解脫道論 無相、剎那與念死收束
念死八行的最後兩行，一說無相，一說剎那。
無相的答語只有「無有相，死無有時」，隨即說以無相修念死。「相」與「時」的關係，本段沒有另作定義，故依原詞保留。
剎那一行先說不數過去未來、但數現在緣，再說眾生壽命於一念時住，從彼無二念住，一切眾生於剎那心沒。阿毘曇所列的過去、未來、現在三組，次序不一；八項作「無」，只有現在心剎那末項作「有現生」。偈再列壽命、身性、苦樂與所有同一心相應，並依次說剎那速生起、於未生無生、於現在有生、心斷故世死、已說世盡。
收句按次序寫：起其厭患，念自在，心不亂，諸蓋滅，禪分成，起外行禪得住。末問又分無常想與念死：一者是陰生滅事，一者是念諸根壞；其餘結果也依原文分列，不把二者併成一門。
The final two of the eight modes of mindfulness of death concern signlessness and the moment.
The answer on signlessness consists only of “there is no sign; death has no fixed time,” immediately followed by the statement that one cultivates mindfulness of death through signlessness. The passage gives no separate definition of the relation between “sign” and “time,” so the source terms are retained.
The mode of the moment first says that one does not count past or future but counts only present conditions. It then says that the lifespan of living beings abides for the time of one thought, from there does not abide for a second thought, and that every living being disappears in a moment of mind. The three groups for past, future, and present listed by the Abhidhamma do not have the same order. Eight items are stated negatively; only the final item for the present moment of mind says that there “is present arising.” The verse then lists lifespan, the nature of the body, pain and pleasure, and all that is possessed as corresponding with one mind, and states in sequence: swiftly arising in a moment; for what has not arisen, no arising; in the present, arising; because mind is cut off, the world dies; it has been said that the world is exhausted.
The conclusion gives this order: arousing disaffection, mastery of mindfulness, an undistracted mind, destruction of the hindrances, formation of the factors of meditation, and arousing access meditation and attaining abiding. The final question then distinguishes the perception of impermanence from mindfulness of death. One concerns the arising and cessation of the aggregates; the other concerns the destruction of the faculties. Their remaining results are likewise listed separately in the source, without combining the two into a single doorway.
Shi Huijing · Waken · The Path of Freedom · Signlessness, the Moment, and the Conclusion of Mindfulness of Death · 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》〈行門品〉「無相、剎那與念死收束」· 大正藏 T32n1648〔起 T32 0432b〕。段首〔T32 …〕＝大正藏頁·欄錨。
〔T32 0432b〕
問曰：云何以無相故修念於死？答曰：以無有相死無有時，以無相故修念於死。
問曰：云何以剎那故修念死？答曰：以不數過去未來，但數現在緣，眾生壽命於一念時住，從彼無二念住，一切眾生於剎那心沒。如阿毘曇中說：於過去心，無已生、無當生、無現生。於未來心，無已生、無現生、無當生。於現在心剎那，無已生、無當生、有現生。復如說偈：
〔T32 0432c〕
壽命及身性， 苦樂及所有，
與一心相應， 剎那速生起。
於未生無生， 於現在有生，
心斷故世死， 已說世盡故。
如是以剎那故修念死。彼坐禪人以此門以此行，如是現修念死，起其厭患。由厭患自在，以念自在成心不亂。若心不亂，諸蓋滅，禪分成，起外行禪得住。
問曰：無常想、念死，此二何差別？答曰：陰生滅事名無常想，念諸根壞名為念死。以修無常相、無我相，為除憍慢；以修念死，無常相及苦相成住，以壽斷心滅。此謂差別（念死已竟）。
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.
