無我品第四
Chapter 4: No-Self
文殊師利白佛言：「世尊！未來眾生當說有我遍一切處。何以故？一切行故。出過三世，苦、樂、瞋、愛悉是我相。世尊！外道計我，其意如是。」
Manjushri said to the Buddha, "World-Honored One! In the future, sentient beings will claim that there is a self that pervades all places. Why? Because of all actions. Transcending the three times—past, present, and future—suffering, pleasure, anger, and love are all attributes of this self. World-Honored One, the heretics' conception of a self is exactly like this."
佛告文殊師利：「譬如磁石，吸一切鐵屑，為鐵屑是我？磁石是我？若汝當說：『鐵屑非我、磁石非我。』是則非遍。若磁石、鐵屑悉是我者，云何以我而自吸我，又亦不遍。何以故？自吸其身故。所有色一切是四大，一切無常，若無常不真實。若不真實、不諦。若不諦無處，無處故無我。文殊師利！猶如老人於夜中坐，自捉兩膝說如是言：『那得有此兩小兒耶？』若此老人身中有我，云何不識自膝，謂是小兒？以是事故，實無有我；是邪見人，於無處橫執。譬如見焰而生水想，實無有水，以眼亂故。如是非我，橫生我想，是闇惑邪見，非正見也。
The Buddha said to Manjushri: "Consider a magnet that attracts all iron filings. Are the iron filings 'self'? Is the magnet 'self'? If you say, 'The iron filings are not self, and the magnet is not self,' then this view is not all-encompassing. If both the magnet and the iron filings are 'self,' then how can the self attract itself? And even then, it would not be all-encompassing. Why? Because it would be attracting only its own substance. All form is composed of the four great elements, and all is impermanent. What is impermanent is not real. What is not real is not true. What is not true has no fixed abode, and having no fixed abode, there is no self.
Manjushri, it is like an old man sitting in the night, grabbing his own knees and saying, 'How is it that I have these two little children here?' If this old man had a self within his body, why would he not recognize his own knees and mistake them for children? For this reason, there is truly no self. Those with wrong views cling to something that does not exist. It is like seeing a mirage and thinking there is water—there is no actual water, only a distortion of vision. Likewise, what is not self is mistakenly grasped as self. This is a deluded and false view, not a correct one."
「若我遍一切處，則遍行五道。人、天是樂，地獄、餓鬼、畜生是苦。若我遍一切處，我受地獄苦，則人、天亦應苦。樂者由善業得，苦者由惡業得。樂者生染，苦者生瞋。或有勇健，或有怖畏，如是異相，故知不遍。我不說此是真實思惟。若我過三世者，過去已沒，如燈已滅；未來未到，如未來燈；現在不停，猶如流水。我非過去、非未來、非現在，無時節。何以故？過時節故。
If I were present everywhere, I would pervade all five realms of existence. The realms of humans and devas are pleasant, while the hells, hungry ghosts, and animals are painful. If I were present everywhere and experienced the suffering of the hells, then humans and devas should also suffer. Pleasure arises from good deeds, and suffering from evil deeds. Pleasure gives rise to attachment, while suffering gives rise to aversion. Some are strong and brave, while others are fearful—such differences show that I am not everywhere. I do not regard this as true reflection. If I were to transcend the three times, the past would have already ceased, like a lamp that has gone out; the future has not yet arrived, like a lamp not yet lit; and the present does not linger, like flowing water. I am neither past, nor future, nor present, and have no relation to time. Why? Because I have gone beyond time itself.
「若無時，則無數，以無數故，亦無有我。何以故？以可分故。
If there is no time, then there is no number. Because there is no number, there is also no self. Why? Because what can be divided is not a fixed self.
「阿者，離我聲，多者不破，麼者滅憍慢。又阿者，真實離我。真實離我，故兩過說阿。是故，文殊師利！分別字故，定無有我。」
佛說此祇夜：
「磁石吸鐵屑， 二種誰是我？
不遍及自吸， 決定無我故，
如渴人見焰， 非水生水想，
邪見橫執我， 其事亦復然，
分別於阿字， 定知無有我。」