大智度論 四念處品之二Dazhidulun — Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa · The Four Foundations of Mindfulness, Part 2 of 2
四念處品之二：道品與字門——餘道品皆以不可得故，四十二字門為般若入門（經＋論）
這一品，佛從三十七道品的頭一組——四念處——起手，把整個道品的譜系攤開來，一一標作「菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍」。先是身念處：行住坐臥了了自知，入出息如旋師之知繩長短，觀身四大如屠者之分牛四分，觀三十六物之不淨如明眼農夫開倉辨穀，乃至見死屍九想、白骨如貝——一路觀身，卻「亦無身覺，以不可得故」。你或要問：既說「念處」，何不逕說「智處」？論主答得乾脆——「初習行時，未及有智；念為初門」，而其實「四念處實體是智慧」；念只是初入的門，智慧才是它的體。四念處慧勝，四正勤精進勝，四如意足定勝，同是一個道品之體，隨增上之法而異名。接著論主點出這一品最要緊的一道分野：聲聞觀四念處，得煖、頂、忍乃至四果，取以證滅便了；菩薩卻「不忘本願，不捨大悲」，雖修這三十七品而不取涅槃——「本願牢故，大悲心深入故」。他借七住地的夢喻說：菩薩如人夢中縛栰渡河、中流而覺，正想「我空自疲苦，無河無栰」而欲自滅倒心時，「十方佛伸手摩頭」，勸他念本願、以此空法去度眾生。同一四念處，聲聞取以自證，菩薩行以度生，分野正在般若所攝的這一點本願大悲。過了經文的第二道門檻，佛便把餘下的道品一口氣列全——四正勤、四如意分、五根五力、七覺八正、三三昧、十一智、三根、十念、諸禪定，乃至佛十力、四無所畏、四無礙智、十八不共法——每一目都收在「以不可得故」。到最後，落到四十二字入門：阿字門「一切法初不生故」，一路到「過荼無字可得」，佛說「因字有語，因語有名，因名有義」，聞一字即通一切法之實相；而菩薩分別破散諸字，言語空、名空、義空，「得畢竟空，即是般若波羅蜜」。這，便是四念處品要你領會的：從四念處到四十二字門，種種道品名數，一一以「以不可得故」為印，同歸於般若之無所得，和合而成一個大乘之體——「如是等種種分別，是名『菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍』」。
In this chapter the Buddha begins from the first group of the thirty-seven limbs of the path, the four foundations of mindfulness, spreads open the whole lineage of the limbs of the path, and labels each of them ‘the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's Mahāyāna’. First the foundation of mindfulness of the body: in walking, standing, sitting, and lying one knows oneself clearly; in breathing in and out one is like a turner who knows the length of his cord; one contemplates the four great elements of the body as a butcher divides an ox into four parts; one contemplates the impurity of the thirty-six things as a clear-eyed farmer opening the granary and distinguishing the grains; and so on to seeing the nine perceptions of the corpse and the white bones like shells; contemplating the body all the way, and yet 「亦無身覺，以不可得故」 tr. "also without any notion of a body, because it is unfindable". You may ask: since it is called ‘foundation of mindfulness’, why not simply say ‘foundation of wisdom’? The treatise-author answers crisply: 「初習行時，未及有智；念為初門」 tr. "at the beginning of practice one has not yet reached wisdom; mindfulness is the first gate", while in truth 「四念處實體是智慧」 tr. "the real substance of the four foundations of mindfulness is wisdom"; mindfulness is only the gate of first entry, and wisdom is its substance. In the four foundations of mindfulness wisdom prevails, in the four right efforts vigour prevails, in the four bases of supernormal power concentration prevails; all are the one substance of the limbs of the path, differing in name according to which dharma is dominant. Then the treatise-author points out the most important dividing line of this chapter: śrāvakas contemplate the four foundations of mindfulness, attain heat, summit, acceptance, up to the four fruits, take them to realise cessation, and are done; the bodhisattva, however, 「不忘本願，不捨大悲」 tr. "does not forget his original vow and does not abandon great compassion", and though he cultivates these thirty-seven limbs he does not take nirvāṇa, 「本願牢故，大悲心深入故」 tr. "because his original vow is firm, because his mind of great compassion has entered deeply". He borrows the dream simile of the seventh abiding ground: the bodhisattva is like a man who in a dream binds a raft to cross a river and wakes midstream; just as he thinks ‘I have wearied myself for nothing; there is no river and no raft’ and is about to extinguish his inverted mind, 「十方佛伸手摩頭」 tr. "the Buddhas of the ten directions stretch out their hands and stroke his head", urging him to recollect his original vow and to deliver beings with this dharma of emptiness. The same four foundations of mindfulness: the śrāvaka takes them to realise for himself, the bodhisattva practises them to deliver beings, and the dividing line lies precisely in this original vow and great compassion that prajñā gathers in. Past the second threshold of the sūtra text, the Buddha lists all the remaining limbs of the path in one breath: the four right efforts, the four divisions of the bases of supernormal power, the five faculties and five powers, the seven limbs of awakening and the eightfold path, the three samādhi, the eleven knowledges, the three faculties, the ten recollections, the meditations and absorptions, up to the Buddha's ten powers, four fearlessnesses, four unobstructed knowledges, and eighteen unshared dharmas; every item is gathered into ‘because it is unfindable’. At the last it comes down to the forty-two syllable-gates: the gate of the syllable a, ‘because all dharmas from the first do not arise’, all the way to ‘beyond ḍha no syllable can be found’; the Buddha says 「因字有語，因語有名，因名有義」 tr. "from syllables come words, from words come names, from names comes meaning", and hearing one syllable one penetrates the real mark of all dharmas; and the bodhisattva distinguishes and breaks apart the syllables, words empty, names empty, meaning empty, 「得畢竟空，即是般若波羅蜜」 tr. "attaining ultimate emptiness, which is prajñāpāramitā". This is what the Chapter on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness wants you to grasp: from the four foundations of mindfulness to the forty-two syllable-gates, every enumerated limb of the path is sealed with ‘because it is unfindable’, all return alike to prajñā's nothing to be attained, and join together to form one body of the Great Vehicle: 「如是等種種分別，是名『菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍』」 tr. "distinctions of every kind such as these are named ‘the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's Mahāyāna’".
【經】 「復次，須菩提！菩薩摩訶薩見是棄死人骨在地，歲久，其色如鴿，腐朽爛壞，與土共合，自念：『我身如是法、如是相，未脫此法。』如是，須菩提！菩薩摩訶薩內身中循身觀，勤精進一心，除世間貪憂，以不可得故。 「外身、內外身亦如是。 「受念處、心念處、法念處亦應如是廣說。須菩提！是名菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍。 「復次，須菩提！菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍，所謂四正勤。何等四？須菩提！菩薩摩訶薩未生諸惡不善法為不生故，欲生勤精進攝心行道；已生諸惡不善法為斷故，欲生勤精進攝心行道；未生諸善法為生故，欲生勤精進攝心行道；已生諸善法為住不失修滿增廣故，欲生勤精進攝心行道；以不可得故。須菩提！是名菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍。 「復次，須菩提！菩薩摩訶薩摩訶〔T25 0406b〕衍，所謂四如意分。何等四？欲定斷行成就修如意分，心定斷行成就修如意分，精進定斷行成就修如意分，思惟定斷行成就修如意分。以不可得故。須菩提！是名菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍。 「復次，須菩提！菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍，所謂五根。何等五？信根、精進根、念根、定根、慧根，是名菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍，以不可得故。 「復次，須菩提！菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍，所謂五力。何等五？信力、精進力、念力、定力、慧力，是名菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍，以不可得故。 「復次，須菩提！菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍，所謂七覺分。何等七？菩薩摩訶薩修念覺分，依離、依無染、向涅槃；擇法覺分、精進覺分、喜覺分、除覺分、定覺分、捨覺分，依離、依無染、向涅槃。以不可得故，是名菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍。 「復次，須菩提！菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍，所謂八聖道分。何等八？正見、正思惟、正語、正業、正命、正精進、正念、正定，是名菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍，以不可得故。 「復次，須菩提！菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍，所謂三三昧。何等三？空、無相、無作三昧。『空三昧』名諸法自相空，是為空解脫門。『無相』名壞諸法相，不憶不念，是為無相解脫門。『無作』名諸法中不作願，是為無作解脫門。是名菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍，以不可得故。 「復次，須菩提！菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍，所謂苦智、集智、滅智、道智、盡智、無生智、法智、比智、世智、他心智、如實智。云何名苦智？知苦不生，是名苦智。云何名集智？知集應斷，是名集智。云何名滅智？知苦滅，是名滅智。云何名道智？知八聖道分，是名道智。云何名盡智？知諸〔T25 0406c〕婬怒癡盡，是名盡智。云何名無生智？知諸有中無生，是名無生智。云何名法智？知五眾本事分別知無，是名法智。云何名比智？知眼無常乃至意觸因緣生受無常，是名比智。云何名世智？知因緣、名字，是名世智。云何名他心智？知他眾生心，是名他心智。云何名如實智？知諸佛一切種智，是名如實智。須菩提！是名菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍，以不可得故。 「復次，須菩提！菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍，所謂三根：未知欲知根、知根、知者根。云何名未知欲知根？諸學人未得果信根、精進根、念根、定根、慧根，是名未知欲知根。云何名知根？諸學人得果信根乃至慧根，是名知根。云何名知者根？諸無學人，若阿羅漢、若辟支佛、諸佛信根乃至慧根，是名知者根。須菩提！是名菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍，以不可得故。 「復次，須菩提！菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍，所謂三三昧。何等三？有覺有觀三昧，無覺有觀三昧，無覺無觀三昧。云何名有覺有觀三昧？離諸欲，離惡不善法，有覺有觀，離生喜樂入初禪，是名有覺有觀三昧。云何名無覺有觀三昧？初禪二禪中間，是名無覺有觀三昧。云何名無覺無觀三昧？從二禪乃至非有想非無想定，是名無覺無觀三昧。是名菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍，以不可得故。 「復次，須菩提！菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍，所謂十念。何等十？念佛、念法、念僧、念戒、念捨、念天、念滅、念出入息、念身、念死。須菩提！是名菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍，以不可得故。 「復次，須菩提！菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍，所謂四禪、四無量心、〔T25 0407a〕四無色定、八背捨、九次第定。須菩提！是名菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍，以不可得故。 「復次，須菩提！菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍，所謂佛十力。何等十？佛如實知一切法是處不是處相，一力也。如實知他眾生過去、未來、現在諸業諸受法，知造業處，知因緣、知報，二力也。如實知諸禪、解脫、三昧、定垢淨分別相，三力也。如實知他眾生諸根上下相，四力也。如實知他眾生種種欲解，五力也。如實知世間種種無數性，六力也。如實知一切至處道，七力也。知種種宿命，有相、有因緣，一世、二世乃至百千世，劫初劫盡，我在彼眾生中生：如是姓，如是名，如是飲食、苦樂、壽命長短；彼中死、是間生，是間死、還生是間，此間生姓名、飲食、苦樂、壽命長短亦如是，八力也。