以無相修念死
問：怎樣由「無相」修念死？
答：原文說「無有相，死無有時」：死亡沒有可預定的相，也沒有可預定的時刻。因此由無相修念死。
以剎那修念死
問：怎樣由「剎那」修念死？
答：不數過去、未來，只數現在的緣。原文接著說：眾生的壽命只在一念時住，從那裡沒有第二念可住；一切眾生都在剎那心沒。「從彼無二念住」與前後怎樣精確銜接，本段沒有另作說明。
論文再引「阿毘曇」之說，把過去心、未來心與現在心剎那各列三項。過去心依次是「無已生、無當生、無現生」；未來心依次是「無已生、無現生、無當生」；現在心剎那依次是「無已生、無當生、有現生」。三列的次序並不一致，而且只有現在心剎那以「有現生」收；這些句子的確切關係，本段沒有解釋，這裡不自行調整次序或補義。
論文又引一首偈。偈的前半說：壽命及身性、苦樂及所有，都與一心相應，於剎那速生起。後半依次說：「於未生無生，於現在有生，心斷故世死，已說世盡故。」末兩句照原詞保留；偈中「世死」與「世盡」的關係，本段沒有另作解釋。
這就是由剎那修念死。
結
坐禪人依這一門、這些行來現修念死，生起厭患。由厭患自在而念自在，由念自在而心不亂；心若不亂，諸蓋便滅，禪分成，並能「起外行禪得住」。末句的句法與本論其他門常見的收語不同，這裡照原詞保留。
無常想與念死之差別
問：無常想與念死有什麼差別？
答：觀察「陰生滅」之事，名為無常想；念諸根壞，名為念死。
修無常相、無我相，是為了除去憍慢；修念死，則使無常相與苦相成住。原文又接「以壽斷心滅」，這幾字與前句怎樣銜接並未說明。這就是論文所列的差別。（念死已竟）
Cultivating Mindfulness of Death through Signlessness
Question: How does one cultivate mindfulness of death through “signlessness”?
Answer: The source says, “There is no sign; death has no fixed time.” Death has neither a sign that can be predetermined nor a time that can be predetermined. Therefore one cultivates mindfulness of death through signlessness.
Cultivating Mindfulness of Death through the Moment
Question: How does one cultivate mindfulness of death through “the moment”?
Answer: One does not count past or future, but counts only present conditions. The source continues: the lifespan of living beings abides for the time of one thought; from there it does not abide for a second thought; every living being disappears in a moment of mind. The passage does not separately explain how “from there it does not abide for a second thought” connects precisely with what precedes and follows.
The treatise then cites a statement from the “Abhidhamma” and lists three items for each of past mind, future mind, and the present moment of mind. For past mind, the order is “has not already arisen, will not arise, is not presently arising.” For future mind, it is “has not already arisen, is not presently arising, will not arise.” For the present moment of mind, it is “has not already arisen, will not arise, is presently arising.” The three lists do not have the same order, and only the present moment of mind closes with “is presently arising.” The passage does not explain the exact relation among these statements; no order is rearranged and no meaning is supplied here.
The treatise then cites a verse. Its first half says that lifespan and the nature of the body, pain and pleasure and all that is possessed, correspond with a single mind and swiftly arise in a moment. Its second half says in sequence: “For what has not arisen, there is no arising; in the present there is arising; because mind is cut off, the world dies; it has been said that the world is exhausted.” The final two lines are retained in the source’s terms; the passage gives no further explanation of the relation between “the world dies” and “the world is exhausted.”
This is the cultivation of mindfulness of death through the moment.
Conclusion
Through this doorway and these modes, the meditator thus cultivates mindfulness of death in the present and arouses disaffection. With mastery of disaffection comes mastery of mindfulness, and with mastery of mindfulness the mind becomes undistracted. When the mind is undistracted, the hindrances are destroyed, the factors of meditation are formed, and one can “arouse access meditation and attain abiding.” The syntax of the last phrase differs from the conclusion commonly found in other doorways of this treatise; it is retained in the source’s wording.
The Difference between the Perception of Impermanence and Mindfulness of Death
Question: What is the difference between the perception of impermanence and mindfulness of death?
Answer: Observing the arising and cessation of the aggregates is called the perception of impermanence; recollecting the destruction of the faculties is called mindfulness of death.
The marks of impermanence and not-self are cultivated in order to remove conceit; mindfulness of death is cultivated so that the marks of impermanence and suffering become established. The source then continues, “through the cutting off of life, mind ceases,” but does not explain how these words attach to the preceding sentence. This is the distinction stated by the treatise. (Mindfulness of death is concluded.)
