大智度論 義疏通講 · 冊15Dazhidulun — Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa · Exposition Throughout · Vol. 15
六度相攝品The Six Perfections Contain One Another
全文五層 →Full five layers →總說
〈六度相攝品〉承著前品的末問而起，卻把那一問拆成了三十個。前品末後，須菩提問的是行般若時如何具足六度，佛一一答之；此品開卷，論主自牒其事而點出本品所換之問——此品中須菩提所問者，是「云何菩薩行一波羅蜜攝五波羅蜜？」具足與相攝，聽來相近，實不同問：具足問的是六度齊備，相攝問的是『住在一度之中』如何把其餘五度一併取得。所以全品之體，不是六度各說其相，而是六度輪番作主：住檀取餘五、住尸羅取餘五、住羼提取餘五、住毘梨耶取餘五、住禪取餘五、住般若取餘五——六為主、各取五，共三十組，一組不漏，經文逐組問答，論主逐組作釋。何以能如此？論主給了兩層根據。一層在方便：「菩薩以方便力故，行一波羅蜜能攝五波羅蜜。」一層在因緣相續：「有為法因緣果報相續故相成，善法，善法因緣故。是波羅蜜皆是善法故，行一則攝五，以一波羅蜜為主，餘波羅蜜有分。」「有分」二字是全品之樞——所攝之五，不是被主度吞沒而失其本相，是各於其中有其分位。全品二經二論，跨卷八十、八十一兩卷：之上一經一論，立三十組之前十組並定其總綱；之中一經，續行其餘二十組；之下一論，回頭逐條釋其所以，並於末後翻出另一層——不是一度生五度，而是一念之中六度同時具足。
之上一分，立綱而行其前十。經①先以檀波羅蜜為主。布施而「持是布施迴向薩婆若，於眾生中住慈身口意業」，是住檀取尸羅；布施而受者「瞋恚罵辱、惡言加之」，菩薩「忍辱，不生瞋心」，是住檀取羼提；同一場受辱而菩薩反「增益布施」，念「我應當施，不應有所惜」，因此「即時生身精進、心精進」，是住檀取毘梨耶；布施而「迴向薩婆若，不趣聲聞、辟支佛地，但一心念薩婆若」，是住檀取禪；布施而「知布施空如幻，不見為眾生布施有益、無益」，是住檀取般若。五條同在一施之中，而所取各異：慈心成戒，不瞋成忍，增益成進，一心成禪，知空成慧。次以尸羅波羅蜜為主。住戒而「身、口、意生布施福德，助阿耨多羅三藐三菩提」，且十善具持、「飢者與食，渴者與飲」乃至資生盡與，「如是迴向，不墮聲聞、辟支佛地」，是住尸羅取檀；住戒而「若有眾生來節節支解，菩薩於是中不生瞋恚心乃至一念」，反自慶「我得大利」，是住尸羅取羼提；住戒而「身精進、心精進，常不捨」，念「一切眾生在生死中，我當拔著甘露地」，是住尸羅取毘梨耶；住戒而「入初禪，第二、第三、第四禪，不貪聲聞、辟支佛地」，是住尸羅取禪；住戒而「無有法可見」，「但見諸法不過如相」，並「以般若波羅蜜、漚和拘舍羅力故，不墮聲聞、辟支佛地」，是住尸羅取般若。十組之中，兩句話反覆出現——迴向薩婆若、不趣二乘地；可見所謂取，不在多做一事，在同一事上不缺這兩個方向。
論①接手，先立總綱，再逐條釋其所以，中間夾數番問答。總綱即前引之方便力與因緣相成二義。其釋住檀取尸羅，不從戒相說，卻從慈說起：「慈業是三善道，尸羅波羅蜜根本，所謂不貪、不瞋、正見。是三慈業能生三種身業、四種口業。」戒之十善，根在意地之三，故布施時所起之慈，即是戒之根本已立。其釋取忍，先分瞋之輕重——「瞋有上、中、下：上者害殺，中者罵詈，下者心瞋」——而後指出菩薩所以不瞋，不在忍下一口氣，在轉過來自責：「是我之罪，我請彼人而不能得稱意，由我薄福，不能具足施與；我若瞋者，既失財物，又失福德，是故不應瞋。」其釋取進，亦同此轉：「我先世不強意布施故，今不能得稱受者意，但當勤布施，不應計餘小事。」其釋取禪，界定得極窄——不求今世福樂、不求後世王位、不求世間禪定樂，為眾生故亦不求涅槃樂，「但攝是諸意在一切種智中，不令散亂」；禪之為禪，在所攝之處，不在所入之定。其釋取般若，先破布施必得樂報之想：「是布施物，非定是樂因緣」，或「得食腹脹而死」，或「得財為賊所害」，甚至因財起慳而墮惡道；再入畢竟空而說「不見有益」，並立刻補住另一邊——「是故不見有益，以畢竟空故；亦不見無益。」轉入尸羅為主，論主先說何以持戒得為一總名：「欲界中持戒為上」，餘施、聞、思、修諸慧以欲界心散亂故得力微薄，故總名尸羅波羅蜜，並引《阿毘曇》之說為據。又立二種破戒與二種持戒之判：「菩薩有二種破戒：一者、十不善道，二者、向聲聞、辟支佛地。」其下問答最可細讀。其一問：忍辱該是一切侵奪皆能忍，經文何以只說割截身體？答在著處之深淺——內身是最深之著處，「是人尚不惜身，何況餘物」，舉大以攝小。其二問：節節支解而不生一念瞋，這是變化身還是父母生身？若是變化身則不足為奇，若是父母生身，結使未斷之人如何能爾？論主錄一異說「有人言：煩惱業因緣生身」，而以慈母為喻——「如慈母養育嬰兒，雖復屎尿污身，以深愛故而不生瞋」，眾生之於菩薩亦如小兒，且「眾生不自在，煩惱所使故」；又別出一解，久修畢竟空者「不見割者、罵者，亦不見善者、惡者」。其三問在有為無為之際：有為是有相，無為是無相，何以在有為相中說無相？答分「無」為二種——一是無相寂滅無戲論之涅槃，一是相待而有之無，「如廟堂上無馬，能生無心」，此無心正是煩惱因緣，不得名無為法。其四問則追到底：既說離有則無無，今何以又見如、法性、實際？答在虛誑之外別無所立——見無生法故能離有生法，而「是無生法無定實相可取，但能令人離虛誑有生法，故名無生」。數番之間，另有兩處鋪陳須帶走：說住戒者多是出家人而「在家者無無量戒律儀，是故不具足住尸羅波羅蜜」，並以寶洲為喻——「譬如人在寶洲，但得水精珠，則所利益薄」，勸其不可但住持戒而不取餘度；說二種精進——「身精進者，如法致財，以用布施等；心精進者，慳貪等諸惡心來破六波羅蜜者，不令得入」，而以「此大乘法若不運用，則為敗壞」策之。至於戒何以須取禪，論主說得極實：未得無生忍者，「諸煩惱風吹動願樹」，故須以禪樂除五欲樂，煩惱雖未斷而已折伏，「譬如毒蛇，以呪術力故，毒不得螫」；心一清淨則實智自生，「如水澄靜，照鑒分明」。之上一分，末以「不取二乘證，直至阿耨多羅三藐三菩提」策之，終於「是名菩薩住尸羅波羅蜜取五波羅蜜」一句。
之中一分，卷首帶「之餘」續題，經②續行其餘二十組。以羼提為主者五：住忍而念「我應布施一切眾生，不應不與」，須食與食乃至資生盡與，迴向之時「不生二心」，是取檀；住忍而「終不奪他命、不與不取，乃至不邪見，亦不貪聲聞、辟支佛地」，迴向時「三種心不生」，是取尸羅；住忍而生精進，念「我當往一由旬，若十由旬、百千萬億由旬」，過無量世界「乃至教一人令持五戒」亦不以為少，是取毘梨耶；住忍而入四禪，「是諸禪中淨心、心數法，皆迴向薩婆若」，而迴向之時「是菩薩諸禪及禪支皆不可得」，是取禪；住忍而「觀諸法若離相、若寂滅相、若無盡相，不以寂滅相作證」，直至坐道場轉法輪，其所以然只一語——「不取不捨故」，是取般若。以毘梨耶為主者五：精進而「身心精進，不懈不息」，自誓「我必應當得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，不應不得」，過無量國土「或得一人教令行十善道」亦以財法二施令其具足，是取檀；精進而「自不殺生，不教他殺，讚不殺生法，歡喜讚歎不殺生者」乃至邪見一支皆爾，是取尸羅；精進而人非人來節節支解，反問「割我者誰？截我者誰？奪我者誰？」並自慶「我大得善利，我為眾生故受身，眾生還自來取」，是取羼提；精進而入四禪四無量乃至非有想非無想處，「持是禪、無量心、無色定，不受果報」，反生於利益眾生之處，「從一佛土至一佛土，親近供養諸佛，種善根」，是取禪；精進而「不見檀波羅蜜法，不見檀波羅蜜相」，乃至一切種智亦不見法不見相，「不見一切法，非法、非非法，於一切法中無所著」，且「是菩薩所作如所言」，是取般若。以禪為主者五：住禪而「心不亂，行二施以施眾生：法施、財施」，自行、教他、讚歎其法、讚歎行者四事俱全，是取檀；住禪而「不生婬欲、瞋恚、愚癡心，不生惱他心，但修行一切智相應心」，是取尸羅；住禪而「觀色如聚沫，觀受如泡，觀想如野馬，觀行如芭蕉，觀識如幻」，「見五眾無堅固相」而問誰受誰罵，是取羼提；住禪而「是諸禪及支，取相，生種種神通」——「履水如地，入地如水」、天耳、他心、宿命、天眼——依五神通遍歷佛土成就眾生淨佛世界，是取毘梨耶；住禪而「不得色，不得受、想、行、識」乃至不得有為無為之性，「不得故不作，不作故不生，不生故不滅」，其所以在「有佛、無佛，是如、法相、法性常住、不生不滅」，是取般若。以般若為主者五：住般若而歷觀諸空皆不可得，「菩薩住是十四空中」不得諸法若空若不空，於是布施之時但觀「施者、受者及財物空，不令慳著心生」，而「是菩薩所可尊者，般若波羅蜜」，是取檀；住般若而「不生聲聞、辟支佛心」，以二乘地與趣向之心俱不可得故，十善之持始終不缺，「以是持戒無法可取，若聲聞、若辟支佛地，何況餘法」，是取尸羅；住般若而「隨順法忍生」，知此法中無起無滅、無受罵受割之者，故雖被割截而心不動，反生一嘆——「甚可怪！此諸法中無有法受罵詈、惡口、割截、傷害者，而眾生受苦惱！」是取羼提；住般若而為眾生說法，令行六度、行道品、得四果乃至無上菩提，而自身「不住有為性中，不住無為性中」，是取毘梨耶；住般若而「除諸佛三昧，入餘一切三昧」，依八背捨、九次第定逆順出入，入師子奮迅三昧，復依之入超越三昧——自初禪次第至滅受想定，又自滅受想定起還入諸地乃至出入散心——終得「諸法等相」，是取禪。二十組至此行畢，而經文於最末一組把定力推到極處，正為之下之論留一問。
之下一分，論②回頭逐條釋其所以，並翻出全品最後一層。開卷即是一問：「何以但一波羅蜜為主？」答只一句——「行因緣次第應爾。」其下立即以人分說：菩薩有在家、出家二種，在家者福德因緣故大富，「既有財物，又知罪福，兼有慈悲心於眾生故，宜先行布施」；出家者「以無財故，次第宜持戒、忍辱、禪定」。所謂為主，不是六度之中有一度尊貴，是「次第所宜故名為主」——在你現前之緣上，何者先行得力，何者即是主。其釋忍為主而取檀，指出所施之中「無過於身」，能以身施而不惜不瞋，則忍中攝檀；設遇受者逆罵打害而欲破其施與忍，菩薩念「我不應為虛誑身故毀波羅蜜道」，故命終之時「二波羅蜜力故，即生好處，續行布施」。次一問極利：住忍辱時不為惡本身就是戒，何必更說住忍取戒？依次第該是住戒攝忍才對。答曰：「此中說相，不說次第相生。」相與次第是兩回事——戒之名在「不奪他命」，忍之名在「不自惜命」，故於忍中須別說戒相；且忍是心數法而戒通色法，「持戒名心生、口說、受持；忍辱但是心生，非受持法」，又「身、口清淨名持戒；意清淨名忍辱」。緊接再問：禪與智亦是心清淨法，何以只說忍辱？答亦只一句——「禪、智力大故不說；持戒時心未能清淨，須忍辱守心故。」其釋忍取進，說精進不在事之難易而在心之不沒：「若有遮道因緣，心不沒、不退，能堪受眾苦，不以久遠勤苦為難」；論主此處自牒經文所說之過千萬由旬而不得一人，並下一判——「一人相即是一切人相，一切人相即是一人相，是諸法相不二故」，故不多不少皆無可愁。其釋忍取禪與取般若，立了一條可循之鏈：忍力故心調柔，心調柔故易得禪定；得大福德故心柔軟，心柔軟故易得法忍，住法忍中觀一切法空寂滅如涅槃，而後「還增長眾生忍」——法忍不離眾生忍，反倒回頭把眾生忍養厚，終至「不見三事：忍法、忍者、忍處」。轉入精進為主，論主先說「精進更無異體」，次以一連串對照界定何謂真從精進生：自然得禪、退得、生得、上地生下地得者，不名從精進生；因大施破慳、因持戒修忍、因大智慧厭欲而得禪者，雖有精進而「更因餘法得禪故，不名從精進生」；唯有「日夜精進，經行坐禪，常與心鬪」，「如與賊鬪，乃至流汗」而得定者，方名從精進生。又以福薄福厚設喻：有福之人「安坐無事，福祿自至」，薄福之人「勤設方便，鬪戰乃得」——故「如是一切處雖有精進，多處受名」。此處另有一問答，問一切布施皆由精進，何以獨說此二施從精進生？答亦只在多少之間：「雖一切施皆由精進生，此以多精進力生故。」禪為主一節，論主以密室燃燈為喻——「譬如密室然燈，光照明了」，故住禪而生實慧，不惱眾生而加憐愍即是甚深持戒忍辱，以神通變化財物即是布施，從禪起而為眾生說法亦是布施，因禪定起神通周至十方不懈即是精進。般若為主一節，論主連答數問。其一問十八空中何以不說後四空？答曰第十四之一切法空「法無不盡，是故不說」；若爾何以本有十八？答在對機——「彼中分別一切法相空，一切空皆總入十八空；此中為行者說」，行者隨其所著多少而行一空乃至十四空，有深著有無等邪見者乃更用後四空；且「菩薩以十四空熏心故，於有無中了了不錯」。其二問何以說菩薩如諸佛無貪著心？答在讚般若之力——佛是斷習不起，菩薩是「以般若力制令不起」，結使雖未斷而與佛斷者無異，說此正為「令人知貴般若」。其三問經說無生無滅無受罵者，此即是無生忍，何以判作柔順忍？答在所破之淺深——此中所破者是五眾和合之假名眾生，「不能破法」，其人雖觀法空而「未能深入，猶有著法愛故」；故立二忍之別：「一、處眾生不可得故，名眾生忍；二、於法不可得故，名為法忍」，而「法忍者不妨眾生忍，眾生忍不妨法忍，但以深淺為別」。另有一問直對之中末組之三昧：超越三昧照常途不得超二，又不從散心入滅盡定，經文何以如此說？答曰「大小乘法異」——不超二者是小乘法中說，菩薩以無量福德智慧深入禪定力故能隨意超越，「如人力超躑，不過丈數；若以天力超之，無廣遠之難」。其下釋般若生五度，處處見其等：財施則「不貴著諸佛、不輕賤眾生」，以金銀寶物與草木「以法空故，亦等無異」；法施則「不貪貴有智能受法者，不輕無智不解法者」，淺法與空無相無作等甚深法「等無異」，以其「皆入寂滅不戲論法中故」。而布施之中諸病一時俱破：「慈心施故，滅諸瞋恚」，見受者得樂而歡喜故滅嫉妬，恭敬施故破憍慢，信知果報故破疑與無明，不得與者受者定實故破有無等邪見，乃至「觀受者如佛，觀物如阿耨多羅三藐三菩提相，觀己身從本已來畢竟空」。持戒則不為一世二世而為無量國土一切眾生持，「不取是戒相，不憎破戒，不著持戒」；忍辱則「得諸法忍，能信受無量佛法，心無是非分別」；精進則滅三業——「身無所作，口無所說，心無所念」，並以夢喻明之：「如人夢中沒在大海，動以手足求渡；覺已，夢心即息。」禪定則「多用智慧力得禪定，是故從智慧生禪定」，論主牒《辟支佛經》所記一國王見二特牛鬪死而自覺悟，因捨五欲得定，以明少多因緣而能厭患五欲者，皆是分別智慧生禪定。
論②末後別開一番，不再說一度生五度，改說一念之中六度齊具。自「是人勝伏其心，一念中能行六波羅蜜」起，以布施一事為例：如法捨財是檀，安住十善不向二乘是尸羅，慳貪諸魔來而不能動心是羼提，布施時身心精進不休不息是毘梨耶，攝心在布施不令散亂是禪，與者受者財物不可得是般若。以下更以戒、以忍、以精進、以禪定、以般若，各各為頭而重演此六：住戒者，「施一切眾生無畏，是名檀波羅蜜」，煩惱來欲破戒而能制能忍是羼提，分別戒相輕重是心精進、如戒法行而有犯下意懺除是身精進，為戒堅牢故求禪定樂是禪波羅蜜，而知愛戒持戒破戒「三事不可得」是般若——此中一段說得極細：「人有三種：下人破戒，中人著戒，上人不著戒」，若憎破戒者、愛持戒者，則還受罪業因緣，「譬如象浴洗已，還以土坌」，故直入諸法實相，「觀持戒、破戒皆從因緣生，從因緣生故無自性，無自性故畢竟空，畢竟空故不著」。住忍者，以身施而不令眾生得劫盜之罪是財施，因忍說法是法施，「是二施從二忍生，故名檀波羅蜜」；不惜身命為忍，何況惱眾生而破戒，故因忍持戒；於忍中身心勤行四波羅蜜是精進，「我於一切眾生能忍如地」是禪，忍至得諸法實相而心中得無生法忍「即是般若波羅蜜」。住精進者，「精進雖是一切善根本，離精進則無善法可得」，而三施未曾捨廢是檀，直向佛道不貪二乘是尸羅，人來毀壞菩薩道而能忍不動是羼提，雖行種種餘法而一心念薩婆若是禪，並分精進為二——「一、動相，身、心勤行；二、滅一切戲論故，身、心不動」，而「不動精進不離般若波羅蜜」。住禪者，慈悲心力故施一切眾生無畏乃至變化寶物供佛濟貧是檀，隨禪定行身口善業並離二乘心是尸羅，得清淨柔軟樂而不著禪味、能深入諸法空而心不疑悔是羼提，欲起超越師子奮迅等三昧不休不息是毘梨耶，心清淨不動而能入諸法實相——「諸法實相即是般若波羅蜜」。住般若者，能觀三種布施相如菩提而「滅諸非有非無等戲論」是檀，身口業隨般若行而「能牢固清淨持戒」是尸羅，二忍轉深清淨是羼提，「得不動精進，觀動精進如幻、如夢」而不入涅槃是毘梨耶，「雖常入禪定」而「不起於禪而能度眾生」是禪。全品收於一句：「如是等菩薩利智慧故，一心中一時能具足六波羅蜜。」
三分之別，一言可斷：之上立其綱而行其前十，之中續其後二十而窮其相，之下釋其所以而歸於一念。之上多說其所由起——慈能起戒、自責能成忍、增益能成進；之中多說其所至極——由一由旬到百千萬億由旬，由初禪到滅受想定，由不生二心到諸法等相；之下則掉轉方向，不問一度如何取五，反問「何以但一波羅蜜為主」，而答之曰「行因緣次第應爾」。三分之間有一線貫串，即「有分」二字：六度不是六件事排成一列輪流去做，是同一件事上六個方向同時成立，隨你所住之處而有一為主、餘者有分。所以三十組不是三十種修法，是三十個入處；而末後之一念具足，正是三十組推到盡頭之後，論主自己揭出的底：主與分之別，只在次第因緣上說，及其極則「一心中一時能具足六波羅蜜」。
因此，讀此品之每一組時，至少可問三層。其一，這一組的主在哪裡——經文每組皆以『住某波羅蜜』開端，而所住者往往正是你現前唯一能行之事；論主說「次第所宜故名為主」，故問主不是問哪一度最高，是問我此刻站在哪裡。其二，所取之五，取的是相還是次第——論主於住忍取戒一問答上已明說「此中說相，不說次第相生」，故不必疑『忍中怎能有戒』；六度各有其相，於一行之中相相皆在，只是隨主而顯隱。其三，這一組若缺了迴向與不趣二乘，還成不成——通觀三十組，反覆出現者唯此二句：持是功德與一切眾生共之而迴向無上菩提，不向聲聞、辟支佛地；可見所謂相攝，不在多做，在同一事上不缺這兩個方向。順著二經二論讀下去，終會落在論②開卷那一句上——「行因緣次第應爾」。六度相攝之難，向來被讀成『如何一時做六件事』；而論主之答，是叫你先認清自己現前所行之一事，於其中不缺慈、不生瞋、不懈退、不散亂、不取相，五度即在其中。及至熟極而流，連主與分之分位亦不必立，故末後只說一句：一心之中，一時具足。
依原論次序讀下去
Overview
"The Six Perfections Contain One Another" rises out of the closing question of the preceding chapter, and yet splits that one question into thirty. At the end of the preceding chapter, what Subhūti asked was how, when practising prajñā, one fulfils the six perfections, and the Buddha answered point by point; at the opening of this chapter the treatise-author himself cites the matter and points out the question for which this chapter exchanges it—what Subhūti asks in this chapter is 「云何菩薩行一波羅蜜攝五波羅蜜？」 tr. "How does the bodhisattva practise one perfection and contain the five perfections?" Fulfilling and containing one another sound close, but they are really different questions: fulfilling asks about the six perfections being all complete; containing one another asks how, ‘abiding within one perfection’, one takes up the other five perfections together with it. So the body of the whole chapter is not the six perfections each speaking of its own marks, but the six perfections taking turns as the master: abiding in giving and taking up the other five, abiding in morality and taking up the other five, abiding in patience and taking up the other five, abiding in vigour and taking up the other five, abiding in meditation and taking up the other five, abiding in prajñā and taking up the other five—six as the master, each taking up five, thirty groups in all, not one group left out; the sūtra text asks and answers group by group, and the treatise-author explains group by group. How can it be so? The treatise-author gives two layers of grounds. One layer lies in skilful means: 「菩薩以方便力故，行一波羅蜜能攝五波羅蜜。」 tr. "Because of the power of skilful means, the bodhisattva, practising one perfection, is able to contain the five perfections." The other layer lies in the continuity of causes and conditions: 「有為法因緣果報相續故相成，善法，善法因緣故。是波羅蜜皆是善法故，行一則攝五，以一波羅蜜為主，餘波羅蜜有分。」 tr. "Conditioned dharmas accomplish one another because causes, conditions, and retribution continue; wholesome dharmas, because wholesome dharmas are their causes and conditions. Because these perfections are all wholesome dharmas, practising one then contains the five; one perfection is taken as the master, and the other perfections have a share." The two Chinese characters 「有分」 tr. "have a share" are the pivot of the whole chapter—the five that are contained are not swallowed up by the master perfection and so lose their own marks; each has its share and its position within it. The whole chapter, two sūtras and two treatises, spans the two fascicles eighty and eighty-one: the First Part, one sūtra and one treatise, sets up the first ten of the thirty groups and settles their general outline; the Middle Part, one sūtra, goes on through the remaining twenty groups; the Last Part, one treatise, turns back to explain item by item why it is so, and at the end turns up another layer—not one perfection giving rise to five, but the six perfections fulfilled at the same time within a single thought.
The First Part sets up the outline and goes through the first ten. Sūtra ① first takes dānapāramitā as the master. Giving, he 「持是布施迴向薩婆若，於眾生中住慈身口意業」 tr. "holds this giving and dedicates it to sarvajñā, and amid beings abides in kindly deeds of body, speech, and mind"—this is abiding in giving and taking up morality; giving, the receiver 「瞋恚罵辱、惡言加之」 tr. "is hateful, reviles and insults him, and heaps evil words upon him", and the bodhisattva 「忍辱，不生瞋心」 tr. "is patient and does not give rise to a mind of hatred"—this is abiding in giving and taking up patience; in the same scene of being insulted the bodhisattva instead 「增益布施」 tr. "increases his giving", thinking 「我應當施，不應有所惜」 tr. "I should give, and should not begrudge anything", and because of this 「即時生身精進、心精進」 tr. "at once gives rise to vigour of body and vigour of mind"—this is abiding in giving and taking up vigour; giving, he 「迴向薩婆若，不趣聲聞、辟支佛地，但一心念薩婆若」 tr. "dedicates it to sarvajñā, does not tend toward the ground of the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha, and only with a single mind keeps sarvajñā in mind"—this is abiding in giving and taking up meditation; giving, he 「知布施空如幻，不見為眾生布施有益、無益」 tr. "knows that giving is empty, like an illusion, and does not see that giving for the sake of beings has benefit or has no benefit"—this is abiding in giving and taking up prajñā. The five items are all within the one act of giving, yet what is taken up in each differs: the mind of kindness becomes morality, not being hateful becomes patience, increasing becomes vigour, the single mind becomes meditation, knowing emptiness becomes wisdom. Next śīlapāramitā is taken as the master. Abiding in the precepts, his 「身、口、意生布施福德，助阿耨多羅三藐三菩提」 tr. "body, speech, and mind give rise to the merit of giving, which aids anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi", and he upholds the ten wholesome paths in full, 「飢者與食，渴者與飲」 tr. "to the hungry he gives food, to the thirsty he gives drink", and so on up to giving everything needed to sustain life, and 「如是迴向，不墮聲聞、辟支佛地」 tr. "dedicating thus, he does not fall to the ground of the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha"—this is abiding in morality and taking up giving; abiding in the precepts, 「若有眾生來節節支解，菩薩於是中不生瞋恚心乃至一念」 tr. "if beings come and cut him apart joint by joint, the bodhisattva does not give rise to a mind of hatred amid this, not even for a single thought", and on the contrary he congratulates himself, 「我得大利」 tr. "I obtain a great benefit"—this is abiding in morality and taking up patience; abiding in the precepts, 「身精進、心精進，常不捨」 tr. "with vigour of body and vigour of mind, he constantly does not give up", thinking 「一切眾生在生死中，我當拔著甘露地」 tr. "All beings are within birth and death; I shall pull them out and set them on the ground of ambrosia"—this is abiding in morality and taking up vigour; abiding in the precepts, he 「入初禪，第二、第三、第四禪，不貪聲聞、辟支佛地」 tr. "enters the first dhyāna, the second, the third, and the fourth dhyāna, and does not crave the ground of the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha"—this is abiding in morality and taking up meditation; abiding in the precepts, 「無有法可見」 tr. "there is not one dharma to be seen", 「但見諸法不過如相」 tr. "he sees only that all dharmas do not go beyond the mark of suchness", and 「以般若波羅蜜、漚和拘舍羅力故，不墮聲聞、辟支佛地」 tr. "because of the power of prajñāpāramitā and upāya-kauśalya, he does not fall to the ground of the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha"—this is abiding in morality and taking up prajñā. Among the ten groups two phrases recur again and again—dedicating to sarvajñā, and not tending toward the ground of the two vehicles; one can see that what is called taking up lies not in doing one more thing, but in not lacking these two directions within the same thing.
Treatise ① takes it over: it first sets up the general outline, then explains item by item why it is so, with several rounds of question and answer set in between. The general outline is the two meanings cited above: the power of skilful means, and causes and conditions accomplishing one another. In explaining abiding in giving and taking up morality, it does not speak from the marks of the precepts but begins from kindness: 「慈業是三善道，尸羅波羅蜜根本，所謂不貪、不瞋、正見。是三慈業能生三種身業、四種口業。」 tr. "Kindly deeds are the three wholesome paths, the root of śīlapāramitā, namely non-greed, non-hatred, and right view. These three kindly deeds can give rise to the three kinds of bodily deeds and the four kinds of verbal deeds." The ten wholesome paths of the precepts have their root in the three of the ground of the mind; so the kindness that arises at the time of giving is itself the root of the precepts already established. In explaining the taking up of patience, it first distinguishes the heavy and the light of hatred—「瞋有上、中、下：上者害殺，中者罵詈，下者心瞋」 tr. "Hatred has upper, middle, and lower: the upper is harming and killing, the middle is reviling and cursing, the lower is hatred in the mind"—and then points out that the reason the bodhisattva is not hateful lies not in swallowing his anger, but in turning round to blame himself: 「是我之罪，我請彼人而不能得稱意，由我薄福，不能具足施與；我若瞋者，既失財物，又失福德，是故不應瞋。」 tr. "This is my fault; I invited that person and yet could not satisfy him; because my merit is thin I cannot give to him fully; if I am hateful, I lose both the wealth and the merit; therefore I should not be hateful." In explaining the taking up of vigour, it makes the same turn: 「我先世不強意布施故，今不能得稱受者意，但當勤布施，不應計餘小事。」 tr. "Because in former lives I did not exert my will in giving, today I cannot satisfy the receiver; I should only give diligently, and should not reckon over the other small matters." In explaining the taking up of meditation, it draws the bounds very narrowly—not seeking merit and happiness in this life, not seeking the position of a king in later lives, not seeking the pleasure of worldly meditative concentration, and, for the sake of beings, not seeking even the pleasure of nirvāṇa, 「但攝是諸意在一切種智中，不令散亂」 tr. "only gathering these intentions into the omniscience of all kinds, not letting them be scattered"; meditation is meditation by the place where it gathers, not by the concentration it enters. In explaining the taking up of prajñā, it first breaks the notion that giving must obtain a retribution of happiness: 「是布施物，非定是樂因緣」 tr. "this thing given is not necessarily a cause and condition of happiness"; one may 「得食腹脹而死」 tr. "obtain food and die of a swollen belly", or 「得財為賊所害」 tr. "obtain wealth and be harmed by robbers", or even, because of wealth, give rise to stinginess and fall into the evil destinies; then it enters ultimate emptiness and says 「不見有益」 tr. "he does not see benefit", and at once shores up the other side—「是故不見有益，以畢竟空故；亦不見無益。」 tr. "Therefore he does not see benefit, because of ultimate emptiness; nor does he see no benefit." Turning to morality as the master, the treatise-author first says why upholding the precepts can serve as one general name: 「欲界中持戒為上」 tr. "within the desire realm upholding the precepts is supreme", while the rest—giving, and the wisdoms of hearing, reflection, and cultivation—obtain only slight power because the mind in the desire realm is scattered; hence the general name śīlapāramitā, and he cites what the Abhidharma says as ground. He also sets up the judgement of two kinds of breaking the precepts and two kinds of upholding the precepts: 「菩薩有二種破戒：一者、十不善道，二者、向聲聞、辟支佛地。」 tr. "The bodhisattva has two kinds of breaking the precepts: first, the ten unwholesome paths; second, tending toward the ground of the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha." The questions and answers below it best repay close reading. The first question: patience ought to be able to bear every kind of encroachment and plunder; why does the sūtra text speak only of cutting and severing the body? The answer lies in the depth of the places of clinging—one's own body is the deepest place of clinging; 「是人尚不惜身，何況餘物」 tr. "this person does not cherish even his body, how much less other things"; the great is raised to contain the small. The second question: cut apart joint by joint and not giving rise to a single thought of hatred—is this a transformation body, or the body born of father and mother? If it is a transformation body, it is nothing to wonder at; if it is the body born of father and mother, how can a person whose fetters are not yet cut off be like this? The treatise-author records a differing view, 「有人言：煩惱業因緣生身」 tr. "Someone says: it is a body born of the causes and conditions of afflictions and deeds", and gives the kind mother as simile—「如慈母養育嬰兒，雖復屎尿污身，以深愛故而不生瞋」 tr. "as a kind mother raising an infant: though its excrement and urine soil her body, because of her deep love she does not give rise to hatred"; beings, to the bodhisattva, are likewise like little children, and moreover it is 「眾生不自在，煩惱所使故」 tr. "because beings are not their own masters, and are driven by the afflictions"; he also puts forth a separate explanation: one who has long cultivated ultimate emptiness 「不見割者、罵者，亦不見善者、惡者」 tr. "does not see one who cuts or one who reviles, nor does he see one who is good or one who is evil". The third question stands at the border of the conditioned and the unconditioned: the conditioned has marks, the unconditioned is signless; why is the signless spoken of within the mark of the conditioned? The answer divides 「無」 tr. "non-existence" into two kinds—one is nirvāṇa, signless, quiescent, and without idle discourse; the other is the non-existence that exists in dependence on its opposite, 「如廟堂上無馬，能生無心」 tr. "as when there is no horse in the temple hall, one can give rise to a mind of non-existence"; this mind of non-existence is precisely a cause and condition of the afflictions, and cannot be named an unconditioned dharma. The fourth question pursues it to the bottom: since it has been said that apart from existence there is no non-existence, why now are suchness, the nature of dharmas, and the limit of reality seen? The answer is that nothing is set up apart from the false and deceptive—because he sees the dharma of non-arising he is able to leave the dharmas of arising, and 「是無生法無定實相可取，但能令人離虛誑有生法，故名無生」 tr. "this dharma of non-arising has no fixed real mark that can be grasped; it only enables people to leave the false and deceptive dharmas of arising, and so it is named non-arising". Among these rounds there are two further expositions one must carry away: it says that those who abide in the precepts are mostly those who have gone forth, whereas 「在家者無無量戒律儀，是故不具足住尸羅波羅蜜」 tr. "householders do not have the immeasurable restraints of the precepts, and therefore do not fully abide in śīlapāramitā", and gives the island of jewels as simile—「譬如人在寶洲，但得水精珠，則所利益薄」 tr. "It is as when a person on an island of jewels obtains only a crystal bead; what benefits him is then thin"—urging that one must not merely abide in upholding the precepts without taking up the other perfections; and it speaks of the two kinds of vigour—「身精進者，如法致財，以用布施等；心精進者，慳貪等諸惡心來破六波羅蜜者，不令得入」 tr. "Vigour of body is obtaining wealth in accordance with the Dharma and using it for giving and so forth; vigour of mind is, when stinginess and greed and the various evil minds come to destroy the six perfections, not letting them gain entry"—and spurs them on with 「此大乘法若不運用，則為敗壞」 tr. "This dharma of the Great Vehicle, if it is not put to use, falls to ruin". As for why the precepts must take up meditation, the treatise-author speaks very concretely: for one who has not yet obtained the acceptance of non-arising, 「諸煩惱風吹動願樹」 tr. "the winds of the various afflictions shake the tree of his vow", and so he must remove the pleasures of the five desires with the pleasure of meditation; though the afflictions are not yet cut off, they are already subdued, 「譬如毒蛇，以呪術力故，毒不得螫」 tr. "It is like a poisonous snake: because of the power of spell-craft, its poison cannot sting"; once the mind is pure, real knowledge arises of itself, 「如水澄靜，照鑒分明」 tr. "like water clear and still, reflecting distinctly". The First Part spurs them on at its close with 「不取二乘證，直至阿耨多羅三藐三菩提」 tr. "he does not take up the realisation of the two vehicles, and goes straight on to anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi", and ends with the one sentence 「是名菩薩住尸羅波羅蜜取五波羅蜜」 tr. "This is named the bodhisattva abiding in śīlapāramitā and taking up the five perfections".
The Middle Part carries at the head of its fascicle a continuation title bearing 「之餘」 tr. "continued", and Sūtra ② goes on through the remaining twenty groups. With patience as the master, five: abiding in patience he thinks 「我應布施一切眾生，不應不與」 tr. "I should give to all beings, and should not fail to give", giving food to those who need food and so on up to giving everything needed to sustain life, and at the time of dedication he 「不生二心」 tr. "does not give rise to two kinds of mind"—this is taking up giving; abiding in patience, 「終不奪他命、不與不取，乃至不邪見，亦不貪聲聞、辟支佛地」 tr. "he never takes the life of another, does not take what is not given, and so on up to not holding wrong views, nor does he crave the ground of the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha", and at dedication 「三種心不生」 tr. "three kinds of mind do not arise"—this is taking up morality; abiding in patience he gives rise to vigour, thinking 「我當往一由旬，若十由旬、百千萬億由旬」 tr. "I shall go one yojana, or ten yojana, or hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭi of yojana", and passing through immeasurable worlds, 「乃至教一人令持五戒」 tr. "even if only to teach one person and cause him to uphold the five precepts", he still does not regard it as little—this is taking up vigour; abiding in patience he enters the four dhyānas, 「是諸禪中淨心、心數法，皆迴向薩婆若」 tr. "the pure mind and the mental-factor dharmas within these dhyānas he dedicates, all of them, to sarvajñā", and at the time of dedication 「是菩薩諸禪及禪支皆不可得」 tr. "this bodhisattva's dhyānas and the limbs of dhyāna are all unfindable"—this is taking up meditation; abiding in patience he 「觀諸法若離相、若寂滅相、若無盡相，不以寂滅相作證」 tr. "contemplates dharmas as either the mark of separation, or the mark of quiescence, or the mark of inexhaustibility, yet does not take realisation by the mark of quiescence", straight on to sitting at the seat of awakening and turning the wheel of the Dharma, and the reason for it is only one phrase—「不取不捨故」 tr. "because of neither taking nor giving up"—this is taking up prajñā. With vigour as the master, five: being vigorous, 「身心精進，不懈不息」 tr. "with vigour of body and of mind, not lazy, not resting", he makes an oath to himself, 「我必應當得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，不應不得」 tr. "I must certainly obtain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi, and should not fail to obtain it", and passing through immeasurable lands, 「或得一人教令行十善道」 tr. "or finding one person whom he teaches and causes to practise the ten wholesome paths", he still causes him to be fulfilled with the two gifts of wealth and Dharma—this is taking up giving; being vigorous, 「自不殺生，不教他殺，讚不殺生法，歡喜讚歎不殺生者」 tr. "himself not killing, not teaching others to kill, praising the dharma of not killing, and joyfully praising those who do not kill", and so with every branch up to wrong views—this is taking up morality; being vigorous, when humans or non-humans come and cut him apart joint by joint, he asks back 「割我者誰？截我者誰？奪我者誰？」 tr. "Who is it that cuts me? Who is it that severs me? Who is it that robs me?" and congratulates himself, 「我大得善利，我為眾生故受身，眾生還自來取」 tr. "I greatly obtain the good benefit; it is for the sake of beings that I took a body, and beings come back of themselves to take it"—this is taking up patience; being vigorous he enters the four dhyānas and the four immeasurables and so on up to the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception, 「持是禪、無量心、無色定，不受果報」 tr. "he holds these dhyānas, immeasurable minds, and formless absorptions, yet does not receive their retribution", and is instead born where he can benefit beings, 「從一佛土至一佛土，親近供養諸佛，種善根」 tr. "going from one buddha-land to another buddha-land, drawing near to the buddhas and making offerings to them, and planting roots of goodness"—this is taking up meditation; being vigorous, he 「不見檀波羅蜜法，不見檀波羅蜜相」 tr. "does not see the dharma of dānapāramitā, does not see the mark of dānapāramitā", and so on up to the omniscience of all kinds, where too he sees no dharma and sees no mark; 「不見一切法，非法、非非法，於一切法中無所著」 tr. "he does not see any dharma; it is not a dharma, and it is also not what is not a dharma; within all dharmas he clings to nothing"; and 「是菩薩所作如所言」 tr. "what this bodhisattva does is as what he says"—this is taking up prajñā. With meditation as the master, five: abiding in meditation, 「心不亂，行二施以施眾生：法施、財施」 tr. "his mind is not disordered, and he practises the two gifts to give to beings: the gift of Dharma and the gift of wealth", with all four things complete—practising it himself, teaching others, praising the dharma, and praising those who practise it—this is taking up giving; abiding in meditation, he 「不生婬欲、瞋恚、愚癡心，不生惱他心，但修行一切智相應心」 tr. "does not give rise to a mind of lust, of hatred, or of delusion, does not give rise to a mind of vexing and harming others, and cultivates only the mind associated with omniscience"—this is taking up morality; abiding in meditation, he 「觀色如聚沫，觀受如泡，觀想如野馬，觀行如芭蕉，觀識如幻」 tr. "contemplates form as like a mass of foam, feeling as like a bubble, perception as like a mirage, constructions as like a plantain tree, consciousness as like an illusion", 「見五眾無堅固相」 tr. "he sees that the five aggregates have no mark of firmness", and asks who it is that receives, who it is that reviles—this is taking up patience; abiding in meditation, 「是諸禪及支，取相，生種種神通」 tr. "upon these dhyānas and their limbs he grasps at marks, and gives rise to all kinds of supernormal powers"—「履水如地，入地如水」 tr. "walking on water as on earth, entering the earth as into water", the divine ear, the knowledge of others' minds, former lives, the divine eye—and relying on the five supernormal powers he travels throughout the buddha-lands, bringing beings to accomplishment and purifying buddha-worlds—this is taking up vigour; abiding in meditation, he 「不得色，不得受、想、行、識」 tr. "does not find form, does not find feeling, perception, constructions, or consciousness", and so on up to not finding the nature of the conditioned or of the unconditioned; 「不得故不作，不作故不生，不生故不滅」 tr. "because he does not find, he does not make; because he does not make, it does not arise; because it does not arise, it does not cease"; the reason for it lies in 「有佛、無佛，是如、法相、法性常住、不生不滅」 tr. "whether there are buddhas or there is no buddha, this suchness, the mark of dharmas, and the nature of dharmas abide constantly, neither arising nor ceasing"—this is taking up prajñā. With prajñā as the master, five: abiding in prajñā he contemplates the emptinesses one by one as all unfindable; 「菩薩住是十四空中」 tr. "the bodhisattva abides within these fourteen emptinesses" and does not find dharmas either as empty or as not empty, and so at the time of giving he only contemplates 「施者、受者及財物空，不令慳著心生」 tr. "the giver, the receiver, and the wealth as empty, not letting a mind of stinginess and clinging arise", and 「是菩薩所可尊者，般若波羅蜜」 tr. "what this bodhisattva honours is prajñāpāramitā"—this is taking up giving; abiding in prajñā, he 「不生聲聞、辟支佛心」 tr. "does not give rise to the mind of the śrāvaka or of the pratyekabuddha", because the ground of the two vehicles and the mind that tends toward it are both unfindable, and his upholding of the ten wholesome paths never lapses from beginning to end; 「以是持戒無法可取，若聲聞、若辟支佛地，何況餘法」 tr. "with such upholding of the precepts there is not one dharma to be taken—not even the ground of the śrāvaka or of the pratyekabuddha, how much less the other dharmas"—this is taking up morality; abiding in prajñā, 「隨順法忍生」 tr. "acceptance in accord with the Dharma arises"; he knows that within this Dharma there is no rising and no ceasing, and no one who receives reviling or receives cutting, so that though he is cut and severed his mind does not move, and instead he gives a sigh—「甚可怪！此諸法中無有法受罵詈、惡口、割截、傷害者，而眾生受苦惱！」 tr. "How strange! Within these dharmas there is not one dharma that receives reviling, harsh speech, cutting and severing, or injury, and yet beings are undergoing suffering and vexation!"—this is taking up patience; abiding in prajñā he expounds the Dharma for beings, causing them to practise the six perfections, practise the limbs of the path, obtain the four fruits, and so on up to unsurpassed awakening, while he himself 「不住有為性中，不住無為性中」 tr. "does not abide in the conditioned nature, nor does he abide in the unconditioned nature"—this is taking up vigour; abiding in prajñā, 「除諸佛三昧，入餘一切三昧」 tr. "apart from the samādhi of the buddhas, he enters all the other samādhi", and relying on the eight liberations and the nine successive absorptions, entering and leaving in reverse and forward order, he enters the samādhi of the lion's rousing, and again relying on it enters the leaping samādhi—from the first dhyāna in sequence to the absorption of the cessation of feeling and perception, and again rising from the absorption of the cessation of feeling and perception back into the various grounds, and so on up to entering and leaving the scattered mind—finally obtaining 「諸法等相」 tr. "the mark of the equality of dharmas"—this is taking up meditation. Here the twenty groups are gone through to the end, and in the very last group the sūtra text pushes the power of concentration to its utmost, precisely leaving a question for the treatise of the Last Part.
