中論觀因緣品第一(十六偈)
Verses on Causes and Conditions, Chapter 1 of the Fundamental Verses on the Middle Way(Sixteen verses)
龍樹菩薩造梵志青目釋
Nagarjuna's Treatise with Commentary by the Brahmin Pingala
姚秦三藏鳩摩羅什譯
Translated by the Tripitaka Master Kumarajiva of the Later Qin Dynasty
不生亦不滅， 不常亦不斷，
不一亦不異， 不來亦不出。
能說是因緣， 善滅諸戲論，
我稽首禮佛， 諸說中第一。
It neither arises nor ceases, neither permanent nor annihilated, neither identical nor different, neither coming nor going. The Buddha taught dependent origination, the peaceful Cessation of Suffering that ends all conceptual proliferation. I bow in reverence to the Buddha, the foremost of all teachers.
問曰：何故造此論？
Question: Why was this treatise written?
答曰：有人言萬物從大自在天生、有言從韋紐天生、有言從和合生、有言從時生、有言從世性生、有言從變生、有言從自然生、有言從微塵生。有如是等謬故，墮於無因、邪因、斷常等邪見，種種說我我所，不知正法。佛欲斷如是等諸邪見令知佛法故，先於聲聞法中說十二因緣，又為已習行有大心堪受深法者以大乘法說因緣相，所謂一切法不生不滅、不一不異等，畢竟空、無所有。如《般若波羅蜜》中說：佛告須菩提：「菩薩坐道場時，觀十二因緣，如虛空不可盡。」佛滅度後，後五百歲像法中，人根轉鈍、深著諸法，求十二因緣、五陰、十二入、十八界等決定相，不知佛意，但著文字，聞大乘法中說畢竟空，不知何因緣故空，即生疑見：若都畢竟空，云何分別有罪福報應等？如是則無世諦、第一義諦。取是空相而起貪著，於畢竟空中生種種過。龍樹菩薩為是等故，造此中論。
Reply: Some people claim that all things arise from the great sovereign god, some say they arise from Vishnu, some say they arise from a combination of causes, some say they arise from time, some say they arise from the nature of the world, some say they arise from transformation, some say they arise from spontaneity, and some say they arise from atoms. Because of these mistaken views, people fall into wrong views such as no-cause, false-cause, and the extremes of nihilism and eternalism. They speak in various ways about a self and what belongs to a self, and do not understand the true Dharma. Out of a desire to cut off all these wrong views and lead people to understand the Buddha's Dharma, the Buddha first taught the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination within the teachings for hearers. Then, for those who had already practiced, who had a great aspiration, and who were capable of receiving profound teachings, he taught the nature of dependent origination through the Mahayana teachings — namely, that all things neither arise nor cease, are neither one nor different, and so on, being ultimately empty and without any existence. As stated in the Perfection of Wisdom: the Buddha told Subhuti, "When a bodhisattva sits at the site of enlightenment, they contemplate the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination as being like empty space, inexhaustible." After the Buddha passed into nirvana, in the latter five hundred years during the age of the semblance Dharma, people's faculties became duller, and they became deeply attached to all phenomena. They sought fixed characteristics in the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination, the five aggregates, the twelve sense fields, the eighteen elements, and so on. Not understanding the Buddha's intent, they clung only to the words. When they heard the Mahayana teachings speak of ultimate emptiness, they did not understand why things are empty, and so doubt arose in them: "If everything is ultimately empty, how can there be distinctions of offenses, blessings, and karmic retribution? If so, there would be no conventional truth and no ultimate truth." They grasped at the notion of emptiness and became attached to it, giving rise to all kinds of errors regarding ultimate emptiness. It was for the sake of such people that the bodhisattva Nagarjuna composed this Fundamental Verses on the Middle Way.
「不生亦不滅， 不常亦不斷，
不一亦不異， 不來亦不出。
能說是因緣， 善滅諸戲論，
我稽首禮佛， 諸說中第一。」
"Neither arising nor ceasing, Neither eternal nor annihilated, Neither identical nor different, Neither coming nor going. The Buddha taught dependent origination, Which beautifully puts an end to all idle speculation. I bow my head in reverence to the Buddha, The foremost among all teachers."
以此二偈讚佛，則已略說第一義。
With these two verses praising the Buddha, the ultimate truth has now been explained in brief.