Shi Huijing · Waken · The Path of Freedom · Signlessness, the Moment, and the Conclusion of Mindfulness of Death · Vernacular · Summer 2026
八行的最後兩行與一門之收。先把所見說在前頭：八行至此收束——無相一行說「死無有時」；剎那一行說「眾生壽命於一念時住，從彼無二念住」，又說「一切眾生於剎那心沒」〔T32 432b27–28〕。本段問答見〔T32 432b24–28〕；三句依原來次序讀，彼此關係不另擴寫。
無相：無有相、死無有時
「問曰：云何以無相故修念於死？答曰：以無有相死無有時，以無相故修念於死」〔T32 432b23–25〕——答語在八行中最短（逐行實測，此行之答僅三十字）。現文把「無有相」與「死無有時」連寫，隨即以「以無相故修念於死」收句；「相」與「時」的確切關係沒有另作解釋，故只保留這兩個原詞及其先後，不把「相」另定義成某種訊息。
剎那：一念時住
「問曰：云何以剎那故修念死？答曰：以不數過去未來，但數現在緣，眾生壽命於一念時住，從彼無二念住，一切眾生於剎那心沒」〔T32 432b25–28〕——答文先排除計數過去、未來，只說現在緣；其後依次說一念時住、無二念住、剎那心沒。三句照原來次序讀，不另把「從彼」的回指說成底本未明言的關係。「念死」四本作「死念」，並錄不判。
引證接著說：「於過去心，無已生、無當生、無現生。於未來心，無已生、無現生、無當生。於現在心剎那，無已生、無當生、有現生」〔T32 432b28–432c02〕。三世心各列三項，過去作已生、當生、現生，未來作已生、現生、當生，現在又作已生、當生、現生；次序並不一致。過去與未來六項都是「無」，現在心剎那前兩項也是「無」，只有末項作「有現生」。九項逐句核對，是八個「無」與一個「有」；義疏保留這個字面分布，不替三列調序，也不增添本段未說的關係。
「復如說偈：壽命及身性，苦樂及所有，與一心相應，剎那速生起。於未生無生，於現在有生，心斷故世死，已說世盡故」〔T32 432c02–06〕——偈不標所自（與「如佛說偈言」〔T32 412c02〕「如大德摨狗父說偈」〔T32 426b22〕之標者異，仍不能確定）。前四句列壽命、身性、苦樂、所有與一心相應，並說剎那速生起；後四句依次是「於未生無生，於現在有生，心斷故世死，已說世盡故」。偈文止於這八句；末兩句照原次序保留，彼此關係不另作定義。
「如是以剎那故修念死。彼坐禪人以此門以此行，如是現修念死，起其厭患。由厭患自在，以念自在成心不亂。若心不亂，諸蓋滅，禪分成，起外行禪得住」〔T32 432c07–10〕——本段明列的次序是：現修念死而起厭患；由厭患自在而念自在；由念自在而心不亂；心不亂後，諸蓋滅、禪分成，並「起外行禪得住」。每一步只按本段的前後承接，不另為厭患或外行禪增設作用機制。收句「禪分成，起外行禪得住」的句讀也照原文保留。
停問一處：念死與無常想，不就是一回事嗎
念到「剎那心沒」，讀者難免要問：這與無常想何異？論文把這一問留作全門的關門題：「問曰：無常想、念死，此二何差別？答曰：陰生滅事名無常想，念諸根壞名為念死。以修無常相、無我相，為除憍慢；以修念死，無常相及苦相成住，以壽斷心滅。此謂差別（念死已竟）」〔T32 432c10–14〕。就文本自答，辨在兩層：所緣不同——無常想緣陰之生滅，念死緣諸根之壞；所成不同——無常無我之修為除憍慢，念死之修令無常相及苦相成住，落在「以壽斷心滅」上（「壽」四本作「壽命」，覆出之校記繫此）。差別論文只列此兩層，止於此；二門如何相攝，論文不言——讀者可各於下手處體會其異，而以論文之兩層為準。夾註落界，念死一門自 08-47 至此凡四單元而竟。
帶走三件：一個所見（無相說「死無有時」，剎那說一念時住、無二念住、剎那心沒），一個讀法（三世三列依現文次序保留——過去、未來、現在所列的已生、當生、現生次序不一，不強行調整），一道辨（念死不即無常想——所緣分諸根與諸陰、所成分無常苦相成住與除慢；一辨兩層，止於論文所列）。下一段，十念第九門念身（08-51〔T32 432c15〕起）。
The last two of the eight modes and the conclusion of the doorway. First, the principal observation: the eight modes close here. The mode of signlessness says, “death has no fixed time.” The mode of the moment says, “the lifespan of living beings abides for the time of one thought; from there it does not abide for a second thought,” and then, “every living being disappears in a moment of mind” 〔T32 432b27–28〕. The question and answer occur at 〔T32 432b24–28〕. These three statements are read in their given order, without expanding their relation.
Signlessness: There Is No Sign; Death Has No Fixed Time
“Question: How does one cultivate mindfulness of death through signlessness? Answer: There is no sign; death has no fixed time. Therefore one cultivates mindfulness of death through signlessness” 〔T32 432b23–25〕. This is the briefest answer among the eight modes: measured line by line, its answer has only thirty Chinese characters. The received text writes “there is no sign” immediately beside “death has no fixed time,” then closes with “therefore one cultivates mindfulness of death through signlessness.” It gives no separate explanation of the precise relation between “sign” and “time.” The two terms and their order are therefore retained, without redefining “sign” as some particular kind of information.