佛天眼淨，過諸天眼，見眾生死時生時、端正醜陋、若大若小、若墮惡道若墮善道；如是業因緣受報：是諸眾生惡身業成就、惡口業成就、惡意業成就、謗毀聖人，受邪見業因緣故，身壞死時入惡道，生地獄中；是諸眾生善身業成就，善口業成就，善意業成就，不謗毀聖人，受正見業因緣故，身就壞時入善道，生天上，九力也。佛如實知諸漏盡故，無漏心解脫，無漏慧解脫；現在法中自證知入是法，所謂我生已盡，梵行已作，從今世不復見後世，十力也。須菩提！是名菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍，以不可得故。 「復次，須菩提！菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍，所謂四無所畏。何等四？ 「佛作誠言：『我是一切正智人。』若有沙門、婆羅門，若天、若魔、若梵、若復餘眾，如實難言：『是法〔T25 0407b〕不知。』乃至不見是微畏相。以是故，我得安隱，得無所畏，安住聖主處，在大眾中師子吼，能轉梵輪；諸沙門、婆羅門，若天、若魔、若梵、若復餘眾，實不能轉，一無畏也。 「佛作誠言：『我一切漏盡。』若有沙門、婆羅門，若天、若魔、若梵、若復餘眾，如實難言：『是漏不盡。』乃至不見是微畏相。以是故，我得安隱，得無所畏，安住聖主處，在大眾中師子吼，能轉梵輪；諸沙門、婆羅門，若天、若魔、若梵、若復餘眾，實不能轉，二無畏也。 「佛作誠言：『我說障法。』若有沙門、婆羅門，若天、若魔、若梵、若復餘眾，如實難言：『受是法不障道。』乃至不見是微畏相。以是故，我得安隱，得無所畏，安住聖主處，在大眾中師子吼，能轉梵輪；諸沙門、婆羅門，若天、若魔、若梵、若復餘眾，實不能轉，三無畏也。 「佛作誠言：『我所說聖道，能出世間，隨是行能盡苦。』若有沙門、婆羅門，若天、若魔、若梵、若復餘眾，如實難言：『行是道不能出世間，不能盡苦。』乃至不見是微畏相。以是故，我得安隱，得無所畏，安住聖主處，在大眾中師子吼，能轉梵輪；諸沙門、婆羅門，若天、若魔、若梵、若復餘眾，實不能轉，四無畏也。須菩提！是名菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍，以不可得故。 「復次，須菩提！菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍，所謂四無礙智。何等四？義無礙、法無礙、辭無礙、樂說無礙。義無礙者，知諸法實相義。法無礙者，知諸法名。辭無礙者，言辭中無礙。樂說無礙者，審諦言無盡。須菩提！是名菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍，以不可得故。 「復次，須菩提！菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍，所謂十八不共法。何等十八？〔T25 0407c〕一、諸佛身無失，二、口無失，三、念無失；四、無異想；五、無不定心；六、無不知已捨心；七、欲無減，八、精進無減，九、念無減，十、慧無減，十一、解脫無減，十二、解脫知見無減；十三、一切身業隨智慧行，十四、一切口業隨智慧行，十五、一切意業隨智慧行；十六、智慧知見過去世無礙無障，十七、智慧知見未來世無礙無障，十八、智慧知見現在世無礙無障。須菩提！是名菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍，以不可得故。 「復次，須菩提！菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍，所謂字等、語等諸字入門。何等為字等、語等諸字入門？ 「阿字門，一切法初不生故。 「羅字門，一切法離垢故。 「波字門，一切法第一義故。 「遮字門，一切法終不可得故，諸法不終不生故。 「那字門，諸法離名，性相不得不失故。 「邏字門，諸法度世間故，亦愛枝因緣滅故。 「陀字門，諸法善心生故，亦施相故。 「婆字門，諸法婆字離故。 「荼字門，諸法荼字淨故。 「沙字門，諸法六自在王性清淨故。 「和字門，入諸法語言道斷故。 「多字門，入諸法如相不動故。 「夜字門，入諸法如實不生故。 「吒字門，入諸法制伏不可得故。 「迦字門，入諸法作者不可得故。 「婆字門，入諸法時不可得故，諸法時來轉故。 「磨字門，入諸法我所不可得故。 「伽字門，入諸法去者不可得故。 「他字門，入諸法處不可得故。 「闍字門，入諸法生不可得故。 「簸字門，入諸法簸字不可得故。 「䭾字門，入諸法性不可得故。 「賒字門，入諸法定不可得故。 「呿字門，入諸法虛空不可得故。 「叉字門，入諸法盡不可得故。 「哆字門，入諸法有不可得故。 〔T25 0408a〕 「若字門，入諸法智不可得故。 「拖字門，入諸法拖字不可得故。 「婆字門，入諸法破壞不可得故。 「車字門，入諸法欲不可得故，如影五眾亦不可得故。 「魔字門，入諸法魔字不可得故。 「火字門，入諸法喚不可得故。 「蹉字門，入諸法蹉字不可得故。 「伽字門，入諸法厚不可得故。 「咃字門，入諸法處不可得故。 「拏字門，入諸法不來不去，不立不坐不臥故。 「頗字門，入諸法邊不可得故。 「歌字門，入諸法聚不可得故。 「醝字門，入諸法醝字不可得故。 「遮字門，入諸法行不可得故。 「咤字門，入諸法軀不可得故。 「荼字門，入諸法邊竟處不可得故，不終不生故。過荼無字可得。何以故？更無字故。 「諸字無礙無名，亦不滅，亦不可說，不可示，不可見，不可書。須菩提！當知一切諸法如虛空！須菩提！是名陀羅尼門，所謂阿字義。 「若菩薩摩訶薩，是諸字門印阿字印，若聞、若受、若誦、若讀、若持、若為他說，如是知當得二十功德。何等二十？得強識念，得慚愧，得堅固心，得經旨趣，得智慧，得樂說無礙，易得諸陀羅尼門，得無疑悔心，得聞善不憙、聞惡不怒，得不高不下住心得無增減，得善巧知眾生語，得巧分別五眾、十二入、十八界、十二因緣、四緣、四諦，得巧分別眾生諸根利鈍，得巧知他心，得巧分別日月歲節，得巧分別天耳通，得巧分別宿命通，得巧分別生死通，得能巧說是處非處，得巧知往來坐起等身威儀。須菩提！是陀羅尼門、阿字門等，是名菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍。」 〔T25 0408b〕 【論】 釋曰： 「字等、語等」者，是陀羅尼，於諸字平等，無有愛憎。又此諸字，因緣未會時亦無，終歸亦無，現在亦無所有，但住吾我心中，憶想分別覺觀心說；是散亂心說，不見實事，如風動水則無所見。「等」者，與畢竟空、涅槃同等。菩薩以此陀羅尼於一切諸法通達無礙，是名「字等、語等」。 問曰： 若略說則五百陀羅尼門，若廣說則無量陀羅尼門，今何以說是字等陀羅尼名為諸陀羅尼門？ 答曰： 先說一大者，則知餘者皆說；此是諸陀羅尼初門，說初，餘亦說。 復次，諸陀羅尼法皆從分別字語生，四十二字是一切字根本。因字有語，因語有名，因名有義；菩薩若聞字，因字乃至能了其義。 是字，初阿、後荼，中有四十。得是字陀羅尼菩薩，若一切語中聞阿字，即時隨義，所謂一切法從初來不生相。阿提，秦言初；阿耨波陀，秦言不生。 若聞羅字，即隨義知一切法離垢相。羅闍，秦言垢。 若聞波字，即時知一切法入第一義中。波羅木陀，秦言第一義。 若聞遮字，即時知一切諸行皆非行。遮梨夜，秦言行。 若聞那字，即知一切法不得不失，不來不去。那，秦言不。 若聞邏字，即知一切法離輕重相。邏求，秦言輕。 若聞陀字，即知一切法善相。陀摩，秦言善。 若聞婆字，即知一切法無縛無解。婆陀，秦言縛。 若聞荼字，即知諸法不熱相。南天竺荼闍他，秦言不熱。 若聞沙字，即知人身六種相。沙，秦言六。 若聞和字，即知一切諸法離語言相。和波他，秦言語言。 若〔T25 0408c〕聞多字，即知諸法在如中不動。多他，秦言如。 若聞夜字，即知諸法入實相中，不生不滅。夜他跋，秦言實。 若聞吒字，即知一切法無障礙相。吒婆，秦言障礙。 若聞迦字，即知諸法中無有作者。迦羅迦，秦言作者。 若聞婆字，即知一切法一切種不可得。薩婆，秦言一切。 若聞摩字，即知一切法離我所。魔迦羅，秦言我所。 若聞伽字，即知一切法底不可得。伽陀，秦言底。 若聞陀字，即知四句如去不可得。多陀阿伽陀，秦言如去。 若聞闍字，即知諸法生老不可得。闍提闍羅，秦言生老。 若聞濕波字，即知一切法不可得，如濕波字不可得。濕簸字無義，故不釋。 若聞䭾字，即知一切法中法性不可得。䭾摩，秦言法。 若聞賒字，即知諸法寂滅相。賒多，秦言寂滅。 若聞呿字，即知一切法虛空不可得。呿伽，秦言虛空。 若聞叉字，即知一切法盡不可得。叉耶，秦言盡。 若聞哆字，即知諸法邊不可得。阿利迦哆度求那，秦言是事邊得何利。 若聞若字，即知一切法中無智相。若那，秦言智。 若聞他字，即知一切法義不可得。阿他，秦言義。 若聞婆字，即知一切法不可破相。婆伽，秦言破。 若聞車字，即知一切法無所去。伽車提，秦言去。 若聞濕尛字，即知諸法牢堅如金〔T25 0409a〕剛石。阿濕尛，秦言石。 若聞火字，即知一切法無音聲相。火夜，秦言喚來。 若聞蹉字，即知一切法無慳無施相。末蹉羅，秦言慳。 若聞伽字，即知諸法不厚不薄。伽那，秦言厚。 若聞他字，即知諸法無住處。南天竺他那，秦言處。 若聞拏字，即知一切法及眾生不來不去，不坐不臥，不立不起，眾生空、法空故。南天竺拏，秦言不。 若聞頗字，即知一切法因果空故。頗羅，秦言果。 若聞歌字，即知一切法五眾不可得。歌大，秦言眾。 若聞醝字，即知醝字空，諸法亦爾。 若聞遮字，即知一切法不動相。遮羅地，秦言動。 若聞吒字，即知一切法此彼岸不可得。吒羅，秦言岸。 若聞茶字，即知一切法必不可得。波茶，秦言必。 茶外更無字；若更有者，是四十二字枝派。 是字常在世間，相似相續故、入一切語故「無礙」。如國國不同，無一定名，故言「無名」。聞已便盡，故言「滅」。諸法入法性，皆不可得，而況字可說！諸法無憶想分別故「不可示」。先意業分別故有口業；口業因緣故，身業作字；字是色法，或眼見、或耳聞，眾生強作名字。無因緣，以是故「不可見」、「不可書」。諸法常空，如虛空相，何況字說已便滅！是文字陀羅尼，是諸陀羅尼門。 問曰： 知是陀羅尼門因緣者，應得無量無邊功德，何以但說二十？ 答曰： 佛亦能說諸餘無量無邊功德，但以廢說般若波羅蜜故，但略說二十。 「得強識念」者，菩薩得是陀羅尼，常觀諸字相，修習憶念故，得強識念。 「得慚愧」者，集〔T25 0409b〕諸善法，厭諸惡法故，生大慚愧。 「心得堅固」者，集諸福德、智慧故，心得堅固如金剛；乃至阿鼻地獄事，尚不退阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，何況餘苦！ 「得經旨趣」者，知佛五種方便說法故，名為得經旨趣：一者、知作種種門說法，二者、知為何事故說；三者、知以方便故說，四者、知示理趣故說，五者、知以大悲心故說。 「得智慧」者，菩薩因是陀羅尼，分別破散諸字，言語亦空，言語空故名亦空，名空故義亦空；得畢竟空，即是般若波羅蜜。 「智慧樂說」者，既得如是畢竟清淨無礙智慧，以本願、大悲心度眾生故樂說易。 「得陀羅尼」者，譬如破竹，初節既破，餘者皆易；菩薩亦如是，得是文字陀羅尼，諸陀羅尼自然而得。 「無疑悔心」者，入諸法實相中，雖未得一切智慧，於一切深法中無疑無悔。 「聞善不喜、聞惡不瞋」者，各各分別諸字，無讚歎、無毀呰故，聞善不喜，聞惡不瞋。 「不高不下」者，憎愛斷故。 「善巧知眾生語」者，得解一切眾生言語三昧故。 「巧分別五眾、十二入、十八界，十二因緣、四緣、四諦」者，五眾等義如先說。 「巧分別眾生諸根利鈍、知他心、天耳、宿命、巧說是處非處」者，如十力中說。 「巧知往來坐起等」者，如〈阿鞞跋致品〉中所說。 「日月歲節」者，日名從旦至旦，初分、中分、後分；夜亦三分。一日一夜有三十時：春、秋分時，十五時屬晝，十五時屬夜；餘時增減——五月至，晝十八時，夜十二時；十一月至，夜十八時，晝十二時。 一月，或三十日、或三十日半、或〔T25 0409c〕二十九日、或二十七日半。 有四種月：一者、日月，二者、世間月，三者、月月，四者、星宿月。 日月者，三十日半；世間月者，三十日；月月者，二十九日加六十二分之三十；星宿月者，二十七日加六十七分之二十一。 閏月者，從日月、世間月二事中出，是名十三月。 或十二月、或十三月，名一歲。是歲三百六十六日，周而復始。菩薩知日中分時，前分已過，後分未生，中分中無住處，無相可取，日分空無所有。到三十日時，二十九日已滅，云何和合成月？月無故，云何和合而為歲？以是故，佛言：「世間法如幻、如夢，但是誑心法。」菩薩能知世間日、月、歲和合，能知破散無所有，是名「巧分別」。 如是等種種分別，是名「菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍」。 大智度論卷第四十八
《大智度論》卷48 · T25n1509
The canonical text stands in Chinese only. This edition renders the essence, the plain reading, the exposition and the apparatus into English — never the sūtra itself. Switch to 漢讀本 or 並行雙語 above to read it.
觀身九想的收尾·外身內外身與受心法三念處
佛接著說。再者，須菩提。菩薩摩訶薩見到那被棄置的死人骨頭橫在地上，歲月久了，它的顏色如同鴿色，腐朽爛壞，與泥土混合在一起，便自己思念。我這身也是如此之法、如此之相，還不曾脫離這樣的法。像這樣，須菩提，菩薩摩訶薩在內身之中循身而觀，勤行精進、專一其心，除去世間的貪與憂，因為都不可得的緣故。觀外身、觀內外身也是如此。受念處、心念處、法念處，也應當像這樣廣說。須菩提，這就名為菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍。
摩訶衍又是四正勤：四種勤斷善惡
再者，須菩提。菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍，又有所謂四正勤。是哪四種呢。須菩提，菩薩摩訶薩為了使尚未生起的種種惡不善法不生起，便發起意欲、勤行精進、收攝其心而行道；為了斷除已經生起的種種惡不善法，便發起意欲、勤行精進、收攝其心而行道；為了使尚未生起的種種善法生起，便發起意欲、勤行精進、收攝其心而行道；為了使已經生起的種種善法安住不失、修習圓滿、增長廣大，便發起意欲、勤行精進、收攝其心而行道；因為都不可得的緣故。須菩提，這就名為菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍。
又是四如意分：欲、心、精進、思惟四定
再者，須菩提。菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍，又有所謂四如意分。是哪四種呢。以欲為主的定，斷行成就而修的如意分；以心為主的定，斷行成就而修的如意分；以精進為主的定，斷行成就而修的如意分；以思惟為主的定，斷行成就而修的如意分。因為都不可得的緣故。須菩提，這就名為菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍。
又是五根與五力：信、精進、念、定、慧
再者，須菩提。菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍，又有所謂五根。是哪五種呢。信根、精進根、念根、定根、慧根，這就名為菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍，因為都不可得的緣故。
再者，須菩提。菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍，又有所謂五力。是哪五種呢。信力、精進力、念力、定力、慧力，這就名為菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍，因為都不可得的緣故。
又是七覺分：依離、依無染、向涅槃
再者，須菩提。菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍，又有所謂七覺分。是哪七種呢。菩薩摩訶薩修習念覺分，依止遠離、依止無染、趣向涅槃；擇法覺分、精進覺分、喜覺分、除覺分、定覺分、捨覺分，也都依止遠離、依止無染、趣向涅槃。因為都不可得的緣故，這就名為菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍。
又是八聖道分：從正見到正定
再者，須菩提。菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍，又有所謂八聖道分。是哪八種呢。正見、正思惟、正語、正業、正命、正精進、正念、正定，這就名為菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍，因為都不可得的緣故。
又是三三昧：空、無相、無作三解脫門
再者，須菩提。菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍，又有所謂三三昧。是哪三種呢。空、無相、無作三昧。所謂空三昧，是指諸法的自相為空，這就是空解脫門。所謂無相，是指壞除諸法之相、不憶不念，這就是無相解脫門。所謂無作，是指於諸法之中不起願求，這就是無作解脫門。這就名為菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍，因為都不可得的緣故。
又是十一智：從苦智到如實智，一一釋名
再者，須菩提。菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍，又有所謂苦智、集智、滅智、道智、盡智、無生智、法智、比智、世智、他心智、如實智。怎樣叫苦智呢。了知苦不生，這就叫苦智。怎樣叫集智呢。了知集應當斷，這就叫集智。怎樣叫滅智呢。了知苦滅，這就叫滅智。怎樣叫道智呢。了知八聖道分，這就叫道智。怎樣叫盡智呢。了知種種婬、怒、癡都盡，這就叫盡智。怎樣叫無生智呢。了知諸有之中無有生，這就叫無生智。怎樣叫法智呢。了知五眾的本事、分別而知其為無，這就叫法智。怎樣叫比智呢。了知眼是無常，乃至意觸因緣所生的受是無常，這就叫比智。怎樣叫世智呢。了知因緣與名字，這就叫世智。怎樣叫他心智呢。了知其他眾生的心，這就叫他心智。怎樣叫如實智呢。了知諸佛的一切種智，這就叫如實智。須菩提，這就名為菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍，因為都不可得的緣故。
又是三無漏根：未知欲知根、知根、知者根
再者，須菩提。菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍，又有所謂三根，就是未知欲知根、知根、知者根。怎樣叫未知欲知根呢。諸有學之人尚未得果時的信根、精進根、念根、定根、慧根，這就叫未知欲知根。怎樣叫知根呢。諸有學之人得果時的信根乃至慧根，這就叫知根。怎樣叫知者根呢。諸無學之人，或阿羅漢、或辟支佛、或諸佛的信根乃至慧根，這就叫知者根。須菩提，這就名為菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍，因為都不可得的緣故。
又是三三昧：有覺有觀、無覺有觀、無覺無觀
再者，須菩提。菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍，又有所謂三三昧。是哪三種呢。有覺有觀三昧、無覺有觀三昧、無覺無觀三昧。怎樣叫有覺有觀三昧呢。遠離諸欲、遠離惡不善法，仍有覺有觀，由離而生喜樂、入於初禪，這就叫有覺有觀三昧。怎樣叫無覺有觀三昧呢。就是初禪與二禪的中間，這就叫無覺有觀三昧。怎樣叫無覺無觀三昧呢。從二禪乃至非有想非無想定，這就叫無覺無觀三昧。這就名為菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍，因為都不可得的緣故。
又是十念，又是四禪四無量四無色八背捨九次第定
