清淨道論 苦諦——生・老・死之解釋Visuddhimagga · The Truth of Suffering—Explanation of Birth, Aging, and Death
生的「味」是交付：把一副新蘊交到苦的手上。苦有七種可以簽收——苦苦、壞苦、行苦、覆藏、不覆藏、方便、究竟；其中最該停下的一項是「樂受是壞苦」：快樂不是苦的反面，是苦的延遲形態。
入胎七源是全論最誠實的一段文字：不生於青蓮之中，而在生藏熟藏之間的迫窄濃闇處，十月如麵團被蒸；出產如大象被拽出鎖孔。論主語不避穢，因為不美化起點，才談得上出離。
六頌是同一個歸謬跑遍五趣：地獄之火、畜生之鞭、餓鬼之飢、闇處之寒、母胎之困——若無生，這些苦在哪裡立足？故大仙最先說生是苦。
老的帳上最狠的兩筆不是生理的：念慧離失、被自己兒女所輕。死的偈則平等得可怕：惡人見業相、善人不堪別離——臨終心苦，善惡同科。能對治的不是死，是生。
The “function” of birth is handing over: it hands a new set of aggregates into the hands of suffering. There are seven kinds of suffering to sign for—intrinsic, change, formations, concealed, unconcealed, qualified, direct; the one item most worth pausing over is “pleasant feeling is suffering as change”: pleasure is not the opposite of suffering but its delayed form.
The seven sources beginning with entry into the womb are the most honest passage in the whole treatise: not born in a blue lotus but in the cramped, dark place between the receptacles of undigested and digested food, steamed for ten months like dough; at delivery, like an elephant dragged out through a keyhole. The Commentator does not avoid the unclean, because only when the starting point is not beautified can one speak of escape.
The six stanzas are one proof by contradiction run through the five destinations: the fire of the hells, the whips of the animals, the hunger of the petas, the cold of the dark places, the confinement of the mother’s womb—if there were no birth, where would these sufferings find a footing? Hence the Great Seer declared birth to be suffering first of all.
The two harshest entries on aging’s account are not physical: the departure of mindfulness and intelligence, and contempt from one’s own children. The verse on death is frighteningly even-handed: the evil person sees the signs of kamma, the good person cannot bear separation—at the moment of death, mental suffering is the same for good and evil alike. What can be remedied is not death but birth.
本單元白話為本編自巴利原典之譯疏（tr. mine）；底本事項詳本單元考據。
§1 生一語之七位 〔無號 · 承前單元〕
生之解釋
謂如：這「生」（jāti）一語有多種義。就像它在「一生也好，二生也好」這裡，是用在「有」上的；在「毘舍佉啊，有名為尼乾子的一類沙門」這裡，〔用〕在部類上；在「生為二蘊所攝」這裡，〔用〕在有為相¹上；在「凡是在母胎中最初生起的心、最初顯現的識，取那個而說是他的生」這裡，〔用〕在結生²上；在「阿難啊，菩薩剛剛出生」這裡，〔用〕在出胎上；在「以出身之論而言，不被輕蔑、不被呵責」這裡，〔用〕在家系上；在「姊妹啊，自從我以聖之生而生以來」這裡，〔用〕在聖戒上。
§2 本篇所取之生·生之相味現起 〔CSCD §538〕
而應當知道：此處這〔「生」一語〕，對於胎生者而言，是用在自結生起、直到從母胎出來為止所轉起的諸蘊上；對於其餘的〔有情〕，則只是用在結生之諸蘊上。而這也只是方便之說。就究竟義而言，凡在彼彼〔趣〕中受生的有情，其種種諸蘊所顯現的——那些〔蘊〕的最初顯現，就叫作生。
而這生，以在彼彼有中最初生出為相，以交付為味，以從過去有而在此出沒為現起；或者以苦之雜多為現起。
§3 生何以是苦——七種苦之列與釋 〔CSCD §539〕
若問：那麼它為什麼是苦呢？因為它是眾多苦的事。因為苦有很多種，謂如：苦苦、壞苦、行苦、覆藏苦、不覆藏苦、方便之苦、究竟之苦。
其中，身與心的苦受，由於自性上是苦、名稱上也是苦，所以叫作苦苦。
樂受由於在變異的時候成為苦生起的因，所以是壞苦。
捨受以及其餘三地³諸行，由於被生滅所逼，所以是行苦。耳痛、齒痛、貪所生的熱惱、瞋所生的熱惱等等身與心之病，由於要問過了才能知道、並且其加害不明顯，所以名為覆藏苦；也叫作不明顯苦。
由三十二種刑罰⁴等等所起的病，由於不必問就能知道、並且其加害明顯，所以名為不覆藏苦；也叫作明顯苦。
除苦苦以外，其餘在苦諦之分別⁵中所出的生等等一切，由於是那樣那樣的苦的事，所以是方便之苦；而苦苦則叫作究竟之苦。
此中這生，由於它是那在《愚賢經》⁶等等之中世尊也以譬喻所顯示的惡趣之苦、以及那在善趣的人間也會生起的以入胎為源等等種類之苦的事，所以是苦。
§4 入胎等七源之苦 〔CSCD §540〕
此中，以入胎為源等等種類的苦是這樣的——這有情在母胎中受生的時候，並不是生在青蓮、紅蓮、白蓮等等之中，而是生在生藏⁷之下、熟藏之上、腹膜與脊骨之間，那極其迫窄、為濃闇所蔽、有種種屍臭所薰而極其惡臭之氣流行其中、令人極其厭惡的胎處之中——就像蟲生在臭魚、臭酪、陰溝等等之中一樣。它生在那裡，十個月中被母胎所生的熱氣所蒸煮，如同葉包之物被蒸炙，又如同麵團被蒸；不能屈伸等等，領受著極大的苦——這先是以入胎為源的苦。
而它在母親忽然顛蹶、行走、坐下、起立、翻身等等的時候，由拖曳、拉扯、上下搖動、抖動等等的加害而領受極大的苦，就像落在酒徒手中的山羊，又像落在弄蛇人手中的小蛇；並且在母親飲冷水的時候，如同生在寒地獄；在吞食熱粥、熱飯等等的時候，如同被炭火之雨所遍覆；在吞食鹹的、酸的等等的時候，如同受到灰汁之刑等等的刑罰——這樣領受著劇烈的苦，這就是以母之持胎為源的苦。
而當母親胎位迷亂的時候，它在那連朋友、同僚、親厚者等等也不宜見的、苦所生起的地方，由割截、剖裂等等而生起苦——這就是以胎之災難為源的苦。
而當母親臨產的時候，它被業所生的風所轉，被推入那如同地獄深坑一般極可怖畏的產道，從那極其迫窄的產門被拽出，如同大象從鎖孔中被拽出，又如同地獄的有情被眾合山⁸所碾碎——這樣生起的苦，就是以出產為源的苦。
而在它出生以後，那如同新創之瘡一般柔嫩的身體，在被手抱、沐浴、洗滌、以布擦拭等等的時候，生起如同被針尖與剃刀之刃刺穿剖裂一般的苦——這就是以出母胎為源的苦。
而此後在轉起之中，它自己殺害自己，依裸行之禁戒等等而勤修自燒自炙，因忿怒而不進食，上吊自縊——這樣生起的苦，就是以自加害為源的苦。而從他人領受殺害、繫縛等等所生起的，這就是以他加害為源的苦。
這樣，這生就正是這一切苦的事。
§5 生苦之偈——六頌 〔CSCD §541〕
因此說了這個——
若有情不生於諸地獄， 那熱火燒炙等等不可堪忍的〔苦〕， 又能在哪裡得到立足之處呢？ 所以牟尼在此說生是苦。 畜生之中由鞭、刺棒、 杖之打擊等等而有的苦，種種非一； 若在那裡離了生，那苦又怎能在那裡有呢？ 由此，這生從那一面也是苦。 而諸餓鬼之中，由飢渴、 風、日曬等等所生的苦，種種雜多； 由於未生者在那裡沒有這些， 所以牟尼也說生是苦。 在濃闇之中、在不堪忍的寒冷之中， 於世界間的諸阿修羅⁹所受的苦—— 若他在那裡沒有生，那苦就不會有； 由此，這生從那一面也是苦。 又，有情在如同糞地獄一般的母胎中長久住著、 以及出到外面的時候， 所領受的極可怖的苦——這也是離了生就沒有的； 由此，這生也是苦。 何必多說呢？此中無論在哪裡、無論在何時， 但凡有任何這樣的苦， 離了生就都不會有——由此，大仙 才在最先說這生是苦。
這先是關於生的決擇。