The Moment: Abiding for the Time of One Thought
“Question: How does one cultivate mindfulness of death through the moment? Answer: One does not count past or future, but counts only present conditions. The lifespan of living beings abides for the time of one thought; from there it does not abide for a second thought; every living being disappears in a moment of mind” 〔T32 432b25–28〕. The answer first sets aside counting past and future and speaks only of present conditions. It then states, in order, abiding for the time of one thought, not abiding for a second thought, and disappearing in a moment of mind. The three statements are read in their given order; the referent of “from there” is not turned into a relation that the base text does not state. The base reads 念死, “mindfulness of death”; four witnesses read 死念, “death-mindfulness.” Both are recorded without adjudication.
The citation continues: “For past mind, it has not already arisen, will not arise, and is not presently arising. For future mind, it has not already arisen, is not presently arising, and will not arise. For the present moment of mind, it has not already arisen, will not arise, and is presently arising” 〔T32 432b28–432c02〕. Each of the three times of mind has three items. Past mind is ordered already, future, present; future mind is ordered already, present, future; the present moment returns to already, future, present. The order is not uniform. All six items for past and future are negative; the first two for the present moment are also negative; only the final item says “is presently arising.” Checked statement by statement, the distribution is eight negatives and one affirmative. This exposition preserves that verbal distribution, neither reordering the three lists nor adding a relation that this passage does not state.
“It is further said in verse: ‘Lifespan and the nature of the body, pain and pleasure and all that is possessed, correspond with a single mind and swiftly arise in a moment. For what has not arisen there is no arising; in the present there is arising; because mind is cut off, the world dies; it has been said that the world is exhausted’” 〔T32 432c02–06〕. The verse does not identify its source. This differs from the marked formulas 如佛說偈言, “as the Buddha said in verse” 〔T32 412c02〕, and 如大德摨狗父說偈, “as the venerable Saigoufu said in verse” 〔T32 426b22〕, yet its source still cannot be determined. The first four lines list lifespan, the nature of the body, pain and pleasure, and all that is possessed as corresponding with one mind, and say that they swiftly arise in a moment. The last four say, in order, that for what has not arisen there is no arising, in the present there is arising, because mind is cut off the world dies, and it has been said that the world is exhausted. The verse ends with these eight lines. The final two are retained in their given order, without separately defining their relation.
“Thus one cultivates mindfulness of death through the moment. Through this doorway and this mode, the meditator thus cultivates mindfulness of death in the present and arouses disaffection. With mastery of disaffection comes mastery of mindfulness and the mind becomes undistracted. When the mind is undistracted, the hindrances are destroyed, the factors of meditation are formed, and one arouses access meditation and attains abiding” 〔T32 432c07–10〕. The passage expressly gives this sequence: present cultivation of mindfulness of death arouses disaffection; mastery of disaffection leads to mastery of mindfulness; mastery of mindfulness leads to an undistracted mind; once the mind is undistracted, the hindrances are destroyed, the factors of meditation are formed, and there is “arousing access meditation and attaining abiding.” Each step follows only the order of this passage; no mechanism is added for disaffection or access meditation. The punctuation of the closing phrase “the factors of meditation are formed; one arouses access meditation and attains abiding” also follows the received text.
One Question Left Open: Are Mindfulness of Death and the Perception of Impermanence Not the Same Thing?
After “disappearing in a moment of mind,” a reader may naturally ask how this differs from the perception of impermanence. The treatise leaves that question as the doorway’s final one: “Question: What is the difference between the perception of impermanence and mindfulness of death? Answer: The arising and cessation of the aggregates is called the perception of impermanence; recollecting the destruction of the faculties is called mindfulness of death. The marks of impermanence and not-self are cultivated in order to remove conceit; mindfulness of death is cultivated so that the marks of impermanence and suffering become established, through the cutting off of life mind ceases. This is the distinction. (Mindfulness of death is concluded.)” 〔T32 432c10–14〕. In the text’s own answer, the distinction has two levels. Their objects differ: the perception of impermanence concerns the arising and cessation of the aggregates, whereas mindfulness of death concerns the destruction of the faculties. Their stated results differ: cultivating impermanence and not-self removes conceit, whereas cultivating mindfulness of death establishes the marks of impermanence and suffering and comes to “through the cutting off of life, mind ceases.” At “life,” four witnesses read the fuller form 壽命 for the base 壽 in a repeated collation note. The treatise states only these two levels and stops. It does not say how the two doorways include one another. The reader may discern their difference at the point of practice, while taking these two textual levels as the boundary. The inline note marks the limit: the doorway of mindfulness of death, extending from 08-47 through this fourth unit, is concluded.
