解脫道論 說解脫道之由與三學
每一部論都得先回答一個問題：為什麼要有你？
《解脫道論》把這個問題放在第二節，問得直白：說解脫道有什麼用。
答案先列三個缺。有人想得解脫，卻沒有聽人說過解脫、不曾伏解脫、不曾正伏解脫。三樣都缺，於是想得而無從得。
然後論主用了一個比喻：像盲人沒有嚮導，獨自遠行到他國，只是受盡苦，走不到。
三個缺，論文照序一個一個答，三答都以同一句「故說解脫」收尾。答完，他把比喻翻過來：像遠行的人得到了好嚮導。
同一趟遠行，同一個人，差別只在有沒有嚮導。而所謂嚮導，就是有人把這條道說出來。
一部講修行的書，在此為自己的存在給了理由：它不能替人走路，它只是那個嚮導。
接下去論主開始拆這條道。他先說一句「是伏解脫道，三陰成滿」，然後把戒陰、定陰、慧陰各自列目——正語正業正命，正精進正念正定，正見正思惟。三個、三個、兩個。列完，他把那句話倒過來再說一遍：「此三陰成滿，是伏解脫道。」
一句話正著說一次、反著說一次，中間夾住整段展開。這是這部論畫界線的手法，前一節用「我今當說」也是這樣。
再往下，同一組三學連說三遍，格式一遍一換，論文一句解釋也不給。
所以這一節其實做了兩件事：說明為什麼要有這本書，以及示範這本書怎麼說話——並舉、逐答、迴環、不解釋。後面十一品的讀法，在這裡就已經交代完了。
Every treatise must first answer one question: why should you exist?
The Path of Freedom places this question in its second section and asks it bluntly: what use is there in teaching the path of freedom?
The answer first lists three lacks. Someone wishes to attain freedom, yet has not heard freedom taught, has not suppressed freedom, and has not rightly suppressed freedom. Lacking all three, they wish to attain it but have no way to do so.
Then the author uses a simile: like a blind person who has no guide and travels alone to a distant country, only to undergo all kinds of suffering and never arrive.
The three lacks are answered one by one, in order, and all three answers end with the same words, “therefore freedom is taught.” When the answers are complete, he turns the simile around: like a traveller on a long journey who has obtained a good guide.
The same long journey, the same person; the only difference is whether there is a guide. And the guide is simply someone who sets this path forth.
A book about practice gives a reason here for its own existence: it cannot walk the road for anyone; it is only the guide.
The author then begins to take this path apart. He first says the sentence “This is the path of suppressed freedom; the three aggregates are complete” and then lists the items under the aggregate of virtue, the aggregate of concentration, and the aggregate of wisdom—right speech, right action, and right livelihood; right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration; right view and right intention. Three, three, and two. After the listing, he states the sentence again in reverse: “These three aggregates being complete, this is the path of suppressed freedom.”
The same sentence is said once in the forward direction and once in reverse, with the whole unfolding enclosed between them. This is the treatise’s way of drawing a boundary; the preceding section uses “I shall now declare” in the same way.
After that, the author states the same set of three trainings three times in succession, in a different form each time, and the treatise offers not a single sentence of explanation.
So this section really does two things: it explains why this book is needed, and shows how this book speaks—setting items out together, answering them one by one, forming a ring, and offering no explanation. The way to read the eleven chapters that follow has already been laid out here.
Shi Huijing · Waken · The Path of Freedom · Why the Path of Freedom Is Taught and the Three Trainings · Doorway · Summer 2026
阿羅漢優波底沙造，梁扶南三藏僧伽婆羅譯《解脫道論》〈因緣品〉「說解脫道之由與三學」· 大正藏 T32n1648〔起 T32 0400a〕。段首〔T32 …〕＝大正藏頁·欄錨。
〔T32 0400a〕
問：何用說解脫道？答：有善人樂得解脫，不聞說解脫故，又不伏解脫故，又不正伏解脫故，如盲人無導獨遊遠國，唯嬰眾苦不得解脫，欲得解脫而無所因。何以故解脫是因？如佛所說：若有眾生塵勞微細，不聞法故終亦退轉。又如佛說：諸比丘有二因二緣能生正見。云何為二？一、從他聞；二、自正念。是故說解脫。不伏解脫者，為生厭離，故說解脫。不正伏解脫者，為除不正道、為得禪解脫道，故說解脫。如遠行人得善示導。是伏解脫道，三陰成滿。何等為三？謂戒陰、定陰、慧陰。云何戒陰？正語、正業、正命及種類戒陰所攝或種種戒功德聚。云何定陰？正精進、正念、正定及種類定陰所攝，或種種定功德聚。云何慧陰？正見、正思惟及種類所攝，或種種慧功德聚。此三陰成滿，是伏解脫道。當學三學，謂增上戒學、增上心學、增上慧學。有戒、有增上戒學，有定、有增上心學，有慧、有增上慧學。復次有戒戒學、有戒增上戒學，有定心學、有定增上心學，有慧慧學、有慧增上慧學。
問：云何戒學？答：謂有相戒是名戒學，謂達分戒是增上戒學。復次凡夫戒是名戒學，聖戒是增上戒學。
問：云何心學？答：所謂欲定。
問：云何增上心學。答：色定及無色定，此謂增上心學。復次有相定，心學；達分定及道定，是謂增上心學。云何慧學？謂世間智是名慧學；四諦相似智及道智，是謂增上慧學。如世尊為鈍根人說增上戒學、為中根人說增上心學、為利根人說增上慧學。
The canonical text stands in Chinese only. This edition renders the essence, the plain reading, the exposition and the apparatus into English — never the sūtra itself. Switch to 漢讀本 or 並行雙語 above to read it.