§6 老之解釋與偈 〔CSCD §542〕
老之解釋
「老也是苦」——這裡老有二種：有為相之〔老〕，以及相續之中所謂齒落等等的、一有所攝之諸蘊的陳舊之性；此處所意許的是後者。而這老，以諸蘊之成熟為相，以引至於死為味，以壯年之壞失為現起。它之為苦，既由於是行苦之性，也由於是苦之事。因為凡是由支節之弛緩、諸根之變異、醜陋、壯年之壞失、力之損減、念與慧之離失、為他所輕等等眾多之緣而生起的身與心之苦，老就是它的事。因此說了這個——
由諸支之弛緩，由諸根之變異， 由壯年之壞失，由力之損減， 由念等等之離失，由被自己的兒女 所輕賤，並且更由於至於愚—— 凡人所領受的身之苦以及心之苦， 這一切都以老為因，所以老是苦。
這是關於老的決擇。
§7 死之解釋與偈 〔CSCD §543〕
死之解釋
「死也是苦」——這裡死也有二種：有為相之〔死〕，就是就它而說「老死為二蘊所攝」的；以及一有所攝之命根相續的斷絕，就是就它而說「常有死之怖畏」的。此處所意許的是後者。「以生為緣的死」、「加害死」、「自然死」、「命盡死」、「福盡死」——這些也都是它的名。這〔死〕以死沒¹⁰為相，以別離為味，以離於趣為現起。而應當知道：它由於是苦之事，所以是苦。因此說了這個——
惡人見到惡業等等之相， 善人不堪忍與可愛之事的別離—— 凡臨死者所領受的心之苦，一切無別。 又，一切人由節與繫之斷絕等等， 要害被刺穿，而有身所生之苦。 這不堪忍、無有對治的苦， 由於死是它的事，所以說死就是苦。
這是關於死的決擇。
註
¹ 有為相（saṅkhatalakkhaṇa）：有為法之生、住、異、滅諸相；「生」一語在此位上不指有情之受生，而指諸行之生相。
² 結生（paṭisandhi）：一有終而次一有始之際、承前有而起之最初一心；其詳說在本書第 17 品〈緣起〉。
³ 三地（tebhūmaka）：欲界、色界、無色界；出世間不在其內，故行苦不及出世間法。
⁴ 三十二種刑罰（dvattiṃsakammakāraṇa）：古印度所行之三十二種重刑；本論以之為「不覆藏苦」之例，因其加害顯然可見。
⁵ 苦諦之分別：即前一單元所引苦諦解釋之十二法（生、老、死、愁、悲、苦、憂、惱、怨憎會、愛別離、求不得、五取蘊）。
⁶ 《愚賢經》（bālapaṇḍitasutta）：論唯標其名而不引其文；經名此處作漢讀，存其巴利之形以俟來哲。
⁷ 生藏・熟藏（āmāsaya・pakkāsaya）：未消化之食所在與已消化之食所在；其位之詳說在本書第 8 品〈身至念〉。
⁸ 眾合山（saṅghātapabbata）：地獄中兩相合攏而碾碎有情之山。
⁹ 世界間的諸阿修羅：住於諸世界之間、無日月之光的濃闇處與極寒處之有情。
¹⁰ 死沒（cuti）：一有之最後心之謝滅；與所釋之「死」（maraṇa）同事而異語，本編分讀不併。
The vernacular of this unit is this edition’s own rendering-with-exposition from the Pāli original (tr. mine); see this unit’s apparatus for the base-text particulars.
§1 The Seven Positions of the Word “Birth” 〔No number · Continuing from the Preceding Unit〕
Explanation of Birth
That is: this word “birth” (jāti) has many meanings. For instance, in “one birth, or two births,” it is used of existence; in “Visākhā, there is a class of ascetics called Nigaṇṭhas,” [it is used] of a class; in “Birth is included in two aggregates,” [it is used] of the conditioned characteristic¹; in “The first mind that arises in the mother’s womb, the first consciousness that appears—taking that, his birth is said to be,” [it is used] of rebirth-linking²; in “Ānanda, the Bodhisatta has just been born,” [it is used] of delivery; in “Not despised, not reproached, in terms of talk about birth,” [it is used] of family; in “Sister, since I was born with the noble birth,” [it is used] of noble virtue.
§2 The Birth Taken in This Unit; the Characteristic, Function, and Manifestation of Birth 〔CSCD §538〕
And it should be understood that here this [word “birth”], in the case of womb-born beings, is used of the aggregates that occur from rebirth-linking until the emergence from the mother’s womb; in the case of the rest [of beings], only of the aggregates at rebirth-linking. And even this is only a qualified statement. In the direct sense, whatever manifold aggregates appear in beings taking rebirth in this or that [destination]—the first appearance of those [aggregates] is called birth.
And this birth has as its characteristic the first generation in this or that existence, handing over as its function, and emergence here from a past existence as its manifestation; or else it has the variety of suffering as its manifestation.
§3 Why Birth Is Suffering—The List and Explanation of Seven Kinds of Suffering 〔CSCD §539〕
If it is asked: why, then, is it suffering? Because it is the basis of many sufferings. For suffering is of many kinds, that is: intrinsic suffering, suffering as change, suffering as formations, concealed suffering, unconcealed suffering, suffering in the qualified sense, and suffering in the direct sense.
Of these, bodily and mental painful feeling, because it is suffering by nature and suffering by name, is called intrinsic suffering.
Pleasant feeling, because it becomes a cause for the arising of suffering when it changes, is suffering as change.
Equanimous feeling and the remaining formations of the three planes³, because they are oppressed by rise and fall, are suffering as formations. Bodily and mental afflictions such as earache, toothache, the burning born of lust, and the burning born of hate, because they can be known only by asking and because their harm is not evident, are called concealed suffering; they are also called unevident suffering.