In the Last Part, Treatise ② turns back to explain item by item why it is so, and turns up the final layer of the whole chapter. It opens straightaway with a question: 「何以但一波羅蜜為主？」 tr. "Why is only one perfection the master?" The answer is only one sentence—「行因緣次第應爾。」 tr. "The sequence of the causes and conditions of practice should be so." Below it he at once divides by persons: bodhisattvas are of two kinds, the householder and the one who has gone forth; the householder, because of the causes and conditions of merit, is very rich, 「既有財物，又知罪福，兼有慈悲心於眾生故，宜先行布施」 tr. "since he has wealth, and also knows sin and merit, and moreover has a mind of kindness and compassion towards beings, it is fitting that he first practise giving"; the one who has gone forth, 「以無財故，次第宜持戒、忍辱、禪定」 tr. "because he has no wealth, in sequence fittingly upholds the precepts, is patient, and practises meditative concentration". What is called being the master is not that one of the six perfections is more honoured, but 「次第所宜故名為主」 tr. "because it is what is fitting in the sequence it is named the master"—on the conditions now before you, whichever is practised first to good effect, that is the master. In explaining patience as the master taking up giving, he points out that among what is given 「無過於身」 tr. "nothing surpasses the body"; if one can give the body without begrudging it and without hatred, then giving is contained within patience; and should he meet a receiver who reviles, beats, and harms him and wishes to break his giving and his patience, the bodhisattva thinks 「我不應為虛誑身故毀波羅蜜道」 tr. "I should not, for the sake of a false and deceptive body, destroy the path of the perfections", and so at the end of his life, 「二波羅蜜力故，即生好處，續行布施」 tr. "because of the power of the two perfections, he is at once born in a good place and continues to practise giving". The next question is very sharp: at the time of abiding in patience, not doing evil is in itself the precepts; why need one further speak of abiding in patience and taking up morality? By sequence it ought rather to be abiding in the precepts and containing patience. The answer says: 「此中說相，不說次第相生。」 tr. "Here the marks are spoken of; arising one from another in sequence is not spoken of." Marks and sequence are two different matters—the name of the precepts lies in 「不奪他命」 tr. "not taking the life of another", the name of patience lies in 「不自惜命」 tr. "not begrudging one's own life", so within patience the mark of the precepts must be spoken of separately; moreover, patience is a mental-factor dharma, while the precepts extend to dharmas of form: 「持戒名心生、口說、受持；忍辱但是心生，非受持法」 tr. "upholding the precepts is named arising in the mind, being spoken by the mouth, receiving and upholding; patience only arises in the mind, and is not a dharma of receiving and upholding", and again 「身、口清淨名持戒；意清淨名忍辱」 tr. "purity of body and speech is named upholding the precepts; purity of mind is named patience". Immediately after comes another question: meditation and wisdom are also dharmas of the mind's purity; why speak only of patience? The answer is again only one sentence—「禪、智力大故不說；持戒時心未能清淨，須忍辱守心故。」 tr. "Meditation and wisdom are great in power, and so they are not spoken of; when upholding the precepts the mind is not yet able to be pure, and patience is needed to guard the mind." In explaining patience taking up vigour, he says that vigour lies not in the ease or difficulty of the matter but in the mind's not sinking: 「若有遮道因緣，心不沒、不退，能堪受眾苦，不以久遠勤苦為難」 tr. "if there are causes and conditions that obstruct the path, the mind does not sink and does not retreat, is able to endure the many sufferings, and does not regard long and distant toil as hard"; here the treatise-author himself cites what the sūtra text says of passing over a thousand myriad yojana without finding a single person, and gives a judgement—「一人相即是一切人相，一切人相即是一人相，是諸法相不二故」 tr. "The mark of one person is precisely the mark of all persons, and the mark of all persons is precisely the mark of one person, because the marks of these dharmas are not two"—so whether many or few, there is nothing to grieve over. In explaining patience taking up meditation and taking up prajñā, he sets up a chain one can follow: through the power of patience the mind is tamed and soft, and because the mind is tamed and soft it easily obtains meditative concentration; because he obtains great merit the mind becomes soft, and because the mind becomes soft he easily obtains the acceptance of dharmas; abiding in the acceptance of dharmas he contemplates all dharmas as empty and quiescent like nirvāṇa, and then 「還增長眾生忍」 tr. "it further increases the acceptance of beings"—the acceptance of dharmas does not leave the acceptance of beings, but instead turns back to nourish the acceptance of beings and make it thicker, until at last 「不見三事：忍法、忍者、忍處」 tr. "he does not see three things: the dharma endured, the one who endures, and the place of enduring". Turning to vigour as the master, the treatise-author first says 「精進更無異體」 tr. "vigour has no separate substance", and then with a string of contrasts defines what truly arises from vigour: one who obtains meditation of itself, by falling back, by birth, or, born in a higher ground, obtains that of a lower ground, is not named as arising from vigour; one who obtains meditation because great giving breaks stinginess, because upholding the precepts he cultivates patience, or because great wisdom makes him weary of desire, though he has vigour, 「更因餘法得禪故，不名從精進生」 tr. "because he obtains meditation further by means of other dharmas, it is not named as arising from vigour"; only one who 「日夜精進，經行坐禪，常與心鬪」 tr. "is vigorous day and night, walking and sitting in meditation, constantly fighting with the mind", 「如與賊鬪，乃至流汗」 tr. "as though fighting with a thief, even to the point of sweating", and so obtains concentration, is named as arising from vigour. He also sets up a simile of thin merit and thick merit: the person with merit 「安坐無事，福祿自至」 tr. "sits at ease with nothing to do, and blessings and emoluments come of themselves"; the person of thin merit 「勤設方便，鬪戰乃得」 tr. "diligently devises means, and obtains it only by fighting"—so 「如是一切處雖有精進，多處受名」 tr. "in this way, although there is vigour everywhere, the name is received by the greater share". Here there is another question and answer: it asks, since all giving comes from vigour, why are these two gifts alone said to arise from vigour? The answer again lies only between more and less: 「雖一切施皆由精進生，此以多精進力生故。」 tr. "Although all giving arises from vigour, here it is because it arises from the greater share of the power of vigour." In the section on meditation as the master, the treatise-author gives a lamp lit in a closed room as simile—「譬如密室然燈，光照明了」 tr. "It is as when a lamp is lit in a closed room, its light shines clear and bright"—so abiding in meditation gives rise to real wisdom; not vexing beings and adding pity is itself very deep upholding of the precepts and patience; transforming wealth by supernormal powers is itself giving; rising from meditation and expounding the Dharma for beings is also giving; giving rise to supernormal powers through meditative concentration and reaching everywhere in the ten directions without laziness is itself vigour. In the section on prajñā as the master, the treatise-author answers several questions in a row. The first asks: among the eighteen emptinesses, why are the last four emptinesses not spoken of? The answer says that in the fourteenth, the emptiness of all dharmas, 「法無不盡，是故不說」 tr. "of dharmas there is none that is not exhausted, and so they are not spoken of"; if so, why are there eighteen in the first place? The answer lies in suiting the hearer—「彼中分別一切法相空，一切空皆總入十八空；此中為行者說」 tr. "there, the emptiness of the marks of all dharmas is distinguished, and all emptinesses are gathered together into the eighteen emptinesses; here, it is spoken for the practitioner"; the practitioner, according to how much he clings, practises one emptiness and so on up to fourteen emptinesses, and only one who clings deeply to wrong views of existence and non-existence and the like further uses the last four emptinesses; moreover, 「菩薩以十四空熏心故，於有無中了了不錯」 tr. "because the bodhisattva perfumes his mind with the fourteen emptinesses, he is clear and distinct regarding existence and non-existence and makes no error". The second asks: why is the bodhisattva said to be like the buddhas, without a mind of greedy clinging? The answer lies in praising the power of prajñā—in the Buddha, the habitual residues are cut off and do not arise; in the bodhisattva, 「以般若力制令不起」 tr. "by the power of prajñā he restrains them and does not let them arise"; though his fetters are not yet cut off, he is no different from the Buddha in whom they are cut off, and this is said precisely 「令人知貴般若」 tr. "to let people know to prize prajñā". The third asks: the sūtra says there is no arising, no ceasing, and no one who receives reviling—this is precisely the acceptance of non-arising; why is it judged to be compliant acceptance? The answer lies in the depth of what is broken—what is broken here is the being that is a provisional name, in which the five aggregates come together, and it 「不能破法」 tr. "cannot break dharmas"; though this person contemplates the emptiness of dharmas, it is 「未能深入，猶有著法愛故」 tr. "because he is not yet able to enter deeply, and still clings to the love of dharmas"; hence the distinction of the two acceptances is set up: 「一、處眾生不可得故，名眾生忍；二、於法不可得故，名為法忍」 tr. "first, because with respect to beings they are unfindable, it is named the acceptance of beings; second, because with respect to dharmas they are unfindable, it is named the acceptance of dharmas", and 「法忍者不妨眾生忍，眾生忍不妨法忍，但以深淺為別」 tr. "the acceptance of dharmas does not obstruct the acceptance of beings, and the acceptance of beings does not obstruct the acceptance of dharmas; they are distinguished only by depth and shallowness". There is another question aimed directly at the samādhi of the last group of the Middle Part: by the ordinary course, the leaping samādhi cannot leap over two, nor does one enter the absorption of cessation from the scattered mind; why does the sūtra text speak thus? The answer says 「大小乘法異」 tr. "the dharmas of the Great Vehicle and of the Small Vehicle are not the same"—not leaping over two is what is said within the dharmas of the Small Vehicle; the bodhisattva, because of immeasurable merit and wisdom and the power of deeply entering meditative concentration, can leap over at will, 「如人力超躑，不過丈數；若以天力超之，無廣遠之難」 tr. "as a man leaping by human strength does not get beyond a few zhang; but if one leaps with the power of a god, there is no difficulty of breadth or distance". Below this, explaining prajñā giving rise to the five perfections, equality is seen everywhere: in the gift of wealth, he 「不貴著諸佛、不輕賤眾生」 tr. "does not prize and cling to the buddhas, and does not slight and despise beings", and gold, silver, and jewels together with grass and wood, 「以法空故，亦等無異」 tr. "because of the emptiness of dharmas, are likewise equal and without difference"; in the gift of Dharma, he 「不貪貴有智能受法者，不輕無智不解法者」 tr. "does not covet and prize the wise who can receive the Dharma, and does not slight the unwise who do not understand the Dharma", and shallow dharmas and very deep dharmas such as emptiness, the signless, and non-action are 「等無異」 tr. "equal and without difference"—「皆入寂滅不戲論法中故」 tr. "because they all enter the dharma of quiescence, without idle discourse". And within giving, all the illnesses are broken at one time: 「慈心施故，滅諸瞋恚」 tr. "because he gives with a mind of kindness, all hatred is extinguished"; because he rejoices at seeing the receiver obtain happiness, jealousy is extinguished; because he gives respectfully, arrogance is broken; because he believes in and knows retribution, doubt and ignorance are broken; because he does not find the giver and the receiver to be fixed and real, the wrong views of existence and non-existence and the like are broken; and so on up to 「觀受者如佛，觀物如阿耨多羅三藐三菩提相，觀己身從本已來畢竟空」 tr. "he contemplates the receiver as a Buddha, contemplates the thing given as the mark of anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi, and contemplates his own body as from the beginning ultimately empty". In upholding the precepts, he upholds them not for one life or two but for all beings of immeasurable lands, and 「不取是戒相，不憎破戒，不著持戒」 tr. "does not grasp this mark of the precepts, does not loathe the breaking of the precepts, and does not cling to upholding the precepts"; in patience, he 「得諸法忍，能信受無量佛法，心無是非分別」 tr. "obtains acceptance of all dharmas, is able to believe and receive the immeasurable dharmas of the Buddha, and his mind has no discrimination of right and wrong"; in vigour, the three kinds of deeds are extinguished—「身無所作，口無所說，心無所念」 tr. "the body does nothing, the mouth says nothing, the mind thinks nothing"—and he makes it clear with the simile of a dream: 「如人夢中沒在大海，動以手足求渡；覺已，夢心即息。」 tr. "It is like a person who in a dream is sinking in the great ocean and moves hands and feet seeking to cross; after waking, the mind of the dream at once ceases." In meditative concentration, 「多用智慧力得禪定，是故從智慧生禪定」 tr. "he mostly uses the power of wisdom to obtain meditative concentration; therefore meditative concentration arises from wisdom"; the treatise-author cites what the Pratyekabuddha Sūtra records of a king who saw two bulls fight to the death and awakened of himself, and so abandoned the five desires and obtained concentration, to make clear that whoever, by causes and conditions few or many, is able to weary of and loathe the five desires—all this is meditative concentration arising from discriminating wisdom.
At its end Treatise ② opens a separate round: it no longer speaks of one perfection giving rise to five, but changes to speaking of the six perfections all complete within a single thought. Beginning from 「是人勝伏其心，一念中能行六波羅蜜」 tr. "This person subdues his mind, and within a single thought is able to practise the six perfections", it takes the one matter of giving as example: giving up wealth in accordance with the Dharma—this is giving; abiding securely in the ten wholesome paths and not tending toward the two vehicles—this is morality; stinginess and greed and the Māras coming and being unable to move his mind—this is patience; at the time of giving, vigour of body and mind without resting and without ceasing—this is vigour; gathering the mind on the giving and not letting it be scattered—this is meditation; the giver, the receiver, and the wealth being unfindable—this is prajñā. Below this, with the precepts, with patience, with vigour, with meditative concentration, and with prajñā, each in turn as the head, it plays out these six again. Abiding in the precepts: 「施一切眾生無畏，是名檀波羅蜜」 tr. "he gives fearlessness to all beings; this is called dānapāramitā"; when the afflictions come wishing to break the precepts and he is able to restrain them and bear them, that is patience; discriminating the light and heavy marks of the precepts is vigour of mind, and practising according to the dharma of the precepts and, when there is a transgression, humbly confessing and removing it is vigour of body; seeking the pleasure of meditative concentration so that the precepts may be firm and secure is dhyānapāramitā; and knowing that the precepts that are loved, upholding the precepts, and breaking the precepts—these 「三事不可得」 tr. "three things are unfindable"—is prajñā—one passage here is spoken very finely: 「人有三種：下人破戒，中人著戒，上人不著戒」 tr. "People are of three kinds: the lower person breaks the precepts, the middle person clings to the precepts, the upper person does not cling to the precepts"; if one loathes those who break the precepts and loves those who uphold them, one still receives the causes and conditions of sinful deeds, 「譬如象浴洗已，還以土坌」 tr. "like an elephant which, after bathing and washing, again sprinkles itself with earth"; so he enters directly into the real mark of all dharmas, 「觀持戒、破戒皆從因緣生，從因緣生故無自性，無自性故畢竟空，畢竟空故不著」 tr. "contemplating that upholding the precepts and breaking the precepts both arise from causes and conditions; because they arise from causes and conditions they are without self-nature; because they are without self-nature they are ultimately empty; because they are ultimately empty he does not cling". Abiding in patience: giving his body without letting beings incur the sin of robbery is the gift of wealth, expounding the Dharma by way of patience is the gift of Dharma, and 「是二施從二忍生，故名檀波羅蜜」 tr. "these two gifts arise from the two acceptances, and so it is named dānapāramitā"; not begrudging body and life is patience—how much less would he vex beings and break the precepts—so through patience he upholds the precepts; within patience, diligently practising the four perfections with body and mind is vigour; 「我於一切眾生能忍如地」 tr. "toward all beings I am able to be patient like the earth" is meditation; patience carried as far as obtaining the real mark of all dharmas, so that within the mind he obtains the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas, 「即是般若波羅蜜」 tr. "is precisely prajñāpāramitā". Abiding in vigour: 「精進雖是一切善根本，離精進則無善法可得」 tr. "although vigour is the root of all good, apart from vigour no wholesome dharma can be obtained"; never abandoning the three gifts is giving; heading straight for the Buddha path and not craving the two vehicles is morality; when people come to destroy the bodhisattva path and he is able to bear it unmoved, that is patience; though practising all kinds of other dharmas, keeping sarvajñā in mind with a single mind is meditation; and he divides vigour into two—「一、動相，身、心勤行；二、滅一切戲論故，身、心不動」 tr. "first, the moving mark, diligent practice of body and mind; second, because all idle discourse is extinguished, body and mind do not move"—and 「不動精進不離般若波羅蜜」 tr. "the unmoving vigour does not depart from prajñāpāramitā". Abiding in meditation: because of the power of the mind of kindness and compassion he gives fearlessness to all beings, and so on up to transforming precious things to make offerings to the buddhas and relieve the poor—this is giving; following meditative concentration, practising wholesome deeds of body and speech and leaving the mind of the two vehicles is morality; obtaining pure and soft pleasure yet not clinging to the taste of meditation, being able to enter deeply into the emptiness of dharmas while the mind has no doubt or regret, is patience; wishing to give rise to the leaping samādhi, the samādhi of the lion's rousing, and the other samādhis without resting and without ceasing is vigour; the mind pure and unmoving and able to enter the real mark of all dharmas—「諸法實相即是般若波羅蜜」 tr. "the real mark of all dharmas is precisely prajñāpāramitā". Abiding in prajñā: being able to contemplate the three kinds of marks of giving as like awakening, and 「滅諸非有非無等戲論」 tr. "extinguishing all idle discourse such as neither existence nor non-existence", is giving; the deeds of body and speech following prajñā, and 「能牢固清淨持戒」 tr. "being able to uphold the precepts firmly, securely, and purely", is morality; the two acceptances turning deeper and purer is patience; 「得不動精進，觀動精進如幻、如夢」 tr. "obtaining the unmoving vigour, he contemplates the moving vigour as like an illusion, like a dream", and does not enter nirvāṇa—this is vigour; 「雖常入禪定」 tr. "though he constantly enters meditative concentration", yet 「不起於禪而能度眾生」 tr. "without rising from meditation he is able to deliver beings"—this is meditation. The whole chapter is gathered in one sentence: 「如是等菩薩利智慧故，一心中一時能具足六波羅蜜。」 tr. "Bodhisattvas such as these, because their wisdom is keen, are able within a single mind, at a single time, to fulfil the six perfections."
The difference among the three parts can be settled in a word: the First Part sets up the outline and goes through the first ten; the Middle Part continues with the last twenty and exhausts their marks; the Last Part explains why it is so and returns to a single thought. The First Part speaks mostly of where things arise from—kindness can raise the precepts, self-blame can accomplish patience, increasing can accomplish vigour; the Middle Part speaks mostly of how far they reach—from one yojana to hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭi of yojana, from the first dhyāna to the absorption of the cessation of feeling and perception, from not giving rise to two kinds of mind to the mark of the equality of dharmas; the Last Part then turns the direction round: it does not ask how one perfection takes up five, but asks instead 「何以但一波羅蜜為主」 tr. "Why is only one perfection the master", and answers it: 「行因緣次第應爾」 tr. "The sequence of the causes and conditions of practice should be so." One thread runs through the three parts, namely the two Chinese characters 「有分」 tr. "have a share": the six perfections are not six things lined up in a row and done in turn; they are six directions established at the same time upon one and the same thing, and according to where you abide, one is the master and the rest have a share. So the thirty groups are not thirty methods of practice; they are thirty places of entry; and the fulfilment within a single thought at the end is precisely the bottom that the treatise-author himself lays bare after the thirty groups have been pushed to their end: the distinction of master and share is spoken of only in terms of the causes and conditions of sequence, and at its utmost, one 「一心中一時能具足六波羅蜜」 tr. "within a single mind, at a single time, is able to fulfil the six perfections".
Therefore, when reading each group of this chapter, one can ask at least three layers of questions. First, where is the master of this group?—the sūtra text opens every group with ‘abiding in such-and-such a perfection’, and what one abides in is often precisely the one thing you are able to practise right now; the treatise-author says 「次第所宜故名為主」 tr. "because it is what is fitting in the sequence it is named the master", so asking about the master is not asking which perfection is highest, but asking where I am standing at this moment. Second, in the five that are taken up, is it the marks that are taken up, or the sequence?—in the question and answer on abiding in patience and taking up morality the treatise-author has already said plainly 「此中說相，不說次第相生」 tr. "Here the marks are spoken of; arising one from another in sequence is not spoken of", so one need not doubt ‘how can there be the precepts within patience?’; each of the six perfections has its own mark, and within one practice every mark is present, only appearing or hidden according to the master. Third, if this group lacked dedication and not tending toward the two vehicles, would it still hold?—looking through the thirty groups, what recurs again and again is only these two phrases: holding this merit, sharing it in common with all beings, and dedicating it to unsurpassed awakening; not tending toward the ground of the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha; one can see that what is called containing one another lies not in doing more, but in not lacking these two directions within the same thing. Read on along the two sūtras and two treatises, and one will come to rest at last on that sentence at the opening of Treatise ②—「行因緣次第應爾」 tr. "The sequence of the causes and conditions of practice should be so." The difficulty of the six perfections containing one another has always been read as ‘how to do six things at one time’; but the treatise-author's answer is to have you first recognise clearly the one thing you are practising right now, and within it not lack kindness, not give rise to hatred, not slacken or retreat, not be scattered, not grasp at marks—and the five perfections are within it. And when it has ripened to the utmost and flows of itself, even the positions of master and share need not be set up; so at the end he says only one sentence: within a single mind, fulfilled at a single time.
Reading On in the Order of the Treatise
六度相攝品之上The Six Perfections Contain One Another, Part 1 of 3
全文五層 →Full five layers →六度相攝品之上：住檀取五、住尸羅取五十番；方便力與因緣相成二總綱；忍辱何以但說割截；有為相中何以說無相
在問什麼
六波羅蜜向來是六條，布施是布施、持戒是持戒，各有各的行相，各有各的對治。前品之末問的是菩薩行般若時如何具足六度，佛已一一答過；本品須菩提換了一個問法——不問六度如何一起具足，問的是只行其中一度時，其餘五度如何從這一度裡取得。論主起手便把這一問挑明：「六波羅蜜各各異相，云何行一波羅蜜攝五波羅蜜？」六條既然各異，行一豈不就只是一？這個疑問並不刁鑽，它問的是一切修行人最實際的一件事：人的一段時節裡往往只使得上一種力氣——正在布施的時候使不上禪定，正在持戒的時候顧不上多聞——那麼其餘五度是不是就只能等到下一段時節？
經文給的答法出乎意料地具體：不從理上說『六度互具』，而是一番一番地問、一番一番地答。之上一單元，經文列出十番——住檀波羅蜜取尸羅、取羼提、取毘梨耶、取禪、取般若五番，住尸羅波羅蜜取檀、取羼提、取毘梨耶、取禪、取般若五番。每一番都指定一個場境：布施正行之際受者反來罵辱，是哪一度現前？持戒正住之際眾生來節節支解，是哪一度現前？答案從不離開當下那一件事——布施時心中生慈，慈的身口意業就是尸羅；布施時受辱不瞋，不瞋就是羼提。六度不是六段時間，是同一件事上的六個面。
論主隨後立下兩重總綱。其一是方便力：「菩薩以方便力故，行一波羅蜜能攝五波羅蜜。」其二是因緣相成：「有為法因緣果報相續故相成，善法，善法因緣故。」善法既同為善法之因緣，行一則攝五，而分位不亂——「以一波羅蜜為主，餘波羅蜜有分」。一為主、五有分，這六個字是本品的定盤星：攝不是混同，被攝的五度仍各自是其所是，只是不另立為主。之上要答的，就是『行一何以能攝五』與『攝了之後主伴如何不亂』這兩問；連帶牽出的四番問答——忍辱何以但說割截身體、未斷結的人何以能不生一念瞋、有為相中何以說無相、離有則無無又何以見如法性實際——則是把答案推到極處時必然撞上的四道關。
逐段解明
一、第一番——住檀波羅蜜取尸羅波羅蜜。 須菩提啟問：「云何菩薩摩訶薩住檀波羅蜜取尸羅波羅蜜？」佛答：「菩薩摩訶薩布施時，持是布施迴向薩婆若，於眾生中住慈身口意業。」布施一事之中取得持戒，關鍵有二：一是迴向的方向——所施之福不停在人天果報上，直迴向一切智；二是施時的心地——於眾生中住慈，慈既現前，身口意三業自然不犯。本卷十番以此為首，體例即在這裡立定：不換場境，只換看它的眼。
二、第二番——住檀波羅蜜取羼提波羅蜜。 「云何菩薩住檀波羅蜜取羼提波羅蜜？」佛答：「菩薩布施時，受者瞋恚罵辱、惡言加之，是時菩薩忍辱，不生瞋心。」施者反被受者所辱，這是布施現場最難堪的一幕；而正是這一幕成了忍辱的道場。經文不說另找一個忍辱的功課來做——就在布施被辜負的那一刻不起瞋，羼提便已取得。
三、第三番——住檀波羅蜜取毘梨耶波羅蜜。 同樣是受者瞋罵的場境，換一個面看便是精進：「菩薩增益布施，心作是念：『我應當施，不應有所惜。』即時生身精進、心精進。」被辱而不退，已是忍；被辱而更增其施，便是進。一個「增益」二字分出忍與進的界線——忍是守得住，進是往前加。
四、第四番——住檀波羅蜜取禪波羅蜜。 佛答：「菩薩布施時，迴向薩婆若，不趣聲聞、辟支佛地，但一心念薩婆若。」此處之禪不作坐相說，只取「一心」二字：所念唯一切智，不旁落於二乘，這一心不亂即是禪。六度相攝之教最見手眼處正在於此——禪不必離開布施的現場另覓一個蒲團。
五、第五番——住檀波羅蜜取般若波羅蜜。 佛答：「菩薩布施時，知布施空如幻，不見為眾生布施有益、無益。」施而知其如幻，是般若照施相；不見有益無益，是般若照果報之相。這一番把布施推到了盡頭：連『我這一施究竟利益了眾生沒有』這樣的分別也止息，布施才真成波羅蜜。
六、第六番——住尸羅波羅蜜取檀波羅蜜。 第二組以持戒為主，須菩提一問五度並舉：「云何菩薩摩訶薩住尸羅波羅蜜取檀波羅蜜、羼提波羅蜜、毘梨耶波羅蜜、禪波羅蜜、般若波羅蜜？」佛先答其取檀：住尸羅之中「身、口、意生布施福德，助阿耨多羅三藐三菩提」；所持之戒逐條列出——「不奪他命、不劫奪他物、不行邪婬，不妄語、不兩舌、不惡口、不綺語，不貪嫉、不瞋恚、不邪見」，正是十善之全列；所行之施亦逐項列出——「飢者與食，渴者與飲，須乘與乘，須衣與衣，須香與香，須瓔珞與瓔珞」，乃至「塗香、臥具、房舍、燈燭、資生所須，盡給與之」。末以「與眾生共之，迴向阿耨多羅三藐三菩提」收，並言「如是迴向，不墮聲聞、辟支佛地」。十善所戒在不作，布施所行在能與；住於戒中而生身口意之施福，持戒便攝得了布施。
七、第七番——住尸羅波羅蜜取羼提波羅蜜。 佛答：「若有眾生來節節支解，菩薩於是中不生瞋恚心乃至一念」，且作是言：「我得大利，眾生來取我支節用，我無一念瞋恚。」節節支解是忍辱的極境；而菩薩於此不但不瞋，反以為「得大利」——痛在身上，利在道上。戒之所守是不惱害他，忍之所成是不因他惱而動；守得住到極處，忍便自其中出。
八、第八番——住尸羅波羅蜜取毘梨耶波羅蜜。 佛答：「若菩薩摩訶薩身精進、心精進，常不捨」，作是念：「一切眾生在生死中，我當拔著甘露地。」精進在此不是加倍苦行，是「常不捨」三字——持戒本是一件日日相續之事，相續而不捨，便已是精進之體；而所以不捨者，繫於拔濟一切眾生的那一念。
九、第九番——住尸羅波羅蜜取禪波羅蜜。 佛答：「菩薩入初禪，第二、第三、第四禪，不貪聲聞、辟支佛地」，作是念：「我當住禪波羅蜜中，度一切眾生生死。」四禪逐位列出，而分判不在禪之淺深，在入禪時的心向——不貪二乘、為度眾生，四禪才成其為禪波羅蜜。同一個初禪，聲聞入之是自證資糧，菩薩入之是度生器具。
十、第十番——住尸羅波羅蜜取般若波羅蜜。 佛答：住尸羅之中「無有法可見：若作法，若有為法，若數法，若相法，若有、若無；但見諸法不過如相」，並以「般若波羅蜜、漚和拘舍羅力故，不墮聲聞、辟支佛地」作結。作法、有為、數法、相法、有無，五名並列，論主於此未別出其訓；所遮者在其可見——下文論釋此義云「有為法從因緣和合生，虛誑」，又云「有為相尚不可得，何況無為」，故五者皆不可見，所見唯「不過如相」。而不墮二乘所恃者有二：般若是照，方便是用；只有照無用則易沉空，故經文兩者並舉。之上十番於此收束。
十一、論主承前品而定本品之問。 論主釋曰，先繫回前品：「上品末說：『云何菩薩行般若波羅蜜時，具足六波羅蜜？』佛一一答。」再點出本品所問之異：「此品中，須菩提問：『云何菩薩行一波羅蜜攝五波羅蜜？』」前品問的是行般若時如何具足六度，本品問的是行任一度時如何攝得其餘五度——前者以般若為樞，後者以任一度為樞。一字之差而問題全新：般若統攝六度，眾人易信；布施攝得禪定、持戒攝得般若，才是本品要解決的難處。
十二、第一總綱——菩薩以方便力故，行一攝五。 問曰：「六波羅蜜各各異相，云何行一波羅蜜攝五波羅蜜？」答曰：「菩薩以方便力故，行一波羅蜜能攝五波羅蜜。」異相是實，攝五亦是實，中間的關節只在方便力。方便力不是別有一物加在六度之外，是善用其心：同一件布施，用得其法則一施而六度俱現，用不得其法則一施只是一施。此答立得極省，卻已把攝五之權從法上移回到人上——法本異相，人能攝之。
十三、第二總綱——因緣果報相續故相成；一為主，餘有分。 復次：「有為法因緣果報相續故相成，善法，善法因緣故。是波羅蜜皆是善法故，行一則攝五，以一波羅蜜為主，餘波羅蜜有分。」前答約人之方便，此答約法之體性：六度同是善法，善法既互為因緣，相續之中自然相成。而末句尤須著眼——攝不是化五為一，是『一為主、餘有分』：主者立名，分者實有。若讀成六度混作一團，則持戒之相、禪定之相盡失，本品所教便成了含糊；經文十番之所以一番一番分說不肯合併，正為守住這個分位。
十四、論釋第一番——慈業是三善道，尸羅之根本。 論主釋住檀取尸羅：菩薩深行檀波羅蜜，「布施眾生時得慈心，從慈能起慈身口業。是時菩薩即取尸羅波羅蜜」。何以慈即是戒？論主自答：「慈業是三善道，尸羅波羅蜜根本，所謂不貪、不瞋、正見。是三慈業能生三種身業、四種口業。」三善道指意業三支，是十善之本；意業既正，身三口四自隨之而正。末更釋慈之所以名慈：「慈即是善業，為利益眾生故名為慈。」慈不是一種情緒的溫暖，是以利他為體的善業——這一句把本番從心理挪回到業道上，持戒之取得便不是譬喻，是實有其事。
十五、論釋第二番——瞋罵打害三惡業，瞋分上中下，意業為根本。 論主釋住檀取羼提，先描摹現場：菩薩為一切智慧而施，受者卻瞋；施主既唱言「我能一切施」，受者不得稱意，便說：「誰使汝請我而不隨我意？」隨後逐字分判三業：「『瞋』者是心惡業，『罵』者是口惡業，『打害』者是身惡業。」又分瞋之三等：「瞋有上、中、下：上者害殺，中者罵詈，下者心瞋。」而菩薩於此「不生三種惡業」；論主並說明經文何以獨舉意業——「意業是根本故，但說意業」。末錄菩薩自責之念：「是我之罪，我請彼人而不能得稱意，由我薄福，不能具足施與；我若瞋者，既失財物，又失福德，是故不應瞋。」忍辱在此不靠強壓，靠算清一筆帳：瞋則財、福兩失。
十六、論釋第三番——心不沒不捨，先世不強意布施。 論主釋住檀取毘梨耶：受者打害而菩薩「心不沒不捨」，為布施故「身、心勤精進」。其自念云：「我先世不強意布施故，今不能得稱受者意，但當勤布施，不應計餘小事。」「不強意」三字是本段的眼——把今日的挫敗歸到往昔用心不猛，於是結論不是退，而是加倍地施。精進之所以從布施中生，正因為它把一次失敗讀成了用功不足的證據。
十七、論釋第四番——三不求，攝意在一切種智。 論主釋住檀取禪：菩薩布施「不求今世福樂」，亦不求後世「轉輪聖王、天王、人王」，亦不求「世間禪定樂」；更進一層，「為眾生故，不求涅槃樂」；唯「攝是諸意在一切種智中，不令散亂」。三重不求次第遞進——先捨現世樂，次捨後世勝報，再捨世間禪味，末乃並涅槃樂亦不求。所求既一，心自不散；禪之為禪，在此不繫於坐臥之相，只繫於「不令散亂」四字。
十八、論釋第五番——如幻如夢，不見有益無益；畢竟空故不望果報。 論主釋住檀取般若：菩薩布施時「常觀一切有為作法虛誑不堅固、如幻、如夢」。至於「不見有益、無益」，論主逐條出其因緣：所施之物非定是樂因——「或時得食腹脹而死，或時得財為賊所害，亦以得財物故生慳貪心而墮餓鬼中」；且「此財物有為相故，念念生滅無常，生苦因緣」。復次，財物入「諸法實相畢竟空中，不分別有利、無利」，是故菩薩「於受者不求恩分，於布施不望果報」；若求報而彼不報，「則生怨恨」。菩薩之念曰：「諸法畢竟空故，我無所與；若求果報，當求畢竟空阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，如布施相。」末以「是故不見有益，以畢竟空故；亦不見無益」雙遮作結，而以一句總收第一組五番：「如是，於檀波羅蜜邊，取五波羅蜜。」施而不見益，不是冷淡，是把布施從交換裡救出來——一旦求報，施便成了債，債不還則生怨，怨生而六度俱壞。
十九、論釋第六番——欲界持戒為上；二種戒與二種破戒。 論主釋住尸羅取檀：菩薩以尸羅為主，所有身口意善業「布施、多聞、思惟、持戒等助阿耨多羅三藐三菩提」，而「持戒力大故，總名尸羅波羅蜜」。何以獨舉持戒？答在欲界之機——「欲界中持戒為上；餘布施、聞、思、修慧等，以欲界心散亂故，得力微薄」，並引《阿毘曇》所說為證：「出法名欲界繫戒，色、無色界繫淨禪定，學、無學法及涅槃。」隨後立戒之二種：住「助道戒」而「具足十善道戒」，菩薩「住是二種戒中，布施眾生，須食與食」，皆以此福迴向佛道。末更反立二種破戒：「一者、十不善道，二者、向聲聞、辟支佛地。與此相違，則是二種持戒。」此判極要緊——趣向二乘與十不善道並列為破戒，可見本品所謂戒，不止於身口之持犯，兼攝志向之大小。
二十、論釋第七番——節節支解不生一念瞋。 論主釋住尸羅取羼提：菩薩住尸羅而欲具足忍辱，「若眾生來節節支解持去，乃至不生一念瞋心，何況起身口惡業！」一句「何況」把戒與忍串成一條線：身口不犯是戒之所守，意地不動是忍之所成；意地既不動一念，身口之惡自無從發起。忍辱之攝入持戒，即在此處。
廿一、問答一——忍辱名一切侵奪能忍，何以但說割截身體。 問曰：「忍辱名一切侵奪能忍，何以但說割截身體？」論主四答。其一，約內外之著：「所著物有內、外：內名自身頭、目、髓腦等，外名妻子、珍寶等。雖俱是著處，內著最深。」其二，約財命之實：「或有人雖隨逐財物而死，亦是為身故」——逐財而亡者，究其根仍是為身。其三，約人情之常：「人多惜身，時有惜財，惜財者少故不說。」其四，約舉大攝小：「是人尚不惜身，何況餘物！是故但說大因緣，當知已攝小者。」四答層層收緊，末答一句道破經文舉例的通則——經舉極難者，非謂只忍此一事，是舉其大而小者自攝。讀經遇『但說某事』之處，皆可以此為例。
廿二、問答二——變化身或父母生身；有人言之答與二復次。 問曰：「乃至不生一念瞋心者，為是變化身？為是父母生身？」問者自設兩難：「若是變化身，則不足為奇；若是父母生身，未斷結人云何能不生一念瞋心？」此問問得極實在——神通所化之身不痛，不痛而不瞋算不得忍；血肉之身會痛，煩惱未斷而能不瞋又似乎不可能。答曰之下，論主先錄一家之說：「有人言：煩惱業因緣生身。」取的正是後一路——實是父母生身，而所以能不瞋者，在於「於無量劫為眾生修集慈心故，雖有割截，不生瞋心」。並以慈母養兒為喻：「如慈母養育嬰兒，雖復屎尿污身，以深愛故而不生瞋，又愍其無知。」推之於眾生：「未得聖道者，皆如小兒」；末出其所以然——「眾生不自在，煩惱所使故」。加害者身不由己，被害者何從起瞋？此是以悲解瞋。復次一轉，改從空門答：「菩薩無量劫來常修畢竟空法，不見割者、罵者，亦不見善者、惡者，皆如幻、如夢」；且「諸瞋恚者皆愚癡，若我報彼，與彼無異」。此是以空解瞋。復次再一轉，從利害上答：菩薩作是念「我應瞋處而不瞋，則為大利」。此是以利解瞋。三答不相妨：慈心是積劫之功，畢竟空是所見之理，大利是當下之算——三路各可入手，未斷結者亦有下手處，問中之難便解。
廿三、論釋第八番——出家在家戒之異；寶洲水精珠喻；身心二精進。 論主釋住尸羅取毘梨耶，先分判行人之別：「住尸羅波羅蜜多是出家人，時有在家者。」出家人「得無量戒律儀，具足四十種善道，深入諸法實相、過聲聞辟支佛地。是三種戒，名尸羅波羅蜜」；而「在家者無無量戒律儀，是故不具足住尸羅波羅蜜」。此判如實道出在家持戒之分限，不為溢美。次出菩薩之自警：「我今捨世樂入道，不可但住持戒。持戒是餘功德住處」；若「但得住處、不得餘功德者，得利甚薄」，並以喻明之——「譬如人在寶洲，但得水精珠，則所利益薄」。入了寶洲卻只拾一顆水精珠，可惜的不是珠，是洲。於是立二種精進：「身精進者，如法致財，以用布施等；心精進者，慳貪等諸惡心來破六波羅蜜者，不令得入。」末錄其發願之念：「一切眾生沈沒生死，我應拯濟，著甘露地」；並以聲聞為比——「聲聞人但度自身，尚不應懈怠，何況菩薩自度及為一切眾生而當懈怠！」而歸結於一句警語：「此大乘法若不運用，則為敗壞。」大乘之法不是存放之物，是運用之器；停下來即是壞，精進之不容已，理在於此。
廿四、論釋第九番——願樹與煩惱風；毒蛇呪術喻；禪之目錄。 論主釋住尸羅取禪，先出其所以須禪之由：菩薩住尸羅，「或未得無生忍法故，諸煩惱風吹動願樹，欲壞其尸羅波羅蜜」。願如樹，煩惱如風——戒之所以動搖，根在願被吹動。對治之法：「應求禪定樂，除去五欲樂；五欲樂除故，戒德清淨。」而煩惱雖未斷，「已折伏故，不能生亂」；喻曰：「譬如毒蛇，以呪術力故，毒不得螫。」毒未去而不能螫，正是折伏與斷除之別——禪定於未斷結者所能給的，恰是這一層。禪之所指，論主亦列其目：「四禪、四無色定、四無量心等諸禪定。」得禪之後尤須守其志：「菩薩得禪，心雖柔軟，安住尸羅波羅蜜故，亦不取聲聞、辟支佛地」；其念云：「我應行禪波羅蜜，不為小乘涅槃，亦不為果報，但為度一切眾生故，說諸法實相。」禪味最易誘人自了，故此處特以尸羅守之。
廿五、論釋第十番——實智從禪定生；水澄靜喻；有為之五名。 論主釋住尸羅取般若：「是實智從禪定生，是心不為覺、觀所動，亦不為貪欲、瞋恚所濁；繫心一處，清淨柔軟，則能生實智。」喻曰：「如水澄靜，照鑒分明。」水本能照，濁與動則不能照；心亦如是，故般若不從禪外別求。次言其所照：「菩薩住尸羅波羅蜜得是禪，得禪故心清淨，心清淨故知諸法如實。」所知者何？「有為法從因緣和合生，虛誑；菩薩以慧眼觀，不見是有為法實。」而有為之名有五：「所謂作法、有為、數法、相法，若有、若無」——正與經文「若作法，若有為法，若數法，若相法，若有、若無」相應，論以此釋經，不增不減。末更推一層：「以有為故，可說無為；有為相尚不可得，何況無為！」有為既不可得，待有為而立的無為自亦不可得——此語即引出下文之問。
廿六、問答三——有為相中何以說無相；無為之二種。 問曰：「有為法是有相，無為法是無相，今何以有為相中說無相？」問者持的是常途之分判：有相歸有為，無相歸無為，何以在有為之下說起無相來？答曰先分無為為二：「一者、無相、寂滅、無戲論，如涅槃；二者、相待『無』，因『有』而生。」前者是真無為，後者只是一個相待而起的「無」。論主並舉一事明之：「如廟堂上無馬，能生無心；此無心是生諸煩惱因緣，云何是無為法？」廟堂上本無馬，人心裡卻立起一個『沒有馬』的念——這個念是新起的煩惱因緣，怎能算作無為？此喻極利：凡對著「有」而立起來的「無」，都還在有為裡打轉。是故「是菩薩不見此有、無等法，但見諸法如、法性、實際」——所遮的是相待之有無，所存的是如、法性、實際三名。
廿七、問答四——離有則無無，云何更見如、法性、實際。 問曰：「汝先言『離有則無無』，今云何見如、法性、實際？」此問承上而反詰：既說相待之無不可立，那麼你所見的如、法性、實際，豈不同樣是對著有為而立的另一個「無」？答曰：「不見有為法若常、樂、我、淨等，是虛誑法若無，即是諸法實。」不是另立一個無去對治有，是虛誑法本身之不成立當處即是實。又進言之：「見無生法故，能離有生法；是無生法無定實相可取，但能令人離虛誑有生法，故名無生。」無生之為法，不佔一個實相的位子，它只有一項功用——令人離有生；離已即捨，不更成執。此答把本單元最險的一步走穩了：般若照空而不落空見，正因所照之空無定相可取。末後論主收歸其行：「若得如是智慧，以方便力、本願、悲心故，不取二乘證，直至阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。」
廿八、第二組之總收——是名菩薩住尸羅波羅蜜取五波羅蜜。 論主以一句收束住尸羅一組：「是名菩薩住尸羅波羅蜜取五波羅蜜。」與前之「如是，於檀波羅蜜邊，取五波羅蜜」相對，兩組各成首尾。之上一單元至此結卷——十番經文、兩重總綱、十番論釋、四番問答，把『行一攝五』從一個看似取巧的說法，坐實成了逐番可驗的行法。
不要讀錯
不要把「攝」讀成合併。論主的定盤語是「以一波羅蜜為主，餘波羅蜜有分」——一為主是立名，餘有分是實有。若讀成六度攪成一味，則布施之相、持戒之相盡失，經文十番一一分說也就沒有著落。攝是主伴分明的攝，不是泯滅行相的合。
不要把『行一攝五』讀成省力之方。有人聞此教而喜，以為既然行一即攝五，餘五便可置之不理。然而經文所舉十番，無一不是難處：受者罵辱而不瞋、節節支解而不動一念、施而不求恩分、得禪而不取二乘——攝五之所以成立，正因為那一度被行到了極處。行一攝五不是少做五分，是把一分做滿。
不要把「不見有益、無益」讀成布施無用。論主明說其所以然——「是布施物，非定是樂因緣」，且財物「念念生滅無常，生苦因緣」，故不以世間利害計之；更進而「於受者不求恩分，於布施不望果報」，所防的是求報不得而生怨恨。不見益是不以益為所求，不是說布施沒有作用；若讀成後者，經文「持是布施迴向薩婆若」一句便無處安放。
不要把「向聲聞、辟支佛地」讀成與持犯無關的志趣問題。論主把它與十不善道並列為「菩薩有二種破戒」——在本品的尺度上，趣向二乘就是破戒。反過來說，十番經文中「不趣聲聞、辟支佛地」「不墮聲聞、辟支佛地」一再出現，也就不是附帶的修飾語，而是每一度得以成其為波羅蜜的必要條件。
不要把折伏讀成斷除。禪定於住尸羅者的作用，論主說得很節制：「煩惱雖未斷，已折伏故，不能生亂」，並以毒蛇被呪術所制為喻——毒還在，只是螫不得。若把得禪之後的安穩誤認作煩惱已斷，正是修定人最常見的錯認；經文之所以要在得禪之後再取般若，理由即在於此。
不要把「無生法」讀成一個可住的境界。論主一句斷定：「是無生法無定實相可取，但能令人離虛誑有生法，故名無生。」無生是渡河之筏，功用在令人離有生；若取為實有一法而住之，便成了問答三所破的「相待『無』」——對著有而立起來的無，仍是生煩惱的因緣。
修行作用
就當下這一件事上取其餘五度。不必等布施的功課做完再排禪定的功課。正在給與時，看自己迴向的是果報還是一切智——這一看即是禪與般若；被辜負時，看自己是退還是更增其施——這一分別即是忍與進。經文十番給的不是十種修法，是在一件事上換十次眼。
被辜負時，先把帳算清再說忍。論主替菩薩算過一筆：「我若瞋者，既失財物，又失福德，是故不應瞋。」忍不必一開始就靠慈悲的高度，可以先從這筆最現實的帳入手——已經失了財，何苦再賠上福。算清了再談慈心，次第反而穩。
挫敗時把它讀成用功不足，而不是讀成該退。「我先世不強意布施故，今不能得稱受者意，但當勤布施，不應計餘小事」——同一件不如意，讀成『我不該做』則退，讀成『我做得還不夠猛』則進。精進之所以能從布施中生，全在這一讀之轉。
在寶洲裡不要只拾一顆水精珠。持戒稍得安穩，最易就此止住；論主提醒持戒只是「餘功德住處」，住處不是功德本身。既已捨世樂入道，當在戒的基礎上求其餘五度具足，否則「得利甚薄」。
以禪定守戒，而不以禪定的安穩為證。願樹被煩惱風吹動時，求禪定樂以除五欲樂，是論主給的正法；但同時記住毒蛇之喻——折伏不是斷除。得定之後仍須以般若照有為之虛誑，方不至於在安穩裡久住。
起了『沒有』的念頭時，回頭看它是不是新的執。廟堂上無馬而人起無心，這個「無」正是煩惱因緣。修行日久，最易在『我已無貪』『此中無我』之類的念上停住；論主的簡別很直接——凡因「有」而生的「無」，都還在有為裡。真正要見的是如、法性、實際，而那也不是一個可住的東西。
承衍
之上一單元，一經一論，立的是六度相攝品的體例與前半。經文十番——住檀取尸羅、羼提、毘梨耶、禪、般若五番，住尸羅取檀、羼提、毘梨耶、禪、般若五番——每番指定一個場境、換一個看它的眼，而不換所行之事；論主先繫回前品之問而點出本品所問之異，繼立方便力與因緣相成兩重總綱，以「以一波羅蜜為主，餘波羅蜜有分」定其分位，隨後逐番釋其所以，中間開出四番問答——忍辱何以但說割截身體、未斷結人云何不生一念瞋、有為相中何以說無相、離有則無無云何見如法性實際——而歸結於「以方便力、本願、悲心故，不取二乘證」。六度不是六段時節，是一事之六面：這一理，之上已立定。
品題之異，諸本不一。底本題作〈六度相攝品第六十八〉；宋本、元本之論題同作六度相攝而字數小異，明本題作「釋六度相攝品第六十八之上」，已自標其分卷之法。宮本別題作「大智論釋第六十八品攝五品」，明立「攝五品」為本品別稱；石本則題作「摩訶般若波羅蜜第六十七品六度相攝品卷八十一」，其品序作第六十七，較底本少一位。所釋之經《摩訶般若波羅蜜經》，該段品題正作〈攝五品第六十八〉，與宮本所標之別稱相合。兩造稱名各有所本，此處並錄不判。
吉藏《大品經義疏》於本品所釋極簡，唯八行，然所判者正是本品之樞。其判本品之位云：「此下第二、明一一行中具足眾行」，並以有無無生忍分其淺深——未得無生時但是一行，得無生忍則「能無㝵行，故一行中具足能生眾行也」。至於此品所明是何種攝，吉藏設一問而自答之：「問：此中是何物攝耶？答：此是相生攝，以本攝末。」相生而以本攝末——與論主「以一波羅蜜為主，餘波羅蜜有分」之判，語異而義合。吉藏並簡別本品之攝與其疏前文〈弁才品〉所明之攝：彼處「明相攝，欲以眾行多功共成多之功力，顯莊嚴有大力勢，能破生死直趣佛道」；「今明一一度中而起諸行，為顯方便也」。以顯方便釋本品之宗，亦與論主第一總綱之「以方便力故」相應。吉藏未逐番疏釋十番經文，此處如實誌錄，非有闕漏。
慧影《大智度論疏》於本品有專章，且其次分段之處與本帙卷界相合。其判本品之位云：本品「即方便門中第二品也」；前品「正明方便體，明於菩薩以方便力故遂有所除亦有所得，明一度之中具足六度成方便義」，自此以下數品「還廣上方便義」。於本單元經文起首處，慧影錄其師說而定全品之綱：「此中既明六波羅蜜相攝，但以一波羅蜜為頭，則攝五波羅蜜，故亦不須科略。」以一度為頭而攝五，與論主之「為主」「有分」同一手眼。慧影復列相攝之種類，自標五種而所列之名為六，謂「位、行、地位、同體、相生、一心等相攝」，如實誌錄不強解；並以其所稱〈滿願品〉之同體相攝與本品相對：彼處云：「菩薩施時，以此施與一切眾生共之，迴向阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，名為檀中之檀」，乃至「於一檀中具此六波羅蜜，六六成三十六波羅蜜，同體相攝」；而本品所明者，是「菩薩布施迴向菩提，是檀波羅蜜；於眾生住慈身口意」——即本單元第一番之文。同體與相生兩門之分，與吉藏「此是相生攝」之判相合，兩家並見。慧影自身之品號較底本恆少一位，其稱「第六十七品者，名為六度相攝品」，讀者當知即本品，非前品；其書之品號體系與底本不同，此處如實誌錄，不代為改繫。
至於住羼提、住毘梨耶、住禪、住般若四組各取其餘五度之二十番經文，與論主釋此四組之文、何以但以一波羅蜜為主之問答、在家出家菩薩次第之異，乃至六度各為頭、一念之中各具六度之六番總相文——本品之中、之下繼此展開，此處不預。
The Six Perfections Contain One Another, First Part: Abiding in Giving and Taking Up the Five, Abiding in Morality and Taking Up the Five—Ten Rounds; the Two General Principles of the Power of Skilful Means and of Causes and Conditions Accomplishing One Another; Why Patience Speaks Only of Cutting and Severing; Why the Signless Is Spoken of within the Mark of the Conditioned
What Is Being Asked
The six perfections have always been six items: giving is giving, upholding the precepts is upholding the precepts, each with its own practising marks, each with its own counteractions. What was asked at the end of the previous chapter was how the bodhisattva, when practising prajñā, fulfils the six perfections, and the Buddha has already answered it point by point; in this chapter Subhūti changes the way of asking—he does not ask how the six perfections are fulfilled together; he asks, when only one of the perfections is practised, how the other five are obtained from within that one. The treatise-author at the very outset makes this question explicit: 「六波羅蜜各各異相，云何行一波羅蜜攝五波羅蜜？」 tr. "The six perfections each have different marks; how can practising one perfection contain the five perfections?" Since the six items each differ, is not practising one merely one? This doubt is not captious; what it asks about is the most practical matter for every practitioner: in one stretch of time a person can often bring only one kind of strength to bear—while giving, one cannot bring meditative concentration to bear; while upholding the precepts, one has no attention to spare for much learning—so must the other five perfections simply wait for the next stretch of time?
