The bodhisattvas of the four reliancesThe preface uses the term for those who transmit the sūtras in the latter age. It records only their context of protecting the scriptural teaching and does not extend it into a classification of stages.

彌天大德從闕〔〈序〉T45n1858 0150a22–0150c08；曉月 X54n0869 0136a03–0140a11〕

指道安；彌天是古德尊稱。

Great Worthy Whose Virtue Filled the HeavensA title for Dao'an; “filling the heavens” is an ancient honorific for the master.

童壽從闕〔〈序〉T45n1858 0150a22–0150c08；曉月 X54n0869 0136a03–0140a11〕

鳩摩羅什名義的漢稱；序末亦以童壽指羅什。

Youthful LongevityThe Chinese rendering of Kumārajīva's name; near its end the preface again uses Youthful Longevity for Kumārajīva.

六家七宗從闕〔〈序〉T45n1858 0150a22–0150c08；曉月 X54n0869 0136a03–0140a11〕

序文概括前代般若學諸家，並說諸論延至十二；本版只誌此一歷史名相。

The Six Houses and Seven SchoolsA collective name in the preface for earlier schools of prajñā learning; it also says their treatises extended to twelve. This edition records the historical term only.

本無從闕〔〈序〉T45n1858 0150a22–0150c08；曉月 X54n0869 0136a03–0140a11〕

序以此標示大分深義，隨即又遣除可執之本；不可只取立名而略去遣名。

Fundamental non-beingThe preface uses this to mark a broadly divided profound meaning, then immediately relinquishes any root that can be grasped. The establishment of the name must not be taken while its relinquishment is omitted.

二諦（真諦／俗諦）從闕〔〈序〉T45n1858 0150a22–0150c08；曉月 X54n0869 0136a03–0140a11〕

真諦與俗諦；序文以二諦串聯〈物不遷論〉與〈不真空論〉，未在序中詳判諸宗。

The two truths (ultimate / conventional)Ultimate and conventional truth. The preface uses them to link On the Immutability of Things and On the Emptiness of the Unreal, without developing the various schools' interpretations here.

重玄從闕〔〈序〉T45n1858 0150a22–0150c08；曉月 X54n0869 0136a03–0140a11〕

以般若之因與涅槃之果構成末後雙重幽玄；是四論次第語，不擴為別系玄學。

Double profundityThe preface uses prajñā as cause and nirvāṇa as fruit to form its final double profundity. This is language for the sequence of the four treatises, not a separate system of arcane learning.

深海與九流從闕〔〈序〉T45n1858 0150a22–0150c08；曉月 X54n0869 0136a03–0140a11〕

以淵海與九流形容僧肇胸襟文章廣大，不繫一家，能容眾流而超越眾流。

The deep sea and the nine streamsThe deep sea and nine streams describe the breadth of Sengzhao's mind and writing: not tied to one school, it can receive the many streams and surpass them.

繭絲從闕〔〈序〉T45n1858 0150a22–0150c08；曉月 X54n0869 0136a03–0140a11〕

序如繭緒，一得其緒便可循而盡絲；本序由線索領入宗本與四論。

Silk in a cocoonOnce one finds the end of a cocoon's thread, one can follow it through all the silk. In the same way, the preface leads from its opening thread into the Fundamental Thesis and the four treatises.

連環從闕〔〈序〉T45n1858 0150a22–0150c08；曉月 X54n0869 0136a03–0140a11〕

譬四論語勢相續、文字前後鉤連而義旨不窮；不升格為四論外的新術語。

Interlocking ringsA figure for the continuous movement of the four treatises' language: the words hook together from beginning to end while their purport remains inexhaustible. It is not a new term beyond the four treatises.

本無從闕〔〈宗本義〉T45n1858 0150c11–0151a07；元康 T45n1859 0165a07–0166c13〕

實相本自無，不是經由推遣才變成無；不可讀成先有後無。

Fundamental non-beingTrue reality is fundamentally non-being; it is not changed into non-being by inferential elimination. It must not be read as a process in which something first exists and later becomes absent.

實相從闕〔〈宗本義〉T45n1858 0150c11–0151a07；元康 T45n1859 0165a07–0166c13〕

諸法性空之真實相；所謂相，是無固定相之相。

True realityThe true reality of all dharmas as empty of intrinsic nature. What is called a mark is a mark without fixed mark.

法性從闕〔〈宗本義〉T45n1858 0150c11–0151a07；元康 T45n1859 0165a07–0166c13〕

性空之法如是；本論由性空承接法性，再承接實相。

Dharma-natureDharmas are just so in being empty of intrinsic nature. The argument proceeds from intrinsic-nature-emptiness to dharma-nature and then to true reality.