問曰：諸法無量，何故但以此八事破？
Question: The Dharma has countless aspects—why break it down using only these eight categories?
答曰：法雖無量，略說八事則為總破一切法。不生者，諸論師種種說生相，或謂因果一、或謂因果異、或謂因中先有果、或謂因中先無果、或謂自體生、或謂從他生、或謂共生、或謂有生、或謂無生。如是等說生相皆不然，此事後當廣說。生相決定不可得，故不生。不滅者，若無生何得有滅？以無生、無滅故，餘六事亦無。
He replied: Although the Dharma is immeasurable, briefly explaining eight topics comprehensively refutes all things.
"Non-arising": The various philosophers describe the characteristics of arising in many different ways. Some say cause and effect are one; some say cause and effect are different; some say the effect already exists within the cause; some say the effect does not exist within the cause; some say things arise from themselves; some say they arise from something else; some say they arise from both; some say arising exists; some say arising does not exist. All such descriptions of the characteristics of arising are wrong. This matter will be explained in detail later. Since the characteristics of arising can definitely not be found, there is non-arising.
"Non-ceasing": If there is no arising, how can there be ceasing? Because there is no arising and no ceasing, the remaining six topics are also nonexistent.
問曰：不生、不滅已總破一切法。何故復說六事？
答曰：為成不生不滅義故。有人不受不生不滅，而信不常不斷。若深求不常不斷，即是不生不滅。何以故？法若實有則不應無，先有今無是即為斷，若先有性是則為常，是故說不常不斷，即入不生不滅義。有人雖聞四種破諸法，猶以四門成諸法。是亦不然。若一則無緣，若異則無相續，後當種種破，是故復說不一不異。有人雖聞六種破諸法，猶以來出成諸法。來者言諸法從自在天、世性、微塵等來，出者還去至本處。復次萬物無生。何以故？世間現見故。世間眼見劫初穀不生。何以故？離劫初穀，今穀不可得。若離劫初穀有今穀者則應有生；而實不爾，是故不生。
問曰：若不生則應滅。
答曰：不滅。何以故？世間現見故。世間眼見劫初穀不滅。若滅，今不應有穀；而實有穀，是故不滅。
問曰：若不滅則應常。
答曰：不常。何以故？世間現見故。世間眼見萬物不常，如穀芽時種則變壞，是故不常。
問曰：若不常則應斷。
答曰：不斷。何以故？世間現見故。世間眼見萬物不斷，如從穀有芽，是故不斷；若斷，不應相續。
問曰：若爾者，萬物是一。
答曰：不一。何以故？世間現見故。世間眼見萬物不一，如穀不作芽、芽不作穀。若穀作芽、芽作穀者應是一；而實不爾，是故不一。
問曰：若不一則應異。
答曰：不異。何以故？世間現見故。世間眼見萬物不異。若異者，何故分別穀芽、穀莖、穀葉？不說樹芽、樹莖、樹葉，是故不異。
問曰：若不異，應有來。
答曰：無來。何以故？世間現見故。世間眼見萬物不來，如穀子中芽無所從來。若來者，芽應從餘處來，如鳥來栖樹；而實不爾，是故不來。
問曰：若不來，應有出。