何用說解脫道
問：說解脫道有什麼用？
答：有善人樂於得解脫，卻因為沒有聽人說過解脫、又因為不曾伏解脫、又因為不曾正伏解脫，就像盲人沒有嚮導而獨自遠行到他國，只是遭受種種苦，得不到解脫；想得解脫而沒有那個「因」。
這裡一口氣列了三件缺：不聞說、不伏、不正伏。底下就照這三件逐一回答，次序不亂。
第一件：不聞說
何以說解脫是因？
如佛所說：若有眾生塵勞微細，因為不聞法的緣故，終究也會退轉。
又如佛說：諸比丘，有二因二緣能生正見。哪兩個？一、從他人聽聞；二、自己正念。
所以要說解脫。
「塵勞微細」與「二因二緣」二語，全論各只出現這一次。這一段連引兩次佛語，中間只隔一行。
第二件與第三件：不伏、不正伏
不伏解脫的，是為了生起厭離，所以說解脫。
不正伏解脫的，是為了除去不正的道、為了得禪解脫道，所以說解脫。
就像遠行的人得到好嚮導。
前面說盲人無導、獨遊遠國，這裡說遠行人得善示導；一負一正，前後成對。三件缺各有一答，三答都用同一句「故說解脫」收尾。
伏解脫道與三陰
這就是伏解脫道，三陰圓滿。
哪三個？就是戒陰、定陰、慧陰。
什麼是戒陰？正語、正業、正命，以及同類的、為戒陰所攝的，或種種戒的功德聚。
什麼是定陰？正精進、正念、正定，以及同類的、為定陰所攝的，或種種定的功德聚。
什麼是慧陰？正見、正思惟，以及同類的所攝的，或種種慧的功德聚。
這三式要照原樣記兩件事。一是三陰所列之目共八個，正是八正道的八個目，按三、三、二分屬三陰。二是三式的措辭並不全同：戒陰作「種類戒陰所攝」、定陰作「種類定陰所攝」，而慧陰只作「種類所攝」，少了那兩個字。這裡照論文原樣錄，不代為補。
這三陰圓滿了，就是伏解脫道。
前面先說「是伏解脫道，三陰成滿」，這裡說「此三陰成滿，是伏解脫道」——同樣兩件事，前後倒過來說了一次。
三學：同一組，說了三遍
應當學三學，就是增上戒學、增上心學、增上慧學。
有戒、有增上戒學；有定、有增上心學；有慧、有增上慧學。
復次，有戒戒學、有戒增上戒學；有定心學、有定增上心學；有慧慧學、有慧增上慧學。
同一組三學，論文接連說了三遍，每一遍的格式都不同：第一遍只列三個目，都冠「增上」；第二遍列六個目，素的三個與增上的三個並舉；第三遍也列六個目，而每一目前面都冠上它自己那一素。這裡照原樣錄。
戒學與增上戒學
問：什麼是戒學？
答：所謂有相戒，是名戒學；所謂達分戒，是增上戒學。
復次，凡夫戒是名戒學，聖戒是增上戒學。
一問而答了兩層，各給兩種說法。
心學
問：什麼是心學？
答：所謂欲定。
這一問一答連標點共十四個字，是本段最短的一節；而且答完就止，沒有像鄰節那樣加一句「此謂心學」。這裡照原樣錄，不代為補。
增上心學與慧學
問：什麼是增上心學。
——底本此處作句號，不作問號，這裡照原樣錄。
答：色定及無色定，這叫作增上心學。
復次，有相定，是心學；達分定及道定，是謂增上心學。
什麼是慧學？所謂世間智是名慧學；四諦相似智及道智，是謂增上慧學。
這裡也要照原樣記一件事：「云何慧學？」這一問並沒有像前面三問那樣另起一段，它夾在增上心學那一段裡面。所以本段四個問句，只有三個各自成段。
三學與三種根
如世尊為鈍根人說增上戒學、為中根人說增上心學、為利根人說增上慧學。
本段前後三次引佛語，用了三種不同的引式：如佛所說、又如佛說、如世尊。
Why Teach the Path of Freedom?
Question: what use is there in teaching the path of freedom?
Answer: A good person may delight in attaining freedom, yet because they have not heard freedom taught, have not suppressed freedom, and have not rightly suppressed freedom, they are like a blind person who travels alone to a distant country without a guide: they only undergo all kinds of suffering and do not attain freedom. They wish to attain freedom but lack that “cause.”
Three lacks are set out here in one breath: not hearing it taught, not suppressing it, and not rightly suppressing it. The passage below answers them one by one, in the same order.
The First Lack: Not Hearing It Taught
Why is teaching freedom a cause?
As the Buddha said: if there are beings whose defilements are slight, because they have not heard the Dhamma, in the end they too will fall back.
Again, as the Buddha said: bhikkhus, two causes and two conditions can give rise to right view. Which two? First, hearing from another; second, one’s own right mindfulness.
This is why freedom is taught.
The phrases “defilements are slight” and “two causes and two conditions” each occur only once in the entire treatise. This passage cites the Buddha twice in succession, with only one line between them.
The Second and Third Lacks: Not Suppressing and Not Rightly Suppressing
For one who has not suppressed freedom, freedom is taught in order to give rise to disenchantment.
For one who has not rightly suppressed freedom, freedom is taught in order to remove the wrong path and attain the jhāna path of freedom.
It is like a traveller on a long journey who obtains a good guide.
Earlier, a blind person had no guide and travelled alone to a distant country; here, a traveller on a long journey obtains a good guide. One is negative and one positive, forming a pair across the passage. Each of the three lacks receives one answer, and all three answers close with the same words, “therefore freedom is taught.”
The Path of Suppressed Freedom and the Three Aggregates
This is the path of suppressed freedom, in which the three aggregates are complete.
Which three? The aggregate of virtue, the aggregate of concentration, and the aggregate of wisdom.
What is the aggregate of virtue? Right speech, right action, and right livelihood, together with anything of the same kind included in the aggregate of virtue, or the various accumulations of virtuous qualities.
What is the aggregate of concentration? Right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration, together with anything of the same kind included in the aggregate of concentration, or the various accumulations of the qualities of concentration.
What is the aggregate of wisdom? Right view and right intention, together with anything of the same kind that is included, or the various accumulations of the qualities of wisdom.
Two things about these three formulas should be remembered exactly as they stand. First, the three aggregates list eight items in all: precisely the eight factors of the noble eightfold path, assigned to the three aggregates in groups of three, three, and two. Second, the wording of the three formulas is not entirely the same: the formula for the aggregate of virtue says “of the same kind, included in the aggregate of virtue,” and the formula for concentration says “of the same kind, included in the aggregate of concentration,” while the formula for wisdom says only “of the same kind, included,” omitting the two characters that name the aggregate of wisdom. This is recorded exactly as the treatise gives it, without supplying them.
When these three aggregates are complete, this is the path of suppressed freedom.
Earlier it says, “This is the path of suppressed freedom; the three aggregates are complete.” Here it says, “These three aggregates being complete, this is the path of suppressed freedom”—the same two things stated once each in reverse order.
The Three Trainings: The Same Set, Stated Three Times
One should train in the three trainings: the higher training in virtue, the higher training in mind, and the higher training in wisdom.
There is virtue and there is the higher training in virtue; there is concentration and there is the higher training in mind; there is wisdom and there is the higher training in wisdom.
Again, there is virtue—training in virtue; virtue—the higher training in virtue; concentration—training in mind; concentration—the higher training in mind; wisdom—training in wisdom; wisdom—the higher training in wisdom.
The treatise states the same set of three trainings three times in succession, each time in a different form: the first states only three items, all bearing “higher”; the second states six items, setting the three plain terms alongside the three higher ones; the third also states six items, but each item is prefixed by its own plain term. This is recorded exactly as it stands.
Training in Virtue and the Higher Training in Virtue
Question: what is the training in virtue?
Answer: what is called virtue with a sign is named the training in virtue; what is called virtue of penetrative partaking is the higher training in virtue.
Again, the virtue of an ordinary person is named the training in virtue; noble virtue is the higher training in virtue.
A single question receives two rounds of answers, each offering a pair.
The Training in Mind
Question: what is the training in mind?
Answer: what is called desire-concentration.
This question and answer contain fourteen characters including punctuation, making it the shortest section in the passage; and the answer stops there, without adding a sentence such as “This is called the training in mind,” as the neighboring section does. This is recorded exactly as it stands, without supplying one.
The Higher Training in Mind and the Training in Wisdom
Question: what is the higher training in mind.
—The base text has a period here, not a question mark; this is recorded exactly as it stands.
Answer: form concentration and formless concentration; this is called the higher training in mind.
Again, concentration with a sign is the training in mind; the concentration of penetrative partaking and the concentration of the path are called the higher training in mind.
What is the training in wisdom? What is called worldly wisdom is named the training in wisdom; knowledge resembling the four truths and path knowledge are called the higher training in wisdom.
One more point must be recorded exactly as it stands: the question “What is the training in wisdom?” does not begin a new paragraph as the preceding three questions do; it is embedded within the paragraph on the higher training in mind. Thus this passage contains four questions, but only three form paragraphs of their own.
The Three Trainings and Three Kinds of Faculties
As the Blessed One taught: the higher training in virtue for those of dull faculties, the higher training in mind for those of middling faculties, and the higher training in wisdom for those of sharp faculties.