The way of answering that the sūtra gives is unexpectedly concrete: it does not say in terms of principle ‘the six perfections include one another’; it asks round by round and answers round by round. In the one unit of the First Part, the sūtra sets out ten rounds—abiding in dānapāramitā and taking up morality, taking up patience, taking up vigour, taking up meditation, taking up prajñā, five rounds; abiding in śīlapāramitā and taking up giving, taking up patience, taking up vigour, taking up meditation, taking up prajñā, five rounds. Each round specifies one situation: at the very moment giving is being practised the receiver turns round and reviles and insults—which perfection is present? At the very moment one abides in upholding the precepts beings come and cut one apart joint by joint—which perfection is present? The answer never leaves that one matter at hand—when giving, kindness arises in the mind, and the deeds of body, speech, and mind of that kindness are morality; when insulted while giving one is not hateful, and not being hateful is patience. The six perfections are not six stretches of time; they are six faces of one and the same matter.
The treatise-author then sets up two general principles. The first is the power of skilful means: 「菩薩以方便力故，行一波羅蜜能攝五波羅蜜。」 tr. "Because of the power of skilful means, the bodhisattva, practising one perfection, is able to contain the five perfections." The second is causes and conditions accomplishing one another: 「有為法因緣果報相續故相成，善法，善法因緣故。」 tr. "Conditioned dharmas accomplish one another because causes, conditions, and retribution continue; wholesome dharmas, because wholesome dharmas are their causes and conditions." Since wholesome dharmas are alike the causes and conditions of wholesome dharmas, practising one contains the five, and yet the positions are not thrown into confusion—「以一波羅蜜為主，餘波羅蜜有分」 tr. "one perfection is taken as the master, and the other perfections have a share". One is the master, five have a share—these six Chinese characters, rendered here as ‘one is the master, five have a share’, are the balance-mark of this chapter: containing is not merging into sameness; the five perfections that are contained each remain what they are, only they are not separately set up as the master. What the First Part has to answer is these two questions, ‘how practising one can contain the five’ and ‘how, once contained, master and companions are not confused’; the four exchanges of question and answer drawn out along with them—why patience speaks only of cutting and severing the body, how a person who has not cut off the fetters can not give rise to a single thought of hatred, why the signless is spoken of within the mark of the conditioned, and, since apart from existence there is no non-existence, how one again sees suchness, the nature of dharmas, and the limit of reality—are the four passes one is bound to run into when the answer is pushed to its limit.
Passage by Passage
1. The first round—abiding in dānapāramitā, taking up śīlapāramitā. Subhūti opens the question: 「云何菩薩摩訶薩住檀波羅蜜取尸羅波羅蜜？」 tr. "How does the bodhisattva-mahāsattva, abiding in dānapāramitā, take up śīlapāramitā?" The Buddha answers: 「菩薩摩訶薩布施時，持是布施迴向薩婆若，於眾生中住慈身口意業。」 tr. "When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives, he holds this giving and dedicates it to sarvajñā, and amid beings abides in kindly deeds of body, speech, and mind." Within the one matter of giving, obtaining upholding the precepts turns on two keys: one is the direction of the dedication—the merit of what is given does not stop at the retribution of humans and gods, but is dedicated straight to omniscience; the other is the ground of the mind at the time of giving—amid beings one abides in kindness, and once kindness is present, the three deeds of body, speech, and mind naturally do not transgress. Of the ten rounds of this fascicle this is the first, and the pattern is settled right here: the situation is not changed; only the eye that looks at it is changed.
2. The second round—abiding in dānapāramitā, taking up kṣāntipāramitā. 「云何菩薩住檀波羅蜜取羼提波羅蜜？」 tr. "How does the bodhisattva, abiding in dānapāramitā, take up kṣāntipāramitā?" The Buddha answers: 「菩薩布施時，受者瞋恚罵辱、惡言加之，是時菩薩忍辱，不生瞋心。」 tr. "When the bodhisattva gives, the receiver is hateful, reviles and insults him, and heaps evil words upon him; at this time the bodhisattva is patient and does not give rise to a mind of hatred." The giver is instead insulted by the receiver—this is the most mortifying scene at the site of giving; and it is precisely this scene that becomes the seat of awakening for patience. The sūtra does not say to find some other exercise of patience to do—right at the moment when the giving is let down one does not give rise to hatred, and patience has already been taken up.
3. The third round—abiding in dānapāramitā, taking up vīryapāramitā. It is the same situation of the receiver's hatred and reviling; looked at from another face, it is vigour: 「菩薩增益布施，心作是念：『我應當施，不應有所惜。』即時生身精進、心精進。」 tr. "The bodhisattva increases his giving, and in his mind has this thought: ‘I should give, and should not begrudge anything.’ At once he gives rise to vigour of body and vigour of mind." To be insulted and not retreat is already patience; to be insulted and increase one's giving all the more is advancing. The two Chinese characters 「增益」 tr. "increases" divide the boundary between patience and vigour—patience is holding firm, vigour is adding forward.
4. The fourth round—abiding in dānapāramitā, taking up dhyānapāramitā. The Buddha answers: 「菩薩布施時，迴向薩婆若，不趣聲聞、辟支佛地，但一心念薩婆若。」 tr. "When the bodhisattva gives, he dedicates it to sarvajñā, does not tend toward the ground of the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha, and only with a single mind keeps sarvajñā in mind." Meditation here is not spoken of as the posture of sitting; only the two Chinese characters 「一心」 tr. "a single mind" are taken: what is kept in mind is only omniscience, not slipping aside into the two vehicles; this single mind being undisturbed is meditation. Where the teaching that the six perfections contain one another shows its hand and eye most is right here—meditation need not leave the site of giving to seek out a separate meditation cushion.
5. The fifth round—abiding in dānapāramitā, taking up prajñāpāramitā. The Buddha answers: 「菩薩布施時，知布施空如幻，不見為眾生布施有益、無益。」 tr. "When the bodhisattva gives, he knows that giving is empty, like an illusion, and does not see that giving for the sake of beings has benefit or has no benefit." To give and know it to be like an illusion is prajñā illuminating the mark of giving; not to see benefit or no benefit is prajñā illuminating the mark of retribution. This round pushes giving to its very end: even such a discrimination as ‘has this giving of mine in the end benefited beings or not’ comes to rest, and only then does giving truly become a perfection.
6. The sixth round—abiding in śīlapāramitā, taking up dānapāramitā. The second group takes upholding the precepts as the master, and Subhūti in one question raises all five perfections together: 「云何菩薩摩訶薩住尸羅波羅蜜取檀波羅蜜、羼提波羅蜜、毘梨耶波羅蜜、禪波羅蜜、般若波羅蜜？」 tr. "How does the bodhisattva-mahāsattva, abiding in śīlapāramitā, take up dānapāramitā, kṣāntipāramitā, vīryapāramitā, dhyānapāramitā, and prajñāpāramitā?" The Buddha first answers his taking up of giving: within abiding in morality 「身、口、意生布施福德，助阿耨多羅三藐三菩提」 tr. "body, speech, and mind give rise to the merit of giving, which aids anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi"; the precepts upheld are listed item by item—「不奪他命、不劫奪他物、不行邪婬，不妄語、不兩舌、不惡口、不綺語，不貪嫉、不瞋恚、不邪見」 tr. "not taking the life of others, not robbing others of their things, not engaging in sexual misconduct; not speaking falsely, not speaking divisively, not speaking harshly, not speaking frivolously; not greedy and envious, not hateful, not holding wrong views", which is precisely the full list of the ten wholesome paths; the giving practised is also listed item by item—「飢者與食，渴者與飲，須乘與乘，須衣與衣，須香與香，須瓔珞與瓔珞」 tr. "to the hungry he gives food, to the thirsty he gives drink, to those who need carriages he gives carriages, to those who need clothing he gives clothing, to those who need incense he gives incense, to those who need necklaces he gives necklaces", and so on up to 「塗香、臥具、房舍、燈燭、資生所須，盡給與之」 tr. "unguents, bedding, dwellings, lamps and candles, and the things needed to sustain life—he gives them all". At the end it closes with 「與眾生共之，迴向阿耨多羅三藐三菩提」 tr. "he shares it in common with beings and dedicates it to anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi", and says 「如是迴向，不墮聲聞、辟支佛地」 tr. "dedicating thus, he does not fall to the ground of the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha". What the ten wholesome paths guard against lies in not doing; what giving practises lies in being able to give; abiding within the precepts and giving rise to the merit of giving in body, speech, and mind, upholding the precepts has thereby contained giving.
7. The seventh round—abiding in śīlapāramitā, taking up kṣāntipāramitā. The Buddha answers: 「若有眾生來節節支解，菩薩於是中不生瞋恚心乃至一念」 tr. "If beings come and cut him apart joint by joint, the bodhisattva does not give rise to a mind of hatred amid this, not even for a single thought", and moreover he speaks thus: 「我得大利，眾生來取我支節用，我無一念瞋恚。」 tr. "I obtain a great benefit; beings come and take my limbs and joints to use, and I have not a single thought of hatred." Being cut apart joint by joint is the utmost limit of patience; and here the bodhisattva not only is not hateful, but on the contrary takes it as 「得大利」 tr. "obtaining a great benefit"—the pain is in the body, the benefit is on the path. What the precepts guard is not vexing or harming others; what patience accomplishes is not being moved by others' vexing; guarded to the utmost, patience comes forth from within it.
8. The eighth round—abiding in śīlapāramitā, taking up vīryapāramitā. The Buddha answers: 「若菩薩摩訶薩身精進、心精進，常不捨」 tr. "If the bodhisattva-mahāsattva, with vigour of body and vigour of mind, constantly does not give up", and has this thought: 「一切眾生在生死中，我當拔著甘露地。」 tr. "All beings are within birth and death; I shall pull them out and set them on the ground of ambrosia." Vigour here is not doubling one's ascetic practice; it is the three Chinese characters 「常不捨」 tr. "constantly does not give up"—upholding the precepts is by nature a matter continued day after day; continuing and not giving up is already the substance of vigour; and the reason for not giving up is tied to that one thought of pulling out and rescuing all beings.
9. The ninth round—abiding in śīlapāramitā, taking up dhyānapāramitā. The Buddha answers: 「菩薩入初禪，第二、第三、第四禪，不貪聲聞、辟支佛地」 tr. "The bodhisattva enters the first dhyāna, the second, the third, and the fourth dhyāna, and does not crave the ground of the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha", and has this thought: 「我當住禪波羅蜜中，度一切眾生生死。」 tr. "I shall abide within dhyānapāramitā and deliver all beings from birth and death." The four dhyānas are listed stage by stage, yet the distinction lies not in the depth of the dhyāna but in the direction of the mind on entering dhyāna—not craving the two vehicles, for the sake of delivering beings: only so do the four dhyānas become dhyānapāramitā. The same first dhyāna: when a śrāvaka enters it, it is provisions for his own realisation; when a bodhisattva enters it, it is an instrument for delivering beings.
10. The tenth round—abiding in śīlapāramitā, taking up prajñāpāramitā. The Buddha answers: within abiding in morality 「無有法可見：若作法，若有為法，若數法，若相法，若有、若無；但見諸法不過如相」 tr. "there is not one dharma to be seen: whether made dharmas, or conditioned dharmas, or numbered dharmas, or marked dharmas, whether existent or non-existent; he sees only that all dharmas do not go beyond the mark of suchness", and he concludes with 「般若波羅蜜、漚和拘舍羅力故，不墮聲聞、辟支佛地」 tr. "because of the power of prajñāpāramitā and upāya-kauśalya, he does not fall to the ground of the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha". Made dharmas, the conditioned, numbered dharmas, marked dharmas, existence and non-existence—five names set side by side; the treatise-author does not here set out their separate glosses; what is negated lies in their being visible—the treatise, explaining this meaning below, says 「有為法從因緣和合生，虛誑」 tr. "conditioned dharmas arise from the coming together of causes and conditions and are false and deceptive", and also says 「有為相尚不可得，何況無為」 tr. "the mark of the conditioned is unfindable even so, how much less the unconditioned"; so none of the five can be seen, and what is seen is only 「不過如相」 tr. "they do not go beyond the mark of suchness". And what one relies on in order not to fall to the two vehicles is two things: prajñā is the illumination, skilful means is the function; with only illumination and no function one easily sinks into emptiness, and so the sūtra raises the two together. The ten rounds of the First Part close here.
11. The treatise-author takes up the previous chapter and settles the question of this chapter. The treatise-author explains, first tying back to the previous chapter: 「上品末說：『云何菩薩行般若波羅蜜時，具足六波羅蜜？』佛一一答。」 tr. "At the end of the previous chapter it was said: ‘When the bodhisattva practises prajñāpāramitā, how does he fulfil the six perfections?’ The Buddha answered point by point." Then he points out how what this chapter asks differs: 「此品中，須菩提問：『云何菩薩行一波羅蜜攝五波羅蜜？』」 tr. "In this chapter Subhūti asks: ‘How does the bodhisattva practise one perfection and contain the five perfections?’" What the previous chapter asked is how, when practising prajñā, one fulfils the six perfections; what this chapter asks is how, when practising any one perfection, one contains the other five—the former takes prajñā as the pivot, the latter takes any one perfection as the pivot. A difference of one word, and the problem is wholly new: that prajñā gathers in the six perfections, everyone easily believes; that giving contains meditative concentration and upholding the precepts contains prajñā—this is the difficulty this chapter sets out to resolve.
12. The first general principle—because of the bodhisattva's power of skilful means, practising one contains the five. Question: 「六波羅蜜各各異相，云何行一波羅蜜攝五波羅蜜？」 tr. "The six perfections each have different marks; how can practising one perfection contain the five perfections?" Answer: 「菩薩以方便力故，行一波羅蜜能攝五波羅蜜。」 tr. "Because of the power of skilful means, the bodhisattva, practising one perfection, is able to contain the five perfections." That the marks differ is real, and containing the five is real too; the joint between them lies only in the power of skilful means. The power of skilful means is not some separate thing added outside the six perfections; it is using one's mind well: the same act of giving, used in the right way, then in one giving all six perfections appear together; not used in the right way, then one giving is only one giving. This answer is set up very sparingly, yet it has already moved the power to contain the five from the dharma back to the person—dharmas are by nature of different marks, and a person can contain them.
13. The second general principle—conditioned dharmas accomplish one another because causes, conditions, and retribution continue; one is the master, the others have a share. Furthermore: 「有為法因緣果報相續故相成，善法，善法因緣故。是波羅蜜皆是善法故，行一則攝五，以一波羅蜜為主，餘波羅蜜有分。」 tr. "Conditioned dharmas accomplish one another because causes, conditions, and retribution continue; wholesome dharmas, because wholesome dharmas are their causes and conditions. Because these perfections are all wholesome dharmas, practising one then contains the five; one perfection is taken as the master, and the other perfections have a share." The former answer is in terms of the person's skilful means; this answer is in terms of the substance and nature of the dharmas: the six perfections are alike wholesome dharmas, and since wholesome dharmas are causes and conditions for one another, within their continuity they naturally accomplish one another. And the last sentence especially needs attention—containing is not transforming five into one; it is ‘one is the master, the others have a share’: the master sets up the name, the shares really exist. If it is read as the six perfections mixed into one lump, then the mark of upholding the precepts and the mark of meditative concentration are wholly lost, and what this chapter teaches becomes vague; the reason the ten rounds of the sūtra are spoken separately round by round and refuse to be merged is precisely to guard these positions.
14. The treatise explains the first round—kindly deeds are the three wholesome paths, the root of morality. The treatise-author explains abiding in giving and taking up morality: the bodhisattva deeply practises dānapāramitā; 「布施眾生時得慈心，從慈能起慈身口業。是時菩薩即取尸羅波羅蜜」 tr. "when he gives to beings he obtains a mind of kindness, and from kindness he can give rise to kindly deeds of body and speech. At this time the bodhisattva takes up śīlapāramitā". Why is kindness precisely the precepts? The treatise-author answers himself: 「慈業是三善道，尸羅波羅蜜根本，所謂不貪、不瞋、正見。是三慈業能生三種身業、四種口業。」 tr. "Kindly deeds are the three wholesome paths, the root of śīlapāramitā, namely non-greed, non-hatred, and right view. These three kindly deeds can give rise to the three kinds of bodily deeds and the four kinds of verbal deeds." The three wholesome paths refer to the three branches of the deed of mind, the root of the ten wholesome paths; once the deed of mind is right, the three of body and the four of speech become right along with it. At the end he further explains why kindness is called kindness: 「慈即是善業，為利益眾生故名為慈。」 tr. "Kindness is precisely a wholesome deed; it is called kindness because it is for the sake of benefiting beings." Kindness is not the warmth of an emotion; it is a wholesome deed whose substance is benefiting others—this sentence moves this round from psychology back to the paths of deeds, and the taking up of upholding the precepts is then not a figure of speech but a real matter.
15. The treatise explains the second round—hatred, reviling, and beating and harming as the three evil deeds; hatred divided into upper, middle, and lower; the deed of mind as the root. The treatise-author explains abiding in giving and taking up patience, first depicting the scene: the bodhisattva gives for the sake of all wisdom, yet the receiver is hateful; the donor having proclaimed 「我能一切施」 tr. "I can give away everything", and the receiver not getting his wishes satisfied, he then says: 「誰使汝請我而不隨我意？」 tr. "Who told you to invite me and then not go along with my wishes?" Then he distinguishes the three deeds word by word: 「『瞋』者是心惡業，『罵』者是口惡業，『打害』者是身惡業。」 tr. "‘Hatred’ is an evil deed of mind, ‘reviling’ is an evil deed of speech, ‘beating and harming’ is an evil deed of body." He further divides hatred into three grades: 「瞋有上、中、下：上者害殺，中者罵詈，下者心瞋。」 tr. "Hatred has upper, middle, and lower: the upper is harming and killing, the middle is reviling and cursing, the lower is hatred in the mind." And the bodhisattva here 「不生三種惡業」 tr. "does not give rise to the three kinds of evil deeds"; the treatise-author also explains why the sūtra singles out the deed of mind—「意業是根本故，但說意業」 tr. "because the deed of mind is the root, only the deed of mind is spoken of". At the end he records the bodhisattva's thought of self-reproach: 「是我之罪，我請彼人而不能得稱意，由我薄福，不能具足施與；我若瞋者，既失財物，又失福德，是故不應瞋。」 tr. "This is my fault; I invited that person and yet could not satisfy him; because my merit is thin I cannot give to him fully; if I am hateful, I lose both the wealth and the merit; therefore I should not be hateful." Patience here does not rely on forcible suppression; it relies on reckoning up an account clearly: to be hateful is to lose both wealth and merit.
16. The treatise explains the third round—the mind does not sink and does not give up; in former lives one did not exert one's will in giving. The treatise-author explains abiding in giving and taking up vigour: the receiver beats and harms him, yet the bodhisattva's 「心不沒不捨」 tr. "mind does not sink and does not give up", and for the sake of giving his 「身、心勤精進」 tr. "body and mind apply themselves diligently with vigour". His own thought runs: 「我先世不強意布施故，今不能得稱受者意，但當勤布施，不應計餘小事。」 tr. "Because in former lives I did not exert my will in giving, today I cannot satisfy the receiver; I should only give diligently, and should not reckon over the other small matters." The three Chinese characters 「不強意」 tr. "did not exert my will" are the eye of this passage—today's setback is attributed to a past use of the mind that was not vigorous, and so the conclusion is not to retreat but to give twice as much. The reason vigour arises from giving is precisely that it reads a failure as evidence of insufficient effort.
17. The treatise explains the fourth round—the three not-seekings; the intentions gathered into the omniscience of all kinds. The treatise-author explains abiding in giving and taking up meditation: the bodhisattva gives 「不求今世福樂」 tr. "without seeking happiness and merit in this life", nor does he seek in a later life to be 「轉輪聖王、天王、人王」 tr. "a wheel-turning sage king, a king of the gods, a king of humans", nor does he seek 「世間禪定樂」 tr. "the pleasure of worldly meditative concentration"; going a layer further, 「為眾生故，不求涅槃樂」 tr. "for the sake of beings he does not seek the pleasure of nirvāṇa"; he only 「攝是諸意在一切種智中，不令散亂」 tr. "gathers these intentions into the omniscience of all kinds, not letting them be scattered". The three layers of not-seeking advance in order—first giving up the pleasure of the present life, next giving up the superior retribution of later lives, then giving up the taste of worldly meditation, and at the last not seeking even the pleasure of nirvāṇa. What is sought being one, the mind is naturally not scattered; meditation as meditation is here tied not to the marks of sitting or lying down, but only to the four Chinese characters 「不令散亂」 tr. "not letting them be scattered".
18. The treatise explains the fifth round—like an illusion, like a dream; not seeing benefit or no benefit; because of ultimate emptiness, not hoping for retribution. The treatise-author explains abiding in giving and taking up prajñā: when the bodhisattva gives he 「常觀一切有為作法虛誑不堅固、如幻、如夢」 tr. "constantly contemplates all conditioned, made dharmas as false and deceptive and not firm, like an illusion, like a dream". As for 「不見有益、無益」 tr. "not seeing benefit or no benefit", the treatise-author sets out its causes and conditions point by point: the thing given is not necessarily a cause of happiness—「或時得食腹脹而死，或時得財為賊所害，亦以得財物故生慳貪心而墮餓鬼中」 tr. "sometimes one obtains food and dies of a swollen belly, sometimes one obtains wealth and is harmed by robbers, and also, because of obtaining wealth, one gives rise to a mind of stinginess and greed and falls among the hungry ghosts"; and 「此財物有為相故，念念生滅無常，生苦因緣」 tr. "because this wealth is of the mark of the conditioned, it arises and ceases thought by thought and is impermanent, a cause and condition that gives rise to suffering". Furthermore, wealth enters 「諸法實相畢竟空中，不分別有利、無利」 tr. "the ultimate emptiness of the real mark of all dharmas, where benefit and no benefit are not discriminated", and so the bodhisattva 「於受者不求恩分，於布施不望果報」 tr. "seeks no share of repaid kindness from the receiver, and hopes for no retribution from the giving"; if he sought a return and the other did not repay, 「則生怨恨」 tr. "then resentment would arise". The bodhisattva's thought is: 「諸法畢竟空故，我無所與；若求果報，當求畢竟空阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，如布施相。」 tr. "Because all dharmas are ultimately empty, I have given nothing; if I seek retribution, I should seek the anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi of ultimate emptiness, like the mark of giving." At the end he concludes with a double negation, 「是故不見有益，以畢竟空故；亦不見無益」 tr. "therefore he does not see benefit, because of ultimate emptiness; nor does he see no benefit", and with one sentence gathers up the five rounds of the first group: 「如是，於檀波羅蜜邊，取五波羅蜜。」 tr. "In this way, on the side of dānapāramitā, he takes up the five perfections." Giving without seeing benefit is not coldness; it is rescuing giving from exchange—once a return is sought, the giving becomes a debt; if the debt is not repaid, resentment arises, and once resentment arises the six perfections all collapse.
19. The treatise explains the sixth round—in the desire realm upholding the precepts is supreme; the two kinds of precepts and the two kinds of breaking the precepts. The treatise-author explains abiding in morality and taking up giving: the bodhisattva takes morality as the master; all his wholesome deeds of body, speech, and mind, 「布施、多聞、思惟、持戒等助阿耨多羅三藐三菩提」 tr. "giving, much learning, reflection, upholding the precepts, and so forth, aid anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi", and 「持戒力大故，總名尸羅波羅蜜」 tr. "because the power of upholding the precepts is great, they are collectively named śīlapāramitā". Why single out upholding the precepts? The answer lies in the capacities of the desire realm—「欲界中持戒為上；餘布施、聞、思、修慧等，以欲界心散亂故，得力微薄」 tr. "within the desire realm upholding the precepts is supreme; as for the rest—giving, the wisdom of hearing, of reflection, and of cultivation, and so forth—because the mind in the desire realm is scattered, the power obtained is slight", and he cites what the Abhidharma says as proof: 「出法名欲界繫戒，色、無色界繫淨禪定，學、無學法及涅槃。」 tr. "The dharmas of emergence are named the precepts bound to the desire realm, the pure meditative concentrations bound to the form and formless realms, the dharmas of training and beyond training, and nirvāṇa." Then he sets up the two kinds of precepts: abiding in 「助道戒」 tr. "the precepts that aid the path", he 「具足十善道戒」 tr. "fulfils the precepts of the ten wholesome paths"; the bodhisattva, 「住是二種戒中，布施眾生，須食與食」 tr. "abiding within these two kinds of precepts, gives to beings: to those who need food he gives food", and dedicates all this merit to the Buddha path. At the end he conversely sets up the two kinds of breaking the precepts: 「一者、十不善道，二者、向聲聞、辟支佛地。與此相違，則是二種持戒。」 tr. "First, the ten unwholesome paths; second, tending toward the ground of the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha. What runs contrary to these is the two kinds of upholding the precepts." This judgement is of the utmost importance—tending toward the two vehicles is set side by side with the ten unwholesome paths as breaking the precepts, which shows that what this chapter calls the precepts is not limited to upholding and transgressing in body and speech, but also takes in the greatness or smallness of one's aspiration.
20. The treatise explains the seventh round—cut apart joint by joint, not giving rise to a single thought of hatred. The treatise-author explains abiding in morality and taking up patience: the bodhisattva abides in morality and wishes to fulfil patience; 「若眾生來節節支解持去，乃至不生一念瞋心，何況起身口惡業！」 tr. "if beings come and cut him apart joint by joint and carry him off, he does not give rise to even a single thought of a mind of hatred—how much less give rise to evil deeds of body and speech!" The one phrase 「何況」 tr. "how much less" strings the precepts and patience into a single line: not transgressing in body and speech is what the precepts guard; the ground of the mind not moving is what patience accomplishes; once the ground of the mind does not stir a single thought, evil in body and speech has nowhere to arise from. Patience's being contained in upholding the precepts lies right here.
21. Question and answer one—patience means being able to endure every kind of injury and seizure; why is only the cutting and severing of the body spoken of? Question: 「忍辱名一切侵奪能忍，何以但說割截身體？」 tr. "Patience means being able to endure every kind of injury and seizure; why is only the cutting and severing of the body spoken of?" The treatise-author gives four answers. The first, in terms of clinging to the inner and the outer: 「所著物有內、外：內名自身頭、目、髓腦等，外名妻子、珍寶等。雖俱是著處，內著最深。」 tr. "The things clung to are inner and outer: the inner means one's own head, eyes, marrow and brain, and so forth; the outer means wife and children, precious jewels, and so forth. Though both are places of clinging, clinging to the inner is deepest." The second, in terms of the reality of wealth and life: 「或有人雖隨逐財物而死，亦是為身故」 tr. "Or there are people who, though they die pursuing wealth, do so also for the sake of the body"—those who die chasing wealth are, traced to the root, still doing it for the body. The third, in terms of the common run of human feeling: 「人多惜身，時有惜財，惜財者少故不說。」 tr. "People mostly cherish the body and sometimes cherish wealth; those who cherish wealth are few, so it is not spoken of." The fourth, in terms of raising the great to contain the small: 「是人尚不惜身，何況餘物！是故但說大因緣，當知已攝小者。」 tr. "This person does not cherish even his body—how much less other things! Therefore only the great cause and condition is spoken of; one should know that the small is already contained." The four answers tighten layer by layer, and the last answer in one sentence lays bare the general rule by which the sūtra gives its examples—when the sūtra cites the most difficult case, it does not mean that only this one matter is to be endured; it raises the great, and the small is contained of itself. Wherever, in reading the sūtras, one meets a place of ‘only speaking of a certain matter’, one may take this as the pattern.
22. Question and answer two—a transformation body or a body born of father and mother; the answer of ‘someone says’ and two ‘furthermore’s. Question: 「乃至不生一念瞋心者，為是變化身？為是父母生身？」 tr. "This one who does not give rise to even a single thought of a mind of hatred—is it a transformation body? Or a body born of father and mother?" The questioner himself sets up a dilemma: 「若是變化身，則不足為奇；若是父母生身，未斷結人云何能不生一念瞋心？」 tr. "If it is a transformation body, then it is not remarkable; if it is a body born of father and mother, how can a person who has not cut off the fetters not give rise to a single thought of a mind of hatred?" This question is asked in a very down-to-earth way—a body conjured by supernormal powers feels no pain, and not being hateful without feeling pain cannot count as patience; a body of flesh and blood feels pain, and yet not being hateful while the afflictions are not cut off seems impossible. Under Answer:, the treatise-author first records one account: 「有人言：煩惱業因緣生身。」 tr. "Someone says: it is a body born of the causes and conditions of afflictions and deeds." It takes precisely the latter road—it really is a body born of father and mother, and the reason it can be free of hatred lies in this: 「於無量劫為眾生修集慈心故，雖有割截，不生瞋心」 tr. "because for immeasurable kalpas he has cultivated and gathered a mind of kindness for the sake of beings, even though he is cut and severed he does not give rise to a mind of hatred". And he gives the simile of a kind mother raising a child: 「如慈母養育嬰兒，雖復屎尿污身，以深愛故而不生瞋，又愍其無知。」 tr. "It is as a kind mother raising an infant: though its excrement and urine soil her body, because of her deep love she does not give rise to hatred, and she also pities its not-knowing." Extended to beings: 「未得聖道者，皆如小兒」 tr. "those who have not obtained the noble path are all like little children"; at the end he gives its reason—「眾生不自在，煩惱所使故」 tr. "because beings are not their own masters, and are driven by the afflictions". The one who does harm is not master of himself; from where would the one harmed give rise to hatred? This is dissolving hatred by compassion. With one turn of ‘furthermore’, he answers instead from the gate of emptiness: 「菩薩無量劫來常修畢竟空法，不見割者、罵者，亦不見善者、惡者，皆如幻、如夢」 tr. "The bodhisattva, for immeasurable kalpas, has constantly cultivated the dharma of ultimate emptiness; he does not see one who cuts or one who reviles, nor does he see one who is good or one who is evil; all are like an illusion, like a dream"; and 「諸瞋恚者皆愚癡，若我報彼，與彼無異」 tr. "all who are hateful are deluded; if I retaliate against them, I am no different from them". This is dissolving hatred by emptiness. With one more turn of ‘furthermore’, he answers from benefit and harm: the bodhisattva has this thought, 「我應瞋處而不瞋，則為大利」 tr. "Where I ought to be hateful and am not hateful, that is a great benefit". This is dissolving hatred by benefit. The three answers do not obstruct one another: the mind of kindness is the work of accumulated kalpas, ultimate emptiness is the principle seen, the great benefit is the reckoning of the moment—each of the three roads can be taken up, and one who has not cut off the fetters also has a place to set his hand; the difficulty in the question is then resolved.
23. The treatise explains the eighth round—the difference between the precepts of those gone forth and of householders; the simile of the island of jewels and the crystal bead; the two kinds of vigour, of body and of mind. The treatise-author explains abiding in morality and taking up vigour, first distinguishing the kinds of practitioner: 「住尸羅波羅蜜多是出家人，時有在家者。」 tr. "Those who abide in śīlapāramitā are mostly those who have gone forth; sometimes there are householders." Those who have gone forth 「得無量戒律儀，具足四十種善道，深入諸法實相、過聲聞辟支佛地。是三種戒，名尸羅波羅蜜」 tr. "obtain the immeasurable restraints of the precepts, fulfil the forty kinds of wholesome paths, enter deeply into the real mark of all dharmas, and pass beyond the ground of the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha. These three kinds of precepts are named śīlapāramitā"; while 「在家者無無量戒律儀，是故不具足住尸羅波羅蜜」 tr. "householders do not have the immeasurable restraints of the precepts, and therefore do not fully abide in śīlapāramitā". This judgement states the limits of a householder's upholding of the precepts as they really are, without overpraise. Next comes the bodhisattva's self-admonition: 「我今捨世樂入道，不可但住持戒。持戒是餘功德住處」 tr. "I have now given up worldly pleasure and entered the path; I may not abide only in upholding the precepts. Upholding the precepts is the dwelling-place of the other merits"; if one 「但得住處、不得餘功德者，得利甚薄」 tr. "obtains only the dwelling-place and does not obtain the other merits, the benefit obtained is very thin", and he makes it clear by a simile—「譬如人在寶洲，但得水精珠，則所利益薄」 tr. "It is as when a person on an island of jewels obtains only a crystal bead; what benefits him is then thin." To have entered the island of jewels and yet picked up only one crystal bead—what is to be regretted is not the bead but the island. So he sets up two kinds of vigour: 「身精進者，如法致財，以用布施等；心精進者，慳貪等諸惡心來破六波羅蜜者，不令得入。」 tr. "Vigour of body is obtaining wealth in accordance with the Dharma and using it for giving and so forth; vigour of mind is, when stinginess and greed and the various evil minds come to destroy the six perfections, not letting them gain entry." At the end he records his thought of vowing: 「一切眾生沈沒生死，我應拯濟，著甘露地」 tr. "All beings are sunk in birth and death; I should rescue them and set them on the ground of ambrosia"; and he makes the comparison with the śrāvaka—「聲聞人但度自身，尚不應懈怠，何況菩薩自度及為一切眾生而當懈怠！」 tr. "The śrāvaka delivers only himself and still should not be lazy—how much less should the bodhisattva, who delivers himself and is also for the sake of all beings, be lazy!" And it comes to rest in a sentence of warning: 「此大乘法若不運用，則為敗壞。」 tr. "This dharma of the Great Vehicle, if it is not put to use, falls to ruin." The dharma of the Great Vehicle is not a thing to be stored away; it is an instrument to be put to use; to stop is to ruin it—the reason vigour cannot cease lies here.
24. The treatise explains the ninth round—the tree of the vow and the wind of the afflictions; the simile of the poisonous snake and spell-craft; the list of meditations. The treatise-author explains abiding in morality and taking up meditation, first giving the reason meditation is needed: the bodhisattva abides in morality, 「或未得無生忍法故，諸煩惱風吹動願樹，欲壞其尸羅波羅蜜」 tr. "and perhaps, because he has not yet obtained the dharma of the acceptance of non-arising, the winds of the various afflictions shake the tree of his vow and would ruin his śīlapāramitā". The vow is like a tree, the afflictions like wind—the reason the precepts waver is rooted in the vow's being shaken. The counteraction: 「應求禪定樂，除去五欲樂；五欲樂除故，戒德清淨。」 tr. "He should seek the pleasure of meditative concentration and remove the pleasures of the five desires; because the pleasures of the five desires are removed, the virtue of the precepts is pure." And though the afflictions are not yet cut off, 「已折伏故，不能生亂」 tr. "because they have been subdued, they cannot give rise to disturbance"; the simile says: 「譬如毒蛇，以呪術力故，毒不得螫。」 tr. "It is like a poisonous snake: because of the power of spell-craft, its poison cannot sting." The poison not yet removed and yet unable to sting—this is precisely the difference between subduing and cutting off; what meditative concentration can give to one who has not cut off the fetters is exactly this layer. As for what meditation refers to, the treatise-author also lists its items: 「四禪、四無色定、四無量心等諸禪定。」 tr. "the four dhyānas, the four formless absorptions, the four immeasurable minds, and the other meditative concentrations." After obtaining meditation one must especially guard one's aspiration: 「菩薩得禪，心雖柔軟，安住尸羅波羅蜜故，亦不取聲聞、辟支佛地」 tr. "When the bodhisattva obtains meditation, though his mind is soft, because he abides securely in śīlapāramitā, he also does not take up the ground of the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha"; his thought is: 「我應行禪波羅蜜，不為小乘涅槃，亦不為果報，但為度一切眾生故，說諸法實相。」 tr. "I should practise dhyānapāramitā, not for the nirvāṇa of the Small Vehicle, nor for retribution, but only for the sake of delivering all beings, and speak the real mark of all dharmas." The taste of meditation most easily lures one into finishing for oneself alone, and so here morality is specifically used to guard it.
25. The treatise explains the tenth round—true and real wisdom is born from meditative concentration; the simile of clear, still water; the five names of the conditioned. The treatise-author explains abiding in morality and taking up prajñā: 「是實智從禪定生，是心不為覺、觀所動，亦不為貪欲、瞋恚所濁；繫心一處，清淨柔軟，則能生實智。」 tr. "This true and real wisdom is born from meditative concentration; this mind is not moved by initial and sustained thought, nor muddied by greedy desire and hatred; binding the mind to one place, pure and soft, it can then give rise to true and real wisdom." The simile says: 「如水澄靜，照鑒分明。」 tr. "Like water clear and still, reflecting distinctly." Water can reflect by nature; muddied and moving, it cannot; the mind is likewise, and so prajñā is not sought separately outside meditation. Next he speaks of what it illuminates: 「菩薩住尸羅波羅蜜得是禪，得禪故心清淨，心清淨故知諸法如實。」 tr. "The bodhisattva abides in śīlapāramitā and obtains this meditation; because he obtains meditation his mind is pure; because his mind is pure he knows dharmas as they really are." What is it that is known? 「有為法從因緣和合生，虛誑；菩薩以慧眼觀，不見是有為法實。」 tr. "Conditioned dharmas arise from the coming together of causes and conditions and are false and deceptive; the bodhisattva contemplates with the wisdom-eye and does not see these conditioned dharmas as real." And the conditioned has five names: 「所謂作法、有為、數法、相法，若有、若無」 tr. "namely made dharmas, the conditioned, numbered dharmas, marked dharmas, whether existent or non-existent"—corresponding exactly to the sūtra's 「若作法，若有為法，若數法，若相法，若有、若無」 tr. "whether made dharmas, or conditioned dharmas, or numbered dharmas, or marked dharmas, whether existent or non-existent"; the treatise explains the sūtra by this, neither adding nor subtracting. At the end he pushes one layer further: 「以有為故，可說無為；有為相尚不可得，何況無為！」 tr. "Because there is the conditioned, the unconditioned can be spoken of; the mark of the conditioned is unfindable even so—how much less the unconditioned!" Since the conditioned is unfindable, the unconditioned, set up in dependence on the conditioned, is naturally unfindable too—this statement draws out the question below.
26. Question and answer three—why the signless is spoken of within the mark of the conditioned; the two kinds of the unconditioned. Question: 「有為法是有相，無為法是無相，今何以有為相中說無相？」 tr. "Conditioned dharmas have marks, unconditioned dharmas are signless; why now is the signless spoken of within the mark of the conditioned?" The questioner holds to the usual division: having marks belongs to the conditioned, the signless belongs to the unconditioned—why speak of the signless under the conditioned? Answer: first divides the unconditioned into two: 「一者、無相、寂滅、無戲論，如涅槃；二者、相待『無』，因『有』而生。」 tr. "First, the signless, quiescent, without idle discourse, like nirvāṇa; second, the relative ‘non-existence’, which arises because of ‘existence’." The former is the true unconditioned; the latter is merely a 「無」 tr. "non-existence" arising relatively. The treatise-author also cites an instance to make it clear: 「如廟堂上無馬，能生無心；此無心是生諸煩惱因緣，云何是無為法？」 tr. "As when there is no horse in the temple hall, one can give rise to a mind of non-existence; this mind of non-existence is a cause and condition that gives rise to the afflictions—how could it be an unconditioned dharma?" In the temple hall there is by nature no horse, yet in a person's mind a thought of ‘there is no horse’ is set up—this thought is a newly arisen cause and condition of affliction; how could it count as unconditioned? This simile is very sharp: whatever is set up over against 「有」 tr. "existence" as a 「無」 tr. "non-existence" is still circling within the conditioned. Therefore 「是菩薩不見此有、無等法，但見諸法如、法性、實際」 tr. "this bodhisattva does not see such dharmas as existence and non-existence; he sees only the suchness, the nature of dharmas, and the limit of reality of all dharmas"—what is negated is relative existence and non-existence; what is kept is the three names suchness, the nature of dharmas, and the limit of reality.
