[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) › [三教平心論](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2117) › 1.14 # 三教平心論 1.14 三教平心論 1.14 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [1.14](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2117.1.14) 佛家之教。一佛出現。則以三千大千世界為報剎。姑以一世界言之。一世界之中有須彌山。從大海峙出於九霄之上。日月循環乎山之腰。而分晝夜。須彌四面為四洲。東曰弗于逮。西曰瞿耶尼。南曰閻浮提。北曰欝單越。四大洲之中各有三千洲。今此之世界。則閻浮提也。今此之中華。則南洲三千洲中之一洲也。釋迦下生於天竺。乃南洲之正中也。須彌四旁上臨日月之處。謂之帝釋天。又上於虛空之中朗然而住。雲層四重天總名欲界。又上雲層十八重天總名色界。又上空層四重天總名無色界。如是三界中諸眾生輩有生老病死。是為一世界也。如此一千世界謂之小千。如此一千小千世界。謂之中千。即百萬也。如此一千中千世界。謂之大千。即百億也。以三次言千。故云三千大千。其實一大千爾。一大千之中有百億須彌山百億日月百億四天下。如小錢一百萬貫。每一界置一錢。盡此一百萬貫。方為大千世界。此一佛報剎也。一佛出現。則百億世界中有百億身。同時出現。故梵網經曰。一華百億國。一國一釋迦。各坐菩提樹。一時成佛道。如是千百億。盧舍那本身。千百億釋迦。各接微塵眾。是之謂千百億化身也。以千百億化身。而化度千百億世界其中胎卵濕化無足二足四足多足有色無色有想無想乃至非想非非想。皆令得度。是佛家之教然也。故學佛者。識五蘊之皆空。澄六根之清淨。遠離十惡修行十善。觀四念處行四正勤。除六十二見。而邪偽無所容。斷九十八使。而煩惱莫能亂。三千威儀八萬細行無不謹守。四無量心六波羅蜜常用熏修。其間為法忘軀。則如割皮刺血書經斷臂投身參請。而不怯不疑。為物忘己。則如忍苦割肉餧鷹捨命將身飼虎。而不怖不畏。錢財珍寶國城妻子。棄之如弊屣。支節手足頭目髓腦。捨之如遺脫。從生至生經百千萬億生。而此心不退轉也。從劫至劫經百千萬億劫。而此心愈精進也。由是三祇果滿萬德功圓離四句。四句者。謂諸法不自生。亦不從他生。不共。不無因。是故說無生絕百非。通達無量無邊法門。善入無量無邊三昧。成就五根五力。具足三達三明。圓顯四智三身。超證六通五眼。得四無礙辯而演說無窮。入四如意分而神通自在。八勝處八解脫常得現前。四無畏四攝法受用無盡。八聖道支十八不共法。不與三乘同等。三十二相八十種好。莊嚴微妙法身。過去塵沙劫未來塵沙劫無不洞見。現在塵沙界眾生塵沙心無不了知。圓明十號之尊。超出三界之上。是為一切種智。是天中之天。是為無上法王。是為正等正覺超諸方便成十力。還度法界諸有情。佛之極功如此而已。法華經云。如來為一大事因緣故出現於世。普欲令眾生皆共成此道。蓋其大願大力。誓與一切含靈。皆證無上涅槃妙果者也。是故辨三教者。不可以私心論。不可以愛憎之心論。惟平其心念究其極功。則知世之學儒者。到收因結果處。不過垂功名也。世之學道者。到收因結果處。不過得長生也。世之學佛者。到收因結果處。可以斷滅生死究竟涅槃普度眾生俱成正覺也。其優劣豈不顯然可見哉。故嘗試譬之。儒教之所行者。中國也。道教之所行者。天上人間也。佛教之所行者。盡虛空遍法界也。儒猶治一家威令行於藩牆之內。若夫藩牆之外。則不可得而號召也。道猶宰一邑政教及於四境之中。若夫四境之外。則不可得而控制也。佛猶奄有四海為天下君。溥天率土莫非臣民。禮樂征伐悉自我出也。此三教廣狹之辨也。學儒者死而後已。蓋百年間事也。學道者務求長生。蓋千萬年也。學佛者欲斷生死湛然常住。蓋經歷塵沙劫數無有窮盡也。儒猶一盞之燈光照一夕。鐘鳴漏盡則油竭燈滅也。道猶阿闍世王作百歲燈照佛舍利。經百歲已其燈乃滅也。佛猶皎日照耀萬古常明。西沒東升循環不息也。此三教久近之辨也。 > As for the teaching of Buddhism, when a single Buddha appears, he takes a trisāhasramahāsāhasradhātū as his reward kṣetra. Speaking provisionally of a single world: in the midst of a single world there is Mount Sumeru, towering out of the great ocean above the nine heavens. The sun and moon revolve around the waist of the mountain, dividing day and night. The four sides of Sumeru form four continents: the east is Pūrvavideha, the west is Aparagodānīya, the south is Jambudvīpa, and the north is Uttarakuru. In each of the four continents there are three thousand continents. The world today is Jambudvīpa. The Central Floriate Kingdom \[China\] today is one continent among the three thousand continents of the southern continent. Śākya descended to be born in Tianzhu, which is the exact center of the southern continent. The place around the four flanks of Sumeru that looks down upon the sun and moon is called Śakra's heaven. Further up, dwelling radiantly in the midst of empty space, four tiers of cloud heavens are collectively named the kāmadhātu. Further up, eighteen tiers of cloud heavens are collectively named the rūpadhātu. Further up, four tiers of space heavens are collectively named the ārūpyadhātu. In this way, the sentient beings in the traidhātuka undergo birth, old age, sickness, and death; this constitutes a single world. A thousand such worlds are called a minor-thousand \[world system\]. A thousand such minor-thousand world systems are called a medium-thousand \[world system\], which is one million. A thousand such medium-thousand world systems are called a great-thousand \[world system\], which is ten billion. Because 'thousand' is spoken three times, it is called a trisāhasramahāsāhasra; in reality, it is simply one great-thousand. Within one great-thousand there are ten billion Mount Sumerus, ten billion suns and moons, and ten billion four-continents. It is like one million strings of small coins: placing one coin for every world, it is only when these one million strings are exhausted that it constitutes a