英語訳
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The ears, nose, etc. should all be understood accordingly. If length, shortness, etc. are taken as the substance, then length and shortness are precisely states of form-dust and have no separate substantial nature. The remaining [tactile qualities like] smoothness, roughness, etc., which are divisions of tactile dust, should also be understood accordingly. If you say mind is the substance, why is mind impermanent? And why does it have suffering? The eight consciousness-kings and fifty-one mental factors are each like this. If so, what is the substance that the word "self" refers to? From head to feet, from skin to marrow, the six bowels, five organs, bones, flesh, vessels, etc.—all various things, and even within all kinds of mental consciousness moment by moment—when investigating each one by one, the real substance that the terms "self" and "person" refer to ultimately cannot be obtained. It is completely and utterly nonexistent. These are merely impermanent, suffering, non-autonomous form, sound, smell, etc. Hence it is called "selfless." Question: If so, why do the world and the sacred teachings speak of the existence of self and person? The worldly self refers to sentient beings, living beings, etc. The self in sacred teachings refers to stream-enterers, once-returners, etc. If their substance is completely nonexistent, from what do such designations arise? Even if worldly explanations are deluded and false, how could what the sacred teachings refer to be completely nonexistent? Moreover, regarding worldly delusion, if there were no basis, couldn't it arise? Answer: What the world and sacred teachings establish is only through conventional designation, not real existing nature. This conventional designation is precisely the functions created by the accumulation and combination of the five aggregates and various dharmas transformed by consciousness. It conventionally resembles having a permanent, unitary, autonomous thing. This similar aspect is called the conventional self. If one rejects this aspect, it becomes the attachment of diminishment. If one augments this aspect, it becomes the attachment of reification. One should know that self and person are conventionally existent but really nonexistent. Observing conventional existence, great compassion rescues them and causes them to reach the shore of awakening. Realizing real nonexistence, great wisdom extinguishes this and can reveal true principle. However, all foolish beings, from beginningless time, have been deluded by this similarity and definitely consider it real. Calling this
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emotional understanding, they speak of sentient beings, living beings, etc. This is precisely the self grasped by the world. But all noble ones realize this similarity and do not consider it solid and real. Calling this conventional self, they speak of stream-enterers, once-returners, etc. This is what the sacred teachings call self. Question: If so, why did you previously say that there is completely no substance of personal self? Answer: Previously I blocked the solid and real, not the conventionally similar. Moreover, this conventional [self] is still the function of dharmas. It truly belongs to dharmas. Outside of dharmas there is nothing at all. Hence it is called selfless. Question: That the five aggregates combine to resemble permanence, unity, etc.—this meaning is still unclear. Please explain in detail. Answer: If the five faculties, five sense-objects, mind, mental factors, etc. do not combine, how could there be the characteristics and functions of persons, etc.? Because of combination, these characteristics and functions exist. However, these characteristics and functions have no substance outside of dharmas. They are merely the individual functions of form and mind. Because of combination, they seem to have such characteristics of permanence, unity, autonomy, and sovereignty. Therefore, the sacred teachings call this similar aspect precisely "conventional." Explaining the meaning further: there is a person who uses an axe to cut trees, etc. Appearance, body, power, and movement seem to transcend ordinary divisions of form, smell, etc., but actually do not transcend them. Why? Wielding the axe and moving are functions of the four great elements, which exist in tactile dust. The intention to move and preparatory actions are desire, volition, etc., which are mind and mental factors. The form of hands and feet is precisely visible form, which is a state of form-dust. The totality is precisely the various dharmas of the five aggregates. There is nothing outside of this. Thus one knows that this is merely the combination of the five aggregates, conventionally resembling the existence of one thing. If they did not combine, it would be difficult to have this aspect. Because they combine, it is like this. {What this means is} if one deeply contemplates this, one should not reify or diminish. If one attains the middle [way], one extinguishes both existence and nonexistence. The four propositions are all cut off, and the hundred negations all perish. This true principle is now called the ultimate meaning of personal emptiness that transcends verbal designation. Its revealing gate is precisely the selflessness of pudgala. Question: If so, although there is no
