英語訳
**Page Four, Upper Section**
One should not retreat. That Śāriputra previously aroused great aspiration, but due to giving away his eyes, he retreated and sought the lesser fruit. Fearing he might retreat again, [the text] encourages refinement. What is called "practice" is like a magician who performs some work - though there is no real action, it is not without something similar. Awaiting causes and conditions, hearing, believing, learning, realizing, and expounding are never abandoned even momentarily. Yet there is no discrimination and no seeing of the characteristics of practice. This is the meaning of practice - it is not that there is no practice at all. However, the virtues of Buddhahood are supremely excellent and boundless; without vast cultivation, there is no way to achieve realization. Therefore, based on this principle, those who speak of practice must possess the two types of Buddha-nature of the Great Vehicle and be able to gradually practice through the five stages. The two types of nature are: First, the inherently abiding Buddha-nature - the innate capacity dwelling in the fundamental consciousness that can generate the uncontaminated. Second, the Buddha-nature achieved through habituation - that which arises from the perfuming influence of opening the dharma-realm's equal-flow correct teaching.
The five stages are: First is the stage of accumulating provisions - from initially arousing great bodhicitta until beginning to cultivate the four contemplations of investigation, dwelling in the forty mental states, all included in this stage. Second is the stage of preparation - the four types of samādhi after accumulating provisions. Third is the stage of insight - after the four samādhis, the true characteristics of the seeing path at the initial moment of the first ground. Fourth is the stage of cultivation - from the seeing path until the vajra samādhi, the cultivation path of the ten grounds. Fifth is the stage of ultimate attainment - after the vajra samādhi, the three Buddha bodies in the liberation path, the four wonderful perfect extinctions, and complete Buddhahood. How does one practice? Those who practice, wishing to realize bodhi and create great benefit and happiness, must first arouse great bodhicitta, then initiate correct practice. It is like the great ocean initially having one drop that can serve as the dwelling place for all treasures.
**Page Four, Lower Section**
The initial arousal of aspiration is also like this. The wholesome dharmas of the five vehicles all arise from this. One should make this vow: "I vow to definitively realize unsurpassed perfect enlightenment and be able to accomplish all benefits for sentient beings." Next one should practice. This has two types: first concise, second extensive. The concise again has three: first realm, second practice, third the fruit obtained. Previously not knowing the realms of true and false, one generated afflictions and consequently suffered various sufferings. Now properly reversing this, there are also three. Through this, initially one should carefully observe the realm. Having already understood good and evil, the practice of cultivation and elimination is accomplished. Once the causal practices are complete, the fruition virtues are then realized. Though the sacred teachings of the Buddhas are also boundless, in explaining the gates of practice, they do not exceed three types. Therefore practitioners should study according to this. The extensive also has three: first what is to be learned, second the methods of study, third the ability to study.
However, though bodhisattva practices are immeasurable, they do not exceed four types: First, pāramitā practices - the six perfections. Second, practices of factors of enlightenment - the thirty-seven categories, the four investigations, and all wonderful practices. Third, supernatural power practices - the six supernatural powers. Fourth, practices for maturing sentient beings - the immeasurable realms of those to be tamed and the skillful means for taming them. Why are these practiced dharmas called "profound"? The wisdom-realm of ultimate truth transcends the path of words and discussion, cannot be analogized by analogies. It is the vast ocean of pure dharma, the wonderful jeweled spring pool. Therefore all that is studied is called profound. Among bodhisattva practices, the true suchness that is observed is true reality prajñā. The wisdom that is cultivated is contemplative prajñā. The dependent teachings that are interpreted are textual prajñā. With wisdom as primary, the rest are retinue prajñā. The existence and emptiness that are understood are realm prajñā. With wisdom as primary, the other natures or supports - therefore all that is practiced is called prajñā. What is meant by "time" refers to practicing the five prajñās
**Page Five, Upper Section**
through the divisions of the three kalpas, or following one's own mind, creating limitations, with affairs reaching completion, generally establishing the name of time.