great-thousand world. This is the reward kṣetra of a single Buddha. When a single Buddha appears, he simultaneously manifests ten billion bodies in ten billion worlds. Therefore the Brahmā Net Sūtra says: 'A single flower holds ten billion lands, and in each land is a Śākya, each seated beneath a Bodhi tree, simultaneously attaining the Buddha path. Such are the hundreds of thousands of myriads \[of manifestations\] of the original body of Rocana; hundreds of thousands of myriads of Śākyas, each receiving dust-mote assemblies.' This is called the hundreds of thousands of myriads of nirmāṇakāyas. With these hundreds of thousands of myriads of nirmāṇakāyas, he transforms and delivers the womb-born, egg-born, moisture-born, miraculously born, the footless, two-footed, four-footed, many-footed, form, formless, with-thought, thoughtless, and even the neither-with-thought-nor-thoughtless in hundreds of thousands of myriads of worlds, causing all to attain deliverance. Such is the teaching of Buddhism. Therefore, those who study Buddhism realize that the pañca-skandhas are all empty and purify the ṣaḍ-indriyas; they distance themselves from the ten unwholesome deeds and cultivate the ten wholesome deeds; they contemplate the catuḥ-smṛtyupasthānas and practice the catuḥ-samyakprahāṇas; they eliminate the sixty-two wrong views so that what is perverse and false has nowhere to abide; they sever the ninety-eight anuśayas so that afflictions cannot cause disturbance; they scrupulously observe the three thousand dignified demeanors and eighty thousand subtle deeds; they constantly perfume and cultivate the catvāry apramāṇāni and the ṣaṭ-pāramitās. In the midst of this, in forgetting their bodies for the sake of the Dharma, they are like those who flay their skin and pierce their blood to write sūtras, or sever their arms and cast down their bodies to seek instruction, without fear or doubt. In forgetting themselves for the sake of other beings, they are like those who endure suffering to cut off flesh to feed a hawk, or abandon life to offer their bodies to feed a tigress, without terror or dread. Money, treasures, cities, wives, and children they cast away like worn sandals; limbs, hands, feet, head, eyes, marrow, and brain they relinquish like shed garments. From life to life through hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of lives, this mind does not retrogress; from kalpa to kalpa through hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of kalpas, this mind becomes ever more vigorous. As a result, when the fruits of the three asaṃkhyeyas are fulfilled and the merits of the myriad virtues are perfected, they depart from the catuṣkoṭi. The 'catuṣkoṭi' means that phenomena do not arise from themselves, nor do they arise from others, nor together, nor without cause; therefore it is said that they are unarisen, cutting off the hundred negations. They thoroughly penetrate immeasurable and boundless dharma-gates, skillfully enter immeasurable and boundless samādhis, accomplish the five faculties and five powers, fully possess the three masteries and three clarities, roundly manifest the four wisdoms and trikāya, transcendently realize the ṣaḍ-abhijñās and five eyes, attain the catasraḥ pratisamvidaḥ to preach boundlessly, and enter the catvāra ṛddhipādāḥ for unimpeded supernatural powers. The aṣṭāv abhibhv-āyatanāni and aṣṭau vimokṣāḥ constantly appear before them; the catvāri vaiśāradyāni and catvāri saṃgrahavastūni are inexhaustibly enjoyed. The āryāṣṭāṅgamārga and the aṣṭādaśāveṇikadharmāḥ are not on a par with the three vehicles. The thirty-two marks and eighty minor signs adorn the subtle and wondrous Dharmakāya. Through dust-mote kalpas of the past and dust-mote kalpas of the future, nothing is not