Across its beginning and end, this passage cites the Buddha three times, using three different introductory forms: “as the Buddha said,” “again, as the Buddha said,” and “as the Blessed One.”
Shi Huijing · Waken · The Path of Freedom · Why the Path of Freedom Is Taught and the Three Trainings · Vernacular · Summer 2026
一個詞被拆開，又被合攏
前一段論主把書名釘住了：以戒定慧謂解脫道。這一段他做的是另一件事——把「伏解脫道」這個詞拆開，攤平，再合回去。
拆合的痕跡留在兩句話上。
第一句在前：「是伏解脫道，三陰成滿」〔T32 400a14〕。
第二句在後：「此三陰成滿，是伏解脫道」〔T32 400a19–20〕。
同樣兩件事，同樣六個字打頭，只是把主語和謂語對調了。前一句是「伏解脫道就是三陰圓滿」，後一句是「三陰圓滿就是伏解脫道」。中間隔著的，正是三陰各自的展開。
先以果標因，展開了因，再以因結果。 這是本段的弧。論主不是說了兩遍，他是用同一句話的正反兩面，把中間那段展開圈起來——就像前一段用「我今當說」的前後兩出，把釋名圈起來一樣。這部論很喜歡用一句話的重複來畫界線。
迴文裡面，是八個目
那被圈起來的中間是什麼？
「謂戒陰、定陰、慧陰」〔T32 400a14–15〕。三陰各自列目：戒陰是「正語、正業、正命」，定陰是「正精進、正念、正定」，慧陰是「正見、正思惟」〔T32 400a18〕。
三個、三個、兩個。合起來八個。
論文沒有給這八個目一個總名，也沒有把它們的數目說出來。它只是按三、三、二分派給三陰，然後就往下走了。讀者若不自己數，就看不見這件事。
而三陰的說法格式，其實並不整齊。戒陰作「云何戒陰？正語、正業、正命及種類戒陰所攝或種種戒功德聚」〔T32 400a15–16〕，定陰作「云何定陰？正精進、正念、正定及種類定陰所攝，或種種定功德聚」〔T32 400a16–18〕——這兩式相同。到慧陰卻是「云何慧陰？正見、正思惟及種類所攝，或種種慧功德聚」〔T32 400a18–19〕，「所攝」前面少了「慧陰」二字。
這一處不齊要小心說：戒陰那一式的字面本身是校本訂正之讀，大正本原不如此（詳考據）。所以三式之不齊，一半出於底本、一半出於校訂。能確定的只有一件：讀者手上這個本子的三式並不全同，而論文自己從不解釋為什麼。 不代為補齊，也不拿它去推論主的用意。
三個缺，三個答，序不亂
回到段首。
問是「何用說解脫道」〔T32 400a04〕——說這條道有什麼用。答文先列出三個缺：「不聞說解脫故，又不伏解脫故，又不正伏解脫故」〔T32 400a05–06〕。沒有聽人說過、不曾伏、不曾正伏。
然後論文就照這三個缺，一個一個答。
第一個缺，答得最長，還引了兩次佛語，最後收在「是故說解脫」〔T32 400a11〕。第二個缺：「不伏解脫者，為生厭離，故說解脫」〔T32 400a11–12〕。第三個缺：「不正伏解脫者，為除不正道、為得禪解脫道，故說解脫」〔T32 400a12–13〕。
三答，各以「故說解脫」四字收——本段三見。問首列了幾樣，答文就照那個次序給幾樣，一樣不少、一樣不換。
這種寫法在本論裡是常態，值得先在這裡認清楚：遇到問首並舉數項，先把項數記下，然後看答文是不是照序逐一回來。 是，就知道這一節是閉合的；不是，那個差額本身就是要注意的地方。
兩個比喻，把三答夾在中間
三缺與三答之間，還安了兩個比喻。
三缺剛列完，論主說：「如盲人無導獨遊遠國」〔T32 400a06–07〕——瞎子沒有嚮導，獨自遠行到他國。三答剛說完，論主說：「如遠行人得善示導」〔T32 400a13–14〕——遠行的人得到了好嚮導。
同一個場景，同一趟遠行，差別只在有沒有嚮導。一個放在「缺」的那一頭，一個放在「答」的這一頭，中間夾著三個答的全文。
所以這兩個比喻不是兩個獨立的譬，是一個比喻的兩面；而它們所比的，正是「說解脫道」這件事本身——說，就是給那個遠行的人一個嚮導。這部論在此處回答了它自己存在的理由。
「如遠行人」這個說法，全論只出現這一次。
同一組三學，說了三遍
迴文收攏之後，論主接著說三學。而他把同一組三學，一連說了三遍，每一遍換一種格式。
第一遍：「當學三學，謂增上戒學、增上心學、增上慧學」〔T32 400a20–21〕——三個目，都冠「增上」。
第二遍：「有戒、有增上戒學，有定、有增上心學，有慧、有增上慧學」〔T32 400a21–22〕——六個目，素的三個與增上的三個並舉。
第三遍：「復次有戒戒學、有戒增上戒學，有定心學、有定增上心學，有慧慧學、有慧增上慧學」〔T32 400a22–24〕——還是六個目，但每一目前面都冠上它自己那一素。
三遍之間，論文一句解釋也沒有，也不說第三遍比第二遍多了什麼。它不是層層遞進，是同一件事的三種寫法並排放著。 讀的時候不要急著把三遍合成一張表——論主沒有合，我們也不合。
四個問，卻只有三個段
接下來是三個小節，各答一問：戒學〔T32 400a24〕、心學〔T32 400a26〕、增上心學〔T32 400a27〕。
但這一段其實問了四次。第四問是「云何慧學」〔T32 400a29〕——而它沒有另起一段，夾在增上心學那一段的中間。
這就給出一個可以帶走的讀法：本論的段界就是它的節界；遇到一個問句沒有另起段，要知道它是附在前一問的答裡面，不是新的一節。
用在這裡：慧學與增上慧學的界說，體例上是掛在增上心學那一節底下的，不是與戒學、心學平起平坐的第四節。這個差別，光讀文字看不出來，要看段落怎麼斷。
還有一處也只有看底本才知道：第三問寫作「問：云何增上心學。」〔T32 400a27〕，句末用的是句號，不是問號。前三問都作問號。照錄不代正——但讀的時候知道有這回事。
為什麼那一節只有四個字
現在停下來問一句。
「云何心學？答：所謂欲定」〔T32 400a26–27〕——這一節，答文只有四個字。而緊挨著它的下一節，同樣一問，答了六十多字，還帶「復次」再說一遍。
一個講三學的段落，為什麼把「心學」打發得這麼快？
論文自己答了，只是答在下一節裡。下一節說：「問：云何增上心學。答：色定及無色定，此謂增上心學」〔T32 400a27–28〕——色定、無色定，都歸增上心學。
那麼心學還剩下什麼？只剩欲界的定。四個字不是省略，是已經說盡了：在本論的分法裡，定的絕大部分都被劃到增上心學那一邊去了，心學這一格只剩一樣東西。
順著這個看下去，另一件事也就清楚了：這一節答完就止，沒有加一句「此謂心學」；而它的鄰節有「此謂增上心學」。本段六學的收語其實三式並用——「是名」三見、「是謂」二見、「此謂」一見。論主從不把收語統一，收在哪裡、用哪個字，隨處而定。 所以「心學那一節沒有收語」不必讀成脫文，它只是本段本來就參差的一例。
最後三句話
段末是三根：「如世尊為鈍根人說增上戒學、為中根人說增上心學、為利根人說增上慧學」〔T32 400b02–03〕。
鈍根配戒、中根配定、利根配慧，一一相對，說完就收，不再解釋什麼叫鈍根中根利根。
值得記一筆的是，這一段前後引了三次佛語，而三次用了三個不同的引式：「如佛所說」〔T32 400a08〕、「又如佛說」〔T32 400a09〕、「如世尊」〔T32 400b02〕。前兩次只隔一行，同答一個問；第三次隔了一大段，用來收全節。三次都不出經名。
A Term Taken Apart, Then Drawn Together Again
The preceding passage fixed the book’s title in place: by virtue, concentration, and wisdom it is called the path of freedom. This passage does something else—it takes apart the term “path of suppressed freedom”, lays it out, and then draws it together again.