The sutra states: "Illuminatingly saw that the five aggregates are all empty." Commentary: This shows that through practicing the extremely profound prajñā, one obtains the eye of correct wisdom, and penetrating emptiness is called illumination. That is, all conditioned dharmas such as form and feeling have the three times, internal and external, coarse and subtle, inferior and superior, near and far - their accumulation is called aggregates. There are five of these: form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness. The word "etc." equally includes dharmas such as sense-fields. Though cultivating everything, all practice prajñā, realizing the true and abandoning the false through wisdom's illumination of emptiness. Therefore this is particularly explained.
The word "emptiness" here refers to the three non-natures. The imagined nature has no substantial existence, characteristics lack inherent nature, therefore called empty. Various dependent natures: form is like foam, feeling resembles bubbles, perception is like mirages, formations are like banana trees, consciousness is like magical creations. They lack the naturally arising nature of the imagined, therefore also called empty. The perfected nature is realized only through observing that the imagined is empty and non-existent. Or lacking the true nature of the imagined, therefore true ultimate meaning is also called empty. Actually, the three natures are neither empty nor non-empty. To counter-attack attachment to existence, emptiness is generally and esoterically explained. It is not that the latter two natures are completely non-existent and therefore called empty. Explaining all emptiness is the Buddha's hidden intention. Because emptiness is generally explained regarding both existence and non-existence. Moreover, this emptiness is precisely the principle of true suchness. Its nature is neither empty nor existent, revealed through emptiness. Obstructing attachment to existence, it is provisionally called empty. Foolish people do not understand, clinging to the five aggregates as definitely separate from the true and existent, generating characteristics and discrimination. Now tracing back to the source, the essence is truly empty. Phenomena separate from principle have no distinct nature. Through this the sutra says all sentient beings are the Tathāgata-garbha,
**Page Five, Lower Section**
all dharmas are precisely true suchness. Speaking of conditioned phenomena as precisely unconditioned emptiness causes all sentient beings to sever the bondage of all characteristics. Now in the causal stage, the wisdom eye penetrates emptiness, clearly and distinctly observing. Therefore it is called illuminating vision. However, this empty nature, in the stage of accumulating provisions, through listening and contemplating, is mostly only believed and understood. In the preparation stage, one begins to purely cultivate observation. Though all called illumination, because they still carry characteristics, they have not yet realized the true. Dwelling in the ten grounds, generating uncontaminated observation, penetrating the true principle, then truly illuminating emptiness. Reaching the Tathāgata stage, illuminating vision is perfected, knowing the realm beyond language, provisionally called emptiness. Though this speaks of emptiness, it generally empties self and dharmas. Addressing Śāriputra, only dharma-emptiness is explained. Self-attachment has long perished, not requiring emptiness. Or again, self-attachment arises depending on dharma-attachment. Simply observing dharma-emptiness, the self is consequently emptied. This explained emptiness, though its essence has no difference, when revealed depending on phenomena, also has distinctions. Sometimes sixteen are explained, sometimes eighteen, nineteen, or twenty, as explained in the great sutras.
The sutra states: "Transcended all suffering and difficulty." Commentary: Through illuminating the emptiness of nature, one can transcend birth and death, revealing the benefits of the predecessor's cultivation. This is the third refinement of mind. That is, observing that transformation of the basis is profound, wonderful, and difficult to realize, if one generates retreat, one should refine the mind. Worldly sentient beings, practicing coarse giving and so forth, at the time of death still attract excellent results. How much more should I, now cultivating wonderful goodness without obstacles, not realize the transformation of basis that transcends suffering in the future? Just as that person practiced wisdom, already transcended suffering and difficulty, abandoned the dependent of grossness, and obtained freedom from grossness. I too should be thus. Encouraging oneself to increase cultivation, one should not belittle oneself and generate retreat. "Transcend" means to surpass, to escape. Suffering refers to sentient beings and places in the three realms - arising from karma and afflictions. In truth, all contaminated things are nothing but suffering - namely the three sufferings, eight sufferings, etc. This suffering is precisely difficulty, having the meaning of calamity. Or...