英語訳
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the Four Noble Truths wheel of personal selflessness. When this wheel turns, it crushes and destroys the prison barriers of [wrong] views and thought[-desires], departs from the dungeon of the three realms, and enters the realm of tranquility. This is called the three hundred yojanas. Having passed this place, the remaining two hundred yojanas are like traveling a broad highway - the great cart in the open field naturally appears. The reason why the Buddha-path transcends and surpasses the ninety-six paths lies precisely here. That heavenly beings show reverence and dragon spirits demonstrate respect also stems only from this.
Question: The Mahāyāna dharma teachings are extremely profound and vast. Compared to śrāvaka dharma, it is like [comparing] fireflies to the sun and moon. Why now do you only praise the Four Noble Truths path of personal selflessness and not speak of Mahāyāna? Answer: Did I not say before? The Four Noble Truths path of personal selflessness is the initial barrier for transforming from ordinary to sage. For those whose initial barrier has not yet opened, how can they leap over and discuss the second and third barriers? Moreover, to regard the Four Noble Truths and personal selflessness dharma as base and small is merely the view of seeing one spot of a leopard through a tube. Indeed, the Four Noble Truths and Twelve-Link Dependent Origination are still the most extremely profound and secret dharma gates. Even tenth-stage bodhisattvas cannot fathom their ultimate source. How much more so others? A sutra says: Ānanda addressed the Buddha saying that dependent origination is easy to see. The Buddha said: "The Twelve-Link Dependent Origination is extremely profound and bottomless, difficult to see and difficult to know. Do you wish to destroy my fruit that is subtle, wondrous, and difficult to attain through three asaṃkhyeya kalpas? Why do you joyfully speak such words? I should now cross over this profound and wondrous contemplation. You should follow me in contemplating the Buddha's realm." Up to: "Although śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas can enter slightly, they do not reach its depths," and so forth. Another sutra speaks of "the boundless and extremely profound ocean of truths." One should know that truths and conditions are all the path of the bodhisattva's ten stages. The Two Vehicles only realize one
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portion and perfect their own vehicles. Another sutra, in explaining those siddhi accomplishments of inconceivable benefits, often mentions excluding the realization of the Four Noble Truths. The difficulty of realizing the Four Noble Truths and Twelve-Link Dependent Origination is thus. If one realizes this path, then the great emptiness, consciousness-only, and the middle way's ultimate meaning - extremely profound secret treasuries - all manifest through this. Therefore, when the Buddha was in the age of true Dharma, he once explained the Four Noble Truths and established the Three Studies, enabling all those studying the path to follow and practice this path and surpass the first most difficult barrier. As for the rest, he kept it secret and did not speak of it. However, as the true and semblance [Dharma periods] shifted and the Dharma entered the final age, some relied on truth to construct falsehood, others lost proper sequence and confused truth, denigrating the Four Noble Truths path of personal selflessness as Hīnayāna, casting aside the correct cultivation that counters delusions as minor practices. The Four Reliances and Noble Eightfold Path were thereby corrupted and defeated; the three vehicles and six ferries were thereby obstructed and blocked. How can this not be called destroying the Tathāgata's fruit that is difficult to obtain in three asaṃkhyeya kalpas? As for Mahāyāna sutras and treatises and ancient patriarchs who use the great to denigrate the small - generally this represents the truth of emerging from emptiness into provisional existence, a dharma gate for striking and breaking the stagnation of unconditioned [absorption]. Therefore their explanations use the great to penetrate the small, use the later to attract the earlier. At first glance it seems to criticize and reject the small, but when thoroughly investigated, it expresses the true meaning of the small - great and small mutually support each other, clearly without difference. Also, like their speaking of "afflictions are bodhi" or saying "not eliminating false thoughts" and so forth - this is the wisdom and cutting-off of sudden teaching and perfect teaching, with nothing strange about it. For example, like Tiantai perfect sudden contemplation, saying that perfect persons initially condition on true characteristics, up to having no suffering and accumulation to cut off, no cessation and path to realize, while suddenly purifying the five dwelling-places. Yet when it comes to their cutting off delusions: the initial faith of the ten faiths eliminates view
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delusions, the seventh faith exhausts thought delusions, the eighth, ninth, and tenth faiths purify dust-like [delusions], and from the initial stage upward cut off ignorance, etc. If one can increase middle-way knowledge and views, then although the contemplating mind completely transcends grasping and rejecting, the three delusions are naturally eliminated and the three truths become increasingly clear. Although wondrous practice can eliminate coarse and subtle [distinctions], coarse delusions are removed first and subtle delusions eliminated later, like the method of washing clothes. This is indeed the clear mirror of perfect persons' cutting-off and cultivation. There are those in the world with deviant understanding who often fall into the dangerous pit [of thinking] that perfect persons do not cut off delusions. This not only contradicts the Vaipulya sutras and treatises but also conflicts with the explanations of Tiantai, Xianshou, and the esoteric vehicle's Tripiṭaka masters. This must be known.