The traces of this taking apart and drawing together remain in two sentences.
The first comes earlier: “This is the path of suppressed freedom; the three aggregates are complete” 〔T32 400a14〕.
The second comes later: “These three aggregates being complete, this is the path of suppressed freedom” 〔T32 400a19–20〕.
The same two things, each placed in a six-character opening, with subject and predicate simply reversed. The first says “the path of suppressed freedom is the completion of the three aggregates”; the second, “the completion of the three aggregates is the path of suppressed freedom”. What lies between them is precisely the unfolding of each of the three aggregates.
It first uses the result to mark the cause, unfolds the cause, and then uses the cause to close the result. That is the arc of this passage. The author is not saying the same thing twice. He uses the two directions of one sentence to enclose the unfolding between them—just as the preceding passage used the two appearances of “I shall now declare”, one before and one after, to enclose the glossing of the name. This treatise likes to use a repeated sentence to draw a boundary.
Inside the Ring Are Eight Items
What, then, lies within the ring?
“Namely, the aggregate of virtue, the aggregate of concentration, and the aggregate of wisdom” 〔T32 400a14–15〕. Each aggregate lists its own items: for virtue, “right speech, right action, and right livelihood”; for concentration, “right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration”; for wisdom, “right view and right intention” 〔T32 400a18〕.
Three, three, and two. Together, eight.
The treatise gives these eight items no collective name, nor does it state their number. It simply distributes them among the three aggregates as three, three, and two, and then moves on. A reader who does not count them will not see this.
The formulas for the three aggregates are not, in fact, uniform. The aggregate of virtue reads, “What is the aggregate of virtue? Right speech, right action, and right livelihood, together with anything of the same kind included in the aggregate of virtue, or the various accumulations of virtuous qualities” 〔T32 400a15–16〕. The aggregate of concentration reads, “What is the aggregate of concentration? Right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration, together with anything of the same kind included in the aggregate of concentration, or the various accumulations of the qualities of concentration” 〔T32 400a16–18〕—these two forms are the same. But the aggregate of wisdom reads, “What is the aggregate of wisdom? Right view and right intention, together with anything of the same kind that is included, or the various accumulations of the qualities of wisdom” 〔T32 400a18–19〕. Before “included”, it lacks the two characters meaning “aggregate of wisdom”.
This unevenness must be stated carefully: the wording of the aggregate-of-virtue formula is itself a corrected reading in the edited text; the Taishō text did not originally read this way (see the apparatus for details). Thus the lack of uniformity among the three forms comes partly from the base text and partly from editorial correction. Only one thing can be certain: the three forms in the edition now before the reader are not all the same, and the treatise itself never explains why. We do not make them uniform or use their unevenness to infer the author’s intention.
Three Lacks, Three Answers, the Order Unchanged
Return to the beginning of the passage.
The question is “What use is there in teaching the path of freedom” 〔T32 400a04〕—what use is there in teaching this path? The answer first sets out three lacks: “because they have not heard freedom taught, have not suppressed freedom, and have not rightly suppressed freedom” 〔T32 400a05–06〕. They have not heard someone teach it, have not suppressed, and have not rightly suppressed.
The treatise then answers these three lacks one by one.
The first lack receives the longest answer. It also cites the Buddha twice and finally closes with “This is why freedom is taught” 〔T32 400a11〕. The second lack: “For one who has not suppressed freedom, freedom is taught in order to give rise to disenchantment” 〔T32 400a11–12〕. The third lack: “For one who has not rightly suppressed freedom, freedom is taught in order to remove the wrong path and attain the jhāna path of freedom” 〔T32 400a12–13〕.
Each of the three answers closes with the four-character phrase “therefore freedom is taught”—three occurrences in this passage. The question begins by listing a number of things, and the answer gives just that many in the same order, omitting none and exchanging none.
This manner of writing is normal in the treatise and worth recognizing here: when several items are listed together at the head of a question, first remember how many there are, then see whether the answer returns to them one by one in the same order. If it does, the section is closed; if it does not, the discrepancy itself is something to notice.
Two Similes Bracketing the Three Answers
Between the three lacks and the three answers, two similes have also been placed.
Just after listing the three lacks, the author says, “like a blind person without a guide, travelling alone in a distant country” 〔T32 400a06–07〕. Just after giving the three answers, he says, “like a traveller on a long journey who obtains a good guide” 〔T32 400a13–14〕.
The same scene, the same long journey; the only difference is whether a guide is present. One stands on the side of the “lacks”, the other on the side of the “answers”, with the full text of the three answers between them.
Thus these are not two independent similes but the two faces of a single simile. What they illustrate is precisely “teaching the path of freedom” itself—to teach is to give that traveller a guide. Here the treatise answers why it exists.
The expression “like a traveller on a long journey” occurs only once in the entire treatise.
The Same Set of Three Trainings, Stated Three Times
Once the ring has closed, the author moves on to the three trainings. He states the same set of three trainings three times in succession, changing the form each time.
The first statement: “One should train in the three trainings: the higher training in virtue, the higher training in mind, and the higher training in wisdom” 〔T32 400a20–21〕. Three items, each bearing “higher”.
The second statement: “There is virtue and there is the higher training in virtue; there is concentration and there is the higher training in mind; there is wisdom and there is the higher training in wisdom” 〔T32 400a21–22〕. Six items, the three plain terms set beside the three higher ones.
The third statement: “Again, there is virtue—training in virtue; virtue—the higher training in virtue; concentration—training in mind; concentration—the higher training in mind; wisdom—training in wisdom; wisdom—the higher training in wisdom” 〔T32 400a22–24〕. Still six items, but each is now prefixed by its own plain term.
Between the three statements, the treatise gives not a word of explanation, nor does it say what the third adds to the second. They are not successive stages; they are three formulations of the same thing set side by side. When reading, do not hurry to merge the three into a table—the author did not merge them, and neither do we.
Four Questions, but Only Three Paragraphs
The next part has three short sections, each answering one question: the training in virtue 〔T32 400a24〕, the training in mind 〔T32 400a26〕, and the higher training in mind 〔T32 400a27〕.
But this part actually asks four questions. The fourth is “What is the training in wisdom” 〔T32 400a29〕—and it does not begin a paragraph of its own, but is embedded in the middle of the paragraph on the higher training in mind.
This yields a method worth carrying away: in this treatise, paragraph boundaries are section boundaries; when a question does not begin a new paragraph, understand that it is attached to the answer to the preceding question, not that it begins a new section.
Applied here, the definitions of the training in wisdom and the higher training in wisdom are, as a matter of form, hung beneath the section on the higher training in mind; they do not stand as a fourth section alongside the training in virtue and the training in mind. The wording alone does not disclose this difference. One has to see how the paragraphs are divided.