Carry away three things: one observation—signlessness says “death has no fixed time,” while the moment says that life abides for one thought, does not abide for a second, and disappears in a moment of mind; one reading rule—retain the three temporal lists in their received order, since past, future, and present do not arrange already-arisen, future-arising, and present-arising uniformly; and one distinction—mindfulness of death is not simply the perception of impermanence, because the text distinguishes faculties from aggregates as their objects, and the establishment of the marks of impermanence and suffering from removing conceit as their results. The distinction has two levels and stops where the treatise stops. The next passage begins the ninth of the ten recollections, mindfulness of the body, at 08-51 〔T32 432c15〕.
Shi Huijing · Waken · The Path of Freedom · Signlessness, the Moment, and the Conclusion of Mindfulness of Death · Exposition · Summer 2026
考據Apparatus
全段定位 本段出自《解脫道論》卷第七〈行門品〉之四，接前段八行之第四至第六〔T32 432a29–432b23〕而下，續釋其第七、第八（無相·剎那），繼以坐禪人之收，末別出一問辨無常想與念死之異，並以夾註「（念死已竟）」〔T32 432c14〕落念死一門之界。底本八段〔T32 432b23–432c14〕——其中四段為偈，各一行。
一、科判定位
八段四問，其中偈四行各自成段：
| 節 | 經文起訖逐字（各繫其錨） |
|---|---|
| 無相（第一段） | 「問曰：云何以無相故修念於死？」〔T32 432b23–24〕…「以無相故修念於死」〔T32 432b24–25〕 |
| 剎那（第二段） | 「問曰：云何以剎那故修念死？」〔T32 432b25〕…「復如說偈」〔T32 432c02〕 |
| 偈（第三段至第六段） | 「壽命及身性」〔T32 432c03〕…「已說世盡故」〔T32 432c06〕（四行八句，五言） |
| 收（第七段） | 「如是以剎那故修念死」〔T32 432c07〕…「起外行禪得住」〔T32 432c10〕 |
| 無常想與念死之辨（第八段） | 「問曰：無常想、念死，此二何差別？」〔T32 432c10–11〕…「此謂差別」〔T32 432c14〕（念死已竟） |
偈與其引導句分屬二段：引偈之標「復如說偈」在第二段之末〔T32 432c02〕，偈自第三段起〔T32 432c03〕；此界之切為段界所定——與 08-37 摨狗父偈（標與偈同段）不同其段而同其單元（皆在一單元之內）。
全段定位錨
〔T32, 432b23–432c14〕
二、詞義與譯語（逐字各繫其錨）
| 名相 | 本段用法 | 章內接點（可核） |
|---|---|---|
| 無相 | 「以無有相死無有時」〔T32 432b24〕 | 一句而止——八行之中最簡者；「無相」之義論文唯以「死無有時」釋之，不代考定 |
| 剎那·念死 | 問作「以剎那故修念死」〔T32 432b25〕 | 「念死」二字有校記（見目三），四本作「死念」——作「修念死」與八行諸目同式，作「修死念」則異；並錄不判 |
| 一念時住·剎那心沒 | 「眾生壽命於一念時住，從彼無二念住」〔T32 432b26–27〕、「一切眾生於剎那心沒」〔T32 432b27–28〕 | 二語相承以明剎那之義；「無二念住」謂不得住至第二念 |
| 三世心之三生 | 過去心「無已生、無當生、無現生」〔T32 432b28–29〕、未來心「無已生、無現生、無當生」〔T32 432b29–432c01〕、現在心剎那「無已生、無當生、有現生」〔T32 432c01–02〕 | 三世各出三生而其序不一：過去作已·當·現，未來作已·現·當，現在作已·當·現；且唯現在一句以「有現生」收而餘二皆三「無」。照錄不代畫一、不代正其序 |
| 偈之八句 | 「壽命及身性，苦樂及所有，與一心相應，剎那速生起」〔T32 432c03–04〕、「於未生無生，於現在有生，心斷故世死，已說世盡故」〔T32 432c05–06〕 | 前四句言剎那速起、後四句言世死世盡；偈與上文阿毘曇之說相承（皆以三世之生說剎那），照錄不代會通二說 |
