英語訳
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Because [the teaching] expounds emptiness in accordance with reality. "Following the sages" (*zòng shèng* 縱聖) refers to the holy persons approved by humans and heavenly beings — those who transmitted the Dharma. Among the twenty-four persons who transmitted the Dharma, [Vasubandhu] is one.
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**"With discernment extending everywhere and wisdom encompassing all, exhausting the spirit and perfecting sagacity — he refined and concentrated [his efforts] on these verses in order to manifest the profoundly ultimate. Yet before the explanatory text was completed, he returned to the true [nature] and ascended above."**
*Jiàn* 鑒 means "to observe and discern"; *qià* 洽 means "to moisten; to pervade." That is to say, this bodhisattva's discernment pervaded all without limit, and his wisdom encompassed all things. Having been born into the world and having completed his work of benefiting sentient beings, he gathered up his transient existence in the mundane world, returned to true nirvāṇa, cast aside his retributive body in Jambudvīpa, and ascended to Tuṣita Heaven.
Hence the *Da Tang Xiyuji* [*Great Tang Records of the Western Regions*] states: "Asaṅga, Vasubandhu, and Siṃhacandra — these two or three sages of wisdom would always say to one another: 'In all our practice and cultivation, we vow to behold Maitreya [in Tuṣita Heaven]. Whoever first casts aside [this] life and achieves [this] long-cherished aspiration should report back to the others so that [they] may know where [that person] has been reborn.' Thereafter, Siṃhacandra cast aside his life first, but after three years there was no report. Vasubandhu also soon cast aside his life; six months passed, and still there was no report. At that time, all the heterodox scholars [of other schools] mocked [them], saying: 'Vasubandhu and Siṃhacandra must have transmigrated to the evil destinies (*durgati*) — they have had no spiritual response [i.e., no supernatural contact] after all.'
"Later, during the first watch of the night, Asaṅga was teaching his disciples the method of meditation, when the lamplight suddenly dimmed and the space [around them] became intensely bright. A heavenly being descended through the air, stepped forward into the courtyard, and paid reverence to Asaṅga. Asaṅga said: 'Why have you come so late? What is your name now?' [The heavenly being] answered: 'From the time I cast aside life here, I went to the inner assembly of Maitreya in Tuṣita Heaven and was born within a lotus flower. When the lotus had barely opened, Maitreya praised [me], saying: "Welcome, O one of vast wisdom! Welcome, O one of vast wisdom!" As soon as my circumambulation [of Maitreya] was barely complete, I came at once to report.' Asaṅga Bodhisattva asked: 'Where is Siṃhacandra now?' [The heavenly being] replied: 'When I was circumambulating, I saw Siṃhacandra; he was among the outer assembly, absorbed in sensual pleasures,
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with no leisure to pay attention to anyone. Who could have come to give a report?' Asaṅga Bodhisattva said: 'Let that matter rest. What is Maitreya's appearance like, and what Dharma does he expound?' [The heavenly being] replied: 'Maitreya's [thirty-two] physical marks and [eighty] secondary characteristics cannot be expressed in words. The wondrous Dharma he expounds does not differ in meaning from what [is taught] here. Yet the bodhisattva's wondrous voice is pure and resonant, harmonious and elegant; those who hear it forget fatigue, and those who receive it feel no satiety'" — and so on.
Hence it is said: "He returned to the true [nature] and ascended above." The character *jiù* 就 is pronounced *xúxiù* (徐袖切); according to the *Ěryǎ*, it means "to accomplish; to achieve."
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**"The meaning is vast and the text concise; the source spring is layered in secrecy."**
What follows is the third section, which clarifies how Bodhisattvas such as Dharmapāla composed treatises to explain the meaning of the root verses. The two sentences beginning with "the meaning is vast" serve to introduce the text that follows: the reason for composing a commentary is precisely that the meaning is abundant while the text is terse, and the source spring [of the doctrine] is multiply concealed. Some say that [these two sentences] should be attached to the root verses of Vasubandhu above — but this is incorrect, as the text does not support it; we should take them in accordance with the preceding [context].
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**"Thereupon there were ten great bodhisattvas, Dharmapāla and others, who clarified their minds (*澂情*) through the seven [grammatical] cases (*qī zhuǎn* 七囀), stirring up the river of eloquence to praise the subtle words; they let their spirit wander through the eight repositories (*bā cáng* 八藏), sounding the golden voice to circulate the wondrous commentary." [Note: One variant text writes 識 (*shí*) in place of 藏 (*cáng*).]**
The ten great bodhisattvas are: Dharmapāla (*Hùfǎ* 護法), Guṇamati (*Déchuí* 徳慧), and so on through Jinaputra (*Shèngzǐ* 勝子) and Jñānacandra (*Zhìyuè* 智月) — ten bodhisattvas in all. The details are as given in the *Shuji* [*Cheng Weishi Lun Shuji*].