再者，須菩提。菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍，又有所謂十念。是哪十種呢。念佛、念法、念僧、念戒、念捨、念天、念滅、念出入息、念身、念死。須菩提，這就名為菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍，因為都不可得的緣故。
再者，須菩提。菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍，又有所謂四禪、四無量心、四無色定、八背捨、九次第定。須菩提，這就名為菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍，因為都不可得的緣故。
又是佛十力：一一具說
再者，須菩提。菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍，又有所謂佛的十力。是哪十種呢。佛如實了知一切法是處、不是處之相，這是第一力。如實了知其他眾生過去、未來、現在的種種業、種種受法，了知造業之處，了知其因緣、了知其果報，這是第二力。如實了知諸禪、解脫、三昧、諸定的垢淨分別之相，這是第三力。如實了知其他眾生諸根的上下之相，這是第四力。如實了知其他眾生種種的欲樂、勝解，這是第五力。如實了知世間種種無數的體性，這是第六力。如實了知一切至處之道，這是第七力。了知種種宿命，有相狀、有因緣，一世、二世乃至百千世，劫初、劫盡，我曾在那些眾生之中受生，如此之姓、如此之名、如此的飲食、苦樂、壽命長短；在那裡死、在這裡生，在這裡死、又還生於這裡，這裡受生的姓名、飲食、苦樂、壽命長短也是如此，這是第八力。佛的天眼清淨，超過諸天的天眼，見眾生死時、生時、端正、醜陋、或大或小、或墮惡道、或墮善道，如此的業因緣而受報。這些眾生成就了惡身業、成就了惡口業、成就了惡意業，毀謗聖人，因受邪見業因緣的緣故，身壞命終時墮入惡道、生於地獄之中；那些眾生成就了善身業、成就了善口業、成就了善意業，不毀謗聖人，因受正見業因緣的緣故，身壞命終時入於善道、生於天上，這是第九力。佛如實了知諸漏已盡的緣故，得無漏的心解脫、無漏的慧解脫；於現在法中自證了知已入此法，所謂我生已盡、梵行已立、從今世起不再受後世之身，這是第十力。須菩提，這就名為菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍，因為都不可得的緣故。
又是四無所畏：四種誠言而無畏
再者，須菩提。菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍，又有所謂四無所畏。是哪四種呢。
佛作誠實之言。我是一切正智之人。若有沙門、婆羅門，或天、或魔、或梵、或其餘之眾，如實地質難說。這法你並不知。乃至見不到一絲微畏之相。因為這緣故，我得安隱、得無所畏，安住於聖主之處，在大眾之中作師子吼，能轉梵輪；諸沙門、婆羅門，或天、或魔、或梵、或其餘之眾，實在不能轉動，這是第一無畏。
佛作誠實之言。我一切漏已盡。若有沙門、婆羅門，或天、或魔、或梵、或其餘之眾，如實地質難說。這漏並未盡。乃至見不到一絲微畏之相。因為這緣故，我得安隱、得無所畏，安住於聖主之處，在大眾之中作師子吼，能轉梵輪；諸沙門、婆羅門，或天、或魔、或梵、或其餘之眾，實在不能轉動，這是第二無畏。
佛作誠實之言。我宣說障道之法。若有沙門、婆羅門，或天、或魔、或梵、或其餘之眾，如實地質難說。受這法並不障道。乃至見不到一絲微畏之相。因為這緣故，我得安隱、得無所畏，安住於聖主之處，在大眾之中作師子吼，能轉梵輪；諸沙門、婆羅門，或天、或魔、或梵、或其餘之眾，實在不能轉動，這是第三無畏。
佛作誠實之言。我所說的聖道，能出離世間，隨此而行能盡諸苦。若有沙門、婆羅門，或天、或魔、或梵、或其餘之眾，如實地質難說。行這道不能出離世間、不能盡苦。乃至見不到一絲微畏之相。因為這緣故，我得安隱、得無所畏，安住於聖主之處，在大眾之中作師子吼，能轉梵輪；諸沙門、婆羅門，或天、或魔、或梵、或其餘之眾，實在不能轉動，這是第四無畏。須菩提，這就名為菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍，因為都不可得的緣故。
又是四無礙智：義、法、辭、樂說
再者，須菩提。菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍，又有所謂四無礙智。是哪四種呢。義無礙、法無礙、辭無礙、樂說無礙。所謂義無礙，是了知諸法實相之義。所謂法無礙，是了知諸法的名。所謂辭無礙，是在言辭之中無所滯礙。所謂樂說無礙，是審實諦當、言說無有窮盡。須菩提，這就名為菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍，因為都不可得的緣故。
又是十八不共法：三業無失乃至三世智慧無礙
再者，須菩提。菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍，又有所謂十八不共法。是哪十八種呢。第一、諸佛身無有失，第二、口無有失，第三、念無有失；第四、無有異想；第五、無有不定之心；第六、無有不知已捨之心；第七、欲無減，第八、精進無減，第九、念無減，第十、慧無減，第十一、解脫無減，第十二、解脫知見無減；第十三、一切身業隨智慧而行，第十四、一切口業隨智慧而行，第十五、一切意業隨智慧而行；第十六、智慧知見於過去世無礙無障，第十七、智慧知見於未來世無礙無障，第十八、智慧知見於現在世無礙無障。須菩提，這就名為菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍，因為都不可得的緣故。
又是字等語等諸字入門：四十二字門（上·阿字到哆字）
再者，須菩提。菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍，又有所謂字等、語等的諸字入門。什麼是字等、語等的諸字入門呢。
阿字門，因為一切法最初本不生的緣故。羅字門，因為一切法離垢的緣故。波字門，因為一切法是第一義的緣故。遮字門，因為一切法終竟不可得的緣故，也因為諸法不終、不生的緣故。那字門，因為諸法離於名、其性相不可得也不可失的緣故。邏字門，因為諸法度越世間的緣故，也因為愛的枝條、因緣都滅盡的緣故。陀字門，因為諸法從善心而生的緣故，也因為是布施之相的緣故。婆字門，因為諸法的婆字相離的緣故。荼字門，因為諸法的荼字清淨的緣故。沙字門，因為諸法是六自在王、其性清淨的緣故。和字門，因為入諸法時語言之道斷絕的緣故。多字門，因為入諸法時如相不動的緣故。夜字門，因為入諸法時如實不生的緣故。吒字門，因為入諸法時制伏不可得的緣故。迦字門，因為入諸法時作者不可得的緣故。婆字門，因為入諸法時時間不可得的緣故，也因為諸法隨時而來、流轉的緣故。磨字門，因為入諸法時我所不可得的緣故。伽字門，因為入諸法時去者不可得的緣故。他字門，因為入諸法時處所不可得的緣故。闍字門，因為入諸法時生不可得的緣故。簸字門，因為入諸法時簸字不可得的緣故。䭾字門，因為入諸法時性不可得的緣故。賒字門，因為入諸法時定不可得的緣故。呿字門，因為入諸法時虛空不可得的緣故。叉字門，因為入諸法時盡不可得的緣故。哆字門，因為入諸法時有不可得的緣故。
四十二字門（下·若字到荼字），過荼更無字可得
若字門，因為入諸法時智不可得的緣故。拖字門，因為入諸法時拖字不可得的緣故。婆字門，因為入諸法時破壞不可得的緣故。車字門，因為入諸法時欲不可得的緣故，也因為如影一般的五眾也不可得的緣故。魔字門，因為入諸法時魔字不可得的緣故。火字門，因為入諸法時喚不可得的緣故。蹉字門，因為入諸法時蹉字不可得的緣故。伽字門，因為入諸法時厚不可得的緣故。咃字門，因為入諸法時處所不可得的緣故。拏字門，因為入諸法時不來不去、不立不坐不臥的緣故。頗字門，因為入諸法時邊不可得的緣故。歌字門，因為入諸法時聚不可得的緣故。醝字門，因為入諸法時醝字不可得的緣故。遮字門，因為入諸法時行不可得的緣故。咤字門，因為入諸法時軀不可得的緣故。荼字門，因為入諸法時邊際究竟之處不可得的緣故，也因為不終、不生的緣故。過了荼字，就沒有字可得了。這是什麼緣故呢。因為再沒有別的字了。
諸字無礙無名·當知一切諸法如虛空
這些字無礙、無名，也不滅，也不可說、不可示、不可見、不可書。須菩提，當知一切諸法都如虛空。須菩提，這就名為陀羅尼門，也就是所謂阿字之義。
印阿字印，得二十功德，是名摩訶衍
若菩薩摩訶薩，於這些字門印上阿字之印，或聽聞、或領受、或誦、或讀、或持、或為他人宣說，能這樣了知，便當得到二十種功德。是哪二十種呢。得強固的記念，得慚愧，得堅固之心，得經的旨趣，得智慧，得樂說無礙，容易得到諸陀羅尼門，得無疑無悔之心，得聞善不歡喜、聞惡不瞋怒，得心不高不下、安住而無增無減，得善巧了知眾生的語言，得善巧分別五眾、十二入、十八界、十二因緣、四緣、四諦，得善巧分別眾生諸根的利鈍，得善巧了知他人的心，得善巧分別日月與歲節，得善巧分別天耳通，得善巧分別宿命通，得善巧分別生死通，得能善巧宣說是處與非處，得善巧了知往來坐起等身的威儀。須菩提，這陀羅尼門與阿字門等，這就名為菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍。
論釋：字等語等，是於諸字平等的陀羅尼
以下是論釋。所謂字等、語等，是一種陀羅尼，於一切字平等看待，沒有愛憎。又這些字，在因緣尚未和會時本無，終歸也無，現在也無所有，只是住在自我的心中，由憶想分別、覺觀之心而說出。這是散亂之心所說，見不到真實之事，如同風吹動水便無所見。所謂等，是說與畢竟空、涅槃同等。菩薩以這陀羅尼於一切諸法通達無礙，這就名為字等、語等。
論釋問答：為何獨說字等——四十二字是一切字根本
有人問。若略說便是五百陀羅尼門，若廣說便是無量陀羅尼門，如今為什麼只說這字等陀羅尼、稱它為諸陀羅尼門。論主答。先說一個大的，便知其餘的都已在說中；這是諸陀羅尼的最初之門，說了初門，其餘也就一併說了。再者，諸陀羅尼之法都從分別字、語而生，四十二字是一切字的根本。因字而有語，因語而有名，因名而有義；菩薩若聽聞字，便能因字乃至了達它的義。
論主逐一釋四十二字，附秦言訓詁（上·阿字到婆字）
這些字，最初是阿、最後是荼，中間有四十。得了這字陀羅尼的菩薩，若在一切語言之中聽到阿字，就隨即依義而知，所謂一切法從最初以來就是不生之相。『阿提』，秦地的話是『初』；『阿耨波陀』，秦地的話是『不生』。若聽到羅字，就隨義了知一切法離垢之相。『羅闍』，秦地的話是『垢』。若聽到波字，就隨即了知一切法入於第一義之中。『波羅木陀』，秦地的話是『第一義』。若聽到遮字，就隨即了知一切諸行皆非行。『遮梨夜』，秦地的話是『行』。若聽到那字，就了知一切法不得不失、不來不去。『那』，秦地的話是『不』。若聽到邏字，就了知一切法離於輕重之相。『邏求』，秦地的話是『輕』。若聽到陀字，就了知一切法的善相。『陀摩』，秦地的話是『善』。若聽到婆字，就了知一切法無縛無解。『婆陀』，秦地的話是『縛』。若聽到荼字，就了知諸法不熱之相。南天竺語『荼闍他』，秦地的話是『不熱』。若聽到沙字，就了知人身的六種相。『沙』，秦地的話是『六』。若聽到和字，就了知一切諸法離於語言之相。『和波他』，秦地的話是『語言』。若聽到多字，就了知諸法在如中不動。『多他』，秦地的話是『如』。若聽到夜字，就了知諸法入於實相之中，不生不滅。『夜他跋』，秦地的話是『實』。若聽到吒字，就了知一切法無障礙之相。『吒婆』，秦地的話是『障礙』。若聽到迦字，就了知諸法之中沒有作者。『迦羅迦』，秦地的話是『作者』。若聽到婆字，就了知一切法的一切種都不可得。『薩婆』，秦地的話是『一切』。
論主逐一釋四十二字（中·摩字到濕尛字）
若聽到摩字，就了知一切法離於我所。『魔迦羅』，秦地的話是『我所』。若聽到伽字，就了知一切法的底不可得。『伽陀』，秦地的話是『底』。若聽到陀字，就了知四句如去不可得。『多陀阿伽陀』，秦地的話是『如去』。若聽到闍字，就了知諸法的生、老不可得。『闍提闍羅』，秦地的話是『生老』。若聽到濕波字，就了知一切法不可得，如同濕波字之不可得。『濕簸』字沒有義，所以不加解釋。若聽到䭾字，就了知一切法之中法性不可得。『䭾摩』，秦地的話是『法』。若聽到賒字，就了知諸法的寂滅之相。『賒多』，秦地的話是『寂滅』。若聽到呿字，就了知一切法的虛空不可得。『呿伽』，秦地的話是『虛空』。若聽到叉字，就了知一切法的盡不可得。『叉耶』，秦地的話是『盡』。若聽到哆字，就了知諸法的邊不可得。『阿利迦哆度求那』，秦地的話是『這件事到了邊際又能得到什麼利益』。若聽到若字，就了知一切法之中無智之相。『若那』，秦地的話是『智』。若聽到他字，就了知一切法的義不可得。『阿他』，秦地的話是『義』。若聽到婆字，就了知一切法不可破之相。『婆伽』，秦地的話是『破』。若聽到車字，就了知一切法無所去。『伽車提』，秦地的話是『去』。若聽到濕尛字，就了知諸法牢固堅實如金剛石。『阿濕尛』，秦地的話是『石』。
論主逐一釋四十二字（下·火字到茶字），茶外更無字
若聽到火字，就了知一切法無音聲之相。『火夜』，秦地的話是『喚來』。若聽到蹉字，就了知一切法無慳無施之相。『末蹉羅』，秦地的話是『慳』。若聽到伽字，就了知諸法不厚不薄。『伽那』，秦地的話是『厚』。若聽到他字，就了知諸法無有住處。南天竺語『他那』，秦地的話是『處』。若聽到拏字，就了知一切法以及眾生不來不去、不坐不臥、不立不起，因為眾生空、法空的緣故。南天竺語『拏』，秦地的話是『不』。若聽到頗字，就了知一切法因果空的緣故。『頗羅』，秦地的話是『果』。若聽到歌字，就了知一切法的五眾不可得。『歌大』，秦地的話是『眾』。若聽到醝字，就了知醝字空，諸法也是如此。若聽到遮字，就了知一切法不動之相。『遮羅地』，秦地的話是『動』。若聽到吒字，就了知一切法的此岸、彼岸不可得。『吒羅』，秦地的話是『岸』。若聽到茶字，就了知一切法必定不可得。『波茶』，秦地的話是『必』。茶字之外再沒有別的字了；若還有別的字，那都是這四十二字的枝派分支。
這是文字陀羅尼：無礙、無名、滅、不可示見書
這些字常在世間，因它相似相續的緣故、因它入於一切語言的緣故，所以說無礙。如同國與國各不相同、沒有一個一定之名，所以說無名。聽過便即消盡，所以說滅。諸法入於法性，都不可得，何況字還可說。諸法無有憶想分別的緣故，所以說不可示。先有意業的分別，故有口業；因口業的因緣，身業才造作出字；字是色法，或以眼見、或以耳聞，眾生強行為它安立名字。它其實無有因緣，因為這緣故，所以說不可見、不可書。諸法常空，如同虛空之相，何況字說過便滅。這就是文字陀羅尼，也就是諸陀羅尼門。
論釋問答：何以但說二十功德——為廢說般若故
有人問。了知這陀羅尼門因緣的人，理當得到無量無邊的功德，為什麼只說二十種。論主答。佛也能宣說其餘無量無邊的功德，只因為要止住不說、專顯般若波羅蜜的緣故，所以只略說二十。
論主逐一釋二十功德（上）
所謂得強識念，是菩薩得了這陀羅尼，常觀諸字之相、修習憶念的緣故，得到強固的記念。所謂得慚愧，是積集諸善法、厭離諸惡法的緣故，生起大慚愧。所謂心得堅固，是積集諸福德、智慧的緣故，心得堅固如同金剛；乃至遭遇阿鼻地獄之事，尚且不退失阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，何況其餘的苦。所謂得經旨趣，是了知佛的五種方便說法的緣故，名為得經旨趣。第一、了知佛作種種法門而說法，第二、了知佛為了何事而說；第三、了知佛以方便而說，第四、了知佛為開示理趣而說，第五、了知佛以大悲之心而說。所謂得智慧，是菩薩因這陀羅尼，分別破散諸字，言語也空，言語空的緣故名也空，名空的緣故義也空；得畢竟空，這就是般若波羅蜜。所謂智慧樂說，是既得如此畢竟清淨無礙的智慧，以本願、大悲之心度脫眾生的緣故，樂說便容易。所謂得陀羅尼，譬如破竹，最初一節既已破開，其餘的都容易；菩薩也是如此，得了這文字陀羅尼，諸陀羅尼便自然而得。所謂無疑悔心，是入於諸法實相之中，雖尚未得一切智慧，於一切深法之中無疑無悔。所謂聞善不喜、聞惡不瞋，是各各分別諸字，無所讚歎、無所毀呰的緣故，聽到善也不歡喜，聽到惡也不瞋怒。所謂不高不下，是憎與愛已斷的緣故。所謂善巧了知眾生語，是得了通解一切眾生言語的三昧的緣故。
論主逐一釋二十功德（中）：巧分別蘊界緣諦，如十力中說
所謂善巧分別五眾、十二入、十八界、十二因緣、四緣、四諦，那五眾等的義理如同先前所說。所謂善巧分別眾生諸根的利鈍、了知他心、天耳、宿命、善巧宣說是處非處，這都如同十力之中所說。所謂善巧了知往來坐起等，如同〈阿鞞跋致品〉之中所說。
論主詳釋日月歲節：世間法如幻如夢，是名摩訶衍
所謂善巧分別日月與歲節，日是指從一旦到下一旦，分為初分、中分、後分；夜也有三分。一日一夜有三十時。春分、秋分之時，十五時屬於晝、十五時屬於夜；其餘之時則有增減。到了五月，晝有十八時、夜有十二時；到了十一月，夜有十八時、晝有十二時。一個月，或是三十日、或是三十日半、或是二十九日、或是二十七日半。有四種月。第一、日月，第二、世間月，第三、月月，第四、星宿月。日月是三十日半；世間月是三十日；月月是二十九日再加上六十二分之三十；星宿月是二十七日再加上六十七分之二十一。所謂閏月，是從日月、世間月這二事之中生出，這名為第十三月。或十二月、或十三月，名為一歲。這一歲有三百六十六日，周而復始。菩薩了知，在一日的中分之時，前分已經過去、後分尚未生起、中分之中也無有住處，沒有相狀可取，日分空無所有。到了第三十日之時，第二十九日已經滅去，那要怎樣和合而成一月呢。月既是無，又怎樣和合而成一歲呢。因為這緣故，佛說，世間之法如幻、如夢，只是誑惑心的法。菩薩能了知世間的日、月、歲之和合，也能了知它破散無所有，這就名為善巧分別。像這樣種種的分別，這就名為菩薩摩訶薩的摩訶衍。
Closing the Nine Perceptions of the Body; the Outer Body, the Inner-and-Outer Body, and the Three Foundations of Feeling, Mind, and Dharmas
The Buddha goes on to say: Furthermore, Subhūti, a bodhisattva-mahāsattva sees the bones of a dead person that have been cast away lying across the ground; after many years their colour is like the colour of a dove, rotted and decayed, mixed together with the earth; and he thinks to himself: This body of mine too is of such a dharma and such a mark, and has not yet escaped such a dharma. In this way, Subhūti, the bodhisattva-mahāsattva, within the inner body, contemplates the body following along the body, diligently practising with vigour and with a single-minded mind, removing the greed and grief of the world—because all are unfindable. Contemplating the outer body and contemplating the inner-and-outer body are also like this. The foundation of mindfulness of feeling, the foundation of mindfulness of mind, and the foundation of mindfulness of dharmas should also be spoken of broadly in this way. Subhūti, this is called the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva.
