菩薩瓔珞本業經佛母品第五
Chapter 5: Buddha Mother
爾時敬首菩薩白佛言：「佛及菩薩，二初照智從何而生？寂照、寂照之義復云何？二諦法性為一為二？為有為無？第一義諦復當云何？」
At that time, the Bodhisattva Revered-Foremost said to the Buddha: "Honored One, regarding the preliminary wisdom of both Buddhas and Bodhisattvas that illuminates at the very beginning, from what does it arise? And what are the meanings of 'still illumination' and 'stillness in illumination'? Are the Two Truths—conventional truth and ultimate truth—identical or different in their essential nature? Do they exist or not? And again, what is the ultimate truth, the absolute reality?"
佛言：「佛子！所謂有諦、無諦、中道第一義諦，是一切諸佛菩薩智母，乃至一切法亦是諸佛菩薩智母。所以者何？諸佛菩薩從法生故。佛子！二諦者，世諦有故不空，無諦空故不有；二諦常爾故不一，聖照空故不二；有佛無佛法界不變故不空，第一無二故不有；無佛有佛法界二相故不一，諸法常清淨故不二；諸佛還為凡夫故不空，無無故不有；空實故不一，本際不生故不二；不壞假名諸法相故不空，諸法即非諸法故不有；法非法故不二，非非法故不一。佛子！二諦義者，不一亦不二、不常亦不斷、不來亦不去、不生亦不滅，而二相即，聖智無二，無二故是諸佛菩薩智母。佛子！十方無極剎土諸佛，皆亦如是說。吾今為是大眾略說明月瓔珞經中二諦要義。」
The Buddha said: "Noble children! What is known as the truth of existence, the truth of non-existence, and the ultimate truth of the Middle Way—these are the mothers of wisdom for all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. In fact, all phenomena are also the mothers of wisdom for all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Why? Because Buddhas and Bodhisattvas arise from the Dharma.
Noble children! As for the two truths: the conventional truth exists, so it is not empty; the truth of non-existence is empty, so it does not truly exist. The two truths are always thus, so they are not one; the sage's insight sees emptiness, so they are not two. Whether a Buddha appears or not, the Dharma-realm remains unchanged, so it is not empty; the ultimate truth has no duality, so it does not truly exist. When there is no Buddha, the Dharma-realm appears as two forms, so it is not one; all phenomena are constantly pure, so they are not two. Buddhas may return to the state of ordinary beings, so they are not empty; there is no 'non-existence' itself, so they do not truly exist. Emptiness is real, so they are not one; the original boundary never arises, so they are not two. They do not destroy the conventional names and forms of phenomena, so they are not empty; phenomena are already not phenomena, so they do not truly exist. The Dharma is not-Dharma, so it is not two; it is not not-Dharma, so it is not one.
Noble children! The meaning of the two truths is this: not one and not two, not permanent and not annihilated, not coming and not going, not arising and not ceasing. Yet the two aspects are inseparable. The sage's wisdom is non-dual, and because it is non-dual, it is the mother of wisdom for all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
Noble children! All Buddhas throughout the infinite realms of the ten directions teach in this very way. Now, for the sake of this great assembly, I will briefly explain the essential meaning of the two truths from the Sutra of the Moon-Like Jeweled Garland."
爾時敬首菩薩白佛言：「諸佛菩薩大方便平等慧照諸法界，為頓等覺、為漸漸？云何無明藏？與心為一為異？劫量久近復當云何？」
Then the Venerable Jingshou Bodhisattva said to the Buddha: "The great skillful means and wisdom of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas—does it bring sudden, equal awakening, or gradual, progressive awakening? What is the 'storehouse of ignorance'? Is it identical to the mind or different from it? And how should we understand the long and short spans of cosmic ages?"
佛言：「佛子！汝於過去七佛法中一一已問，非為不知。直為此大眾十四億人，於此法中便欲令得決了故問。佛子！吾今為十四億大眾，以金剛口說決定了義。佛子！我昔會有一億八千無垢大士，即坐達法性原，頓覺無二一切法一合相。從法會出，各各坐十方界，說菩薩瓔珞大藏。時坐大眾見一億八千世尊，名頓覺如來，各坐百寶師子吼座。時無量大眾亦坐一處，聽等覺如來說瓔珞法藏。是故無漸覺世尊，唯有頓覺如來。三世諸佛所說無異，今我亦然。
The Buddha said: "Children of the Buddha! In the Dharma of the seven past Buddhas, you have already inquired about each one—you are not ignorant. It is precisely for the sake of these fourteen billion people in this assembly, that they may attain clarity and resolution in this Dharma, that you now ask. Children of the Buddha! Now, for the sake of this great assembly of fourteen billion, I will use a diamond-like mouth to proclaim the definitive meaning.
