翻譯名義集 2.77

2.77

【Puruṣajana】 Or sattva, or jantu, or jantu. Here translated as 'sentient beings' (zhongsheng). The Mahāyāna treatises say: "Because the manas and manovijñāna, together with all defilements, aggregate and are born, they are called 'sentient beings' (born of multitudes). Yet as a distinct self-substance, they rely solely on the mind as their substance." The Tongxing jing says: "The Buddha said: ''Sentient beings' means that through the confluence of many conditions, they are named 'sentient beings.' That is to say, earth, water, fire, wind, space, and consciousness; name-and-form and the six sense spheres are born from causes and conditions.' The King of Laṅkā asked: 'Bhagavat, what is the root of those sentient beings? On what do they rely and abide? What is their cause?' The Buddha said: 'These sentient beings have ignorance as their root, abide relying on craving, and have karma as their cause.' The King of Laṅkā asked: 'Bhagavat, how many kinds of karma are there?' The Buddha said: 'There are three kinds of karma. What are the three? They are physical, verbal, and mental karma.'" Furthermore, the Dazhidu lun clarifies that sentient beings have three groupings: first, the definitively correct, who are certain to enter nirvāṇa; second, the definitively wrong, who are certain to enter the evil destinies; third, the indefinite. Those who are able to destroy inversion are called the definitively correct; those who cannot destroy inversion are called the definitively wrong; those who, obtaining conditions, can destroy it, but not obtaining them, cannot destroy it, are called the indefinite. In the Book of Han, zhongsheng is pronounced in the falling tone; among Buddhists handed down through succession, it is pronounced in the level tone.