There is one more point that can be known only by looking at the base text: the third question is written, “Question: what is the higher training in mind.” 〔T32 400a27〕 It ends with a period, not a question mark. The first three questions all use question marks. It is transcribed as it stands, without correction—but the reader should know that it is there.
Why That Section Has Only Four Characters
Now stop and ask a question.
“What is the training in mind? Answer: what is called desire-concentration” 〔T32 400a26–27〕. In this section, the answer consists of only four characters. Yet the section immediately beside it asks in the same way and answers in more than sixty characters, with “again” introducing a second statement.
Why would a passage on the three trainings dispose of the “training in mind” so quickly?
The treatise itself answers, but only in the next section. That section says, “Question: what is the higher training in mind. Answer: form concentration and formless concentration; this is called the higher training in mind” 〔T32 400a27–28〕. Form concentration and formless concentration both belong to the higher training in mind.
What, then, remains for the training in mind? Only concentration of the desire realm. The four characters are not an omission; they have already said all there is to say. In the classification used by this treatise, most forms of concentration have been assigned to the higher training in mind, leaving only one thing in the category of the training in mind.
Following this further makes something else clear. This section stops when its answer ends; it does not add “this is called the training in mind”, while the neighboring section does say “this is called the higher training in mind”. The closing formulas for the six trainings in this passage actually use three forms—“is named” three times, “is called” twice, and “this is called” once. The author never makes the closing formulas uniform; where a formula closes and which word it uses vary from place to place. Thus “the section on the training in mind has no closing formula” need not be read as a lacuna. It is simply one instance of the passage’s original unevenness.
The Final Three Sentences
The passage ends with three kinds of faculties: “As the Blessed One taught: the higher training in virtue for those of dull faculties, the higher training in mind for those of middling faculties, and the higher training in wisdom for those of sharp faculties” 〔T32 400b02–03〕.
Dull faculties are paired with virtue, middling faculties with concentration, and sharp faculties with wisdom. Each is matched one to one, and the passage closes without further explaining what dull, middling, or sharp faculties are.
It is worth recording that this passage cites the Buddha three times from beginning to end, using three different introductory formulas: “as the Buddha said” 〔T32 400a08〕, “again, as the Buddha said” 〔T32 400a09〕, and “as the Blessed One” 〔T32 400b02〕. The first two stand only one line apart and answer the same question; the third comes after a long interval and closes the whole section. None of the three names a sutta.
Shi Huijing · Waken · The Path of Freedom · Why the Path of Freedom Is Taught and the Three Trainings · Exposition · Summer 2026
考據Apparatus
全段定位 本段出自《解脫道論》卷第一〈因緣品〉，承前單元之立題而問其所以：起於「問：何用說解脫道」〔T32 400a04〕，訖於「為利根人說增上慧學」〔T32 400b03〕。底本四段〔T32 400a04–400b03〕。
一、科判定位
四段，前段長而備（答所以·三陰·三學），後三段各答一問：
| 節 | 經文起訖逐字（各繫其錨） |
|---|---|
| 何用說解脫道·三缺並舉（第一段） | 「問：何用說解脫道」〔T32 400a04〕…「欲得解脫而無所因」〔T32 400a07–08〕 |
| 第一缺之答·引佛語二（第一段續） | 「何以故解脫是因」〔T32 400a08〕…「是故說解脫」〔T32 400a11〕 |
| 第二·第三缺之答（第一段續） | 「不伏解脫者，為生厭離，故說解脫」〔T32 400a11–12〕…「如遠行人得善示導」〔T32 400a13–14〕 |
| 伏解脫道·三陰（第一段續） | 「是伏解脫道，三陰成滿」〔T32 400a14〕…「此三陰成滿，是伏解脫道」〔T32 400a19–20〕 |
| 三學三說（第一段末） | 「當學三學，謂增上戒學、增上心學、增上慧學」〔T32 400a20–21〕…「有慧慧學、有慧增上慧學」〔T32 400a23–24〕 |
| 戒學與增上戒學（第二段） | 「謂有相戒是名戒學，謂達分戒是增上戒學」〔T32 400a24–25〕…「復次凡夫戒是名戒學，聖戒是增上戒學」〔T32 400a25–26〕 |
| 心學（第三段） | 「云何心學？答：所謂欲定」〔T32 400a26–27〕 |
| 增上心學·慧學·三根（第四段） | 「問：云何增上心學。答：色定及無色定，此謂增上心學」〔T32 400a27–28〕…「如世尊為鈍根人說增上戒學、為中根人說增上心學、為利根人說增上慧學」〔T32 400b02–03〕 |