27. Question and answer four—apart from existence there is no non-existence; how then does one see suchness, the nature of dharmas, and the limit of reality? Question: 「汝先言『離有則無無』，今云何見如、法性、實際？」 tr. "You said before, ‘apart from existence there is no non-existence’; how now does he see suchness, the nature of dharmas, and the limit of reality?" This question follows on from the above and presses back: since it has been said that relative non-existence cannot be established, then are not the suchness, the nature of dharmas, and the limit of reality that you see likewise another 「無」 tr. "non-existence" set up over against the conditioned? Answer: 「不見有為法若常、樂、我、淨等，是虛誑法若無，即是諸法實。」 tr. "Not seeing conditioned dharmas as permanent, happy, self, pure, and so forth—these false and deceptive dharmas being non-existent—is precisely the reality of all dharmas." It is not setting up another non-existence to counteract existence; the very non-establishment of false and deceptive dharmas is, right where it stands, the real. He says further: 「見無生法故，能離有生法；是無生法無定實相可取，但能令人離虛誑有生法，故名無生。」 tr. "Because he sees the dharma of non-arising, he is able to leave the dharmas of arising; this dharma of non-arising has no fixed real mark that can be grasped; it only enables people to leave the false and deceptive dharmas of arising, and so it is named non-arising." Non-arising as a dharma does not occupy the seat of a real mark; it has only one function—to make people leave arising; once they have left, it is let go, and does not become a further clinging. This answer steadies the most perilous step of this unit: prajñā illuminates emptiness and does not fall into the view of emptiness precisely because the emptiness illuminated has no fixed mark that can be grasped. At the end the treatise-author brings it back to practice: 「若得如是智慧，以方便力、本願、悲心故，不取二乘證，直至阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。」 tr. "If he obtains such wisdom, because of the power of skilful means, his original vow, and his mind of compassion, he does not take up the realisation of the two vehicles, and goes straight on to anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi."
28. The overall close of the second group—this is named the bodhisattva abiding in śīlapāramitā and taking up the five perfections. The treatise-author closes the group of abiding in morality with one sentence: 「是名菩薩住尸羅波羅蜜取五波羅蜜。」 tr. "This is named the bodhisattva abiding in śīlapāramitā and taking up the five perfections." Set against the earlier 「如是，於檀波羅蜜邊，取五波羅蜜」 tr. "in this way, on the side of dānapāramitā, he takes up the five perfections", the two groups each have their beginning and end. The one unit of the First Part here closes its fascicle—ten rounds of sūtra, two general principles, ten rounds of the treatise's explanation, four exchanges of question and answer, which turn ‘practising one contains the five’ from a saying that looks like a clever shortcut into a practice that can be verified round by round.
Do Not Misread
Do not read 「攝」 tr. "contain" as merging. The treatise-author's balance-setting words are 「以一波羅蜜為主，餘波羅蜜有分」 tr. "one perfection is taken as the master, and the other perfections have a share"—one being the master is the setting up of the name; the others having a share is real existence. If it is read as the six perfections stirred into one taste, then the mark of giving and the mark of upholding the precepts are wholly lost, and the ten rounds of the sūtra, spoken separately one by one, have nothing to rest on. Containing is containing with master and companions clearly distinct, not a merging that obliterates the practising marks.
Do not read ‘practising one contains the five’ as a labour-saving method. There are people who hear this teaching and rejoice, thinking that since practising one contains the five, the other five can be set aside and left alone. Yet of the ten rounds the sūtra raises, not one is not a difficult place: reviled and insulted by the receiver and not hateful; cut apart joint by joint and not moving a single thought; giving and not seeking a share of repaid kindness; obtaining meditation and not taking up the two vehicles—containing the five holds precisely because that one perfection has been practised to its utmost. Practising one and containing the five is not doing five parts less; it is doing one part to the full.
Do not read 「不見有益、無益」 tr. "not seeing benefit or no benefit" as meaning that giving is useless. The treatise-author states clearly why it is so—「是布施物，非定是樂因緣」 tr. "this thing given is not necessarily a cause and condition of happiness", and wealth 「念念生滅無常，生苦因緣」 tr. "arises and ceases thought by thought and is impermanent, a cause and condition that gives rise to suffering", and so he does not reckon it by worldly benefit and harm; going further, 「於受者不求恩分，於布施不望果報」 tr. "he seeks no share of repaid kindness from the receiver, and hopes for no retribution from the giving"—what is guarded against is resentment arising when a sought return is not obtained. Not seeing benefit means not taking benefit as what is sought; it does not say that giving has no effect; if it is read as the latter, the sūtra's sentence 「持是布施迴向薩婆若」 tr. "he holds this giving and dedicates it to sarvajñā" would have nowhere to be placed.
Do not read 「向聲聞、辟支佛地」 tr. "tending toward the ground of the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha" as a matter of aspiration unrelated to upholding and transgressing. The treatise-author sets it side by side with the ten unwholesome paths as 「菩薩有二種破戒」 tr. "the bodhisattva has two kinds of breaking the precepts"—on the measure of this chapter, tending toward the two vehicles is itself breaking the precepts. Conversely, the phrases 「不趣聲聞、辟支佛地」 tr. "does not tend toward the ground of the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha" and 「不墮聲聞、辟支佛地」 tr. "does not fall to the ground of the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha", which appear again and again in the ten rounds of the sūtra, are then not incidental modifiers but the necessary condition for each perfection to become a perfection.
Do not read subduing as cutting off. The treatise-author speaks of the function of meditative concentration for one who abides in morality with great restraint: 「煩惱雖未斷，已折伏故，不能生亂」 tr. "Though the afflictions are not yet cut off, because they have been subdued they cannot give rise to disturbance", and gives the simile of the poisonous snake held in check by spell-craft—the poison is still there; it just cannot sting. If the security after obtaining meditation is mistaken for the afflictions having been cut off, that is precisely the most common misrecognition among those who cultivate concentration; the reason the sūtra, after obtaining meditation, goes on to take up prajñā lies right here.
Do not read 「無生法」 tr. "the dharma of non-arising" as a state in which one can abide. The treatise-author settles it in one sentence: 「是無生法無定實相可取，但能令人離虛誑有生法，故名無生。」 tr. "This dharma of non-arising has no fixed real mark that can be grasped; it only enables people to leave the false and deceptive dharmas of arising, and so it is named non-arising." Non-arising is the raft for crossing the river; its function lies in making people leave arising; if it is taken as a really existent dharma and dwelt in, it becomes the 「相待『無』」 tr. "relative ‘non-existence’" refuted in question and answer three—a non-existence set up over against existence, still a cause and condition giving rise to afflictions.
Bearing on Practice
Take up the other five perfections right within this one matter at hand. There is no need to wait until the exercise of giving is finished before scheduling the exercise of meditative concentration. Right while giving, look at whether what you are dedicating to is retribution or omniscience—this look is meditation and prajñā; when let down, look at whether you retreat or increase your giving still more—this distinction is patience and vigour. What the ten rounds of the sūtra give is not ten methods of cultivation; it is changing the eye ten times on one matter.
When let down, first reckon the account clearly, and then speak of patience. The treatise-author has reckoned an account on the bodhisattva's behalf: 「我若瞋者，既失財物，又失福德，是故不應瞋。」 tr. "If I am hateful, I lose both the wealth and the merit; therefore I should not be hateful." Patience need not rely from the very beginning on the heights of kindness and compassion; one can start from this most realistic account—having already lost the wealth, why pay away the merit on top of it? Once it is reckoned clearly, then speak of the mind of kindness; the sequence is, on the contrary, steadier.
In a setback, read it as insufficient effort, not as a reason to retreat. 「我先世不強意布施故，今不能得稱受者意，但當勤布施，不應計餘小事」 tr. "Because in former lives I did not exert my will in giving, today I cannot satisfy the receiver; I should only give diligently, and should not reckon over the other small matters"—the same disappointment, read as ‘I should not do it’, leads to retreat; read as ‘what I do is not yet vigorous enough’, leads to advance. That vigour can arise from giving depends wholly on this turn of reading.
On the island of jewels, do not pick up only one crystal bead. When upholding the precepts has gained a little security, it is easiest to stop right there; the treatise-author reminds us that upholding the precepts is only 「餘功德住處」 tr. "the dwelling-place of the other merits", and the dwelling-place is not the merit itself. Having already given up worldly pleasure and entered the path, one should, on the foundation of the precepts, seek the fulfilment of the other five perfections; otherwise 「得利甚薄」 tr. "the benefit obtained is very thin".
Guard the precepts with meditative concentration, but do not take the security of meditative concentration as realisation. When the tree of the vow is shaken by the wind of the afflictions, seeking the pleasure of meditative concentration to remove the pleasures of the five desires is the right method the treatise-author gives; but at the same time remember the simile of the poisonous snake—subduing is not cutting off. After obtaining concentration one must still illuminate with prajñā the falseness and deceptiveness of the conditioned, so as not to dwell long in security.
When the thought ‘there is none’ arises, turn back and look at whether it is a new clinging. There is no horse in the temple hall and a person gives rise to a mind of non-existence; this 「無」 tr. "non-existence" is precisely a cause and condition of affliction. After long practice, it is easiest to come to a stop on such thoughts as ‘I am already without greed’ or ‘in this there is no self’; the treatise-author's distinction is very direct—whatever arises because of 「有」 tr. "existence" as a 「無」 tr. "non-existence" is still within the conditioned. What truly is to be seen is suchness, the nature of dharmas, and the limit of reality, and that too is not something one can abide in.
Further Resonances
The one unit of the First Part, one sūtra segment and one treatise segment, establishes the pattern and the first half of the chapter "The Six Perfections Contain One Another". The sūtra's ten rounds—abiding in giving and taking up morality, patience, vigour, meditation, and prajñā, five rounds; abiding in morality and taking up giving, patience, vigour, meditation, and prajñā, five rounds—each specify one situation and change the eye that looks at it, without changing the matter practised; the treatise-author first ties back to the question of the previous chapter and points out how what this chapter asks differs, then sets up the two general principles of the power of skilful means and of causes and conditions accomplishing one another, fixes their positions with 「以一波羅蜜為主，餘波羅蜜有分」 tr. "one perfection is taken as the master, and the other perfections have a share", then explains round by round why they are so, opening in between four exchanges of question and answer—why patience speaks only of cutting and severing the body, how a person who has not cut off the fetters does not give rise to a single thought of hatred, why the signless is spoken of within the mark of the conditioned, and, since apart from existence there is no non-existence, how one sees suchness, the nature of dharmas, and the limit of reality—and comes to rest in 「以方便力、本願、悲心故，不取二乘證」 tr. "because of the power of skilful means, his original vow, and his mind of compassion, he does not take up the realisation of the two vehicles". The six perfections are not six stretches of time; they are six faces of one matter: this principle the First Part has already established.
On the difference of chapter titles, the editions are not uniform. The base text titles it "The Six Perfections Contain One Another", the Sixty-eighth; the treatise-titles of the Song and Yuan editions likewise read ‘six perfections contain one another’, with small differences in the characters; the Ming edition titles it 「釋六度相攝品第六十八之上」 tr. "Commentary on the Sixty-eighth Chapter, The Six Perfections Contain One Another, First Part", already marking its own way of dividing the fascicles. The Palace edition has a separate title, 「大智論釋第六十八品攝五品」 tr. "The Treatise on Great Wisdom's commentary on the sixty-eighth chapter, the chapter Containing the Five", explicitly setting up 「攝五品」 tr. "the chapter Containing the Five" as another name for this chapter; the Ishiyama-dera manuscript titles it 「摩訶般若波羅蜜第六十七品六度相攝品卷八十一」 tr. "Mahāprajñāpāramitā, sixty-seventh chapter, the chapter The Six Perfections Contain One Another, fascicle eighty-one", its chapter order being the sixty-seventh, one place fewer than the base text. In the sūtra explained, the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra, the chapter title of this segment reads precisely "Containing the Five", the Sixty-eighth, agreeing with the alternative name marked by the Palace edition. The names on the two sides each have their basis; here they are recorded side by side without judgement.
Jizang's Commentary on the Larger Sūtra is extremely brief on this chapter, only eight lines, yet what it judges is precisely the pivot of this chapter. It judges the position of this chapter thus: 「此下第二、明一一行中具足眾行」 tr. "From here on is the second: making clear that within each single practice the many practices are complete", and divides the shallow and the deep by whether or not one has the acceptance of non-arising—before non-arising is obtained it is only one practice, while one who obtains the acceptance of non-arising 「能無㝵行，故一行中具足能生眾行也」 tr. "can practise without obstruction, and therefore within one practice is fully able to give rise to the many practices". As to what kind of containing this chapter makes clear, Jizang sets up a question and answers it himself: 「問：此中是何物攝耶？答：此是相生攝，以本攝末。」 tr. "Question: what kind of containing is this here? Answer: this is containing by mutual generation, the root containing the branches." Mutual generation, with the root containing the branches—set beside the treatise-author's judgement 「以一波羅蜜為主，餘波羅蜜有分」 tr. "one perfection is taken as the master, and the other perfections have a share", the words differ and the meaning agrees. Jizang also distinguishes the containing of this chapter from the containing made clear in the "Eloquence" chapter earlier in his commentary: there it 「明相攝，欲以眾行多功共成多之功力，顯莊嚴有大力勢，能破生死直趣佛道」 tr. "makes clear mutual containing, wishing through the many merits of the many practices jointly to accomplish the power of the many, showing that the adornment has great power and force, able to break birth and death and go straight toward the Buddha path"; 「今明一一度中而起諸行，為顯方便也」 tr. "now it makes clear that within each single perfection the various practices arise, in order to show skilful means". Explaining the tenor of this chapter as showing skilful means also corresponds to the treatise-author's first general principle, 「以方便力故」 tr. "because of the power of skilful means". Jizang does not comment round by round on the ten rounds of the sūtra; this is recorded as it is, and is not a lacuna.
Huiying's Commentary has a dedicated section on this chapter, and the places where it divides its passages agree with the fascicle boundaries followed here. It judges the position of this chapter thus: this chapter 「即方便門中第二品也」 tr. "is the second chapter within the gate of skilful means"; the previous chapter 「正明方便體，明於菩薩以方便力故遂有所除亦有所得，明一度之中具足六度成方便義」 tr. "directly makes clear the substance of skilful means, makes clear that because of the power of skilful means the bodhisattva thereupon has what is removed and also has what is obtained, and makes clear the meaning of skilful means as the six perfections being complete within one perfection", and the several chapters from here on 「還廣上方便義」 tr. "return to broaden the meaning of skilful means above". At the opening of this unit's sūtra text, Huiying records his teacher's account and settles the outline of the whole chapter: 「此中既明六波羅蜜相攝，但以一波羅蜜為頭，則攝五波羅蜜，故亦不須科略。」 tr. "Since this makes clear that the six perfections contain one another, only taking one perfection as the head, it contains the five perfections; therefore there is no need for a sectional outline." Taking one perfection as the head and containing the five—this is the same hand and eye as the treatise-author's 「為主」 tr. "is the master" and 「有分」 tr. "have a share". Huiying further lists the kinds of containing; he himself labels them five kinds, while the names listed are six, namely 「位、行、地位、同體、相生、一心等相攝」 tr. "containing by position, by practice, by stage, by same substance, by mutual generation, by a single mind, and so forth"; this is recorded as it is, without forcing an explanation; and he sets the same-substance containing of what he calls the "Fulfilling the Vow" chapter against this chapter: there it says 「菩薩施時，以此施與一切眾生共之，迴向阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，名為檀中之檀」 tr. "When the bodhisattva gives, he shares this giving in common with all beings and dedicates it to anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi; this is named the dāna within dāna", and so on up to 「於一檀中具此六波羅蜜，六六成三十六波羅蜜，同體相攝」 tr. "within one dāna these six perfections are complete; six times six makes thirty-six perfections, containing one another by same substance"; while what this chapter makes clear is 「菩薩布施迴向菩提，是檀波羅蜜；於眾生住慈身口意」 tr. "the bodhisattva gives and dedicates it to awakening: this is dānapāramitā; amid beings he abides in kindly body, speech, and mind"—which is the text of the first round of this unit. The division into the two gates of same substance and mutual generation agrees with Jizang's judgement 「此是相生攝」 tr. "this is containing by mutual generation"; the two masters are seen side by side. Huiying's own chapter numbers are constantly one place fewer than the base text; when he says 「第六十七品者，名為六度相攝品」 tr. "the sixty-seventh chapter is named the chapter The Six Perfections Contain One Another", the reader should know that this is this chapter, not the previous chapter; the chapter-number system of his book differs from the base text; this is recorded as it is, and it is not reassigned on his behalf.
As for the twenty rounds of sūtra text in which the four groups of abiding in patience, abiding in vigour, abiding in meditation, and abiding in prajñā each take up the other five perfections, together with the treatise-author's explanation of these four groups, the question and answer on why only one perfection is the master, the difference in sequence between householder and gone-forth bodhisattvas, and so on up to the six passages of the general mark in which each of the six perfections is the head and the six perfections are each complete within a single thought—the Middle Part and the Last Part of this chapter unfold them in continuation; they are not anticipated here.
六度相攝品之中The Six Perfections Contain One Another, Part 2 of 3
全文五層 →Full five layers →六度相攝品之中：忍、進、禪、般若四門各取餘五——二十組相攝的同格與別相
在問什麼
之上一單元，須菩提問的是『住一波羅蜜取餘五』之事，而經文先以檀、尸羅二門為首開講：住檀取尸羅、取羼提、取毘梨耶、取禪、取般若，住尸羅亦各取其五，十組問答一一立文；論主隨後開卷釋之，點出行一而攝五所以可能的兩重理據——一是方便力，二是有為法因緣相續故相成，並立下「以一波羅蜜為主，餘波羅蜜有分」的總格。之中承此續講，把同一問式推到其餘四門：住羼提、住毘梨耶、住禪、住般若，各取其餘五波羅蜜，二十組全數立文。
這一單元只有經文，沒有論釋——論主之釋要到之下才總為答。於是讀之中，讀的就是佛親口所出的二十幅圖樣。而圖樣一多，最容易生的疑惑有三：其一，二十組會不會只是同一句話換了幾個名目？其二，既然住一度即能攝五，六度分立豈非多餘？其三，這些「取」到底是取一個行為、取一種心，還是取一個果？
經文自身把答案埋在體例裡。各組的骨架大體是同一副：先出所住之度的現行，次出由此現行而生出的餘度之事，其中九組更以「持是功德」共眾生而「迴向阿耨多羅三藐三菩提」一句收（其文或作「與一切眾生共之」，或作「與眾生共之」），末則二十組皆以『是為菩薩住某波羅蜜取某波羅蜜』印定。骨架同，而血肉各異——住忍所生的檀，是被割截時仍念與食與飲；住進所生的檀，是走過百千萬億世界只為教得一人；住禪所生的檀，是定心不亂而行法施財施；住般若所生的檀，是觀施者受者財物三事皆空而慳著不生。同一個「檀」字，四門之下面貌全然不同。可見相攝不是名目的挪移，是一度之力貫到另一度的事相上去，事仍是那件事，而發動它的力已換了根。
再看「取」字。二十組裡，所取之度從來不是另立一段新功課，都是所住之度自身運轉時自然帶出的一面：忍到極處自然不吝於與，進到極處自然遍歷諸界而不倦，禪到極處自然心不散亂而諸善得行，般若到極處自然於一切法無所得而諸行皆淨。是故「取」不是向外取物，是就本行上顯出餘行本有之分。這正是之上論主所立「以一波羅蜜為主，餘波羅蜜有分」的實演。
之中要看清的，因此是兩件事：二十組共守的那一副骨架是什麼，以及骨架之下每一門各自的別相在哪裡。
逐段解明
一、住羼提取檀——被割截時仍作應施之念。 經文首出忍門。菩薩「從初發心乃至坐道場」，於其中間，若一切眾生前來瞋恚罵詈、乃至「若節節支解」，菩薩住於忍辱，卻在此時作應施之念：須食與食、須飲與飲，乃至資生所須盡皆與之。要緊處在時機——不是無事之日行布施，是正被支解之時而念布施。忍之所以能生檀，正因忍已把『我被害』的對立斷了；對立一斷，眼中所見便不再是加害者，只是需索者，施心自然接得上。末後「是菩薩迴向時不生二心」，所不生的二心是：誰迴向者？迴向何處？施相、忍相既已雙泯，迴向亦無能所可立。
二、住羼提取尸羅——不奪不取乃至不邪見。 同一忍門，轉出戒相：從初發心乃至坐道場，「終不奪他命、不與不取，乃至不邪見」，並且「不貪聲聞、辟支佛地」。十善之目以「乃至」括其中間，首尾兩端立文，是本經常式，不可讀作只持三條。要緊處在末一句：不貪二乘之地也被算進戒裡——戒之為戒，於此不止於身口之不犯，兼指志向之不偏；求自了即是戒之缺分。此組迴向時所不生的是「三種心」：誰迴向阿耨多羅三藐三菩提？用何法迴向？迴向何處？較前組多出一問。前組二心，此組三心，數目之異不是抄寫之失，是就此處增數而辯——能迴向者、所用之法、所向之處，三事齊泯，迴向之淨方說到底。
三、住羼提取毘梨耶——為教一人持五戒而過百千萬億世界。 忍門轉出精進：菩薩住羼提而生精進，念言當往一由旬乃至百千萬億由旬，過一世界乃至過百千萬億世界，「乃至教一人令持五戒」，何況令得四果、辟支佛道、阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。此組的力道全在比例上——路程極遠而所期極少，遠到百千萬億世界，只為一個人守住五條戒。若以功效計算，這一趟無論如何划不來；唯有忍在底下托著，才走得動。忍所忍者，不獨是加害，也包括徒勞：作而未見其效、行而未見其報，仍不退轉，這正是精進的難處，而忍替它解了。
四、住羼提取禪——諸禪及禪支皆不可得。 忍門轉出禪相：離欲、離惡不善法，有覺有觀，離生喜樂，入初禪乃至第四禪，「是諸禪中淨心、心數法，皆迴向薩婆若」。禪之所以繫於忍，是因入定最怕瞋恚與憂悔——一念被人所惱，心即不能安住；忍既先行，定門自開。而此組的收尾極要緊：「迴向時，是菩薩諸禪及禪支皆不可得。」入了四禪而不執定境，連禪支都不可得——不可得非是無有，是不作實有想；若於所得之定生取著想，禪即成三界之報，不成波羅蜜。
五、住羼提取般若——離相寂滅相無盡相而不證。 忍門轉出般若：觀諸法「若離相、若寂滅相、若無盡相」，而「不以寂滅相作證」，乃至坐道場得一切種智，從道場起便轉法輪。此處的關鍵在『不證』二字——見到寂滅而不取證，是菩薩與二乘分途之處。何以忍能成就此不證？因為不證正是最難忍的一件事：涅槃在目前而不入，此乃於法上行大忍。經文末句更立其所以然：「不取不捨故」——不取寂滅，亦不捨寂滅，兩邊俱離，般若乃成。此句並為忍門五組作結。
六、住毘梨耶取檀——過世界而不得一人亦不懈。 進門首出檀相。菩薩住精進，「身心精進，不懈不息」，念言我必應當得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，不應不得。為利益眾生故，往一由旬乃至過百千萬億世界；此組與第三組看似重複，實則正反相成：彼是因忍而能為一人遠行，此是設使遠行而「不能得一人」教入佛道，或僅得一人教行十善道，仍「精進不懈」，以法施財施令其具足。要緊處在最壞的結果也已預許——連一個人都度不著，仍照樣走。精進之為精進，不繫於果之有無；而正因不繫於果，法施財施之與人，才真是純粹的施。
七、住毘梨耶取尸羅——自不作、教他不作、讚法、讚人四重。 進門轉出戒相：自不殺生，不教他殺，「讚不殺生法，歡喜讚歎不殺生者」；乃至邪見一目亦四重齊備。一戒而開四事——自持、勸他、讚其法、讚其人，這正是精進在戒上的相：戒本可以只守住自己一身，精進推之，遂遍於他人、遍於法、遍於人。下文更申其志：不求三界福，不求二乘地，並於迴向時不生三種心——「不見迴向者，不見迴向法，不見迴向處」。此三句與第二組的三問對看：彼以問句泯之，此以不見泯之，語異而意同。
八、住毘梨耶取羼提——割我者誰、受身還取之念。 進門轉出忍相：若人、若非人前來節節支解，菩薩作念：「割我者誰？截我者誰？奪我者誰？」繼而作第二念：「我大得善利，我為眾生故受身，眾生還自來取。」前念破我，後念轉害為施——此身本是為眾生受的，眾生今日自來取用，正是物歸原主。兩念之後，「是時菩薩正憶念諸法實相」。要緊處在於此組的忍不是壓抑，是先以問破能受之我，再以本願解所受之事，末以實相安住；三重次第一層深一層，而三重都得用力，故繫於精進門。
九、住毘梨耶取禪——持定不受果報而生利益眾生之處。 進門轉出禪相：入四禪、四無量心、乃至非有想非無想處，而「持是禪、無量心、無色定，不受果報」，生於利益眾生之處，以六波羅蜜成就眾生，從一佛土至一佛土，親近供養諸佛，種善根。此組最要緊的是「不受果報」四字——修得四禪八定，本應報生色界無色界，而菩薩不受此報，寧可生到用得著的地方去。捨天上長壽之樂而取人間可度之緣，這一捨正是精進所為：定已成就而不肯歇息，故不受其報。
十、住毘梨耶取般若——不見法不見相，所作如所言。 進門轉出般若：不見檀波羅蜜法、不見檀波羅蜜相，乃至禪波羅蜜亦然，四念處乃至一切種智「亦不見法，亦不見相」；「不見一切法，非法、非非法」，於一切法中無所著。末句尤要：「是菩薩所作如所言。」前面一路說不見、說無著，若只是口中會得，即成空談；經文即以言行相符一句坐實——真不見者，其所作必如其所言。精進門下的般若，重點不在見解之高，在解與行之不二。
十一、住禪取檀——心不亂而行二施。 禪門首出檀相：入四禪、四無量心乃至非有想非無想處，「住禪波羅蜜中，心不亂」，而行二施以施眾生：法施、財施；自行、教他、讚歎其法、讚歎行者，四重具足。此組與第七組的四重同格而所繫不同：彼繫於精進之遍，此繫於定心之不亂。布施最怕的是心浮——施時計較多少、計較受者當否、計較名聞；定力既深，這些浮動自息，施乃能純。定生施，不在定中另做布施之功課，只在心不亂處，施自無雜。
十二、住禪取尸羅——不生三毒心、不生惱他心。 禪門轉出戒相，文極簡：「不生婬欲、瞋恚、愚癡心，不生惱他心，但修行一切智相應心。」前列諸組的戒相多從身口之事立文，此組獨從心立——定門之戒，戒在心之未起。婬、瞋、癡三毒與惱他之心，皆是禪定所伏；伏而不起，即是戒之上品。而末句尤不可略：不只是不生惡心，還要「但修行一切智相應心」——止惡之外更有一向，戒方不落於枯守。
十三、住禪取羼提——五眾如聚沫泡焰芭蕉幻。 禪門轉出忍相：觀色如聚沫，觀受如泡，觀想如野馬，觀行如芭蕉，觀識如幻；作是觀時「見五眾無堅固相」，遂作念：割我者誰？截我者誰？誰受、誰想、誰行、誰識？誰罵者？誰受罵者？誰生瞋恚？五喻逐一當五眾，不可含糊併說：聚沫喻色之積聚而虛，泡喻受之瞬起瞬滅，野馬喻想之遠望似水而近之則無，芭蕉喻行之層層剝盡無實，幻喻識之現而非有。五喻既明，六問隨之——由「割我者誰」直問到「誰生瞋恚」，把能瞋所瞋一併問空。此組與第八組同以「割我者誰」發端，而彼由問破我、以本願轉之，此則先以五喻散其五眾、再以六問窮其能所；一繫精進，一繫禪定，入處判然。
十四、住禪取毘梨耶——取相生五神通而往來佛土。 禪門轉出精進：入四禪已，「是諸禪及支，取相」，而生種種神通——如意通之履水如地、入地如水，天耳通之聞天人二聲，他心通之知攝心亂心乃至有上無上心，宿命通之憶種種宿命，天眼通之見眾生隨業受報。菩薩住此五神通，從一佛世界至一佛世界，親近供養諸佛，種善根，成就眾生，淨佛世界。此組須留意一處看似相違的用語：第四組言「諸禪及禪支皆不可得」，此組卻言「取相」。二者不相妨——彼就迴向而言，故不可得；此就發通而言，故須取相。神通由定中取相而發，是其法爾；取相以發通，通成而用於往來佛土、成就眾生，正是精進之事。定不取相則無通，通不為眾生則無精進——兩句合看，此組之義乃全。
十五、住禪取般若——不得故不作，如法相法性常住。 禪門轉出般若：不得色與受想行識，不得六波羅蜜，不得四念處乃至一切種智，不得有為性、無為性；「不得故不作，不作故不生，不生故不滅」。三句一路推下，是本組的骨。而末後立其所以然：「有佛、無佛，是如、法相、法性常住、不生不滅。」不生不滅不是修出來的，是本來如此；菩薩所作的只是不於其上妄有所得。收句「常一心應薩婆若行」——一心相應而行，正是禪門的本色：般若在此不作觀慧解，作定慧不二解。
十六、住般若取檀——十四空中施者受者財物三事空。 般若門首出檀相，是二十組中僅次於末組的長段。先列空義：內空而內空不可得，外空、內外空、空空，乃至一切法空而一切法空不可得；菩薩「住是十四空中」，不得色相若空若不空，乃至不得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提若空若不空，不得有為性、無為性若空若不空。此處「若空、若不空」雙遮，是本段的眼——不但不執有，連執空亦不許。次乃入施：有所布施，飲食衣服種種資生之具，「觀是布施空」，而自設一問自答之：「何等空？施者、受者及財物空」，於是慳著心不生。要緊處在後文所出的理據：菩薩行般若「從初發意乃至坐道場，無有妄想分別」，如諸佛得菩提時無慳著心，菩薩亦如是。慳之所以能斷，不是壓住不慳，是三事既空而慳無所著處。末句「是菩薩所可尊者，般若波羅蜜」——一段之中所尊唯在般若，檀乃其所出。
十七、住般若取尸羅——二乘地不可得故不生其心。 般若門轉出戒相：不生聲聞、辟支佛心。何以不生？經文自答：「聲聞、辟支佛地不可得，趣向聲聞、辟支佛心亦不可得。」此與第二組的「不貪」異趣——彼是志願上的不貪，此是理上的不可得；不可得故無可趣向，不待壓抑而心自不生。其下仍出十善四重之文：自不殺生、不教他殺、讚不殺生法、歡喜讚歎不殺生者，乃至邪見一目。而收句立其極：「以是持戒無法可取，若聲聞、若辟支佛地，何況餘法！」持戒而無一法可取，戒相至此全淨——連最高的二乘果位尚且不取，遑論其餘。
十八、住般若取羼提——法中無有受割截者而眾生受苦惱。 般若門轉出忍相：隨順法忍生，作念此法中無有法若起若滅、若生若死、若受罵詈惡口、若割若截、若破若縛若打若殺。菩薩從初發意乃至坐道場，縱遇一切眾生罵詈惡口、刀杖瓦石、割截傷害，「心不動」。而此組最動人處在末一念：「甚可怪！此諸法中無有法受罵詈、惡口、割截、傷害者，而眾生受苦惱！」前半是般若之見——法中實無受害者；後半是慈悲之情——而眾生偏偏在受苦。二者並列於一念之中，正見菩薩之忍不是冷的：見法無我而不礙見眾生實苦，怪的正是這一重錯位。若只有前半，便落偏空；若只有後半，便同凡情。
十九、住般若取毘梨耶——為眾生說法而不住二性。 般若門轉出精進：為眾生說法，令行六波羅蜜，教令行四念處乃至八聖道分，令得四果、辟支佛道，令得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。所教之法從淺至深、所得之果從初果至佛果，一路備列，正是精進之遍。而收句一轉：「不住有為性中，不住無為性中。」說法度生，事相紛然，是有為；而般若所住，非有為亦非無為。此二句一立，前面所列的一切化他之事便都不成繫縛——不住有為故不被事累，不住無為故不捨眾生。般若門下的精進，力在於此。
二十、住般若取禪——八背捨、九次第定、師子奮迅、超越三昧。 般若門末出禪相，亦是二十組之終，文最詳。先總標：除諸佛三昧，餘一切三昧——聲聞、辟支佛、菩薩三昧——「皆行、皆入」。次逐一列八背捨：內有色相外觀色為初，內無色相外觀色為二，淨背捨身作證為三，過色相滅有對相入無量虛空處為四，過虛空處入無邊識處為五，過識處入無所有處為六，過無所有處入非有想非無想處為七，過非有想非無想處入滅受想處為八。次列九次第定：離欲、離諸惡不善法乃至過非有想非無想處入滅受想定，逆順出入。依此二者入師子奮迅三昧：自初禪次第而上直入滅受想定，再從滅受想定還入非有想非無想處，逐級退還乃至初禪——上下往返而不跳級，如師子之奮迅回旋。依師子奮迅三昧入超越三昧：先自下次第上至非有想非無想處、入滅受想定，其後便不復次第——滅受想定起還入初禪，初禪起入滅受想定；滅定起還入二禪，二禪起入滅定；如是三禪、四禪、空處、識處、無所有處、非有想非無想處，一一與滅定互為往返；乃至滅定與散心互入，復自散心逐級入上諸定而還住散心，自非有想非無想處一路退至初禪。經文於此不厭其煩地一一列出，正因超越之為超越，就在這一躍一躍的實跡上；略之則只剩一個名目。收句「得諸法等相」——諸定高下懸殊而出入無礙，於行者心中已無高下可得，此即等相。而所以能爾者，繫於般若；故此組以禪收，而其主仍是般若。二十組至此而畢。
不要讀錯
不要把二十組讀成同一句話的二十次重複。骨架大體是同一副——所住之度現行、餘度之事隨生，迴向菩提一句半數組有，印定名目則二十組皆具；然而血肉逐組各異：同是取檀，忍門取在被割截時仍念與食，進門取在不得一人亦以法財二施令具足，禪門取在心不亂而行二施，般若門取在三事皆空而慳心不生。若讀成重複而略過，正犯了本品最不許的病——經文列全排列，就是要人看清一事而四門各有其入處。
不要把「取」讀成另作一件功課。二十組中所取之度，都不是在所住之度之外另起一行，而是所住之度運轉時自然帶出的一面。忍到深處施心自開，進到極處遍歷不倦，禪到定處諸善得行，般若到底處諸行皆淨。若讀成『先住此度、再修彼度』，便把『相攝』讀成了『相繼』，經文的意思全失。
不要以第四組「諸禪及禪支皆不可得」駁第十四組「是諸禪及支，取相」。兩句不同分位：一就迴向而言，故不可得——若於所得之定作實有想，禪即成三界之報；一就發通而言，故須取相——神通由定中取相而發，此其法爾。以彼難此、或以此難彼，都是把分位混作了矛盾。
不要把第二組的「三種心」與第一組的「二心」讀成經文不齊。二心者，誰迴向者、迴向何處；三心者，更加「用何法迴向」一問。此是就處增數而辯，非有無之異——能迴向之人、所用之法、所向之處，三事本皆須泯；前組舉其二，後組備其三，讀者不可據此判定經文前後不一。
不要把第十六組的「十四空」讀成空之定數。本經常說十八空，此處但列內空、外空、內外空、空空乃至一切法空而稱十四，是就此段所用者立數，於事已足，不必更求足其目。空之開合隨處而異，執定一數，反成新的所得。
不要把第十八組的「甚可怪」讀成論法中的反詰。此語不是辯論的語氣，是菩薩親見錯位時的驚歎——法中實無受害者，而眾生確實在受苦。見前半而失後半，便落偏空；見後半而失前半，便同凡情。兩半同在一念，才是般若門中的忍。
修行作用
先認自己住在哪一門。二十組不是要人全做，是給你一張對照表：性偏於忍者，就從忍上生其餘五；性偏於進者，就從進上生；禪、般若亦然。與其平均用力而處處不深，不如認定自家最得力的一度，從那一門上把其餘五度帶出來——這正是經文『住一波羅蜜取五波羅蜜』給行人的實用。
行施時先問三事是否落空。第十六組給的是最好的下手處：施時但觀施者、受者、財物三事皆不可得，慳著之心便無處生根。不必先與慳心對打，只把三事看空，慳自失所依。行之既久，再回看那些『捨不得』的時刻，多半是三事之中有一事被當真了。
被人所惱時，取忍門與般若門兩路。忍門的路是第八組：先問「割我者誰」，破去能受之我；再念此身本為眾生而受，今眾生自來取用。般若門的路是第十八組：見此法中無有一法在受罵詈割截，而後於眾生之受苦生一個「甚可怪」的悲念。前者近，後者深；何者現前得力就用何者，不必強取其深。
用功見境界時，記取「皆不可得」與「取相」的分位。定中所得之淨心、心數法，一律迴向薩婆若而不作實有想，此是第四組的教；若為利他而須發起功用，則取相以起用，亦不必自疑為著相，此是第十四組的教。判準只有一個：所為者是自享其境，還是往來佛土、成就眾生。
作利他之事而無果時，不減其行。第六組說得最明白——縱使過了百千萬億世界仍「不能得一人」教入佛道，或只得一人教行十善道，仍然精進不懈、法施財施令其具足。以此自校：若因無果而懈，所行者本是求果之心，不是精進波羅蜜。
以「不住有為性中，不住無為性中」校化他之心。說法度生做得多了，易被事相所累而生疲厭，是住了有為；退而守靜、懶於應接，是住了無為。第十九組把兩邊一齊排開——事上不住，故不被累；靜上不住，故不捨人。日常應接之間，以此二句時時一照。
承衍
之中一單元純是經文，二十組相攝的圖樣至此列全，而論主之釋要待之下。之上已立其綱——方便力故行一攝五、有為法因緣相續故相成、以一波羅蜜為主而餘波羅蜜有分；之中所作的，是把這一綱在忍、進、禪、般若四門上逐一坐實。至於論主何以但以一波羅蜜為主、在家出家菩薩所行之異、以及六度各為頭、一念之中各具六度之六番總相文，皆在之下，此處不預。
古德於本品之判釋，吉藏《大品經義疏》約而甚要：此品之下「明一一行中具足眾行」，並自設問答定其攝義——「問：此中是何物攝耶？答：此是相生攝，以本攝末。」相生攝一語，正可解本單元「取」字之疑：所取者由所住者相生而出，非別取一物。吉藏又以本品之攝與前〈弁才品〉之攝相簡：前者明相攝，欲以眾行多功共成其力，顯莊嚴之大勢；今者明一一度中而起諸行，為顯方便——一顯力用，一顯方便，兩品之攝分位遂明。
慧影《大智度論疏》釋此卷，於本單元逐段科出其式，判「須菩提白佛言」已下為「第三、次明以忍為頭攝生諸波羅蜜義」，並就住羼提取檀一組析為三重：節節支解等是忍義，作是念我應布施等已下明因於忍生檀義，持是功德乃至不生二心等已下明其波羅蜜義；而以一句通貫二十組——「一一波羅蜜相生攝中，盡於具足有此三意義也。」本單元逐組皆可依此三重讀。其釋二心三心之異，云「所以上明二心，今云三種者，為作增數辯之」；其釋十四空，云「今者此中說十四空，始從內空至一切法空，於事為足，更不須故，但云十四也」；其釋超越三昧與師子奮迅之別，謂奮迅是從下次第入已上、從上還次第而下，超越則從下次第上、上入已則從上超入下、復下超入上，次第超越出入，並誌二乘之分限——「二乘但能超一，不能爾也」；末於「得諸法等相」一句判云「明其波羅蜜義也」。諸家此類判釋，本疏誌錄而不判其優劣。
The Six Perfections Contain One Another, Middle Part: Patience, Vigour, Meditation, and Prajñā, Each Gate Taking Up the Other Five—the Shared Frame and the Distinct Marks of Twenty Groups of Mutual Containing
What Is Being Asked
In the First Part, what Subhūti asked about was ‘abiding in one perfection and taking up the other five’, and the sūtra text opened its teaching with the two gates of giving and morality at the head: abiding in giving and taking up morality, taking up patience, taking up vigour, taking up meditation, taking up prajñā; abiding in morality, likewise each taking up its five; ten groups of questions and answers, each set out in its own text. The treatise-author then opened the fascicle and explained them, pointing out the two grounds on which practising one and containing five is possible—first, the power of skilful means; second, that conditioned dharmas complete one another because their causes and conditions continue one into another—and set down the general frame 「以一波羅蜜為主，餘波羅蜜有分」 tr. "one perfection is taken as the master, and the other perfections have a share". The Middle Part carries this on and pushes the same form of question on to the remaining four gates: abiding in patience, abiding in vigour, abiding in meditation, abiding in prajñā, each taking up the other five perfections; all twenty groups are set out in full.
This unit has only sūtra text and no treatise explanation—the treatise-author's explanation comes only in the Last Part, where he answers them all together. So in reading the Middle Part, what one reads is twenty patterns issued from the Buddha's own mouth. And when the patterns are many, the doubts most easily born are three: first, are the twenty groups perhaps only the same sentence with a few names changed? Second, since abiding in one perfection can contain the five, is not setting the six perfections apart superfluous? Third, what do these 「取」 tr. "take up" take up in the end—an act, a kind of mind, or a fruit?
The sūtra text itself buries the answers in its format. The frame of each group is by and large one and the same: first it gives the present practice of the perfection in which he abides, next the matters of the other perfections born from this practice; nine of the groups moreover close with the sentence in which 「持是功德」 tr. "he holds this merit" in common with beings and 「迴向阿耨多羅三藐三菩提」 tr. "dedicates it to anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi" (its text reads either 「與一切眾生共之」 tr. "holds it in common with all beings" or 「與眾生共之」 tr. "holds it in common with beings"); and at the end all twenty groups seal it with ‘This is the bodhisattva abiding in such-and-such a perfection and taking up such-and-such a perfection’. The frame is the same, yet the flesh and blood differ—the giving born of abiding in patience is, while being cut and severed, still to think of giving food and giving drink; the giving born of abiding in vigour is to walk through hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭi of worlds only in order to teach one person; the giving born of abiding in meditation is, with the concentrated mind not scattered, to practise the gift of Dharma and the gift of wealth; the giving born of abiding in prajñā is to contemplate the three things—giver, receiver, and wealth—as all empty, so that stingy clinging does not arise. The same character 「檀」 tr. "dāna" shows an entirely different face under each of the four gates. From this it can be seen that mutual containing is not a shifting of names; it is the power of one perfection reaching through into the matters of another perfection: the matter is still that same matter, but the power that sets it moving has changed its root.
Look again at the character 「取」 tr. "take up". In the twenty groups, the perfection taken up is never a new piece of homework set up separately; each is a face brought out of itself when the perfection in which he abides itself turns: patience carried to its utmost of itself does not begrudge giving; vigour carried to its utmost of itself passes through all the worlds without weariness; meditation carried to its utmost of itself keeps the mind unscattered, and all goodness gets practised; prajñā carried to its utmost of itself has nothing to be attained in any dharma, and all practices are pure. Therefore 「取」 tr. "take up" is not taking a thing from outside; it is, upon the practice itself, bringing to light the share the other practices already have in it. This is precisely the working-out in practice of the frame the treatise-author set up in the First Part, 「以一波羅蜜為主，餘波羅蜜有分」 tr. "one perfection is taken as the master, and the other perfections have a share".
What is to be seen clearly in the Middle Part, then, is two things: what the one frame is that the twenty groups keep in common, and where, beneath the frame, the distinct mark of each gate lies.
Passage by Passage
1. Abiding in patience, taking up giving—while being cut and severed, still forming the thought that he should give. The sūtra text first brings out the gate of patience. The bodhisattva, 「從初發心乃至坐道場」 tr. "from the first arousing of the mind until he sits at the seat of awakening", in the interval, if all beings come with hatred to revile and curse him, and even 「若節節支解」 tr. "if they cut him apart joint by joint", abides in patience, and yet at this very time forms the thought that he should give: if they need food he gives food, if they need drink he gives drink, and so on up to giving them everything needed to sustain life. The crucial point lies in the timing—it is not practising giving on a day when nothing is happening; it is thinking of giving at the very moment of being cut apart. That patience can give rise to giving is precisely because patience has already cut off the opposition of ‘I am being harmed’; once the opposition is cut off, what the eye sees is no longer an assailant, only one who is asking for something, and the mind of giving connects of itself. At the end, 「是菩薩迴向時不生二心」 tr. "when this bodhisattva dedicates, he does not give rise to two kinds of mind": the two kinds of mind that do not arise are—who is the one who dedicates? To where is it dedicated? Since the mark of giving and the mark of patience have both vanished, in dedication too no agent and no object can be set up.
2. Abiding in patience, taking up morality—not taking life, not taking what is not given, and so on up to no wrong views. The same gate of patience turns out the mark of morality: from the first arousing of the mind until he sits at the seat of awakening, 「終不奪他命、不與不取，乃至不邪見」 tr. "he never takes the life of another, does not take what is not given, and so on up to not holding wrong views", and moreover 「不貪聲聞、辟支佛地」 tr. "does not covet the ground of the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha". The items of the ten wholesome paths have their middle bracketed by 「乃至」 tr. "and so on up to", with only the two ends, head and tail, set out in the text; this is the constant form of this sūtra and must not be read as upholding only three. The crucial point lies in the last sentence: not coveting the ground of the two vehicles is also counted within morality—morality as morality does not here stop at body and speech not transgressing; it also means that one's aspiration does not lean aside; seeking to settle one's own matter alone is itself a lacking share of morality. What does not arise at dedication in this group is 「三種心」 tr. "three kinds of mind": who dedicates to anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi? With what dharma is it dedicated? To where is it dedicated? It has one question more than the previous group. Two kinds of mind in the previous group, three kinds in this group: the difference in number is not a copying error; it is argued by increasing the number at this place—the one who dedicates, the dharma used, and the place towards which it goes: only when all three things have vanished together is the purity of dedication spoken of to the end.