Afflictions arising from the thirty-two punishments⁴ and the like, because they can be known without asking and because their harm is evident, are called unconcealed suffering; they are also called evident suffering.
Apart from intrinsic suffering, all the rest set out in the analysis of the truth of suffering⁵, beginning with birth, because they are the basis of this or that suffering, are suffering in the qualified sense; while intrinsic suffering is called suffering in the direct sense.
Here this birth, because it is the basis of the suffering of the states of loss that the Blessed One too showed by similes in the Bālapaṇḍita Sutta⁶ and elsewhere, and of the kinds of suffering rooted in entry into the womb and the rest that arise even in the human state among the good destinations, is suffering.
§4 Suffering Rooted in the Seven Sources Beginning with Entry into the Womb 〔CSCD §540〕
Here, the kinds of suffering rooted in entry into the womb and the rest are as follows. When this being takes rebirth in the mother’s womb, it is not born in a blue lotus, a red lotus, or a white lotus and the like, but in the place of the womb below the receptacle of undigested food⁷, above the receptacle of digested food, between the belly-lining and the backbone—extremely cramped, shrouded in thick darkness, pervaded by an extremely foul stench steeped in the smells of various corpses, utterly loathsome—just as a worm is born in rotten fish, rotten curds, a cesspool, and the like. Born there, for ten months it is cooked by the heat produced in the mother’s womb, like something baked in a leaf wrapper, like a lump of dough being steamed; unable to bend or stretch and so on, it undergoes extreme suffering—this, first, is the suffering rooted in entry into the womb.
And when the mother suddenly stumbles, walks, sits down, stands up, or turns over, and so on, it undergoes extreme suffering through the harm of being dragged, pulled, shaken up and down, jolted, and the like, like a goat fallen into the hands of a drunkard, like a young snake fallen into the hands of a snake-charmer; and when the mother drinks cold water, it is as if born in a cold hell; when she swallows hot gruel, hot rice, and the like, it is as if showered with a rain of embers; when she swallows salty, sour, and similar things, it is as if subjected to the punishment of the lye-bath and the like—undergoing sharp suffering in this way is the suffering rooted in the mother’s carrying of the womb.
And when the fetus lies wrong in the mother’s womb, it arises suffering through cutting, splitting, and the like in that place where suffering arises, which is not fit to be seen even by friends, companions, intimates, and the like—this is the suffering rooted in the calamity of the womb.
And when the mother is giving birth, it is turned by the kamma-born winds, thrust into the birth passage, extremely fearful like a hell-pit, and dragged out through the extremely cramped gate of birth, like a great elephant dragged out through a keyhole, like a hell-being crushed by the crushing mountains⁸—the suffering that arises in this way is the suffering rooted in parturition.
And after it is born, when its body, tender as a fresh wound, is held in the hands, bathed, washed, rubbed with cloth, and so on, there arises suffering like being pierced and split by needle-points and razor-edges—this is the suffering rooted in the emergence from the mother’s womb.
And thereafter, in the course of life, it kills itself, devotes itself to self-burning and self-tormenting in accordance with the observances of the naked ascetics and the like, refuses food out of anger, hangs itself—the suffering that arises in this way is the suffering rooted in self-inflicted harm. And that which arises through undergoing killing, binding, and the like from others is the suffering rooted in harm inflicted by others.
Thus this birth is the very basis of all this suffering.
§5 The Verses on the Suffering of Birth—Six Stanzas 〔CSCD §541〕
Hence this was said—
If beings were not born in the hells, Where could that unbearable [suffering] of burning fire and the rest Find a footing? Therefore the Sage declared birth to be suffering here. Among animals there is suffering of many kinds, From the blows of whips, goads, and sticks and the rest; If birth were absent there, how could that suffering be there? Hence this birth is suffering from that side too. And among the petas there is manifold suffering, Born of hunger and thirst, wind, and the heat of the sun and the rest; Since one not born there does not have these, The Sage declared birth to be suffering also. In thick darkness, in unbearable cold, The suffering undergone by the asuras between the worlds⁹— If he had no birth there, that suffering would not be; Hence this birth is suffering from that side too. And the extremely dreadful suffering that beings undergo Dwelling long in the mother’s womb, which is like a hell of excrement, And when coming out—this too does not exist apart from birth; Hence this birth too is suffering. What need to say more? Here, wherever and whenever, Whatever suffering of this kind there is, None of it would be apart from birth—hence the Great Seer Declared this birth to be suffering first of all.
This, first, is the analysis concerning birth.
§6 Explanation of Aging, with Verse 〔CSCD §542〕
Explanation of Aging
“Aging too is suffering”—here aging is of two kinds: [aging] as a conditioned characteristic, and the oldness of the aggregates included in a single existence in a continuity, such as loss of teeth and the like; the latter is what is intended here. And this aging has the maturing of the aggregates as its characteristic, leading on to death as its function, and the loss of youth as its manifestation. It is suffering both because of its nature as suffering as formations and because it is the basis of suffering. For whatever bodily and mental suffering arises from the many conditions such as the slackness of the limbs, the alteration of the faculties, ugliness, the loss of youth, the decline of strength, the departure of mindfulness and intelligence, and contempt from others—aging is its basis. Hence this was said—
From the slackness of the limbs, from the alteration of the faculties, From the loss of youth, from the decline of strength, From the departure of mindfulness and the rest, from the contempt Of one’s own children, and further from falling into foolishness— Whatever bodily suffering and mental suffering a person undergoes, All of it has aging as its cause; therefore aging is suffering.
This is the analysis concerning aging.
§7 Explanation of Death, with Verse 〔CSCD §543〕
Explanation of Death
“Death too is suffering”—here death too is of two kinds: [death] as a conditioned characteristic, with reference to which it is said “aging-and-death is included in two aggregates”; and the cutting off of the continuity of the life faculty included in a single existence, with reference to which it is said “there is always fear of death.” The latter is what is intended here. “Death conditioned by birth,” “death by violence,” “natural death,” “death by exhaustion of life-span,” “death by exhaustion of merit”—these too are its names. This [death] has passing away¹⁰ as its characteristic, separation as its function, and departure from the destination as its manifestation. And it should be understood that it is suffering because it is the basis of suffering. Hence this was said—
The evil person sees the signs of evil kamma and the rest, The good person cannot bear separation from what is dear— The mental suffering undergone by one who is dying is the same for all. And all people, through the cutting of joints and sinews and the rest, Have bodily suffering, their vital spots being pierced. This unbearable suffering, for which there is no remedy, Has death as its basis; therefore death is said to be suffering.
This is the analysis concerning death.
Notes
¹ Conditioned characteristic (saṅkhatalakkhaṇa): the characteristics of conditioned phenomena—arising, presence, alteration, and passing; in this position the word “birth” refers not to the taking of rebirth by a being but to the characteristic of arising of formations.
² Rebirth-linking (paṭisandhi): the first mind that arises at the junction where one existence ends and the next begins, taking up the previous existence; its detailed account is in Chapter 17, “Dependent Arising,” of this book.
³ Three planes (tebhūmaka): the sense sphere, the fine-material sphere, and the immaterial sphere; the supramundane is not among them, so suffering as formations does not extend to supramundane phenomena.
