翻譯名義集 5.126

5.126

[Six Thieves] The original nature is bright and tranquil, but due to emotions it becomes dark and scattered. When the mad mind rests, the true Buddha reveals itself. One should know that the sense objects and consciousnesses are the thieves, while calming and insight are like soldiers (calming stops the mind's scattering, while insight illuminates the mind's darkness). Although by metaphor soldiers are dispatched to suppress thieves, in terms of the Dharma's essential principle, the thieves themselves are turned into soldiers. As the Śūraṅgama Sūtra says: "The eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind—these six act as matchmakers for thieves, robbing one's own house of its treasures (the character mei [matchmaker] is glossed as謀 [plot/combine], meaning to arrange the union of two surnames into one. The six sense-bases can produce the six consciousnesses and cause them to cling to the six dust-objects, so the six sense-bases are like matchmakers)." The Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra says: "Like a worldly person racing into an empty village (the six sense-bases are false and empty, like an empty village), harmed by six thieves, foolishly not knowing to avoid them (the six dust-objects cause defilement, harm the life of wisdom, and plunder the wealth of merit, hence they are called the six thieves). They are also called the six declines." Miaole says: "'Decline' is simply the 'thief', because it can deplete and harm." The Dharmapada says: "Long ago, when the Buddha was in the world, there was a man beneath a tree by a river who studied the Way for twenty years, yet he only thought of the six dust-objects (form, sound, scent, taste, touch, and mental phenomena), and his mind had no rest. The Buddha knew he could be saved, transformed himself into a śramaṇa, and lodged under the tree with him. That night the moon was bright, and a turtle came out of the river. A jackal wanted to eat it, so the turtle pulled its head, tail, and four legs in, concealing them inside its shell. The dog found no opening and after a short while went far away, whereupon the turtle returned into the water. Seeing this, the practitioner said to the śramaṇa: 'The turtle has armor that protects its life, so the jackal could find no opening.' The śramaṇa replied: 'Worldly people are not like this turtle; they indulge their six passions, and external māras find an opening.' He then spoke a verse: 'Conceal the six like a turtle; guard the mind like a fortress. Fight māra with wisdom; if you prevail, there is no trouble. You should know that non-action can kill those thieves.'" Therefore the Anban shouyi jing says: "There is external non-action, and there is internal non-action. External non-action means the eye does not look at forms (forms ruin my eyes and make me a slave to affection and love; the Great One-Horned Ṛṣi, because of attachment to form, had a courtesan ride on his neck); the ear does not listen to sounds (when drums, music, songs, and laughter are heard, bewilderment and attachment arise; five hundred ṛṣis, hearing women's singing voices, all lost their dhyāna concentration); the nose does not receive scents (various scents agitate the defilements; a pond-spirit reproved one who loved the scent of lotus flowers); the mouth does not taste flavors (a śrāmaṇera who relished curd became an insect in curd, how much more so with craving meat, wine, onions, and leeks?); the body avoids delicate smoothness (the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa explains that Śubhakarman's inner fire of lust flared up, burning his body to ashes); and the mind does not indulge in delusive thoughts." (The Śūraṅgama Sūtra says: "Even if you extinguish all seeing, hearing, sensing, and knowing, keeping within quiet seclusion, that is still the discriminated shadow of the dust of mental objects." The Wei wunian sanmei jing says: "The reason why people born in the world fail to attain the Way is merely because they sit in contemplation with many defiled thoughts. With one good thought, one receives a good reward; with one evil thought, one receives an evil reward. Just as an echo answers a sound and a shadow follows a form, if one restrains thought, the mind is not heedless.") Internal non-action consists of counting the breaths, following them, calming, insight, returning, and purification (these are called the six wondrous gates: first, counting the breath; second, following the breath; third, calming; fourth, insight; fifth, returning; and sixth, purification). The sūtra further asks: "If thoughts are currently present, how can it be non-action?" The answer says: "Body and speech constitute the precepts, and the mind directs itself toward the practice of the Way. Although there are thoughts, their original direction is toward non-action." The Wuxing jing says: "Contemplate the body as ultimately non-existent; contemplate feelings as empty inside and outside; contemplate the mind as having nothing; contemplate dharmas as merely possessing names." An ancient worthy said: "Seeing, hearing, sensing, and knowing are originally not causes (seeing forms, hearing sounds, sensing scents, flavors, and tangibles, and the mind knowing the six dust-objects); their actual substance is empty and profound, transcending delusion and truth. When encountering appearances, no deeds of delusion or craving are produced, and all is completely and clearly the body of Śākyamuni." Wujizi further recited a short verse to exhort all: "Human life is short; hell's suffering is long. Evil must cease daily; good must always be raised up."