單元界與問答界之相合：起於「何用說解脫道」而訖於三根之配，答文之外無殘句。前段止於「解脫道者我今當說」〔T32 400a04〕；本段之後即「問：學者何義？」〔T32 400b03–04〕，為次單元之始。段內無自答文中間切斷者。
四問而三段：本段問句四見——戒學〔T32 400a24〕·心學〔T32 400a26〕·增上心學〔T32 400a27〕各自成段，而「云何慧學」〔T32 400a29〕夾在增上心學段中不另起段。誌其實，不代分段。
全段定位錨
〔T32, 400a04–400b03〕
二、詞義與譯語（逐字各繫其錨）
| 名相 | 本段用法 | 章內接點（可核） |
|---|---|---|
| 三缺並舉 | 「不聞說解脫故，又不伏解脫故，又不正伏解脫故」〔T32 400a05–06〕 | 三缺列於問首，下文逐一為答而序不亂；三答各以「故說解脫」收——「是故說解脫」〔T32 400a11〕·「不伏解脫者，為生厭離，故說解脫」〔T32 400a11–12〕·「不正伏解脫者，為除不正道、為得禪解脫道，故說解脫」〔T32 400a12–13〕。「故說解脫」本段三見 |
| 塵勞微細 | 「如佛所說：若有眾生塵勞微細，不聞法故終亦退轉」〔T32 400a08–09〕 | 全論唯一見。「獨」字有校記（見目三） |
| 二因二緣 | 「又如佛說：諸比丘有二因二緣能生正見」〔T32 400a09–10〕，逐目作「一、從他聞；二、自正念」〔T32 400a10–11〕 | 全論唯一見。二目所出之「正見」「正念」，與下文三陰之目同名 |
| 伏解脫道 | 「是伏解脫道，三陰成滿」〔T32 400a14〕·「此三陰成滿，是伏解脫道」〔T32 400a19–20〕 | 一語全論七見；本段二見，其位一前一後而語序相反——前以果標因、後以因結果。餘五見盡在次單元 |
| 三陰 | 「謂戒陰、定陰、慧陰」〔T32 400a14–15〕 | 戒陰「正語、正業、正命」·定陰「正精進、正念、正定」·慧陰「正見、正思惟」——三目、三目、二目，合八。本段不出其數，亦不以「八正道」名之（其名本論他處五見）；照錄不代計、不代名 |
| 三陰之式不齊 | 戒陰作「云何戒陰？正語、正業、正命及種類戒陰所攝或種種戒功德聚」〔T32 400a15–16〕·定陰作「云何定陰？正精進、正念、正定及種類定陰所攝，或種種定功德聚」〔T32 400a16–18〕·慧陰作「云何慧陰？正見、正思惟及種類所攝，或種種慧功德聚」〔T32 400a18–19〕 | 三式之中唯慧陰一式於「所攝」前不出其名；戒陰一式之字面從校本訂正之讀，大正本原不如此（見目三之訂正二條）。照錄不代補、不代齊 |
| 三學三說 | 一「當學三學，謂增上戒學、增上心學、增上慧學」〔T32 400a20–21〕；二「有戒、有增上戒學，有定、有增上心學，有慧、有增上慧學」〔T32 400a21–22〕；三「復次有戒戒學、有戒增上戒學，有定心學、有定增上心學，有慧慧學、有慧增上慧學」〔T32 400a22–24〕 | 同一組三學連說三遍而格式各異：初遍三目皆冠「增上」；次遍六目，素三與增上三並舉；三遍六目，各目前冠其素。照錄不代併 |
| 戒學·增上戒學 | 「謂有相戒是名戒學，謂達分戒是增上戒學」〔T32 400a24–25〕·「復次凡夫戒是名戒學，聖戒是增上戒學」〔T32 400a25–26〕 | 一問而二答並出（有相／達分·凡夫／聖），二答不相釋亦不相攝 |
| 心學 | 「云何心學？答：所謂欲定」〔T32 400a26–27〕 | 本段最短之節，答唯四字而無「此謂」之收；其鄰增上心學節有收。照錄不代補 |
| 增上心學 | 「問：云何增上心學。答：色定及無色定，此謂增上心學」〔T32 400a27–28〕·「復次有相定，心學；達分定及道定，是謂增上心學」〔T32 400a28–29〕 | 底本此問作句號而非問號〔T32 400a27〕——照錄不代正。「達分」全論八見，其界說不在本論之首二單元 |
| 慧學·增上慧學 | 「云何慧學？謂世間智是名慧學；四諦相似智及道智，是謂增上慧學」〔T32 400a29–400b02〕 | 此問不另起段（見目一）。「慧學」二字有校記（見目三），四本作「學慧」 |
| 收語三式 | 「是名」本段三見·「是謂」二見·「此謂」一見 | 六學之收語不用一式；照錄不代齊 |
| 三根之配 | 「如世尊為鈍根人說增上戒學、為中根人說增上心學、為利根人說增上慧學」〔T32 400b02–03〕 | 三根配三增上學，一一相對；論文不更釋三根之相 |
三、校記與異讀
本段範圍內大正藏校記四處，均誌而不改；其中二處為校本訂正之讀，本文從訂正（詳下）：
| 錨 | 底本 | 異讀 | 見證 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 400a06 | 獨（獨遊遠國） | 觸 | 【宮】 |
| 400a16 | 戒陰所攝或 | 所攝或戒陰 | 【CB】訂正／【大】原讀 |
| 400a23 | 〔－〕（有定增上心學） | 學 | 【CB】訂正／【大】原讀 |
| 400a29 | 慧學（云何慧學） | 學慧 | 【宋】【元】【明】【宮】 |
訂正之讀二條（本文不從大正）：
- 400a16——大正本作「及種類所攝，或戒陰種種戒功德聚」，校本訂正作「及種類戒陰所攝或種種戒功德聚」。本文從訂正之讀，故本段戒陰一式與定陰一式同其結構；而慧陰一式無訂正，仍作「及種類所攝」。三式之不齊，其半出於訂正、其半出於底本——誌其實，不代齊。
- 400a23——大正本作「有定學增上心學」，校本訂正刪其「學」字，作「有定增上心學」。本文從訂正之讀。
誌錄不判二事：
- 400a06「獨」宮本作「觸」——「獨遊遠國」與「觸遊遠國」二讀；並錄不判，本文從碑面。
- 400a29「慧學」四本作「學慧」——若從四本則此問之末二字作「學慧」，與下文「是名慧學」之字序不一；並錄不判，本文從碑面。
校本零命中二項：本段缺字（造字）零命中；行內夾註零命中。
四、論主引據
本段引據三見，而三式各異：
| 引式 | 所引 | 錨 |
|---|---|---|
| 如佛所說 | 「若有眾生塵勞微細，不聞法故終亦退轉」 | 〔T32 400a08–09〕 |
| 又如佛說 | 「諸比丘有二因二緣能生正見」，逐目「一、從他聞；二、自正念」 | 〔T32 400a09–10〕·〔T32 400a10–11〕 |
| 如世尊 | 「為鈍根人說增上戒學、為中根人說增上心學、為利根人說增上慧學」 | 〔T32 400b02–03〕 |
前二引僅隔一行〔T32 400a08–09·400a09–10〕，同答一問（何以故解脫是因）而各出一義：前言不聞則退、後言聞與正念為生正見之二因。三引皆不出經名。「如佛所說」全論十見·「如佛說」全論三見·「如世尊」全論十一見；三式並見於一段者，本段為其一。
五、譬喻·修辭
- 二喻成對：「如盲人無導獨遊遠國」〔T32 400a06–07〕與「如遠行人得善示導」〔T32 400a13–14〕——一負一正，分置三缺之首與三答之末，中夾三答之全文。「如遠行人」全論唯一見；「如盲人」全論四見，本段其一。
- 三缺三答之對位〔T32 400a05–06·400a11–13〕：問首並舉三缺，答文逐一為釋而序不亂，各以「故說解脫」收——本段三見。
- 語序相反之前後二句〔T32 400a14·400a19–20〕：「是伏解脫道，三陰成滿」與「此三陰成滿，是伏解脫道」——先以果標因，展開已，復以因結果。
- 同組三說而格式遞變〔T32 400a20–24〕：三學初遍三目、次遍六目、三遍六目而冠法各異；三遍皆不相釋。
- 收語不一：「是名」三見·「是謂」二見·「此謂」一見——六學之收各隨其處，不作一式。
六、章內互讀
- 前指：本段之問「何用說解脫道」〔T32 400a04〕直承前單元之收「解脫道者我今當說」〔T32 400a04〕——同行相接。前單元之「五解脫」列名中，「伏解脫」一目於本段轉為「不伏解脫」「不正伏解脫」之用〔T32 400a05–06〕，再合為「伏解脫道」〔T32 400a14〕；餘四目本段零見。
- 前指：「達分定及道定，是謂增上心學」〔T32 400a28–29〕之「達分」，前單元已出於「現修達分定」〔T32 399c28〕而未釋；本段亦唯出其名。
- 後指：「當學三學」〔T32 400a20〕之三學，於次單元開為「學者何義」之問〔T32 400b03〕，並展為三清淨·三善·三樂〔T32 400b06–400b25〕；「伏解脫道」餘五見盡在次單元。
- 後指：三陰之目與「戒陰」「定陰」「慧陰」三名，後見於品二〔T32 404a08–10〕與品十一〔T32 448c07·448c12·448c15〕；本段為其首出。
七、傳本
作者、譯者與傳本諸問題，本編不於考據內立說。
Location of the whole passage This passage comes from fascicle one, Chapter on Causes and Conditions, of the Path of Freedom. Following the preceding unit’s establishment of the title, it asks why the path is taught: it begins at “Question: what use is there in teaching the path of freedom?” 〔T32 400a04〕 and ends at “the higher training in wisdom for those of sharp faculties” 〔T32 400b03〕. The base text comprises four paragraphs 〔T32 400a04–400b03〕.