性空從闕〔〈宗本義〉T45n1858 0150c11–0151a07；元康 T45n1859 0165a07–0166c13〕

緣生法無固定自性；元康取性常自空之義於此成句。

Intrinsic-nature-emptinessDharmas arisen through conditions have no fixed intrinsic nature. Yuankang takes the nature's being always of itself empty as a complete statement here.

緣會從闕〔〈宗本義〉T45n1858 0150c11–0151a07；元康 T45n1859 0165a07–0166c13〕

諸法待條件聚合而生、條件離散而滅；是五名推論的起點。

The coming-together of conditionsDharmas arise when conditions come together and cease when conditions disperse. This is the starting point of the argument joining the five names.

不有不無從闕〔〈宗本義〉T45n1858 0150c11–0151a07；元康 T45n1859 0165a07–0166c13〕

不取常見之定有，也不取斷見之定無；不是抹平有無二字。

Neither being nor non-beingNeither the determinate being of a view of permanence nor the determinate non-being of an annihilationist view is grasped. The phrase does not erase the distinction between being and non-being.

住無所住從闕〔〈宗本義〉T45n1858 0150c11–0151a07；元康 T45n1859 0165a07–0166c13〕

聖心安住而不執取固定住處，與觀有而不取相相應。

Abiding without anywhere to abideThe sage's mind abides without grasping any fixed place of abiding, corresponding to contemplating being without grasping a mark.

漚和般若upāya · prajñā〔〈宗本義〉T45n1858 0150c11–0151a07；元康 T45n1859 0165a07–0166c13〕

漚和涉有化生而不取證，般若觀實相而不染；兩門合稱大慧。

Skillful means and prajñāSkillful means engages with being and transforms beings without grasping realization; prajñā contemplates true reality and remains unstained. Together they are called great wisdom.

泥洹盡諦nirvāṇa〔〈宗本義〉T45n1858 0150c11–0151a07；元康 T45n1859 0165a07–0166c13〕

煩惱結盡、生死永滅；盡只在結盡，不另有一個盡處。

The truth of the exhaustion that is nirvāṇaThe afflictive bonds are exhausted and birth-and-death ceases forever. Exhaustion lies in the exhaustion of the bonds; no separate place of exhaustion exists.

物不遷從闕〔〈物不遷論〉T45n1858 0151a08–0152a01；元康 T45n1859 0166c14–0170c01〕

不是說前後毫無變異；所遮的是一個固定之物從此時遷到彼時。

The immutability of thingsThis does not mean that there is no change whatsoever between before and after. It denies that a fixed thing migrates from one time to another.

向物從闕〔〈物不遷論〉T45n1858 0151a08–0152a01；元康 T45n1859 0166c14–0170c01〕

向指先前、昨日；向物在向時未曾沒有，在今時未曾存在。

A former thingThe expression means a thing of “formerly” or “yesterday”; the former thing was not absent in that former time and has never existed in the present time.

各性住於一世從闕〔〈物不遷論〉T45n1858 0151a08–0152a01；元康 T45n1859 0166c14–0170c01〕

古在古、今在今，各依其時位而住；不是把每一物立為永恆常住。

Each abides by its nature in one timeThe ancient remains in the ancient and the present in the present, each abiding according to its temporal position. This does not establish each thing as eternally permanent.

野馬從闕〔〈物不遷論〉T45n1858 0151a08–0152a01；元康 T45n1859 0166c14–0170c01〕

日光下浮動飄揚之遊氣；本論取其看似奔動而前氣非後氣。

MirageThe floating, wavering haze seen in sunlight. The treatise takes its seeming rush of motion while the earlier haze is not the later haze.

微朕從闕〔〈物不遷論〉T45n1858 0151a08–0152a01；元康 T45n1859 0166c14–0170c01〕

極細微的跡象；既無往返之跡，便無定物可遷。

The finest traceAn exceedingly subtle sign. Since there is no trace of going or returning, there can be no fixed thing that migrates.

即物從闕〔〈物不遷論〉T45n1858 0151a08–0152a01；元康 T45n1859 0166c14–0170c01〕

就眼前事物本身契入，不離具體動相另覓靜境。

In the very things before oneEntering through the concrete things immediately at hand, without leaving their appearances of motion to seek a separate realm of stillness.

旋嵐四句從闕〔〈物不遷論〉T45n1858 0151a08–0152a01；元康 T45n1859 0166c14–0170c01〕

以旋嵐、江河、野馬、日月四組劇烈動相，逼顯前者非後者，無定物由前位搬到後位。

The four lines on the whirlwindWhirlwind, rivers, mirage, and sun and moon present four intense images of motion, disclosing that the former is not the latter and that no fixed thing is carried from one position to the next.