3. Abiding in patience, taking up vigour—passing through hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭi of worlds to teach one person to uphold the five precepts. The gate of patience turns out vigour: the bodhisattva abides in patience and gives rise to vigour, thinking that he should go one yojana, and so on up to hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭi of yojana, passing through one world, and so on up to passing through hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭi of worlds, 「乃至教一人令持五戒」 tr. "even if only to teach one person and cause him to uphold the five precepts", how much more to cause him to obtain the four fruits, the pratyekabuddha path, anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi. The force of this group lies wholly in the proportion—the road extremely far and the hope extremely small: as far as hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭi of worlds, only so that one person may keep five precepts. Reckoned by results, this journey is in any case not worth making; only with patience holding it up from beneath can one walk it. What patience endures is not only harm but also futility: doing without yet seeing its effect, practising without yet seeing its reward, and still non-retrogressing—this is exactly the difficulty of vigour, and patience resolves it on vigour's behalf.
4. Abiding in patience, taking up meditation—the dhyānas and the limbs of dhyāna all unfindable. The gate of patience turns out the mark of meditation: departing from desire, departing from evil and unwholesome dharmas, with initial and sustained thought, with joy and bliss born of separation, he enters the first dhyāna, and so on up to the fourth dhyāna; 「是諸禪中淨心、心數法，皆迴向薩婆若」 tr. "the pure mind and the mental-factor dharmas within these dhyānas he dedicates, all of them, to sarvajñā". The reason meditation is tied to patience is that what entering concentration fears most is hatred and worry and regret—once a single thought is vexed by someone, the mind cannot abide securely; once patience goes first, the gate of concentration opens of itself. And the close of this group is most important: 「迴向時，是菩薩諸禪及禪支皆不可得。」 tr. "When he dedicates, this bodhisattva's dhyānas and the limbs of dhyāna are all unfindable." Having entered the four dhyānas he does not cling to the state of concentration; even the limbs of dhyāna are unfindable—unfindable does not mean non-existent; it means not forming the thought that they really exist; if a thought of grasping and clinging arises towards the concentration attained, the dhyāna becomes a retribution within the three realms and does not become a pāramitā.
5. Abiding in patience, taking up prajñā—the mark of separation, the mark of quiescence, the mark of inexhaustibility, and yet not realising. The gate of patience turns out prajñā: he contemplates dharmas 「若離相、若寂滅相、若無盡相」 tr. "as either the mark of separation, or the mark of quiescence, or the mark of inexhaustibility", yet 「不以寂滅相作證」 tr. "does not take realisation by the mark of quiescence", and so on up to sitting at the seat of awakening and obtaining the omniscience of all kinds; rising from the seat of awakening, he then turns the wheel of the Dharma. The key here lies in the two Chinese characters ‘not realising’—seeing quiescence and not taking realisation is the place where the bodhisattva and the two vehicles part ways. Why can patience accomplish this not-realising? Because not realising is exactly the hardest thing of all to bear: nirvāṇa is before one's eyes and one does not enter it; this is practising great patience with regard to dharmas. The last sentence of the sūtra text further sets out its reason: 「不取不捨故」 tr. "because of neither taking nor giving up"—not taking quiescence, and not giving up quiescence either; both sides are left behind, and prajñā is then accomplished. This sentence also concludes the five groups of the gate of patience.
6. Abiding in vigour, taking up giving—passing through worlds without obtaining a single person, and still not lazy. The gate of vigour first brings out the mark of giving. The bodhisattva abides in vigour, 「身心精進，不懈不息」 tr. "with vigour of body and of mind, not lazy, not resting", thinking: I must certainly obtain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi, and should not fail to obtain it. For the sake of benefiting beings, he goes one yojana, and so on up to passing through hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭi of worlds; this group and the third group look like repetition, but in fact they complete each other as obverse and reverse: that one is being able, because of patience, to travel far for one person; this one supposes that he travels far and 「不能得一人」 tr. "cannot obtain one person" to teach and cause to enter the Buddha path, or obtains only one person to teach to practise the ten wholesome paths, and is still 「精進不懈」 tr. "vigorous and not lazy", causing him to be fulfilled with the gift of Dharma and the gift of wealth. The crucial point is that the worst outcome has already been allowed for in advance—even if not a single person is delivered, he walks on just the same. Vigour as vigour is not tied to whether there is a fruit or not; and precisely because it is not tied to the fruit, the gift of Dharma and the gift of wealth given to others are truly pure giving.
7. Abiding in vigour, taking up morality—the fourfold: not doing it oneself, teaching others not to do it, praising the dharma, praising the person. The gate of vigour turns out the mark of morality: himself not killing, not teaching others to kill, 「讚不殺生法，歡喜讚歎不殺生者」 tr. "praising the dharma of not killing, and joyfully praising those who do not kill"; and so on up to the single item of wrong views, likewise with the fourfold complete. One precept opens into four matters—upholding it oneself, urging others, praising its dharma, praising its people; this is exactly the mark of vigour upon morality: morality could of itself guard only one's own person, and vigour pushes it on until it pervades others, pervades the dharma, pervades persons. What follows further states his aim: not seeking the merit of the three realms, not seeking the ground of the two vehicles, and at dedication not giving rise to three kinds of mind—「不見迴向者，不見迴向法，不見迴向處」 tr. "he does not see that there is one who dedicates, does not see that there is a dharma of dedicating, does not see that there is a place to which it is dedicated". Read these three sentences against the three questions of the second group: that one makes them vanish by questioning, this one makes them vanish by not seeing; the words differ and the meaning is the same.
8. Abiding in vigour, taking up patience—the thought ‘Who is it that cuts me?’ and the thought that the body he took is being taken back. The gate of vigour turns out the mark of patience: if a human or a non-human comes and cuts him apart joint by joint, the bodhisattva thinks: 「割我者誰？截我者誰？奪我者誰？」 tr. "Who is it that cuts me? Who is it that severs me? Who is it that robs me?" And then he forms a second thought: 「我大得善利，我為眾生故受身，眾生還自來取。」 tr. "I greatly obtain the good benefit; it is for the sake of beings that I took a body, and beings come back of themselves to take it." The first thought breaks the self; the later thought turns harm into giving—this body was originally taken for the sake of beings, and beings today come of themselves to take it for use: it is precisely a thing returning to its original owner. After the two thoughts, 「是時菩薩正憶念諸法實相」 tr. "at this time the bodhisattva rightly recollects the real mark of all dharmas". The crucial point is that the patience of this group is not suppression: first, by questioning, it breaks the self that undergoes; then, by the original vow, it releases the matter undergone; last, it abides securely in the real mark; the three layers go in sequence, each deeper than the last, and all three require effort, and so it is tied to the gate of vigour.
9. Abiding in vigour, taking up meditation—holding the concentrations without receiving their retribution, and being born where he benefits beings. The gate of vigour turns out the mark of meditation: he enters the four dhyānas, the four immeasurable minds, and so on up to the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception, and yet 「持是禪、無量心、無色定，不受果報」 tr. "he holds these dhyānas, immeasurable minds, and formless absorptions, yet does not receive their retribution"; he is born in a place where he benefits beings, brings beings to accomplishment with the six perfections, goes from one buddha-land to another buddha-land, draws near to the buddhas and makes offerings to them, and plants roots of goodness. The most important thing in this group is the four Chinese characters 「不受果報」 tr. "does not receive their retribution"—having cultivated and attained the four dhyānas and the eight concentrations, he ought by retribution to be born in the form realm or the formless realm, yet the bodhisattva does not receive this retribution, preferring to be born where he can be of use. Giving up the long-lived bliss of the heavens and taking up the conditions for delivering beings in the human world—this giving up is exactly what vigour does: concentration already accomplished, yet unwilling to rest, and so he does not receive its retribution.
10. Abiding in vigour, taking up prajñā—not seeing the dharma, not seeing the mark; what he does is as what he says. The gate of vigour turns out prajñā: he does not see the dharma of dānapāramitā and does not see the mark of dānapāramitā, and so on up to dhyānapāramitā likewise; the four foundations of mindfulness and so on up to the omniscience of all kinds—「亦不見法，亦不見相」 tr. "he neither sees their dharma nor sees their mark"; 「不見一切法，非法、非非法」 tr. "he does not see any dharma; it is not a dharma, and it is also not what is not a dharma", and within all dharmas he clings to nothing. The last sentence is especially important: 「是菩薩所作如所言。」 tr. "What this bodhisattva does is as what he says." All along the way before, it spoke of not seeing and of not clinging; if this were only grasped in the mouth, it would become empty talk; the sūtra text at once makes it solid with one sentence on word and deed agreeing—one who truly does not see will surely do as he says. The prajñā under the gate of vigour has its weight not on the height of understanding, but on understanding and practice not being two.
11. Abiding in meditation, taking up giving—with the mind not scattered, practising the two gifts. The gate of meditation first brings out the mark of giving: he enters the four dhyānas, the four immeasurable minds, and so on up to the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception, 「住禪波羅蜜中，心不亂」 tr. "abiding within dhyānapāramitā, his mind not scattered", and practises the two gifts to bestow on beings: the gift of Dharma and the gift of wealth; practising them himself, teaching others, praising their dharma, praising those who practise them—the fourfold complete. This group is of the same format as the fourfold of the seventh group, but what it is tied to differs: that one is tied to the pervasiveness of vigour, this one to the concentrated mind not being scattered. What giving fears most is a floating mind—when giving, reckoning how much, reckoning whether the receiver deserves it, reckoning fame; once the power of concentration is deep, these floating movements cease of themselves, and giving can then be pure. Concentration giving rise to giving does not mean doing, within concentration, a separate piece of homework called giving; it is only that where the mind is not scattered, giving is of itself without admixture.
12. Abiding in meditation, taking up morality—not giving rise to the minds of the three poisons, not giving rise to a mind of vexing others. The gate of meditation turns out the mark of morality, and the text is extremely brief: 「不生婬欲、瞋恚、愚癡心，不生惱他心，但修行一切智相應心。」 tr. "He does not give rise to a mind of lust, of hatred, or of delusion, does not give rise to a mind of vexing and harming others, and cultivates only the mind associated with omniscience." The marks of morality in the groups listed before are mostly set out in the text from matters of body and speech; this group alone sets it out from the mind—the morality of the gate of concentration is morality at the place where the mind has not yet arisen. The three poisons of lust, hatred, and delusion, and the mind of vexing others, are all subdued by meditative concentration; subdued and not arising—this is the highest grade of morality. And the last sentence especially must not be passed over: it is not only not giving rise to an evil mind; it is also 「但修行一切智相應心」 tr. "cultivating only the mind associated with omniscience"—beyond stopping evil there is also a direction, and only then does morality not fall into a dry guarding.
13. Abiding in meditation, taking up patience—the five aggregates like a mass of foam, a bubble, a mirage, a plantain tree, an illusion. The gate of meditation turns out the mark of patience: he contemplates form as like a mass of foam, feeling as like a bubble, perception as like a mirage, constructions as like a plantain tree, consciousness as like an illusion; when he contemplates thus, 「見五眾無堅固相」 tr. "he sees that the five aggregates have no mark of firmness", and then thinks: Who is it that cuts me? Who is it that severs me? Who is feeling, who is perception, who is constructions, who is consciousness? Who is it that reviles? Who is it that is reviled? Who gives rise to hatred? The five similes correspond one by one to the five aggregates and must not be lumped together vaguely: the mass of foam is a simile for form, heaped up and hollow; the bubble for feeling, arising in an instant and ceasing in an instant; the mirage for perception, which seen from afar looks like water and approached is nothing; the plantain tree for constructions, peeled layer by layer to the end with nothing real; the illusion for consciousness, appearing yet not existing. The five similes once clear, the six questions follow—from 「割我者誰」 tr. "Who is it that cuts me?" straight through to 「誰生瞋恚」 tr. "Who gives rise to hatred?", questioning into emptiness both the one who is angry and that at which he is angry. This group and the eighth group both begin with 「割我者誰」 tr. "Who is it that cuts me?", but that one breaks the self by questioning and turns the matter by the original vow, while this one first scatters the five aggregates with the five similes and then exhausts agent and object with the six questions; one is tied to vigour, the other to meditative concentration: their points of entry are clearly distinct.
14. Abiding in meditation, taking up vigour—grasping at marks to give rise to the five supernormal powers, and going to and fro among buddha-lands. The gate of meditation turns out vigour: having entered the four dhyānas, 「是諸禪及支，取相」 tr. "upon these dhyānas and their limbs he grasps at marks", and gives rise to the various supernormal powers—the supernormal power of going at will, walking on water as though on the ground and entering the earth as though entering water; the supernormal power of the divine ear, hearing the two kinds of sound, of gods and of humans; the supernormal power of knowing others' minds, knowing the collected mind, the distracted mind, and so on up to the surpassable mind and the unsurpassable mind; the supernormal power of former lives, recollecting various former lives; the supernormal power of the divine eye, seeing beings receive retribution according to their deeds. The bodhisattva abides in these five supernormal powers and goes from one buddha-world to another buddha-world, draws near to the buddhas and makes offerings to them, plants roots of goodness, brings beings to accomplishment, and purifies buddha-worlds. In this group one must attend to a usage that looks contradictory: the fourth group says 「諸禪及禪支皆不可得」 tr. "the dhyānas and the limbs of dhyāna are all unfindable", while this group says 「取相」 tr. "grasps at marks". The two do not obstruct each other—that one speaks with regard to dedication, and so they are unfindable; this one speaks with regard to giving rise to the powers, and so marks must be grasped. Supernormal powers arise by grasping at marks within concentration; that is how such dharmas are; grasping at marks to give rise to the powers, and, the powers accomplished, using them to go to and fro among buddha-lands and bring beings to accomplishment—this is exactly the matter of vigour. Concentration without grasping at marks has no powers; powers not used for beings have no vigour—take the two sentences together, and only then is the meaning of this group complete.
15. Abiding in meditation, taking up prajñā—not finding, and so not making; suchness, the mark of dharmas, and the nature of dharmas abiding constantly. The gate of meditation turns out prajñā: he does not find form or feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness, does not find the six perfections, does not find the four foundations of mindfulness and so on up to the omniscience of all kinds, does not find the conditioned nature or the unconditioned nature; 「不得故不作，不作故不生，不生故不滅」 tr. "because he does not find, he does not make; because he does not make, it does not arise; because it does not arise, it does not cease". These three sentences, pushing straight down one from another, are the bone of this group. And at the end it sets out its reason: 「有佛、無佛，是如、法相、法性常住、不生不滅。」 tr. "Whether there are buddhas or there is no buddha, this suchness, the mark of dharmas, and the nature of dharmas abide constantly, neither arising nor ceasing." Neither arising nor ceasing is not something cultivated into being; it is so from the beginning; what the bodhisattva does is only not falsely to find something to attain upon it. The closing sentence, 「常一心應薩婆若行」 tr. "he constantly practises with a single mind associated with sarvajñā"—practising in association with a single mind is exactly the true colour of the gate of meditation: prajñā here is understood not as contemplative wisdom but as concentration and wisdom not two.
16. Abiding in prajñā, taking up giving—within the fourteen emptinesses, the three things of giver, receiver, and wealth are empty. The gate of prajñā first brings out the mark of giving; of the twenty groups it is a long passage second only to the last group. First it sets out the meaning of emptiness: inner emptiness, and inner emptiness is unfindable; outer emptiness, inner-and-outer emptiness, the emptiness of emptiness, and so on up to the emptiness of all dharmas, and the emptiness of all dharmas is unfindable; the bodhisattva 「住是十四空中」 tr. "abides within these fourteen emptinesses", does not find the mark of form to be either empty or not empty, and so on up to not finding anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi to be either empty or not empty, does not find the conditioned nature or the unconditioned nature to be either empty or not empty. Here the double denial 「若空、若不空」 tr. "either empty or not empty" is the eye of the passage—not only is clinging to existence not allowed, even clinging to emptiness is not allowed. Next it enters giving: whatever he gives, food and drink, clothing, and the various things that sustain life, 「觀是布施空」 tr. "he contemplates this giving as empty", and he himself sets a question and answers it: 「何等空？施者、受者及財物空」 tr. "What is empty? The giver, the receiver, and the wealth are empty", and so the mind of stingy clinging does not arise. The crucial point lies in the ground given in what follows: the bodhisattva practising prajñā, 「從初發意乃至坐道場，無有妄想分別」 tr. "from the first arousing of intent until he sits at the seat of awakening, has no false thinking and discrimination"; just as the buddhas, when they obtain awakening, have no mind of stingy clinging, so too is the bodhisattva. The reason stinginess can be cut off is not holding it down so as not to be stingy; it is that the three things are already empty and stinginess has nowhere to cling. The last sentence, 「是菩薩所可尊者，般若波羅蜜」 tr. "what this bodhisattva honours is prajñāpāramitā"—within the one passage what is honoured lies only in prajñā, and giving is what issues from it.
17. Abiding in prajñā, taking up morality—because the ground of the two vehicles is unfindable, the mind for it does not arise. The gate of prajñā turns out the mark of morality: he does not give rise to the mind of the śrāvaka or the pratyekabuddha. Why does it not arise? The sūtra text answers for itself: 「聲聞、辟支佛地不可得，趣向聲聞、辟支佛心亦不可得。」 tr. "The ground of the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha is unfindable, and the mind that tends toward the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha is also unfindable." This takes a different direction from the 「不貪」 tr. "does not covet" of the second group—that one is not coveting in aspiration, this one is unfindability in principle; because it is unfindable there is nothing to tend toward, and without waiting for suppression the mind of itself does not arise. Below it the text of the fourfold ten wholesome paths is still given: himself not killing, not teaching others to kill, praising the dharma of not killing, joyfully praising those who do not kill, and so on up to the single item of wrong views. And the closing sentence sets out its utmost: 「以是持戒無法可取，若聲聞、若辟支佛地，何況餘法！」 tr. "With such upholding of the precepts there is not one dharma to be taken—not even the ground of the śrāvaka or of the pratyekabuddha, how much less the other dharmas!" Upholding the precepts with not one dharma to be taken—here the mark of morality is entirely pure; not taking even the highest fruit-positions of the two vehicles, let alone the rest.
18. Abiding in prajñā, taking up patience—within dharmas there is no one who receives cutting and severing, and yet beings undergo suffering and vexation. The gate of prajñā turns out the mark of patience: acceptance in accord with the Dharma arises, and he thinks that within this Dharma there is no dharma that either rises or ceases, either is born or dies, either receives reviling or harsh speech, either is cut or severed, either is broken, bound, beaten, or killed. The bodhisattva, from the first arousing of intent until he sits at the seat of awakening, even if he meets all beings reviling him with harsh speech, and with knives, staves, tiles, and stones cutting, severing, and injuring him, 「心不動」 tr. "his mind is unmoved". And the most moving point of this group is the last thought: 「甚可怪！此諸法中無有法受罵詈、惡口、割截、傷害者，而眾生受苦惱！」 tr. "How strange! Within these dharmas there is not one dharma that receives reviling, harsh speech, cutting and severing, or injury, and yet beings are undergoing suffering and vexation!" The first half is the seeing of prajñā—within dharmas there is really no one harmed; the second half is the feeling of kindness and compassion—and yet beings, of all things, are suffering. The two set side by side within one thought show precisely that the bodhisattva's patience is not cold: seeing that dharmas are non-self does not obstruct seeing that beings truly suffer, and what is strange is exactly this layer of dislocation. If there were only the first half, one would fall into one-sided emptiness; if only the second half, it would be the same as ordinary feeling.
19. Abiding in prajñā, taking up vigour—teaching the Dharma for beings without abiding in the two natures. The gate of prajñā turns out vigour: he teaches the Dharma for beings, causing them to practise the six perfections, teaching them to practise the four foundations of mindfulness and so on up to the eightfold noble path, causing them to obtain the four fruits and the pratyekabuddha path, causing them to obtain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi. The dharmas taught go from shallow to deep, the fruits obtained from the first fruit to the Buddha-fruit, set out fully all the way—this is exactly the pervasiveness of vigour. And the closing sentence makes a turn: 「不住有為性中，不住無為性中。」 tr. "He does not abide in the conditioned nature, nor does he abide in the unconditioned nature." Teaching the Dharma and delivering beings, with its matters in profusion, is the conditioned; and what prajñā abides in is neither conditioned nor unconditioned. Once these two sentences stand, none of the matters of transforming others listed before become bonds any longer—not abiding in the conditioned, he is not burdened by matters; not abiding in the unconditioned, he does not abandon beings. The vigour under the gate of prajñā has its force here.
20. Abiding in prajñā, taking up meditation—the eight liberations, the nine successive absorptions, the lion's rousing, the leaping samādhi. The gate of prajñā last brings out the mark of meditation; this is also the end of the twenty groups, and its text is the most detailed. First the general heading: apart from the samādhi of the buddhas, all the other samādhi—the samādhi of the śrāvakas, of the pratyekabuddhas, of the bodhisattvas—he 「皆行、皆入」 tr. "practises them all and enters them all". Next it lists the eight liberations one by one: with the mark of form within, contemplating form outside is the first; without the mark of form within, contemplating form outside is the second; the pure liberation, realised in the body, is the third; passing beyond the marks of form, extinguishing the marks of resistance, and entering the sphere of immeasurable space is the fourth; passing beyond the sphere of space and entering the sphere of boundless consciousness is the fifth; passing beyond the sphere of consciousness and entering the sphere of nothing whatsoever is the sixth; passing beyond the sphere of nothing whatsoever and entering the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception is the seventh; passing beyond the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception and entering the sphere of the cessation of feeling and perception is the eighth. Next it lists the nine successive absorptions: departing from desire, departing from all evil and unwholesome dharmas, and so on up to passing beyond the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception and entering the absorption of the cessation of feeling and perception, entered and left in reverse and forward order. Relying on these two he enters the samādhi of the lion's rousing: from the first dhyāna in sequence upward straight into the absorption of the cessation of feeling and perception, then from the absorption of the cessation of feeling and perception back into the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception, withdrawing step by step down to the first dhyāna—going up and down and back without skipping a step, like the rousing and wheeling of a lion. Relying on the samādhi of the lion's rousing he enters the leaping samādhi: first from below in sequence up to the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception and into the absorption of the cessation of feeling and perception; after that it no longer goes in sequence—rising from the absorption of the cessation of feeling and perception he returns into the first dhyāna, rising from the first dhyāna he enters the absorption of the cessation of feeling and perception; rising from the absorption of cessation he returns into the second dhyāna, rising from the second dhyāna he enters the absorption of cessation; so too the third dhyāna, the fourth dhyāna, the sphere of space, the sphere of consciousness, the sphere of nothing whatsoever, the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception, each going back and forth with the absorption of cessation; and so on up to the absorption of cessation and the scattered mind entering one another, and again from the scattered mind entering the higher absorptions step by step and returning to abide in the scattered mind, withdrawing all the way from the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception down to the first dhyāna. The sūtra text here does not weary of listing them one by one, precisely because leaping as leaping lies in these real traces, leap after leap; abridge them and only a name remains. The closing sentence, 「得諸法等相」 tr. "obtains the mark of the equality of dharmas"—the absorptions are far apart in height, yet entering and leaving them is unobstructed, and in the practitioner's mind there is no longer high or low to be found: this is the mark of equality. And what makes it possible is tied to prajñā; therefore this group closes with meditation, yet its master is still prajñā. With this the twenty groups are finished.
Do Not Misread
Do not read the twenty groups as twenty repetitions of the same sentence. The frame is by and large one and the same—the present practice of the perfection in which he abides, and the matters of the other perfections born along with it; the sentence of dedication to awakening is in half the groups, and the sealing name is in all twenty groups; yet the flesh and blood differ group by group: all alike take up giving, but the gate of patience takes it up in still thinking of giving food while being cut and severed; the gate of vigour takes it up in, even without obtaining a single person, still causing fulfilment with the two gifts of Dharma and wealth; the gate of meditation takes it up in practising the two gifts with the mind not scattered; the gate of prajñā takes it up in the three things all being empty and the mind of stinginess not arising. If one reads it as repetition and skims past, one commits precisely the fault this chapter least allows—the sūtra text lists every permutation precisely so that one may see clearly that for one matter the four gates each have their own point of entry.
Do not read 「取」 tr. "take up" as doing another piece of homework. The perfection taken up in the twenty groups is never another practice started outside the perfection in which he abides; it is a face brought out of itself when the perfection in which he abides turns. Patience going deep, the mind of giving opens of itself; vigour at its utmost, it passes through everywhere without weariness; meditation at the point of concentration, all goodness gets practised; prajñā at the very bottom, all practices are pure. If one reads it as ‘first abide in this perfection, then cultivate that perfection’, one reads ‘containing one another’ as ‘succeeding one another’, and the meaning of the sūtra text is entirely lost.
Do not use the fourth group's 「諸禪及禪支皆不可得」 tr. "the dhyānas and the limbs of dhyāna are all unfindable" to refute the fourteenth group's 「是諸禪及支，取相」 tr. "upon these dhyānas and their limbs he grasps at marks". The two sentences stand in different positions: one speaks with regard to dedication, and so they are unfindable—if one forms the thought that the concentration attained really exists, the dhyāna becomes a retribution within the three realms; one speaks with regard to giving rise to the powers, and so marks must be grasped—supernormal powers arise by grasping at marks within concentration; that is how such dharmas are. To challenge this with that, or that with this, is in either case to mix up differing positions into a contradiction.
Do not read the second group's 「三種心」 tr. "three kinds of mind" and the first group's 「二心」 tr. "two kinds of mind" as unevenness in the sūtra text. The two kinds of mind are: who is the one who dedicates, and to where it is dedicated; the three kinds of mind add one more question, 「用何法迴向」 tr. "with what dharma is it dedicated". This is argued by increasing the number at a given place, not a difference of present and absent—the person who dedicates, the dharma used, and the place towards which it goes: all three things must originally vanish; the earlier group raises two of them, the later group gives all three; the reader must not on this ground judge the sūtra text inconsistent from front to back.
Do not read the sixteenth group's 「十四空」 tr. "fourteen emptinesses" as a fixed number of emptinesses. This sūtra usually speaks of the eighteen emptinesses; here it lists only inner emptiness, outer emptiness, inner-and-outer emptiness, the emptiness of emptiness, and so on up to the emptiness of all dharmas, and calls them fourteen; the number is set according to what this passage uses, which suffices for the matter, and there is no need to seek further to complete the list. The opening and closing of emptiness differ from place to place; to cling to one fixed number becomes, on the contrary, a new attaining.
Do not read the eighteenth group's 「甚可怪」 tr. "How strange!" as a rhetorical counter-question in the manner of debate. This phrase is not the tone of argument; it is the bodhisattva's exclamation of wonder on seeing the dislocation for himself—within dharmas there is really no one harmed, and yet beings really are suffering. Seeing the first half and losing the second, one falls into one-sided emptiness; seeing the second half and losing the first, it is the same as ordinary feeling. Only when the two halves are together in a single thought is it the patience within the gate of prajñā.
Bearing on Practice
First recognise which gate you yourself abide in. The twenty groups do not ask a person to do all of them; they give you a table for comparison: one whose nature leans to patience gives rise to the other five from patience; one whose nature leans to vigour gives rise to them from vigour; meditation and prajñā likewise. Rather than spreading effort evenly and going deep nowhere, it is better to recognise the one perfection in which you yourself are most effective, and from that gate bring out the other five—this is exactly the practical use that the sūtra text's ‘abiding in one perfection and taking up the five perfections’ gives to practitioners.
When giving, first ask whether the three things have fallen empty. The sixteenth group gives the best place to set one's hand: when giving, only contemplate that the giver, the receiver, and the wealth are all unfindable, and the mind of stingy clinging has nowhere to take root. There is no need first to fight the stingy mind head-on; only see the three things as empty, and stinginess loses its support of itself. Practising this for long, look back at those moments of ‘I cannot let this go’: most often, one of the three things was being taken as real.
When vexed by someone, take the two roads of the gate of patience and the gate of prajñā. The road of the gate of patience is the eighth group: first ask 「割我者誰」 tr. "Who is it that cuts me?", removing the self that undergoes; then think that this body was originally taken for the sake of beings, and now beings come of themselves to take it for use. The road of the gate of prajñā is the eighteenth group: see that within this Dharma there is not one dharma undergoing reviling, cutting, and severing, and then towards beings' undergoing suffering give rise to the compassionate thought 「甚可怪」 tr. "How strange!". The former is near, the latter deep; whichever gives strength right now, use that one; there is no need to force oneself to the deeper.
When states appear in the course of practice, remember the difference in position between 「皆不可得」 tr. "all unfindable" and 「取相」 tr. "grasps at marks". The pure mind and mental-factor dharmas attained within concentration are all, without exception, dedicated to sarvajñā and not thought of as really existing—this is the teaching of the fourth group; if, for the benefit of others, one must set a function going, then grasp at marks to give rise to the function, and there is no need to suspect oneself of clinging to marks—this is the teaching of the fourteenth group. The criterion is only one: is what one does for enjoying the state oneself, or for going to and fro among buddha-lands and bringing beings to accomplishment?
When doing things for the benefit of others brings no result, do not lessen the practice. The sixth group says it most clearly—even having passed through hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭi of worlds, he still 「不能得一人」 tr. "cannot obtain one person" to teach and cause to enter the Buddha path, or obtains only one person to teach to practise the ten wholesome paths, and is still vigorous and not lazy, causing him to be fulfilled with the gift of Dharma and the gift of wealth. Examine yourself by this: if one becomes lazy because there is no result, what one was practising was originally a mind seeking results, not the perfection of vigour.
Check the mind of transforming others by 「不住有為性中，不住無為性中」 tr. "He does not abide in the conditioned nature, nor does he abide in the unconditioned nature". When one has done much teaching of the Dharma and delivering of beings, one is easily burdened by matters and grows weary—this is abiding in the conditioned; withdrawing to guard stillness and being too lazy to respond to others is abiding in the unconditioned. The nineteenth group sets both sides aside together—not abiding in matters, one is not burdened; not abiding in stillness, one does not abandon people. In the midst of daily dealings, let these two sentences shine on one at all times.
Further Resonances
The Middle Part is purely sūtra text; the pattern of twenty groups of mutual containing is here listed in full, while the treatise-author's explanation waits for the Last Part. The First Part has already set up its outline—because of the power of skilful means, practising one contains five; because the causes and conditions of conditioned dharmas continue one into another, they complete one another; one perfection is taken as the master and the other perfections have a share; what the Middle Part does is to make this outline solid, one by one, upon the four gates of patience, vigour, meditation, and prajñā. As for why the treatise-author takes only one perfection as the master, the difference in what householder bodhisattvas and bodhisattvas who have gone forth practise, and the six rounds of general-mark text in which each of the six perfections is taken as the head and each is complete with all six perfections within a single thought—all of these are in the Last Part, and are not anticipated here.
Among the ancient masters' divisions and explanations of this chapter, Jizang's Commentary on the Larger Sūtra is concise and very much to the point: from this chapter on, it says, it 「明一一行中具足眾行」 tr. "makes clear that within each single practice all practices are complete", and he himself sets up a question and answer to settle the meaning of the containing—「問：此中是何物攝耶？答：此是相生攝，以本攝末。」 tr. "Question: what kind of containing is this here? Answer: this is containing by mutual generation, the root containing the branches." The single phrase ‘containing by mutual generation’ can precisely resolve this unit's doubt about the character 「取」 tr. "take up": what is taken up arises by mutual generation out of what one abides in; it is not taking some separate thing. Jizang further distinguishes the containing of this chapter from the containing of the earlier chapter "Eloquence": the earlier one makes clear mutual containing, wishing by the many merits of the manifold practices to accomplish its power together, showing the great force of adornment; the present one makes clear the arising of all practices within each single perfection, in order to show skilful means—one shows power and function, one shows skilful means, and so the positions of the containing in the two chapters become clear.
Huiying's Commentary, explaining this fascicle, divides out its format passage by passage for this unit, judging the part from 「須菩提白佛言」 tr. "Subhūti addressed the Buddha" onward as 「第三、次明以忍為頭攝生諸波羅蜜義」 tr. "Third, next making clear the meaning of taking patience as the head, containing and giving rise to the perfections", and analysing the group of abiding in patience and taking up giving into three layers: cutting apart joint by joint and so on is the meaning of patience; from ‘he has this thought: I should give’ and so on onward makes clear the meaning of giving arising because of patience; from ‘he holds this merit’ and so on up to ‘does not give rise to two kinds of mind’ onward makes clear its meaning as pāramitā; and with one sentence he runs through all twenty groups—「一一波羅蜜相生攝中，盡於具足有此三意義也。」 tr. "Within the containing by mutual generation of each single perfection, all without exception fully have these three meanings." Every group of this unit can be read by these three layers. On the difference between the two kinds of mind and the three kinds, he says 「所以上明二心，今云三種者，為作增數辯之」 tr. "The reason that above it makes clear two kinds of mind and now speaks of three kinds is that it argues by increasing the number"; on the fourteen emptinesses, he says 「今者此中說十四空，始從內空至一切法空，於事為足，更不須故，但云十四也」 tr. "Now here fourteen emptinesses are spoken of, beginning from inner emptiness up to the emptiness of all dharmas; for the matter this suffices and no more is needed, and so it says only fourteen"; on the difference between the leaping samādhi and the lion's rousing, he says that the rousing is entering in sequence from below upward and coming back down in sequence from above, while the leaping is going up in sequence from below and, once having entered the top, leaping from above into the lower, and again leaping from below into the higher, entering and leaving in sequence and by leaps; and he records the limit of the two vehicles—「二乘但能超一，不能爾也」 tr. "The two vehicles can only leap over one; they cannot do this"; finally, on the sentence 「得諸法等相」 tr. "obtains the mark of the equality of dharmas" he judges: 「明其波羅蜜義也」 tr. "it makes clear its meaning as pāramitā". Divisions and explanations of this kind by the various masters are recorded in this exposition without judging which is better or worse.