1. Structural Location
Four paragraphs: the first is long and complete, answering why the path is taught and setting out the three aggregates and the three trainings; each of the latter three answers one question:
| Section | Textual limits, each with its anchor |
|---|---|
| Why teach the path of freedom · the three lacks stated together (paragraph one) | “Question: what use is there in teaching the path of freedom?” 〔T32 400a04〕 … “They wish to attain freedom but have no cause for doing so” 〔T32 400a07–08〕 |
| Answer to the first lack · two sayings of the Buddha (continuation of paragraph one) | “Why is teaching freedom a cause?” 〔T32 400a08〕 … “This is why freedom is taught” 〔T32 400a11〕 |
| Answers to the second and third lacks (continuation of paragraph one) | “For one who has not suppressed freedom, freedom is taught in order to give rise to disenchantment” 〔T32 400a11–12〕 … “like a traveller on a long journey who obtains a good guide” 〔T32 400a13–14〕 |
| The path of suppressed freedom · the three aggregates (continuation of paragraph one) | “This is the path of suppressed freedom; the three aggregates are complete” 〔T32 400a14〕 … “These three aggregates being complete, this is the path of suppressed freedom” 〔T32 400a19–20〕 |
| The three trainings stated three times (end of paragraph one) | “One should train in the three trainings: the higher training in virtue, the higher training in mind, and the higher training in wisdom” 〔T32 400a20–21〕 … “wisdom—the training in wisdom; wisdom—the higher training in wisdom” 〔T32 400a23–24〕 |
| The training in virtue and the higher training in virtue (paragraph two) | “What is called virtue with a sign is named the training in virtue; what is called virtue of penetrative partaking is the higher training in virtue” 〔T32 400a24–25〕 … “Again, the virtue of an ordinary person is named the training in virtue; noble virtue is the higher training in virtue” 〔T32 400a25–26〕 |
| The training in mind (paragraph three) | “What is the training in mind? Answer: what is called desire-concentration” 〔T32 400a26–27〕 |
| The higher training in mind · the training in wisdom · the three kinds of faculties (paragraph four) | “Question: what is the higher training in mind. Answer: form concentration and formless concentration; this is called the higher training in mind” 〔T32 400a27–28〕 … “As the Blessed One taught: the higher training in virtue for those of dull faculties, the higher training in mind for those of middling faculties, and the higher training in wisdom for those of sharp faculties” 〔T32 400b02–03〕 |
The unit boundary coincides with the question-and-answer boundary: it begins with “what use is there in teaching the path of freedom?” and ends with the assignment of the three trainings to the three kinds of faculties; no sentence remains outside the answer. The preceding unit ends at “The path of freedom I shall now declare” 〔T32 400a04〕; immediately after this passage comes “Question: what is meant by training?” 〔T32 400b03–04〕, the beginning of the next unit. No answer is cut in the middle.
Four questions but three paragraphs: four questions occur in this passage—the training in virtue 〔T32 400a24〕, the training in mind 〔T32 400a26〕, and the higher training in mind 〔T32 400a27〕 each form a paragraph of their own, while “What is the training in wisdom?” 〔T32 400a29〕 is embedded in the paragraph on the higher training in mind and does not begin another paragraph. The fact is recorded without redividing the text.
Anchor for the whole passage
〔T32, 400a04–400b03〕
2. Terms and Translation (Every Citation Anchored)
| Term | Use in this passage | Checkable connection within the treatise |
|---|---|---|
| The three lacks stated together | “because they have not heard freedom taught, have not suppressed freedom, and have not rightly suppressed freedom” 〔T32 400a05–06〕 | The three lacks are listed at the head of the question, and the following text answers them one by one without disturbing their order; each of the three answers closes with “freedom is taught”—“This is why freedom is taught” 〔T32 400a11〕 · “For one who has not suppressed freedom, freedom is taught in order to give rise to disenchantment” 〔T32 400a11–12〕 · “For one who has not rightly suppressed freedom, freedom is taught in order to remove the wrong path and attain the jhāna path of freedom” 〔T32 400a12–13〕. “Freedom is taught” occurs three times in this passage |
| Defilements are slight | “As the Buddha said: if there are beings whose defilements are slight, because they have not heard the Dhamma, in the end they too will fall back” 〔T32 400a08–09〕 | The only occurrence in the entire treatise. The character 獨, “alone,” has a textual note (see section 3) |
| Two causes and two conditions | “Again, as the Buddha said: bhikkhus, two causes and two conditions can give rise to right view” 〔T32 400a09–10〕, with the two items “first, hearing from another; second, one’s own right mindfulness” 〔T32 400a10–11〕 | The only occurrence in the entire treatise. The “right view” and “right mindfulness” named in the two items are the same names used below for members of the three aggregates |
| Path of suppressed freedom | “This is the path of suppressed freedom; the three aggregates are complete” 〔T32 400a14〕 · “These three aggregates being complete, this is the path of suppressed freedom” 〔T32 400a19–20〕 | The expression occurs seven times in the whole treatise and twice in this passage, once before and once after, with the word order reversed—the first uses the result to mark the cause, and the second uses the cause to close the result. The remaining five occurrences all fall in the next unit |
| Three aggregates | “Namely, the aggregate of virtue, the aggregate of concentration, and the aggregate of wisdom” 〔T32 400a14–15〕 | The aggregate of virtue has “right speech, right action, and right livelihood”; the aggregate of concentration has “right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration”; the aggregate of wisdom has “right view and right intention”—three items, three items, and two items, making eight in all. This passage does not state their number or name them as the noble eightfold path (that name occurs five times elsewhere in the treatise); the text is recorded without supplying the count or the name |
| The three aggregate formulas are not uniform | The aggregate of virtue reads, “What is the aggregate of virtue? Right speech, right action, and right livelihood, together with anything of the same kind included in the aggregate of virtue, or the various accumulations of virtuous qualities” 〔T32 400a15–16〕 · the aggregate of concentration reads, “What is the aggregate of concentration? Right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration, together with anything of the same kind included in the aggregate of concentration, or the various accumulations of the qualities of concentration” 〔T32 400a16–18〕 · the aggregate of wisdom reads, “What is the aggregate of wisdom? Right view and right intention, together with anything of the same kind that is included, or the various accumulations of the qualities of wisdom” 〔T32 400a18–19〕 | Of the three formulas, only the formula for wisdom does not state the name of its aggregate before “included”; the wording of the formula for virtue follows a corrected reading in the edited text, and the Taishō text did not originally read this way (see the two corrections in section 3). It is recorded without supplementation or regularization |
| The three trainings stated three times | First, “One should train in the three trainings: the higher training in virtue, the higher training in mind, and the higher training in wisdom” 〔T32 400a20–21〕; second, “There is virtue and there is the higher training in virtue; there is concentration and there is the higher training in mind; there is wisdom and there is the higher training in wisdom” 〔T32 400a21–22〕; third, “Again, there is virtue—training in virtue; virtue—the higher training in virtue; concentration—training in mind; concentration—the higher training in mind; wisdom—training in wisdom; wisdom—the higher training in wisdom” 〔T32 400a22–24〕 | The same set of three trainings is stated three times in succession, each time in a different form: the first has three items, all bearing “higher”; the second has six items, setting the three plain terms beside the three higher ones; the third has six items, each prefixed by its corresponding plain term. They are recorded without being merged |
| Training in virtue · higher training in virtue | “What is called virtue with a sign is named the training in virtue; what is called virtue of penetrative partaking is the higher training in virtue” 〔T32 400a24–25〕 · “Again, the virtue of an ordinary person is named the training in virtue; noble virtue is the higher training in virtue” 〔T32 400a25–26〕 | One question receives two answers side by side (with a sign / penetrative partaking · ordinary / noble); the two answers neither explain nor subsume one another |
