四明尊者教行錄 3.48

3.48

答：諸文異說，今試粗陳。若如《阿含》所明，中乘觀因緣相，有逆有順。從無明至老死名順，從老死至無明是逆，生滅皆然。此乃大概而說。若如《四念處》，委辨推尋觀破之相，或以愛支為首、或以取支為首，亦有逆順。且如愛支為首者，即推貪愛因何而生，即知此貪因愛而起，乃至行因無明，無明因過去一切煩惱。又順推此愛能生於取，取生於有，有生未來二十五有生死等。若觀破者，觀愛即現在污穢五陰性念處，乃至觀無明即過去污穢五陰性念處。又若觀於有，即善不善五陰性念處，乃至觀未來生死即果報生死無記性念處。是名逆順觀察破四顛倒。顛倒滅則無明滅，乃至老死滅（上皆略義采《四念處》文義）。取支為首者，即見惑之人也，逆順推破例如愛支。又如《止觀》，明禪境中寄修辨發，以有支為首。又《釋籤》明四教觀因緣，皆從愛起。如此諸說不同者，良由根性有殊故修入不等。今準《輔行》，判因緣觀凡有二種：一者推果知因、二者推因知果。若《念處》及《止觀》即推因知果也，《釋籤》即推果知因也。然此二種之義，應用《念處》為正，以正能順因緣之義故。因緣既以無明為首，今觀愛取即無明也。故大師廣示修相，良在茲焉。

Answer: Different texts present diverse explanations; I shall now attempt a rough presentation. As explained in the Āgama, the medium vehicle's contemplation of the characteristics of causes and conditions has both a reverse and a direct order. From ignorance to old age and death is called direct; from old age and death to ignorance is reverse; both arising and cessation are like this. This is a general statement. If we follow the Si nianchu, it thoroughly analyzes, investigates, and contemplates the characteristics of deconstruction: either taking the branch of craving as primary, or taking the branch of grasping as primary, also having direct and reverse orders. Take, for instance, craving as primary: one investigates from what cause greedy craving arises, and knows that this greed arises on account of craving, and so on up to formative action caused by ignorance, and ignorance caused by all past defilements. Again, directly tracing forward, this craving can give rise to grasping, grasping gives rise to becoming, and becoming gives rise to the future twenty-five states of existence and birth-and-death. If contemplating to deconstruct them: one contemplates craving as the contemplation of the nature of the present defiled five aggregates, and so on up to contemplating ignorance as the contemplation of the nature of the past defiled five aggregates. Furthermore, if contemplating becoming, it is the contemplation of the nature of the wholesome and unwholesome five aggregates, and so on up to contemplating future birth-and-death as the contemplation of the nature of indeterminate karmic fruition of birth-and-death. This is called investigating in reverse and direct orders to deconstruct the four inversions. When inversions cease, then ignorance ceases, and so on up to the cessation of old age and death. (The above briefly gathers the doctrinal meaning of the Si nianchu text.) Taking the branch of grasping as primary pertains to individuals with view delusions; the direct and reverse investigation and deconstruction follow the example of the craving branch. Furthermore, the Zhiguan explains that within the sphere of dhyāna, one relies on practice to discern manifestation, taking the branch of becoming as primary. Also, the Shiqian explains that the four teachings' contemplations of causes and conditions all arise from craving. That these various explanations differ is truly because capacities and natures are distinct, so their cultivation and entry are not equal. Now, in accordance with the Fuxing, the contemplation of causes and conditions is determined to be of two kinds: first, inferring the cause by examining the fruit; second, inferring the fruit by examining the cause. The Nianchu and the Zhiguan infer the fruit by examining the cause, whereas the Shiqian infers the cause by examining the fruit. However, between the meanings of these two kinds, the Nianchu should be taken as the standard, because it correctly accords with the meaning of causes and conditions. Since causes and conditions take ignorance as primary, now contemplating craving and grasping is just [contemplating] ignorance. Therefore, the Great Master extensively revealed the characteristics of practice, which truly lie right here.