六度相攝品之下The Six Perfections Contain One Another, Part 3 of 3
全文五層 →Full five layers →六度相攝品之下：一主五伴何以是修行的因緣次第，相生之攝何以不是次第之生，而六度終歸一念中一時具足
在問什麼
前兩分中的經文，佛依須菩提之問，把『住一波羅蜜取餘五』的三十組排列一組一組說盡：住檀取五、住尸羅取五在之上，住羼提、住毘梨耶、住禪、住般若各取五在之中。經文說得整齊，讀者卻會生一個最素樸的疑：六度既然是六，為什麼講攝的時候，非要先立一個為「主」，其餘五個為『所取』？若六度本來平等，這個「主」豈不是多出來的？之下這一分，開口第一句就是這個問——「何以但一波羅蜜為主」——而論主的答，只有七個字：「行因緣次第應爾」。
這七個字是整分的鑰匙。它把「主」從法的高下移到人的位次：不是檀波羅蜜比尸羅波羅蜜尊貴，而是這個人此刻站在哪裡。在家菩薩有財、知罪福、有慈悲，站在施的位次上，所以施是他的主；出家菩薩無財，站在戒忍禪的位次上，所以戒忍禪是他的主。主者，次第所宜而已。一旦看清這一層，三十組排列就不再是一張枯燥的方陣表，而是三十條從不同起點通向同一處的路。
順著這把鑰匙，這一分要處理的難處就接連出現。第一難最要緊：忍辱之中不作惡，本來就是戒，何必另說「住忍取戒」？應當倒過來，住戒攝忍才對。論主的答是全分的體例綱領——「此中說相，不說次第相生」。次第相生講的是先後，相攝講的是各各之相在一處和合；混了這兩者，整品就讀不下去。第二難在住毘梨耶取禪一段：既說精進生禪，何以又列出四五類『雖有精進而不名從精進生』的得禪？答案是「多處受名」——名字隨多分而立，不隨有無而立。第三難在住般若一段：佛既已廣說，論主為何還連發五問？那五問——十八空何以不說後四、何以說菩薩如諸佛無貪著心、此既是無生忍何以言柔順忍、超越三昧何以能超二、阿毘曇何以不足據——條條都是拿聲聞教法的尺去量菩薩法時必然卡住的地方。
最後一段轉得最大。論主把相生之攝說完之後，另起一路：「一念中能行六波羅蜜」。前半講的是甲生乙，是因果相續；後半講的是甲之中當下即具足六，不待相生。同一個布施，其中如法捨財是檀、不向二乘是戒、不動心是忍、不休息是進、不散亂是禪、三輪不可得是般若——六度不是六件事排隊做完，是一件事上六個面同時成就。這一路論主連說六番：住施、住戒、住忍、住精進、住禪、住般若，各以一度為頭而六度俱足，末以一句收盡全品——「一心中一時能具足六波羅蜜」。之上之中的三十組是橫說，這裡是豎收；橫說盡處，方知一時具足。
逐段解明
一、何以但一波羅蜜為主：行因緣次第應爾。 開分第一問便是全品最該問的問：既言相攝，何必立主？論主之答不從法性上答，從修行因緣上答——「行因緣次第應爾」。此答先要防一種誤讀：以為「主」是尊卑之判，於是去爭六度孰高孰下。論主的意思恰相反：主是位次，不是位階。你此刻從哪一度起手，那一度便是你的主；換一個人、換一個時節，主就換了。讀懂這一句，下文三十組纔不會讀成三十條死條文。
二、菩薩有二種：在家、出家——次第所宜故名為主。 論主隨即把這抽象之答落到具體的兩種人身上。在家菩薩因福德因緣而大富，大富便成了求佛道的因緣；既有財物，又知罪福，又於眾生有慈悲心，三事具足，所以宜先行布施，再隨次第因緣行其餘諸度。出家菩薩無財，次第所宜便是持戒、忍辱、禪定。末後一句下得極重：「除財施，餘波羅蜜皆出家人所宜行。」此處要排一個誤：不是說出家人不施，是說出家人所行之施不在財；財施之外，法施無畏施乃至餘度，仍是出家所宜。落到自身，這一段是一句最實用的話——先看清自己站在哪一種因緣裡，再決定從哪一度起手，勝過空論六度平等。
三、住忍為主而取檀：以身為施，不惜不瞋。 論主先立菩薩以羼提為主所發之願：若人來截割身體，不應生瞋心，因為我今行菩薩道，應具足諸波羅蜜。接著點出關節：諸波羅蜜中檀最在初，而檀中所重惜者莫過於身；能以身施人，不惜是檀、不瞋是忍——一事之中二度俱成，這就是『以忍攝檀』的實義。此處要看清「不惜」與「不瞋」是兩個動作落在同一件事上，不是先忍後施、也不是先施後忍。
四、施而遇逆：不以小惡因緣而生廢退。 論主續說一個更常見的場景：菩薩住忍辱中，盡以衣食等物給與眾生，受者反而逆罵打害，破其施、破其忍。菩薩於此作念——不應為虛誑之身毀波羅蜜道，我應布施，不應生惡心，不以小惡因緣而生廢退。末句最要緊：「是菩薩命未盡間，增益施心；若命終時，二波羅蜜力故，即生好處，續行布施。」施忍二力不只成就此生一事，還接續來生。此段排一個誤：以為受者辱罵便是施緣已壞；論主之意是，正在此處施忍二度纔真正合為一力。
五、住忍取尸羅之問：何以不倒過來說住戒攝忍。 這是全分第一個正式問答，也是體例上的綱領。問者立難得很實在：住忍辱時不為惡即是戒，何必更說住忍取戒？應當住戒攝忍纔合次第。論主之答只兩句而定全品讀法——「此中說相，不說次第相生。雖和合而各各有相；若次第法，應先戒後忍。」隨後給出忍戒之相的分界：「戒」名不奪他命，「忍」名不自惜命。一者對他，一者對己；所對既異，所以在忍辱之中仍須別說戒相。讀者於此該立一條總則：凡讀相攝之文，不可拿次第之尺去量。
六、忍戒之別一：自攝其心與不惱眾生。 論主再從心行上分。忍是自攝其心、不起瞋恚；持戒則有二種——一者不惱眾生，二者自為，因為戒是生禪定的根本。接著舉一個很細的人：有菩薩行忍辱而未受持戒法，只因畏罪而忍，還不能深憐愍眾生；這人或從師聞、或自思惟——持戒是佛道因緣、不嬈眾生，我既已能忍辱，行此事便容易了。論主結曰：這就是「忍辱能取尸羅波羅蜜」。此段最堪玩味處在「則行此事易」五字：忍之既成，戒便順手；相攝之攝，攝在這個「易」字上。
七、忍戒之別二：心數法與色法。 論主換一個判準再分：忍辱是心數法，持戒是色法。持戒名心生、口說、受持三事俱備；忍辱但是心生，不是受持之法。此判甚細，卻不可錯讀為貶忍——不是說忍不如戒鄭重，是說二者所依的體性本異，所以在一處和合時仍各有其相。
八、忍戒之別三：身口清淨與意清淨。 第三個判準最簡：身、口清淨名持戒，意清淨名忍辱。三判並列——所對之境、所依之體、所淨之業——忍戒之異至此說盡。讀者可自此學一個法：辨兩個近義的法相時，不必只找一個判準，多立幾個角度，界線自然分明。
九、禪智亦是心清淨法，何以但說忍辱。 這是第二個問答。問得順：既以「意清淨」定忍辱，禪波羅蜜、般若波羅蜜也同樣清淨心意，何以此處只說忍？論主答只一句半——「禪、智力大故不說；持戒時心未能清淨，須忍辱守心故。」此答含一個很體貼的觀察：持戒階段的心還粗，禪智之力用不上，能護住這口氣的正是忍。落到用功上，戒期未穩之時，不必急著求定求慧，先把忍守住。
十、此經中自說因緣：利根菩薩世世增益不墮惡處。 論主引經文自說之因緣為證：有菩薩大功德、智慧、利根，於現在佛所發心行諸波羅蜜，所以世世增益，乃至阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，中間不墮惡處；為這樣的菩薩故說「從初發心乃至坐道場，不生瞋心奪眾生命，亦不著二乘」。論主結曰：皆是二波羅蜜功德故。此處排一誤：不可讀成凡菩薩皆不墮惡處，經文所指是「大功德、智慧、利根」而於現在佛所發心者，限定甚明。
十一、離三種心，迴向阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。 論主拈出迴向之相：離三種心而迴向。三心者，無人、無法、無迴向處，無有我心、顛倒心。三輪既空，迴向纔是波羅蜜之迴向。此一句雖短，卻是整品『相攝』何以能成波羅蜜的底：離此三心，一度取五度也只是善法相資，不成波羅蜜。
十二、住忍取毘梨耶：不以久遠勤苦為難，一人相即一切人相。 論主釋精進之相：自集功德、度眾生，發心不懈乃至成辦其事；遇遮道因緣，心不沒、不退，能堪受眾苦，不以久遠勤苦為難。隨引經說：菩薩乃至過千萬由旬，乃至不得一人令入實法得涅槃，是時心亦不愁；若得一人令持五戒等，爾時心歡喜。並排一種計較之念——不作「我過此無量國土，正得此一人」之愁苦。所以者何？「一人相即是一切人相，一切人相即是一人相，是諸法相不二故。」此一句是全段之眼：不愁不是硬撐，是見得諸法相不二，所以多寡之計無處可生。
十三、住忍取禪：忍力故心調柔，心調柔故易得禪定。 這一段短而路徑分明：忍辱力故其心調柔，心調柔故易得禪定，於禪定中得慈悲等諸清淨心、心數法，皆以不著心迴向阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。三個「故」字串成一條鏈，末後仍歸不著與迴向。修行上最堪記取的是中間一環——調柔。求定不得的人，多半不是不夠用功，是心還不柔。
十四、住忍取般若：二忍互成，不見三事，不證實際。 這是住忍一組中最長最深的一段。論主先鋪路徑：住眾生忍、忍一切眾生加惡、行大慈悲，故得大福德；得大福德故心柔軟；心柔軟故易得法忍，所謂一切畢竟無生。住是法忍中，觀一切法空相、離相、無盡、寂滅相，如涅槃相。妙處在下一轉——「爾時，還增長眾生忍」：得了法忍反過來養眾生忍，因為畢竟空中誰有罵者、誰有害者。二忍既具，故不見三事：忍法、忍者、忍處。末後又一轉，把畢竟空從死地救出：本願求佛道，不著是畢竟空法故，乃至未坐道場不證實際。此段要排的誤最大：以為觀空到底就該取證。論主偏在最空處立一個『不著空』，纔有坐道場、具足佛法、轉法輪、隨意利益眾生——「皆是般若波羅蜜力」。
十五、住精進取檀：精進更無異體。 轉入第二組。論主先立精進之位：菩薩初用精進門入諸波羅蜜中，勤行五波羅蜜，身心精進，不休不息。隨即下一句極重要的斷語——「精進更無異體。」精進不是與其餘五度並立的第六件事，它是遍在五度之中的那股不休息之力。其下續說：住是精進中，不畏阿鼻泥梨苦，何況餘苦；又知一切法畢竟空，從畢竟空出，以慈悲心故還起善業、不取涅槃，這就是精進力。讀者於此該改一個常見的想像：精進不等於忙碌，從畢竟空中肯回頭做事，纔是精進之極。
十六、過百千國土而不得一人，心亦不悔不沒。 論主續鋪這一段的實事：菩薩住精進中應作是念——我久久必應當得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，不應不得。於是過一由旬乃至百千由旬，以財法二施惠施眾生；乃至過百千萬億國土，正使不得一人入三乘，心亦不悔不沒，不作「我爾所佛土而不得一人可度，云何可得度一切人」之念。或得一人可令行十善而不中入三乘，也不因此輕悔，反作念：我今並使此人行十善道，漸以三乘而度脫之。教十善已，復以財法二施滿足眾生，持是功德迴向阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。此段與第十二段參看，一在忍門一在進門，同是不計多寡；而此處多出一層——退而求其次仍是次第，不是失敗。
十七、一切布施皆以精進，何以但言此二施從精進生。 第三個問答，問得極細：既然一切布施都要用到精進，何以獨說這財法二施是從精進生？論主之答只一句——「雖一切施皆由精進生，此以多精進力生故。」並引經為證：過百千國土，以二施滿足眾生。此答立下一條通則：法之受名，隨多分而立，不隨有無而立。這條通則下文釋禪一段還要再用一次，讀者宜先記住。
十八、住精進取尸羅：四十種善道，不休不息。 論主釋戒：菩薩直行十善道，即名尸羅波羅蜜；或從忍辱等波羅蜜生。若從初發心乃至坐道場，捨十不善道、行四十種善道、不休不息，這纔叫精進波羅蜜力。隨下一句反顯其難——「有人一種不能行，何況四種！」又以尸羅之力故不生三界、不受二乘；並點明所以然：眾生以懈怠煩惱心故生三界中，厭惡生死故捨佛道取小乘，此皆是懈怠相。此處要看清論主的判法：捨大取小，在他看來不是志向小，是懈怠。
十九、住精進取羼提：今從精進生忍辱。 論主釋忍：菩薩從初發心乃至坐道場，若人若非人來割截身體持去；爾時破我顛倒、善集畢竟空故作念——此中無有割者、截者，是事皆是凡夫虛誑所見；我得大利，我知諸法實相時能入涅槃，但為憐愍眾生故受身，眾生自來取去，我不應惜。深入諸法實相之後，續一句極溫厚的話：「此中無有定相，眾生自生怖畏。」最後分出忍與進：能忍罵詈打害者是忍，歡喜不退者是精進；二法或從精進生忍辱、或從忍辱生精進，「今從精進生忍辱」。末四字是本段的定位語——同一對法，在此組中方向如此，在住忍一組中方向相反，正是相攝之文與次第之文不同的又一證。
二十、住精進取禪：諸緣得禪，唯與心鬪一類名從精進生。 這是全分最長的一段辨析，也是「多處受名」一則通則的正面示範。論主列出諸種得禪之緣：一、自然得，如劫盡時；二、退得、生得；三、上地生下地得——此三皆不從精進生。四、因大布施破慳貪等五蓋而得；五、持戒清淨、修集忍辱因小厭心而得；六、大智慧力知欲界無常虛誑不淨而得——此三雖亦有精進，但更因餘法得禪，故不名從精進生。論主於此順手補一句禪之實情：「禪定雖亦虛誑，猶勝欲界。」真正名為從精進生的是第七類：不因五法為主，但日夜精進、經行坐禪、常與心鬪，以信等五力深御五蓋，心若馳散便攝令還，如與賊鬪乃至流汗。又有第八類：鈍根宿罪所覆、深著世樂馳逸難制之人，深加精進爾乃得定。末以福人薄福人之喻收：安坐無事而福祿自至者名「福德自至」，勤設方便鬪戰乃得者名「精進而得」。結語一句最該記——「如是一切處雖有精進，多處受名。」
二十一、住精進取般若：除四波羅蜜所生般若，餘智慧多從精進生。 論主釋智：菩薩精進力故得禪波羅蜜，得禪波羅蜜故生菩薩神通力；二事因緣故以神通力遍至十方，未具足功德欲令具足，又欲教化一切眾生。隨下一句界定範圍——「除四波羅蜜所生般若，餘智慧多從精進生故，住精進為主，取智慧。」這一句正是「多處受名」在智門上的運用：不是說般若只從精進生，是說扣除其餘四度所生的那一分，剩下的多從精進生。末後又分般若為二：一者觀諸法實相，於一切法中不見法相、不見非法相；二者如所說行。而人以懈怠心故不能行此二事，精進力故能具足行。見與行二事同須精進，此是本段落地處。
二十二、住禪取五：密室然燈之喻，與化人說法。 住禪一組經文本廣，論主之釋卻極簡淨，一段之中五度俱收。先立總相：住禪波羅蜜中，心調柔不動，能觀察諸法實相；譬如密室然燈，光照明了——這就是「住禪波羅蜜生智慧」。次言不惱一切眾生、又加憐愍，是「甚深清淨持戒、忍辱」。次言以神通力變化財物具足布施、又遣化人為一切說法；又言從禪起以清淨柔軟心為眾生說法，是「布施」。次言因禪定力起神通，周至十方，導利一切而不懈息，是「精進」。又言因禪定令四波羅蜜增益，是「禪定生精進」。末以「餘義，如經廣說」收住。此段須排一誤：不可因論文簡短而以為住禪一組義理較淺；論主明言餘義在經，簡是因為經已廣說。
二十三、住般若取五：如經中佛自廣說。 論主於此一句帶過，不另立釋。這一句看似省文，其實是體例：經文既是佛自廣說，論主便不重覆，而把力氣全用在下面五個問答上——問的都是佛廣說之後仍會卡住的地方。讀者在此該轉一個念：論主不釋，未必是輕；有時正因為經文已足，所餘的只是疑。
二十四、十八空中何以不說四空。 第一問。問語先自陳其理——「佛雖廣說，其中猶有不解者，今當問」，態度極誠。所問是：十八空中何以不說後四空？論主答：第十四名一切法空，言一切者法無不盡，是故不說。此答極簡，卻立刻招來下一問。
二十五、若爾但應說十四，何以有十八。 第二問緊接而來，是很漂亮的一逼：既然一切法空已盡，那十八就成了贅數。論主的答分兩層：一層是「彼中分別一切法相空，一切空皆總入十八空」——十八是總說之數；一層是「此中為行者說」——此處是對機之數。行者或行一空、二空乃至十四空，隨本所著多少而定；唯有深著邪見者纔用其餘四空，因為有法、無法等是外道邪見，而此菩薩修慈悲、心柔軟故不生如是有無見。復次一轉更近：菩薩以十四空熏心故，於有無中了了不錯，是故不說後四空。此段要排的誤是把數目當定法：同一法門，總說與對機說，數可以不同而不相違。
二十六、何以說菩薩如諸佛無貪著心。 第三問。經中以佛況菩薩，問者覺得抬得太高。論主答得極分明：佛斷諸煩惱習不起，菩薩則以般若力制令不起——一是斷，一是制，體性本異。所以經文如此說，是「欲讚歎般若力故」：結使雖未斷，與佛斷無異，令人知貴般若。此段排一大誤：不可據此以為菩薩已同佛位。論主的判語只在「般若力故」四字上，讚的是法，不是人。
二十七、發心作是念：此中無有法若生若滅。 論主接錄經文所示之念——此中無有法若生、若滅，若受罵詈割截等。此一句是下一問的發端，單看是觀，連下看是難。
二十八、此即是無生忍，何以言柔順忍。 第四問，是全分最精細的一辨。問者說：既已觀無生無滅，那就是無生忍了，經何以只稱柔順忍？論主之答分三節。其一，此處所破的是五眾和合的假名眾生，還不能破法，所以經說「無生者滅者，無受罵詈者」——所無者是人，不是法。其二，這人雖已破我、雖觀法空，卻未能深入，猶有著法之愛。其三，以互舉顯其分際：如得無生忍法而仍有慈愍眾生，柔順忍中亦有念法空；二法之中，處眾生不可得名眾生忍，於法不可得名為法忍；「法忍者不妨眾生忍，眾生忍不妨法忍，但以深淺為別」。此段要排的誤是把二忍讀成兩條互斥之路；論主明言二者互不相妨，所別唯在深淺。
二十九、超越三昧不得超二，此中何以如是說。 第五問，直接拿阿毘曇之定說來難經。論主的答只五字為綱——「大小乘法異」。不超二者是小乘法中說；菩薩以無量福德智慧、深入禪定力故，能隨意超越。隨以一喻使之可解：如人力超躑不過丈數，若以天力超之，無廣遠之難。力量的量級一換，界限自然不同，這不是壞規矩，是規矩本來只為那個量級而立。
三十、阿毘曇皆為凡夫聲聞說，菩薩則不然。 論主把上一答再推一層，說出所以然：阿毘曇中皆為凡夫人、聲聞人說；菩薩不然，智慧力故入師子奮迅三昧，能於諸法得自在；般若力故，能隨意自在說諸法，應適眾生。此處要看清論主並非廢阿毘曇，是判其所被之機。凡引一部論來難一部經，先問這部論是為誰說的——這是本段留給讀者的方法。
三十一、復有菩薩多行般若，安住不動法中。 五問既畢，論主回到正面：復有菩薩多行般若波羅蜜，知諸法實相，安住不動法中，一切世間天及人無能難詰令傾動者。這一句既是上文五問的收，也是下文般若生五度之廣釋的起——難詰不動，方能於施戒忍進禪處處無礙。
三十二、般若生檀之一：施佛與施眾生等無異。 論主開始逐度廣釋。先說財施：若得財物布施二種眾生，或施佛或施眾生；以眾生空故其心平等，不貴著諸佛、不輕賤眾生。隨即說出兩邊之失——施貧賤人若起輕賤故福少，施諸佛若起貪著故福不具足。此一句最令人省：貪著佛而施，福竟不具足。其下更推到物上：若以金銀寶物及施草木，以法空故亦等無異；斷諸分別一異等諸妄想，入不二法門布施，是名財施。人空、法空兩重既立，施纔平等。
三十三、般若生檀之二：法施亦如是。 論主以同一理推法施：不貪貴有智能受法者，不輕無智不解法者。所以者何？佛法無量，不可說、不可思議故。又於所說之法上再平其心：若說布施等淺法，及說十二因緣、空、無相、無作等諸甚深法，等無異；「是法皆入寂滅不戲論法中故」。此段排一大誤：不可讀成深淺無別、可以隨意說淺。論主所平的是說者之心，不是法之機宜；心不貴深賤淺，而說法仍須應機。
三十四、如是等名「般若生布施」。 論主以一句結上二段。此類結語在本分屢見，讀者不必輕輕放過：每一句結語都是一條界樁，標明哪一段釋的是哪一句經文。
三十五、隨喜迴向，能與眾生福德分。 論主續舉般若所生之施的另一相：菩薩於十方三世諸佛及弟子所修三種功德隨喜，皆與一切眾生共之，迴向阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。並點出何以隨喜也算施——「智慧力故，無所不施，能與眾生福德分。」無物可施之時仍有可施，這是般若生檀最不佔資財的一門。
三十六、布施時生種種好心，一一破一煩惱。 這是般若生檀中最切於日用的一段。論主列出五對：慈心施故滅諸瞋恚；見受者得樂歡喜故滅嫉妬心；恭敬心施受者故破憍慢；了了信知布施果報故破疑及無明；不得與者受者定實故破有無等餘邪見。又立三觀：觀受者如佛，觀物如阿耨多羅三藐三菩提相，觀己身從本已來畢竟空。結曰：若如是布施，不虛誑故，直至阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。一次布施而諸煩惱一一有對治，這就是「拔出慳貪根本而行布施」的實義。
三十七、如是等相，名「般若波羅蜜生檀波羅蜜」。 又一句界樁，收住般若生檀之全帳。
三十八、般若生尸羅之一：非無眾生而能受持十善。 論主釋戒，起手便立一個容易被空見掃掉的分際：菩薩深入清淨般若波羅蜜故，並非沒有眾生而能受持十善等諸戒；欲破殺生顛倒故有不殺生戒，非實相中有。此一句兩面俱到：戒之所以立，是為破顛倒；而戒之能立，仍須有眾生在。空不礙戒，戒不立於實相之中而立於顛倒之待破處。
三十九、般若生尸羅之二：有量持戒與無分別戒。 論主以量顯無量：有人為百由旬眾生持不殺戒，有為一閻浮提眾生故持不殺戒，如是等為有量眾生持戒；或有一日持戒，或受五戒、十戒，如是等有量持戒。菩薩行般若則不然——為無量國土一切眾生故持戒，不為一世、二世，「如如、虛空、法性、實際住」；以畢竟空相故，不取是戒相，不憎破戒，不著持戒。結名「菩薩般若波羅蜜生具足無分別戒」。此段要記的是三個「不」：不取戒相、不憎破戒、不著持戒——持戒之人最難的一關不在破戒，在著戒。
四十、般若生羼提：得諸法忍，心無是非分別。 論主釋忍極簡：忍辱有二種，一者眾生忍，二者法忍。菩薩深入般若波羅蜜故得諸法忍，能信受無量佛法，心無是非分別。名「般若波羅蜜中生忍辱」。此處的忍已不是忍人之惡，是忍法之深——能信受無量佛法而不起是非，這是法忍的正面說法。
四十一、般若生精進：三業俱滅，夢中渡海之喻。 論主釋進：復有菩薩勤精進具足五波羅蜜故，行般若波羅蜜，得諸法實相，滅三業——身無所作，口無所說，心無所念。隨以一喻使之可解：如人夢中沒在大海，動以手足求渡；覺已，夢心即息。此喻是全分最好的一喻：不是禁止手足，是夢醒了自然不須。名「從般若波羅蜜中生第一精進」。並引《持心經》之語為證——我得是精進故，於然燈佛得受記別。此處要排的誤：三業俱滅不是癱瘓不動，是動而無所作；上文「不動精進」與此同旨。
四十二、般若生禪：二特牛之喻，從分別智慧生禪定。 論主此段起頭先立通則：雖離智慧無禪定，多用智慧力得禪定，是故從智慧生禪定。隨引《辟支佛經》所說之事：有一國王見二特牛婬欲故鬪死，即自覺悟——我以財色故征伐他國，與此何異！於是捨離五欲，得禪定，成辟支佛。論主以之況菩薩：少多因緣能厭患五欲，籌量五欲樂與禪樂相去懸遠，豈可以五欲少樂而棄禪定樂；而禪定樂者，福德清淨，遍身受樂。結曰：如是等，從分別智慧生禪定。此段可與第二十段參看：彼言精進得禪，此言智慧得禪，二者不相違，仍是「多處受名」。
四十三、禪定義，如經中說。 一句帶過，體例同第二十三段。論主不重覆經已廣說者。
四十四、無量劫種善根，出於甚深法還修功德。 論主收束相生之釋，落在一個極闊的鏡頭上：是菩薩於無量劫為佛道故種善根，離欲故於諸禪定得自在，深入如、法性、實際；精進、方便、慈悲力故，出於甚深法，還修功德。「出於甚深法，還修功德」九字最要緊——深入之後肯出來，出來之後肯再修，這正是第十四段『不著畢竟空』的迴響。至此，相生之攝說竟。
四十五、轉入一念具足：是人勝伏其心，一念中能行六波羅蜜。 論主於此另起一路。前文所說是甲生乙，此下所說是一度之中當下具六。論主先以布施為例排開：如法捨財是檀；安住十善道中布施、不向二乘是尸羅；慳貪等諸煩惱及魔人民來不能動心是羼提；布施時身心精進、不休不息是精進；攝心在布施、不令散亂、無疑無悔、正向阿耨多羅三藐三菩提是禪；布施時與者、受者、財物不可得，不如邪見取相妄見一定相，而如諸佛賢聖觀物相、受者與者及迴向處相，是般若；法施時亦如是。讀者於此須把「一念中」三字看實：不是六件事排隊做完，是一次布施之中六個面同時成就。
四十六、住戒具六之一：三種律儀而施眾生無畏。 論主轉以持戒為頭。菩薩盡受諸戒，善心起正語、正業、三種律儀——戒律儀、禪定律儀、無漏律儀；住是戒中，施一切眾生無畏，是名檀波羅蜜。持戒何以成施？因為戒之所在，眾生於我無怖。無畏施不待資財，這是戒門中最先成就的一度。
四十七、住戒具六之二：為持戒故忍。 論主釋戒中之忍分二層：一層是煩惱內逼——婬欲、瞋恚等諸煩惱欲破戒，能制、能忍；一層是外緣所加——人來罵詈打害，畏破戒故忍而不報；又飢渴寒熱諸苦所逼，為持戒故悉皆能忍。是名羼提波羅蜜。此段要看清一個轉折：所忍者在此不是為忍而忍，是「為持戒故」忍——主既是戒，忍便繫於戒而立。
四十八、住戒具六之三：分別戒相是心精進，如戒法行是身精進。 論主釋戒中之進，分心身二門：分別諸戒相輕重、有殘無殘、因緣本末、或遮或聽等，是心精進；能如戒法行，有犯則下意懺除，是名身精進。以是持戒、精進，不求天王、人王，乃至不求小乘涅槃，但為戒是菩薩道住處故，持戒能修集五波羅蜜，是名精進波羅蜜。此段留給讀者一句實話：研讀戒相也算精進，但須連著「有犯則下意懺除」一併算，方不落在紙上。
四十九、住戒具六之四：為戒堅牢故求禪定樂。 論主釋戒中之禪，說得極有次第。先立所以然：持戒清淨，破諸煩惱力，心則調伏。次以二喻顯其反面：譬如老奪壯力，死來易壞——行者不得禪定故念五欲、生五蓋，侵害持戒。所以「為戒堅牢故，求禪定樂」。次定禪之義：攝諸心、心數法一處和合，名為禪定。次列所除三重：先除惡身口破戒業，次除三惡覺觀，然後除三細覺觀——所謂國土、親里、不死。如是除已即得禪定，是名禪波羅蜜。此段最堪玩味者在「為戒堅牢故，求禪定樂」一句：求定的理由不是求樂，是護戒。
五十、住戒具六之五：象浴還坌，憎愛俱不應生。 論主釋戒中之慧，層層而上。第一層：持戒時知戒能生今世後世功德果報，是名智慧。第二層：愛戒、持戒、破戒者，三事不可得，是名智慧。第三層立三種人：下人破戒，中人著戒，上人不著戒。第四層是菩薩之自思惟——若我憎破戒及破戒者、愛戒及持戒者，而生愛、恚，則還受罪業因緣；譬如象浴洗已，還以土坌。又推其理：一切法皆屬因緣、無自在者，諸善法皆因惡生；若因惡生，云何可著？惡是善因，云何可憎？如是思惟，直入諸法實相——觀持戒、破戒皆從因緣生，從因緣生故無自性，無自性故畢竟空，畢竟空故不著，是名般若波羅蜜。象浴還坌之喻是這一段的眼：辛苦持戒而以憎愛自污，正如洗淨了又抓土往身上撒。
五十一、住忍具六之一：二忍生二施。 論主轉以忍辱為頭。菩薩行忍辱時作念——若眾生來割截我身，我即布施，不令眾生得劫盜之罪。此念之妙在為對方著想：所惜者不是我身，是他的罪。或修忍時因忍說法，種種因緣分別世間、涅槃，令眾生住六波羅蜜中。末結其相生：得眾生忍能以身施是財施，得法忍深入諸法為眾生說是法施；「是二施從二忍生，故名檀波羅蜜」。二忍與二施一一相配，體例極整。
五十二、住忍具六之二：因忍持戒。 論主釋忍中之戒，用一個由重推輕的問法：菩薩行忍辱時，不惜身命為忍辱，何況惱眾生而破戒！所以因忍持戒，憐愍一切眾生欲度脫之。並下一句戒之定義——「持戒名一切諸善法安立住處。」此定義簡而周，可與第四十八段「戒是菩薩道住處」互看。
五十三、住忍具六之三：於忍中身心勤行四波羅蜜。 一句而已：菩薩於忍中，身心勤行四波羅蜜，是名精進。此段之短正見體例——一念具足之文，凡義已明處即不贅。
五十四、住忍具六之四：我於一切眾生能忍如地。 論主釋忍中之禪：於忍中，心調柔、不著五欲，攝心一處；我於一切眾生能忍如地，是名禪波羅蜜。「忍如地」三字是本分諸喻中最沉穩的一個：地不擇淨穢而俱承，忍到此處，心自不散。
五十五、住忍具六之五：忍至深處即是般若。 論主釋忍中之慧，由淺入深列四層：知忍辱果報是相好嚴身等；修忍能障諸煩惱；能忍眾生過惡；能忍受一切深法。四層既盡，後得諸法實相；是時行者心中得是無生法忍，「即是般若波羅蜜」。此處用「即是」而不用「生」，正見一念具足與相生之別——不是忍生出般若，是忍到此處當體即般若。
五十六、住精進具六之一：精進雖是一切善根本，而名精進生者以多分故。 論主轉以精進為頭，起手先安一句自我限定：精進雖是一切善根本，離精進則無善法可得，「但以精進力多生五波羅蜜故，名精進生」。這是第十七段「多處受名」的第三次現身，也是論主全分最一貫的一條判法。讀者至此該確認：凡本品說『某度生某度』，皆是就多分而言，不是說其餘之度不與。
五十七、住精進具六之二：三種施乃至動與不動二精進。 論主逐一配屬：常行三種施未曾捨廢——財施、法施、無畏施，是名檀波羅蜜；善身口正業，直向佛道，不貪二乘，是名尸羅波羅蜜；勤行精進時有人來毀壞菩薩道，能忍不動，是名羼提波羅蜜；雖行種種餘法，心不散亂，一心念薩婆若，是名禪波羅蜜。末後不直說般若，而先分精進為二：一、動相，身心勤行；二、滅一切戲論故，身心不動。結曰：菩薩雖勤行動精進，亦不離不動精進，而「不動精進不離般若波羅蜜」。此一結最須細看：般若不是另立的第六件事，是不動精進之所不離。
五十八、住禪具六：入禪定而變化供養、說法、忍法、起三昧。 論主轉以禪定為頭。慈悲心力故施一切眾生無畏；或禪定力故變化寶物如須彌山充滿一切，雨眾華香等供養諸佛，及施貧窮眾生衣服飲食等；或入禪定中為十方眾生說法——是名檀波羅蜜。此中隨禪定行身口善業，及離聲聞、辟支佛心，是名尸羅波羅蜜。入禪定得清淨柔軟樂而能不著禪味；禪定力故能深入諸法空、能忍受是法、心不疑悔，是名羼提波羅蜜。欲起諸三昧——超越三昧、師子奮迅三昧等無量諸菩薩三昧，不休不息，是名精進波羅蜜。禪定力故心清淨不動，能入諸法實相，而「諸法實相即是般若波羅蜜」。此段中「能不著禪味」一句是關節：禪門具六度，最險的一關正在貪味。
五十九、住般若具六：一心中一時能具足六波羅蜜。 論主以般若為頭作最後一番，也是全品之收。能觀三種布施相如阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，滅諸非有非無等戲論，是名無量無盡般若中檀波羅蜜；身口業隨般若行，得般若故能牢固清淨持戒，是名尸羅波羅蜜；住般若心中，眾生忍、法忍轉深、清淨，是名羼提波羅蜜；行般若菩薩身心清淨，得不動精進，觀動精進如幻、如夢，得不動精進故不入涅槃，是名精進波羅蜜；行是無礙般若故，雖常入禪定，得般若波羅蜜力故，不起於禪而能度眾生，是名禪波羅蜜。末以一句收盡全品——「如是等菩薩利智慧故，一心中一時能具足六波羅蜜。」之上之中所列三十組是次第橫排，至此一句豎收：橫者是路，豎者是果；路走到底，六度不再是六。
不要讀錯
不要把「主」讀成尊卑。全分開口之答只七字——「行因緣次第應爾」，主是修行位次上的所宜，不是法上的高下。論主隨即以在家出家二種菩薩證之：有財者施為主，無財者戒忍禪為主。若把主讀成尊，則三十組排列立刻變成三十次爭座位，全品義理盡失。
不要把相攝讀成次第相生。這是論主親手立的界樁——「此中說相，不說次第相生。雖和合而各各有相；若次第法，應先戒後忍。」所以同一對忍與戒，在住忍一組中是忍取戒，在住戒一組中是戒取忍；同一對精進與忍，在此處是「今從精進生忍辱」，在彼處是從忍辱生精進。方向可以互換，正因為說的是相，不是序。
不要把「精進更無異體」讀成精進無體。論主的意思是精進不別立一個與五度並立的第六體，它遍在五度之中而為那股不休息之力；所以纔會有「一切處雖有精進，多處受名」。若讀成精進可有可無，則住精進取五一組全然落空。
不要把「多處受名」讀成含糊。它是一條嚴格的判法：法之受名隨多分而立，不隨有無而立。論主所列得禪諸緣之中唯與心鬪一類名從精進生，並不是餘緣之得禪沒有精進；般若說「除四波羅蜜所生般若」，並不是般若不從餘度生。凡本品說甲生乙，皆須帶著這一條讀。
不要把「菩薩如諸佛無貪著心」讀成菩薩已同佛。論主分得極清：佛是斷諸煩惱習不起，菩薩是以般若力制令不起。經文如此說的用意在「今欲讚歎般若力故」……「令人知貴般若」，所讚是法，不是位。
不要把柔順忍與無生忍讀成互斥的兩階。論主明言「法忍者不妨眾生忍，眾生忍不妨法忍，但以深淺為別」，又說得無生忍法而有慈愍眾生、柔順忍中亦有念法空。所別唯在深淺，不在有無。
不要把「不證實際」讀成怯於取證。論主在最空處立此一句：住法忍、觀畢竟空、不見忍法忍者忍處之後，仍說「本願求佛道，不著是畢竟空法故，乃至未坐道場不證實際」。不證不是不能，是不著空——著空與著有同是一著。
不要把般若生施之「等無異」讀成可以輕慢。論主所平的是能施之心：施佛而貪著則福不具足，施貧賤而輕賤則福少。心不貴不賤，纔是以眾生空、法空行施；這與說法時應機深淺是兩件事，不可混為一談。
不要把「非無眾生而能受持十善等諸戒」讀成戒在實相中有。論主同一句中已自標明——「欲破殺生顛倒故有不殺生戒，非實相中有」。戒因待破之顛倒而立，而立戒仍須有眾生在；空不廢戒，戒不自實。
不要把一念具足讀成相生的另一種說法。論主在「復次，是菩薩於無量劫為佛道故種善根」之後另起一路，所說已不是甲生乙，而是一度當體具六——所以末段用「即是般若波羅蜜」「諸法實相即是般若波羅蜜」而不用「生」。橫說之三十組與豎收之六番，體例不同，不可互相套讀。
修行作用
先認自己的主。論主把在家出家兩種因緣說得很具體：有財、知罪福、有慈悲心者宜先施；無財者宜戒、忍、禪。讀這一分的第一件事不是背三十組，是誠實地問一句——依我現在的身分、財力、性情，哪一度是我的主？認定了，就從那一度起手，其餘五度自那裡取。
拿「不以小惡因緣故而生廢退」守住半途。發心行施而受者逆罵，發心說法而聽者不受，是日常最容易退轉之處。論主所教不是忍氣，是換一個算法：不為虛誑身故毀波羅蜜道。事既小，不值得拿整條道去換。
以「一人相即是一切人相」對治計較多寡之心。過千萬由旬而不得一人，心亦不愁；得一人持五戒，爾時歡喜。用功之人最耗神的不是勞苦，是計算成果；此句是專為這病立的藥。
持戒未穩之時，先守忍。論主明說禪智力大故此處不說，「持戒時心未能清淨，須忍辱守心故」。戒期初起，不必急著求定求慧；把不報、不辯、不計較這三件守住，戒自然堅牢。
求定之前先問心柔不柔。「忍辱力故，其心調柔；心調柔故，易得禪定」——這是論主給的次第。久坐不得定者，宜回頭檢查與人相處處是否還硬。
以論主所列得禪諸緣自照，不誤認己力。自然得、退得、生得、因施得、因戒忍得、因慧得——論主一一分別，唯有「常與心鬪」……「如與賊鬪，乃至流汗」一類纔名從精進生。偶然一次相應不必以為是道力；相反，鈍根難制而深加精進者，論主也給了明白的位置。
布施之時，逐一對照那五種好心。慈心施滅瞋恚、見受者得樂歡喜滅嫉妬、恭敬施破憍慢、信知果報破疑與無明、不得與受定實破有無邪見。一次布施是一次完整的對治功課，不只是給出一件東西。
持戒之人，重點檢查三個「不」。不取戒相、不憎破戒、不著持戒。象浴還坌之喻正為此立——辛苦持來的清淨，往往毀在對破戒者的那一分憎與對自己持戒的那一分愛。
把「為戒堅牢故，求禪定樂」記作求定的理由。不是為受用禪樂而坐，是因為不得定則念五欲、生五蓋而侵害持戒。動機一正，坐中的貪味自然減。
用夢中渡海之喻鬆開用力之執。夢中動手足求渡，覺已夢心即息——精進到極處是身無所作、口無所說、心無所念，而不是加倍用力。日常用功繃得太緊時，取此喻一照。
日課收尾時，取「一念中能行六波羅蜜」自檢一事。今日所作最要緊的那一件事上，問：捨得乾淨否，是檀；不向二乘否，是戒；被擾而不動否，是忍；不休不息否，是進；不散亂否，是禪；三輪不可得否，是般若。六問問過，一事便是六度。
承衍
之下這一分在全品中的位置，古德已有明判。慧影釋此品時，於論主開口之處即點出其職分——「問曰：何以但一波羅蜜為主已下，論主欲解經文，先釋以一波羅蜜為頭攝諸波羅蜜，所以故興此問答也」；並釋論主之答為修行因緣中法之所必然，又推其例云「一波羅蜜中有此五義，如一檀中有四種捨義，一戒之中有三種戒義等悉爾」。慧影又於在家出家二種菩薩處指出論主別出二種之意，在於「欲明所行之法異故」，並歸納本品相攝之文皆具三義——就住忍取檀一組言之，「則有忍義、檀義、波羅蜜義，諸一一波羅蜜相攝中皆具三義」。此三義之判與論文「此中說相，不說次第相生」一句相發明：既各有其相，又同歸波羅蜜。
忍戒之辨，慧影所釋與論主同其分際。於「取尸羅」一問答下，他說此中所欲說者是「諸波羅蜜相攝、忍戒相異之義，故云從忍生戒，非是論決次第相生義也」；於色法心數法之判下，他釋持戒「明從於身口生無作色，是可持法故，所以諸根具足受之乃得」，而「忍非受法，但須內心自行，是故為異」，並補一句雙向之語——「忍亦能生戒，戒亦生忍，但以內外色心等為別也」。論文只說相異，慧影補出相生仍在，而所別在內外色心，可與論主「此中說相，不說次第相生」之判並讀。
「精進更無異體」一句，慧影釋得最為委曲。他先以無明為況：如無明遍通五品而別立一不共無明，精進遍通眾行而別須立一進波羅蜜，以其多故。次分體相而說——「以相明體，得有別體；以體明體，無有別體」，末歸於「今者據其遍通之義，故云無別體也」。論文一句斷語，經此一釋而不致被讀成精進無體。
得禪諸類與福人之喻，慧影亦有界定。於「如劫盡」一類，他引大本經所說火灾之緣，謂其時眾生以火急故自能離欲、不眠而得初禪，而「菩薩亦不須此禪等也」；於退得、生得、上地生下地得三者，一一分別無漏禪與淨禪之得緣。於福德自至與精進而得之喻，他特加限定——「此唯為鈍根難制、脩禪難得者作喻，非為精進人作喻也」。此一限定甚要：喻只為所況之機而設，不可推廣。至於論文「除四波羅蜜所生般若」一句，慧影注云「謂施、忍、禪也」，所舉唯三，與論文之「四」不同；此一異，並錄不判。
住般若一組之五問，慧影於柔順忍一問下，判其所以然在「論主大判作優劣分之，以順忍為生空，無生忍為法空」，並繫之於上文「無受罵者法者等」之語。此判與論文「處眾生不可得故，名眾生忍」、「於法不可得故，名為法忍」正相呼應。於十八空一問，慧影則說前說十八者「通總一切諸法，為一切人說具此十八」，而此中唯為所行之者「故隨於事得辨而已」——亦與論文「彼中分別一切法相空」……「此中為行者說」同一路數。
而全分最要緊的一個結構判語，也出自慧影。他於「復次是菩薩於無量劫為佛道故種善根」一句下明言：「上來至此明相生相解義竟。自此已下，論主既以此之六波羅蜜是菩薩本業行故，復更作一種解釋，明一念之中具足六波羅蜜之義……」並說此義本應在下品明之，而論主於此因便解釋，「亦皆就一一波羅蜜辨明，一一度一念之中即具六波羅蜜，不明相生義也」。末後又重申一次——「亦各各以一一波羅蜜為頭，明具足六義也」。據此，之下後段之『一念具足』是六番而非三番：住施、住戒、住忍、住精進、住禪、住般若各為一頭，各具六度。此一判，正是本分讀法之樞紐：前半橫說相生，後半豎說具足，二路不可互套。慧影於三種律儀處又補一注——「戒律儀者，是律儀戒唯是有漏，禪律儀通有漏無漏，是定共戒。無漏律儀唯是道，道品中道共戒也」，可與住戒具六一番並讀。
吉藏釋本品則甚簡，全疏不過七行，而所立之綱與慧影不異。他標本品為「明一一行中具足眾行」，並自設一問以定攝之種類——「問：此中是何物攝耶？答：此是相生攝，以本攝末。」又以之與其疏前文〈弁才品〉所明之攝相簡別：前明相攝，是「欲以眾行多功共成多之功力，顯莊嚴有大力勢，能破生死直趣佛道」；今則「明一一度中而起諸行，為顯方便也」。相生攝之判、以本攝末之義、為顯方便之歸，三語雖簡，足以為本品定位。吉藏未逐條疏三十組之個別內容，如實記之。
The Six Perfections Contain One Another, Last Part: Why One Master and Five Companions Is the Sequence of the Causes and Conditions of Practice, Why the Containing by Mutual Arising Is Not Arising in Sequence, and How the Six Perfections at Last Come Back to Being Fulfilled within a Single Thought at a Single Time
What Is Being Asked
In the sūtra text of the two earlier parts, the Buddha, following Subhūti's questions, spoke out group by group, to the end, the arrangement of thirty groups of ‘abiding in one perfection and taking up the other five’: abiding in giving and taking up the five, and abiding in morality and taking up the five, are in the First Part; abiding in patience, abiding in vigour, abiding in meditation, and abiding in prajñā, each taking up the five, are in the Middle Part. The sūtra text is spoken in good order, yet the reader will give rise to a most plain doubt: since the six perfections are six, why, when containing is spoken of, must one first be set up as the 「主」 tr. "master" and the other five as ‘what is taken up’? If the six perfections are equal from the outset, is not this 「主」 tr. "master" something extra? This Last Part, in its very first sentence, asks just this question—「何以但一波羅蜜為主」 tr. "Why is only one perfection the master?"—and the treatise-author's answer is only seven Chinese characters: 「行因緣次第應爾」 tr. "The sequence of the causes and conditions of practice should be so."
These seven Chinese characters are the key to the whole part. They move the 「主」 tr. "master" from the higher and lower of dharmas to the position of the person: it is not that dānapāramitā is more honoured than śīlapāramitā; it is where this person is standing at this moment. The householder bodhisattva has wealth, knows sin and merit, and has kindness and compassion; he stands in the position of giving, and so giving is his master. The bodhisattva who has gone forth has no wealth; he stands in the position of morality, patience, and meditation, and so morality, patience, and meditation are his master. The master is only what is fitting in the sequence. Once this layer is seen clearly, the arrangement of thirty groups is no longer a dry square table; it is thirty roads leading from different starting points to the same place.
Following this key, the difficulties this part has to handle appear one after another. The first difficulty is the most important: not doing evil within patience is morality from the outset, so why must 「住忍取戒」 tr. "abiding in patience and taking up morality" be spoken of separately? It should be turned round: abiding in morality and containing patience would be right. The treatise-author's answer is the guiding principle of form for the whole part—「此中說相，不說次第相生」 tr. "Here the marks are spoken of; arising one from another in sequence is not spoken of." Arising one from another in sequence speaks of before and after; mutual containing speaks of each one's own mark coming together in one place; mix up the two, and the whole chapter cannot be read. The second difficulty is in the passage on abiding in vigour and taking up meditation: since it has been said that vigour gives rise to meditation, why are four or five kinds of obtaining meditation further listed that, ‘although there is vigour, are not named arising from vigour’? The answer is 「多處受名」 tr. "the name is received by the greater share"—the name is set up according to the greater share, not according to presence or absence. The third difficulty is in the passage on abiding in prajñā: since the Buddha has already spoken at length, why does the treatise-author still put five questions in a row? Those five questions—why, among the eighteen emptinesses, the last four are not spoken of; why it is said that the bodhisattva is like the buddhas without a mind of greedy clinging; since this is the acceptance of non-arising, why it is called compliant acceptance; how the leaping samādhi is able to leap over two; why the Abhidharma is not sufficient to rely on—every one is a place where one is bound to get stuck when measuring the bodhisattva's Dharma with the ruler of the śrāvakas' teaching.
The last passage turns most widely. After the treatise-author has finished speaking of the containing by mutual generation, he sets out on a separate road: 「一念中能行六波羅蜜」 tr. "within a single thought is able to practise the six perfections". The first half speaks of A giving rise to B, a continuity of cause and effect; the second half speaks of the six being fulfilled right now within A itself, not waiting on mutual generation. In one and the same giving, relinquishing wealth in accordance with the Dharma is giving, not tending toward the two vehicles is morality, the mind not moving is patience, not resting is vigour, not being scattered is meditation, the three wheels being unfindable is prajñā—the six perfections are not six things queued up and done to the end; they are six faces accomplished at the same time upon one thing. On this road the treatise-author speaks six rounds in succession: abiding in giving, abiding in morality, abiding in patience, abiding in vigour, abiding in meditation, abiding in prajñā, each taking one perfection as the head, and the six perfections all complete; at the end he gathers in the whole chapter with a single sentence—「一心中一時能具足六波羅蜜」 tr. "within a single mind, at a single time, is able to fulfil the six perfections". The thirty groups of the First and Middle Parts are spoken horizontally; here they are gathered in vertically; only where the horizontal speaking ends does one know fulfilment at a single time.
Passage by Passage
1. Why only one perfection is the master: the sequence of the causes and conditions of practice should be so. The first question opening the part is the question the whole chapter most needs to ask: since mutual containing is spoken of, why set up a master? The treatise-author's answer does not answer from the nature of dharmas; it answers from the causes and conditions of practice—「行因緣次第應爾」 tr. "The sequence of the causes and conditions of practice should be so." This answer must first guard against one misreading: taking the 「主」 tr. "master" as a judgement of honoured and lowly, and so going off to dispute which of the six perfections is higher and which lower. The treatise-author's meaning is exactly the reverse: the master is a position in a sequence, not a rank. Whichever perfection you start from at this moment, that perfection is your master; change the person, change the season, and the master changes. Understand this sentence, and only then will the thirty groups below not be read as thirty dead rules.
2. There are two kinds of bodhisattvas, the householder and the one who has gone forth: because it is what is fitting in the sequence it is named the master. The treatise-author at once brings this abstract answer down onto two concrete kinds of people. The householder bodhisattva, because of the causes and conditions of merit, is very rich, and being very rich becomes a cause and condition for seeking the Buddha path; since he has wealth, and also knows sin and merit, and moreover has a mind of kindness and compassion towards beings—the three things complete—it is fitting that he first practise giving, and then, following the causes and conditions of the sequence, practise the other perfections. The bodhisattva who has gone forth has no wealth; what is fitting in the sequence is upholding the precepts, patience, and meditative concentration. The last sentence is set down very weightily: 「除財施，餘波羅蜜皆出家人所宜行。」 tr. "Apart from the gift of wealth, the other perfections are all fitting for one who has gone forth to practise." Here one misreading must be cleared away: it does not say that one who has gone forth does not give; it says that the giving practised by one who has gone forth does not lie in wealth; beyond the gift of wealth, the gift of Dharma, the gift of fearlessness, and so on up to the other perfections are still fitting for one who has gone forth. Brought down to oneself, this passage is a most practical sentence—first see clearly in which kind of causes and conditions you are standing, then decide from which perfection to start; this is better than speaking emptily of the six perfections being equal.
3. Abiding in patience as the master and taking up giving: giving the body, without begrudging and without hatred. The treatise-author first sets up the vow made by the bodhisattva who takes kṣāntipāramitā as the master: if someone comes and cuts and severs my body, I should not give rise to a mind of hatred, because I now practise the bodhisattva path and should fulfil the perfections. Then he points out the joint: among the perfections, dāna stands first, and within dāna nothing is more prized and cherished than the body; to be able to give the body to others—not begrudging is dāna, not being hateful is patience—the two perfections are both accomplished within one matter, and this is the real meaning of ‘containing giving by patience’. Here one must see clearly that 「不惜」 tr. "not begrudging" and 「不瞋」 tr. "not being hateful" are two actions falling on the same matter; it is not patience first and giving after, nor giving first and patience after.
4. Meeting adversity in giving: not, because of small evil causes and conditions, giving rise to abandoning and falling back. The treatise-author goes on to speak of a still more common scene: the bodhisattva abides in patience and gives beings clothing, food, and every kind of thing, giving them everything; the receiver turns round and reviles, beats, and harms him, destroying his giving and destroying his patience. Here the bodhisattva thinks—I should not, for the sake of a false and deceptive body, ruin the path of the perfections; I should give, I should not give rise to an evil mind, and I should not, because of small evil causes and conditions, give rise to abandoning and falling back. The last sentence is the most important: 「是菩薩命未盡間，增益施心；若命終時，二波羅蜜力故，即生好處，續行布施。」 tr. "While his life is not yet exhausted, this bodhisattva increases the mind of giving; when his life comes to an end, because of the power of the two perfections, he is at once born in a good place and continues to practise giving." The two powers of giving and patience do not only accomplish the one matter of this life; they also carry over into the next life. This passage clears away one misreading: thinking that once the receiver reviles and insults, the condition of giving has already been ruined; the treatise-author's meaning is that it is precisely at this place that the two perfections of giving and patience truly join into a single power.
5. The question on abiding in patience and taking up śīla: why it is not said the other way round, abiding in morality and containing patience. This is the first formal question and answer of the whole part, and also the guiding principle of its form. The questioner sets up the difficulty very concretely: when one abides in patience, not doing evil is itself morality, so why further say abiding in patience and taking up morality? It should be abiding in morality and containing patience that fits the sequence. The treatise-author's answer is only two sentences, yet it settles how the whole chapter is to be read—「此中說相，不說次第相生。雖和合而各各有相；若次第法，應先戒後忍。」 tr. "Here the marks are spoken of; arising one from another in sequence is not spoken of. Although they come together, each has its own mark; if it were the graded dharmas, morality should come first and patience after." Then he gives the boundary between the marks of patience and of morality: 「戒」 tr. "morality" names not taking the life of another; 「忍」 tr. "patience" names not begrudging one's own life. The one faces others, the other faces oneself; since what they face differs, the mark of morality must still be spoken of separately within patience. Here the reader should set up one general rule: whenever reading the texts on mutual containing, one must not measure them with the ruler of sequence.
6. The first difference between patience and morality: gathering in one's own mind, and not vexing beings. The treatise-author divides them again from the side of the mind's workings. Patience is gathering in one's own mind and not giving rise to hatred; upholding the precepts is of two kinds—first, not vexing beings; second, for one's own sake, because the precepts are the root from which meditative concentration arises. Then he brings up a very subtle kind of person: there are bodhisattvas who practise patience but have not yet received and upheld the dharma of the precepts; they are patient only out of fear of sin, and are not yet able to pity beings deeply; such a person either hears it from a teacher or reflects for himself—upholding the precepts is a cause and condition of the Buddha path and does not disturb beings; since I am already able to be patient, doing this thing is then easy. The treatise-author concludes: this is 「忍辱能取尸羅波羅蜜」 tr. "patience can take up śīlapāramitā". What is most worth savouring in this passage lies in the five Chinese characters 「則行此事易」 tr. "then doing this thing is easy": once patience is accomplished, morality comes readily to hand; the containing of mutual containing is contained in this word 「易」 tr. "easy".
7. The second difference between patience and morality: a mental-factor dharma and a dharma of form. The treatise-author changes to another criterion and divides them again: patience is a mental-factor dharma; upholding the precepts is a dharma of form. Upholding the precepts is called having the three things complete—arising in the mind, being spoken by the mouth, receiving and upholding; patience only arises in the mind and is not a dharma of receiving and upholding. This judgement is very fine, yet it must not be misread as belittling patience—it does not say that patience is less weighty than morality; it says that the natures on which the two rely are different from the outset, and so when they come together in one place each still has its own mark.
8. The third difference between patience and morality: purity of body and speech, and purity of mind. The third criterion is the simplest: purity of body and speech is called upholding the precepts; purity of mind is called patience. The three judgements stand side by side—the object faced, the substance relied on, the deed purified—and with this the difference between patience and morality is fully spoken. From here the reader can learn a method: when distinguishing two dharma-marks close in meaning, one need not look for only one criterion; set up several angles, and the boundary becomes clear of itself.
9. Meditation and wisdom are also dharmas of the purity of the mind: why only patience is spoken of. This is the second question and answer. The question follows naturally: since 「意清淨」 tr. "purity of mind" has been used to define patience, and dhyānapāramitā and prajñāpāramitā likewise purify the mind, why is only patience spoken of here? The treatise-author answers with only a sentence and a half—「禪、智力大故不說；持戒時心未能清淨，須忍辱守心故。」 tr. "Meditation and wisdom are great in power, and so they are not spoken of; when upholding the precepts the mind is not yet able to be pure, and patience is needed to guard the mind." This answer contains a very considerate observation: at the stage of upholding the precepts the mind is still coarse, and the power of meditation and wisdom cannot yet be put to use; what can guard this breath is precisely patience. Brought down to practice: while the period of the precepts is not yet steady, there is no need to hurry after concentration and wisdom; first keep hold of patience.
10. This sūtra itself states the causes and conditions: bodhisattvas of keen faculties increase from life to life and do not fall into evil places. The treatise-author cites the causes and conditions stated by the sūtra text itself as evidence: there are bodhisattvas of great merit, wisdom, and keen faculties, who in the presence of a Buddha of the present arouse the mind and practise the perfections, and so from life to life they increase, and so on up to anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi, and in between they do not fall into evil places; it is for the sake of such bodhisattvas that it is said 「從初發心乃至坐道場，不生瞋心奪眾生命，亦不著二乘」 tr. "from the first arousing of the mind and so on up to sitting at the seat of awakening, he does not give rise to a mind of hatred and take the life of beings, nor does he cling to the two vehicles". The treatise-author concludes: all this is because of the merit of the two perfections. Here one misreading is cleared away: it must not be read as saying that all bodhisattvas do not fall into evil places; what the sūtra text points to is those of 「大功德、智慧、利根」 tr. "great merit, wisdom, and keen faculties" who arouse the mind in the presence of a Buddha of the present; the limitation is very clear.