| 起其厭患 | 「如是現修念死，起其厭患」〔T32 432c08〕 | 下文依次說厭患自在、念自在、心不亂、諸蓋滅、禪分成、起外行禪得住〔T32 432c08–10〕 |
| 起外行禪得住 | 〔T32 432c10〕 | 本門作「禪分成，起外行禪得住」而諸門作「禪分成起，外行禪成住」——句讀與用字俱異，照錄不代畫一 |
| 無常想·念死之辨 | 「陰生滅事名無常想，念諸根壞名為念死」〔T32 432c11–12〕 | 二者所緣不同（陰之生滅／諸根之壞）；下復以所除者別之——無常想與無我相除憍慢〔T32 432c12–13〕、念死令無常相及苦相成住〔T32 432c13〕 |
| 以壽斷心滅 | 〔T32 432c13–14〕 | 一語收其辨；「此謂差別」全論三見（432c14·442c21·446b04–05） |
三、校記與異讀
本段範圍內校記二處（內覆出＊條一，繫錨於「以壽斷心滅」之「壽」〔T32 432c13〕），誌而不改；本文之讀依大正本：
| 錨 | 底本 | 異讀 | 見證 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 432b25 | 念死（云何以剎那故修念死） | 死念 | 【宋】【元】【明】【宮】 |
| 432c13 | 壽（以壽斷心滅）＊ | 壽命 | 【大】（＊條之覆出；底本「壽」、四本「壽命」；本論「壽／壽命」覆出異讀，別見 08-49〔T32 432b11〕） |
誌錄不判一事：432b25「修念死」之「念死」，四本作「死念」——作「念死」與八行諸目之式同（如「修念死」〔T32 432a16〕），作「死念」則異。並錄不判，本文從底本。
校本零命中一項：本段正文缺字零命中。夾註一處：〔T32 432c14〕「（念死已竟）」，底本行內夾註，照錄——念死一門自 08-47 起至此凡四單元而竟。
四、論主引據
本段引據二處，皆標其所自而不出其品目；出處論文未標者不代為考定：
| 引語逐字 | 錨 | 論文所繫之義 |
|---|---|---|
| 「如阿毘曇中說」 | 〔T32 432b28〕 | 引三世心之三生，證剎那之義 |
| 「復如說偈」 | 〔T32 432c02〕標·〔T32 432c03–06〕偈 | 引偈四行以重明剎那 |
「如阿毘曇中說」全論二見（432b28·444c08）；念佛門作「如阿毘曇說」〔T32 426b21〕——用字不一，照錄不代畫一。引偈之標，本論別見「如佛說偈言」〔T32 412c02〕、「如大德摨狗父說偈」〔T32 426b22〕；本處逕作「復如說偈」而不標所自，不代考定。
五、譬喻·修辭
- 一句而止之無相〔T32 432b24〕：八行之中，前七皆有喻有列而此行唯「以無有相死無有時」八字——行愈後而語愈簡，至無相而極。
- 三世心之三生〔T32 432b28–432c02〕：過去·未來·現在各出三生，前二皆三「無」而現在獨出「有現生」——以二無襯一有，剎那之義即在此一「有」。
- 偈以八句重明〔T32 432c03–06〕：阿毘曇之說既出，復引偈重明；散文言其理、偈言其勢（「剎那速生起」「心斷故世死」），一緩一急。
- 辨之雙軸〔T32 432c11–14〕：無常想與念死之別，先以所緣分（陰生滅／諸根壞），後以所除分（憍慢／令無常苦二相成住）——一辨兩層，本論辨異之式。
六、章內互讀
- 前指：八行之標 08-47〔T32 432a08–10〕；八行之四至六 08-49〔T32 432a29–432b23〕；「如阿毘曇說」〔T32 426b21〕；引偈之標〔T32 412c02〕〔T32 426b22〕。
- 後指：念身自「問：云何念身？」〔T32 432c15〕起（08-51）——念死既竟，十念之第九門於彼始起。
七、傳本
作者、譯者與傳本諸問題，本編不於考據內立說。
Passage location This passage comes from fascicle seven of the Path of Freedom, “Chapter on Practice,” part four. Following the explanation of the fourth through sixth of the eight modes 〔T32 432a29–432b23〕, it explains the seventh and eighth—signlessness and the moment—then gives the meditator’s conclusion. A final, separate question distinguishes the perception of impermanence from mindfulness of death, and the inline note “Mindfulness of death is concluded” 〔T32 432c14〕 marks the boundary of that doorway. The base text has eight paragraphs 〔T32 432b23–432c14〕, four of which are one verse line each.
