北山錄 2.4.2

2.4.2

豈達中道之逕也）故滯有者濫於常。 沈空者涉於斷（計有者執諸法是常。 若外道計四遍常等。 又小乘計一切有等。 執空者如外道計七斷滅論等。 又吾宗亦有撥諸法全空等）與其涉斷寧與濫常。 常則有法可修。 斷則無善不棄。 棄則當乎邪見。 修則漸乎真道矣（如以菩提涅槃皆撥為空等故云寧可著有。 如須彌不可撥空如芥子）今有封於喪有取空為至極之門者（如近代說禪滯於喪有之道者。 便全執空為至極之道）試問。 此空為可取乎為不可取乎（設爾何失）若有空可取則空便是有（空既可取豈不是有）蓋是以封執之心取混茫之空（此但滅蕩然之空也）何關修行見性之理歟。 若空不可取則與有俱遣（有亦不可取與空何別）既與有俱遣則亦與有俱存（有既不可取存空。 遣於有空亦不可取。 何妨亦存有）何獨存空道歟。 夫能雙遣雙存。 蕩然無累（居相則空有不無。 混真則有無俱泯）始曰大士之正觀道場之玄照矣（离二取相故名實住唯識）龍樹云。 譬有適異國者。 館於逆旅（逆旅客舍也）逆旅主人享之。 以肴飯方撤（撤去也謂收飯）賓作而辭曰。 何有哉（見食美而起致問也）主人曰。 吾國有醬故也。 彼退而私曰。 醬與味合而猶至。 是矧若獨為味乎。 乃宣主人之惠也（宣明也。 謂明憶主人之言也）由是。 陰於鬻醬家（陰暗也鬻賣也）貪恣己求。 處無人之室。 屬饜而食（屬饜飽縱也）鹹過渴而死。 夫以偏空為道者。 亦卒以空為害矣（滯而不通故為害也）中觀云。 若人見有空諸佛所不化畏其著斷之誡也。 經云。 勝意比丘聞喜根說婬怒癡是道（喜根菩薩說婬怒癡為道者。 如言先以欲鉤牽後令入佛智等）不平其理。 忿慢是生。 喜根觀乎他世有益。 強授不忌（今雖未達。 終為他世之善因也。 忌怨也）但今邪見者誤執其文以為名相。 皆空為惡不怍（怍慚也。 聞說空言不得。 其意便撥名相皆空而不慚也）豈得經之意。 然而書曰。 皇建有極會其有極。 歸其有極皇大極中也（凡立事當用大中之道。 此與尚書文小異爾）大中之道。 非聖人莫能庶幾行之（大中之道。 謂九疇也。 一曰五行。 二曰敬用五事。 三曰農用八政。 四曰協用五紀。 五曰建用皇極。 六曰乂用三德。 七曰明用稽疑。 八曰念用庶徵。 九曰饗用五福威用六極。 此九也聖人君子帝王也）禮曰。 中庸其至矣乎（禮記第十六有中庸篇）庸常也。 用中為常道也。 故皇極者萬化之中中也。 中庸者亦萬化之中中也（所謂萬物者各有道在其中）為至德之性也。 為萬物之形容也（為萬化之主張陰陽之真宰也）老聖云。 三十輻共一轂。 當其無有車之用（老子道經第十一章文也。 三十輻者眾也。 一轂者少也。 以少總眾也。 此舉轅廂有體之法。 而資無體之用也）埏埴以為器。 當其無有器之用（埏和也。 埴土也。 和土為瓦器。 是有以內空處有盛物之用也）故有之以為器（如有為事法也）無之以為用（如無為假有為事法而顯也）無則中也（以中喻至道）中示一也。 故曰。 天得一以清。 地得一以寧（老子第三十九章文。 物得道用故天清而地寧。 用失則實喪也）易曰。 神無方而易無體（繫辭文。 神乃陰陽不測易則唯變所之不可以一方一體而明之也）又曰。 一陰一陽之謂道（道者寂然無體之稱。 陰陽雖殊無一以待之。 在陰以無陰陰以生之。 在陽為無陽陽以成之。 故曰一陰一陽也）但揭厲有深淺。 而三門之說異矣（論語云。 深則厲。 淺則揭。 爾雅云。 以衣涉水為厲。 若淺則和衣而入也。 淺則揭揭衣也。 淺揭喻行道觀之有淺深也）夫秉大中於內。 行德教於外。 天地和平。 鬼神不靈。 故大庭赫胥（皆□□之前治之君也）得環中之術。 總萬化於無為也（不親其親。 不子其子。