The Mahāyāna Is Also the Four Right Efforts: Four Kinds of Diligent Cutting Off regarding Good and Evil
Furthermore, Subhūti, in the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva there are also what are called the four right efforts. What are the four? Subhūti, the bodhisattva-mahāsattva, in order that evil and unwholesome dharmas not yet arisen should not arise, arouses desire, diligently practises with vigour, gathers in his mind, and practises the path; in order to cut off evil and unwholesome dharmas already arisen, he arouses desire, diligently practises with vigour, gathers in his mind, and practises the path; in order that wholesome dharmas not yet arisen should arise, he arouses desire, diligently practises with vigour, gathers in his mind, and practises the path; in order that wholesome dharmas already arisen should abide without being lost, be cultivated to fullness, and increase and grow broad, he arouses desire, diligently practises with vigour, gathers in his mind, and practises the path; because all are unfindable. Subhūti, this is called the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva.
It Is Also the Four Bases of Supernormal Power: the Four Concentrations of Desire, Mind, Vigour, and Reflection
Furthermore, Subhūti, in the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva there are also what are called the four bases of supernormal power. What are the four? The basis of supernormal power cultivated through concentration with desire as its chief, accomplished in the practice of eliminating; the basis of supernormal power cultivated through concentration with mind as its chief, accomplished in the practice of eliminating; the basis of supernormal power cultivated through concentration with vigour as its chief, accomplished in the practice of eliminating; the basis of supernormal power cultivated through concentration with reflection as its chief, accomplished in the practice of eliminating. Because all are unfindable. Subhūti, this is called the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva.
It Is Also the Five Faculties and the Five Powers: Faith, Vigour, Mindfulness, Concentration, and Wisdom
Furthermore, Subhūti, in the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva there are also what are called the five faculties. What are the five? The faculty of faith, the faculty of vigour, the faculty of mindfulness, the faculty of concentration, and the faculty of wisdom—this is called the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva, because all are unfindable.
Furthermore, Subhūti, in the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva there are also what are called the five powers. What are the five? The power of faith, the power of vigour, the power of mindfulness, the power of concentration, and the power of wisdom—this is called the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva, because all are unfindable.
It Is Also the Seven Limbs of Awakening: Relying on Separation, Relying on Non-defilement, Inclining toward Nirvāṇa
Furthermore, Subhūti, in the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva there are also what are called the seven limbs of awakening. What are the seven? The bodhisattva-mahāsattva cultivates the mindfulness limb of awakening, relying on separation, relying on non-defilement, and inclining toward nirvāṇa; the limb of awakening that investigates dharmas, the vigour limb of awakening, the joy limb of awakening, the removal limb of awakening, the concentration limb of awakening, and the equanimity limb of awakening likewise all rely on separation, rely on non-defilement, and incline toward nirvāṇa. Because all are unfindable, this is called the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva.
It Is Also the Eight Limbs of the Noble Path: From Right View to Right Concentration
Furthermore, Subhūti, in the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva there are also what are called the eight limbs of the noble path. What are the eight? Right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right vigour, right mindfulness, and right concentration—this is called the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva, because all are unfindable.
It Is Also the Three Samādhi: the Three Gates of Liberation of Emptiness, Signlessness, and Non-action
Furthermore, Subhūti, in the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva there are also what are called the three samādhi. What are the three? The emptiness samādhi, the signless samādhi, and the non-action samādhi. The emptiness samādhi means that the specific marks of all dharmas are empty; this is the gate of liberation of emptiness. Signlessness means demolishing the marks of all dharmas, neither recollecting nor keeping them in mind; this is the gate of liberation of signlessness. Non-action means giving rise to no wishing and seeking among all dharmas; this is the gate of liberation of non-action. This is called the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva, because all are unfindable.
It Is Also the Eleven Knowledges: From Knowledge of Suffering to Knowledge according to Reality, Each Named and Explained
Furthermore, Subhūti, in the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva there are also what are called knowledge of suffering, knowledge of origination, knowledge of cessation, knowledge of the path, knowledge of exhaustion, knowledge of non-arising, dharma-knowledge, subsequent knowledge, worldly knowledge, knowledge of others' minds, and knowledge according to reality. What is called knowledge of suffering? Knowing that suffering does not arise—this is called knowledge of suffering. What is called knowledge of origination? Knowing that origination should be cut off—this is called knowledge of origination. What is called knowledge of cessation? Knowing the cessation of suffering—this is called knowledge of cessation. What is called knowledge of the path? Knowing the eight limbs of the noble path—this is called knowledge of the path. What is called knowledge of exhaustion? Knowing that lust, anger, and delusion are all exhausted—this is called knowledge of exhaustion. What is called knowledge of non-arising? Knowing that within all existences there is no arising—this is called knowledge of non-arising. What is called dharma-knowledge? Knowing the basic facts of the five aggregates, discriminating them, and knowing them to be non-existent—this is called dharma-knowledge. What is called subsequent knowledge? Knowing that the eye is impermanent, up to knowing that the feeling produced by the causes and conditions of mind-contact is impermanent—this is called subsequent knowledge. What is called worldly knowledge? Knowing causes and conditions and names—this is called worldly knowledge. What is called knowledge of others' minds? Knowing the minds of other beings—this is called knowledge of others' minds. What is called knowledge according to reality? Knowing the omniscience of all kinds of the Buddhas—this is called knowledge according to reality. Subhūti, this is called the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva, because all are unfindable.
It Is Also the Three Faculties Free of Outflows: the Faculty of Wishing to Know the Not-Yet-Known, the Faculty of Knowing, and the Faculty of the Knower
Furthermore, Subhūti, in the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva there are also what are called the three faculties, namely the faculty of wishing to know the not-yet-known, the faculty of knowing, and the faculty of the knower. What is called the faculty of wishing to know the not-yet-known? The faculty of faith, the faculty of vigour, the faculty of mindfulness, the faculty of concentration, and the faculty of wisdom of those still in training, at the time when they have not yet attained the fruit—this is called the faculty of wishing to know the not-yet-known. What is called the faculty of knowing? The faculty of faith up to the faculty of wisdom of those still in training, at the time when they attain the fruit—this is called the faculty of knowing. What is called the faculty of the knower? The faculty of faith up to the faculty of wisdom of those beyond training, whether arhats, or pratyekabuddhas, or the Buddhas—this is called the faculty of the knower. Subhūti, this is called the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva, because all are unfindable.
It Is Also the Three Samādhi: with Initial and Sustained Thought, without Initial Thought but with Sustained Thought, and without Initial or Sustained Thought
Furthermore, Subhūti, in the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva there are also what are called the three samādhi. What are the three? The samādhi with initial thought and with sustained thought, the samādhi without initial thought but with sustained thought, and the samādhi without initial thought and without sustained thought. What is called the samādhi with initial thought and with sustained thought? Separated from desires and separated from evil and unwholesome dharmas, still having initial thought and sustained thought, with joy and bliss born of separation, entering the first meditation—this is called the samādhi with initial thought and with sustained thought. What is called the samādhi without initial thought but with sustained thought? It is the interval between the first meditation and the second meditation—this is called the samādhi without initial thought but with sustained thought. What is called the samādhi without initial thought and without sustained thought? From the second meditation up to the absorption of neither perception nor non-perception—this is called the samādhi without initial thought and without sustained thought. This is called the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva, because all are unfindable.
It Is Also the Ten Recollections, and Also the Four Meditations, the Four Immeasurables, the Four Formless Absorptions, the Eight Liberations, and the Nine Successive Absorptions
Furthermore, Subhūti, in the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva there are also what are called the ten recollections. What are the ten? Recollection of the Buddha, recollection of the Dharma, recollection of the Saṅgha, recollection of morality, recollection of giving, recollection of the gods, recollection of cessation, recollection of the in-and-out breath, recollection of the body, and recollection of death. Subhūti, this is called the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva, because all are unfindable.
Furthermore, Subhūti, in the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva there are also what are called the four meditations, the four immeasurable minds, the four formless absorptions, the eight liberations, and the nine successive absorptions. Subhūti, this is called the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva, because all are unfindable.
It Is Also the Buddha's Ten Powers: Each Set Out in Full
Furthermore, Subhūti, in the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva there are also what are called the ten powers of the Buddha. What are the ten? The Buddha knows as it really is the marks of what can be and what cannot be in all dharmas; this is the first power. He knows as it really is the various deeds and the various dharmas of receiving of other beings in the past, future, and present; he knows the place where the deeds are done, knows their causes and conditions, and knows their fruition; this is the second power. He knows as it really is the marks of defilement, purity, and distinction of the meditations, the liberations, the samādhi, and the absorptions; this is the third power. He knows as it really is the higher and lower marks of the faculties of other beings; this is the fourth power. He knows as it really is the various desires and delights and the resolute understandings of other beings; this is the fifth power. He knows as it really is the various innumerable natures of the world; this is the sixth power. He knows as it really is the path that leads to all destinations; this is the seventh power. He knows all kinds of former lives, with their features and with their causes and conditions—one life, two lives, up to a hundred thousand lives; the beginning of a kalpa and the end of a kalpa: I was once born among those beings, of such a clan, of such a name, with such food and drink, such suffering and pleasure, and such a length of life; dying there, I was born here; dying here, I was born again here; and the clan and name, food and drink, suffering and pleasure, and length of life of the birth here were likewise; this is the eighth power. The Buddha's divine eye is pure, surpassing the divine eye of the gods; he sees beings at the time of death and at the time of birth, handsome and ugly, great or small, falling into evil paths or falling into good paths, receiving recompense through such causes and conditions of deeds. These beings accomplished evil deeds of body, accomplished evil deeds of speech, accomplished evil deeds of mind, and slandered the sages; because they received the causes and conditions of deeds of wrong view, at the breaking up of the body and the end of life they fall into evil paths and are born in hell; those beings accomplished good deeds of body, accomplished good deeds of speech, accomplished good deeds of mind, and did not slander the sages; because they received the causes and conditions of deeds of right view, at the breaking up of the body and the end of life they enter good paths and are born in heaven; this is the ninth power. Because the Buddha knows as it really is that the outflows are exhausted, he attains the liberation of mind free of outflows and the liberation by wisdom free of outflows; in the present dharma he himself realises and knows that he has entered this dharma, namely: My births are exhausted, the pure life is established, and from this life on I shall not receive a body in a later life; this is the tenth power. Subhūti, this is called the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva, because all are unfindable.
It Is Also the Four Fearlessnesses: Four Truthful Declarations Made without Fear
Furthermore, Subhūti, in the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva there are also what are called the four fearlessnesses. What are the four?
The Buddha makes a truthful declaration: I am one of all right knowledge. If there is a śramaṇa or a brahmin, or a god, or Māra, or Brahmā, or any other assembly who challenges me in accordance with fact, saying: This dharma you do not know—and so on, up to my not seeing even the slightest mark of fear. For this reason I attain security and attain fearlessness, abide in the place of the holy lord, roar the lion's roar in the great assembly, and am able to turn the Brahmā wheel; the śramaṇas and brahmins, or gods, or Māra, or Brahmā, or any other assembly truly cannot turn it; this is the first fearlessness.
The Buddha makes a truthful declaration: All my outflows are exhausted. If there is a śramaṇa or a brahmin, or a god, or Māra, or Brahmā, or any other assembly who challenges me in accordance with fact, saying: These outflows are not exhausted—and so on, up to my not seeing even the slightest mark of fear. For this reason I attain security and attain fearlessness, abide in the place of the holy lord, roar the lion's roar in the great assembly, and am able to turn the Brahmā wheel; the śramaṇas and brahmins, or gods, or Māra, or Brahmā, or any other assembly truly cannot turn it; this is the second fearlessness.
The Buddha makes a truthful declaration: I proclaim the dharmas that obstruct the path. If there is a śramaṇa or a brahmin, or a god, or Māra, or Brahmā, or any other assembly who challenges me in accordance with fact, saying: Receiving this dharma does not obstruct the path—and so on, up to my not seeing even the slightest mark of fear. For this reason I attain security and attain fearlessness, abide in the place of the holy lord, roar the lion's roar in the great assembly, and am able to turn the Brahmā wheel; the śramaṇas and brahmins, or gods, or Māra, or Brahmā, or any other assembly truly cannot turn it; this is the third fearlessness.
The Buddha makes a truthful declaration: The holy path that I teach is able to lead out of the world, and following it in practice one can exhaust all suffering. If there is a śramaṇa or a brahmin, or a god, or Māra, or Brahmā, or any other assembly who challenges me in accordance with fact, saying: Practising this path does not lead out of the world and does not exhaust suffering—and so on, up to my not seeing even the slightest mark of fear. For this reason I attain security and attain fearlessness, abide in the place of the holy lord, roar the lion's roar in the great assembly, and am able to turn the Brahmā wheel; the śramaṇas and brahmins, or gods, or Māra, or Brahmā, or any other assembly truly cannot turn it; this is the fourth fearlessness. Subhūti, this is called the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva, because all are unfindable.
It Is Also the Four Unobstructed Knowledges: of Meaning, of Dharma, of Expression, and of Delight in Speaking
Furthermore, Subhūti, in the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva there are also what are called the four unobstructed knowledges. What are the four? Unobstructedness in meaning, unobstructedness in dharma, unobstructedness in expression, and unobstructedness in delight in speaking. Unobstructedness in meaning is knowing the meaning of the real mark of all dharmas. Unobstructedness in dharma is knowing the names of all dharmas. Unobstructedness in expression is being in no way stuck or obstructed among words and expressions. Unobstructedness in delight in speaking is being precise, true, and apt, with speech that has no end. Subhūti, this is called the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva, because all are unfindable.
It Is Also the eighteen unshared dharmas: from the Faultlessness of the Three Kinds of Deeds to Unobstructed Wisdom regarding the Three Times
Furthermore, Subhūti, in the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva there are also what are called the eighteen unshared dharmas. What are the eighteen? First, the bodies of the Buddhas are without fault; second, their speech is without fault; third, their mindfulness is without fault; fourth, they have no diverse perceptions; fifth, they have no unconcentrated mind; sixth, they have no mind that lets go without knowing; seventh, desire does not decline; eighth, vigour does not decline; ninth, mindfulness does not decline; tenth, wisdom does not decline; eleventh, liberation does not decline; twelfth, the knowledge and vision of liberation does not decline; thirteenth, all bodily deeds proceed in accord with wisdom; fourteenth, all deeds of speech proceed in accord with wisdom; fifteenth, all mental deeds proceed in accord with wisdom; sixteenth, the knowledge and vision of wisdom is unobstructed and unhindered regarding the past; seventeenth, the knowledge and vision of wisdom is unobstructed and unhindered regarding the future; eighteenth, the knowledge and vision of wisdom is unobstructed and unhindered regarding the present. Subhūti, this is called the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva, because all are unfindable.