⁴ The thirty-two punishments (dvattiṃsakammakāraṇa): thirty-two severe punishments practiced in ancient India; the treatise uses them as the example of “unconcealed suffering” because their harm is plainly visible.
⁵ The analysis of the truth of suffering: the twelve phenomena of the explanation of the truth of suffering cited in the preceding unit (birth, aging, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, despair, association with the disliked, separation from the liked, not getting what one wants, the five aggregates of clinging).
⁶ The Bālapaṇḍita Sutta: the treatise gives only its name and does not cite its text; the sutta title is here given a Chinese reading, its Pāli form being preserved for the wise who come after.
⁷ The receptacle of undigested food and the receptacle of digested food (āmāsaya・pakkāsaya): the place of food not yet digested and the place of food already digested; the detailed account of their positions is in Chapter 8, “Mindfulness of the Body,” of this book.
⁸ The crushing mountains (saṅghātapabbata): mountains in hell that close together and crush beings.
⁹ The asuras between the worlds: beings dwelling in the thick darkness without the light of sun or moon and in the extreme cold between the worlds.
¹⁰ Passing away (cuti): the dissolution of the last mind of an existence; it refers to the same event as the “death” (maraṇa) being explained but is a different word, which this edition reads separately and does not merge.
苦諦十二法從頭開刀：生一語七位、苦七種、入胎七源之寫實、六頌之證——老死隨後各一刀
大局 — 十二法之首三
前一單元末節發出了苦諦十二法的名單，本單元決擇其首三：生、老、死。體例分明：先辨語（生一語七位、老死各二種——擇定本篇所取之位），再給相味現起，再判「何以是苦」（苦之為事），末以偈作結。份量極不平均：生獨占五節——因為論主在此放進了全書最寫實的一段文字：入胎七源之苦，從胎位的解剖位置寫到出生時的產道，語不避穢。這是苦諦不作抽象名相講、而作身歷其境講的示範。〔所見〕
§01 生一語之七位 → 白話 §1
「生」（jāti）一語七位：用在有上（一生二生）、部類上（一類沙門）、有為相上（生為二蘊所攝）、結生上（母胎中最初生起的心）、出胎上（菩薩剛剛出生）、家系上（以出身之論不被輕蔑）、聖戒上（以聖之生而生）（白話 §1）。〔讀法〕開刀先驗詞——與 16-02 §6「諦」之五位同一手法：一詞多位先攤開，再宣告本篇取哪一位，義理的混戰多半死在這一步之前。
§02 本篇所取之生·生之相味現起 → 白話 §2
本篇所取：胎生者自結生起至出母胎所轉起之諸蘊；餘者唯結生之諸蘊——而此猶是方便說，就究竟義，彼彼趣中受生有情其諸蘊之最初顯現即是生。相味現起：以彼彼有中最初生出為相、交付為味、從過去有而在此出沒為現起（或以苦之雜多為現起）（白話 §2）。〔讀法〕「交付」（味）一字傳神：生把一副新蘊交到苦的手上——第二現起「苦之雜多」正是收據。
§03 生何以是苦——七種苦之列與釋 → 白話 §3
生是苦，因為它是眾多苦的事（基地）。苦七種：苦苦（身心苦受，自性名稱皆苦）、壞苦（樂受變異時成苦因）、行苦（捨受與三地諸行為生滅所逼）、覆藏苦（耳痛齒痛、貪瞋熱惱——須問方知、加害不顯）、不覆藏苦（三十二刑之病——不問即知、加害顯然）、方便之苦（除苦苦外苦諦分別所出之生等——是苦之事）、究竟之苦（苦苦自身）。生為惡趣之苦（《愚賢經》所示）與善趣人間以入胎為源等苦之事，故苦（白話 §3）。〔讀法〕七種苦是一張苦的分類學總表：前三（苦苦壞苦行苦）依性質、中二（覆藏不覆藏）依可見度、後二（方便究竟）依直接與間接。「樂受是壞苦」一項尤其該停一停：樂之為苦，不在當下，在其變異之必然。
§04 入胎等七源之苦 → 白話 §4
七源逐一寫實：入胎——不生於青蓮紅蓮之中，而在生藏之下、熟藏之上、腹膜脊骨之間，迫窄濃闇屍臭之處，如蟲生臭魚陰溝，十月被胎熱蒸煮如葉包之物、如麵團，不能屈伸；母之持胎——母顛蹶行坐起翻之際被拖曳搖動，如酒徒手中之山羊、弄蛇人手中之小蛇；母飲冷水如寒地獄、吞熱粥如炭火之雨、食鹹酸如灰汁之刑；胎之災難——胎位迷亂時於不宜親見之處受割截剖裂；出產——被業生之風推入如地獄深坑之產道，自迫窄產門被拽出，如大象出於鎖孔、如地獄有情被眾合山碾碎；出母胎——新創之瘡般的身體被抱被洗被拭，如針尖剃刀刺剖；自加害——自殺、裸行禁戒之自燒自炙、忿而絕食、自縊；他加害——受殺害繫縛。生正是這一切苦之事（白話 §4）。〔讀法〕這是全論最不留情面的一段文字：把「生是苦」從命題變成現場。論主的譬喻全取自可見之事（山羊、小蛇、鎖孔、麵團），教的是觀身之法——不美化起點，才談得上出離。
§05 生苦之偈——六頌 → 白話 §5
六頌逐趣驗證：地獄之熱炙、畜生之鞭杖、餓鬼之飢渴風日、世界間阿修羅之濃闇極寒、母胎如糞地獄之久住與出胎之怖——每一頌同一句式：若無生，此苦於彼何處立足？末頌收總：無論何處何時，但凡有苦，離生皆無——故大仙最先說生是苦（白話 §5）。〔讀法〕六頌是一個歸謬證明跑五個趣：苦要有立足處，立足處由生交付——所以徹底的滅苦只能滅生，這一刀直通第 17 品有輪與第 22 品之斷。
§06 老之解釋與偈 → 白話 §6
老二種：有為相之老、與一有所攝諸蘊之陳舊性（齒落等）——本篇取後者。相味現起：諸蘊之成熟為相、引至於死為味、壯年之壞失為現起。其苦由行苦性、亦由是苦之事：支節弛緩、諸根變異、醜陋、壯年壞失、力損減、念慧離失、為他所輕——身心之苦皆以老為因。偈同其列，末加「被自己的兒女所輕賤」與「至於愚」（白話 §6）。〔讀法〕老的清單裡最狠的兩筆不是生理的：念與慧之離失、被自己兒女所輕——論主把社會性的苦也記在老的帳上。
§07 死之解釋與偈 → 白話 §7
死二種：有為相之死、與一有所攝命根相續之斷絕——本篇取後者；別名有以生為緣的死、加害死、自然死、命盡死、福盡死。相味現起：死沒為相、別離為味、離於趣為現起。其苦在為苦之事：惡人臨死見惡業之相、善人不堪與可愛者別離——心苦無別；一切人節繫斷絕、要害被刺——身苦同然；不堪忍、無對治（白話 §7）。〔讀法〕死的偈平等得可怕：惡人見業相、善人不堪別離——臨終心苦，善惡同科；能對治的不是死，是生。三法至此決擇畢，其餘九法在下一單元。
給一般讀者
這一單元適合慢讀，尤其 §4：入胎七源是佛典裡最誠實的一段「生命起點報告」——讀時不是要生厭世之情，是把「生是苦」從一句口號還原成可以檢驗的觀察。七種苦的分類（§3）值得抄下：特別是「樂受是壞苦」——快樂不是苦的反面，是苦的延遲形態。六頌的句式可以自問自答地用：此刻的任何一種苦，若無生，它在哪裡立足？老與死兩節則提醒：老的帳上有「念慧離失、兒女所輕」，死的帳上「善惡臨終同科」——趁念慧仍在，正是用功處。其餘九法（愁悲苦憂惱、三遭遇、五取蘊）下一單元繼續。
想讀本單元全文：白話 §1–§7 即生一語七位、本篇所取之位與相味現起、七種苦、入胎等七源、六頌、老之二種與偈、死之二種與偈的全段逐段全譯。
The twelve phenomena of the truth of suffering go under the knife from the top: the seven positions of the word birth, the seven kinds of suffering, the realism of the seven sources beginning with entry into the womb, the proof of six stanzas—then aging and death, one cut each
The Big Picture — The First Three of the Twelve Phenomena
The last section of the preceding unit issued the list of the twelve phenomena of the truth of suffering; this unit analyzes the first three: birth, aging, death. The form is clear: first the word is examined (the seven positions of the word birth; the two kinds each of aging and death—settling which position this unit takes), then characteristic, function, and manifestation are given, then the judgment “why is it suffering” (suffering as basis), and finally a verse closes. The proportions are extremely uneven: birth alone takes five sections—because the Commentator here places the most realistic passage in the whole book, the suffering rooted in the seven sources beginning with entry into the womb, written from the anatomical position of the womb to the birth passage at delivery, without avoiding the unclean. This is the demonstration of the truth of suffering taught not as abstract terms but as lived experience. 〔Observation〕
§01 The Seven Positions of the Word “Birth” → Vernacular §1
The seven positions of the word “birth” (jāti): used of existence (one birth, two births), of a class (a class of ascetics), of the conditioned characteristic (birth is included in two aggregates), of rebirth-linking (the first mind arising in the mother’s womb), of delivery (the Bodhisatta has just been born), of family (not despised in terms of talk about birth), of noble virtue (born with the noble birth) (vernacular §1). 〔Reading〕 Before the knife, the word is tested—the same technique as the five positions of “truth” in 16-02 §6: first lay out the many positions of one word, then declare which position this unit takes; most doctrinal melees die before this step is over.