I. Structural Division
Eight paragraphs contain four questions; each of the four verse lines forms a paragraph:
| Section | Exact opening and closing wording, each with its anchor |
|---|---|
| Signlessness, paragraph one | “Question: How does one cultivate mindfulness of death through signlessness?” 〔T32 432b23–24〕 … “therefore cultivates mindfulness of death through signlessness” 〔T32 432b24–25〕 |
| The moment, paragraph two | “Question: How does one cultivate mindfulness of death through the moment?” 〔T32 432b25〕 … “it is further said in verse” 〔T32 432c02〕 |
| Verse, paragraphs three through six | “Lifespan and the nature of the body” 〔T32 432c03〕 … “it has been said that the world is exhausted” 〔T32 432c06〕; four lines and eight phrases, five Chinese characters per phrase |
| Conclusion, paragraph seven | “Thus one cultivates mindfulness of death through the moment” 〔T32 432c07〕 … “arouses access meditation and attains abiding” 〔T32 432c10〕 |
| Distinction between the perception of impermanence and mindfulness of death, paragraph eight | “Question: What is the difference between the perception of impermanence and mindfulness of death?” 〔T32 432c10–11〕 … “This is the distinction” 〔T32 432c14〕, followed by the inline note “Mindfulness of death is concluded” |
The verse and its introductory formula belong to different paragraphs: “It is further said in verse” stands at the end of paragraph two 〔T32 432c02〕, while the verse begins with paragraph three 〔T32 432c03〕. This boundary is fixed by the paragraph segmentation itself. It differs from the Saigoufu verse in 08-37, where introduction and verse occupy the same paragraph, though both remain within one unit.
Whole-passage anchor
〔T32, 432b23–432c14〕
II. Terms and Translation
| Term | Use in this passage | Verifiable connection within the chapter |
|---|---|---|
| 無相, signlessness | “Because there is no sign, death has no fixed time” 〔T32 432b24〕 | The explanation stops after one sentence, the briefest of the eight modes. The treatise explains “signlessness” only by “death has no fixed time”; no further determination is supplied |
| 剎那 and 念死, the moment and mindfulness of death | The question asks about “cultivating mindfulness of death through the moment” 〔T32 432b25〕 | 念死 has a variant; see section III. Four witnesses read 死念. The base construction matches the other modes’ “cultivate mindfulness of death,” while the variant gives the differently ordered “cultivate death-mindfulness.” Both are recorded without decision |
| Abiding for one thought and disappearing in a moment of mind | “The lifespan of living beings abides for the time of one thought; from there it does not abide for a second thought” 〔T32 432b26–27〕, and “every living being disappears in a moment of mind” 〔T32 432b27–28〕 | The two statements follow one another in the explanation of the moment. “Does not abide for a second thought” means that it cannot abide as far as a second thought |
| Three modes of arising for the minds of the three times | Past mind “has not already arisen, will not arise, is not presently arising” 〔T32 432b28–29〕; future mind “has not already arisen, is not presently arising, will not arise” 〔T32 432b29–432c01〕; the present moment of mind “has not already arisen, will not arise, is presently arising” 〔T32 432c01–02〕 | Each of the three times has three modes of arising, but their order differs: past is already, future, present; future is already, present, future; present is already, future, present. Only the present statement closes affirmatively with “is presently arising”; the other eight are negative. The wording is retained without harmonizing the lists or correcting their order |
| Eight phrases of the verse | “Lifespan and the nature of the body; pain and pleasure and all that is possessed; correspond with a single mind; swiftly arise in a moment” 〔T32 432c03–04〕; “for what has not arisen there is no arising; in the present there is arising; because mind is cut off, the world dies; it has been said that the world is exhausted” 〔T32 432c05–06〕 | The first four speak of swift arising in a moment and the last four of the world’s dying and exhaustion. The verse follows the preceding Abhidhamma statement, since both describe the moment through arising across the three times; the two accounts are recorded without being forced into a single explanation |
| Arousing disaffection | “Thus cultivating mindfulness of death in the present, he arouses disaffection” 〔T32 432c08〕 | The text then gives, in order, mastery of disaffection, mastery of mindfulness, an undistracted mind, destruction of the hindrances, formation of the factors of meditation, and arousing access meditation and attaining abiding 〔T32 432c08–10〕 |
| Arousing access meditation and attaining abiding | 〔T32 432c10〕 | This doorway reads, “the factors of meditation are formed; one arouses access meditation and attains abiding,” while other doorways read, “the factors of meditation form and arise; access meditation is formed and abides.” Both punctuation and wording differ and are retained without harmonization |
| Distinction between the perception of impermanence and mindfulness of death | “The arising and cessation of the aggregates is called the perception of impermanence; recollecting the destruction of the faculties is called mindfulness of death” 〔T32 432c11–12〕 | Their objects differ: arising and cessation of the aggregates, versus destruction of the faculties. The text next distinguishes what they remove or establish: impermanence and not-self remove conceit 〔T32 432c12–13〕; mindfulness of death establishes the marks of impermanence and suffering 〔T32 432c13〕 |
| Through the cutting off of life, mind ceases | 〔T32 432c13–14〕 | The formula “This is the distinction” occurs three times in the treatise: 432c14, 442c21, and 446b04–05 |
III. Collation and Variant Readings
The passage contains two Taishō collation notes, one a repeated ＊ entry attached to 壽, “life,” in “through the cutting off of life, mind ceases” 〔T32 432c13〕. Both are recorded without changing the text; the main text follows the Taishō base:
| Anchor | Base text | Variant | Witnesses |
|---|---|---|---|
| 432b25 | 念死 in the question about cultivating mindfulness of death through the moment | 死念 | 【宋】【元】【明】【宮】 |
| 432c13 | 壽 in “through the cutting off of life, mind ceases,” ＊ | 壽命 | 【大】; repeated ＊ entry. The base has 壽, while four witnesses have 壽命; this recurring variation also appears in 08-49 〔T32 432b11〕 |
One matter is recorded without adjudication: at 432b25, the base 念死 in “cultivate mindfulness of death” is read as 死念 by four witnesses. The base matches the formula used for the other modes, as at 〔T32 432a16〕; the variant reverses the order. Both are recorded without decision, and the main text follows the base.