"Clarifying [their] minds through the seven cases" (*chéng qíng qī zhuǎn* 澂情七囀): *chéng* 澂 is the same in meaning as *chéng* 澄 — it means "limpid; clear." *Jī* 激 means "vigorous; stirring." The "seven cases" (*qī zhuǎn*) refer to: nominative (*tǐ* 体), accusative (*yè* 業), instrumental (*jù* 具), dative (*wèi* 為), ablative (*yīn* 因), genitive (*shǔ* 属), and locative (*yī* 依), and so forth. The details are as in the second [volume of the] *Shuji*.
Regarding "the river of eloquence" (*hé biàn* 河辯): the *Yùlín* [*Forest of Sayings*] states: "Wang Dàwei [Wang Meng] asked Sun Xìnggōng [Sun Chuo]: 'What kind of person is Guo Xiang?' [Sun] replied: 'When he expounds essays and presents literary compositions, it is like a river suspended [from a height] (*xuán hé*) pouring down water — never running dry.'"
Regarding the "eight repositories" (*bā cáng* 八藏): the three repositories (*tripiṭaka*) of precepts (*śīla*), meditation (*samādhi*), and wisdom (*prajñā*) are augmented by the miscellaneous repository (*zá cáng* 雑蔵) to make four; combined for Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna, this makes eight.
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Furthermore, the eight *skandha* (aggregates, *bā yùn* 八蘊) are themselves the eight repositories (*bā cáng*), referring to: world (*jiè* 界), sense faculties (*gēn* 根), karma (*yè* 業), latent defilements (*anuśaya*, *suímián* 随眠), noble persons (*xiánshèng* 賢聖), wisdom (*zhì* 智), and meditation (*dìng* 定). The meaning of these eight *skandha* is explained in detail in the *Vibhāṣā-śāstra* (*Pípóshā lùn* 毘婆沙論).
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**"Purifying that true consciousness, they perfected this elegant treatise, which is called the *Cheng Weishi Lun* [*Vijñaptimātratāsiddhi-śāstra*, 'Treatise Establishing Consciousness-Only'], or alternatively the *Jing Weishi Lun* ['Treatise on Purifying Consciousness-Only']."**
This briefly explains the name of the commentary-treatise that was composed. One might ask: in the text below, the name of the *Cheng Weishi Lun* is explained in full — why take the trouble to explain it here in advance? The answer is: because [the author] intends to present the outstanding wondrous principles of the commentary-treatise, he first provides a brief preliminary explanation here.
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**"The meaning encompasses both the provisional and the ultimate, soaring high above the Vulture Peak. The principle penetrates the ineffable (*xī yí* 希夷), lifting its brilliance beyond the Dragon Palace."** [Note: One variant text writes 嶽 (*yuè*) for 巚 (*yǎn*), another writes 嶺 (*lǐng*).]
"The meaning encompasses both the provisional and the ultimate" (*yì bāo quán shí* 義苞権實): the doctrines of the outer [schools] and Hīnayāna are called "provisional" (*quán* 権); the correct principles of Mahāyāna are called "ultimate" (*shí* 実).
"The principle penetrates the ineffable" (*lǐ dòng xī yí* 理洞希夷): Laozi states: "What is looked at but cannot be seen is called *yí* 夷; what is listened to but cannot be heard is called *xī* 希." Wang Bi [the commentator] states: "Without form, without image; without sound, without echo; nothing it does not permeate, nowhere it does not reach."
*Dòng* 洞 is pronounced *gòng* (貢切) and conveys the appearance of being deep and profound. *Yǎn* 揜 is pronounced *yīyǎn* (衣儼切); today both this and the variant are written as *yǎn* 掩, meaning "to cover; to conceal." *Yǎn* 巚 is pronounced *yúyǎn* (魚偃切); the *Ěryǎ* gives *chóng yǎn gǎn* (重甗隒). Guo Pu states: "The mountain's shape resembles two steamers (*zèng*) stacked on top of one another." Alternatively, the mountain's form resembles this, and it was thus named accordingly.