§02 The Birth Taken in This Unit; the Characteristic, Function, and Manifestation of Birth → Vernacular §2
What this unit takes: for womb-born beings, the aggregates that occur from rebirth-linking to emergence from the mother’s womb; for the rest, only the aggregates at rebirth-linking—and even this is a qualified statement; in the direct sense, the first appearance of the aggregates of a being taking rebirth in this or that destination is birth. Characteristic, function, manifestation: the first generation in this or that existence as characteristic, handing over as function, emergence here from a past existence as manifestation (or the variety of suffering as manifestation) (vernacular §2). 〔Reading〕 The single word “handing over” (the function) is vivid: birth hands a new set of aggregates into the hands of suffering—the second manifestation, “the variety of suffering,” is precisely the receipt.
§03 Why Birth Is Suffering—The List and Explanation of Seven Kinds of Suffering → Vernacular §3
Birth is suffering because it is the basis (the ground) of many sufferings. Suffering is of seven kinds: intrinsic suffering (bodily and mental painful feeling, suffering by nature and by name), suffering as change (pleasant feeling becoming a cause of suffering when it changes), suffering as formations (equanimous feeling and the formations of the three planes oppressed by rise and fall), concealed suffering (earache and toothache, the burning of lust and hate—known only by asking, harm not evident), unconcealed suffering (the afflictions of the thirty-two punishments—known without asking, harm evident), suffering in the qualified sense (birth and the rest set out in the analysis of the truth of suffering apart from intrinsic suffering—being the basis of suffering), suffering in the direct sense (intrinsic suffering itself). Birth is the basis of the suffering of the states of loss (shown in the Bālapaṇḍita Sutta) and of the suffering rooted in entry into the womb and the rest in the human state among the good destinations, hence suffering (vernacular §3). 〔Reading〕 The seven kinds of suffering are a general table of the taxonomy of suffering: the first three (intrinsic, change, formations) by nature, the middle two (concealed, unconcealed) by visibility, the last two (qualified, direct) by indirect and direct. The item “pleasant feeling is suffering as change” especially deserves a pause: the suffering of pleasure lies not in the moment but in the inevitability of its change.
§04 Suffering Rooted in the Seven Sources Beginning with Entry into the Womb → Vernacular §4
The seven sources written realistically one by one: entry into the womb—not born in blue or red lotuses but below the receptacle of undigested food, above the receptacle of digested food, between belly-lining and backbone, in a cramped, dark, corpse-stinking place, like a worm born in rotten fish or a cesspool, cooked for ten months by the heat of the womb like something baked in a leaf wrapper, like dough, unable to bend or stretch; the mother’s carrying of the womb—dragged and shaken when the mother stumbles, walks, sits, rises, or turns, like a goat in a drunkard’s hands, a young snake in a snake-charmer’s hands; the mother drinks cold water and it is as in a cold hell, swallows hot gruel and it is as under a rain of embers, eats salty and sour things and it is as under the punishment of the lye-bath; the calamity of the womb—when the fetus lies wrong, cut and split in a place not fit for intimates to see; parturition—thrust by the kamma-born winds into a birth passage like a hell-pit, dragged out through the cramped gate of birth, like an elephant through a keyhole, like a hell-being crushed by the crushing mountains; emergence from the mother’s womb—the body like a fresh wound held, washed, and rubbed, like piercing by needle-points and razor-edges; self-inflicted harm—suicide, the self-burning and self-tormenting of the naked ascetics’ observances, refusing food out of anger, hanging oneself; harm inflicted by others—undergoing killing and binding. Birth is the very basis of all this suffering (vernacular §4). 〔Reading〕 This is the most unsparing passage in the whole treatise: it turns “birth is suffering” from a proposition into the scene itself. The Commentator’s similes are all drawn from visible things (goat, young snake, keyhole, dough); what is taught is the method of contemplating the body—only when the starting point is not beautified can one speak of escape.
§05 The Verses on the Suffering of Birth—Six Stanzas → Vernacular §5
Six stanzas verify destination by destination: the burning of the hells, the whips and sticks of the animals, the hunger, thirst, wind, and sun of the petas, the thick darkness and extreme cold of the asuras between the worlds, the long dwelling in the mother’s womb like a hell of excrement and the terror of coming out—every stanza with the same formula: if there were no birth, where would this suffering find a footing? The final stanza gathers it all: wherever and whenever, whatever suffering there is, none of it exists apart from birth—hence the Great Seer declared birth to be suffering first of all (vernacular §5). 〔Reading〕 The six stanzas are one proof by contradiction run through five destinations: suffering needs a footing, and the footing is handed over by birth—so the thorough cessation of suffering can only be the cessation of birth, a cut that runs straight through to the wheel of existence in Chapter 17 and the cutting-off in Chapter 22.
