英語訳
**Page Six, Upper Section**
By illuminatingly seeing that the aggregates and so forth are precisely true suchness emptiness, discrimination does not arise and evil consequences consequently cease. Therefore all sufferings and difficulties can be transcended. Actually speaking, illuminating emptiness also transcends delusions and karma, but since the essence is broad while manifest results [are specific], only transcending suffering is mentioned. That is, within the five stages of accumulating provisions and so forth, one gradually illuminates emptiness and thereby leaves these difficulties. This Avalokiteśvara has not yet become a Buddha. Through illuminating emptiness, all will certainly be eliminated. Encouraging the arousal of aspiration, it speaks of transcending everything.
The sutra states: "Śāriputra." Commentary: What follows presents the name of the one with spiritual capacity and response, expounds the principle and offers analogies, shows those excellent practices, and eliminates the four locations. There are three doctrinal sections. First, "Śāriputra" and so forth generally announce and clarify emptiness. Next, "therefore" and so forth separately conclude what is emptied. Finally, "because there is nothing to be obtained" explains and establishes the principle of emptiness. In Sanskrit "Śāri," in Chinese "Spring Shrike." Through the mother's eloquence, pointing to an analogy to make the name, manifesting what she gave birth to, therefore additionally called "son." Previously raising up knowledge and views, he was the first to awaken and enter. Now expounding the emptiness of nature, calling him to offer analogies. Only speaking the supreme teaching to unify the dharma. Manifesting that these principles are all empty, uniquely addressing the superior person to gather those with capacity. That is, generally addressing the assembly at that time. Though he receives the address, he has not yet understood emptiness. First encouraging refinement, then eliminating the four locations.
The sutra states: "Form is no different from emptiness, emptiness no different from form; form is precisely emptiness, emptiness precisely form." Commentary: This refers to the four great elements and what is created by them - that is, the ten form-fields and dharma-field forms. Their natures are all transformations and manifestations, generally establishing the name "form." The meaning of this passage breaks the prior attachment to form as existent, therefore explaining form-emptiness. Emptiness means non-existence. It is not dharma-nature emptiness. What foolish people cling to - the form-characteristics appearing to their consciousness - are not existent by nature. If one clings to non-emptiness and
**Page Six, Lower Section**
to the extinction and non-existence of form as constituting empty essence, this creates two inversions, therefore both should be eliminated. Or this emptiness is precisely dharma-nature emptiness. If one clings to the imagined forms and dependent forms as definitely different from and existent apart from the true, with conventional and ultimate definitely separate, this extremely establishes delusion. Now manifesting that the two forms' nature is precisely emptiness-suchness - signless, unconditioned, not the realm of conceptual wisdom - one should abandon the two attachments and seek to approach true emptiness. Therefore gathering into emptiness, both false views are eliminated. Dharma-nature form has essence that is precisely true suchness, therefore not different from and precisely emptiness.
Now explaining form and emptiness as mutually revealing each other is to make the meaning increasingly clear and break doubtful attachments. Previously explaining Avalokiteśvara taught mental refinement. Now explaining that form and so forth are not different from and are precisely empty causes one to abandon the inferior mental applications of the two vehicles and attain accomplishment in non-discriminative transcendent practices.
The sutra states: "Feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness are also thus." Commentary: Fearing that he might doubtfully cling [to the idea that] "only form is not different from emptiness, only form's essence is precisely empty, other dharmas are not thus," therefore using feeling and so forth as also analogous to form. Appropriation is called feeling, grasping images is called perception, transmigration is called formations, discrimination is called consciousness. "And so forth" equally includes the sense-fields, elements, and so forth - the five types of skillfulness. However, the great sutra says: "Form is empty up to bodhi which is also empty. Even if there were a dharma surpassing nirvana, I would also explain it as illusory and magical." Therefore this word "etc." comprehensively includes everything.