| Training in mind | “What is the training in mind? Answer: what is called desire-concentration” 〔T32 400a26–27〕 | The shortest section in this passage: the answer has only four characters and no closing phrase “this is called”; the neighboring section on the higher training in mind has such a close. It is recorded without supplying one |
| Higher training in mind | “Question: what is the higher training in mind. Answer: form concentration and formless concentration; this is called the higher training in mind” 〔T32 400a27–28〕 · “Again, concentration with a sign is the training in mind; the concentration of penetrative partaking and the concentration of the path are called the higher training in mind” 〔T32 400a28–29〕 | In the base text this question ends with a period, not a question mark 〔T32 400a27〕—recorded without correction. “Penetrative partaking” occurs eight times in the whole treatise; its definition is not given in the first two units |
| Training in wisdom · higher training in wisdom | “What is the training in wisdom? What is called worldly wisdom is named the training in wisdom; knowledge resembling the four truths and path knowledge are called the higher training in wisdom” 〔T32 400a29–400b02〕 | This question does not begin a separate paragraph (see section 1). The two-character term 慧學 has a textual note (see section 3); four witnesses read 學慧 |
| Three forms of closing | “is named” occurs three times · “are called” twice · “this is called” once | The six trainings do not use a single form of closing; they are recorded without being made uniform |
| Assignment to three kinds of faculties | “As the Blessed One taught: the higher training in virtue for those of dull faculties, the higher training in mind for those of middling faculties, and the higher training in wisdom for those of sharp faculties” 〔T32 400b02–03〕 | The three kinds of faculties are matched one to one with the three higher trainings; the treatise does not further explain the character of the three kinds |
3. Textual Notes and Divergent Readings
Four Taishō textual notes fall within the range of this passage. All are recorded without emendation; two are corrected readings in the edited text, and the present text follows those corrections, as detailed below:
| Anchor | Base text | Divergent reading | Witnesses |
|---|---|---|---|
| 400a06 | 獨, “alone,” in “travelling alone in a distant country” | 觸, “contact” | 【宮】 |
| 400a16 | “included in the aggregate of virtue, or” | “included, or, the aggregate of virtue” | 【CB】 corrected reading / 【大】 original reading |
| 400a23 | omitted, in “there is concentration—the higher training in mind” | 學, “training” | 【CB】 corrected reading / 【大】 original reading |
| 400a29 | 慧學, in “what is the training in wisdom” | 學慧 | 【宋】【元】【明】【宮】 |
Two corrected readings—the present text does not follow Taishō:
- At 400a16, the Taishō text reads “together with what is included among related kinds, or the aggregate of virtue, the various accumulations of virtuous qualities,” while the edited text corrects it to “together with anything of the same kind included in the aggregate of virtue, or the various accumulations of virtuous qualities.” The present text follows the corrected reading, so the formula for the aggregate of virtue has the same structure as the formula for concentration; the formula for wisdom has no correction and still reads “together with anything of the same kind that is included.” The lack of uniformity among the three formulas comes half from correction and half from the base text—the fact is recorded without making them uniform.
- At 400a23, the Taishō text reads “there is concentration—training—the higher training in mind,” while the edited text deletes the character 學, “training,” and reads “there is concentration—the higher training in mind.” The present text follows the corrected reading.
Two matters recorded without adjudication:
- At 400a06, the Gong witness reads 觸, “contact,” for 獨, “alone”—two readings differing at that character. Both are recorded without adjudication, and the present text follows the carved reading.
- At 400a29, four witnesses read 學慧 in place of 慧學. If their reading were followed, the final two characters of this question would be 學慧, in an order different from the following “is named the training in wisdom.” Both are recorded without adjudication, and the present text follows the carved reading.
Two categories with no occurrence in the edited text: no missing or constructed character occurs in this passage; no inline annotation occurs.
4. Citations by the Author
This passage contains three citations, each using a different formula:
| Formula of citation | What is cited | Anchor |
|---|---|---|
| As the Buddha said | “If there are beings whose defilements are slight, because they have not heard the Dhamma, in the end they too will fall back” | 〔T32 400a08–09〕 |
| Again, as the Buddha said | “Bhikkhus, two causes and two conditions can give rise to right view,” followed item by item by “first, hearing from another; second, one’s own right mindfulness” | 〔T32 400a09–10〕·〔T32 400a10–11〕 |
| As the Blessed One taught | “the higher training in virtue for those of dull faculties, the higher training in mind for those of middling faculties, and the higher training in wisdom for those of sharp faculties” | 〔T32 400b02–03〕 |
The first two citations stand only one line apart 〔T32 400a08–09·400a09–10〕 and answer the same question, why teaching freedom is a cause, while each gives one point: the first says that without hearing there is falling back; the second says that hearing and right mindfulness are the two causes of right view. None of the three citations names a sutta. The formula “as the Buddha said” occurs ten times in the whole treatise, “again, as the Buddha said” three times, and “as the Blessed One” eleven times; this passage is one in which all three formulas appear together.
5. Simile and Rhetoric
- Two similes form a pair: “like a blind person without a guide, travelling alone in a distant country” 〔T32 400a06–07〕 and “like a traveller on a long journey who obtains a good guide” 〔T32 400a13–14〕—one negative and one positive, placed at the head of the three lacks and the end of the three answers, with the whole text of the three answers between them. “Like a traveller on a long journey” occurs only once in the whole treatise; “like a blind person” occurs four times, this being one of them.
- The three lacks aligned with the three answers 〔T32 400a05–06·400a11–13〕: the question states the three lacks together, and the answer explains them one by one without disturbing their order, each closing with “freedom is taught”—three occurrences in this passage.
- Two sentences before and after with their word order reversed 〔T32 400a14·400a19–20〕: “This is the path of suppressed freedom; the three aggregates are complete” and “These three aggregates being complete, this is the path of suppressed freedom”—first using the result to mark the cause, then, after the unfolding, using the cause to close the result.
- The same set stated three times in changing forms 〔T32 400a20–24〕: the first statement of the three trainings has three items, the second six, and the third six, with a different form of prefixing each time; none of the three explains another.
- Different closing formulas: “is named” occurs three times · “are called” twice · “this is called” once—the six trainings close as each place requires, not in a single form.
6. Cross-reading within the Treatise
- Backward: this passage’s question, “what use is there in teaching the path of freedom?” 〔T32 400a04〕, follows directly from the preceding unit’s close, “The path of freedom I shall now declare” 〔T32 400a04〕—they meet on the same line. Of the preceding unit’s list of five freedoms, “freedom by suppression” becomes “not having suppressed freedom” and “not having rightly suppressed freedom” in this passage 〔T32 400a05–06〕, and is then drawn together as “the path of suppressed freedom” 〔T32 400a14〕; the other four do not occur in this passage.
- Backward: the “penetrative partaking” in “the concentration of penetrative partaking and the concentration of the path are called the higher training in mind” 〔T32 400a28–29〕 already appeared in the preceding unit in “presently cultivating the concentration of penetrative partaking” 〔T32 399c28〕 without explanation; here too it is only named.
- Forward: the three trainings in “one should train in the three trainings” 〔T32 400a20〕 open out in the next unit through the question “what is meant by training?” 〔T32 400b03〕 and unfold as the three purities, the three goods, and the three blisses 〔T32 400b06–400b25〕; the other five occurrences of “path of suppressed freedom” all fall in that next unit.
- Forward: the items of the three aggregates and the three names “aggregate of virtue,” “aggregate of concentration,” and “aggregate of wisdom” occur later in chapter two 〔T32 404a08–10〕 and chapter eleven 〔T32 448c07·448c12·448c15〕; this passage is their first occurrence.
7. Transmission
Questions concerning the author, the translator, and the transmission are not argued in this apparatus.
Shi Huijing · Waken · The Path of Freedom · Why the Path of Freedom Is Taught and the Three Trainings · Apparatus · Summer 2026