§06 Explanation of Aging, with Verse → Vernacular §6
Aging is of two kinds: aging as a conditioned characteristic, and the oldness of the aggregates included in a single existence (loss of teeth and the rest)—this unit takes the latter. Characteristic, function, manifestation: the maturing of the aggregates as characteristic, leading on to death as function, the loss of youth as manifestation. Its suffering comes from its nature as suffering as formations and also from being the basis of suffering: slackness of the limbs, alteration of the faculties, ugliness, loss of youth, decline of strength, departure of mindfulness and intelligence, contempt from others—bodily and mental suffering all has aging as its cause. The verse follows the same list, adding at the end “contempt of one’s own children” and “falling into foolishness” (vernacular §6). 〔Reading〕 The two harshest entries on aging’s list are not physical: the departure of mindfulness and intelligence, and contempt from one’s own children—the Commentator enters social suffering, too, on aging’s account.
§07 Explanation of Death, with Verse → Vernacular §7
Death is of two kinds: death as a conditioned characteristic, and the cutting off of the continuity of the life faculty included in a single existence—this unit takes the latter; its other names are death conditioned by birth, death by violence, natural death, death by exhaustion of life-span, death by exhaustion of merit. Characteristic, function, manifestation: passing away as characteristic, separation as function, departure from the destination as manifestation. Its suffering lies in being the basis of suffering: the evil person at death sees the signs of evil kamma, the good person cannot bear separation from what is dear—the mental suffering is the same; all people have their joints and sinews cut and their vital spots pierced—the bodily suffering is the same; unbearable, without remedy (vernacular §7). 〔Reading〕 The verse on death is frighteningly even-handed: the evil person sees the signs of kamma, the good person cannot bear separation—at the moment of death, mental suffering is the same for good and evil alike; what can be remedied is not death but birth. With this the three phenomena are analyzed; the remaining nine are in the next unit.
For the General Reader
This unit is for slow reading, especially §4: the seven sources beginning with entry into the womb are the most honest “report on the starting point of life” in the Buddhist canon—read it not to grow weary of the world but to restore “birth is suffering” from a slogan to a verifiable observation. The classification of the seven kinds of suffering (§3) is worth copying down, especially “pleasant feeling is suffering as change”—pleasure is not the opposite of suffering but its delayed form. The formula of the six stanzas can be used as a question to oneself: whatever suffering there is at this moment, if there were no birth, where would it find a footing? The two sections on aging and death remind us: on aging’s account stand “departure of mindfulness and intelligence, contempt of one’s children,” and on death’s account “good and evil alike at the end”—while mindfulness and intelligence remain is exactly the time to work. The remaining nine phenomena (sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, despair; the three encounters; the five aggregates of clinging) continue in the next unit.
To read this unit in full: vernacular §1–§7 is the complete paragraph-by-paragraph rendering of the seven positions of the word birth, the position taken in this unit and its characteristic, function, and manifestation, the seven kinds of suffering, the seven sources beginning with entry into the womb, the six stanzas, the two kinds of aging with verse, and the two kinds of death with verse.
考據Apparatus
一、科判定位
譯底 本單元之譯底＝CSCD（內用不上站）。本層一切巴利逐字取自本單元原典欄之譯底，定位一式：〔CSCD §NN〕式對譯底欄逐字可核。本品無自家對頁之巴利，故頁域一概不記。
