老Aging
不相應行第十二。四相(生老住無常)之第二。於眾同分中諸行之「相續變異」分位,假立「老」之名——其體非實,乃色心分位之施設。結構軸「相續」(*prabandha*)之變異態:相續啟動後(→#81 生),在未壞滅前(→#84 無常)、未終止前(→#83 住),相續中發生之質性變異,稱為「老」。四相互見:#81 生 → 本條 #82 老 → #83 住 → #84 無常(→#81 →#83 →#84)。
漢zh · Xuanzang 譯
不相應行第十二。四相(生老住無常)之第二。於眾同分中諸行之「相續變異」分位,假立「老」之名——其體非實,乃色心分位之施設。結構軸「相續」(prabandha)之變異態:相續啟動後(→#81 生),在未壞滅前(→#84 無常)、未終止前(→#83 住),相續中發生之質性變異,稱為「老」。四相互見:#81 生 → 本條 #82 老 → #83 住 → #84 無常(→#81 →#83 →#84)。
經
不相應行為論藏所立之分析範疇,於阿含、尼柯耶不作獨立法目;「老」之現象學散見諸共傳教證,然此類用法為描述性語言,非獨立本體法立。本條為普通 prajñapti,無 [共傳]/[大乘] 標準分判框架(依 #71 範例,→#71 漢段經已詳普通 prajñapti 之現象學-tracing opener 原則)。
論
《顯揚聖教論》卷一(T31n1602, T31.0484b16–17,無著菩薩造):
老者,謂諸行前後變異性。
——「前後變異性」(before-after-altering-nature)為顯揚對 prabandha-anyathātva(相續之變異性)之精煉漢譯:相續從「前態」至「後態」之質性改變。
《成唯識論》卷二(T31n1585, T31.0006a11–12,四相詞族組批判):
住別前後,復立異名。
——《成唯識論》以「住別前後,復立異名」代 #82 老之名(《成唯識論》用「異」而非「老」)。「住別前後」即相續於不壞滅(住,→#83)中仍前後有異——此「前後之異」即為 prabandha-anyathātva 之漢語仿譯。《成唯識論》之四相標準為「生/住/異/滅」,百法用「生/老/住/無常」——「老」(老化、變異)與「異」(變異)同指《集論》 anyathātva(變異性),命名偏好之差異反映各自文本系統之傳統:「老」出自阿毘達磨舊傳(連接十二緣起之「老死支」),「異」為《成唯識論》之規範化用法。《成唯識論》卷一(T31.0006b13–14):「執別有餘不相應行,准前理趣皆應遮止。」
《大乘阿毘達磨雜集論》卷二:
老者,謂於眾同分諸行相續變異性,假立為老。
⚠ In Review · 俟終校:上引雜集論(T31n1606)卷二引文待 CBETA 字元核校。
按:「老」之本體特殊性在於其「過程性」——非點性事件(如「生」之「本無今有」),而是相續進行中之持續變異過程。論藏之「假立為老」意謂:相續變異之現象本身確實發生,然「老」此一名稱不過是施設於此分位之假名,無獨立實體;《成唯識論》「住別前後,復立異名」之「復立」二字,正彰顯此施設之後設性格。
梵saṃskṛta
jarā < √jṝ(衰、老、消磨)+ -ā(名詞後綴)。印歐祖語 *ǵerh₂-(老、成熟、磨損)。同源詞群:希臘 gérōn(老人)→ 英文 gerontology(老人學);希臘 géras(老年特權、長者之榮)。jarā 與英文 gerontology 同根——「老」之古老印歐詞幹,兼含「成熟、消磨」兩義。
⚠ In Review · 注意:v0.1 所列古英文 cearu(憂、操心)與 jarā 無語源關聯——cearu < PGm *karō,印歐祖語根各異;「老」與「憂」雖語義相鄰而詞根不同,故已刪除此偽同源。
《阿毘達磨集論》(無著,Pradhan 校本,Abhidh-s 10–11):
jarā katamā / nikāyasabhāge saṃskārāṇāṃ prabandhānyathātve jarā iti prajñaptiḥ //
何為老?於眾同分中諸行於相續中之變異(prabandha-anyathātva),稱為「老」之假立。
⚠ In Review · OCR note:GRETIL(哥廷根大學印度語典電子文獻檔)原始本作 nikāyasabhāme(m→g 為 OCR 誤讀;屬格單數應為 nikāyasabhāge),已據 Pradhan 校本更正為 nikāyasabhāge(PRAJNAPTI_DEFINITIONS.md § XIII 及 OCR 錯誤表已記錄)。
四相共享前綴(→#81 梵段四相公式表),本條 prabandha-anyathātva(相續之變異性)與 #83 住之 prabandha-avipraṇāśa(相續之不壞)形成對比:住是「相續暫不壞」,老是「相續雖不壞而已在變異」——兩相可同時為真(同一事物於住中亦老),非互斥關係,恰描述有為法之進行狀態(→#83)。
按:《集論》 anyathātva(「變異性」「othering」)之漢譯在文本傳統中分歧:Sarvāstivāda 舊傳選「老」(連接 12 緣起老死支、強調生命流轉之現象學),《成唯識論》規範化為「異」(凸顯純粹分位假立之結構性),顯揚選「前後變異性」(描述性仿譯)。三家名異義同,皆指 prabandha 在時間軸上之質性轉換——此翻譯史本身揭示同一 phenomenon 在不同論藏語境中之 framing 差異。
巴pāḷi
南傳阿毘達磨不立「老」為心不相應行之獨立 prajñapti。南傳之 jarā 在各自系統中有兩種位置:其一為十二緣起之末支之一(jarā-maraṇa,老死,共傳脈絡中指有情之衰老與死亡);其二為有為法之 khaṇika-lakkhaṇa(剎那特徵)——Vism XVI.51 脈絡下之 paripāka(成熟)與 khaṇḍicca-pālicca(老態斑白)描述「老」之現象,但不另立為獨立 paññatti。