藏山與臨川從闕〔〈物不遷論〉T45n1858 0151a08–0152a01；元康 T45n1859 0166c14–0170c01〕

並取藏山失山與臨川歎逝二事，顯示前後難留、前人非後人。

Hiding a mountain and standing by the riverThe two figures place the loss of the hidden mountain beside the lament over passing at the river, showing that before and after cannot be retained and that the earlier person is not the later person.

白首梵志從闕〔〈物不遷論〉T45n1858 0151a08–0152a01；元康 T45n1859 0166c14–0170c01〕

以少壯與白首不俱，說前後身分各住其時，非一物搬移而來；原始經籍依元康疏列為未詳。

The white-haired brahminYouth and white age do not coexist; each identity abides in its own time and is not one thing transported forward. Yuankang says the story's original scriptural source is unknown.

成山與修途從闕〔〈物不遷論〉T45n1858 0151a08–0152a01；元康 T45n1859 0166c14–0170c01〕

以前功積累成山、行程漸至終點，說因果不俱而功效不失。

Building a mountain and completing a long roadThe gradual building of a mountain and completion of a journey show that cause and fruit do not coexist, yet causal efficacy is not lost.

三家（心無／即色／本無）從闕〔〈不真空論〉T45n1858 0152a01–0153a06；元康 T45n1859 0170c01–0174c22〕

僧肇序論所誌的三種般若舊說；本版依論文與元康疏記其得失，不替三家另判高下。

The three schools (No-mind / Matter-as-such / Fundamental-Non-being)Three earlier accounts of prajñā recorded in Sengzhao's introduction. This edition records their strengths and limits from the treatise and Yuankang's commentary without independently ranking them.

不真空從闕〔〈不真空論〉T45n1858 0152a01–0153a06；元康 T45n1859 0170c01–0174c22〕

萬物因緣所成，並非真實自生、固定自有，所以是空；不是先立真物再將它消滅。

The emptiness of the unrealThings are constituted by conditions and are not truly self-born or fixedly self-existent; they are therefore empty. This does not first affirm a real thing and then destroy it.

非有非無從闕〔〈不真空論〉T45n1858 0152a01–0153a06；元康 T45n1859 0170c01–0174c22〕

非有是非真有，非無是非真無；雙遮常見與斷滅，不另立第三實物。

Neither being nor non-being“Not being” means not truly existent; “not non-being” means not wholly absent. The two ward off permanence and annihilation without establishing a third substance.

假號從闕〔〈不真空論〉T45n1858 0152a01–0153a06；元康 T45n1859 0170c01–0174c22〕

隨事、隨俗而勉強安立之名；能指示事物，卻不能取得事物自身。

Provisional designationA name established provisionally according to affairs and convention. It can indicate a thing but cannot acquire the thing itself.

名實無當從闕〔〈不真空論〉T45n1858 0152a01–0153a06；元康 T45n1859 0170c01–0174c22〕

名不是實物，實物也不是名稱，二者不能完全相當；不是說日常語言全無作用。

Names and realities do not correspondA name is not the real thing, and the real thing is not the name; neither corresponds completely to the other. This does not mean that ordinary language has no use.

即偽即真從闕〔〈不真空論〉T45n1858 0152a01–0153a06；元康 T45n1859 0170c01–0174c22〕

就世俗顯現的虛假照見真實，不毀壞現象後另立真諦。

The very unreal is the trueTrue reality is seen in conventional appearances themselves, without destroying phenomena and establishing ultimate truth elsewhere.

物非真物從闕〔〈不真空論〉T45n1858 0152a01–0153a06；元康 T45n1859 0170c01–0174c22〕

不是全無事物，而是顯現之物不能被執定為自性成立的真實物。

A thing is not a real thingThis does not say that no thing appears. It says that what appears cannot be fixed as a real thing established by intrinsic nature.

觸事而真從闕〔〈不真空論〉T45n1858 0152a01–0153a06；元康 T45n1859 0170c01–0174c22〕

真實不在眼前事物之外；接觸具體事情，即可照見其不真而空。

Encountering affairs and meeting the trueThe true is not apart from the things before us. In encountering a concrete affair, one may see that it is unreal and therefore empty.

立處即真從闕〔〈不真空論〉T45n1858 0152a01–0153a06；元康 T45n1859 0170c01–0174c22〕

萬法的安立不離真際；不是從真際之外另造萬法所住之處。

The place of establishment is itself the trueThe establishment of all dharmas does not depart from the reality-limit. No separate place for dharmas is constructed outside it.

