涅槃無名論第四
Nirvana Without Name, Chapter 4
表上秦主姚興
I present this to Lord Yao Xing of Qin.
僧肇言：肇聞天得一以清，地得一以寧，君王得一以治天下。伏惟陛下！叡哲欽明，道與神會；妙契環中，理無不統；游刃萬機，弘道終日；威被蒼生，垂文作則。所以域中有四大，而王居一焉。涅槃之道，蓋是三乘之所歸，方等之淵府。渺漭希夷，絕視聽之域；幽致虛玄，殆非群情之所測。肇以人微，猥蒙國恩，得閑居學肆，在什公門下十有餘載。雖眾經殊致，勝趣非一，然涅槃一義，常以聽習為先。但肇才識闇短，雖屢蒙誨喻，猶懷疑漠漠。為竭愚不已，亦如似有解。然未經高勝先唱，不敢自決。不幸什公去世，諮參無所，以為永慨。而陛下聖德不孤，獨與什公神契，目擊道存，快盡其中方寸，故能振彼玄風以啟末俗。一日遇蒙〈答安城候姚嵩書問無為宗極〉：「何者？夫眾生所以久流轉生死者，皆由著欲故也。若欲止於心，即無復於生死。既無生死，潛神玄默，與虛空合其德，是名涅槃矣。既曰涅槃，復何容有名於其間哉！」斯乃窮微言之美，極象外之談者也。自非道參文殊、德慈侔氏，孰能宣揚玄道、為法城塹，使夫大教卷而復舒，幽旨淪而更顯。尋玩殷勤，不能暫捨。欣悟交懷，手舞弗暇。豈直當時之勝軌，方乃累劫之津梁矣。然聖旨淵玄，理微言約。可以匠彼先進、拯拔高士；懼言題之流，或未盡上意。庶擬孔易十翼之作，豈貪豐文，圖以弘顯幽旨。輒作《涅槃無名論》，論有九折十演，博采眾經，託證成喻。以仰述陛下無名之致，豈曰關詣神心，窮究遠當。聊以擬議玄門，班喻學徒耳。論末章云：「諸家通第一義諦，皆云廓然空寂，無有聖人。吾常以為太甚徑庭、不近人情。若無聖人，知無者誰？」實如明詔！實如明詔！夫道，恍惚窈冥，其中有精。若無聖人，誰與道遊？頃諸學徒，莫不躊躇道門，怏怏此旨，懷疑終日，莫之能正。幸遭高判，宗徒𢄶然；扣關之儔，蔚登玄室。真可謂法輪再轉於閻浮，道光重映於千載者矣。今演論之作旨，曲辨涅槃無名之體，寂彼廓然排方外之談。條牒如左，謹以仰呈。若少參聖旨，願勅存記；如其有差，伏承指授。僧肇言。泥曰、泥洹、涅槃，此三名前後異出，蓋是楚夏不同耳。云涅槃，音正也。
Sengzhao says: I have heard that Heaven attains clarity through the One, Earth attains stability through the One, and a sovereign attains peace and order for the empire through the One. I humbly bow before Your Majesty. Your wisdom is profound and clear; Your Way meets the divine. You marvelously accord with the realm of the Mysterious Center, and there is nothing that Your principles do not govern. You navigate the myriad affairs of state with ease, promoting the Great Way throughout the day. Your majesty and virtue extend to all living beings, and You establish teachings and set standards. Thus, within the universe, there are Four Greats, and the sovereign is one of them. The Way of Nirvana is the ultimate destination of the Three Vehicles and the profound source of the Vaipulya teachings. It is vast, tranquil, and subtle, beyond the reach of sight and sound. Its profound essence is deep and mysterious, hardly something that ordinary minds can fathom.