11. Apart from the three kinds of mind, dedicating to anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi. The treatise-author picks out the mark of dedication: dedicating apart from the three kinds of mind. The three minds are: no person, no dharma, no place to which one dedicates—there is no mind of self and no inverted mind. Only when the three wheels are empty is dedication the dedication of a perfection. Though this sentence is short, it is the ground of why the ‘mutual containing’ of the whole chapter can accomplish perfections: apart from these three minds, one perfection taking up five is only wholesome dharmas helping one another, and does not accomplish a perfection.
12. Abiding in patience and taking up vīrya: not regarding long diligent toil as a hard thing; the mark of one person is precisely the mark of all persons. The treatise-author explains the mark of vigour: accumulating merit for oneself and delivering beings, arousing the mind and not being lazy until the matter is accomplished; meeting causes and conditions that obstruct the path, the mind does not sink and does not retrogress, is able to endure every suffering, and does not regard long diligent toil as a hard thing. He then cites what the sūtra says: the bodhisattva even passes over a thousand myriad yojana, and even if he does not find a single person whom he can cause to enter the real Dharma and obtain nirvāṇa, his mind at this time is not sorrowful; if he finds one person whom he can cause to uphold the five precepts and so forth, at that time his mind is glad. And he clears away a calculating thought—not having the sorrow of 「我過此無量國土，正得此一人」 tr. "I have passed over these immeasurable lands and have only now found this one person". Why? 「一人相即是一切人相，一切人相即是一人相，是諸法相不二故。」 tr. "The mark of one person is precisely the mark of all persons, and the mark of all persons is precisely the mark of one person, because the marks of these dharmas are not two." This sentence is the eye of the whole passage: not being sorrowful is not a stiff holding out; it is seeing that the marks of dharmas are not two, so that the calculation of many and few has nowhere to arise.
13. Abiding in patience and taking up dhyāna: because of the power of patience the mind is tamed and soft; because the mind is tamed and soft it easily obtains meditative concentration. This passage is short and its route is clear: because of the power of patience his mind is tamed and soft; because the mind is tamed and soft he easily obtains meditative concentration; within meditative concentration he obtains every kind of pure mind and mental-factor dharma, such as kindness and compassion, and with a non-clinging mind dedicates them all to anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi. Three instances of the character 「故」 tr. "because" string it into one chain, and at the end it still comes back to non-clinging and dedication. What is most worth remembering for practice is the middle link—being tamed and soft. Those who seek concentration and do not obtain it are mostly not lacking in effort; it is that the mind is not yet soft.
14. Abiding in patience and taking up prajñā: the two acceptances accomplish each other; the three things are not seen; the limit of reality is not realised. This is the longest and deepest passage in the group of abiding in patience. The treatise-author first lays out the route: abiding in the acceptance of beings, enduring all the evils beings inflict, practising great kindness and compassion, and so obtaining great merit; because he obtains great merit, the mind becomes soft; because the mind is soft he easily obtains the acceptance of dharmas, namely that all is ultimately non-arising. Abiding in this acceptance of dharmas, he contemplates all dharmas as of the mark of emptiness, the mark of separation, inexhaustible, of the mark of quiescence, like the mark of nirvāṇa. The wonder lies in the next turn—「爾時，還增長眾生忍」 tr. "at this time, it further increases the acceptance of beings": having obtained the acceptance of dharmas, it turns back to nourish the acceptance of beings, because within ultimate emptiness who is there that reviles, who is there that harms? Since the two acceptances are complete, the three things are not seen: the dharma endured, the one who endures, and the place of enduring. At the end there is one more turn, which rescues ultimate emptiness from being a dead place: by his original vow he seeks the Buddha path, and because he does not cling to this dharma of ultimate emptiness, and so on up to the time before he has sat at the seat of awakening, he does not realise the limit of reality. The misreading this passage must clear away is the greatest: thinking that once emptiness has been contemplated to the end one should take realisation. The treatise-author, at the very emptiest place, sets up a ‘not clinging to emptiness’, and only then are there sitting at the seat of awakening, fulfilling the dharmas of the Buddha, turning the wheel of the Dharma, and benefiting beings at will—「皆是般若波羅蜜力」 tr. "all this is the power of prajñāpāramitā".
15. Abiding in vigour and taking up giving: vigour has no separate substance. It turns into the second group. The treatise-author first sets up the place of vigour: the bodhisattva at first enters the perfections through the gate of vigour, diligently practises the five perfections, with vigour of body and of mind, without resting and without ceasing. At once he sets down a very important verdict—「精進更無異體。」 tr. "Vigour has no separate substance." Vigour is not a sixth thing standing alongside the other five perfections; it is that unresting power present throughout the five perfections. Below this he goes on: abiding in this vigour, he does not fear the suffering of the Avīci Niraya, how much less other sufferings; and knowing that all dharmas are ultimately empty, he comes out from ultimate emptiness and, because of the mind of kindness and compassion, again gives rise to wholesome deeds and does not take nirvāṇa—this is the power of vigour. Here the reader should change a common picture: vigour is not the same as busyness; to be willing to turn back and do things from within ultimate emptiness is the utmost of vigour.
16. Passing over hundreds of thousands of lands without finding a single person, the mind neither regrets nor sinks. The treatise-author goes on laying out the real matters of this passage: the bodhisattva abiding in vigour should have this thought—going on for a long, long time I shall surely obtain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi; it is not that I shall fail to obtain it. So he passes over one yojana and so on up to a hundred thousand yojana, bestowing on beings the two gifts of wealth and Dharma; and so on up to passing over hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭi of lands, even if he does not find a single person who enters the three vehicles, his mind neither regrets nor sinks, and he does not have the thought 「我爾所佛土而不得一人可度，云何可得度一切人」 tr. "I have passed over so many buddha-lands and cannot find a single person to deliver; how could I possibly deliver all people?" Or he may find one person whom he can cause to practise the ten wholesome paths but who cannot midway enter the three vehicles, and he does not for this reason slight or regret, but thinks instead: now I shall for the time being cause this person to practise the ten wholesome paths, and little by little deliver him with the three vehicles. Having taught the ten wholesome paths, he further satisfies beings with the two gifts of wealth and Dharma, and holding this merit he dedicates it to anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi. This passage should be read together with passage 12: the one is at the gate of patience, the other at the gate of vigour, both alike not counting many and few; but here there is one more layer—falling back to seek the next best is still a sequence, not a failure.
17. All giving uses vigour: why only these two gifts are said to arise from vigour. The third question and answer, asked very finely: since all giving must make use of vigour, why is it said only of these two gifts, of wealth and of Dharma, that they arise from vigour? The treatise-author's answer is only one sentence—「雖一切施皆由精進生，此以多精進力生故。」 tr. "Although all giving arises from vigour, here it is because it arises from the greater share of the power of vigour." And he cites the sūtra as evidence: passing over hundreds of thousands of lands, he satisfies beings with the two gifts. This answer sets down a general rule: the name a dharma receives is set up according to the greater share, not according to presence or absence. This general rule will be used once more below, in the passage explaining meditation; the reader had best remember it now.
18. Abiding in vigour and taking up śīla: the forty kinds of wholesome paths, without resting and without ceasing. The treatise-author explains morality: the bodhisattva straightforwardly practises the ten wholesome paths, and this is called śīlapāramitā; or it arises from the perfection of patience and the other perfections. If from the first arousing of the mind and so on up to sitting at the seat of awakening he abandons the ten unwholesome paths and practises the forty kinds of wholesome paths without resting and without ceasing, only this is called the power of the perfection of vigour. Next a sentence shows its difficulty from the reverse side—「有人一種不能行，何況四種！」 tr. "There are people who cannot practise even one kind—how much less four kinds!" Again, because of the power of śīla, he is not born in the three realms and does not receive the two vehicles; and he points out why it is so: beings, because of a mind of laziness and affliction, are born within the three realms; loathing birth and death, they give up the Buddha path and take the Small Vehicle—these are all marks of laziness. Here one must see clearly the treatise-author's way of judging: giving up the great and taking the small is, in his view, not a small aspiration; it is laziness.
19. Abiding in vigour and taking up kṣānti: now patience arises from vigour. The treatise-author explains patience: from the first arousing of the mind and so on up to sitting at the seat of awakening, if a human or a non-human comes, cuts and severs his body and carries it off, at that time, because he has broken the inversion of self and is skilled at accumulating ultimate emptiness, he thinks—within this there is no one who cuts and no one who severs; these things are all what ordinary people falsely and deceptively see; I obtain a great benefit; when I know the real mark of all dharmas I am able to enter nirvāṇa, and it is only out of pity for beings that I receive a body; beings come of themselves and take it away, and I should not begrudge it. After deeply entering the real mark of all dharmas, there follows a very warm and gentle sentence: 「此中無有定相，眾生自生怖畏。」 tr. "Within this there is no fixed mark; it is beings themselves who give rise to fear." Finally he divides patience from vigour: being able to endure reviling, beating, and harming is patience; being glad and not retrogressing is vigour; of the two dharmas, either patience arises from vigour or vigour arises from patience—「今從精進生忍辱」 tr. "now patience arises from vigour". The last four Chinese characters are the locating words of this passage—the same pair of dharmas runs in this direction in this group and in the opposite direction in the group of abiding in patience; this is one more proof that the texts on mutual containing differ from the texts on sequence.
20. Abiding in vigour and taking up dhyāna: of the various conditions for obtaining meditation, only the kind that fights with the mind is named arising from vigour. This is the longest analysis of the whole part, and also the positive demonstration of the general rule 「多處受名」 tr. "the name is received by the greater share". The treatise-author lists the various conditions for obtaining meditation: first, obtaining it of itself, as at the time when the kalpa is exhausted; second, obtaining it on falling back, and obtaining it by birth; third, dying in a higher ground and being born in a lower ground and obtaining it—these three all do not arise from vigour. Fourth, obtaining it because great giving breaks the five hindrances such as stinginess and greed; fifth, obtaining it through a slight mind of weariness, because of upholding the precepts purely and cultivating and accumulating patience; sixth, obtaining it by the power of great wisdom, knowing that the desire realm is impermanent, false and deceptive, and impure—although these three also have vigour, meditation is obtained by further relying on other dharmas, and so they are not named arising from vigour. Here, in passing, the treatise-author adds a sentence on the real state of meditation: 「禪定雖亦虛誑，猶勝欲界。」 tr. "Although meditative concentration too is false and deceptive, it is still superior to the desire realm." What is truly named arising from vigour is the seventh kind: not taking the five dharmas as the master, but only with vigour day and night, walking and sitting in meditation, constantly fighting with the mind, with the five powers of faith and the rest deeply reining in the five hindrances; if the mind gallops off and scatters, gathering it in and making it return, as though fighting with a thief, even to the point of sweating. There is also an eighth kind: people of dull faculties, covered by the sins of former lives, deeply attached to worldly pleasures, galloping and hard to restrain, who obtain concentration only by adding deep vigour. At the end he closes with the simile of the person with merit and the person of thin merit: what comes of itself to one who sits at ease with nothing to do, blessings and emoluments arriving of themselves, is named 「福德自至」 tr. "merit arrives of itself"; what is obtained only by diligently setting up skilful means and fighting is named 「精進而得」 tr. "obtained by vigour". The concluding sentence is the one most worth remembering—「如是一切處雖有精進，多處受名。」 tr. "In this way, although there is vigour everywhere, the name is received by the greater share."
21. Abiding in vigour and taking up prajñā: apart from the prajñā that arises from the four perfections, the rest of wisdom mostly arises from vigour. The treatise-author explains wisdom: because of the power of vigour the bodhisattva obtains dhyānapāramitā; because he obtains dhyānapāramitā, the power of the bodhisattva's supernormal powers arises; by the causes and conditions of these two things, with the power of supernormal powers he reaches everywhere in the ten directions, wishing to fulfil the merit not yet fulfilled, and wishing also to teach and transform all beings. Next a sentence marks out the scope—「除四波羅蜜所生般若，餘智慧多從精進生故，住精進為主，取智慧。」 tr. "Apart from the prajñā that arises from the four perfections, the rest of wisdom mostly arises from vigour; therefore abiding in vigour is the master, and it takes up wisdom." This sentence is precisely the application of 「多處受名」 tr. "the name is received by the greater share" at the gate of wisdom: it does not say that prajñā arises only from vigour; it says that, when the share arising from the other four perfections is deducted, what remains mostly arises from vigour. At the end he further divides prajñā into two: first, contemplating the real mark of all dharmas, and within all dharmas seeing neither the mark of a dharma nor the mark of what is not a dharma; second, practising as it is taught. Yet people, because of a lazy mind, cannot practise these two things; because of the power of vigour one is able to practise them fully. Seeing and practising, the two things, alike need vigour; this is where the passage comes to rest on the ground.
22. Abiding in meditation and taking up the five: the simile of the lamp lit in a closed room, and conjured persons expounding the Dharma. The sūtra text of the group of abiding in meditation is broad, yet the treatise-author's explanation is extremely concise and clean; within a single passage all five perfections are gathered in. First he sets up the general mark: abiding in dhyānapāramitā, the mind is tamed, soft, and immovable, and able to contemplate the real mark of all dharmas; it is like a lamp lit in a closed room, whose light shines clear and bright—this is 「住禪波羅蜜生智慧」 tr. "abiding in dhyānapāramitā gives rise to wisdom". Next he says that not vexing any being, and moreover pitying them, is 「甚深清淨持戒、忍辱」 tr. "very deep and pure upholding of the precepts and patience". Next he says that conjuring wealth by the power of supernormal powers and fulfilling giving, and also sending conjured persons to expound the Dharma for all; and again that rising from meditation and expounding the Dharma for beings with a pure and soft mind, is 「布施」 tr. "giving". Next he says that giving rise to supernormal powers by the power of meditative concentration, reaching everywhere in the ten directions, guiding and benefiting all without laziness and without rest, is 「精進」 tr. "vigour". Again he says that meditative concentration making the four perfections increase is 「禪定生精進」 tr. "meditative concentration gives rise to vigour". At the end he stops with 「餘義，如經廣說」 tr. "the rest of the meaning is as the sūtra explains at length". This passage must clear away one misreading: one must not, because the treatise text is short, think that the meaning of the group of abiding in meditation is shallower; the treatise-author says plainly that the rest of the meaning is in the sūtra; it is brief because the sūtra has already spoken at length.
23. Abiding in prajñā and taking up the five: as the Buddha himself explains at length in the sūtra. Here the treatise-author passes over it with a single sentence and sets up no explanation of his own. This sentence looks like an abbreviation, yet in fact it is a matter of form: since the sūtra text is the Buddha's own extensive explanation, the treatise-author does not repeat it, and puts all his strength into the five questions and answers below—what they ask about are all places where one still gets stuck after the Buddha's extensive explanation. Here the reader should turn a thought round: that the treatise-author does not explain is not necessarily taking it lightly; sometimes it is precisely because the sūtra text is already sufficient that what remains is only doubt.
24. Why, among the eighteen emptinesses, four emptinesses are not spoken of. The first question. The wording of the question first states its own reason—「佛雖廣說，其中猶有不解者，今當問」 tr. "although the Buddha has explained it at length, there are still things within it that are not understood, and now I should ask"—the attitude is utterly sincere. What is asked is: among the eighteen emptinesses, why are the last four emptinesses not spoken of? The treatise-author answers: the fourteenth is named the emptiness of all dharmas; saying ‘all’ means that of dharmas there is none not exhausted, and so they are not spoken of. This answer is very brief, yet it at once draws the next question.
25. If so, only fourteen should be spoken of: why are there eighteen? The second question follows close behind, a very fine push: since the emptiness of all dharmas has already exhausted everything, eighteen becomes a superfluous number. The treatise-author's answer divides into two layers: one layer is 「彼中分別一切法相空，一切空皆總入十八空」 tr. "there, the emptiness of the marks of all dharmas is distinguished, and all emptinesses are gathered together into the eighteen emptinesses"—eighteen is the number of the general account; the other layer is 「此中為行者說」 tr. "here, it is spoken for the practitioner"—here it is the number suited to the hearer. The practitioner may practise one emptiness, two emptinesses, and so on up to fourteen emptinesses, settled according to how much he originally clung; only for someone who deeply clings to wrong views are the other four emptinesses used, because existent dharmas, non-existent dharmas, and the like are the wrong views of the outside paths, and this bodhisattva, because he cultivates kindness and compassion and his mind becomes soft, does not give rise to such views of existence and non-existence. With ‘furthermore’ he turns closer still: because the bodhisattva perfumes his mind with the fourteen emptinesses, he is clear and distinct regarding existence and non-existence and makes no error, and therefore the last four emptinesses are not spoken of. The misreading this passage must clear away is taking the number as a fixed dharma: for one and the same Dharma-gate, the general account and the account suited to the hearer may differ in number without contradicting each other.
26. Why it is said that the bodhisattva is like the buddhas without a mind of greedy clinging. The third question. In the sūtra the bodhisattva is likened to the Buddha, and the questioner feels he is raised too high. The treatise-author answers very distinctly: the Buddha has cut off the afflictions and their habitual residues so that they do not arise; the bodhisattva subdues them by the power of prajñā so that they do not arise—the one is cutting off, the other is subduing; their natures are different from the outset. The reason the sūtra text speaks so is 「欲讚歎般若力故」 tr. "because it wishes to praise the power of prajñā": although the fetters are not yet cut off, it is no different from the Buddha's having cut them off, so as to let people know to prize prajñā. This passage clears away a great misreading: one must not take this as saying that the bodhisattva is already equal to the Buddha's position. The treatise-author's verdict rests only on the four Chinese characters 「般若力故」 tr. "because of the power of prajñā"; what is praised is the Dharma, not the person.
27. He arouses the mind and has this thought: within this there is no dharma whatever that arises or ceases. The treatise-author next records the thought shown in the sūtra text—within this there is no dharma whatever that arises or ceases, nor is there anyone who receives reviling, cutting and severing, and such things. This sentence is the starting point of the next question: read alone it is a contemplation; read together with what follows it is a difficulty.
28. This is precisely the acceptance of non-arising: why is it called compliant acceptance? The fourth question, the most finely drawn distinction of the whole part. The questioner says: since he has already contemplated no arising and no ceasing, that is the acceptance of non-arising; why does the sūtra call it only compliant acceptance? The treatise-author's answer divides into three sections. First, what is broken here is the being that is a provisional name, in which the five aggregates come together; he is not yet able to break dharmas, and so the sūtra says 「無生者滅者，無受罵詈者」 tr. "there is none that arises and none that ceases, there is none who receives reviling"—what is absent is the person, not dharmas. Second, although this person has already broken the self and contemplates the emptiness of dharmas, he is not yet able to enter deeply, and still has love that clings to dharmas. Third, by raising each against the other he shows their boundary: just as one who has obtained the dharma of the acceptance of non-arising still has kindness and pity for beings, so within compliant acceptance there is also the thought of the emptiness of dharmas; of the two dharmas, being unfindable with respect to beings is named the acceptance of beings, and being unfindable with respect to dharmas is named the acceptance of dharmas; 「法忍者不妨眾生忍，眾生忍不妨法忍，但以深淺為別」 tr. "the acceptance of dharmas does not obstruct the acceptance of beings, and the acceptance of beings does not obstruct the acceptance of dharmas; they are distinguished only by depth and shallowness". The misreading this passage must clear away is reading the two acceptances as two mutually exclusive roads; the treatise-author says plainly that the two do not obstruct each other, and that what distinguishes them is only depth and shallowness.
29. In the leaping samādhi one cannot leap over two: why is it said thus here? The fifth question takes the settled account of the Abhidharma directly to challenge the sūtra. The treatise-author's answer has only five Chinese characters as its guiding line—「大小乘法異」 tr. "the dharmas of the Great Vehicle and of the Small Vehicle are not the same". Not leaping over two is what is said within the dharmas of the Small Vehicle; the bodhisattva, because of immeasurable merit and wisdom and the power of deeply entering meditative concentration, is able to leap at will. Then with a simile he makes it understandable: a person leaping with human strength does not get beyond some ten feet; if one leaps with the strength of a god, there is no difficulty of breadth and distance. Once the magnitude of the power changes, the limit naturally differs; this is not breaking the rule; the rule was from the outset set up only for that magnitude.
30. The Abhidharma is all spoken for ordinary persons and śrāvakas; the bodhisattva is not like this. The treatise-author pushes the previous answer one layer further and says why it is so: what is in the Abhidharma is all spoken for ordinary persons and śrāvakas; the bodhisattva is not like this—because of the power of wisdom he enters the samādhi of the lion's rousing and is able to obtain mastery over dharmas; because of the power of prajñā he is able to proclaim dharmas freely and at will, in accord with beings. Here one must see clearly that the treatise-author is not abolishing the Abhidharma; he is judging the hearers it is meant for. Whenever one brings up a treatise to challenge a sūtra, first ask for whom this treatise was spoken—this is the method this passage leaves the reader.
31. Again, there are bodhisattvas who much practise prajñā and abide securely in the immovable dharma. When the five questions are finished, the treatise-author comes back to the positive side: again, there are bodhisattvas who much practise prajñāpāramitā, know the real mark of all dharmas, and abide securely in the immovable dharma; none of the gods and humans of all the world can challenge him or make him waver. This sentence is both the close of the five questions above and the start of the extensive explanation below of prajñā giving rise to the five perfections—only one who is unmoved when challenged can be unobstructed everywhere in giving, morality, patience, vigour, and meditation.
32. Prajñā giving rise to dāna, one: giving to the Buddha and giving to beings are equal and without difference. The treatise-author begins to explain extensively, perfection by perfection. First he speaks of the gift of wealth: if he obtains wealth, he gives to two kinds of beings, either giving to the Buddha or giving to beings; because beings are empty his mind is equal, and he does not prize and cling to the buddhas nor slight and despise beings. At once he speaks of the faults at the two edges—if in giving to the poor and lowly he gives rise to slighting, the merit is small; if in giving to the buddhas he gives rise to greedy clinging, the merit is not complete. This sentence is the most awakening: giving with greedy clinging to the Buddha, the merit, after all, is not complete. Below this he pushes on to the things given: whether gold, silver, and precious things, or even grass and trees, because dharmas are empty these too are equal and without difference; cutting off every kind of false thought that discriminates one and different, and so forth, he enters the gate of the dharma of non-duality and gives—this is called the gift of wealth. Only when the two layers, the emptiness of persons and the emptiness of dharmas, are set up is giving equal.
33. Prajñā giving rise to dāna, two: the gift of Dharma is likewise. The treatise-author pushes the gift of Dharma by the same principle: he does not covet and prize the one who has wisdom and can receive the Dharma, nor slight the one who has no wisdom and does not understand the Dharma. Why? Because the dharmas of the Buddha are immeasurable, unspeakable, and inconceivable. And he levels his mind once more over the dharmas spoken: whether speaking of shallow dharmas such as giving, or of the twelve links of causes and conditions, emptiness, the signless, non-action, and the other very deep dharmas, they are equal and without difference; 「是法皆入寂滅不戲論法中故」 tr. "because these dharmas all enter the dharma of quiescence, without idle discourse". This passage clears away a great misreading: it must not be read as saying that deep and shallow are without distinction and one may speak the shallow at will. What the treatise-author levels is the speaker's mind, not the fitness of the Dharma to the hearer; the mind does not prize the deep and despise the shallow, yet in expounding the Dharma one must still suit the hearer.
34. Every kind such as these is called 「般若生布施」 tr. "prajñā gives rise to giving" . The treatise-author concludes the two passages above with a single sentence. Concluding sentences of this kind appear again and again in this part, and the reader need not let them slip lightly by: every concluding sentence is a boundary stake, marking which passage explains which sentence of the sūtra text.
35. Rejoicing and dedicating: able to give beings a share of merit. The treatise-author goes on to raise another mark of the giving born of prajñā: the bodhisattva rejoices in the three kinds of merit cultivated by the buddhas of the ten directions and the three times and by their disciples, shares it all with all beings, and dedicates it to anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi. And he points out why rejoicing also counts as giving—「智慧力故，無所不施，能與眾生福德分。」 tr. "Because of the power of wisdom, there is nothing he does not give, and he is able to give beings a share of merit." When there is nothing to give there is still something to give; this is the one gate of prajñā giving rise to dāna that least uses up wealth.
36. When giving, every kind of good mind arises, and each one breaks an affliction. This is the passage of prajñā giving rise to dāna closest to daily use. The treatise-author lists five pairs: because he gives with a mind of kindness he extinguishes hatred; because he is glad on seeing the receiver obtain happiness he extinguishes the mind of jealousy; because he gives to the receiver with a respectful mind he breaks arrogance; because he clearly believes and knows the retribution of giving he breaks doubt and ignorance; because he does not take the giver and the receiver as fixed and real he breaks the other wrong views such as existence and non-existence. He also sets up three contemplations: contemplating the receiver as a Buddha, contemplating the thing given as like the mark of anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi, and contemplating his own body as from the very beginning ultimately empty. He concludes: if he gives in this way, because it is not false and deceptive, it reaches straight to anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi. In a single giving every affliction has its counteragent one by one; this is the real meaning of 「拔出慳貪根本而行布施」 tr. "pulling out the root of stinginess and greed and giving".
37. Marks such as these are called 「般若波羅蜜生檀波羅蜜」 tr. "prajñāpāramitā gives rise to dānapāramitā" . One more boundary stake, closing the whole account of prajñā giving rise to dāna.
38. Prajñā giving rise to śīla, one: it is not that there are no beings and yet he is able to receive and uphold the ten wholesome paths. The treatise-author explains morality and at the very start sets up a boundary easily swept away by a view of emptiness: because the bodhisattva deeply enters pure prajñāpāramitā, it is not that there are no beings and yet he is able to receive and uphold the precepts of the ten wholesome paths and the rest; it is in order to break the inversion of killing that there is the precept of not killing; it is not that it exists within the real mark. This sentence covers both sides: the reason the precepts are set up is to break inversion; yet for the precepts to be able to be set up, there must still be beings. Emptiness does not obstruct the precepts; the precepts are not set up within the real mark but at the place where inversion awaits breaking.
39. Prajñā giving rise to śīla, two: limited upholding of the precepts and the precepts of non-discrimination. The treatise-author shows the immeasurable by the measured: some people uphold the precept of not killing for the beings within a hundred yojana, some uphold the precept of not killing for the beings of one Jambudvīpa—such as these are upholding the precepts for a limited number of beings; or some uphold the precepts for one day, or receive the five precepts or the ten precepts—such as these are limited upholding of the precepts. The bodhisattva who practises prajñā is not like this—he upholds the precepts for the sake of all beings of immeasurable lands, not for one life or two lives, 「如如、虛空、法性、實際住」 tr. "abiding like suchness, space, the nature of dharmas, and the limit of reality"; because of the mark of ultimate emptiness, he does not grasp at this mark of the precepts, does not loathe the breaking of the precepts, and does not cling to upholding the precepts. It is named 「菩薩般若波羅蜜生具足無分別戒」 tr. "the bodhisattva's prajñāpāramitā gives rise to the fulfilled precepts of non-discrimination". What is to be remembered in this passage are three instances of 「不」 tr. "not": not grasping at the mark of the precepts, not loathing the breaking of the precepts, not clinging to upholding the precepts—for one who upholds the precepts, the hardest barrier is not breaking the precepts; it is clinging to the precepts.
40. Prajñā giving rise to kṣānti: obtaining the acceptance of all dharmas, the mind without discrimination of right and wrong. The treatise-author explains patience very briefly: patience is of two kinds, first the acceptance of beings, second the acceptance of dharmas. Because the bodhisattva deeply enters prajñāpāramitā, he obtains the acceptance of all dharmas, is able to believe and receive the immeasurable dharmas of the Buddha, and has in his mind no discrimination of right and wrong. It is named 「般若波羅蜜中生忍辱」 tr. "patience arises within prajñāpāramitā". The patience here is no longer enduring people's evil; it is accepting the depth of the Dharma—being able to believe and receive the immeasurable dharmas of the Buddha without giving rise to right and wrong; this is the positive statement of the acceptance of dharmas.
41. Prajñā giving rise to vīrya: the three deeds all extinguished; the simile of crossing the sea in a dream. The treatise-author explains vigour: again, there are bodhisattvas who, because they diligently practise vigour and have fulfilled the five perfections, practise prajñāpāramitā, obtain the real mark of all dharmas, and extinguish the three deeds—the body does nothing, the mouth says nothing, the mind thinks nothing. Then with a simile he makes it understandable: it is like a person who in a dream is sinking in the great ocean and moves hands and feet seeking to cross; after waking, the mind of the dream at once ceases. This simile is the best simile of the whole part: it does not forbid hands and feet; it is that once one wakes from the dream they are naturally not needed. It is named 「從般若波羅蜜中生第一精進」 tr. "the foremost vigour arises from within prajñāpāramitā". And he cites the words of the Sūtra of Holding the Mind as evidence—because I obtained this vigour, I received the prediction in the presence of Dīpaṃkara Buddha. The misreading to clear away here: the three deeds all being extinguished is not paralysis and not moving; it is moving without anything done; the 「不動精進」 tr. "unmoving vigour" above has the same purport as this.
42. Prajñā giving rise to dhyāna: the simile of the two bulls; meditative concentration arises from discriminating wisdom. At the head of this passage the treatise-author first sets up a general rule: although apart from wisdom there is no meditative concentration, meditative concentration is for the most part obtained by the power of wisdom, and therefore meditative concentration arises from wisdom. Then he cites the event told in the Pratyekabuddha Sūtra: there was a king who saw two bulls fight to the death for the sake of lust, and he at once awakened of himself—I, for the sake of wealth and beauty, make war on other countries; how is this any different from that! Thereupon he abandoned the five desires, obtained meditative concentration, and became a pratyekabuddha. The treatise-author likens the bodhisattva to him: by causes and conditions great or small he is able to loathe the five desires, and weighs that the pleasure of the five desires and the pleasure of meditation are far apart—how could one give up the pleasure of meditative concentration for the small pleasure of the five desires; and the pleasure of meditative concentration is of pure merit, and one feels pleasure throughout the body. He concludes: such as these are meditative concentration arising from discriminating wisdom. This passage may be read together with passage 20: there it says that meditation is obtained by vigour, here it says that meditation is obtained by wisdom; the two do not contradict each other, and it is still 「多處受名」 tr. "the name is received by the greater share".
43. The meaning of meditative concentration is as the sūtra says. Passed over with a single sentence, of the same form as passage 23. The treatise-author does not repeat what the sūtra has already explained at length.
44. Planting roots of goodness through immeasurable kalpas, coming out from the very deep dharma and turning back to cultivate merit. The treatise-author brings to a close the explanation of mutual generation and lands on a very wide shot: this bodhisattva, through immeasurable kalpas, plants roots of goodness for the sake of the Buddha path; because he is apart from desire he obtains mastery over the meditative concentrations and deeply enters suchness, the nature of dharmas, and the limit of reality; because of the power of vigour, skilful means, and kindness and compassion, he comes out from the very deep dharma and turns back to cultivate merit. The nine Chinese characters 「出於甚深法，還修功德」 tr. "comes out from the very deep dharma and turns back to cultivate merit" are the most important—after entering deeply, being willing to come out, and after coming out, being willing to cultivate again; this is precisely the echo of passage 14's ‘not clinging to ultimate emptiness’. With this, the containing by mutual generation has been fully spoken.
45. Turning to fulfilment within a single thought: this person subdues his mind, and within a single thought is able to practise the six perfections. Here the treatise-author sets out on a separate road. What was said before is A giving rise to B; what is said from here on is the six being present right now within one perfection. The treatise-author first sets it out with giving as the example: relinquishing wealth in accordance with the Dharma is dāna; abiding securely in the ten wholesome paths, giving, and not tending toward the two vehicles is śīla; stinginess and greed and every affliction, and the people of Māra, coming and being unable to move his mind is kṣānti; when giving, vigour of body and of mind, without resting and without ceasing, is vigour; gathering the mind upon the giving, not letting it be scattered, without doubt and without regret, facing straight toward anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi is meditation; when giving, the giver, the receiver, and the wealth are unfindable, and not, as wrong views do, grasping at marks and falsely seeing a fixed mark, but, like the buddhas and the worthies and sages, contemplating the mark of the thing given, the marks of the receiver and the giver, and the mark of the place to which one dedicates, is prajñā; when giving the Dharma it is likewise. Here the reader must take the three Chinese characters 「一念中」 tr. "within a single thought" as solid: it is not six things queued up and done to the end; it is six faces accomplished at the same time within one giving.
46. Abiding in morality, the six complete, one: the three kinds of restraint, and giving fearlessness to beings. The treatise-author turns to taking upholding the precepts as the head. The bodhisattva receives all the precepts in full, and with a wholesome mind gives rise to right speech, right deeds, and the three kinds of restraint—the restraint of the precepts, the restraint of meditative concentration, and the restraint without outflows; abiding in these precepts, he gives fearlessness to all beings, and this is called dānapāramitā. How does upholding the precepts become giving? Because where the precepts are, beings have no fear of me. The gift of fearlessness does not wait on wealth; this is the perfection first accomplished within the gate of the precepts.
47. Abiding in morality, the six complete, two: patience for the sake of upholding the precepts. The treatise-author explains the patience within morality in two layers: one layer is the afflictions pressing from within—when lust, hatred, and the other afflictions wish to break the precepts, he is able to subdue them and able to endure them; the other layer is what outer conditions inflict—when someone comes and reviles, beats, and harms him, because he fears breaking the precepts he endures it and does not retaliate; and when pressed by the sufferings of hunger and thirst, cold and heat, for the sake of upholding the precepts he is able to endure them all. This is called kṣāntipāramitā. This passage requires seeing one turn clearly: what is endured here is not endured for the sake of patience; it is endured 「為持戒故」 tr. "for the sake of upholding the precepts"—since the master is morality, patience is set up bound to morality.
48. Abiding in morality, the six complete, three: distinguishing the marks of the precepts is vigour of mind; practising according to the dharma of the precepts is vigour of body. The treatise-author explains the vigour within morality through two gates, of mind and of body: distinguishing the marks of the precepts—light and heavy, with remainder and without remainder, the root and branch of the causes and conditions, whether prohibited or permitted, and so forth—is vigour of mind; being able to practise according to the dharma of the precepts, and, when there is an offence, humbling the mind, repenting, and removing it, is called vigour of body. With such upholding of the precepts and vigour, he does not seek to be a king of the gods or a king of humans, and so on up to not seeking the nirvāṇa of the Small Vehicle; only because the precepts are the dwelling-place of the bodhisattva path, upholding the precepts is able to cultivate and accumulate the five perfections—this is called the perfection of vigour. This passage leaves the reader a plain truth: studying the marks of the precepts also counts as vigour, but it must be counted together with 「有犯則下意懺除」 tr. "when there is an offence, humbling the mind, repenting, and removing it", so that it does not stay on paper.
49. Abiding in morality, the six complete, four: seeking the pleasure of meditative concentration in order to make the precepts firm and secure. The treatise-author explains the meditation within morality, and speaks in a very orderly sequence. First he sets out why it is so: when the precepts are upheld purely, the power of the afflictions is broken, and the mind is then tamed. Next, with two similes, he shows the reverse side: it is like old age robbing the strength of the prime of life, and when death comes one is easily destroyed—the practitioner who does not obtain meditative concentration recollects the five desires and gives rise to the five hindrances, which encroach upon his upholding of the precepts. Therefore 「為戒堅牢故，求禪定樂」 tr. "in order to make the precepts firm and secure, he seeks the pleasure of meditative concentration". Next he settles the meaning of meditation: gathering all mind and mental-factor dharmas so that they come together in one place is named meditative concentration. Next he lists the three layers to be removed: first removing the evil bodily and verbal deeds that break the precepts, next removing the three kinds of evil initial and sustained thought, and then removing the three kinds of subtle initial and sustained thought—namely of one's land, of one's kin and village, and of not dying. When these have been removed he at once obtains meditative concentration, and this is called dhyānapāramitā. What is most worth savouring in this passage is the sentence 「為戒堅牢故，求禪定樂」 tr. "in order to make the precepts firm and secure, he seeks the pleasure of meditative concentration": the reason for seeking concentration is not seeking pleasure; it is guarding the precepts.
50. Abiding in morality, the six complete, five: the elephant bathes and again sprinkles itself with earth; neither loathing nor love should arise. The treatise-author explains the wisdom within morality, rising layer by layer. The first layer: when upholding the precepts, knowing that the precepts can give rise to the fruits and retributions of merit in this life and later lives—this is called wisdom. The second layer: the precepts that are loved, the one who upholds the precepts, and the one who breaks the precepts, these three things are unfindable—this is called wisdom. The third layer sets up three kinds of people: the lower person breaks the precepts, the middle person clings to the precepts, the upper person does not cling to the precepts. The fourth layer is the bodhisattva's own reflection—if I loathe the breaking of the precepts and the one who breaks them, and love the precepts and the one who upholds them, and give rise to love and resentment, I shall still receive the causes and conditions of sinful deeds; it is like an elephant which, after bathing and washing, again sprinkles itself with earth. And he pushes on to its principle: all dharmas belong to causes and conditions, and none is sovereign; all wholesome dharmas arise because of evil; if they arise because of evil, how could one cling to them? Evil is the cause of good; how could one loathe it? Reflecting thus, he straightaway enters the real mark of all dharmas—contemplating that upholding the precepts and breaking the precepts both arise from causes and conditions; because they arise from causes and conditions they are without self-nature; because they are without self-nature they are ultimately empty; because they are ultimately empty he does not cling—this is called prajñāpāramitā. The simile of the elephant bathing and again sprinkling itself with earth is the eye of this passage: to uphold the precepts with toil and then defile oneself with loathing and love is exactly like washing clean and then scooping up earth to scatter over one's body.
51. Abiding in patience, the six complete, one: the two acceptances give rise to the two gifts. The treatise-author turns to taking patience as the head. When the bodhisattva practises patience he has this thought—if beings come to cut and sever my body, I shall give it at once, so that beings do not incur the sin of robbery. The wonder of this thought lies in thinking on behalf of the other: what is cherished is not my body but his sin. Or, while cultivating patience, he expounds the Dharma on the basis of patience, distinguishing by every kind of cause and condition the world and nirvāṇa, and causes beings to abide in the six perfections. At the end he concludes their mutual generation: obtaining the acceptance of beings and being able to give the body is the gift of wealth; obtaining the acceptance of dharmas, deeply entering dharmas, and speaking them for beings is the gift of Dharma; 「是二施從二忍生，故名檀波羅蜜」 tr. "these two gifts arise from the two acceptances, and so it is named dānapāramitā". The two acceptances and the two gifts are matched one to one; the form is very orderly.
52. Abiding in patience, the six complete, two: upholding the precepts because of patience. The treatise-author explains the morality within patience with a question that reasons from the heavier to the lighter: when the bodhisattva practises patience, he does not begrudge even his body and life for the sake of patience—how much less would he vex beings and break the precepts! Therefore because of patience he upholds the precepts, pities all beings, and wishes to deliver them. And he sets down a definition of the precepts—「持戒名一切諸善法安立住處。」 tr. "Upholding the precepts is named the dwelling-place where all wholesome dharmas are established." This definition is brief and complete, and may be read alongside passage 48's 「戒是菩薩道住處」 tr. "the precepts are the dwelling-place of the bodhisattva path".
53. Abiding in patience, the six complete, three: within patience, with body and mind diligently practising the four perfections. Only a single sentence: the bodhisattva, within patience, with body and mind diligently practises the four perfections—this is called vigour. The very shortness of this passage shows the form—in the texts on fulfilment within a single thought, wherever the meaning is already clear, nothing is added.
54. Abiding in patience, the six complete, four: I am able to be patient toward all beings like the earth. The treatise-author explains the meditation within patience: within patience, the mind is tamed and soft, does not cling to the five desires, and is gathered in one place; toward all beings I am able to be patient like the earth—this is called dhyānapāramitā. The three Chinese characters 「忍如地」 tr. "patient like the earth" are the steadiest of all the similes of this part: the earth does not choose between clean and foul but bears them all; when patience reaches this point, the mind of itself is not scattered.
55. Abiding in patience, the six complete, five: patience at its deepest is precisely prajñā. The treatise-author explains the wisdom within patience, listing four layers from the shallow to the deep: knowing that the retribution of patience is the adornment of the body with the marks and minor signs, and so forth; cultivating patience being able to screen off the afflictions; being able to endure the faults and evils of beings; being able to accept all very deep dharmas. When the four layers are exhausted, he afterwards obtains the real mark of all dharmas; at this time the practitioner obtains in his mind this acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas, and it 「即是般若波羅蜜」 tr. "is precisely prajñāpāramitā". Here 「即是」 tr. "is precisely" is used and not 「生」 tr. "gives rise to", which shows exactly the difference between fulfilment within a single thought and mutual generation—it is not that patience gives rise to prajñā; it is that when patience reaches this point it is, in its very substance, prajñā.
56. Abiding in vigour, the six complete, one: although vigour is the root of all good, what is named arising from vigour is so by the greater share. The treatise-author turns to taking vigour as the head, and at the outset first places a sentence of self-limitation: although vigour is the root of all good, and apart from vigour no wholesome dharma can be obtained, 「但以精進力多生五波羅蜜故，名精進生」 tr. "it is only because the five perfections arise by the greater share of the power of vigour that it is named arising from vigour". This is the third appearance of passage 17's 「多處受名」 tr. "the name is received by the greater share", and also the treatise-author's most consistent way of judging throughout the part. Arriving here, the reader should confirm: wherever this chapter says ‘such-and-such a perfection gives rise to such-and-such a perfection’, it is all said with respect to the greater share; it does not say that the other perfections have no part in it.
57. Abiding in vigour, the six complete, two: the three kinds of giving, and so on up to the two vigours, moving and unmoving. The treatise-author assigns them one by one: constantly practising the three kinds of giving and never giving them up or stopping—the gift of wealth, the gift of Dharma, the gift of fearlessness—this is called dānapāramitā; well cultivating the right deeds of body and speech, tending straight toward the Buddha path, not craving the two vehicles—this is called śīlapāramitā; when he diligently practises vigour and someone comes to destroy the bodhisattva path, being able to endure it, unmoved—this is called kṣāntipāramitā; although practising every kind of other dharma, the mind not scattered, with a single mind keeping sarvajñā in mind—this is called dhyānapāramitā. At the end he does not speak of prajñā directly, but first divides vigour into two: first, the moving mark, body and mind practising diligently; second, because all idle discourse is extinguished, body and mind unmoving. He concludes: although the bodhisattva diligently practises the moving vigour, he is also not apart from the unmoving vigour, and 「不動精進不離般若波羅蜜」 tr. "the unmoving vigour does not depart from prajñāpāramitā". This conclusion most needs close reading: prajñā is not a sixth thing set up separately; it is what the unmoving vigour does not depart from.
58. Abiding in meditation, the six complete: entering meditative concentration and conjuring offerings, expounding the Dharma, accepting dharmas, giving rise to samādhis. The treatise-author turns to taking meditative concentration as the head. Because of the power of the mind of kindness and compassion he gives fearlessness to all beings; or, because of the power of meditative concentration, he conjures precious things like Mount Sumeru filling every place, rains down every kind of flower, incense, and the like as offerings to the buddhas, and gives clothing, food and drink, and so forth to poor beings; or within meditative concentration he expounds the Dharma for the beings of the ten directions—this is called dānapāramitā. Herein, practising wholesome deeds of body and speech in accord with meditative concentration, and being apart from the mind of the śrāvaka and the pratyekabuddha—this is called śīlapāramitā. Entering meditative concentration and obtaining a pure and soft pleasure, and yet being able not to cling to the taste of meditation; because of the power of meditative concentration, being able to enter deeply into the emptiness of dharmas, able to accept this dharma, the mind without doubt and without regret—this is called kṣāntipāramitā. Wishing to give rise to the samādhis—the leaping samādhi, the samādhi of the lion's rousing, and the other immeasurable samādhis of the bodhisattvas—without resting and without ceasing—this is called the perfection of vigour. Because of the power of meditative concentration the mind is pure and immovable and able to enter the real mark of all dharmas, and 「諸法實相即是般若波羅蜜」 tr. "the real mark of all dharmas is precisely prajñāpāramitā". In this passage the sentence 「能不著禪味」 tr. "able not to cling to the taste of meditation" is the joint: of the gate of meditation containing the six perfections, the most dangerous barrier is precisely craving the taste.
59. Abiding in prajñā, the six complete: within a single mind, at a single time, able to fulfil the six perfections. The treatise-author, taking prajñā as the head, makes the last round, which is also the close of the whole chapter. Being able to contemplate the mark of the three kinds of giving as like anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi, and extinguishing every kind of idle discourse such as neither existent nor non-existent—this is called the dānapāramitā within the immeasurable, inexhaustible prajñā; bodily and verbal deeds proceeding in accord with prajñā, and because he obtains prajñā being able to uphold the precepts firmly and purely—this is called śīlapāramitā; abiding in the mind of prajñā, the acceptance of beings and the acceptance of dharmas becoming ever deeper and purer—this is called kṣāntipāramitā; the bodhisattva who practises prajñā is pure in body and mind and obtains the unmoving vigour, contemplates the moving vigour as like an illusion, like a dream, and because he obtains the unmoving vigour does not enter nirvāṇa—this is called the perfection of vigour; because he practises this unobstructed prajñā, although he constantly enters meditative concentration, because he obtains the power of prajñāpāramitā, he does not rise from meditation and yet is able to deliver beings—this is called dhyānapāramitā. At the end he gathers in the whole chapter with a single sentence—「如是等菩薩利智慧故，一心中一時能具足六波羅蜜。」 tr. "Bodhisattvas such as these, because their wisdom is keen, are able within a single mind, at a single time, to fulfil the six perfections." The thirty groups listed in the First and Middle Parts are a horizontal arrangement in sequence; here they are gathered in vertically by a single sentence: the horizontal is the road, the vertical is the fruit; when the road has been walked to its end, the six perfections are no longer six.