幻化人從闕〔〈不真空論〉T45n1858 0152a01–0153a06；元康 T45n1859 0170c01–0174c22〕

以幻人非無顯現而無真實自性，譬諸法因緣有而不真。

The illusory personAn illusory person appears and so is not sheer non-being, yet lacks true intrinsic nature; the figure shows that dharmas arise through conditions but are unreal.

鏡中像從闕〔〈不真空論〉T45n1858 0152a01–0153a06；元康 T45n1859 0170c01–0174c22〕

以鏡像可見而不可執取為實物，譬有與不真不相妨。

The image in a mirrorA mirror-image is visible but cannot be grasped as a real thing, illustrating that appearance and unreality do not conflict.

指與馬從闕〔〈不真空論〉T45n1858 0152a01–0153a06；元康 T45n1859 0170c01–0174c22〕

以彼此、是非隨所指而換位，鬆開名稱的必然性；不以子書之喻取代經論宗依。

The finger and the horseThis and that, right and wrong, exchange places according to what is indicated, loosening the supposed necessity of names. The figure does not replace the treatise's scriptural foundations.

般若prajñā〔〈般若無知論〉T45n1858 0153a07–0154c23；元康 T45n1859 0174c20–0181c13〕

不取相、不攀緣而能照見真諦的聖智，不是日常分別計度。

PrajñāSacred wisdom that illumines ultimate truth without grasping marks or climbing upon an object, not ordinary discriminative calculation.

聖心從闕〔〈般若無知論〉T45n1858 0153a07–0154c23；元康 T45n1859 0174c20–0181c13〕

聖者不取相而能照應之心；不可分割成相離的知與無知、照與寂。

The sage's mindThe mind that responds and illumines without grasping marks. Its knowing and without-knowing, illumination and stillness, cannot be divided into separate parts.

無知／無所不知從闕〔〈般若無知論〉T45n1858 0153a07–0154c23；元康 T45n1859 0174c20–0181c13〕

無知是無取相之知，不是昏昧；無所不知是不受固定所知限制。

Without knowing / there is nothing it does not knowWithout knowing means no knowing that grasps marks, not darkness. There is nothing it does not know because illumination is not limited by a fixed known.

不知之知從闕〔〈般若無知論〉T45n1858 0153a07–0154c23；元康 T45n1859 0174c20–0181c13〕

不以境相為可占有的所知，而照知之用不廢；不是先知而後忘。

A knowing that is not knowingIt does not possess the object-mark as something known, yet the function of illumination is not abandoned. It is not knowing first and forgetting afterward.

照／寂從闕〔〈般若無知論〉T45n1858 0153a07–0154c23；元康 T45n1859 0174c20–0181c13〕

照是應物鑒境，寂是不取能所之相；本論以用即寂、寂即用封住二者分離。

Illumination / stillnessIllumination responds to things and discerns objects; stillness does not grasp the marks of subject and object. “Functioning itself is stillness; stillness itself is functioning” prevents their separation.

權智／實智從闕〔〈般若無知論〉T45n1858 0153a07–0154c23；元康 T45n1859 0174c20–0181c13〕

元康以涉有利生為權智、觀空不染為實智；是同一聖智隨用所分。

Expedient wisdom / real wisdomYuankang calls engagement with being for the benefit of beings expedient wisdom and contemplation of emptiness without defilement real wisdom. They are two functions of one sacred wisdom.

無當／無是從闕〔〈般若無知論〉T45n1858 0153a07–0154c23；元康 T45n1859 0174c20–0181c13〕

不先立固定對象為當或是；因無固定取著，故能隨物皆當、見物皆是而不住是。

No fixed correspondence / no fixed “is”No fixed object is established beforehand as what corresponds or what is. Because there is no fixed grasping, the sage can meet every thing appropriately without abiding in any “is.”

不取從闕〔〈般若無知論〉T45n1858 0153a07–0154c23；元康 T45n1859 0174c20–0181c13〕

不是先知後捨，也不是全無知覺；是照知當下不把境相據為所知。

Non-graspingNeither knowing first and relinquishing later nor total lack of awareness. In the very act of illuminating, it does not appropriate the object's mark as what is known.

無知／知無從闕〔〈般若無知論〉T45n1858 0153a07–0154c23；元康 T45n1859 0174c20–0181c13〕

無知屬般若，本無惑取之知；知無屬惑智性空，是已有取相之知而知其無。

Without knowing / knowing emptinessWithout knowing belongs to prajñā, originally without deluded grasping. Knowing emptiness belongs to deluded wisdom's empty nature: an already mark-grasping knowing knows its object to be empty.

