翻譯名義集 5.37

5.37

【Caryā】In Qin, 'action'. The Large Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra states: "The letter-gate ca: because all dharmas are ultimately unattainable." The Treatise states: "If one hears the letter ca, one immediately knows that all saṃskāras are non-action." Now I add an explanation, saying: The beginning of action is named 'cause'; the completion of action is named 'fruit'. The Hongming ji states: "Evil the size of a tiny seed does not perish over eons; good the size of a hair's breadth endures accumulated across ages. When merit is perfected, heavenly halls are naturally reached; when sin accumulates, hells thus arrive. This is a matter of inevitable certainty, leaving no room for doubt. If one does good in secret and receives retribution in the open, the world calls it 'hidden virtue', and everyone believes in it! If one does evil in the open and receives retribution in the dark, this principle is glaringly clear; how could one not believe it?" It also says: "The sages set forth merit to encourage good and display calamity to admonish against evil. Petty people deem that good brings no benefit and so do not perform it; they deem that evil causes no harm and so do not repent it. Calamity and merit surely have their roots and cannot be brought about randomly without a cause. Good and evil must receive their retribution, and surely will not end in vain without a response." It also says: "Thus the Dharma King established the teachings to comprehensively oversee the conscious mind. For the prison of the three realms, three categories are determined: first, sin; second, merit; third, the path. Sin is bound by the three poisons, its tied karmas belonging to the ghost kings; merit is perfected by the four universal vows, self-assurance belonging to the heavenly lords; the path is open, unimpeded, and non-abiding, though in terms of practice it is not without clarity and obscurity. In obscurity, the vehicles are divided into Great and Small, and wisdom engages with faith and dharma; in clarity, one singularly penetrates the nature of principle, soaring high above emptiness and existence." It also says: "What is merit? It is to induce pleasant sensations to put the body at ease, and to derive joy and delight to gladden the nature." Now discussing merit: compassion and respect come first. Compassion is to lament the hardship of the painful destinies and ponder rescuing and liberating them; respect is to recognize that the Buddha-Dharma is difficult to encounter, broadening faith and clarifying the spirit. Depending on objects involves mundane sentiment; resting upon principle, only mind is the root. If the mind is empty and unbound, its merit will surely turn toward oneself and others. If inverted thoughts are not dispelled, performing actions will run counter to practical application. Now examining the Hongming ji, although the names of the three categories it established are fine, the three meanings it explained still miss the mark, because in discussing the ten realms they are conflated without distinction. Now I say: the ten fetters and ten unwholesome deeds belong to sin, called black karma, ripening in the four evil destinies. The five precepts, ten virtues, four dhyānas, and four formless absorptions belong to merit, called white karma, ripening in the human and heavenly realms. The Mahāyāna of the three vehicles belongs to the path, evoking the four noble beings as retribution. Here mundane and noble realms are distinguished, and the affairs of cause and effect are settled. With these three categories, actions are encompassed completely. The Dàzhìdù lùn states: "Alternatively, three actions are spoken of: bodily action, vocal action, and mental action. Bodily action is inhalation and exhalation. Why? Because breath belongs to the body. Vocal action is vitarka and vicāra. Why? Because first one applies thought and investigates, and only afterwards speaks. Mental action is sensation and perception. Why? Because sensation of pain and pleasure and the mind grasping marks arising are called mental action. There are two kinds of mental factors: the first belongs to view; the second belongs to craving. That which governs craving is called sensation; that which governs view is called perception. For this reason, these two dharmas are said to be mental action." In the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, chanting the letter-gate ca is named 'the universal wheel severing distinctions'. The Commentary states: "As for the letter ca, all dharmas have no existence; since all saṃskāras are empty, distinctions are universally crushed."