與 #81 生同樣之架構差異:南傳將 jarā 作為有為法固有性相處理,而非獨立法目;瑜伽行派重判為分位假立(prajñapti-mātra)——同名、同指涉,異格。
另注:jarā-maraṇa(老死)於十二緣起共傳為有情老死之描述,層級與四相之「老」不同;四相之老(prabandha-anyathātva)適用於一切有為法之相續變異,不限有情投生流轉之老化現象。
按:南北架構差異在此條如 #81 所見之一般形態;值得注意的是,jarā* 在南北傳均與「消耗、老去」之普遍生命現象相連(十二緣起之老死支為共傳),然在瑜伽行派的重新框架下,同一詞被抽離出生命流轉脈絡,擴展為一切有為法相續層次之分位假立——此「普遍化」為唯識分析範疇化之典型操作。*
漢綜述zh-synthesis
「老」之梵文 jarā < √jṝ(衰、老、消磨)+ -ā(名詞後綴)。印歐祖語 *ǵerh₂-(「老、成熟、磨損」),兼含「成熟」與「消磨」兩義:希臘 gérōn(老人)→ 英文 gerontology(老人學);希臘 géras(老年特權、長者之榮)。⚠️ 古英文 cearu(憂)與 jarā 無語源關聯(cearu < PGm *karō,根不同)——「老」與「憂」語義相鄰而詞根各異,v0.1 偽同源已去除。jarā 兼含「成熟」與「消磨」之兩面語義,與 Asg prabandha-anyathātva(相續之變異性)之中性「相續改變」義相應——非必然向衰退,亦含成熟。
老為 24 不相應行之第十二,四相(生老住無常)之第二。《集論》定義(nikāyasabhāge saṃskārāṇāṃ prabandhānyathātve jarā iti prajñaptiḥ)揭示:prabandha-anyathātva(相續之變異性,「otherwise-becoming」)為本條核心——相續在啟動後(→#81 生),在壞滅前(→#84 無常),所發生之質性變異之分位假立。與 #83 住之結構關係:住(prabandha-avipraṇāśa,相續不壞)與老(prabandha-anyathātva,相續變異)可同時為真——相續在「住」(不壞)之中同時進行「老」(變異),兩者非互斥時序而是有為法中段之不同分析切面。命名史差異:《成唯識論》規範化為「異」(凸顯分位假立結構性),百法沿舊傳用「老」(連接十二緣起老死支現象學)——同一 prabandha-anyathātva,兩種漢譯選字,各自服務不同論藏語境。
南傳不立「老」為獨立 prajñapti,jarā 在南傳有兩位:(1)十二緣起末支(jarā-maraṇa,有情衰老);(2)有為法 khaṇika-lakkhaṇa(剎那特徵,Vism XVI.51 paripāka 成熟)——均非獨立法目。唯識之「普遍化」操作:將 jarā 從有情老死脈絡抽離,擴展為一切有為法相續層次之分位假立,此為唯識分析範疇化之典型操作。
老作為禪修所緣之特殊性在其「過程性」——非點性事件,而是相續進行中之持續變異。觀察老非觀一個「老起之物」,而是觀察相續之「前後有異」之分位邊際。此刻之心念已非完全等同於上一刻——此前後之異即 anyathātva;認識「老」為此差異分位之假立名稱,即認識老之 prajñapti 性:相續之變異真實發生,「老」此名稱為其假立施設。
「老」玄奘既譯;《成唯識論》用「異」為規範化選擇,百法沿舊傳用「老」。英譯 Aging 保留「老」之現象學直觀,較 alteration(太抽象,失去生命現象感)更切 anyathātva 之「otherwise-becoming」語義。
老 ——於眾同分(→#73)中諸行相續中之變異(prabandha-anyathātva)分位,假立「老」(jarā)之名;性為相續之質性改變分位,業為四相(→#81 生 →#83 住 →#84 無常)中段之變異標示;非別有體,依色心分位差別之合成假立。
英綜述en-synthesis
jarā derives from √jṝ "to age, to wear away, to decay" + the feminine noun suffix -ā. The root is PIE *ǵerh₂- "to grow old, to ripen, to wear away" — a root encoding both maturation and decay as aspects of the same aging process. The most accessible cognate: Greek gérōn "old man" yields English gerontology and cognate terms in the study of aging. Greek géras "the privilege of old age, honor due to elders" shares the root and reveals the archaic prestige of age as ripening. The semantic field of PIE *ǵerh₂- spans from neutral "maturation" to deteriorative "decay" — the same ambivalence found in Asg's prabandha-anyathātva, which is the altering-of-continuum without specifying its direction.