用／寂從闕〔〈般若無知論〉T45n1858 0153a07–0154c23；元康 T45n1859 0174c20–0181c13〕

用指照境應物，寂指境智俱無可取；從作用看有別，從寂靜看同無相，不可定同定異。

Functioning / stillnessFunctioning illumines objects and responds to things; stillness means that object and wisdom alike cannot be grasped. They differ in functioning and are signless in stillness, and cannot be fixed as either the same or different.

兔馬渡河從闕〔〈般若無知論〉T45n1858 0153a07–0154c23；元康 T45n1859 0174c20–0181c13〕

反用兔馬不能窮河底之喻，說真諦無餘深、般若無不窮之鑒。

Rabbit and horse crossing a riverThe treatise reverses the image of rabbit and horse being unable to reach the riverbed: ultimate truth leaves no depth unexhausted, and prajñā's illumination has nowhere it cannot reach.

逃峰赴谷從闕〔〈般若無知論〉T45n1858 0153a07–0154c23；元康 T45n1859 0174c20–0181c13〕

以避峰而赴谷仍受一邊之患，譬捨有取無只是換邊取著。

Fleeing a peak and rushing into a valleyAbandoning being to grasp non-being merely exchanges one extreme for another. Peak and valley alike illustrate the danger of one-sided attachment.

續鳧截鶴從闕〔〈般若無知論〉T45n1858 0153a07–0154c23；元康 T45n1859 0174c20–0181c13〕

以續短截長譬不應抹平現象差別；萬法相異而同樣無固定自性相。

Lengthening the duck and cutting the craneThe phenomenal differences of the myriad dharmas are not erased. Dharmas differ while alike lacking any fixed intrinsic mark.

四時之質從闕〔〈般若無知論〉T45n1858 0153a07–0154c23；元康 T45n1859 0174c20–0181c13〕

四時因時而至，譬聖應隨緣而現；不因應有出沒便立聖心生滅。

The substance of the four seasonsThe seasons arrive according to their times, illustrating the sage's response manifesting according to conditions. Responsive appearing and disappearing do not establish that the sage's mind arises and ceases.

和南從闕〔〈劉遺民書問〉T45n1858 0154c24–0155b21；元康 T45n1859 0181c13–0184a26〕

書首致敬語；元康釋為外國致敬之辭，在本書兼作問候開端。

Salutation of reverenceA salutation at the opening of the letter. Yuankang explains it as a foreign expression of homage; here it also begins the greeting.

徽聞從闕〔〈劉遺民書問〉T45n1858 0154c24–0155b21；元康 T45n1859 0181c13–0184a26〕

美好的名聞；劉遺民因聞僧肇之名而遙思相見。

Fine renownLiu Yimin has heard Sengzhao's name and longs to meet him from afar.

鏡心象迹從闕〔〈劉遺民書問〉T45n1858 0154c24–0155b21；元康 T45n1859 0181c13–0184a26〕

以〈般若無知論〉如僧肇之像與行跡，返照自己的心。

Reflecting the mind through image and traceTo take On Prajñā Without Knowing as Sengzhao's image and trace and use it to reflect upon one's own mind.

冥寂從闕〔〈劉遺民書問〉T45n1858 0154c24–0155b21；元康 T45n1859 0181c13–0184a26〕

聖心幽深寂靜；與知、應、運物並提，不可逕解成全無作用。

Profound stillnessThe profound stillness of the sage's mind. The letter sets it beside knowing, response, and the moving of things; it cannot be reduced to complete inactivity.

心數從闕〔〈劉遺民書問〉T45n1858 0154c24–0155b21；元康 T45n1859 0181c13–0184a26〕

心的種種作用與數法；第一問以心數既玄而照仍孤運，追問般若之知與無知。

The mind's enumerated functionsThe mind's various functions and enumerated factors. The first question asks how, once these become hidden and subtle, illumination can still operate on its own.

撫會從闕〔〈劉遺民書問〉T45n1858 0154c24–0155b21；元康 T45n1859 0181c13–0184a26〕

撫化眾生、與機緣契會；第二問以此追問照無相如何仍有化世之功。

Tending beings and according with conditionsTo tend and transform beings and accord with conditions. The second question asks how illumination of the signless can still accomplish this work in the world.

標位從闕〔〈劉遺民書問〉T45n1858 0154c24–0155b21；元康 T45n1859 0181c13–0184a26〕

對義理所標示的位置；書末承認彼此似各有根據，不等於宣告兩說全同。

A marked doctrinal positionThe doctrinal position one marks. The conclusion acknowledges that the positions marked seem each to have a ground; it does not declare the two accounts identical.