clearly seen; in the dust-mote worlds of the present, the dust-mote minds of sentient beings are all known. Perfectly luminous as the Honoured One of the ten epithets, they transcend the traidhātuka; this is sarvākārajñatā, this is the God of Gods, this is the unexcelled Dharma King, this is samyaksaṃbodhi transcending all expedient means to accomplish the ten powers, returning to deliver all sentient beings in the realm of phenomena. The ultimate achievement of Buddhism is nothing more than this. The Lotus Sūtra says: 'It is for the sake of the one great cause that the Tathāgata appears in the world, universally desiring to cause all sentient beings to accomplish this path together.' For his great vow and great power swear that all sentient beings shall realize the wondrous fruit of unexcelled nirvāṇa. Therefore, those who distinguish the Three Teachings must not discuss them with selfish partiality, nor with hearts of love and hate. If one merely calms one's thoughts and examines their ultimate achievements, one will know that when those in the world who study Confucianism reach the harvest of causes and effects, it is merely leaving behind merit and fame. When those in the world who study Daoism reach the harvest of causes and effects, it is merely obtaining longevity. When those in the world who study Buddhism reach the harvest of causes and effects, they can extinguish life and death, attain ultimate nirvāṇa, and universally deliver all sentient beings to jointly accomplish right awakening. How could their relative superiority and inferiority not be clearly evident? Thus, by way of analogy: where Confucianism operates is China; where Daoism operates is heaven and the human world; where Buddhism operates is the entirety of space throughout the realm of phenomena. Confucianism is like governing a single family, where authority and orders are exercised within the boundary fence, but beyond the fence, it is impossible to summon anyone. Daoism is like presiding over a single town, where governance and instruction reach within its four borders, but beyond the four borders, it is impossible to exercise control. Buddhism is like possessing the four seas to become the lord of all under heaven, where across the entire realm all are subjects, and rites, music, and punitive expeditions all issue from oneself. This is the distinction between the broad and narrow of the Three Teachings. Those who study Confucianism stop only with death; this is a matter of a hundred years. Those who study Daoism strive for longevity; this is a matter of thousands or myriads of years. Those who study Buddhism wish to cut off life and death and dwell serenely forever; this spans dust-mote kalpas without end. Confucianism is like the light of a single lamp shining for a single night: when the bell sounds and the water clock runs out, the oil is exhausted and the lamp goes out. Daoism is like King Ajātaśatru making a hundred-year lamp to illuminate the relics of the Buddha: when the hundred years have passed, the lamp is extinguished. Buddhism is like the bright sun shining through countless kalpas, eternally luminous, setting in the west and rising in the east, revolving without rest. This is the distinction between the enduring and ephemeral of the Three Teachings. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 1.13](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2117.1.13) - [Next: 1.15](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2117.1.15) - [Up: 1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2117.1) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2117~en-mt.1.14) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2117.1.14](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2117.1.14) · Pramāṇa