How could this attain the path of the Middle Way?) Therefore, those who stagnate in existence drift into eternalism, while those who sink into emptiness plunge into annihilationism. (Those who conceptualize existence grasp all phenomena as eternal, like the non-Buddhists who hypothesize the four universal eternities, or the Hīnayāna adherents who posit that all exists. Those who grasp emptiness are like the non-Buddhists who hypothesize the seven types of annihilationist theories, or those in our own tradition who dismiss all phenomena as completely empty.) Rather than plunging into annihilationism, it is better to drift into eternalism. With eternalism, there are still dharmas to practice; with annihilationism, there is no good that is not abandoned. When [good] is abandoned, one falls into wrong views; when one practices, one gradually advances toward the true Path. (Just as when one dismisses Bodhi and Nirvāṇa as completely empty, it is said that it is better to cling to existence; even if it were as vast as Mount Sumeru, one should not dismiss it into emptiness even to the size of a mustard seed.)

Nowadays, there are those who remain bound to annihilating existence and seizing emptiness as the supreme gate. (Like those in recent times who speak of Chan and stagnate in the way of annihilating existence, immediately clinging completely to emptiness as the ultimate Way.) Let us ask them: Is this emptiness graspable, or is it ungraspable? (If so, what fault is there?) If there is an emptiness that can be grasped, then emptiness is simply existence. (Since emptiness can be grasped, is it not existence?) This is merely using a mind of attachment to seize an indeterminate void. (This is merely an emptiness of complete destruction and obliteration.) What does it have to do with the principle of cultivating practice and seeing one's nature? If emptiness is ungraspable, then it is relinquished together with existence. (Existence is also ungraspable; how does it differ from emptiness?) Having been relinquished together with existence, it is then also preserved together with existence. (Since existence cannot be grasped and emptiness is preserved, if existence is relinquished, emptiness also cannot be grasped; what hinders also preserving existence?) Why preserve only the path of emptiness? One who is capable of both dual relinquishment and dual preservation, completely free and unburdened—(abiding in characteristics, emptiness and existence are not absent; merging with truth, existence and non-existence are both obliterated)—only then may be called [the possessor of] the Great Being's correct contemplation and the profound illumination of the place of practice. (Because one is free from the characteristics of the two graspings, it is named truly abiding in Consciousness-Only.)

Nāgārjuna said: Suppose someone travels to a foreign country and stays at an inn. (An inn is a lodging house.) The host of the inn entertains him, and just as the food and meat dishes are being cleared away—(clearing away means removing the meal)—the guest stands up and asks, "What made this so flavorful?" (Seeing the food was delicious, he stood up and asked.) The host said, "It is because our country has salt sauce." When he retired, he said to himself, "When salt sauce is merely mixed with flavors, it is already so wonderful; how much more so if it were tasted alone!" He then made known the host's kindness. (Making known means clarifying; it means clearly remembering the host's words.) Because of this, he went in secret to a sauce merchant's shop, (in secret means surreptitiously; a sauce merchant sells it) greedily indulging his own desires; staying in an empty room, he ate to satiety, (eating to satiety means overeating to excess) and died of excessive thirst from the salt. Those who take one-sided emptiness as the Path ultimately bring harm upon themselves through emptiness. (Stagnating without penetration is what causes harm.) The *Madhyamaka-śāstra* says: If someone clings to the view of emptiness, the Buddhas cannot convert them; this is a warning against fearing attachment to annihilation.

The scripture says: When the monk Abhimānika heard Root of Joy (Harṣamūla) teach that lust, anger, and delusion are the Path, (when Bodhisattva Harṣamūla taught that lust, anger, and delusion are the Path, it is like saying: First draw them in with the hook of desire, and then cause them to enter the Buddha's wisdom) he could not accept the principle, and resentment and arrogance arose in him. Root of Joy, seeing that it would be of benefit in future lifetimes, forcefully imparted it to him without hesitation. (Although he did not understand now, it would ultimately become a good cause in future lives. Hesitation means harboring resentment.) Yet today, those with wrong views mistakenly seize upon these words, take them to mean that all characteristics are empty, and commit evil without shame. (Being without shame means feeling no compunction. Hearing the teaching of emptiness without grasping its meaning, they immediately dismiss characteristics as entirely empty and feel no shame.) How could they have captured the meaning of the scripture?