答曰：不出。何以故？世間現見故。世間眼見萬物不出。若有出，應見芽從穀出，如蛇從穴出；而實不爾，是故不出。
問曰：汝雖釋不生不滅義，我欲聞造論者所說。
答曰：
「諸法不自生， 亦不從他生，
不共不無因， 是故知無生。」
不自生者，萬物無有從自體生，必待眾因。復次若從自體生，則一法有二體：一謂生、二謂生者。若離餘因從自體生者，則無因無緣。又生更有生，生則無窮。自無故，他亦無。何以故？有自故有他。若不從自生，亦不從他生，共生則有二過：自生、他生故。若無因而有萬物者，是則為常。是事不然。無因則無果，若無因有果者，布施持戒等應墮地獄、十惡五逆應當生天，以無因故。復次：
「如諸法自性， 不在於緣中，
以無自性故， 他性亦復無。」
諸法自性不在眾緣中，但眾緣和合故得名字。自性即是自體，眾緣中無自性。自性無故不自生，自性無故他性亦無。何以故？因自性有他性，他性於他亦是自性。若破自性即破他性，是故不應從他性生。若破自性、他性，即破共義。無因則有大過，有因尚可破，何況無因！於四句中生不可得，是故不生。
問曰：阿毘曇人言「諸法從四緣生」，云何言不生？何謂四緣？
「因緣次第緣， 緣緣增上緣，
四緣生諸法， 更無第五緣。」
一切所有緣，皆攝在四緣，以是四緣萬物得生。因緣名一切有為法；次第緣除過去現在阿羅漢最後心心數法，餘過去現在心心數法；緣緣、增上緣一切法。
答曰：
「果為從緣生， 為從非緣生？
是緣為有果， 是緣為無果？」
若謂有果，是果為從緣生、為從非緣生？若謂有緣，是緣為有果、為無果？二俱不然。何以故？
「因是法生果， 是法名為緣；
若是果未生， 何不名非緣？」
諸緣無決定。何以故？若果未生，是時不名為緣；但眼見從緣生果，故名之為緣。緣成由於果，以果後、緣先故。若未有果，何得名為緣？如瓶以水土和合故有瓶生，見瓶故知水土等是瓶緣。若瓶未生時，何以不名水土等為非緣？是故果不從緣生。緣尚不生，何況非緣。復次：
「果先於緣中， 有無俱不可。
先無為誰緣， 先有何用緣。」
緣中先非有果、非無果。若先有果，不名為緣，果先有故。若先無果，亦不名為緣，不生餘物故。
問曰：已總破一切因緣，今欲聞一一破諸緣。
答曰：
「若果非有生， 亦復非無生，
亦非有無生， 何得言有緣？」
若緣能生果，應有三種：若有、若無、若有無。如先偈中說，緣中若先有果，不應言生，以先有故。若先無果，不應言生，以先無故，亦應與非緣同故。有無亦不生者，有無名為半有半無，二俱有過。又有與無相違，無與有相違，何得一法有二相？如是三種求果生相不可得故，云何言有因緣？次第緣者：
「果若未生時， 則不應有滅，
滅法何能緣？ 故無次第緣。」
諸心心數法於三世中次第生。現在心心數法滅，與未來心作次第緣。未來法未生，與誰作次第緣？若未來法已有，即是生，何用次第緣？現在心心數法無有住時，若不住，何能為次第緣，若有住，則非有為法。何以故，一切有為法常有滅相故。若滅已，則不能與作次第緣。若言滅法猶有則是常，若常則無罪福等。若謂滅時能與作次第緣，滅時半滅半未滅，更無第三法名為滅時。又佛說：一切有為法念念滅，無一念時住。云何言現在法有欲滅未欲滅？汝謂一念中無是欲滅未欲滅，則破自法。汝阿毘曇說：有滅法、有不滅法；有欲滅法、有不欲滅法。欲滅法者，現在法將欲滅。未欲滅法者，除現在將欲滅法，餘現在法及過去未來無為法，是名不欲滅法。是故無次第緣。緣緣者：
「如諸佛所說， 真實微妙法，
於此無緣法， 云何有緣緣？」
佛說大乘諸法，若有色無色、有形無形、有漏無漏、有為無為等諸法相入於法性，一切皆空無相無緣。譬如眾流入海同為一味。實法可信，隨宜所說不可為實，是故無緣緣。增上緣者：
「諸法無自性， 故無有有相；
說有是事故， 是事有不然。」
經說十二因緣，是事有故是事有。此則不然。何以故？諸法從眾緣生故自無定性，自無定性故無有有相。有相無故，何得言是事有故是事有？是故無增上緣，佛隨凡夫分別有無故說。復次：
「略廣因緣中， 求果不可得；
因緣中若無， 云何從緣出？」
略者，於和合因緣中無果。廣者，於一一緣中亦無果。若略廣因緣中無果，云何言果從因緣出？復次：
「若謂緣無果， 而從緣中出；
是果何不從， 非緣中而出？」
若因緣中求果不可得，何故不從非緣出？如泥中無瓶，何故不從乳中出？復次：
「若果從緣生， 是緣無自性，
從無自性生， 何得從緣生？
果不從緣生， 不從非緣生，
以果無有故， 緣非緣亦無。」
果從眾緣生，是緣無自性。若無自性則無法，無法何能生？是故果不從緣生。不從非緣生者，破緣故說非緣。實無非緣法，是故不從非緣生。若不從二生，是則無果。無果故，緣非緣亦無。