It Is Also the Gates of Entry into the Letters, of Equality in Letters and Equality in Speech: the Forty-two Letter-Gates (I: from a to sta)
Furthermore, Subhūti, in the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva there are also what are called the gates of entry into the letters, of equality in letters and equality in speech. What are the gates of entry into the letters, of equality in letters and equality in speech?
The gate of the letter a: because all dharmas are, from the very first, originally unarisen. The gate of the letter ra: because all dharmas are free of defilement. The gate of the letter pa: because all dharmas are the highest meaning. The gate of the letter ca: because all dharmas are in the end unfindable, and also because dharmas neither end nor arise. The gate of the letter na: because dharmas are apart from names, and their nature and marks can neither be obtained nor lost. The gate of the letter la: because dharmas pass beyond the world, and also because the branches of craving and their causes and conditions are wholly extinguished. The gate of the letter da: because dharmas arise from a wholesome mind, and also because it is the mark of giving. The gate of the letter ba: because in dharmas the mark of the letter ba is separated off. The gate of the letter ḍa: because in dharmas the letter ḍa is pure. The gate of the letter ṣa: because dharmas are the six sovereign kings, their nature pure. The gate of the letter va: because on entering dharmas the path of speech is cut off. The gate of the letter ta: because on entering dharmas the mark of suchness does not move. The gate of the letter ya: because on entering dharmas they are, as they really are, unarisen. The gate of the letter ṣṭa: because on entering dharmas subduing is unfindable. The gate of the letter ka: because on entering dharmas the maker is unfindable. The gate of the letter sa: because on entering dharmas time is unfindable, and also because dharmas come with time and turn on. The gate of the letter ma: because on entering dharmas what is mine is unfindable. The gate of the letter ga: because on entering dharmas the goer is unfindable. The gate of the letter tha: because on entering dharmas place is unfindable. The gate of the letter ja: because on entering dharmas birth is unfindable. The gate of the letter śva: because on entering dharmas the letter śva is unfindable. The gate of the letter dha: because on entering dharmas nature is unfindable. The gate of the letter śa: because on entering dharmas concentration is unfindable. The gate of the letter kha: because on entering dharmas empty space is unfindable. The gate of the letter kṣa: because on entering dharmas exhaustion is unfindable. The gate of the letter sta: because on entering dharmas existence is unfindable.
The Forty-two Letter-Gates (II: from jña to ḍha); Beyond ḍha No Letter Can Be Obtained
The gate of the letter jña: because on entering dharmas knowledge is unfindable. The gate of the letter rtha: because on entering dharmas the letter rtha is unfindable. The gate of the letter bha: because on entering dharmas breaking is unfindable. The gate of the letter cha: because on entering dharmas desire is unfindable, and also because the five aggregates, which are like shadows, are also unfindable. The gate of the letter sma: because on entering dharmas the letter sma is unfindable. The gate of the letter hva: because on entering dharmas calling is unfindable. The gate of the letter tsa: because on entering dharmas the letter tsa is unfindable. The gate of the letter gha: because on entering dharmas thickness is unfindable. The gate of the letter ṭha: because on entering dharmas place is unfindable. The gate of the letter ṇa: because on entering dharmas there is no coming and no going, no standing, no sitting, and no lying down. The gate of the letter pha: because on entering dharmas the edge is unfindable. The gate of the letter ska: because on entering dharmas aggregation is unfindable. The gate of the letter ysa: because on entering dharmas the letter ysa is unfindable. The gate of the letter śca: because on entering dharmas practice is unfindable. The gate of the letter ṭa: because on entering dharmas the body is unfindable. The gate of the letter ḍha: because on entering dharmas the place where the boundary is ultimately reached is unfindable, and also because they neither end nor arise. Beyond the letter ḍha there are no letters to be obtained. Why? Because there are no further letters.
The Letters Are Unobstructed and Nameless; Know That All Dharmas Are like Empty Space
These letters are unobstructed and nameless; nor do they cease; they cannot be spoken, cannot be shown, cannot be seen, and cannot be written. Subhūti, you should know that all dharmas are like empty space. Subhūti, this is called the dhāraṇī-gate, which is what is called the meaning of the letter a.
Sealing with the Seal of the Letter A, One Obtains Twenty Merits; This Is Called the Mahāyāna
If a bodhisattva-mahāsattva, upon these letter-gates, stamps the seal of the letter a—whether hearing it, or receiving it, or reciting it, or reading it, or keeping it, or proclaiming it for others—and is able to know it in this way, he will obtain twenty kinds of merit. What are the twenty? He obtains strong, firm recollection; obtains shame and conscience; obtains a firm mind; obtains the purport of the sūtras; obtains wisdom; obtains unobstructed delight in speaking; easily obtains the dhāraṇī-gates; obtains a mind without doubt and without regret; obtains hearing good without rejoicing and hearing bad without anger; obtains a mind neither high nor low, abiding without increase or decrease; obtains skill in knowing the languages of beings; obtains skill in discriminating the five aggregates, the twelve sense-fields, the eighteen elements, the twelve causes and conditions, the four conditions, and the four truths; obtains skill in discriminating the sharpness and dullness of beings' faculties; obtains skill in knowing the minds of others; obtains skill in discriminating days, months, years, and seasons; obtains skill in discriminating the penetration of the divine ear; obtains skill in discriminating the penetration of former lives; obtains skill in discriminating the penetration of birth and death; obtains the ability skilfully to proclaim what can be and what cannot be; obtains skill in knowing the bodily deportment of coming and going, sitting and rising, and so on. Subhūti, this dhāraṇī-gate and the gate of the letter a and the rest—this is called the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva.
The Treatise's Explanation: Equality in Letters and Equality in Speech Is the Dhāraṇī That Regards All Letters as Equal
What follows is the treatise's explanation. As for ‘equality in letters, equality in speech’: it is a kind of dhāraṇī that regards all letters equally, without love or hatred. Moreover, these letters, when their causes and conditions have not yet come together, originally are not; in the end they also are not; and at present too there is nothing of them that exists; they merely abide in one's own mind, and are spoken from recollection, imagining, and discrimination and from a mind of initial and sustained thought. This is what a distracted mind speaks, and it does not see real things—just as when the wind stirs water, nothing is seen. As for ‘equal’: it means equal to ultimate emptiness and to nirvāṇa. By this dhāraṇī the bodhisattva penetrates all dharmas without obstruction; this is called equality in letters and equality in speech.
The Treatise's Explanation in Question and Answer: Why Speak Only of Equality in Letters? The Forty-two Letters Are the Root of All Letters
Question: Stated briefly, there are five hundred dhāraṇī-gates; stated broadly, there are immeasurable dhāraṇī-gates; why is it that now only this dhāraṇī of equality in letters is spoken of, and it is called the dhāraṇī-gates? Answer: When one great one is spoken of first, one knows that the rest have all been included in what is spoken; this is the first gate of the dhāraṇīs, and when the first gate is spoken of, the rest are spoken of along with it. Furthermore, the dharmas of the dhāraṇīs all arise from discriminating letters and speech, and the forty-two letters are the root of all letters. Because of letters there is speech, because of speech there are names, and because of names there is meaning; if the bodhisattva hears a letter, he is able, because of the letter, to reach even to its meaning.
The Treatise-Author Explains the Forty-two Letters One by One, with Glosses in the Language of Qin (I: from a to sa)
As for these letters: the first is a and the last is ḍha, with forty in between. A bodhisattva who has obtained this letter-dhāraṇī, if in any speech he hears the letter a, immediately knows, following the meaning, that all dharmas from the very first have the mark of non-arising. ‘Ādi’ in the language of Qin is ‘beginning’; ‘Anutpāda’ in the language of Qin is ‘non-arising’. If he hears the letter ra, he knows, following the meaning, the mark of all dharmas being free of defilement. ‘Rajas’ in the language of Qin is ‘defilement’. If he hears the letter pa, he immediately knows that all dharmas enter into the highest meaning. ‘Paramārtha’ in the language of Qin is ‘the highest meaning’. If he hears the letter ca, he immediately knows that all practices are non-practices. ‘Caryā’ in the language of Qin is ‘practice’. If he hears the letter na, he knows that all dharmas are neither obtained nor lost, neither come nor go. ‘Na’ in the language of Qin is ‘not’. If he hears the letter la, he knows that all dharmas are free of the mark of light and heavy. ‘Laghu’ in the language of Qin is ‘light’. If he hears the letter da, he knows the wholesome mark of all dharmas. ‘Tuomo’ in the language of Qin is ‘wholesome’. If he hears the letter ba, he knows that all dharmas are without bondage and without release. ‘Bandha’ in the language of Qin is ‘bondage’. If he hears the letter ḍa, he knows the mark of dharmas not being hot. ‘Tushetuo’ in the speech of South India is, in the language of Qin, ‘not hot’. If he hears the letter ṣa, he knows the six marks of the human body. ‘Ṣaṭ’ in the language of Qin is ‘six’. If he hears the letter va, he knows that all dharmas are free of the mark of speech. ‘Hebota’ in the language of Qin is ‘speech’. If he hears the letter ta, he knows that dharmas do not move within suchness. ‘Tathā’ in the language of Qin is ‘such’. If he hears the letter ya, he knows that dharmas enter into the real mark, neither arising nor ceasing. ‘Yetaba’ in the language of Qin is ‘real’. If he hears the letter ṣṭa, he knows the mark of all dharmas being without obstruction. ‘Zhapo’ in the language of Qin is ‘obstruction’. If he hears the letter ka, he knows that among dharmas there is no maker. ‘Kāraka’ in the language of Qin is ‘maker’. If he hears the letter sa, he knows that all kinds of all dharmas are unfindable. ‘Sarva’ in the language of Qin is ‘all’.
The Treatise-Author Explains the Forty-two Letters One by One (II: from ma to sma)
If he hears the letter ma, he knows that all dharmas are apart from what is mine. ‘Mamakāra’ in the language of Qin is ‘what is mine’. If he hears the letter ga, he knows that the bottom of all dharmas is unfindable. ‘Qietuo’ in the language of Qin is ‘bottom’. If he hears the letter tha, he knows that the thus-gone of the four propositions is unfindable. ‘Tathāgata’ in the language of Qin is ‘thus-gone’. If he hears the letter ja, he knows that the birth and old age of dharmas are unfindable. ‘Jāti-jarā’ in the language of Qin is ‘birth and old age’. If he hears the letter śva, he knows that all dharmas are unfindable, just as the letter śva is unfindable. The letter ‘śva’ has no meaning, so it is not explained. If he hears the letter dha, he knows that in all dharmas the dharma-nature is unfindable. ‘Dharma’ in the language of Qin is ‘dharma’. If he hears the letter śa, he knows the mark of dharmas being still and extinguished. ‘Śānta’ in the language of Qin is ‘still and extinguished’. If he hears the letter kha, he knows that the empty space of all dharmas is unfindable. ‘Qujia’ in the language of Qin is ‘empty space’. If he hears the letter kṣa, he knows that the exhaustion of all dharmas is unfindable. ‘Kṣaya’ in the language of Qin is ‘exhaustion’. If he hears the letter sta, he knows that the edge of dharmas is unfindable. ‘Alijiaduoduqiuna’ in the language of Qin is ‘when this matter has reached its edge, what benefit can then be gained?’ If he hears the letter jña, he knows the mark of there being no knowledge in all dharmas. ‘Jñāna’ in the language of Qin is ‘knowledge’. If he hears the letter rtha, he knows that the meaning of all dharmas is unfindable. ‘Artha’ in the language of Qin is ‘meaning’. If he hears the letter bha, he knows the mark of all dharmas being unbreakable. ‘Bhaṅga’ in the language of Qin is ‘breaking’. If he hears the letter cha, he knows that all dharmas have nowhere they go. ‘Gacchati’ in the language of Qin is ‘going’. If he hears the letter sma, he knows that dharmas are firm, solid, and hard like vajra-stone. ‘Aśma’ in the language of Qin is ‘stone’.
The Treatise-Author Explains the Forty-two Letters One by One (III: from hva to ḍha); Beyond ḍha There Is No Further Letter
If he hears the letter hva, he knows the mark of all dharmas being without sound. ‘Huoye’ in the language of Qin is ‘call to come’. If he hears the letter tsa, he knows the mark of all dharmas being without stinginess and without giving. ‘Matsara’ in the language of Qin is ‘stinginess’. If he hears the letter gha, he knows that dharmas are neither thick nor thin. ‘Ghana’ in the language of Qin is ‘thick’. If he hears the letter ṭha, he knows that dharmas have no dwelling-place. ‘Tana’ in the speech of South India is, in the language of Qin, ‘place’. If he hears the letter ṇa, he knows that all dharmas and beings neither come nor go, neither sit nor lie down, neither stand nor rise, because beings are empty and dharmas are empty. ‘Ṇa’ in the speech of South India is, in the language of Qin, ‘not’. If he hears the letter pha, he knows that the cause and fruit of all dharmas are empty. ‘Phala’ in the language of Qin is ‘fruit’. If he hears the letter ska, he knows that the five aggregates of all dharmas are unfindable. ‘Geda’ in the language of Qin is ‘aggregate’. If he hears the letter ysa, he knows that the letter ysa is empty, and that all dharmas are likewise. If he hears the letter śca, he knows the mark of all dharmas being unmoving. ‘Zheluodi’ in the language of Qin is ‘moving’. If he hears the letter ṭa, he knows that the near shore and the far shore of all dharmas are unfindable. ‘Zhaluo’ in the language of Qin is ‘shore’. If he hears the letter ḍha, he knows that all dharmas are certainly unfindable. ‘Bocha’ in the language of Qin is ‘certain’. Beyond the letter ḍha there are no further letters; if there were further letters, they would all be branches and offshoots of these forty-two letters.
This Is the Dhāraṇī of Letters: Unobstructed, Nameless, Ceasing, and Not to Be Shown, Seen, or Written
These letters are always in the world; because they continue in a similar succession, and because they enter into all speech, they are said to be unobstructed. Just as each country differs from the next and there is no single fixed name, they are said to be nameless. Once heard they are immediately used up, so they are said to be ceasing. When all dharmas enter the dharma-nature, all are unfindable—how much less can letters be spoken! Because dharmas have no recollection, imagining, and discrimination, they are said to be not to be shown. First there is the discrimination of mental deeds, and therefore there are deeds of speech; through the causes and conditions of deeds of speech, bodily deeds then produce letters; letters are form-dharmas, seen with the eye or heard with the ear, and beings forcibly set up names for them. In reality they have no causes and conditions; for this reason they are said to be not to be seen and not to be written. All dharmas are always empty, like the mark of empty space—how much more letters, which cease as soon as they are spoken! This is the dhāraṇī of letters, and it is also the dhāraṇī-gates.
The Treatise's Explanation in Question and Answer: Why Speak Only of Twenty Merits? Because the Rest Are Set Aside to Speak of Prajñā
Question: One who knows the causes and conditions of this dhāraṇī-gate ought to obtain immeasurable and boundless merits; why are only twenty spoken of? Answer: The Buddha is also able to proclaim the other immeasurable and boundless merits; only because he wishes to stop and not speak of them, in order solely to make prajñāpāramitā manifest, does he speak briefly of only twenty.