I, Sengzhao, of humble abilities, have been graced with the favor of the nation, enabling me to dwell in leisure at the school of learning. I have spent more than a decade under the tutelage of Master Kumarajiva. Although the various scriptures have different teachings and their sublime meanings are not singular, the concept of Nirvana has always been something I prioritized in listening and study. However, my talent and insight are shallow and dull. Although I have received repeated instruction, I still harbored doubts and remained uncertain. Exhausting my meager intellect, I felt as though I had some understanding. Yet, without the prior guidance of a superior master, I dared not make a final judgment. Unfortunately, Kumarajiva passed away, leaving me with no one to consult or seek guidance from, which has become a perpetual lament.
But Your Majesty's holy virtue is not solitary. You are uniquely in spiritual accord with Kumarajiva. Seeing him with Your eyes, You grasped the Way, delighting fully in what was in his heart. Thus, You were able to revive that profound tradition and enlighten the common people of later times. One day, I was fortunate to encounter Your reply to Ancheng Hou Yao Song’s query on "The Ultimate Principle of Non-Action": "What is the reason? All beings have long been reincarnated in the cycle of birth and death because they cling to desires. If desires cease in the mind, then there will be no more rebirth. Once there is no birth and death, one's spirit sinks into profound stillness, merging in virtue with empty space. This is called Nirvana. Since it is called Nirvana, how can a name possibly be placed within it?" This indeed exhausts the beauty of subtle words and reaches the height of discussions beyond forms. Unless one's Way is aligned with Manjusri and one's virtue equal to compassion, who can proclaim the mysterious Way, serve as a fortress for the Dharma, and cause the Great Teaching, once rolled up, to unroll again, and the profound meaning, once lost, to shine forth once more? I have pondered and savored this with diligence, unable to set it down even for a moment. Joy and understanding fill my heart, and I cannot stop dancing with joy. Is this merely a splendid vehicle for the present age? It is truly a ferry for countless eons.
However, the holy intent is deep and mysterious, the principle subtle and the words concise. It can guide those advanced practitioners and rescue lofty scholars. I worry that those who adhere to fixed words may not yet grasp the full meaning of Your Majesty. I thought to emulate the composition of the Ten Wings to the *Book of Changes*, not out of greed for ornate writing, but to greatly expand and manifest the profound meaning. Thus, I have composed the *Essay on the Namelessness of Nirvana*. In this essay, there are nine refutations and ten expansions. I have widely collected from various scriptures, using them as evidence and setting up analogies. In doing so, I humbly recount the profound meaning of Your Majesty's 'Nameless' concept. How could I claim to have grasped the spirit of the mind or thoroughly traced its distant and appropriate meaning? I merely intend to discuss the mysterious gate and explain it to the students. At the end of the essay, it says: 'All schools that expound the doctrine of Ultimate Truth say that it is vast, empty, and still, with no holy being. I have always thought this to be too harsh and distant, not in accord with human feelings. If there is no holy being, who is it that knows?' This is truly as Your enlightened decree states! Truly as Your enlightened decree states! The Way is indistinct and elusive, yet within it is essence. If there were no holy being, who would roam with the Way? Recently, all the students have been hesitating at the gate of the Way, disconsolate over this principle, full of doubts all day long, unable to resolve them. Fortunately, I have encountered Your superior judgment, and the lineage is clear. Those who knock upon the gate have now grandly entered the mysterious chamber. This can truly be called the wheel of the Dharma turning once again in Jambudvipa, the light of the Way shining again after a thousand years.
Now, the purpose of composing this essay is to thoroughly elucidate the nature of Nirvana as without a name, to bring stillness to that vast emptiness that rejects talk beyond forms. I list the items below, and respectfully submit this for Your Majesty's perusal. If it slightly accords with Your holy intention, I humbly beg that it be kept on record. If there are errors, I humbly await Your correction and instruction. So speaks Sengzhao.
Nirata, Niruana, and Nirvana—these three names appear differently in earlier and later translations, merely a matter of regional dialect differences. It is the term 'Nirvana' whose pronunciation is correct.
九折十演者
**The Nine Refutations and Ten Demonstrations**