篇名 譯底欄自帶 ### 行 3 個，皆本篇之小節題：### Jātiniddeso・### Jarāniddeso・### Maraṇaniddeso。本單元之讀者面題取其三之義而其幅涵三——科題與本篇之全幅不同度，誌其實。三節之幅實測 6,420／1,008／1,074 位元組（各節之 ### 題行本身之位元組計入其節）。
段號域 譯底欄之段號自〔CSCD §538〕至〔CSCD §543〕，實落段號 6 個，號序連續無缺。本篇於譯底欄之幅為 8,502 位元組。
首段無段號 ### Jātiniddeso 之後之第一段（Seyyathidaṃ, ayañhi jāti-saddo anekattho⋯）不帶 [§NN] 之標，[§538] 落於其次段。本欄逐字實測：本單元之首 18 位元組（科題行與空行）之後至 [§538] 之間共 726 位元組無號——其文承前單元〔CSCD §537〕之末語 tesaṃ jātiādīnaṃ nicchayāpi ettha vinicchayo veditabbo（前單元末段以 Seyyathidaṃ 之領語未竟而斷於單元之界），本欄誌其實而不代補其號、不代考定其因。
三節之科與所釋之法 本篇釋苦諦十二法之首三：jātipi dukkhā（生）・jarāpi dukkhā（老）・maraṇampi dukkhaṃ（死），三法之引句逐字見前單元〔CSCD §537〕。十二法之後九在次單元，本篇不及。
逐節之收束式 三節各以 Ayaṃ tāva jātiyaṃ vinicchayo.・Ayaṃ jarāyaṃ vinicchayo.・Ayaṃ maraṇe vinicchayo. 收（縮排二空格）——三收語同式而首節多一 tāva（且先）之字，本目誌其實。
前後接點 前承四諦總說之單元：本篇首段以 Seyyathidaṃ（謂如）之領語起而無段號，逐字承前單元〔CSCD §537〕所開之第八門。後接愁悲等之單元：本篇收句 Ayaṃ maraṇe vinicchayo.，次單元即以 Sokādīsu⋯soko nāma ñātibyasanādīhi phuṭṭhassa cittasantāpo 承之而釋第四法——論以 Sokādīsu（於愁等之中）自標其為續說十二法之餘。
movement 品夾《總覽》繫本單元於 §C〈苦諦——生老死之解釋〉一節；其所繫之章§逐字見該表，本目不重錄、不截取——段號與章§二系不明對映，不推估不換算。
二、詞義與譯語
本目只記本篇用法與其定位；名相定讀以規範詞表為準，詞表所未定者，本目不代定。前此諸品已立之讀不重解——本篇所涉之既立詞為 jāti（生）・kula（家）・āyukkhayamaraṇa（命盡死）・puññakkhayamaraṇa（福盡死）・ābādha（病）・jīvitindriya（命根）・upādānakkhandha（取蘊）・paṭisandhi（結生）・vipariṇāmadukkhatā（變異苦性）・saṅkhāra（行）・vedanā（受）・upekkhā（捨）・sukha（樂）・dukkha（苦）・indriya（根）・sacca（諦）。以下唯列本篇新出者。
生一語之七位〔CSCD §538〕
| 巴利 | 本編用語 | 本篇用法之要 | 定位 |
|---|---|---|---|
| jāti-saddo | 生一語 | 本節之樞；論自標 ayañhi jāti-saddo anekattho（此生一語多義）而以七位釋之 | 〔CSCD §538〕 |
| bhave | 於有 | 第一位；ekampi jātiṃ dvepi jātiyo 之語例 | 〔CSCD §538〕 |
| nikāye | 於部類 | 第二位；nigaṇṭhā nāma samaṇajātī 之語例 | 〔CSCD §538〕 |
| saṅkhatalakkhaṇe | 於有為相 | 第三位；Jāti dvīhi khandhehi saṅgahitā 之語例 | 〔CSCD §538〕 |
| paṭisandhiyaṃ | 於結生 | 第四位；Yaṃ mātukucchismiṃ paṭhamaṃ cittaṃ uppannaṃ 之語例 | 〔CSCD §538〕 |
| pasūtiyaṃ | 於出胎 | 第五位；Sampatijāto, ānanda, bodhisatto 之語例 | 〔CSCD §538〕 |
| ariyasīle | 於聖戒 | 第七位；Yatohaṃ, bhagini, ariyāya jātiyā jāto 之語例 | 〔CSCD §538〕 |
| gabbhaseyyaka | 胎生者 | 本篇所取之位之界；自結生至出母胎所轉之諸蘊 | 〔CSCD §538〕 |
| pariyāyakathā・nippariyāyato | 方便之說・究竟義而言 | 論自分二層：方便說即上界，不方便說即諸蘊之初現 | 〔CSCD §538〕 |
| paṭhamābhinibbattilakkhaṇā | 於彼彼有中初生之相 | 生之相 | 〔CSCD §538〕 |
| niyyātanarasā | 交付之味 | 生之味 | 〔CSCD §538〕 |
| ummujjanapaccupaṭṭhānā | 出沒之現起 | 生之現起；自過去有出而現於此 | 〔CSCD §538〕 |
| dukkhavicittatāpaccupaṭṭhānā | 苦之雜多之現起 | 生之現起之異說 | 〔CSCD §538〕 |
七種苦〔CSCD §539〕
| 巴利 | 本編用語 | 本篇用法之要 | 定位 |
|---|---|---|---|
| dukkhadukkha | 苦苦 | 第一；身心之苦受，自性與名俱苦 | 〔CSCD §539〕 |
| vipariṇāmadukkha | 壞苦 | 第二；樂受由變異而為苦生之因 | 〔CSCD §539〕 |
| saṅkhāradukkha | 行苦 | 第三；捨受與餘三地行為生滅所逼 | 〔CSCD §539〕 |
| paṭicchannadukkha | 覆藏苦 | 第四；須問方知而其加害不顯 | 〔CSCD §539〕 |
| apākaṭadukkha | 不明顯苦 | 覆藏苦之異名，論自出之 | 〔CSCD §539〕 |
| appaṭicchannadukkha | 不覆藏苦 | 第五；不問自知而其加害顯 | 〔CSCD §539〕 |
| pākaṭadukkha | 明顯苦 | 不覆藏苦之異名 | 〔CSCD §539〕 |
| pariyāyadukkha | 方便之苦 | 第六；除苦苦外苦諦分別所出之生等，皆為苦之事。依先例勝從緣起之品既立之 pariyāyena＝方便義，本欄原提「方便苦」，誌之 | 〔CSCD §539〕 |
| nippariyāyadukkha | 究竟之苦 | 第七；即苦苦。依先例勝從既立之 nippariyāyena＝究竟義，本欄原提「不方便苦」，誌之 | 〔CSCD §539〕 |
| dvattiṃsakammakāraṇa | 三十二刑罰 | 不覆藏苦之例 | 〔CSCD §539〕 |
| vatthubhāva | 為事之性 | 本節之樞語；生以為眾苦之事故名苦 | 〔CSCD §539〕 |
入胎等七源之苦〔CSCD §540〕
| 巴利 | 本編用語 | 本篇用法之要 | 定位 |
|---|---|---|---|
| gabbhokkantimūlakaṃ dukkhaṃ | 入胎為源之苦 | 第一源；十月處於母胎而受逼 | 〔CSCD §540〕 |
| gabbhapariharaṇamūlakaṃ dukkhaṃ | 母之持胎為源之苦 | 第二源；母之行住坐臥與飲食所致 | 〔CSCD §540〕 |
| gabbhavipattimūlakaṃ dukkhaṃ | 胎之災難為源之苦 | 第三源；母胎迷亂而受剖裂之苦 | 〔CSCD §540〕 |
| vijāyanamūlakaṃ dukkhaṃ | 出產為源之苦 | 第四源 | 〔CSCD §540〕 |
| mātukucchito bahinikkhamanamūlakaṃ dukkhaṃ | 出母胎為源之苦 | 第五源；初生之柔軟身為手所觸沐浴所拭 | 〔CSCD §540〕 |
| attūpakkamamūlakaṃ dukkhaṃ | 自加害為源之苦 | 第六源；裸行等苦行、忿而不食、自縊 | 〔CSCD §540〕 |
| parūpakkamamūlakaṃ dukkhaṃ | 他加害為源之苦 | 第七源；受殺縛等 | 〔CSCD §540〕 |
| āmāsaya・pakkāsaya | 生藏・熟藏 | 胎處之位；在生藏之下、熟藏之上 | 〔CSCD §540〕 |
| udarapaṭala・piṭṭhikaṇṭaka | 腹膜・脊骨 | 胎處之限 | 〔CSCD §540〕 |
| paramasambādha | 極迫窄 | 胎處之相 | 〔CSCD §540〕 |
| kammajā vātā | 業生之風 | 出產時轉胎兒之力 | 〔CSCD §540〕 |
| saṅghātapabbata | 眾合山 | 出產之苦之喻所出之地獄 | 〔CSCD §540〕 |
| acelakavata | 裸行之禁戒 | 自加害之一例 | 〔CSCD §540〕 |
| ātāpanaparitāpanānuyoga | 自燒自炙之勤修 | 自加害之一例 | 〔CSCD §540〕 |