The Treatise-Author Explains the Twenty Merits One by One (I)
As for ‘obtaining strong recollection’: because the bodhisattva, having obtained this dhāraṇī, constantly contemplates the marks of the letters and cultivates recollection, he obtains strong, firm recollection. As for ‘obtaining shame and conscience’: because he accumulates wholesome dharmas and turns away from evil dharmas, great shame and conscience arise. As for ‘the mind obtaining firmness’: because he accumulates merit and wisdom, the mind becomes firm like vajra; even if he meets the matters of the Avīci hell, he still does not fall back from anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi—how much less for other sufferings. As for ‘obtaining the purport of the sūtras’: because he knows the Buddha's five kinds of skilful-means teaching of the Dharma, it is called obtaining the purport of the sūtras. First, knowing that the Buddha teaches the Dharma by making all kinds of Dharma-gates; second, knowing for what matter the Buddha teaches; third, knowing that the Buddha teaches by skilful means; fourth, knowing that the Buddha teaches in order to reveal the principle and purport; fifth, knowing that the Buddha teaches with a mind of great compassion. As for ‘obtaining wisdom’: through this dhāraṇī the bodhisattva discriminates and breaks apart the letters; speech too is empty; because speech is empty, names too are empty; because names are empty, meaning too is empty; he obtains ultimate emptiness, and this is prajñāpāramitā. As for ‘wisdom and delight in speaking’: having obtained such utterly pure and unobstructed wisdom, because he ferries beings to liberation with his original vow and a mind of great compassion, delight in speaking becomes easy. As for ‘obtaining the dhāraṇīs’: it is like splitting bamboo—once the first joint has been split, the rest are all easy; the bodhisattva too is like this: having obtained this dhāraṇī of letters, the dhāraṇīs are obtained of themselves. As for ‘a mind without doubt or regret’: having entered into the real mark of all dharmas, though he has not yet obtained all wisdom, among all profound dharmas he has no doubt and no regret. As for ‘hearing good without rejoicing, hearing bad without anger’: because he discriminates each of the letters one by one, and has nothing he praises and nothing he disparages, hearing good he does not rejoice, and hearing bad he is not angry. As for ‘neither high nor low’: because hatred and love have been cut off. As for ‘skilfully knowing the languages of beings’: because he has obtained the samādhi that understands the speech of all beings.
The Treatise-Author Explains the Twenty Merits One by One (II): Skilful Discrimination of Aggregates, Elements, Conditions, and Truths, as Explained under the Ten Powers
As for skilfully discriminating the five aggregates, the twelve sense-fields, the eighteen elements, the twelve causes and conditions, the four conditions, and the four truths: the meanings of the five aggregates and the rest are as explained before. As for skilfully discriminating the sharpness and dullness of beings' faculties, knowing the minds of others, the divine ear, former lives, and skilfully proclaiming what can be and what cannot be: these are all as explained within the ten powers. As for skilfully knowing coming and going, sitting and rising, and so on: it is as explained in the chapter "Avaivartika".
The Treatise-Author Explains Days, Months, Years, and Seasons in Detail: Worldly Dharmas Are like an Illusion, like a Dream; This Is Called the Mahāyāna
As for skilfully discriminating days, months, years, and seasons: a day runs from one dawn to the next dawn, divided into a first part, a middle part, and a last part; the night also has three parts. One day and one night have thirty periods. At the spring equinox and the autumn equinox, fifteen periods belong to the day and fifteen periods belong to the night; at other times there is increase and decrease. In the fifth month the day has eighteen periods and the night twelve; in the eleventh month the night has eighteen periods and the day twelve. A month is either thirty days, or thirty and a half days, or twenty-nine days, or twenty-seven and a half days. There are four kinds of month: first, the sun month; second, the worldly month; third, the moon month; fourth, the lunar-mansion month. The sun month is thirty and a half days; the worldly month is thirty days; the moon month is twenty-nine days plus thirty sixty-seconds of a day; the lunar-mansion month is twenty-seven days plus twenty-one sixty-sevenths of a day. As for the intercalary month, it arises out of these two, the sun month and the worldly month; this is called the thirteenth month. Either twelve months or thirteen months is called a year. This year has three hundred and sixty-six days, going round and beginning again. The bodhisattva knows that at the time of the middle part of a day, the first part has already passed, the last part has not yet arisen, and within the middle part too there is no abiding; there is no mark that can be grasped, and the portions of the day are empty and without anything. When the thirtieth day comes, the twenty-ninth day has already ceased; how then can they combine to form a month? Since the month is non-existent, how then can they combine to form a year? For this reason the Buddha said: The dharmas of the world are like an illusion, like a dream; they are only dharmas that deceive the mind. The bodhisattva is able to know the combining of the days, months, and years of the world, and is also able to know that it breaks apart and has nothing at all—this is called skilful discrimination. Discriminations of all these kinds are called the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva.
四念處品之二：道品與字門——四十二字門為般若入門，皆以不可得故
在問什麼
這一分接著上一分的四念處往下走。上一分立了四念處，作三十七道品之首；這一分便把其餘的道品一氣數了下來——四正勤、四如意分、五根、五力、七覺分、八聖道分，補足了三十七品；接著又數三三昧、十一智、三無漏根、又一番三三昧、十念，以及四禪四無量四無色八背捨九次第定；再往上，數到佛的不共功德，十力、四無所畏、四無礙智、十八不共法；最後落在四十二字門與二十功德上。乍看之下，這像一張龐大而蕪雜的法數清單，一門接一門地堆疊，每一門後面都綴著同一句 「以不可得故」。
於是問題就逼出來了。這樣一長列法門，從斷惡生善的四正勤，到佛獨有的十力，性質高下懸殊，憑什麼並列在一處，都算作菩薩的摩訶衍。更奇的是，這一大串法數，末了竟收在一組字母上——阿、羅、波、遮，一直到荼。四十二個字，難道是要人持誦的密咒、記數的口訣嗎。這一分要回答的正是這件事。貫穿這一整列法門的，不是別的，就是那句反覆出現的 「以不可得故」；而四十二字門，恰恰是這句話最鋒利的一種說法——它把最尋常的語音，變成四十二道門，門門都通向諸法不可得。字門不是咒，是般若入門。看不清這一層，就會把菩薩的道品讀成小乘的階梯，把字陀羅尼讀成神秘的音節崇拜。
逐段解明
第一，先看清這一長列道品是接在什麼地方說的、又為什麼門門綴著 「以不可得故」。上一分的論裡，論主早已點明，菩薩雖修這三十七品，卻本願牢固、大悲深入，所以不取涅槃。這一分的經文便把其餘的道品一一列出，而每一門收尾都不忘那一句不可得。這一句正是分界所在——同樣是四正勤、五根五力、七覺八正，聲聞是踏著它們登上涅槃、就此取証，菩薩卻是以不可得故而行，走過而不停住。抽掉這一句，剩下的就是小乘的道品；正因為有這一句，它才成其為摩訶衍。
第二，往上數到諸智、諸根、諸定，乃至佛的不共功德，疑問更顯。菩薩自己尚未成佛，經文何以把佛的十力、四無所畏、十八不共法也算進菩薩的摩訶衍。這裡的關竅，仍與上一分的論相通——菩薩雖非佛，卻觀這些法、讀誦正憶念這些法，把佛地的功德當作自己分內之事來修學。所以摩訶衍是通貫的，它從有學人的信等五根，一路含攝到佛的十力，中間不曾斷裂，而通貫始終的，還是那同一句以不可得故。這一長列看似蕪雜，其實是同一味畢竟空，在高下不同的法門上一遍遍地蓋印。
第三，這一分的心臟，是字等語等諸字入門。論主把它的通則說得極明白——「因字有語，因語有名，因名有義」，聲音結成語詞，語詞結成名相，名相載著義理；菩薩只要一聞字，便能循著這條線，因字而及於義。而 「四十二字是一切字根本」，「初阿、後荼，中有四十」，四十二字窮盡了一切字：無論哪一種語言、哪一個音，都逃不出這四十二字之外，也就都被引向一個義，而字門所開的每一個義，無不是一種不可得。這裡不必把四十二門逐一枯列，只要拈出幾個關鍵，通則就活了。聞阿字，入 「一切法初不生」——這是最深的一門，也正是整個陀羅尼的 「所謂阿字義」；聞羅字，入一切法離垢；聞波字，入第一義；聞遮字，知一切諸行皆非行；聞那字，知不得不失、不來不去，而那字秦言正訓作不。一路數到最後，聞荼字，知邊際究竟不可得，而 「過荼無字可得」，「更無字故」。字到荼而窮，四十二門開盡，剩下的正是那一句——「當知一切諸法如虛空」。四十二字門之所以是般若入門，就在於它拿最現成的語音作四十二道門，而門門都開向畢竟空，開到無門可開。
第四，論主為每一個梵音字綴上秦言的訓詁，用意也在這條線上。他把阿提訓作初、阿耨波陀訓作不生，把羅闍訓作垢、波羅木陀訓作第一義，並不是在做語言的考據，而是把 「因字有語，因語有名，因名有義」 這條路當場演示一遍——字一入耳，牽出語詞，語詞載出義理，菩薩便循此直入諸法實相。接著論主又解這些字何以是無礙、無名、滅、不可示見書：字相似相續、入於一切語，所以說無礙；聽過便即消盡，所以說滅；字不過是色法，由眾生強行安立名字，本無實在的因緣，所以說不可見、不可書。連承載這一切的字本身，都在教它自己的空。
第五，這一分收在二十功德與日月歲節上。論主先設一問，既然功德無量，何以只說二十，答得斬截——「廢說般若波羅蜜故，但略說二十」，功德之所以只列二十，是因為它讓位給般若。而二十功德裡最要緊的一句，是 「得畢竟空，即是般若波羅蜜」——分別破散諸字，言語空、名空、義空，直落到畢竟空，這才是字陀羅尼真正的果。到末後那一項善巧分別日月歲節，論主更把這不可得推到時間上去：一日的中分無有住處，到第三十日時第二十九日早已滅去，月既然無，歲又從何和合而成。於是引出佛的定論——「世間法如幻、如夢，但是誑心法」。菩薩既能知日月歲的和合，又能知它破散無所有，這才叫 「巧分別」。從字到時，同一把不可得的鑰匙，把語音與曆算一齊收進畢竟空，而這一整分，也就名為 「菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍」。
道品法數逐員釋名
上一段說的是通則——這一長列道品，門門綴以「以不可得故」，條條同歸畢竟空。可通則若不落到每一員，讀者仍只記得一串名目，未曾親見各員自身是什麼。以下便依經文的次第，把補足三十七品的餘道品、以及其後諸智諸定、乃至佛的不共功德，一一走過；凡經文自帶定義處，即就其定義解明，不另添義。
一、補足三十七道品之餘（四正勤·四如意分·五根·五力·七覺分·八聖道分）。 四正勤是一事的四支：未生的惡不善法令其不生、已生的惡不善法令其斷、未生的善法令其生、已生的善法令其住不失而修滿增廣——前二支斷惡、後二支生善，各以「欲生勤精進攝心行道」策發，是精進的正向用功。四如意分（四如意足）以四種定為主而修，各「斷行成就」——欲定是以願欲為發端之定、心定是攝心一處之定、精進定是策勵不懈之定、思惟定是觀慧簡擇之定；定成則所欲如意，故名如意。五根是信、精進、念、定、慧五者在能生善法的根位；五力則是同此五者已成不可壞之力——根未有力而力已能辦事，同法而位別。七覺分是念、擇法、精進、喜、除、定、捨七者，而經特綴三句宗旨——「依離、依無染、向涅槃」：依止遠離、依止無染、趣向涅槃，這三句是覺分的方向盤，缺之則七法散為世間善，有之才是趣寂之覺。八聖道分是正見、正思惟、正語、正業、正命、正精進、正念、正定，見思語業命勤念定八者具足，即是通向涅槃的一條全道。這六組合前一分的四念處，恰足三十七品；而經於每組末仍不忘「以不可得故」，正是把聲聞的道階一一改寫為菩薩的摩訶衍。
二、諸智與諸根（三三昧·十一智·三無漏根）。 三三昧即空、無相、無作三解脫門——空三昧觀諸法自相空，無相三昧壞諸法相、不憶不念，無作三昧於諸法中不起願求；一門破相、一門破憶念、一門破願求，三門同開向畢竟空，故名解脫。十一智是把「知」分作十一種所知——苦智知苦不生、集智知集應斷、滅智知苦滅、道智知八聖道分，此四是四諦智；盡智知婬怒癡盡、無生智知諸有中無生，此二是漏盡位的自證；法智知五眾本事分別而知其無、比智由眼無常比類乃至意觸生受無常，此二是現量比量之別；世智知因緣名字，是世俗諦上的了知；他心智知他眾生心；如實智則知諸佛一切種智——十一智由淺及深，末後直指佛智。三無漏根即未知欲知根、知根、知者根，是把信等五根依三位分判：有學未得果時的信等五根名未知欲知根、有學得果時名知根、無學（阿羅漢、辟支佛、諸佛）的信等五根名知者根，同一五根而隨證位淺深立三名。
三、諸定與諸念（三三昧·十念·四禪等九門）。 又一組三三昧是就覺觀的有無分三——有覺有觀三昧即初禪（離欲、離惡不善法而尚有覺有觀）、無覺有觀三昧即初禪與二禪的中間地、無覺無觀三昧則從二禪乃至非有想非無想定；由粗尋伺漸入細寂，是定境深淺的一把尺。十念是繫心於十種所緣——念佛、念法、念僧、念戒、念捨、念天、念滅、念出入息、念身、念死，皆是散心入定、怖畏得安的常修法門。四禪、四無量心、四無色定、八背捨、九次第定，經只列名而義如先說：四禪是色界的四級根本定、四無量是慈悲喜捨的普緣、四無色是空無邊識無邊無所有非想的四層無色定、八背捨是次第棄捨的八種觀、九次第定是四禪四無色加滅盡定的九重不雜而入——這一組是禪波羅蜜所攝的定學全譜。
四、佛的不共功德（十力·四無所畏·四無礙智·十八不共法）。 這一組已是佛地的果德，菩薩雖未成佛，卻讀誦、正憶念、把它當作分內事來修學，故亦入摩訶衍。佛十力是十種如實知——知是處非處、知業報、知諸禪解脫三昧定的垢淨、知眾生諸根上下、知眾生種種欲解、知世間種種性、知一切至處道、知宿命、天眼見眾生死生與善惡道之受報、知漏盡——由知理知業，一路知到自他的漏盡。四無所畏是佛作四種誠實之言而無畏——正智無畏（我是一切正智人）、漏盡無畏（我一切漏盡）、說障道無畏（我說障法）、說盡苦道無畏（我所說聖道能出世間、盡苦）——各以「乃至不見是微畏相」印其安隱，於大眾中「師子吼」、「能轉梵輪」而莫能轉。四無礙智是義、法、辭、樂說四種說法自在——義無礙知諸法實相義、法無礙知諸法名、辭無礙於言辭中無滯、樂說無礙審諦而言說無盡。十八不共法是唯佛獨具的十八德：身、口、念三業無失，無異想，無不定心，無不知已捨心（此六是身心的清淨）；欲、精進、念、慧、解脫、解脫知見六者無減（此六是德用的不退）；一切身、口、意三業隨智慧行，智慧知見於過去、未來、現在三世無礙無障（此六是智慧的遍照）——三六合為十八，標舉佛地不與二乘共的圓德。這一整組列在菩薩摩訶衍中，仍是那句「以不可得故」貫徹到底：佛地功德雖尊，亦不許著為實有可得之境。
字門與二十功德補釋
前一段的逐段解明，已把四十二字門的通則與「得畢竟空，即是般若波羅蜜」的果拈出，未逐字枯列；這裡只再補幾處，使個別與通則相參而更明。
字門個別，除阿（一切法初不生）、羅（離垢）、波（第一義）、遮（諸行皆非行）、那（不得不失、不來不去）已引為範例外，其餘每字都是入諸法時某一義不可得的一種——如迦字入諸法作者不可得、磨字入諸法我所不可得、伽字入諸法去者不可得、他字入諸法處所不可得、闍字入諸法生不可得、叉字入諸法盡不可得、哆字入諸法有不可得，末後荼字入諸法邊竟處不可得而「過荼無字可得」。四十餘字所破各異——或破作者、或破我所、或破去來、或破生盡有無——而所同者一，皆歸於不可得。這正見通則之活：一字入耳，牽出一義，而義義皆空。所以說四十二字窮盡了一切字——初阿、後荼、中有四十，任憑哪一種語言、哪一個音，都逃不出這四十二門之外，也就都被引向不可得；字到荼而窮，門開盡處，剩下的正是那一句「當知一切諸法如虛空」。
秦言訓詁，論主為每一梵音綴以秦言之訓，不是在做語言的考據，而是把「因字有語，因語有名，因名有義」這條入實相之路當場演示一遍——如「阿提，秦言初」、「阿耨波陀，秦言不生」、「羅闍，秦言垢」、「波羅木陀，秦言第一義」，字一入耳、牽出語詞、語詞載出義理，菩薩便循此直入諸法實相。訓詁愈細，愈顯字之為色法、聞已便滅、由眾生強作名字而本無定實，故說它無礙、無名、滅、不可示、不可見、不可書。
二十功德，前已詳「得智慧」（分別破散諸字，言語空、名空、義空，得畢竟空即般若）與「得陀羅尼」（破竹喻）二項；其餘十七項亦各有著落——得強識念是常觀諸字、修習憶念，得慚愧是集善厭惡而生大慚愧，得堅固心是集福慧而心固如金剛（乃至阿鼻地獄事尚不退菩提），得經旨趣是知佛五種方便說法，得樂說無礙是以本願大悲度眾生故樂說易，得無疑悔心是入諸法實相而於深法無疑，聞善不喜、聞惡不瞋是分別諸字而無讚無毀，不高不下是憎愛已斷，善巧知眾生語是得解一切眾生語言的三昧；至若巧分別五眾、十二入、十八界、十二因緣、四緣、四諦，巧知眾生根之利鈍、知他心、天耳、宿命、巧說是處非處、巧知威儀等，則義如十力及〈阿鞞跋致品〉中所說。二十功德看似繁富，其命脈仍在「得畢竟空，即是般若波羅蜜」一句——功德所以只列二十，正因它讓位給般若；二十只是舉端，其餘無量無邊的功德都已在這一讓之中。
不要讀錯
不要把四十二字讀成密咒。經文自己就把話說死了——這些字無礙、無名，也不滅，也不可說、不可示、不可見、不可書；論主更說字不過是色法，由眾生強作名字。它們是通向不可得的四十二道門，不是能召感神力的音節。誰若把字陀羅尼當成持誦生功的咒語，就恰好背了經論的本意。
也不要把這一長列道品讀成小乘法數的堆砌。每一門後面那句 「以不可得故」 不是可有可無的尾巴，正是它的命脈。菩薩踏著同樣的四正勤、五根五力、七覺八正，卻是走過而不取証。若把那句不可得抹去，剩下的才是聲聞的階梯；有了那句，它才是摩訶衍。
不要把論主的秦言訓詁看成語言學的考據。他訓阿提為初、羅闍為垢，不是在比對字音，而是把因字有語、因語有名、因名有義這條入實相的路，一字一字演示給人看。
也不要把二十功德讀成持誦字母的獎賞。論主分明說，功德本是無量，只列二十是因為要讓位給般若；真正的果不在那二十項的靈驗，而在 「得畢竟空，即是般若波羅蜜」。
最後，不要把日月歲節那一段當成曆算的知識。要緊的不是菩薩精於推步，而是菩薩在月與歲的和合裡，照見它破散無所有、如幻如夢。曆算愈細，愈顯出時間也不過是不可得。
修行作用
這一分可以當一把尺，量自己怎樣聽、怎樣算、怎樣走。
先量怎樣聽。話語入耳時，我是順著聲音起貪瞋——這是讚歎、那是毀呰——還是能像字陀羅尼的四十二門那樣，讓每一個音都通向不可得，做到聞善不喜、聞惡不瞋。字門的修行，就落在這一聞之際。
再量怎樣走。修四正勤的斷惡生善、修五根五力七覺八正時，我是攀著一個果位要去奪取，還是以不可得故而行、不取涅槃。道品若少了這一味，便退成了階梯；有了這一味，步步都是摩訶衍。
再量怎樣算。當月份、年歲、期限逼上來時，我能不能像菩薩那樣，看出一日的中分本無住處、二十九日已滅則月無所成，看出 「世間法如幻、如夢」。這不是要否認曆日，而是要鬆開時間對心的綑縛。
三者的鑰匙，都在那一個阿字——聞阿即入 「一切法初不生」。若連一個最尋常的音都能開出不生之門，那麼言語、道品與時間，也就本自都如虛空了。
承衍
這一段字門，在為本品逐文作疏的古德手裡，著墨頗為紮實。有古德在疏解本品時，於四十二字這一段特地展開，說這四十二字正是用來辨盡大乘一切名相的，並順著因字有語、因語有名、因名有義這條理路，說明由字門而能總入一切字門，又拈出字等語等的意旨——這些讀法各有其來歷與脈絡，此處只誌其取徑，不判其高下。也要老實記下另一面：另有古德為本論逐文作的疏，正巧在包含本卷的一段散佚了，本品字門這一節在現存的疏裡並無著落；還有古德只在鄰近的次品裡略引過這一組道品的摘要，並非直疏本品。所以就這一分而言，把字門一路拆到底、又附上秦言訓詁的，仍舊是本論自身的論釋，那才是對這段最完足的接引。
把這些帶回本分，最該留住的不是那四十二個字，也不是二十功德的名目，而是貫穿其中的那一句以不可得故，與四十二字門作為般若入門的那一著——最尋常的語音，門門都開向畢竟空。這一分之二，把之一所立的四念處，續成了完整的道品與字門，門門同歸不可得。至於這一整品如何承前面的摩訶衍、又如何啟下文的發趣，則是品級承衍所要接續的事。
The Four Foundations of Mindfulness, Part Two: The Limbs of the Path and the Syllable-Gates—The Forty-Two Syllable-Gates as the Entry into Prajñā, All Because They Are Unfindable
What Is Being Asked
This part carries on from the four foundations of mindfulness of the previous part. The previous part set up the four foundations of mindfulness as the first of the thirty-seven limbs of the path; this part then counts off the remaining limbs of the path in a single breath—the four right exertions, the four limbs of power at will, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven limbs of awakening, the limbs of the eightfold noble path—completing the thirty-seven; next it counts the three samādhi, the eleven knowledges, the three outflow-free faculties, another set of three samādhi, the ten recollections, and the four meditations, the four immeasurables, the four formless absorptions, the eight liberations, and the nine successive absorptions; further up still, it counts to the Buddha's exclusive merits, the ten powers, the four fearlessnesses, the four unobstructed knowledges, and the eighteen unshared dharmas; and at last it comes to rest on the forty-two syllable-gates and the twenty merits. At first glance this looks like a vast and cluttered list of dharma-numbers, gate piled upon gate, each one trailed by the same phrase: 「以不可得故」 tr. "because it is unfindable".