浴心方等之淵從闕〔〈劉遺民書問〉T45n1858 0154c24–0155b21；元康 T45n1859 0181c13–0184a26〕

以沐浴於方等深淵，說讀論問道而洗心。

Bathing the mind in the depths of the vaipulya teachingsBathing in the depths of the vaipulya teachings portrays reading the treatise and inquiring into the Way as a cleansing of the mind.

唱獨者應希從闕〔〈劉遺民書問〉T45n1858 0154c24–0155b21；元康 T45n1859 0181c13–0184a26〕

唱調高絕則和應者少，譬義旨深遠而知音難遇。

A singular voice finds few who can answerA voice pitched high finds few who can join it, illustrating a meaning so profound that few recognize it.

鏡心象迹與瞻霞永歎從闕〔〈劉遺民書問〉T45n1858 0154c24–0155b21；元康 T45n1859 0181c13–0184a26〕

前者以論返照其心，後者以遙望雲霞寫未得相見之歎。

Reflecting the mind through image and trace, and gazing toward the cloudsThe first figure reflects Liu's mind through the treatise; the second expresses his lament at being unable to meet Sengzhao across the distance.

妙盡從闕〔〈答劉遺民書〉T45n1858 0155b22–0157a11；元康 T45n1859 0184a27–0189c23〕

靈明與心數窮盡妙用；元康以般若之心釋之，不另分定慧二體。

Subtle function brought to its utmostNuminous clarity and the operations of mind exhaust their subtle function. Yuankang explains it through the mind of prajñā, without dividing concentration and wisdom into two essences.

極數從闕〔〈答劉遺民書〉T45n1858 0155b22–0157a11；元康 T45n1859 0184a27–0189c23〕

窮極眾多心數與應物差別；不表示被數量拘束。

Exhausting the manifoldBringing the many operations of mind and differentiated responses to their utmost; not being confined by quantity.

無寄從闕〔〈答劉遺民書〉T45n1858 0155b22–0157a11；元康 T45n1859 0184a27–0189c23〕

心不寄著於有、無、名、相；是妙盡之道的根本。

Having nowhere to lodgeThe mind does not lodge in existence, non-being, names, or marks; this is the root of subtle function brought to its utmost.

群數之應從闕〔〈答劉遺民書〉T45n1858 0155b22–0157a11；元康 T45n1859 0184a27–0189c23〕

對眾多事物與機緣的回應；聖心冥寂而此應不息。

Responses to the multitudeResponses to the many things and occasions; the sage's mind is profoundly still, yet these responses do not cease.

即真從闕〔〈答劉遺民書〉T45n1858 0155b22–0157a11；元康 T45n1859 0184a27–0189c23〕

不把物固定成物時，就當下之物明其真；不是捨物另求真。

Directly according with truthWhen a thing is not fixed as a self-standing thing, its truth is disclosed right within the thing; truth is not sought elsewhere by abandoning it.

變即無相從闕〔〈答劉遺民書〉T45n1858 0155b22–0157a11；元康 T45n1859 0184a27–0189c23〕

變動不在無相之外；見變不必另起一心，照無相也不廢應會。

Change itself is the signlessChange is not outside the signless. Seeing change does not require another mind, and illumining the signless does not abandon responsive engagement.

真是／至當從闕〔〈答劉遺民書〉T45n1858 0155b22–0157a11；元康 T45n1859 0184a27–0189c23〕

無心固著而隨事所立的是與當；若再固定成名相，即成過患。

True rightness / ultimate fittingnessRightness and fittingness established responsively without mental fixation; if fixed once more as names and marks, they become faults.

言迹從闕〔〈答劉遺民書〉T45n1858 0155b22–0157a11；元康 T45n1859 0184a27–0189c23〕

言語如足跡，能引向所指而不等同所指。

Words and tracesWords are like footprints: they can guide toward what they indicate but are not identical with it.

服像、江山與木契從闕〔〈答劉遺民書〉T45n1858 0155b22–0157a11；元康 T45n1859 0184a27–0189c23〕

一僧一俗、一南一北而理可相契；外在身分與處所有別，不妨礙所期之理相鄰。

Garb and appearance, rivers and mountains, and the wooden tallyOne correspondent is ordained and the other lay; one is north and the other south; yet the two halves of a tally can accord. Differences of station and place do not prevent accord in principle.