Children of the Buddha! In the past, I had a gathering of one hundred eighty million undefiled great beings. They sat and directly realized the original nature of Dharma, instantly awakening to the non-dual, singular unity of all phenomena—the 'One Mark of All Dharmas.' Upon emerging from this Dharma assembly, each of them sat in their respective realms in the ten directions, teaching the great treasury of the Bodhisattva's Jeweled Adornments. At that time, the great assembly present saw one hundred eighty million world-honored ones, known as 'Instant-Awakening Tathagatas,' each seated on a lion's throne adorned with a hundred treasures. Likewise, countless beings of the great assembly, gathered together in one place, listened to these Equal-Awakening Tathagatas as they taught the Dharma treasury of the Jeweled Adornments.
Thus, there is no 'Gradual-Awakening World-Honored One.' There is only the 'Instant-Awakening Tathagata.' The teachings of all Buddhas of the past, present, and future are no different. So it is now, with me."
「佛子。汝先言無明、心一者，是事不然。若解與無明諸見一相者，應無縛解、凡佛非二。所以者何？煩惱同一體相故。何以故？而共一心生滅一時，不別不異故。佛子！若縛解一相者，四大可為一、六味應不異，而大異而味異故，縛解亦如是。佛子！一切菩薩為凡夫時具足一切結，而斷時麁分先去、細分後除。若一心煩惱一者，不應明闇有二。佛子！復以近況遠。凡夫善心中尚無不善，何況無相心中而有無明？佛子！而言善惡一心者，是洴沙王國中外道安陀師偈，明闇一相、善惡一心。
"Child of the Buddha, what you said earlier—that ignorance and the mind are one and the same—is not correct. If liberation and ignorance were identical in nature, then there would be no distinction between bondage and liberation, and ordinary beings and Buddhas would be no different. Why? Because all afflictions would share a single essence, arising and ceasing together in the same mind at the same time, without any differentiation.
Child of the Buddha, if bondage and liberation were of one nature, then the four great elements could be considered one, and the six tastes would be no different from each other. But since the elements are distinct and the tastes differ, so too are bondage and liberation different.
Child of the Buddha, when all bodhisattvas were still ordinary beings, they were filled with every kind of bondage. Yet when they cut them off, the coarse aspects were removed first, while the subtle ones were eradicated later. If the mind and its afflictions were truly one and the same, then there would be no difference between light and darkness.
Child of the Buddha, let us use a near example to illustrate a distant one. In the wholesome mind of an ordinary person, there is no unwholesomeness. How, then, could ignorance exist in a mind that is free of all marks? Child of the Buddha, the claim that good and evil are one and the same mind comes from a verse by the heretic Andhra in the kingdom of Pishu. It says that light and darkness are one, and good and evil are one mind."
「佛子！我法正義而可得言善惡同一行者，有縛有解、有凡有佛。相續百劫同一行者，而不得善惡同一心。古佛常說，無相智火滅無明闇，而善惡二別。而言同一果者，亦無是處。一切善受佛果，無明受有為生滅之果。是故善果從善因生，是故惡果從惡因生，故名善不受生滅之果，唯受常佛之果。佛子！若凡夫聖人一切善，皆名無漏不受漏果。而言受漏果者，佛化眾生行善背惡故，緣因而發有為果報，非為無漏。因者無明，業受果故，是名三受三苦：苦苦、行苦、壞苦。苦受、樂受、捨受，二受善緣因果，苦受惡因果，一切皆苦無明為本。
"Children of the Buddha! If someone claims that, according to the true meaning of my Dharma, good and evil are the same path, then there would be bondage and liberation without distinction, ordinary beings and Buddhas without difference. Continuing for a hundred lifetimes on the same path, one still cannot have a single mind toward good and evil. The ancient Buddhas always taught that the fire of wisdom without form extinguishes the darkness of ignorance, yet good and evil remain distinct. To say they share the same result is also incorrect. All good receives the fruit of Buddhahood, while ignorance receives the fruit of conditioned birth and death. Therefore, good results arise from good causes, and evil results arise from evil causes. Thus, good does not receive the fruit of birth and death; it only receives the eternal fruit of Buddhahood.
