being Nāgārjuna composed treatises [upon it]; and later, it was inherited by the patriarchs of Northern Qi and Tiantai-Hengshan. Yet although we say the buddhas and patriarchs proclaimed it, it is in truth the fundamental essence of the body and mind of all sentient beings. As for what is called the contemplation of emptiness: all phenomena are completely empty; there is neither conventional nor middle that is not empty. This emptiness is the method of clearing and dispelling in subtle contemplation. As for what is called the contemplation of the conventional: all phenomena are completely conventional; there is neither middle nor emptiness that is not conventional. This conventional is the method of establishing phenomena in subtle contemplation. As for what is called the contemplation of the middle: all phenomena are completely the middle; there is neither emptiness nor conventional that is not the middle. This middle is the method of absolute transcendence in subtle contemplation. These three—three yet one, one yet three, a truth-and-contemplation free of reliance—differ in name but are identical in essence. Their wondrous essence is intrinsically so, requiring no artificial effort. All day dispelling, yet every phenomenon is perfectly accomplished; all day establishing phenomena, yet every phenomenon is free of characteristics; all day absolutely transcendent, yet the two extremes remain vividly apparent. When the people of the perfect [teaching] today thoroughly understand that the essences of the three contemplations are mutually identical, they then comprehend that within the two contemplations of emptiness and the middle, not a speck of dust exists, and yet all phenomena are fully present.