Zero-hit and inline-note results: no lacuna marker occurs in the main text. One inline note occurs at 〔T32 432c14〕: “Mindfulness of death is concluded.” It is retained. The doorway of mindfulness of death extends across four units beginning at 08-47 and ends here.
IV. Citations Made by the Treatise
Two passages are introduced as citations. Each marks that it is cited but gives no title; no source is supplied where the treatise supplies none:
| Exact cited formula | Anchor | Function assigned by the treatise |
|---|---|---|
| 如阿毘曇中說, “as it is said in the Abhidhamma” | 〔T32 432b28〕 | Introduces the three modes of arising for the minds of the three times as evidence for the moment |
| 復如說偈, “it is further said in verse” | formula at 〔T32 432c02〕; verse at 〔T32 432c03–06〕 | Introduces four lines of verse that explain the moment again |
The exact formula 如阿毘曇中說 occurs twice in the treatise, at 432b28 and 444c08. The doorway of mindfulness of the Buddha has the shorter 如阿毘曇說 at 〔T32 426b21〕. The wording differs, and is retained without harmonization. Elsewhere verse formulas include 如佛說偈言, “as the Buddha said in verse” 〔T32 412c02〕, and 如大德摨狗父說偈, “as the venerable Saigoufu said in verse” 〔T32 426b22〕. Here the formula is only “it is further said in verse” and does not identify the source. No determination is supplied.
V. Similes and Rhetoric
- Signlessness ending after one sentence 〔T32 432b24〕: among the eight modes, the preceding seven have comparisons or lists, while this mode contains only “there is no sign; death has no fixed time,” eight Chinese characters. The wording grows most concise at signlessness, the briefest mode.
- Three modes of arising for the minds of the three times 〔T32 432b28–432c02〕: past, future, and present each receive three items. The first two groups contain only “not,” whereas the present alone has “is presently arising.” Two sets of negation set off one affirmation; the meaning of the moment rests on this single “is.”
- Eight verse phrases restating the point 〔T32 432c03–06〕: after the Abhidhamma statement comes a verse. The prose states its principle and the verse states its movement in “swiftly arise in a moment” and “because mind is cut off, the world dies,” setting a measured account beside an urgent one.
- Two axes of distinction 〔T32 432c11–14〕: the difference between the perception of impermanence and mindfulness of death is first drawn by object—the arising and cessation of aggregates versus the destruction of faculties—and then by what is removed or established—conceit versus the establishment of the two marks of impermanence and suffering. One distinction has two levels, the treatise’s form for making this distinction.
VI. Cross-References Within the Chapter
- Earlier: the statement of the eight modes in 08-47 〔T32 432a08–10〕; their fourth through sixth modes in 08-49 〔T32 432a29–432b23〕; the formula “as it is said in the Abhidhamma” 〔T32 426b21〕; formulas introducing verses 〔T32 412c02〕〔T32 426b22〕.
- Later: mindfulness of the body begins with “Question: What is mindfulness of the body?” at 〔T32 432c15〕 in 08-51. With mindfulness of death concluded, the ninth of the ten recollections begins there.
VII. Transmission
Questions concerning the author, translator, and textual transmission are not determined in this apparatus.
Shi Huijing · Waken · The Path of Freedom · Signlessness, the Moment, and the Conclusion of Mindfulness of Death · Apparatus · Summer 2026