Children of the Buddha! All good deeds of ordinary beings and saints are called 'outflow-free' and do not receive the fruit of outflows. To say they receive the fruit of outflows means that the Buddha teaches beings to do good and avoid evil, so conditioned causes bring about karmic results in the realm of phenomena—this is not outflow-free. The cause is ignorance, and actions receive their results. This is called the three kinds of feeling and three kinds of suffering: suffering of pain, suffering of change, and suffering of conditioning. They are painful feeling, pleasant feeling, and neutral feeling. Two kinds of feeling arise from good causes and conditions, while painful feeling arises from evil causes. All is suffering, with ignorance as its root."
「佛子。汝先言一切菩薩行道劫數久近者，譬如一里二里乃至十里石，方廣亦然，以天衣重三銖，人中日月歲數三年一拂，此石乃盡，名一小劫。若一里二里乃至四十里，亦名小劫。又八十里石方廣亦然，以梵天衣重三銖，即梵天中百寶光明珠為日月歲數，三年一拂此石乃盡，名為中劫。又八百里石方廣亦然，以淨居天衣重三銖，即淨居天千寶光明鏡為日月歲數，三年一拂此石乃盡，故名一大阿僧祇劫。佛子！劫數者，所謂一里二里乃至十里石盡，名一里劫二里劫。五十里石盡，名五十里劫，百里石盡名百里劫，千里石盡名為千里劫，萬里石盡名為萬里劫。佛子！一切賢聖入是數量，修一切法門，時節久近得佛果，其數百劫乃得等覺。若一切眾生入是數者得佛不久，若不入者不名菩薩。
Good children, you asked earlier about how long a Bodhisattva must practice over countless eons. Let me explain with a metaphor.
Imagine a piece of rock, one li, two li, or even ten li in size — equally wide in all directions. Once every three years, someone lightly brushes it with a celestial robe weighing just three zhu. Over the course of a human year, counted by the sun and moon, this rock will eventually be worn away. This period is called a small kalpa.
Similarly, a rock from one li up to forty li in size is also called a small kalpa.
Now imagine a rock eighty li across, again equal in all directions. A heavenly robe from the Brahma heaven, weighing three zhu, brushes it once every three years. The time is measured by the hundred-jeweled light-gems of that heaven, which serve as its sun and moon. When that rock is finally worn away, it is called a middle kalpa.
Next, imagine a rock eight hundred li in size, equal in all directions. A robe from the Pure Abode heaven, weighing three zhu, brushes it once every three years. The time is measured by the thousand-jeweled mirror of that heaven, which serves as its sun and moon. When that rock is completely worn away, it is called a great asamkhyeya kalpa.
Good children! Kalpas can also be measured by the size of the rock. A rock of one li, two li, up to ten li worn away is called a one-li kalpa, two-li kalpa, and so on. A rock of fifty li worn away is called a fifty-li kalpa. One hundred li is a hundred-li kalpa, one thousand li a thousand-li kalpa, and ten thousand li a ten-thousand-li kalpa.
Good children! All noble beings enter into these measurements. They cultivate all Dharma methods according to the length of time and eventually attain Buddhahood. After hundreds of such kalpas, they reach equal enlightenment. If all sentient beings enter into this understanding, their attainment of Buddhahood will not be far off. But if they do not enter into it, they cannot be called Bodhisattvas.
「佛子！法門者，所謂十信心，是一切行本。是故十信心中，一信心有十品信心，為百法明門。復從是百法明心中，一心有百心故，為千法明門。復從千法明心中一心有千心，為萬法明門。如是增進至無量明，轉勝進上上法故，為明明法門。百萬阿僧祇功德，一切行盡入此明門。」
"Children of the Buddha! The Dharma gates refer to the ten stages of faith, which are the foundation of all practices. Therefore, within these ten stages of faith, each single stage of faith contains ten levels of faith, making a hundred Dharma gates of illumination. From these hundred gates of illumination, each single gate contains a hundred minds, creating a thousand Dharma gates of illumination. From these thousand gates of illumination, each single gate contains a thousand minds, creating ten thousand Dharma gates of illumination. Increasing in this way, the progression continues to countless illuminations, advancing to ever-higher levels through the supreme Dharma, becoming the illumination of illuminations—the Dharma gates of brightness. Hundreds of millions of asamkhyeyas of merit and virtue, and all practices, are completely encompassed within these gates of illumination."