諸經要集 12.6

12.6

竊尋經論。行者修道。皆云五欲是障道本。若不學斷。無由證聖。欲知根本。略述三種。一自內五根。二外諸五塵。三所生五識。由此三故能生染欲。故涅槃經云。善男子。譬如惡象心未調順。有人乘之不隨意去。遠離城邑至空曠處。不能善攝此五根者。亦復如是。將人遠離涅槃城邑。至於生死曠野之處。善男子。譬如佞臣教王作惡。五根佞臣亦復如是。常教眾生造無量惡。譬如惡子。不受師長父母教勅。則無惡不造。不調五根。亦復如是。不受師長善言教勅。無惡不造。善男子。凡夫之人不攝五根。常為地獄畜生餓鬼之所賊害。亦如怨盜害及善人。又遺教經云。五根賊。禍殃及累世。為害甚重。不可不慎。是故智者制而不隨。持之如賊。假令縱之。皆亦不久。見其磨滅也。夫論蓋者。是蔭覆義。謂覆障行者。令志性昏沈。定慧不明。隱沒善人。是修道正障。故名為蓋。故對法論云。此蓋能令善品不得顯了。是蓋義。覆蔽其心。障諸善品。令不得轉。故名蓋義。前之五欲從外五塵而生。此之五蓋從內五根而發也。

Upon respectfully examining the sūtras and treatises, practitioners cultivating the Way all state that the five desires are the root of obstructions to the Way. If one does not learn to cut them off, there is no way to realize sagehood. Wishing to know their root, three kinds are briefly expounded: first, the internal five sense faculties; second, the external five sense objects; third, the five consciousnesses produced from them. It is on account of these three that defiled desires can arise. Therefore, the Nirvāṇa Sūtra states: "Good son, it is like a vicious elephant whose mind is not yet tamed; if someone mounts it, it will not go according to his wish, but will stray far from cities and towns to a wilderness. For one who is unable to properly restrain these five sense faculties, it is also just like this: they will carry a person far away from the city of nirvāṇa, to the wilderness of birth and death. Good son, it is like a flatterer advising a king to do evil; the flattering ministers that are the five faculties are also just like this, constantly urging sentient beings to commit immeasurable evils. It is like an unruly son: if he does not receive the instructions of his teachers, elders, and parents, there is no evil he will not commit. If one does not tame the five faculties, it is also just like this: not receiving the instructions and good words of teachers and elders, there is no evil they will not commit. Good son, when ordinary beings do not restrain the five faculties, they are constantly plundered and harmed by the hells, animals, and hungry ghosts, just as hostile bandits harm good people." Furthermore, the Yijiao jing states: "The thieves of the five faculties bring calamity across successive lifetimes; their harm is extremely severe, and one cannot but be cautious. Therefore, the wise restrain them and do not follow them, holding them in check as they would thieves. Even if one were to indulge them, in no long time one would see their destruction." Now, as to the "hindrances" (nīvaraṇa), they have the meaning of covering over: that is, they cover and obstruct the practitioner, causing his disposition and nature to become confused and submerged, and his concentration and wisdom unclear, obscuring the good person. Being the direct obstructions to cultivating the Way, they are therefore called hindrances. Hence the Abhidharma treatise states: "That these hindrances are able to prevent good qualities from becoming manifest is the meaning of hindrance. Covering and obscuring the mind, they obstruct the various good qualities, preventing them from developing; hence they are named hindrances." The former five desires arise from the external five sense objects, while these five hindrances issue forth from the internal five sense faculties.