[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) › [廬山蓮宗寶鑑](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1973) › 2.19 # 廬山蓮宗寶鑑 2.19 廬山蓮宗寶鑑 2.19 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [2.19](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1973.2.19) 智者大師云「諸佛教理既明非觀行無以復性，乃依一心三諦之理，示三止三觀，一一觀心念念不可得。先空次假後中，離二邊而觀一心。如雲外之月者，此乃別教之行相也。」又云「破一切惑莫盛乎空，建一切法莫盛乎假，究竟一切性莫大乎中。故一中一切中，無假無空無不中。空假亦爾，即圓教之行相也。如西天伊字三點、首羅天之三目，非縱非橫並列。故三觀圓成，法身不素，即免同窮子也。」龍樹菩薩偈云「因緣所生法，我說即是空，亦名為假名，亦名中道義。」斯與《楞嚴》、《圓覺》經說奢摩陀、三摩鉢提、禪那三觀，名目雖殊，其致一也。亦曰三諦天然之性德也，中諦者統一切法、真諦者泯一切法、俗諦者立一切法，舉一即三，非前後也。含生本具，非造作之所得也。祕藏不顯，蓋三惑之所覆也，無明翳乎法性、塵沙障乎化導、見思阻乎空寂。然茲三惑乃體上之虛妄也，由是立乎三觀、破乎三惑、證乎三智、成乎三德。空觀者破見思惑，證一切智成般若德。假觀者破塵沙惑，證道種智成解脫德。中觀者破無明惑，證一切種智成法身德。非各別也，非異時也，天然之理具諸法故。然茲三諦性之自爾，窮理盡性，故與禪宗異而非異也。行者念佛之時，意根為因、白毫圓光為緣，所起之念即所生法。諦觀念佛心起，即是假名，體之即空。洞鑒此心有如來藏，離邊顯中，若根若塵並是法界，諸佛眾生一念普應。即邊而中，無佛無念。此乃大乘圓修三觀念佛也。可謂無相無空無不空，即是如來真實相。 > Great Master Zhizhe said: "Once the teachings of the Buddhas are understood, without the practice of contemplation there is no way to return to one's nature. Therefore, relying on the principle of the three truths in one mind, he demonstrated the three cessations and three contemplations, where in each and every contemplative mind, thought after thought cannot be grasped. First emptiness, next the provisional, and afterward the middle: leaving the two extremes to contemplate the one mind. Like the moon beyond the clouds—this is the aspect of practice of the distinct teaching." He also said: "For shattering all delusion, nothing is more potent than emptiness; for establishing all phenomena, nothing is more potent than the provisional; for exhausting all natures, nothing is greater than the middle. Therefore, when one is middle, all are middle; there is neither provisional nor empty that is not middle. The same is true for emptiness and the provisional; this is the aspect of practice of the perfect teaching. Like the three dots of the Sanskrit letter i, or the three eyes of the god Maheśvara, arrayed neither vertically nor horizontally. Therefore, when the three contemplations are perfectly fulfilled, the dharmakāya is not bare, and one avoids being like the poor son." Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna's verse says: "Phenomena arisen through causes and conditions, I explain as being empty; they are also called provisional names, and are also the meaning of the middle way." Although the names differ from the three contemplations of śamatha, samāpatti, and dhyāna taught in the Śūraṅgama and Perfect Enlightenment sūtras, their purport is one. They are also called the natural virtues of the nature of the three truths: the middle truth integrates all phenomena, the real truth obliterates all phenomena, and the conventional truth establishes all phenomena; to raise one is to raise all three, not in sequence. Sentient beings fundamentally possess them; they are not obtained through purposeful contrivance. The secret treasury is not revealed only because it is covered by the three delusions: fundamental ignorance darkens the Dharma-nature, dust-and-sand delusions obstruct transforming and guiding \[others\], and delusions of view and thought impede emptiness and quiescence. Yet these three delusions are merely false unrealities on the substance. Therefore, the three contemplations are established to shatter the three delusions, realize the three wisdoms, and accomplish the three virtues. The contemplation of emptiness shatters the delusions of view and thought, realizes all-knowledge, and accomplishes the virtue of prajñā. The contemplation of the provisional shatters the dust-and-sand delusions, realizes the knowledge of the paths, and accomplishes the virtue of liberation. The contemplation of the middle shatters the delusion of fundamental ignorance, realizes all-aspect knowledge, and accomplishes the virtue of the dharmakāya. They are not separate, nor at different times, because the natural principle contains all phenomena. Yet these three truths are naturally so of their own nature, exhausting principle and fulfilling nature; therefore they differ yet do not differ from the Chan school. When a practitioner engages in buddhānusmṛti, the mental faculty is the direct cause, and the round light of the white curl of hair between the brows is the condition; the thought that arises is the produced phenomenon. Carefully contemplating the arising of the mind mindful of the Buddha: it is a provisional name; substantializing it, it is empty. Penetratingly inspecting this mind, the Tathāgatagarbha is present, leaving extremes and revealing the middle; whether sense faculties or sense dusts, all are the dharmadhātu; Buddhas and sentient beings universally respond in a single thought. Reaching the middle right through the extremes, there is neither Buddha nor mindfulness. This is the Mahāyāna buddhānusmṛti of the perfect cultivation of the three contemplations. It may be called: 'Lacking marks, lacking emptiness, yet nothing that is not empty—this is the true and real mark of the Tathāgata.'" > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 2.18](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1973.2.18) - [Next: 2.20](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1973.2.20) - [Up: 2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1973.2) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1973~en-mt.2.19) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1973.2.19](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1973.2.19) · Pramāṇa