The sutra states: "Śāriputra, these dharmas' empty characteristic is unborn, unceasing, undefiled, unpurified, neither increasing nor decreasing." Commentary: Previously announcing dharma-essence emptiness, now announcing dharma-meaning emptiness. "These dharmas" refers to the form, feeling and other dharmas previously contrasted with emptiness. Originally non-existent becoming existent is called birth; temporarily existent returning to non-existence is called cessation. Obstruction and defilement are called defilement;
**Page Seven, Upper Section**
reversing this is called purity; expansion of characteristics is called increase; reversing this is called decrease. The imagined nature and naturally arising dharmas on the dependent nature are originally empty and non-existent by nature. Dharma-nature form and so forth have essence that is precisely the principle of emptiness, all lacking the positional distinctions of birth and so forth that the two vehicles and others cling to. Therefore it explains that empty characteristics are neither born nor ceased, etc. This meaning generally explains that not only form's essence is not different from and precisely empty, but also the various distinctive meanings of birth and so forth on form are not different from and are precisely empty. Now obstructing both general and particular, temporarily briefly raising three, but actually empty characteristics are also not uniform.
The sutra states: "Therefore in emptiness there is no form, no feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness." Commentary: The three vehicles commonly cultivate the five types of skillfulness - namely aggregates, sense-fields, elements, dependent origination, and truths. According to what is appropriate to them, they make distant and near observations. Since the two vehicles and others all consequently cling to existence, now in contrast non-existence is explained. What is clung to is quiet in both essence and meaning in emptiness. Therefore the clung-to aggregates have completely non-existent nature. However, the Buddha's skillful means within the conditioned provisionally establishes aggregates, breaking the five self-affairs, gradually causing entry into the true, explaining them as skillfulness. This does not mean they really exist. Conditioned dharmas are not definitely aggregates. By what principle would the clung-to aggregates become true? Dharma-nature is empty-suchness, not aggregate-characteristics. Therefore in emptiness there are no five aggregates at all.
The sutra states: "No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind; no form, sound, smell, taste, touch, dharmas." Commentary: This explains there are no twelve sense-fields in emptiness. Only through roots and objects being able to provide for the six activities as gates of growth and development are they explained as having the meaning of sense-fields. Now manifesting that the clung-to nature is originally completely non-existent, in causal and conditional dharmas already not real sense-fields, dharma-nature empty principle also has no sense-field characteristics. Therefore continuing from the previous meaning, the absence of sense-fields is concluded.
**Page Seven, Lower Section**
The sutra states: "No eye-element up to no consciousness-element." Commentary: This explains there are no eighteen elements in emptiness. Through roots and objects being able to sustain the six consciousnesses, and they in turn sustaining the meaning of causal and resultant nature, this is called elements. Being able to grasp objects is the characteristic of the six internal elements. What the eyes and so forth grasp are the characteristics of the six external elements. Depending on roots and conditioning objects, discriminating in resemblance to objects are the characteristics of the six consciousness-elements. The mind-element here is mind, mentation, and consciousness. However, when the Buddha explained dharma, there are extensive and concise approaches. Within aggregate-meaning, form and consciousness are concisely explained, sense-fields and elements follow the extensive. Aggregates extensively [treat] mental factors, sense-fields and elements all concisely because of being ignorant regarding the three. Aggregates explain the conditioned, sense-fields explain the two graspings, elements increase grasping-essence. Because [this] awaits the inclinations of spiritual capacity. Breaking "self able to sustain," elements are provisionally established. The two vehicles and others do not understand, then cling to them as real. What is clung to is completely non-existent, the rest are not real elements. Therefore continuing from the previous meaning, this non-existence is also concluded.
The sutra states: "No ignorance and also no extinction of ignorance, up to no old age and death and also no extinction of old age and death." Commentary: Above negates distant observation, below negates close observation. Defiled and pure dependent origination both have forward and reverse [aspects]. Defiled forward observation is explained depending on birth-and-death cyclical dharmas. Reverse observation is explained depending on mundane preparatory dharmas. Pure forward observation is explained depending on fundamental obstacle-eliminating dharmas. Reverse observation is explained depending on dharmas of re-observation after elimination. Defiled forward observation initially knows the essential nature. First is ignorance - referring to delusion regarding internal and external. Second is formations - referring to the three karmas of merit, demerit, and immobility. Third is consciousness - referring to fruition consciousness. Fourth is name-and-form - referring to the five aggregates. Fifth is six sense-fields - referring to