城塹與津梁從闕〔〈答劉遺民書〉T45n1858 0155b22–0157a11；元康 T45n1859 0184a27–0189c23〕

城塹譬姚興護持三寶，津梁譬法領遠行取經；一顯護法，一顯傳法。

Walls and moats, and the bridgeWalls and moats portray Yao Xing's protection of the Three Jewels; the bridge portrays Faling's journey in search of scriptures. One protects the Dharma, the other transmits it.

郢人與匠石從闕〔〈答劉遺民書〉T45n1858 0155b22–0157a11；元康 T45n1859 0184a27–0189c23〕

以匠石運斧與郢人受斲，說好問與恰答彼此相須；只譬書問之難，不替義理作證。

The man of Ying and Master Carpenter ShiThe figure of the axe-stroke and its unflinching recipient shows how an excellent question and a fitting answer require each other. It illustrates the difficulty of the exchange and does not prove a doctrine.

影與響從闕〔〈答劉遺民書〉T45n1858 0155b22–0157a11；元康 T45n1859 0184a27–0189c23〕

影不等於形、響不等於聲；有無之名亦不是聖心本身。

Shadow and echoA shadow is not the form and an echo is not the sound. In the same way, the names existence and non-being are not the sage's mind itself.

東、西與中從闕〔〈答劉遺民書〉T45n1858 0155b22–0157a11；元康 T45n1859 0184a27–0189c23〕

說中非東，不等於中即是西；說中非西，也不等於中即是東。以此防止把非有翻成定無、非無翻成定有。

East, west, and the middleTo say that the middle is not east does not make it west, and to say that it is not west does not make it east. The figure prevents non-being from being inferred from not-being, or fixed being from not-non-being.

足跡與鞋履從闕〔〈答劉遺民書〉T45n1858 0155b22–0157a11；元康 T45n1859 0184a27–0189c23〕

足跡由鞋履走出而不是鞋履；言由心義而出，也不是心義本身。

Footprints and shoesA footprint is left by a shoe but is not the shoe. Words issue from the mind's meaning but are not that meaning itself.

涅槃無名nirvāṇa〔〈涅槃無名論〉T45n1858 0157a12–0161b28；元康 T45n1859 0189c23–0200c26〕

不是廢除涅槃之名；是說名稱只能隨緣標示，不能傳盡正體。

Nirvāṇa is namelessThis does not abolish the name nirvāṇa. Names can indicate only in response to conditions and cannot transmit the true substance exhaustively.

九折十演從闕〔〈涅槃無名論〉T45n1858 0157a12–0161b28；元康 T45n1859 0189c23–0200c26〕

九番問難與十番答釋之總稱；開宗屬答家根本，連同九答成十演。

Nine rebuttals and ten expositionsThe collective form of nine challenges and ten responses. Opening the Thesis is the foundation of the answering side and, with the nine answers, makes ten expositions.

折／演從闕〔〈涅槃無名論〉T45n1858 0157a12–0161b28；元康 T45n1859 0189c23–0200c26〕

折是問難、摧折答家；演是答釋、演暢宗旨。

Rebuttal / expositionA rebuttal raises a challenging difficulty and breaks against the answering side; an exposition responds and unfolds the thesis.

有餘／無餘從闕〔〈涅槃無名論〉T45n1858 0157a12–0161b28；元康 T45n1859 0189c23–0200c26〕

位體章判為顯迹、息迹的外稱與應物假名，不把正體分成有、無兩物。

With-remainder / without-remainderPlacing the Substance judges these to be outward names for manifesting traces and bringing traces to rest, provisional names used in responding to things; they do not divide the true substance into two things.

有名／無名從闕〔〈涅槃無名論〉T45n1858 0157a12–0161b28；元康 T45n1859 0189c23–0200c26〕

有名是九折發難者之稱，無名是十演答者之稱，也是全論所守宗旨。

Named / NamelessNamed is the title of the challenger in the nine rebuttals. Nameless is the title of the respondent in the ten expositions and the thesis maintained by the whole treatise.

出有無從闕〔〈涅槃無名論〉T45n1858 0157a12–0161b28；元康 T45n1859 0189c23–0200c26〕

借出字遣除六境內相待有無，不另立一個在有無外的實體。

Transcending existence and non-being“Transcending” is borrowed to remove mutually dependent existence and non-being within the six sense-realms, not to establish an entity outside them.

不出不在從闕〔〈涅槃無名論〉T45n1858 0157a12–0161b28；元康 T45n1859 0189c23–0200c26〕

不可離有無另求，也不可在有無中執得；處有不有、居無不無。

Neither transcending nor abiding withinOne cannot seek apart from existence and non-being or grasp within them: dwelling in existence without being existent, dwelling in non-being without being non-existent.