However, the *Classic of History* states: "The August One establishes the supreme standard (huangji); assemble his supreme standard, and return to his supreme standard." "August" means great; "extreme" means the center. (Whenever establishing affairs, one must use the Great Center way. This differs slightly from the wording in the *Book of Documents*.) None but a sage can aspire to practice the Way of the Great Center. (The Way of the Great Center refers to the Nine Divisions: the first is the Five Elements; the second is reverent practice of the Five Matters; the third is diligent practice of the Eight Governings; the fourth is harmonious use of the Five Periods; the fifth is the establishment and use of the Royal Standard; the sixth is the orderly practice of the Three Virtues; the seventh is the clear practice of examining doubts; the eighth is the thoughtful practice of the various omens; the ninth is the joyful practice of the Five Blessings and the awe-inspiring practice of the Six Extremities. These nine are for sages, gentlemen, emperors, and kings.) The *Book of Rites* says: "Is not the Doctrine of the Mean (Zhongyong) supreme?" (The sixteenth chapter of the *Book of Rites* is the "Doctrine of the Mean" chapter.) *Yong* means ordinary/constant; using the center is the constant Way. Therefore, the Royal Standard is the center of centers for the myriad transformations, and the Doctrine of the Mean is also the center of centers for the myriad transformations. (What is called the myriad things each has the Way within them.) It is the nature of supreme virtue; it is the form and appearance of the myriad things. (It is the director of the myriad transformations, the true master of yin and yang.)

The Ancient Sage [Laozi] said: "Thirty spokes converge on one hub; it is where there is nothing that the utility of the cart lies." (This is from Chapter 11 of the *Daodejing* of Laozi. Thirty spokes represent the many; one hub represents the few. Using the few to integrate the many. This cites the entity of the shafts and carriage box to aid the function of what is formless.) "Clay is molded to make vessels; it is where there is nothing that the utility of the vessel lies." (Molding means mixing; clay is earth. Mixing earth makes earthenware vessels; having the hollow space inside provides the function of containing things.) Therefore, having existence constitutes the vessel; (like conditioned phenomena) having non-existence constitutes the utility. (Like unconditioned phenomena being manifested by means of conditioned phenomena.) Non-existence is the center; (using the center as an analogy for the supreme Way) the center indicates oneness. Therefore it is said: "Heaven attained the One and thereby became clear; Earth attained the One and thereby became tranquil." (A passage from Chapter 39 of Laozi. When things attain the function of the Way, Heaven is clear and Earth is tranquil. When the function is lost, the reality is destroyed.)

The *Classic of Changes* says: "Spirit has no definite direction, and the *Changes* has no fixed form." (A passage from the *Xici*. Spirit is the unfathomability of yin and yang; the *Changes* goes wherever transformation leads, and cannot be illuminated by a single direction or a single form.) It also says: "One yin and one yang is called the Way." (The Way is the designation for what is silent and formless. Although yin and yang are different, there is nothing else to await besides the One. In yin, by having no yin, yin is generated; in yang, by being without yang, yang is completed. Therefore it is said: "One yin and one yang.") However, whether one lifts their skirts or wades depends on the depth, and the teachings of the three gates differ. (The *Analects* says: "If deep, wade across with clothes on; if shallow, lift the skirts." The *Erya* says: Crossing water with clothes on is called wading (li); if it is shallow, one enters with clothes lifted (jie). Lifting the skirts refers to holding up one's garments. Lifting and wading are metaphors for the depth and shallowness of practicing the contemplation of the Path.)

When one holds the Great Center within and practices virtuous instruction without, Heaven and Earth are in harmony, and ghosts and spirits cause no harm. Therefore, Dating and Hexu (both were rulers who governed prior to [...]) mastered the art of the ring's center, unifying the myriad transformations in wuwei. (They did not treat only their kin as kin, nor did they treat only their sons as sons.