Nanshan possessed the eye of dharma discrimination and clearly understood that worldly excellent recompense and the noble paths of the three vehicles all arise from subduing and extinguishing afflictions and false thoughts. Taking precepts, concentration, and wisdom as what counters, and afflictive aggregates and thieves as what is countered. Precepts and concentration capture and bind afflictions - this is the path of subduing. Wisdom can kill the thieves of delusion - this is the path of cutting off. When afflictions are subdued and extinguished, the excellent virtues inherent in nature gradually manifest and arise. The capable work of studying the path is completed.
Question: Reason certainly should be thus. [But] I have not yet examined clearly - where do Nanshan's texts demonstrating the countering of afflictions appear? Answer: Nanshan's composition of the three works and his fundamental intention in propagating the vinaya lies entirely in taming and subduing afflictions. Therefore, everywhere he quotes texts from the fundamental vinaya and its supplements, saying: "Why did the World-Honored One establish the increased precept studies? To tame the three poisons." Also, the Karma Commentary quotes the Sarvāstivāda saying: "The three refuges, five precepts, up to individual liberation exist because the Buddha appeared, therefore establishing these dharmas. However, wheel-turning kings and brahma kings explain worldly dharmas to benefit sentient beings. Therefore, the ten wholesome [acts] and four vast [vows] have existed since the beginning of the kalpa, but cannot purely elevate and transcend worldly conditions. When the Dharma King appears in the world, it is
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not for worldly goodness. The essential point is to cut off afflictions and escape far from the bondage of the realms," and so forth.
Also, in the latter part of Karma Commentary volume three, extensively clarifying the purification and treatment of the false mind, he quotes the Dhāraṇīśvararāja and Buddha Treasury [sutras] saying: "If one holds precepts not for the purpose of eliminating the inversion of self, this person is called one who breaks precepts." Also, in the upper part of volume four, clarifying the precept recitation ritual, he says: "Do not fail to subdue arrogance and delusion, revere the supreme teachings, and partially topple afflictions," and so forth. Generally, the work of the three practices and two maintenance [systems] takes subduing afflictions as the essential point - this can be found by examining various texts. Also, the pure mind and sincere contemplation methods earnestly present this principle with bitter exhortation, as can be seen. Question: The proof texts of vinaya texts, commentaries, and sub-commentaries are evident. Do Mahāyāna sutras and treatises also have such explanations? Answer: Mahāyāna sutras and treatises have very many such explanations. Now let me present three to five examples. The Yogācāra Precept Text says: "If bodhisattvas, while dwelling securely in the bodhisattva pure precept discipline, give rise to such views and establish such arguments [saying]: 'Bodhisattvas should not delight in nirvana; they should generate aversion and rejection toward nirvana. Regarding all afflictions and secondary afflictions, they should not fear them or seek to cut them off and extinguish them. They should not single-mindedly generate detachment. This is because bodhisattvas, for three countless kalpas, transmigrate in birth and death seeking great bodhi.' If they make such statements, this is called 'having violations and transgressions.' This is defiled transgression. Why is this so? Just as śrāvakas delight in and draw near to their nirvana, and deeply mind-detach from all afflictions and secondary afflictions, so should bodhisattvas delight in and draw near to great nirvana, and deeply mind-detach from all afflictions and secondary afflictions - their [degree] surpasses the former by hundreds of thousands of koṭis. This is because śrāvakas diligently cultivate correct practices only to realize benefits for one body, while bodhisattvas diligently cultivate correct practices to universally realize benefits for all sentient beings. Therefore, bodhisattvas should diligently cultivate and gather