鐔津文集 2.12

2.12

修多羅藏者何謂也。合理也經也。經也者常也貫也攝也。顯乎前聖後聖所說皆然。莫善乎常也。持義理而不亡。莫善乎貫也。總群生而教之。莫善乎攝也。阿毘曇藏者何謂也。對法也論也。論也者判也辨也。發明乎聖人之宗趣。莫善乎辨。指其道之淺深。莫善乎判。毘尼藏者何謂也戒也律也。律也者制也。啟眾善遮眾惡。莫善乎制也。人天乘者何謂也。漸之漸也。導世俗。莫盛乎至漸。聲聞乘者何謂也。權也漸也小道也。緣覺乘者何謂也。亦小道也。從其器而宜之。莫盛乎權。與其進而不與其退。莫盛乎漸。菩薩乘者何謂也。實也頓也大道也。即人心而授大道。莫盛乎菩薩乘也。其乘與妙覺通。其殆庶幾者也。四輪者何謂也。曰風也。曰水也。曰金也。曰地也。四輪也者天地之所以成形也。觀乎四輪則天地之終始可知也。三界者何謂也。曰欲也。曰色也。曰無色也。三界也者有情者之所依也。觀乎三界則六合之內外可詳而不疑也。六道者何謂也。曰地獄也。曰畜生也。曰餓鬼也。曰修羅也。曰人也。曰天也。六道也者善惡心之所感也。觀乎六道則可以慎其為心也四生者何謂也。曰胎也。曰卵也。曰濕也。曰化也。四生也者情之所成也。觀乎四生則可以知形命之所以然也。何家無教。何書無道。道近而不道遠。天下何以知遠乎。教人而不教他類。物其有所遺乎。夫幽者遠者。固人耳目之所不及也。惚恍者飛潛者。固人力之不能䘏也。人之不能及。宜聖人能及之。人之不能䘏。宜聖人能恤之。聖人不能及天下。其終昧夫幽遠者耶。聖人不能䘏。含靈者將淪而無所拯乎。是故聖人之教遠近幽明無所不被無所不著。天下其廣大悉備者。孰有如吾聖人之教者也。

What is the Sūtra Piṭaka called? It tallies with the principle; it is the scriptures. 'Scripture' means constant, threading, and encompassing. Revealing that what was spoken by earlier sages and later sages is universally so: nothing is better than constancy. Maintaining doctrinal principles without losing them: nothing is better than threading. Gathering all living beings and teaching them: nothing is better than encompassing. What is the Abhidharma Piṭaka called? It is the facing of phenomena; it is the treatises. 'Treatise' means judging and discerning. Clarifying the central purpose of the sages: nothing is better than discerning. Indicating the shallowness and depth of their Way: nothing is better than judging. What is the Vinaya Piṭaka called? It is the precepts; it is the monastic regulations. 'Regulation' means restraint. Opening up all goods and blocking all evils: nothing is better than restraint. What is the vehicle of humans and gods called? It is the gradual of the gradual. In guiding the secular world, nothing is more effective than supreme gradualness. What is the Śrāvaka Vehicle called? It is expedient, gradual, and a lesser path. What is the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle called? It is likewise a lesser path. Adapting appropriately to their capacities: nothing is more effective than expedience. Endorsing their advancement and not their retreat: nothing is more effective than gradualness. What is the Bodhisattva Vehicle called? It is real, sudden, and the Great Path. Directly conferring the Great Path on the human mind: nothing is more effective than the Bodhisattva Vehicle. Its vehicle connects with wondrous enlightenment; it is almost there. What are the four discs called? They are the wind disc, the water disc, the gold disc, and the earth disc. The four discs are that by which Heaven and Earth take form. Observing the four discs, the beginning and end of Heaven and Earth can be known. What are the three realms called? They are the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm. The three realms are what sentient beings rely upon. Observing the three realms, the inside and outside of the universe can be examined without doubt. What are the six destinies called? They are hells, animals, hungry ghosts, asuras, humans, and gods. The six destinies are what minds of good and evil resonate with. Observing the six destinies, one can be cautious in how one uses the mind. What are the four types of birth called? They are womb-born, egg-born, moisture-born, and transformation-born. The four types of birth are what feelings bring about. Observing the four types of birth, one can know the reasons for physical form and life. What school is without teachings? What text is without a path? If a path addresses the near but not the far, how can the world know the far? If one teaches humans but does not teach other species, would creatures not be left out? The dark and the distant are indeed beyond the reach of human ears and eyes. The fleeting and indistinct, the flying and the diving, are indeed beyond the capacity of human strength to care for. What humans cannot reach, the sage should properly reach; what humans cannot care for, the sage should properly care for. If the sage could not reach the world, would it forever remain blind to the dark and distant? If the sage could not care for sentient beings, would they sink without anything to rescue them? Therefore the sage's teaching is applied to and manifests in the far and the near, the dark and the bright, leaving nothing uncovered. Among all that is broad, vast, and fully complete under heaven, what can compare to the teaching of our sage?