And so the question is forced out. A list of dharma-gates this long, from the four right exertions that cut off evil and give rise to good all the way to the ten powers that belong to the Buddha alone, differing so widely in nature and in rank—on what ground are they set side by side in one place, all counted as the bodhisattva's Mahāyāna? Stranger still, this great string of dharma-numbers ends up gathered into a set of letters—a, ra, pa, ca, all the way to ḍha. Are the forty-two syllables, then, a secret spell to be recited, or a mnemonic for counting? This is precisely what this part sets out to answer. What runs through this whole list of dharma-gates is nothing other than that recurring phrase, 「以不可得故」 tr. "because it is unfindable"; and the forty-two syllable-gates are exactly the sharpest way of saying this phrase—they turn the most ordinary speech-sounds into forty-two gates, and every gate leads through to the unfindability of all dharmas. The syllable-gates are not a spell; they are the entry into prajñā. Fail to see this layer, and one will read the bodhisattva's limbs of the path as the ladder of the Small Vehicle, and read the syllable-dhāraṇī as a mystical worship of syllables.
Passage by Passage
First, see clearly where this long list of limbs of the path is attached, and why every gate is trailed by 「以不可得故」 tr. "because it is unfindable". In the treatise of the previous part, the treatise-author had already made it plain that although the bodhisattva cultivates these thirty-seven limbs, his original vow is firm and his great compassion runs deep, and so he does not take nirvāṇa. The sūtra text of this part then lists the remaining limbs of the path one by one, and at the close of each gate it never forgets that one phrase about the unfindable. This phrase is exactly where the dividing line lies—the same four right exertions, five faculties and five powers, seven limbs of awakening and eightfold right path: the śrāvaka treads on them to climb up to nirvāṇa and there takes realisation and stops, whereas the bodhisattva practises them because they are unfindable, passing through without coming to rest. Take away this phrase, and what remains is the limbs of the path of the Small Vehicle; it is precisely because this phrase is there that they become the Mahāyāna.
Second, counting upward to the knowledges, the faculties, the absorptions, and even the Buddha's exclusive merits, the question becomes sharper. The bodhisattva himself has not yet become a buddha; why does the sūtra text count even the Buddha's ten powers, four fearlessnesses and eighteen unshared dharmas into the bodhisattva's Mahāyāna? The key here is again continuous with the treatise of the previous part—though the bodhisattva is not a buddha, he contemplates these dharmas, recites them and rightly keeps them in mind, and trains in the merits of the buddha-ground as matters within his own lot. So the Mahāyāna runs straight through: from the five faculties of faith and the rest in those still in training, it gathers in everything all the way up to the Buddha's ten powers, with no break in between, and what runs through it from beginning to end is still that same phrase, because it is unfindable. This long list looks cluttered, but in fact it is the single flavour of ultimate emptiness, stamped again and again upon dharma-gates of differing rank.
Third, the heart of this part is the gates of entry into all syllables, the sameness of syllables and the sameness of speech. The treatise-author states its general principle most clearly—「因字有語，因語有名，因名有義」 tr. "from syllables there is speech, from speech there are names, from names there is meaning": sounds join into words, words join into names, and names carry meaning; the bodhisattva need only hear a syllable, and he can follow this thread, reaching the meaning by way of the syllable. And 「四十二字是一切字根本」 tr. "the forty-two syllables are the root of all syllables", 「初阿、後荼，中有四十」 tr. "first a, last ḍha, and forty in between": the forty-two syllables exhaust all syllables; whatever the language, whatever the sound, none escapes beyond these forty-two syllables, and so every one of them is led to a meaning, and every meaning opened by a syllable-gate is, without exception, a kind of unfindability. Here there is no need to list the forty-two gates dryly one by one; it is enough to pick out a few key ones, and the general principle comes alive. Hearing the syllable a, one enters 「一切法初不生」 tr. "all dharmas are from the very first unarisen"—this is the deepest gate, and it is precisely the 「所謂阿字義」 tr. "what is called the meaning of the syllable a" of the whole dhāraṇī; hearing the syllable ra, one enters the freedom of all dharmas from defilement; hearing the syllable pa, one enters the highest meaning; hearing the syllable ca, one knows that all conditioned activities are not activities; hearing the syllable na, one knows neither gaining nor losing, neither coming nor going—and the syllable na is glossed in the language of Qin precisely as "not." Counting all the way to the last, hearing the syllable ḍha, one knows that the utmost limit is unfindable, and 「過荼無字可得」 tr. "beyond ḍha there is no syllable to be obtained", 「更無字故」 tr. "because there are no further syllables". The syllables run out at ḍha, the forty-two gates are all opened, and what remains is exactly that one phrase—「當知一切諸法如虛空」 tr. "know that all dharmas are like space". The reason the forty-two syllable-gates are the entry into prajñā lies just in this: they take the most ready-to-hand speech-sounds as forty-two gates, and every gate opens onto ultimate emptiness, opening until there is no gate left to open.
Fourth, the treatise-author's attaching a gloss in the language of Qin to each Sanskrit syllable-word has its intent along this same thread. He glosses ādi as "first" and anutpāda as "not arising," rajas as "defilement" and paramārtha as "the highest meaning"; this is not doing philological research, but demonstrating on the spot the path of 「因字有語，因語有名，因名有義」 tr. "from syllables there is speech, from speech there are names, from names there is meaning"—a syllable enters the ear, draws out a word, the word carries out a meaning, and the bodhisattva follows this straight into the real mark of all dharmas. Next the treatise-author further explains why these syllables are unobstructed, nameless, extinguished, and a writing that cannot be shown or seen: syllables resemble one another and continue, entering into all speech, so they are called unobstructed; once heard they are at once used up, so they are called extinguished; syllables are nothing but dharmas of form, names forcibly set up by beings, with no real causes and conditions of their own, so they are called unseeable and unwritable. Even the syllables themselves, which carry all of this, are teaching their own emptiness.
Fifth, this part closes on the twenty merits and on days, months, years and seasons. The treatise-author first poses a question—since the merits are immeasurable, why are only twenty told?—and answers it decisively: 「廢說般若波羅蜜故，但略說二十」 tr. "because it would set aside the telling of prajñāpāramitā, only twenty are told in brief"; the merits are listed as only twenty because they give way to prajñā. And the most important line among the twenty merits is 「得畢竟空，即是般若波羅蜜」 tr. "attaining ultimate emptiness—this is prajñāpāramitā": analysing and breaking apart the syllables, speech is empty, names are empty, meaning is empty, dropping straight into ultimate emptiness—this is the true fruit of the syllable-dhāraṇī. In the last item, the skilful discrimination of days, months, years and seasons, the treatise-author pushes this unfindability onto time itself: the middle part of a single day has no place where it abides; by the time of the thirtieth day the twenty-ninth has long since perished; if the month does not exist, from where is the year assembled? From this is drawn out the Buddha's settled pronouncement—「世間法如幻、如夢，但是誑心法」 tr. "worldly dharmas are like an illusion, like a dream; they are only dharmas that deceive the mind". The bodhisattva can know how days, months and years are assembled, and can also know that they break apart into nothing at all—only this is called "skilful discrimination." From syllables to time, the same key of the unfindable gathers speech-sounds and calendar-reckoning together into ultimate emptiness, and this whole part is accordingly named 「菩薩摩訶薩摩訶衍」 tr. "the Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva".
The Dharma-Numbers of the Limbs of the Path, Named Member by Member
The preceding section spoke of the general principle—every gate in this long list of limbs of the path is trailed by 「以不可得故」 tr. "because it is unfindable", and every item returns alike to ultimate emptiness. Yet if the general principle does not come down to each member, the reader still remembers only a string of names, without ever having seen for himself what each member is in itself. What follows therefore goes, in the order of the sūtra text, through the remaining limbs that complete the thirty-seven, and then the knowledges and absorptions after them, and even the Buddha's exclusive merits, one by one; wherever the sūtra text carries its own definition, it is explained by that definition, and no meaning is added.
1. The remaining limbs that complete the thirty-seven (the four right exertions · the four limbs of power at will · the five faculties · the five powers · the seven limbs of awakening · the limbs of the eightfold noble path). The four right exertions are four branches of one matter: evil and unwholesome dharmas not yet arisen are made not to arise; evil and unwholesome dharmas already arisen are made to be cut off; wholesome dharmas not yet arisen are made to arise; wholesome dharmas already arisen are made to abide without being lost, and are cultivated to fullness and increased and broadened—the first two branches cut off evil and the latter two give rise to good, each spurred on by 「欲生勤精進攝心行道」 tr. "arousing desire, striving with vigour, gathering the mind, and practising the path", the forward-directed exertion of vigour. The four limbs of power at will (the four feet of power at will) are cultivated with four kinds of absorption as the chief, each 「斷行成就」 tr. "accomplished in the practice of cutting off"—the absorption of desire is an absorption that takes wishing as its starting point; the absorption of mind is an absorption that gathers the mind in one place; the absorption of vigour is an absorption of unflagging striving; the absorption of reflection is an absorption of contemplative discernment and selection; when the absorption is accomplished, what one wishes comes about at will, and hence it is named "at will." The five faculties are the five—faith, vigour, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom—in their position as roots able to give rise to wholesome dharmas; the five powers are these same five once they have become indestructible powers—as faculties they do not yet have power, as powers they can already get things done: the same dharmas, different positions. The seven limbs of awakening are the seven—mindfulness, discernment of dharmas, vigour, joy, removal, concentration, and equanimity—and the sūtra specially appends three lines of purport: 「依離、依無染、向涅槃」 tr. "relying on separation, relying on non-defilement, turning toward nirvāṇa"—relying on detachment, relying on non-defilement, heading toward nirvāṇa; these three lines are the steering wheel of the limbs of awakening: without them the seven dharmas scatter into worldly good; with them they are the awakening that heads toward stillness. The limbs of the eightfold noble path are right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right vigour, right mindfulness, and right concentration; when the eight—view, thought, speech, action, livelihood, vigour, mindfulness, and concentration—are complete, that is the one whole path leading through to nirvāṇa. These six sets together with the four foundations of mindfulness of the previous part make exactly thirty-seven limbs; and at the end of each set the sūtra still does not forget 「以不可得故」 tr. "because it is unfindable", which is precisely to rewrite the śrāvaka's stages of the path, one by one, as the bodhisattva's Mahāyāna.
