一切經音義 73.64

73.64

A, I, U (𧙃贀隖: the upper character 𧙃 is a plus ke fanqie [a]; the middle character 贀 is yi plus yi fanqie [i]; the lower character 隖 is wu plus gu fanqie [u]. These three characters are Sanskrit sounds. In the treatise text, the two characters ai (哀) and yi (壹) are written, which are scribal errors in copying; moreover, one character, wu (隖), has dropped out. The intent of the treatise is to explain the three bodies [kāya] of words, phrases, and syllables [nāmakāya, padakāya, vyañjanakāya], etc. These three are distinct from one another, just like the three characters A, I, and U, analogous to the three eyes on the face of the heavenly king Maheśvara. The Nirvāṇa Sūtra also fully clarifies this principle: their essence is one but their functions differ, and if one is missing, none is possible; together they form a single meaning, termed the three collections of bodies).