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self, dharma-substance truly exists. What further reasoning also establishes dharma-selflessness? Also, regarding dharmas being nonexistent, why still call it selflessness? What is the meaning? Answer: Calling dharma-substance existent is first in opposition to personal self. To cause entry into personal emptiness, explaining the sixty-two dharmas is this meaning. This is precisely conventional designation within dharmas. If one enters the gate of truth, the five faculties, five sense-objects, mind-kings, mental factors—all are like dreams, not existing yet似ly existing. They completely lack solid intrinsic nature and supreme function. They are merely dependent-on-others' illusory phenomena constituted by multiple conditions. Such principle of form and mind arising through conditions—truly suchness-like, constantly neither arising nor ceasing—is called unconditioned. There are no further solid, separate substantial unconditioned [dharmas]. Since there are no solid conditioned and unconditioned [dharmas], it is called dharma-emptiness. However, selflessness blocks naturalness. Naturalness is precisely the meaning of self. Question: The principle that personal self's substantial nature cannot be found when sought is reasonable. The dharma-substance of the five aggregates—this matter is evident. [They] can be seen, heard, and even cognized; substantial nature and functions all exist one by one. Now you explain them as empty. How can this be believed? Answer: Though dharma-substances are countless, they are all created by the four conditions. Mental dharmas arise with all four present; material dharmas arise through two. The principle of dependent origination is also the principle within phenomena. Since there is no natural nature, who says there is intrinsic nature? Question: If so, the various forms, sounds, etc. that we now see, hear, perceive, and cognize—what is their substance? Answer: They are created by others and have no self-substance. "Others" means precisely causes and conditions, etc. As phenomena generated by these various conditions: when the four conditions are complete, then perceptual phenomena arise; when two conditions combine, then resistant phenomena arise. Within perception there are distinctions of the eight consciousnesses; within resistance there are differences among the five sense-objects, etc. Each should be distinguished when conditions are complete, and those phenomenal characteristics arise differently. Therefore the objects of seeing, hearing, etc. are not the same. Now speaking of emptiness points to the absence of intrinsic nature. How could this not be believed
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? Question: The Sarvāstivādins, etc. all establish dharmas like the four conditions, six causes, etc. Nevertheless, the dharmas of the three times permanently exist and are completely not like illusory emptiness that cannot be obtained. Now you say they are empty because they are constituted by the four conditions. This meaning is not yet clear. Answer: What other vehicles grasp—they do not understand consciousness-only, do not establish the four aspects, do not believe in the ālaya[-vijñāna]. Without ālaya, there are no proximate causes. Without proximate causes, remote conditions also do not succeed. Since conditions do not succeed, dependent origination has no real meaning. Since there is no real meaning, although they speak of arising from four conditions, they still fall into natural arising. Therefore dharma-substances permanently exist. One should know that dharma-emptiness is accomplished through consciousness-only. To cause entry into dharma-emptiness, again explaining consciousness-only—this is the meaning. Question: If dharmas arise from conditions and are therefore called without intrinsic nature, are those generating conditions naturally existent? If so, are those dharmas not selfless? Answer: Conditions also arise from conditions. Those conditions are also like this. Therefore all dharmas are completely selfless. Because they all arise from causes and conditions in succession. "Dharmas arising from causes and conditions—I say these are precisely empty"—this principle is truly so. Question: If so, all dharmas are illusory, so there should be no various distinctions between conventional and real. Why did you previously say there are conventional and real among form, mind, etc.? Answer: This question is incorrect. Now speaking of "illusory like illusions and dreams" is discussing the principle of emptiness by investigating entry into the gate of truth. If one follows the gate of worldly conventional principle, there naturally are various dharmas generated by seeds, which are mostly called conditioned real dharmas. At this present level, they are equally all called conventional dharmas. There is no contradiction at all. Question: When investigating entry into the gate of truth, all are selfless, so why do the world and sacred teachings speak of the existence of dharma-substance? Worldly dharmas are substance, qualities, activities, etc. Sacred teaching dharmas are aggregates, sense-bases, elements, etc. If they completely lack intrinsic nature, how could they be explained this way? Answer: The dharmas spoken of by the world and sacred teachings are only through conventional