2. The knowledges and the faculties (the three samādhi · the eleven knowledges · the three outflow-free faculties). The three samādhi are the three gates of liberation—emptiness, signlessness, and non-action: the emptiness samādhi contemplates all dharmas as empty of specific marks; the signless samādhi breaks down the marks of all dharmas, neither recollecting nor thinking of them; the non-action samādhi gives rise to no wish or seeking among dharmas. One gate breaks marks, one gate breaks recollection, one gate breaks wishing and seeking; the three gates open together onto ultimate emptiness, and so they are named liberation. The eleven knowledges divide "knowing" into eleven kinds of what is known: the knowledge of suffering knows that suffering does not arise, the knowledge of origination knows that origination should be cut off, the knowledge of cessation knows the cessation of suffering, the knowledge of the path knows the limbs of the eightfold noble path—these four are the knowledges of the four truths; the knowledge of exhaustion knows the exhaustion of lust, anger, and delusion, the knowledge of non-arising knows non-arising within all existences—these two are self-realisation at the stage where the outflows are exhausted; dharma-knowledge knows the five aggregates by analysing their underlying matter and knows them to be non-existent, subsequent knowledge infers by analogy from the impermanence of the eye all the way to the impermanence of feeling born of mind-contact—these two are the difference between direct perception and inference; worldly knowledge knows causes and conditions and names, a knowing on the level of worldly truth; the knowledge of others' minds knows the minds of other beings; and the knowledge as it really is knows the omniscience of all kinds of the buddhas—the eleven knowledges go from shallow to deep, and the last points straight to the Buddha's knowledge. The three outflow-free faculties are the faculty of coming to know what is not yet known, the faculty of knowing, and the faculty of one who knows; they divide the five faculties of faith and the rest according to three stages: the five faculties of faith and the rest in one still in training who has not yet attained the fruit are called the faculty of coming to know what is not yet known; in one still in training who has attained the fruit they are called the faculty of knowing; the five faculties of faith and the rest in those beyond training (arhats, pratyekabuddhas, and the buddhas) are called the faculty of one who knows—the same five faculties, given three names according to the depth of the stage of realisation.
3. The absorptions and the recollections (the three samādhi · the ten recollections · the nine gates of the four meditations and the rest). Another set of three samādhi is divided into three by the presence or absence of initial and sustained thought—the samādhi with initial thought and with sustained thought is the first meditation (free of desire, free of evil and unwholesome dharmas, yet still with initial and sustained thought); the samādhi without initial thought but with sustained thought is the intermediate stage between the first meditation and the second; the samādhi without initial or sustained thought runs from the second meditation all the way to the absorption of neither perception nor non-perception—passing gradually from coarse initial and sustained thought into subtle stillness, this is a measuring rod for the depth of absorption. The ten recollections bind the mind to ten kinds of object—recollection of the Buddha, recollection of the Dharma, recollection of the Saṅgha, recollection of morality, recollection of giving, recollection of the gods, recollection of cessation, recollection of breathing in and out, recollection of the body, and recollection of death—all of them methods of constant practice by which the scattered mind enters absorption and the fearful find peace. Of the four meditations, the four immeasurable minds, the four formless absorptions, the eight liberations, and the nine successive absorptions, the sūtra only lists the names, and their meaning is as said before: the four meditations are the four levels of fundamental absorption of the form realm; the four immeasurables are the universal regard of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity; the four formless absorptions are the four layers of formless absorption—boundless space, boundless consciousness, nothingness, and neither perception nor non-perception; the eight liberations are eight contemplations of successive relinquishing; the nine successive absorptions are the four meditations and the four formless absorptions plus the absorption of cessation, entered in nine unmixed layers—this set is the complete register of the training in absorption gathered under the perfection of meditation.
4. The Buddha's exclusive merits (the ten powers · the four fearlessnesses · the four unobstructed knowledges · the eighteen unshared dharmas). This set already belongs to the resultant virtues of the buddha-ground; although the bodhisattva has not yet become a buddha, he recites them, rightly keeps them in mind, and trains in them as matters within his own lot, and so they too enter the Mahāyāna. The Buddha's ten powers are ten kinds of knowing as it really is—knowing what is possible and what is impossible, knowing karma and its retribution, knowing the defilement and purity of the meditations, liberations, samādhi, and absorptions, knowing the higher and lower faculties of beings, knowing the various inclinations and understandings of beings, knowing the various natures of the world, knowing the paths that lead everywhere, knowing past lives, seeing with the divine eye the deaths and births of beings and the retribution they receive in good and evil destinies, and knowing the exhaustion of the outflows—from knowing principles and knowing karma, all the way to knowing the exhaustion of outflows in oneself and others. The four fearlessnesses are the Buddha's making four kinds of truthful declaration without fear—the fearlessness of right knowledge (I am one of all right knowledge), the fearlessness of the exhaustion of outflows (all my outflows are exhausted), the fearlessness in declaring the obstacles to the path (I declare the obstructing dharmas), and the fearlessness in declaring the path that ends suffering (the noble path I teach can lead out of the world and end suffering)—each sealing its security with 「乃至不見是微畏相」 tr. "not seeing even the slightest mark of fear in this", so that in the great assembly he utters "the lion's roar" and "is able to turn the Brahmā-wheel," which none can turn. The four unobstructed knowledges are four kinds of mastery in teaching the Dharma—meaning, dharma, expression, and eloquence: the unobstructed knowledge of meaning knows the meaning of the real mark of all dharmas; the unobstructed knowledge of dharma knows the names of all dharmas; the unobstructed knowledge of expression is without hindrance in words and phrases; unobstructed eloquence speaks with careful precision and without end. The eighteen unshared dharmas are the eighteen virtues possessed by the Buddha alone: no fault in the three actions of body, speech, and mindfulness, no discriminating thought, no unconcentrated mind, no equanimity that has not first known (these six are the purity of body and mind); no decline in the six of desire, vigour, mindfulness, wisdom, liberation, and the knowledge and vision of liberation (these six are the non-regression of virtue and function); all actions of body, speech, and mind proceeding in accordance with wisdom, and wisdom's knowledge and vision unobstructed and unhindered in the three times of past, future, and present (these six are the universal illumination of wisdom)—three sixes making eighteen, marking out the perfect virtue of the buddha-ground that is not shared with the two vehicles. This whole set is listed within the bodhisattva's Mahāyāna, and still that phrase 「以不可得故」 tr. "because it is unfindable" carries through to the end: though the merits of the buddha-ground are exalted, they too may not be clung to as a realm really existent and obtainable.
A Supplement on the Syllable-Gates and the Twenty Merits
The passage-by-passage explanation above has already picked out the general principle of the forty-two syllable-gates and the fruit of 「得畢竟空，即是般若波羅蜜」 tr. "attaining ultimate emptiness—this is prajñāpāramitā", without listing them dryly syllable by syllable; here only a few points are added, so that the particulars and the general principle illuminate each other more clearly.
As for the individual syllable-gates: apart from a (all dharmas from the very first unarisen), ra (free of defilement), pa (the highest meaning), ca (all conditioned activities are not activities), and na (neither gaining nor losing, neither coming nor going), already cited as examples, every other syllable is one kind of unfindability of some meaning upon entering dharmas—thus the syllable ka enters the unfindability of a maker in all dharmas, the syllable ma enters the unfindability of what is mine in all dharmas, the syllable ga enters the unfindability of a goer in all dharmas, the syllable tha enters the unfindability of place in all dharmas, the syllable ja enters the unfindability of birth in all dharmas, the syllable kṣa enters the unfindability of exhaustion in all dharmas, the syllable duo enters the unfindability of existence in all dharmas, and finally the syllable ḍha enters the unfindability of the utmost limit of all dharmas, and 「過荼無字可得」 tr. "beyond ḍha there is no syllable to be obtained". What the forty-odd syllables break differs—some break a maker, some break what is mine, some break going and coming, some break birth and exhaustion, existence and non-existence—but what they share is one: all return to the unfindable. This is just where the general principle is seen to be alive: one syllable enters the ear and draws out one meaning, and every meaning is empty. That is why it is said that the forty-two syllables exhaust all syllables—first a, last ḍha, forty in between—whatever the language, whatever the sound, none escapes beyond these forty-two gates, and so all are led to the unfindable; the syllables run out at ḍha, and where the gates have all been opened, what remains is exactly that one phrase, 「當知一切諸法如虛空」 tr. "know that all dharmas are like space".
As for the glosses in the language of Qin: the treatise-author's attaching a gloss in the language of Qin to each Sanskrit sound is not doing philological research, but demonstrating on the spot this path of 「因字有語，因語有名，因名有義」 tr. "from syllables there is speech, from speech there are names, from names there is meaning" into the real mark—as in 「阿提，秦言初」 tr. "ādi: in the language of Qin, 'first'", 「阿耨波陀，秦言不生」 tr. "anutpāda: in the language of Qin, 'not arising'", 「羅闍，秦言垢」 tr. "rajas: in the language of Qin, 'defilement'", 「波羅木陀，秦言第一義」 tr. "paramārtha: in the language of Qin, 'the highest meaning'": a syllable enters the ear, draws out a word, the word carries out a meaning, and the bodhisattva follows this straight into the real mark of all dharmas. The finer the glosses, the more it shows that a syllable is a dharma of form, perishes as soon as it is heard, is a name forcibly made by beings and has from the first no fixed reality; and so it is said to be unobstructed, nameless, extinguished, not to be shown, not to be seen, not to be written.
As for the twenty merits: the two items "attaining wisdom" (analysing and breaking apart the syllables, speech is empty, names are empty, meaning is empty; attaining ultimate emptiness is prajñā) and "attaining dhāraṇī" (the simile of splitting bamboo) have been treated in detail above; the remaining seventeen items each have their place too—attaining strong retentive mindfulness is constantly contemplating the syllables and cultivating recollection; attaining shame and conscience is gathering good and loathing evil so that great shame and conscience arise; attaining a firm mind is gathering merit and wisdom so that the mind is firm as vajra (so that even in the matter of the Avīci hell he does not retreat from awakening); attaining the purport of the sūtras is knowing the Buddha's five kinds of skilful means in teaching the Dharma; attaining unobstructed eloquence is that, because of original vow and great compassion to liberate beings, delight in speaking comes easily; attaining a mind free of doubt and regret is entering the real mark of all dharmas and having no doubt about the deep Dharma; not rejoicing on hearing good and not being angry on hearing evil is analysing the syllables so that there is neither praise nor blame; being neither elated nor downcast is that love and hatred are already cut off; skilfully knowing the languages of beings is attaining the samādhi that understands the speech of all beings; as for skilfully discriminating the five aggregates, the twelve sense-fields, the eighteen elements, the twelve links of causes and conditions, the four conditions, and the four truths, skilfully knowing the sharpness and dullness of beings' faculties, knowing others' minds, the divine ear, past lives, skilfully declaring what is possible and what is impossible, skilfully knowing deportment, and so on—their meaning is as told under the ten powers and in the chapter "Avaivartika." The twenty merits look rich and manifold, but their lifeblood still lies in the one line 「得畢竟空，即是般若波羅蜜」 tr. "attaining ultimate emptiness—this is prajñāpāramitā"—the merits are listed as only twenty precisely because they give way to prajñā; twenty is only a pointing-out of the beginning, and all the rest of the immeasurable, boundless merits are already within this single giving-way.
Do Not Misread
Do not read the forty-two syllables as a secret spell. The sūtra text itself has put it beyond dispute—these syllables are unobstructed and nameless, and also not extinguished, and also cannot be spoken, cannot be shown, cannot be seen, cannot be written; and the treatise-author further says that syllables are nothing but dharmas of form, names forcibly made by beings. They are forty-two gates leading through to the unfindable, not syllables able to summon divine power. Whoever takes the syllable-dhāraṇī as a spell that generates merit by recitation turns his back on exactly the original intent of the sūtra and the treatise.
Nor should this long list of limbs of the path be read as a heaping-up of the dharma-numbers of the Small Vehicle. The phrase 「以不可得故」 tr. "because it is unfindable" behind every gate is not a dispensable tail; it is precisely their lifeblood. The bodhisattva treads the same four right exertions, five faculties and five powers, seven limbs of awakening and eightfold right path, yet passes through them without taking realisation and stopping. If that phrase about the unfindable is erased, only then is what remains the śrāvaka's ladder; with that phrase, it is the Mahāyāna.
Do not take the treatise-author's glosses in the language of Qin as linguistic research. When he glosses ādi as "first" and rajas as "defilement," he is not comparing sounds of syllables, but demonstrating to people, syllable by syllable, this path into the real mark: from syllables there is speech, from speech there are names, from names there is meaning.
Nor should the twenty merits be read as a reward for reciting letters. The treatise-author says plainly that the merits are in fact immeasurable, and that only twenty are listed because they must give way to prajñā; the true fruit lies not in any wonder-working of those twenty items, but in 「得畢竟空，即是般若波羅蜜」 tr. "attaining ultimate emptiness—this is prajñāpāramitā".
Finally, do not take the passage on days, months, years and seasons as knowledge of calendar-reckoning. What matters is not that the bodhisattva is expert in calculating the calendar, but that in the assembling of months and years the bodhisattva sees clearly that they break apart into nothing at all, like an illusion, like a dream. The finer the reckoning, the more it shows that time too is nothing but the unfindable.
Bearing on Practice
This part can serve as a measuring rod, to measure how one listens, how one reckons, and how one walks.
First measure how one listens. When words enter the ear, do I follow the sounds into greed and anger—this is praise, that is slander—or can I, like the forty-two gates of the syllable-dhāraṇī, let every sound lead through to the unfindable, so as not to rejoice on hearing good and not be angry on hearing evil? The practice of the syllable-gates comes down to just this moment of hearing.
Next measure how one walks. When I cultivate the four right exertions' cutting off evil and giving rise to good, and cultivate the five faculties and five powers, the seven limbs of awakening and the eightfold right path, am I clinging to a stage of fruition that I mean to seize, or am I practising because it is unfindable, not taking nirvāṇa? If the limbs of the path lack this one flavour, they fall back into a ladder; with this flavour, every step is the Mahāyāna.
Next measure how one reckons. When months, years and deadlines press in, can I, like the bodhisattva, see that the middle part of a day has from the first no place where it abides, and that once the twenty-ninth day has perished the month has nothing from which to be formed, and see that 「世間法如幻、如夢」 tr. "worldly dharmas are like an illusion, like a dream"? This is not to deny the calendar, but to loosen time's bondage on the mind.
The key to all three lies in that one syllable a—hearing a, one enters 「一切法初不生」 tr. "all dharmas are from the very first unarisen". If even the most ordinary sound can open the gate of non-arising, then speech, the limbs of the path, and time are, from the very first, all like space.
Further Resonances
This section on the syllable-gates received quite solid treatment at the hands of the ancient masters who wrote commentaries on this chapter text by text. One ancient master, in commenting on this chapter, specially expanded the passage on the forty-two syllables, saying that these forty-two syllables are exactly what is used to discern exhaustively all the names and marks of the Great Vehicle; and following the line of reasoning that from syllables there is speech, from speech there are names, from names there is meaning, he explained how through the syllable-gates one can enter all syllable-gates at once, and he also picked out the purport of the sameness of syllables and the sameness of speech—these readings each have their own provenance and context; here only their approach is recorded, without judging which is higher. The other side must also be set down honestly: the commentary another ancient master wrote on this treatise text by text happens to be lost in the portion that contains this fascicle, so that this section on the syllable-gates in this chapter has no place in the surviving commentary; and yet another ancient master only briefly cited a summary of this set of limbs of the path in the neighbouring next chapter, rather than commenting on this chapter directly. So as far as this part is concerned, what takes the syllable-gates apart all the way to the end and adds the glosses in the language of Qin is still this treatise's own exposition, and that is the most complete guide into this passage.
Bringing these back to this part, what is most worth keeping is not those forty-two syllables, nor the names of the twenty merits, but that one phrase running through them, because it is unfindable, and that single move of the forty-two syllable-gates as the entry into prajñā—the most ordinary speech-sounds, every gate opening onto ultimate emptiness. This second part carries the four foundations of mindfulness established in the first part forward into the complete limbs of the path and syllable-gates, every gate returning alike to the unfindable. As for how this whole chapter continues the Mahāyāna before it and opens onto the setting out that follows, that is for the chapter-level further resonances to take up.