妙存從闕〔〈涅槃無名論〉T45n1858 0157a12–0161b28；元康 T45n1859 0189c23–0200c26〕

非有非無而道不斷滅；元康以妙有釋名，仍以不住有無為界。

Subtle presenceThe Way is neither existent nor non-existent yet is not annihilated. Yuankang glosses the title with “subtle existence,” while its boundary remains non-abiding in existence and non-being.

結習從闕〔〈涅槃無名論〉T45n1858 0157a12–0161b28；元康 T45n1859 0189c23–0200c26〕

煩惱已斷後之習氣；辯差以如來結習盡、聲聞結習未盡說人有深淺。

Residual habitsHabits remaining after the afflictions have been severed. Distinguishing Difference says that the Tathāgata has exhausted them while the śrāvakas have not.

無得之得從闕〔〈涅槃無名論〉T45n1858 0157a12–0161b28；元康 T45n1859 0189c23–0200c26〕

離著而不立能得、所得；不是把全無所得再執成固定答案。

Attainment as non-attainmentFreedom from attachment without establishing attaining subject and attained object. It does not grasp the total absence of attainment as another fixed answer.

幽靈／靈照從闕〔〈涅槃無名論〉T45n1858 0157a12–0161b28；元康 T45n1859 0189c23–0200c26〕

說五陰永滅而神用不竭；不得逕自升格成論文未明說的另一實體。

Hidden numinous awareness / numinous illuminationThe treatise uses these to say that the five aggregates cease permanently while numinous functioning is not exhausted. They must not be elevated into another entity not expressly established by the treatise.

幽谷之響／明鏡之像從闕〔〈涅槃無名論〉T45n1858 0157a12–0161b28；元康 T45n1859 0189c23–0200c26〕

以谷響、鏡像說應物有迹而不立固定自體。

The echo in an empty valley / the image in a bright mirrorThe echo and mirror-image illustrate responsive traces appearing without establishing a fixed self-existent substance.

杜耳目於胎殼從闕〔〈涅槃無名論〉T45n1858 0157a12–0161b28；元康 T45n1859 0189c23–0200c26〕

折家以閉塞胎殼中的耳目卻求辨聲為喻，逼問無名之說如何利益聞者；不是全論最後立場。

Blocking the ears and eyes within the fetal shellThe challenger uses this figure to ask how a teaching of namelessness can benefit hearers. It is not the final position of the treatise.

斬木去尺、去寸從闕〔〈涅槃無名論〉T45n1858 0157a12–0161b28；元康 T45n1859 0189c23–0200c26〕

尺寸增減屬於木，不屬於無；三乘斷結深淺屬於行人，不把無為分割成三。

Cutting a foot or an inch from timberChanges in length belong to the timber, not to non-being. Likewise, differences in the three vehicles' severance belong to practitioners and do not divide the unconditioned into three.

三鳥出網從闕〔〈涅槃無名論〉T45n1858 0157a12–0161b28；元康 T45n1859 0189c23–0200c26〕

三鳥同離網而至無患，無患境界不異而鳥各不同；專解我與無為的一異兩關。

Three birds leaving a netThree birds together leave the net for the realm free from danger. The realm is not different, yet the birds remain distinct; the figure addresses the two alternatives of sameness and difference between the self and the unconditioned.

三箭中的／三獸渡河從闕〔〈涅槃無名論〉T45n1858 0157a12–0161b28；元康 T45n1859 0189c23–0200c26〕

以三箭皆中而力有深淺、三獸渡河而窮底不同，譬三乘同證而深淺有別。

Three arrows striking the target / three animals crossing a riverAll three arrows strike and all three animals cross, yet their powers and depths differ. The figure shows shared realization with differing depth among the three vehicles.

螢火與日光從闕〔〈涅槃無名論〉T45n1858 0157a12–0161b28；元康 T45n1859 0189c23–0200c26〕

以螢光不比日照，譬有限智照不及如來圓照。

Firefly light and sunlightFirefly light cannot compare with sunlight, illustrating that limited wisdom does not equal the Tathāgata's complete illumination.

燈盡火滅從闕〔〈涅槃無名論〉T45n1858 0157a12–0161b28；元康 T45n1859 0189c23–0200c26〕

折家以燈油與火焰俱竭描寫無餘；十演不許由此示現之迹逕判涅槃為斷無。

The spent lamp and extinguished flameThe challenger uses spent oil and an extinguished flame to describe nirvāṇa without remainder. The ten expositions do not allow the cessation of responsive traces to establish nirvāṇa as annihilating non-being.

符號見凡例 · Sigla