Do Not Misread
Do not read the 「主」 tr. "master" as honoured and lowly. The answer that opens the whole part is only seven Chinese characters—「行因緣次第應爾」 tr. "The sequence of the causes and conditions of practice should be so."; the master is what is fitting in the position of practice in a sequence, not higher and lower among dharmas. The treatise-author at once proves it with the two kinds of bodhisattvas, the householder and the one who has gone forth: for one who has wealth, giving is the master; for one without wealth, morality, patience, and meditation are the master. If the master is read as the honoured one, the arrangement of thirty groups at once turns into thirty contests for a seat, and the meaning of the whole chapter is entirely lost.
Do not read mutual containing as arising one from another in sequence. This is the boundary stake the treatise-author set up with his own hand—「此中說相，不說次第相生。雖和合而各各有相；若次第法，應先戒後忍。」 tr. "Here the marks are spoken of; arising one from another in sequence is not spoken of. Although they come together, each has its own mark; if it were the graded dharmas, morality should come first and patience after." So for the same pair, patience and morality, in the group of abiding in patience it is patience taking up morality, and in the group of abiding in morality it is morality taking up patience; for the same pair, vigour and patience, here it is 「今從精進生忍辱」 tr. "now patience arises from vigour", and there it is vigour arising from patience. The direction can be exchanged precisely because what is spoken of is the marks, not the order.
Do not read 「精進更無異體」 tr. "vigour has no separate substance" as vigour having no substance. The treatise-author's meaning is that vigour does not separately set up a sixth substance standing alongside the five perfections; it is present throughout the five perfections as that unresting power; and that is why there is 「一切處雖有精進，多處受名」 tr. "although there is vigour everywhere, the name is received by the greater share". If it is read as vigour being dispensable, the whole group of abiding in vigour and taking up the five falls empty.
Do not read 「多處受名」 tr. "the name is received by the greater share" as vagueness. It is a strict way of judging: the name a dharma receives is set up according to the greater share, not according to presence or absence. Among the various conditions for obtaining meditation that the treatise-author lists, only the kind that fights with the mind is named arising from vigour; this does not mean that obtaining meditation through the other conditions has no vigour; when prajñā is said to be 「除四波羅蜜所生般若」 tr. "apart from the prajñā that arises from the four perfections", this does not mean that prajñā does not arise from the other perfections. Wherever this chapter says that A gives rise to B, it must be read with this rule.
Do not read 「菩薩如諸佛無貪著心」 tr. "the bodhisattva, like the buddhas, is without a mind of greedy clinging" as the bodhisattva already being equal to the Buddha. The treatise-author divides them very clearly: the Buddha has cut off the afflictions and their habitual residues so that they do not arise; the bodhisattva subdues them by the power of prajñā so that they do not arise. The intent of the sūtra text in speaking so lies in 「今欲讚歎般若力故」 tr. "now it wishes to praise the power of prajñā" … 「令人知貴般若」 tr. "to let people know to prize prajñā"; what is praised is the Dharma, not the position.
Do not read compliant acceptance and the acceptance of non-arising as two mutually exclusive stages. The treatise-author says plainly 「法忍者不妨眾生忍，眾生忍不妨法忍，但以深淺為別」 tr. "the acceptance of dharmas does not obstruct the acceptance of beings, and the acceptance of beings does not obstruct the acceptance of dharmas; they are distinguished only by depth and shallowness", and also says that one who obtains the dharma of the acceptance of non-arising still has kindness and pity for beings, and that within compliant acceptance there is also the thought of the emptiness of dharmas. What distinguishes them is only depth and shallowness, not presence and absence.
Do not read 「不證實際」 tr. "does not realise the limit of reality" as being timid about taking realisation. The treatise-author sets up this sentence at the very emptiest place: after abiding in the acceptance of dharmas, contemplating ultimate emptiness, and not seeing the dharma endured, the one who endures, and the place of enduring, he still says 「本願求佛道，不著是畢竟空法故，乃至未坐道場不證實際」 tr. "by his original vow he seeks the Buddha path; because he does not cling to this dharma of ultimate emptiness, and so on up to the time before he has sat at the seat of awakening, he does not realise the limit of reality". Not realising is not being unable; it is not clinging to emptiness—clinging to emptiness and clinging to existence are alike a clinging.
Do not read the 「等無異」 tr. "equal and without difference" of prajñā giving rise to giving as licence to be slighting. What the treatise-author levels is the mind that gives: giving to the Buddha with greedy clinging, the merit is not complete; giving to the poor and lowly with slighting, the merit is small. Only a mind that neither prizes nor despises gives by the emptiness of beings and the emptiness of dharmas; this and suiting the hearer with deep or shallow in expounding the Dharma are two matters, which must not be mixed into one.
Do not read 「非無眾生而能受持十善等諸戒」 tr. "it is not that there are no beings and yet he is able to receive and uphold the precepts of the ten wholesome paths and the rest" as the precepts existing within the real mark. The treatise-author has already marked it himself in the same sentence—「欲破殺生顛倒故有不殺生戒，非實相中有」 tr. "it is in order to break the inversion of killing that there is the precept of not killing; it is not that it exists within the real mark". The precepts are set up on account of the inversion awaiting breaking, and setting up the precepts still requires that there be beings; emptiness does not abolish the precepts, and the precepts are not real of themselves.
Do not read fulfilment within a single thought as another way of speaking of mutual generation. After 「復次，是菩薩於無量劫為佛道故種善根」 tr. "Furthermore, this bodhisattva, through immeasurable kalpas, plants roots of goodness for the sake of the Buddha path", the treatise-author sets out on a separate road; what he speaks of is no longer A giving rise to B, but one perfection in its very substance containing six—and so the final passages use 「即是般若波羅蜜」 tr. "is precisely prajñāpāramitā" and 「諸法實相即是般若波羅蜜」 tr. "the real mark of all dharmas is precisely prajñāpāramitā" and do not use 「生」 tr. "gives rise to". The thirty groups spoken horizontally and the six rounds gathered in vertically differ in form, and must not be read by being fitted onto each other.
Bearing on Practice
First recognise your own master. The treatise-author speaks very concretely of the two kinds of causes and conditions, of the householder and of the one who has gone forth: one who has wealth, knows sin and merit, and has a mind of kindness and compassion should first give; one without wealth should practise morality, patience, and meditation. The first matter in reading this part is not memorising the thirty groups but honestly asking—given my present standing, means, and temperament, which perfection is my master? Having settled it, start from that perfection, and take up the other five from there.
Use 「不以小惡因緣故而生廢退」 tr. "not, because of small evil causes and conditions, giving rise to abandoning and falling back" to hold firm halfway. Arousing the mind to give and having the receiver turn round and revile; arousing the mind to expound the Dharma and having the hearer not accept it—these are the places in daily life where one most easily falls back. What the treatise-author teaches is not swallowing one's anger; it is changing the reckoning: not ruining the path of the perfections for the sake of a false and deceptive body. The matter is small; it is not worth trading the whole path for it.
Use 「一人相即是一切人相」 tr. "the mark of one person is precisely the mark of all persons" to counteract the mind that calculates many and few. Passing over a thousand myriad yojana without finding a single person, the mind is still not sorrowful; finding one person to uphold the five precepts, at that time there is gladness. What most wears out one who applies himself is not toil but calculating results; this sentence is the medicine set up for just this illness.
While upholding the precepts is not yet steady, first guard patience. The treatise-author says plainly that because the power of meditation and wisdom is great they are not spoken of here—「持戒時心未能清淨，須忍辱守心故」 tr. "when upholding the precepts the mind is not yet able to be pure, and patience is needed to guard the mind". When the period of the precepts first begins, there is no need to hurry after concentration and wisdom; keep hold of these three—not retaliating, not arguing, not calculating—and the precepts will naturally become firm and secure.
Before seeking concentration, first ask whether the mind is soft. 「忍辱力故，其心調柔；心調柔故，易得禪定」 tr. "Because of the power of patience, his mind is tamed and soft; because the mind is tamed and soft, he easily obtains meditative concentration"—this is the sequence the treatise-author gives. One who has sat long without obtaining concentration should turn back and check whether he is still hard in his dealings with people.
Examine yourself by the various conditions for obtaining meditation that the treatise-author lists, and do not mistake your own power. Obtaining it of itself, obtaining it on falling back, obtaining it by birth, obtaining it through giving, obtaining it through morality and patience, obtaining it through wisdom—the treatise-author distinguishes them one by one, and only the kind of 「常與心鬪」 tr. "constantly fighting with the mind" … 「如與賊鬪，乃至流汗」 tr. "as though fighting with a thief, even to the point of sweating" is named arising from vigour. A single chance accord need not be taken for the power of the path; on the other hand, for one of dull faculties, hard to restrain, who adds deep vigour, the treatise-author has also given a clear place.
When giving, check against those five good minds one by one. Giving with a mind of kindness extinguishes hatred; seeing the receiver obtain happiness and being glad extinguishes jealousy; giving with respect breaks arrogance; believing and knowing the retribution breaks doubt and ignorance; not taking the giver and the receiver as fixed and real breaks the wrong views of existence and non-existence. One giving is one complete lesson in counteracting, not merely handing over a thing.
One who upholds the precepts should chiefly check the three instances of 「不」 tr. "not": not grasping at the mark of the precepts, not loathing the breaking of the precepts, not clinging to upholding the precepts. The simile of the elephant bathing and again sprinkling itself with earth is set up for just this—the purity upheld with toil is often ruined by that share of loathing toward those who break the precepts and that share of love toward one's own upholding of them.
Take 「為戒堅牢故，求禪定樂」 tr. "in order to make the precepts firm and secure, he seeks the pleasure of meditative concentration" as the reason for seeking concentration. One does not sit for the sake of enjoying the pleasure of meditation; it is because without concentration one recollects the five desires and gives rise to the five hindrances, which encroach upon the upholding of the precepts. Once the motive is right, craving the taste in sitting naturally lessens.
Use the simile of crossing the sea in a dream to loosen the grip of forcing. Moving hands and feet in a dream seeking to cross, after waking the mind of the dream at once ceases—vigour at its utmost is the body doing nothing, the mouth saying nothing, the mind thinking nothing, not doubling one's force. When daily practice is strung too tight, hold up this simile and look.
At the close of the day's practice, take 「一念中能行六波羅蜜」 tr. "within a single thought is able to practise the six perfections" and examine one matter by it. On the one most important thing done today, ask: was it relinquished cleanly?—that is dāna; did it not tend toward the two vehicles?—that is morality; when disturbed, was it unmoved?—that is patience; was it without resting and without ceasing?—that is vigour; was it not scattered?—that is meditation; were the three wheels unfindable?—that is prajñā. When the six questions have been asked, one matter is the six perfections.
Further Resonances
The place of this Last Part within the whole chapter has already been clearly judged by the ancient masters. Huiying, in explaining this chapter, points out its office right where the treatise-author opens his mouth—「問曰：何以但一波羅蜜為主已下，論主欲解經文，先釋以一波羅蜜為頭攝諸波羅蜜，所以故興此問答也」 tr. "From ‘Question: Why is only one perfection the master?’ onward: the treatise-author, wishing to explain the sūtra text, first explains taking one perfection as the head and containing the perfections, and that is why he raises this question and answer"; he explains the treatise-author's answer as what is necessarily so of dharmas within the causes and conditions of practice, and further extends its pattern: 「一波羅蜜中有此五義，如一檀中有四種捨義，一戒之中有三種戒義等悉爾」 tr. "within one perfection there are these five meanings, just as within one dāna there are four kinds of meaning of relinquishing, and within one precept there are three kinds of meaning of the precepts, and so on—all are like this". Huiying further points out, at the two kinds of bodhisattvas, the householder and the one who has gone forth, that the treatise-author's intent in setting out the two kinds separately lies in 「欲明所行之法異故」 tr. "because he wishes to make clear that the dharmas practised differ", and he sums up that the texts of mutual containing in this chapter all have three meanings—speaking of the group of abiding in patience and taking up giving, 「則有忍義、檀義、波羅蜜義，諸一一波羅蜜相攝中皆具三義」 tr. "then there are the meaning of patience, the meaning of dāna, and the meaning of pāramitā; in the mutual containing of each and every perfection all three meanings are complete". This judgement of three meanings and the treatise sentence 「此中說相，不說次第相生」 tr. "Here the marks are spoken of; arising one from another in sequence is not spoken of" throw light on each other: each has its own mark, and together they come back to pāramitā.
On distinguishing patience from morality, Huiying's explanation keeps the same boundary as the treatise-author. Under the question and answer on 「取尸羅」 tr. "takes up śīla", he says that what is meant to be spoken of here is 「諸波羅蜜相攝、忍戒相異之義，故云從忍生戒，非是論決次第相生義也」 tr. "the meaning of the perfections containing one another and of patience and morality differing from each other; therefore it says that morality arises from patience; it is not settling the meaning of arising one from another in sequence"; under the judgement of a dharma of form and a mental-factor dharma, he explains upholding the precepts as 「明從於身口生無作色，是可持法故，所以諸根具足受之乃得」 tr. "it makes clear that non-action form arises from body and speech; because it is a dharma that can be upheld, it is obtained only when one with the faculties complete receives it", and 「忍非受法，但須內心自行，是故為異」 tr. "patience is not a dharma of receiving; it needs only to be practised by the inner mind itself; therefore they differ", and adds a two-way sentence—「忍亦能生戒，戒亦生忍，但以內外色心等為別也」 tr. "patience can also give rise to morality, and morality also gives rise to patience; they are distinguished only by inner and outer, form and mind, and so forth". The treatise text only says that the marks differ; Huiying adds that mutual generation is still there, and that what distinguishes them lies in inner and outer, form and mind—which may be read together with the treatise-author's judgement 「此中說相，不說次第相生」 tr. "Here the marks are spoken of; arising one from another in sequence is not spoken of".
On the sentence 「精進更無異體」 tr. "vigour has no separate substance", Huiying's explanation is the most detailed. He first takes ignorance as a comparison: just as ignorance pervades the five categories and yet an unshared ignorance is set up separately, so vigour pervades all practices and yet a perfection of vigour must be set up separately, because it is so much. Next he speaks by dividing substance and mark—「以相明體，得有別體；以體明體，無有別體」 tr. "making the substance clear by the mark, it may have a separate substance; making the substance clear by the substance, it has no separate substance"—and at the end comes back to 「今者據其遍通之義，故云無別體也」 tr. "here it is based on the meaning of its pervading everywhere, and so it says it has no separate substance". The one-sentence verdict of the treatise text, through this explanation, is kept from being read as vigour having no substance.
On the various kinds of obtaining meditation and the simile of the person with merit, Huiying also sets limits. On the kind 「如劫盡」 tr. "as when the kalpa is exhausted", he cites the conditions of the fire disaster told in the larger-text sūtra, saying that at that time beings, because the fire is pressing, are able of themselves to leave desire and, without sleeping, obtain the first dhyāna, and that 「菩薩亦不須此禪等也」 tr. "the bodhisattva also has no need of such meditations"; on the three—obtaining it on falling back, obtaining it by birth, and dying in a higher ground, being born in a lower ground, and obtaining it—he distinguishes one by one the conditions for obtaining the meditation without outflows and the pure meditation. On the simile of merit arriving of itself and of obtaining by vigour, he adds a special limitation—「此唯為鈍根難制、脩禪難得者作喻，非為精進人作喻也」 tr. "this simile is made only for those of dull faculties, hard to restrain, for whom meditation is hard to obtain by cultivation; it is not a simile made for the person of vigour". This limitation is very important: a simile is set up only for the hearers it is likened to, and must not be extended further. As for the treatise sentence 「除四波羅蜜所生般若」 tr. "apart from the prajñā that arises from the four perfections", Huiying notes 「謂施、忍、禪也」 tr. "namely giving, patience, and meditation", naming only three, which differs from the treatise text's 「四」 tr. "four"; this difference is recorded side by side without judgement.
On the five questions of the group of abiding in prajñā, under the question on compliant acceptance Huiying judges why it is so as lying in 「論主大判作優劣分之，以順忍為生空，無生忍為法空」 tr. "the treatise-author broadly judges them and divides them as superior and inferior, taking compliant acceptance as the emptiness of beings and the acceptance of non-arising as the emptiness of dharmas", and ties this to the words above, 「無受罵者法者等」 tr. "there is none who receives reviling, no dharma, and so forth". This judgement answers exactly to the treatise text's 「處眾生不可得故，名眾生忍」 tr. "because with respect to beings they are unfindable, it is named the acceptance of beings" and 「於法不可得故，名為法忍」 tr. "because with respect to dharmas they are unfindable, it is named the acceptance of dharmas". On the question of the eighteen emptinesses, Huiying says that the earlier speaking of eighteen 「通總一切諸法，為一切人說具此十八」 tr. "comprehensively covers all dharmas and is spoken for all people with these eighteen complete", whereas here it is only for the one who practises, 「故隨於事得辨而已」 tr. "and so it is only discussed according to the matter at hand"—which is also on the same road as the treatise text's 「彼中分別一切法相空」 tr. "there, the emptiness of the marks of all dharmas is distinguished" … 「此中為行者說」 tr. "here, it is spoken for the practitioner".
And the most important structural verdict of the whole part also comes from Huiying. Under the sentence 「復次是菩薩於無量劫為佛道故種善根」 tr. "Furthermore, this bodhisattva, through immeasurable kalpas, plants roots of goodness for the sake of the Buddha path" he says plainly: 「上來至此明相生相解義竟。自此已下，論主既以此之六波羅蜜是菩薩本業行故，復更作一種解釋，明一念之中具足六波羅蜜之義……」 tr. "From above up to here, the meaning of mutual generation and mutual explanation has been made clear, and it is finished. From here down, since the treatise-author takes these six perfections to be the bodhisattva's fundamental practice, he makes one further kind of explanation, making clear the meaning of the six perfections being fulfilled within a single thought …" And he says that this meaning ought properly to have been made clear in the following chapter, but the treatise-author explains it here as the occasion allows, 「亦皆就一一波羅蜜辨明，一一度一念之中即具六波羅蜜，不明相生義也」 tr. "also all discussed and made clear with respect to each perfection: within a single thought of each perfection the six perfections are at once complete; it does not make clear the meaning of mutual generation". At the end he restates it once more—「亦各各以一一波羅蜜為頭，明具足六義也」 tr. "also each takes one perfection as the head and makes clear the meaning of fulfilling the six". On this basis, the ‘fulfilment within a single thought’ of the latter section of the Last Part is six rounds and not three: abiding in giving, abiding in morality, abiding in patience, abiding in vigour, abiding in meditation, abiding in prajñā, each being a head, each containing the six perfections. This judgement is precisely the pivot of how this part is to be read: the first half speaks horizontally of mutual generation, the second half speaks vertically of fulfilment, and the two roads must not be fitted onto each other. At the three kinds of restraint Huiying adds a further note—「戒律儀者，是律儀戒唯是有漏，禪律儀通有漏無漏，是定共戒。無漏律儀唯是道，道品中道共戒也」 tr. "The restraint of the precepts: these precepts of restraint are only with outflows; the restraint of meditation extends to both with outflows and without outflows, and is the precepts concomitant with concentration. The restraint without outflows is only the path; it is the precepts concomitant with the path among the limbs of the path"—which may be read together with the round of abiding in morality containing the six.
Jizang's explanation of this chapter is very brief—his whole commentary on it is no more than seven lines—yet the guiding line he sets up does not differ from Huiying's. He marks this chapter as 「明一一行中具足眾行」 tr. "making clear that within each practice all practices are fulfilled", and sets up a question of his own to settle the kind of containing—「問：此中是何物攝耶？答：此是相生攝，以本攝末。」 tr. "Question: What kind of containing is this here? Answer: This is containing by mutual generation, the root containing the branches." And he distinguishes it from the mark of containing made clear in the "Eloquence" chapter earlier in his commentary: the earlier made clear mutual containing, 「欲以眾行多功共成多之功力，顯莊嚴有大力勢，能破生死直趣佛道」 tr. "wishing by the many merits of the many practices jointly to accomplish a manifold power, showing that the adornment has great strength and force, able to break birth and death and tend straight toward the Buddha path"; now it is 「明一一度中而起諸行，為顯方便也」 tr. "making clear that within each perfection the practices arise, in order to show skilful means". The judgement of containing by mutual generation, the meaning of the root containing the branches, and the conclusion of showing skilful means—though the three phrases are brief, they suffice to place this chapter. Jizang does not comment item by item on the particular contents of the thirty groups; this is recorded as it is.
六度相攝品 · 承衍The Six Perfections Contain One Another · Further Resonances
全文五層 →Full five layers →承衍
〈六度相攝品〉之所承，論主自己指得明白。前品〈無盡方便品〉之末，須菩提問的是「世尊！菩薩云何能行如是般若波羅蜜，能具足檀波羅蜜等諸波羅蜜？」；佛就迴向一事分軟根、利根二種人——一者取相迴向，一者戲論空法而信力轉薄，「是二種人皆不能具足檀波羅蜜」，故佛以「信力、慧力等故，能迴向薩婆若」定其樞。本品論①開卷即接住這一段，牒其問而曰「佛一一答」，隨即點出本品所換之問——不再問行般若時六度如何具足，改問住一波羅蜜時如何攝取其餘五度。所啟者亦一線可尋：本品之末已不說一度生五度，改說「一心中一時能具足六波羅蜜」；而次品〈大方便品〉開卷，須菩提所問正是這位方便力成就者的來歷——「是菩薩摩訶薩如是方便力成就者，發意已來幾時？」——佛答其發心已來無量億阿僧祇劫、供養如恒河沙等諸佛、於六波羅蜜「無不具足」。其下三喻，更把本品所立之主與分推到究竟：日月周行照四天下，「般若波羅蜜亦如是，照五波羅蜜，多有所益」；轉輪聖王無輪寶則不得其名，「五波羅蜜亦如是，若離般若波羅蜜，不得波羅蜜名字；不離般若波羅蜜故，得波羅蜜名字」；又「譬如無夫婦人，易為侵凌」，五度離般若則魔壞之易。本品說六度輪番作主，次品即說其中一度之所以常為眼目。
後來讀此品者，於品名一事所存最可誌。本論底本題「大智度論釋六度相攝品第六十八」；宋本作「大智論釋六度相攝品第六十八」，元本作「大智度論釋六度相攝品第六十八」，明本作「釋六度相攝品第六十八之上」，而宮本別作「大智論釋第六十八品攝五品」——攝五之名於此獨立成題；石本作「摩訶般若波羅蜜第六十七品六度相攝品卷八十一」，又標「卷第八十一首」，其品序作第六十七，較底本少一階，與前數品一貫。卷八十一之續題兩造亦然：底本作「大智度論釋六度品第六十八之餘」，宋本、宮本作「大智度論卷八十一釋第六十八品下攝五品」，元本作「大智度論卷八十一釋攝五品第六十八下」，明本作「大智度論卷八十一釋六度相攝品第六十八之下有本作攝五品」——明本自註其所見別本用攝五之名，一本之內兩名並存，如實誌之；聖本作「大智度經論卷第八十一釋第六十七品下」，品序亦少一階，與石本同其一系。更可注意者，所釋大經之品題恰成一面鏡子：其底本正題作「攝五品第六十八」，而宋、元、明、宮、聖諸本皆作「六度相攝」——經題以攝五為底、以六度相攝為異，論題以六度相攝為底、以攝五為異，兩造互倒而所指是一。品名之歧，正照見本品義理之兩面：曰六度相攝者，據所攝之全；曰攝五者，據能攝之一。兩存並錄不判。
古德之疏，於此品所留不多而皆中要。吉藏《大品經義疏》從所釋大經作「攝五品第六十八」，其文僅數行，開口便定此品在全經中之位次——「此下第二、明一一行中具足眾行」，並指出未得無生忍時只是一行，得無生忍乃能於一行之中具足而生眾行。其所設之問，正是本品讀者第一個要問的：「問：此中是何物攝耶？答：此是相生攝，以本攝末。」相攝有種種，此品所說者是相生之攝，是以本度攝其末流，不是把六件事捆成一件。又以前文一品相較而別其旨：「此中明攝與前弁才品明攝異者，前明相攝，欲以眾行多功共成多之功力，顯莊嚴有大力勢，能破生死直趣佛道。今明一一度中而起諸行，為顯方便也。」前者所顯在力之大，此品所顯在方便——同一個攝字，所為不同。
另有一家古德為本論自身作疏。慧影《大智度論疏》於此品立專章逐段釋之，標目即作「釋六度相攝品第六十八」，卷八十一段別立「釋六度相攝品第六十八之餘」，其分段點與本論卷界正合。其開卷即繫此品於前品之後——「第六十七品者，名為六度相攝品，即方便門中第二品也」，品序作六十七，與石本、聖本之少一階同其一系，三處互證而非孤證；又釋其所承曰：「上品正明方便體，明於菩薩以方便力故遂有所除亦有所得，明一度之中具足六度成方便義。」於本品體例，其判最為省力：「此中既明六波羅蜜相攝，但以一波羅蜜為頭，則攝五波羅蜜，故亦不須科略。」既是一度為頭而攝五，則不須更立科段。其最可貴之一節，在分別本品與他品之攝法不同：相攝之目本有數種——「而就相攝之中凡有五種，謂位、行、地位、同體、相生、一心等相攝，已如上釋」；前之滿願一品所明者是同體相攝，於一檀之中即具六度，故「於一檀中具此六波羅蜜，六六成三十六波羅蜜，同體相攝」；而本品所明者是相生相攝，故「此乃始明因於檀波羅蜜生三種慈業，故是相生相攝，五六但成三十波羅蜜相攝，為無檀中檀故」——三十與三十六之差，正在檀中之檀不重計。他又預告下品之法門：「若是下品，則明一念相攝，至文當道。」而於本論末後論主自開之一番，其判尤為明晰：「上來至此明相生相解義竟。自此已下，論主既以此之六波羅蜜是菩薩本業行故，復更作一種解釋，明一念之中具足六波羅蜜之義，此義乃復下品明之。」是知本品末後之一念具足，在其讀法中已是下一品之先聲。其餘諸段亦多與本論論主之問答相發：於在家出家一節，引舊論之語曰「菩薩必在七眾中，七眾不在菩薩中」；於一一相攝之體例，指出每組皆具三義——「一一波羅蜜相生攝中，盡於具足有此三意義也」；於十八空但說十四，釋之曰「今者此中說十四空，始從內空至一切法空，於事為足，更不須故，但云十四也」；於超越三昧，點出大小乘之別只在「二乘但能超一，不能爾也」；於柔順忍與無生忍之判，則直指其為論主分位之語——「上亦不云柔順忍，但言無生忍。但論主大判作優劣分之，以順忍為生空，無生忍為法空。」至於均正之四論玄義一書，遍檢六度相攝一目僅得泛用一處，非本品專節之釋，如實誌之；天台一系之法華玄義、法華文句諸書，遍檢無此目之文，不強牽合，亦如實誌之。
把這一路承衍帶回本品，古德兩家所拈出的，恰是本品最易被讀漏的一處：此品之攝是相生之攝，不是同體之攝。同體相攝說的是一施之中本自具六，故六六三十六；相生相攝說的是住此一度而生起其餘五度，故五六三十——少去的六組，正是「檀中之檀」一類自攝自之重計。所以經文三十組一組不多、一組不少，不是湊數，是相生之法本該如此。而本論論主之答亦與此相應：所以能攝者，一在「菩薩以方便力故」，一在「有為法因緣果報相續故相成」——前者是吉藏所謂顯方便，後者正是相生。及至末後論主翻出一念具足，則已越過相生而入一念相攝之門，慧影說它「乃復下品明之」，可見此品是承同體而來、啟一念而去的中間一段：住一度而生五度，是從六件事走向一件事的路。
因此，〈六度相攝品〉最終留下的，是一條可以隨身帶走的檢法。我事務繁雜而自嘆六度無一得修時，記得論主只問一句「何以但一波羅蜜為主」，而答之曰「行因緣次第應爾」——次第所宜者即是主，主一立則餘五有分。我行一事而疑其偏廢時，記得此品三十組反覆只叮嚀兩件事：持是功德與眾生共之而迴向無上菩提，不向聲聞、辟支佛地。我因布施受辱、因持戒受縛、因忍辱受輕而心生退時，記得論主替每一處都備了轉語——「是我之罪」、「我大得善利」、「我不應為虛誑身故毀波羅蜜道」。我疑自己資糧淺薄不堪修禪時，記得論主分得極細：安坐無事而福祿自至者有之，「勤設方便，鬪戰乃得」者亦有之，而後者正名為從精進生。我讀至末後而覺一念具足遙不可及時，記得吉藏所指之序——未得無生忍時但是一行，得無生忍乃能一行之中具足眾行；路既如此，則今日所住之一度，即是他日一念具足之因。
Further Resonances
What "The Six Perfections Contain One Another" inherits, the treatise-author himself points out clearly. At the end of the preceding chapter, "Inexhaustible Skilful Means," what Subhūti asked was 「世尊！菩薩云何能行如是般若波羅蜜，能具足檀波羅蜜等諸波羅蜜？」 tr. "World-Honored One! How is the bodhisattva able to practise prajñāpāramitā like this, and able to fulfil dānapāramitā and the other perfections?"; the Buddha, on the one matter of dedication, divided two kinds of people, those of soft faculties and those of keen faculties—the one grasps at marks in dedicating, the other makes idle discourse of the dharma of emptiness and his power of faith turns thin—「是二種人皆不能具足檀波羅蜜」 tr. "these two kinds of people are both unable to fulfil dānapāramitā," and so the Buddha fixes the pivot with 「信力、慧力等故，能迴向薩婆若」 tr. "because the power of faith and the power of wisdom are equal, one is able to dedicate to sarvajñā." Treatise ① of this chapter takes up this very passage at the opening of the fascicle, cites its question and says 「佛一一答」 tr. "the Buddha answered point by point," and at once points out the question for which this chapter exchanges it—it no longer asks how, when one practises prajñā, the six perfections are fulfilled, but changes to ask how, when one abides in one perfection, one contains and takes up the other five perfections. What it opens can also be traced along a single line: the end of this chapter no longer speaks of one perfection giving rise to five, but changes to speaking of 「一心中一時能具足六波羅蜜」 tr. "within a single mind, at a single time, is able to fulfil the six perfections"; and at the opening of the next chapter, "The Great Skilful Means," what Subhūti asks is precisely the history of this one who has accomplished the power of skilful means—「是菩薩摩訶薩如是方便力成就者，發意已來幾時？」 tr. "This bodhisattva-mahāsattva who has thus accomplished the power of skilful means—how long is it since he aroused intent?"—and the Buddha answers that since he aroused the mind it has been immeasurable koṭi of asaṃkhyeya kalpas, that he has made offerings to Buddhas as many as the sands of the Ganges, and that in the six perfections there is 「無不具足」 tr. "nothing that is not fulfilled." The three similes below push the master and the share that this chapter sets up still further, to the end: the sun and moon go round illuminating the four continents—「般若波羅蜜亦如是，照五波羅蜜，多有所益」 tr. "prajñāpāramitā is likewise: it illuminates the five perfections and greatly benefits them"; the wheel-turning sage king without the wheel-jewel does not obtain his name—「五波羅蜜亦如是，若離般若波羅蜜，不得波羅蜜名字；不離般若波羅蜜故，得波羅蜜名字」 tr. "the five perfections are likewise: if they are apart from prajñāpāramitā, they do not obtain the name of pāramitā; because they are not apart from prajñāpāramitā, they obtain the name of pāramitā"; and again, 「譬如無夫婦人，易為侵凌」 tr. "It is as a woman without a husband is easily encroached upon and abused"—the five perfections apart from prajñā are easily ruined by Māra. This chapter speaks of the six perfections taking turns as the master; the next chapter then speaks of why one among them is always the eye.
Among later readers of this chapter, what is preserved on the one matter of the chapter's name is most worth recording. This treatise's base text titles it 「大智度論釋六度相攝品第六十八」 tr. "Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa, Commentary on the Sixty-eighth Chapter, The Six Perfections Contain One Another"; the Song edition reads 「大智論釋六度相攝品第六十八」 tr. "Treatise on Great Wisdom, Commentary on the Sixty-eighth Chapter, The Six Perfections Contain One Another," the Yuan edition reads 「大智度論釋六度相攝品第六十八」 tr. "Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa, Commentary on the Sixty-eighth Chapter, The Six Perfections Contain One Another," the Ming edition reads 「釋六度相攝品第六十八之上」 tr. "Commentary on the Sixty-eighth Chapter, The Six Perfections Contain One Another, First Part," while the Palace edition reads instead 「大智論釋第六十八品攝五品」 tr. "The Treatise on Great Wisdom's commentary on the sixty-eighth chapter, the chapter Containing the Five"—here the name "Containing the Five" stands on its own as a title; the Ishiyama-dera manuscript reads 「摩訶般若波羅蜜第六十七品六度相攝品卷八十一」 tr. "Mahāprajñāpāramitā, sixty-seventh chapter, the chapter The Six Perfections Contain One Another, fascicle eighty-one," and also marks 「卷第八十一首」 tr. "head of fascicle eighty-one"; its chapter order is the sixty-seventh, one step fewer than the base text, consistent with the several preceding chapters. The two sides of the continuation title of fascicle eighty-one are likewise: the base text reads 「大智度論釋六度品第六十八之餘」 tr. "Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa, Commentary on the Sixty-eighth Chapter, the Six Perfections, continued," the Song edition and the Palace edition read 「大智度論卷八十一釋第六十八品下攝五品」 tr. "Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa, fascicle eighty-one, commentary on the sixty-eighth chapter, Last Part, the chapter Containing the Five," the Yuan edition reads 「大智度論卷八十一釋攝五品第六十八下」 tr. "Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa, fascicle eighty-one, Commentary on the Sixty-eighth Chapter, Containing the Five, Last Part," and the Ming edition reads 「大智度論卷八十一釋六度相攝品第六十八之下有本作攝五品」 tr. "Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa, fascicle eighty-one, Commentary on the Sixty-eighth Chapter, The Six Perfections Contain One Another, Last Part; one text has ‘Containing the Five’"—the Ming edition notes of itself that another text it saw uses the name "Containing the Five," so that within a single edition the two names stand together, and this is recorded as it is; the Shōgozō manuscript reads 「大智度經論卷第八十一釋第六十七品下」 tr. "Great Wisdom-Crossing Sūtra-Treatise, fascicle eighty-one, commentary on the sixty-seventh chapter, Last Part," its chapter order likewise one step fewer, of one line with the Ishiyama-dera manuscript. Still more worth noting, the chapter titles of the great sūtra it explains form precisely a mirror: the proper title in its base text reads 「攝五品第六十八」 tr. "Containing the Five, the Sixty-eighth," while the Song, Yuan, Ming, Palace, and Shōgozō texts all read 「六度相攝」 tr. "the six perfections contain one another"—the sūtra's title takes "Containing the Five" as the base and "The Six Perfections Contain One Another" as the variant, the treatise's title takes "The Six Perfections Contain One Another" as the base and "Containing the Five" as the variant; the two sides are reversed against each other, yet what they point to is one. The divergence of the chapter's names precisely reflects the two faces of this chapter's meaning: to say "The Six Perfections Contain One Another" is to speak by reference to the whole that is contained; to say "Containing the Five" is to speak by reference to the one that contains. Both are kept and recorded side by side without judgement.
The commentaries of the ancient masters leave little on this chapter, but all of it strikes the essential. Jizang's Commentary on the Larger Sūtra follows the great sūtra it explains and reads 「攝五品第六十八」 tr. "Containing the Five, the Sixty-eighth"; its text is only a few lines, and at the very opening it settles the position of this chapter within the whole sūtra—「此下第二、明一一行中具足眾行」 tr. "From here on is the second: making clear that within each single practice the many practices are complete"—and points out that before the acceptance of non-arising is obtained it is only one practice, while one who obtains the acceptance of non-arising is able, within one practice, to fulfil and give rise to the many practices. The question he sets is precisely the first question a reader of this chapter should ask: 「問：此中是何物攝耶？答：此是相生攝，以本攝末。」 tr. "Question: what kind of containing is this here? Answer: this is containing by mutual generation, the root containing the branches." Containing is of various kinds; what this chapter speaks of is the containing of mutual generation, the root perfection containing its branch streams, not the bundling of six things into one. He also compares it with a chapter earlier and so distinguishes its tenor: 「此中明攝與前弁才品明攝異者，前明相攝，欲以眾行多功共成多之功力，顯莊嚴有大力勢，能破生死直趣佛道。今明一一度中而起諸行，為顯方便也。」 tr. "Where the containing made clear here differs from the containing made clear in the ‘Eloquence’ chapter earlier: earlier it made clear mutual containing, wishing through the many merits of the many practices jointly to accomplish the power of the many, showing that the adornment has great power and force, able to break birth and death and go straight toward the Buddha path. Now it makes clear that within each single perfection the various practices arise, in order to show skilful means." What the former shows lies in the greatness of the power; what this chapter shows lies in skilful means—one and the same word "contain," done for different ends.
There is another ancient master who wrote a commentary on this treatise itself. Huiying's Commentary sets up a dedicated chapter for this chapter and explains it section by section; its heading reads 「釋六度相攝品第六十八」 tr. "Commentary on the Sixty-eighth Chapter, The Six Perfections Contain One Another," and for the section of fascicle eighty-one it sets up separately 「釋六度相攝品第六十八之餘」 tr. "Commentary on the Sixty-eighth Chapter, The Six Perfections Contain One Another, continued," its points of division agreeing exactly with this treatise's fascicle boundaries. At its opening it ties this chapter to follow the preceding chapter—「第六十七品者，名為六度相攝品，即方便門中第二品也」 tr. "The sixty-seventh chapter is named the chapter The Six Perfections Contain One Another; it is the second chapter within the gate of skilful means"—its chapter order being sixty-seven, of one line with the one-step-fewer of the Ishiyama-dera manuscript and the Shōgozō manuscript, so that the three places confirm one another and it is not an isolated witness; and it explains what the chapter inherits: 「上品正明方便體，明於菩薩以方便力故遂有所除亦有所得，明一度之中具足六度成方便義。」 tr. "The chapter above directly makes clear the substance of skilful means, makes clear that because of the power of skilful means the bodhisattva thereupon has what is removed and also has what is obtained, and makes clear the meaning of skilful means as the six perfections being complete within one perfection." On the format of this chapter, his judgement is the most economical: 「此中既明六波羅蜜相攝，但以一波羅蜜為頭，則攝五波羅蜜，故亦不須科略。」 tr. "Since this makes clear that the six perfections contain one another, only taking one perfection as the head, it contains the five perfections; therefore there is no need for a sectional outline." Since it is one perfection as the head containing the five, there is no need to set up further sections. His most valuable passage lies in distinguishing how the containing of this chapter differs from that of other chapters: the headings of mutual containing are of several kinds—「而就相攝之中凡有五種，謂位、行、地位、同體、相生、一心等相攝，已如上釋」 tr. "And within mutual containing there are in all five kinds, namely containing by position, by practice, by stage, by same substance, by mutual generation, by a single mind, and so forth, as already explained above"; what the earlier "Fulfilling the Vow" chapter makes clear is containing by same substance, where within one dāna the six perfections are complete, and so 「於一檀中具此六波羅蜜，六六成三十六波羅蜜，同體相攝」 tr. "within one dāna these six perfections are complete; six times six makes thirty-six perfections, containing one another by same substance"; while what this chapter makes clear is containing by mutual generation, and so 「此乃始明因於檀波羅蜜生三種慈業，故是相生相攝，五六但成三十波羅蜜相攝，為無檀中檀故」 tr. "this only now makes clear that from dānapāramitā three kinds of kindly deeds arise; therefore it is containing by mutual generation, and five times six makes only thirty perfections containing one another, because there is no dāna within dāna"—the difference between thirty and thirty-six lies precisely in the dāna within dāna not being counted again. He further foretells the dharma-gate of the next chapter: 「若是下品，則明一念相攝，至文當道。」 tr. "As for the next chapter, it makes clear containing within a single thought; this will be told when we come to the text." And on the round that the treatise-author himself opens at the very end within this treatise, his judgement is especially clear: 「上來至此明相生相解義竟。自此已下，論主既以此之六波羅蜜是菩薩本業行故，復更作一種解釋，明一念之中具足六波羅蜜之義，此義乃復下品明之。」 tr. "From above up to here, the meaning of mutual generation and mutual explanation has been made clear, and it is finished. From here down, since the treatise-author takes these six perfections to be the bodhisattva's fundamental practice, he makes one further kind of explanation, making clear the meaning of the six perfections being fulfilled within a single thought; this meaning will again be made clear in the next chapter." From this it is known that the fulfilment within a single thought at the end of this chapter is, in his reading, already the herald of the next chapter. His other passages, too, mostly bring out the treatise-author's questions and answers: on the section on the householder and the one who has gone forth, he cites the words of an old treatise, 「菩薩必在七眾中，七眾不在菩薩中」 tr. "The bodhisattva is necessarily within the seven assemblies; the seven assemblies are not within the bodhisattva"; on the format of each single containing, he points out that every group has three meanings—「一一波羅蜜相生攝中，盡於具足有此三意義也」 tr. "Within the containing by mutual generation of each single perfection, all without exception fully have these three meanings"; on the eighteen emptinesses being spoken of as only fourteen, he explains, 「今者此中說十四空，始從內空至一切法空，於事為足，更不須故，但云十四也」 tr. "Now here fourteen emptinesses are spoken of, beginning from inner emptiness up to the emptiness of all dharmas; for the matter this suffices and no more is needed, and so it says only fourteen"; on the leaping samādhi, he points out that the difference between the Great and the Small Vehicle lies only in 「二乘但能超一，不能爾也」 tr. "The two vehicles can only leap over one; they cannot do this"; on the judgement of compliant acceptance and the acceptance of non-arising, he points straight out that these are the treatise-author's words for dividing positions—「上亦不云柔順忍，但言無生忍。但論主大判作優劣分之，以順忍為生空，無生忍為法空。」 tr. "Above, too, it does not say compliant acceptance; it speaks only of the acceptance of non-arising. It is only that the treatise-author, judging broadly, divides them as superior and inferior, taking compliant acceptance as the emptiness of beings and the acceptance of non-arising as the emptiness of dharmas." As for Junzheng's book on the profound meaning of the four treatises, a thorough search under the heading "The Six Perfections Contain One Another" obtains only a single general use, not an explanation in a section devoted to this chapter, and this is recorded as it is; in the books of the Tiantai line, the Profound Meaning of the Lotus and the Words and Phrases of the Lotus, a thorough search finds no text under this heading, and no connection is forced; this too is recorded as it is.
Bringing this whole line of further resonances back to this chapter, what the two ancient masters pick out is precisely the place in this chapter most easily missed in reading: the containing of this chapter is containing by mutual generation, not containing by same substance. Containing by same substance says that within one giving the six are originally complete, and so six times six is thirty-six; containing by mutual generation says that, abiding in this one perfection, one gives rise to the other five perfections, and so five times six is thirty—the six groups that are left out are precisely the double counting of self containing self, of the kind of 「檀中之檀」 tr. "the dāna within dāna." Therefore the thirty groups of the sūtra text, not one group more and not one group less, are not a making-up of numbers; the dharma of mutual generation should be just so. And the answer of this treatise's treatise-author corresponds to this too: that it is able to contain lies, first, in 「菩薩以方便力故」 tr. "because of the power of skilful means, the bodhisattva," and second, in 「有為法因緣果報相續故相成」 tr. "conditioned dharmas accomplish one another because causes, conditions, and retribution continue"—the former is what Jizang calls showing skilful means; the latter is precisely mutual generation. When at the very end the treatise-author turns out fulfilment within a single thought, he has already passed beyond mutual generation and entered the gate of containing within a single thought; Huiying says of it that it 「乃復下品明之」 tr. "will again be made clear in the next chapter," and from this it can be seen that this chapter is the middle stretch, which comes inheriting same substance and goes on opening the single thought: abiding in one perfection and giving rise to five is the road that walks from six things toward one thing.
Therefore what "The Six Perfections Contain One Another" leaves in the end is a test that can be carried about with one. When my affairs are many and tangled and I sigh that not one of the six perfections can be cultivated, I remember that the treatise-author asks only one sentence, 「何以但一波羅蜜為主」 tr. "Why is only one perfection the master," and answers it, 「行因緣次第應爾」 tr. "The sequence of the causes and conditions of practice should be so"—what is fitting in the sequence is the master, and once the master is set up the other five have a share. When I practise one thing and suspect myself of neglecting the rest, I remember that the thirty groups of this chapter, over and over, urge only two things: holding this merit, to share it in common with beings and dedicate it to unsurpassed awakening, and not to turn toward the ground of the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha. When because of giving I am insulted, because of upholding the precepts I am bound, because of patience I am slighted, and my mind turns to retreat, I remember that the treatise-author has prepared a turning phrase for every one of these places—「是我之罪」 tr. "This is my fault," 「我大得善利」 tr. "I greatly obtain the good benefit," 「我不應為虛誑身故毀波羅蜜道」 tr. "I should not, for the sake of a false and deceptive body, destroy the path of the perfections." When I suspect that my provisions are shallow and thin and unfit for cultivating meditation, I remember that the treatise-author divides it very finely: there is one who sits at ease with nothing to do and fortune and emolument come of themselves, and there is also one who 「勤設方便，鬪戰乃得」 tr. "diligently devises means, and obtains it only by fighting," and the latter is precisely named as born from vigour. When I read to the end and feel that fulfilment within a single thought is far out of reach, I remember the order Jizang points to—before the acceptance of non-arising is obtained it is only one practice; one who obtains the acceptance of non-arising is able within one practice to fulfil the many practices; since the road is so, the one perfection in which I abide today is the cause of the fulfilment within a single thought of another day.