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**"Gathering the cardinal principles of all the sūtras, it searches out the hidden and contains the essentials. Compiling the finest essence of all the treatises, it collects the rare and draws forth the extraordinary."**
Regarding "searching out the hidden and containing the essentials" (*suǒ yǐn hán zōng* 索隱涵宗): *suǒ* 索 means "to exhaust completely"; *hán* 涵 (pronounced *húcán*, 胡蠶切) means "great; broad; all-pervading" (in Japanese: *ukabetari* うかべたり). *Jīng* 菁 means the flowers of spring in full bloom; also [simply] "flower." *Duō* 掇 (pronounced *zhūliè*, 猪劣切) means "to gather up; to collect." *Yì* 異 [in Japanese: *mezurashi* めずらし, "remarkable; rare"].
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*Kuò* 括 means "to bind together; to encompass."
"The cardinal principles of all the sūtras": this is properly named "cardinal principles" with reference to six sūtras, while also extending to all sūtras in general. The "six sūtras" are: the *Avataṃsaka* [*Huáyán* 華厳], the *Saṃdhinirmocana* [*Shēnmì* 深密], the *Tathāgatotpattisambhava-nirdéśa* [*Rúlái chūxiàn gōngdé* 如来出現功德], the *Abhidharma* [*Āpídámó* 阿毘達磨], the *Laṅkāvatāra* [*Léngqié* 楞伽], and the *Ghanavyūha* [*Hòuyán* 厚嚴].
"The finest essence of all the treatises": this also applies both specifically and broadly. Specifically, [the *Cheng Weishi Lun*] relies on eleven treatises and these are called "finest essence" (*jīnghuá*): namely, the *Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra* [*Yúqié* 瑜伽], the *Prakaraṇāryavācā* [*Xiǎnyáng* 顕揚], the *Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra* [*Zhuāngyán* 荘厳], the *Pramāṇasamuccaya* [*Jíliàng* 集量], the *Mahāyānasaṃgraha* [*Shèlùn* 摂論], the *Daśabhūmika-śāstra* [*Shídì* 十地], the *Yogavibhāga* [*Fēnbié Yúqié* 分別瑜伽], the *Ālambanaparīkṣā* [*Guān suǒ yuán yuán* 観所縁縁], the *Viṃśatikā* [*Èrshí Wéishí* 二十唯識], the *Madhyāntavibhāga* [*Biàn Zhōngbiān* 辨中辺], and the *Abhidharmasamuccaya* [*Záji lùn* 雑集論], and so forth. All of these function as doctrinal support for this treatise, clarifying the great Mahāyāna teaching of consciousness-only with regard to its causes and effects, stages of practice, and the comprehension of [phenomenal] characteristics.
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**"[Like] wind flying through the three [types of valid] cognition (*sān liàng* 三量), the flags of the heterodox teachers are swept away. [Like] a spring surging through the two causes (*èr yīn* 二因), the ruts of the Hīnayānists are thrown into confusion."**
*Zhé* 轍 is pronounced *zhíliè* (直列切) and means "wheel ruts; tracks of a vehicle." The "three [types of valid] cognition" (*sān liàng*) are: perception (*pratyakṣa*, *xiàn liàng* 現量), inference (*anumāna*, *bǐ liàng* 比量), and authoritative testimony (*āgama*, *shèng liàng* 聖量). The "two causes" (*èr yīn*) are the productive cause (*shēng yīn* 生因) and the illuminating cause (*liǎo yīn* 了因).
Regarding "sweeping away flags and throwing ruts into confusion" (*mǐ qí luàn zhé* 靡旗亂轍): [this refers to the following story about] the two states of Qi and Lu going to war. The general and the chief minister of Qi were plotting together to make the forces of Lu retreat. At this time, there was a talented man surnamed Cao with the given name Gui (*Cao Gui* 曹珪) [i.e., the historical figure Cao Gui 曹劌]. He said to the chief minister: "Feasting and deliberating at table is within your competence, but the affairs of the army are not what you know." The general and the minister thereupon ordered Cao Gui to accompany the army. When Qi and Lu fought, Lu indeed retreated. The officers and soldiers of the army did not know whether Lu had truly retreated in defeat, so they asked Gui. Gui said: "I attended [you] by mounting the [command] chariot and observed from there. When I saw that Lu's battle formation had thrown its wheel-ruts into confusion [i.e., the chariot wheels had made erratic tracks], that the troops were moving at an angle, that [their] banners were trailing along the ground, and that [their men] were running away — I knew that this was a genuine retreat." Now [the text] borrows this anecdote as a simile: when a bodhisattva composes a treatise, establishes [syllogistic] arguments (*liàng* 量), and refutes the heterodox teachings, causing [the heterodox] to retreat and scatter — it is just the same as this.
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**"And so (truly), it stands equal to heaven and earth in nurturing [all beings], and, having given birth to sun and moon, it causes [their] brightness to pervade [everywhere]."**