集古今佛道論衡 4.19

4.19

龍朔二年十二月八日。於蓬萊宮碧宇殿。靈辯奉　詔開淨名經題目。問曰。難思之道。唯凡不測聖亦不知。答凡聖俱不思　難。至理玄微。凡流容可不測。聖心懸鑒。妙智寧得不知。答。法性虛融道無不遍。物理平等何法可思　難。山芥無容入之義。於凡故是難思。大小有苞含之理。在聖寧非不測答。難思之道物無不遍。何必山芥有納。凡聖分思不思。　難。凡智聖智不分思不思。凡力聖力不分納不納。答。凡聖跡殊。容有納不納。凡聖本一。不分思不思　難。凡聖本無二。不分思不思。凡聖跡有殊。應有議不議。答。本跡雖殊不思議一也　難。此是聖者本跡殊。何預凡夫事。答。一切眾生即涅槃相。難思之道詎簡聖凡。難。難思無有二。可使凡聖本無別。難思既不殊。凡聖跡寧兩。答。不二處說二。二亦何所二。難。亦可不思處說思。處說思何得聖人亦不思。答。不二處說二無二不二若存二可使不思處說思不思得有思不二處說二無二不存二無思處說思不立思不思難。此乃何止不立思。亦不存不思。何得經首稱不思。答。絕思慮故言不思。非謂有不思。故華嚴經云。如是不思。議不可得深入不思議思非思寂滅。

On the eighth day of the twelfth month in the second year of Longshuo, in the Biyu Hall of the Penglai Palace, Lingbian received an imperial decree to explain the title of the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa Sūtra. [A challenger] asked, "Is the inconceivable Way fathomless only to ordinary mortals, or is it also unknown to the sage?" Lingbian answered, "Neither mortal nor sage conceives of it." The challenger objected, "The ultimate principle is profound and subtle; the ordinary stream may well fail to fathom it. But with the sage's heart holding a mirror from afar, how could wondrous wisdom fail to know it?" Lingbian answered, "The Dharma-nature is empty and interfused; the Way pervades everywhere. The nature of things is equal; what phenomenon could be conceived of?" The challenger objected, "A mountain cannot enter [a mustard seed]; to mortals, this is indeed inconceivable. But the sage has the principle of large containing small; for the sage, how could it be unfathomable?" Lingbian answered, "The inconceivable Way pervades all things. Why must it be that a mountain is received [in a mustard seed], and that mortals and sages are divided into conceiving and not conceiving?" The challenger objected, "Mortals' wisdom and sages' wisdom do not divide into conceiving and not conceiving; mortals' power and sages' power do not divide into containing and not containing." Lingbian answered, "The traces of mortals and sages differ, so there may be containing and not containing; the origin of mortals and sages is one, so it does not divide into conceiving and not conceiving." The challenger objected, "If the origin of mortals and sages is fundamentally not two, and does not divide into conceiving and not conceiving, then since their traces differ, there should be discussing and not discussing." Lingbian answered, "Though origin and traces differ, the inconceivable is one." The challenger objected, "This is a difference between the sage's origin and traces; how does it concern ordinary mortals?" Lingbian answered, "All sentient beings are themselves the mark of nirvāṇa. How could the inconceivable Way discriminate between sage and mortal?" The challenger objected, "If the inconceivable is without duality, allowing that mortals and sages are fundamentally not distinct, then since the inconceivable does not differ, how could the traces of mortal and sage be two?" Lingbian answered, "Where there is non-duality, one speaks of duality; but in duality, what duality is there?" The challenger objected, "Then one could also say that where there is no conceiving, one speaks of conceiving. If one speaks of conceiving, how can it be that the sage also does not conceive?" Lingbian answered, "Where there is non-duality, one speaks of duality, but there is neither two nor not-two. If two were retained, you could say that where there is no conceiving, one speaks of conceiving, and what is inconceivable would come to have conceiving. But where there is non-duality, one speaks of duality, and with no duality, two is not retained; where there is no conceiving, one speaks of conceiving, yet neither conceiving nor non-conceiving is established." The challenger objected, "If it is not merely that conceiving is not established, but non-conceiving is also not retained, why then does the head of the sūtra state 'inconceivable'?" Lingbian answered, "Because thinking and conceptualising are cut off, it is called 'inconceivable'; it does not mean there exists a 'non-conceiving'. Therefore the Avataṃsaka Sūtra states: 'Such inconceivability cannot be attained; entering deeply into the inconceivable, both conceiving and non-conceiving are quiescent and ceased.'"