Jarā is the second of the four saṃskṛta-lakṣaṇa in the 不相應行 cluster, paired structurally with #83 住: while #83 住 designates the non-perishing of the continuum (prabandha-avipraṇāśa), #82 老 designates its altering (prabandha-anyathātva) — the continuum persists (#83) while changing (#82). Asaṅga's formula nikāyasabhāge saṃskārāṇāṃ prabandhānyathātve jarā iti prajñaptiḥ defines jarā as the designation (prajñaptiḥ) upon the "otherwise-becoming" (anyathātva) of the conditioned-formations-in-continuum. The Cheng Weishi Lun's rendering 「住別前後,復立異名」 ("after arising is established, since it differs before-and-after, we further designate it 異") captures the structural role: "further designate" (復立) marks the prajñapti's second-order, post-hoc character. The Saṃgraha instruction "established upon the continuum-position, not upon the single moment" applies equally to jarā: aging is not a point-event but a process-character of the conditioned arc.
The three traditions again diverge on category-placement while agreeing on the phenomenon. Sarvāstivāda's jarā is dravya-sat (real aging-factor). Yogācāra's jarā is prajñapti (designation upon continuum-altering). Theravāda's jarā appears in two registers: in the 12-linked chain as the existential fact of sentient-being aging-and-death (jarā-maraṇa), and in khaṇika-lakkhaṇa analysis as the maturation-aspect of conditioned dhammas. Neither register gives it an independent list-position. The nomenclature divergence between CWS (使用「異」) and 百法 (使用「老」) reflects a translation-history difference rather than a doctrinal disagreement: both render Asg's anyathātva.
Aging as a meditation object has immediate relevance precisely because it is process-continuous rather than event-discrete. A body does not age in a moment; a mind-stream does not go from sharp to dull in a single instant. Jarā names the cumulative altering that only becomes visible over the span of a process-arc — the gray not noticed until it fills the mirror. The Yogācāra framing as prajñapti suggests that "aging" is our name for the overall anyathātva-pattern of a continuum, not a separate force adding itself to things. The practical implication: what we track when we track aging is not an entity but a differential — this moment against that moment, this configuration against its previous configuration. The same jarā applies to each single thought-moment: the thought that has arisen (#81) is already altering, already no longer exactly what it was at arising. There is no stable platform; there is only the altering of the continuum.
Aging (jarā) — upon the conditioned formations of the same class (nikāyasabhāga), in the altering of the continuum (prabandha-anyathātva), [we apply] the designation "aging" — a conventional appellative upon the quality of otherwise-becoming within a persisting conditioned arc.
譯translator's note
譯者按: 結構分析詳 S3-P12 §3.6。本條為四相(#81–#84)詞族之第二,以 prabandha-anyathātva(相續變異)為本義;《成唯識論》以「異」代「老」之命名偏好,揭示唯識規範化傾向(凸顯分位假立性),百法沿阿毘達磨舊傳用「老」(連接老死流轉現象學)——同《集論》定義,異漢譯選字,此命名史本身即一文本 comparative 的微觀案例。#82 老(prabandha-anyathātva)與 #83 住(prabandha-avipraṇāśa)並行不悖——相續於「住」中同時進行「老」,非先住再老而是同步假立,彰顯四相為分析框架而非時序因果鏈。