老與死〔CSCD §542〕–〔CSCD §543〕
| 巴利 | 本編用語 | 本篇用法之要 | 定位 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ⚠︎ jarā | 老 | 本篇第二節之所釋；於既有諸品之詞條中無獨立條目（緣起之品之詞條唯有 jarāmaraṇa 之複合位），其讀以俟來哲 | 〔CSCD §542〕 |
| ⚠︎ maraṇa | 死 | 本篇第三節之所釋；同上無獨立條目，其讀以俟來哲 | 〔CSCD §543〕 |
| khaṇḍiccādisammata | 齒落等之所共許者 | 本篇所取之老；一有所攝諸蘊之陳舊 | 〔CSCD §542〕 |
| khandhaparipākalakkhaṇā | 諸蘊成熟之相 | 老之相 | 〔CSCD §542〕 |
| maraṇūpanayanarasā | 引至死之味 | 老之味 | 〔CSCD §542〕 |
| yobbanavināsapaccupaṭṭhānā | 壯年壞失之現起 | 老之現起 | 〔CSCD §542〕 |
| aṅgapaccaṅgasithilībhāva | 支節之弛緩 | 老所致苦之第一目 | 〔CSCD §542〕 |
| indriyavikāra・virūpatā | 諸根之變異・醜陋 | 老所致苦之第二第三目 | 〔CSCD §542〕 |
| balūpaghāta | 力之損 | 老所致苦之目 | 〔CSCD §542〕 |
| satimativippavāsa | 念與慧之離失 | 老所致苦之目 | 〔CSCD §542〕 |
| paraparibhava | 為他所輕 | 老所致苦之目 | 〔CSCD §542〕 |
| bālattapatti | 至於愚 | 結偈中老苦之一目 | 〔CSCD §542〕 |
| jīvitindriyappabandhaviccheda | 命根相續之斷 | 本篇所取之死；一有所攝者 | 〔CSCD §543〕 |
| upakkamamaraṇa | 加害死 | 死之異名之一 | 〔CSCD §543〕 |
| sarasamaraṇa | 自然死 | 死之異名之一 | 〔CSCD §543〕 |
| cutilakkhaṇaṃ | 死沒之相 | 死之相 | 〔CSCD §543〕 |
| viyogarasaṃ | 別離之味 | 死之味 | 〔CSCD §543〕 |
| gativippavāsapaccupaṭṭhānaṃ | 離於趣之現起 | 死之現起 | 〔CSCD §543〕 |
| sandhi-bandhanacchedana | 節與繫之斷 | 死時身苦之相 | 〔CSCD §543〕 |
| mamma | 要害 | 死時身苦之所在 | 〔CSCD §543〕 |
| asayha・appatikāra | 不堪忍・無對治 | 死苦之判 | 〔CSCD §543〕 |
⚠︎ 闕疑以俟來哲之一處 jarā（老）與 maraṇa（死）二字於既有諸品之詞條中無獨立條目（本欄逐詞比對所得；緣起之品之詞條有 jarāmaraṇa 之複合位而無此二單字之條）。二字於本篇為節題之所繫（### Jarāniddeso・### Maraṇaniddeso）而不可迴避。本目讀作「老」「死」——其與漢傳既有之名相合為語義透明之自然結果，非取自他譯；其讀以俟來哲。
三、異讀
材料之面 本篇無自家對頁之巴利，故無校勘段可錄；可查之面唯譯底欄自身。誌錄不判。
普查之實測 譯底欄全篇逐字普查：異讀括注式（(sī.)・(syā.)・(kaṃ.)・(pī.) 等）零命中；異誦之標識詞 pāṭho 零命中；異說之標識詞 Porāṇā／porāṇā・Keci／keci・eke 俱零命中。方括注唯二式（[§NN] 段號 6 個與版頁記 9 個，後者皆在註記之內）。查無即記無：譯底欄自身無異讀之記。
引號之對稱 全篇 '' 實測 24 處為偶數。其開者 13 收者 11，差二——其差盡由偈頌之逐頌重開所致：老之偈三頌各以 '' 重開而唯末頌以 ''ti 收（''Aṅgānaṃ・''Vippavāsā・''Pappoti），死之偈同式（''Pāpassa・Sabbesañcāpi 一頌不重開・Asayhamappatikāraṃ 一頌不重開）。逐引皆有其收，無真不對稱者——誌其實。
本欄自出之二處字面之不齊 ①老之結偈末字作 jarā dukhā''ti（dukhā 少一 k），而本篇他處之同字皆作 dukkhā——全篇 dukhā 唯此 1 見。②死之偈第一頌為 3 行而其餘二頌各 2 行（本篇偈頌實測共 37 行：生之偈 24 行分 6 頌、老之偈 6 行分 3 頌、死之偈 7 行分 3 頌）——唯死之偈之首頌行數不齊。二處誌其字面不改、不代齊。
本欄之界 上列皆為譯底欄之字面之實；未與 PTS 掃描頁對勘。本欄之零命中唯就譯底欄一面，不以之推斷他本。
四、論主引據
論主自引之處，逐處繫段號錨；出處唯本文自標者記之，不代考定。「本文自標之出處」欄之括注逐字照錄，不代譯其經名。
| 位置 | 引式〔逐字〕 | 所引之要 | 本文自標之出處 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 〔CSCD §538〕 | ''ekampi jātiṃ dvepi jātiyo''ti | 生一語作「有」之語例 | (dī. ni. 1.244; pārā. 12) |
| 〔CSCD §538〕 | ''Atthi, visākhe, nigaṇṭhā nāma samaṇajātī''ti | 生一語作「部類」之語例 | (a. ni. 3.71) |
| 〔CSCD §538〕 | ''Jāti dvīhi khandhehi saṅgahitā''ti | 生一語作「有為相」之語例 | (dhātu. 71) |
| 〔CSCD §538〕 | ''Yaṃ mātukucchismiṃ paṭhamaṃ cittaṃ uppannaṃ | 生一語作「結生」之語例 | (mahāva. 124) |
| 〔CSCD §538〕 | ''Sampatijāto, ānanda, bodhisatto''ti | 生一語作「出胎」之語例 | (ma. ni. 3.207) |
| 〔CSCD §538〕 | ''Akkhitto anupakuṭṭho jātivādenā''ti | 生一語作「家」之語例 | (dī. ni. 1.331) |
| 〔CSCD §538〕 | ''Yatohaṃ, bhagini, ariyāya jātiyā jāto''ti | 生一語作「聖戒」之語例 | (ma. ni. 2.351) |
| 〔CSCD §539〕 | yaṃ taṃ bālapaṇḍitasuttādīsu⋯bhagavatāpi upamāvasena pakāsitaṃ āpāyikaṃ dukkhaṃ | 惡趣之苦為世尊以譬所說者——論唯標其經名而不引其文 | (ma. ni. 3.246 ādayo) |
| 〔CSCD §543〕 | yaṃ sandhāya vuttaṃ ''jarāmaraṇaṃ dvīhi khandhehi saṅgahita''nti | 死作「有為相」之據 | (dhātu. 71) |
| 〔CSCD §543〕 | yaṃ sandhāya vuttaṃ ''niccaṃ maraṇato bhaya''nti | 死作「命根相續之斷」之據 | (su. ni. 581) |
引式之數〔本欄實測〕 Tenetaṃ vuccati 3 處（三節各一，皆領起結偈）・Seyyathidaṃ 2 處・Tathā hesa 1 處（生一語七位之領語）・yaṃ sandhāya vuttaṃ 2 處・Yathāha・Vuttañhetaṃ・Vuttampi cetaṃ・Tena vuttaṃ・Tenāha・Apare āhu・kira 俱零命中。本文自標之圓括注出處 10 處，其分布為 ma. ni. 3・dī. ni. 2・dhātu. 2・a. ni. 1・mahāva. 1・su. ni. 1・pārā. 1（有一處雙標，計入二數）——《界論》二處為處界根諦二品九單元中唯一之出；《律》二處（mahāva.・pārā. 各一）則非獨出，諦之單元另見 mahāva. 一處。此數唯就本篇之域，不及全書；十處之中七處集於〔CSCD §538〕之生一語七位一段。
論主自陳之二處 ①〔CSCD §538〕Ayampi ca pariyāyakathāva——論自判前之界說為方便之說而別立不方便之說。②〔CSCD §539〕Ṭhapetvā dukkhadukkhaṃ sesaṃ dukkhasaccavibhaṅge āgataṃ jātiādi sabbampi——論自標其所依之分別為苦諦之分別而不標其書。二處皆論主自陳，本目逐字錄其位而不代考定其所指之書。
引而不錄其文之一處 〔CSCD §539〕之 bālapaṇḍitasuttādīsu 一引，論唯標其經名與括注而不引其文一字，其所指之苦以 upamāvasena pakāsitaṃ āpāyikaṃ dukkhaṃ 一語括之——此於處界根諦二品九單元中為獨例（餘引皆錄其文）。誌其實，不代補其文。
五、譬喻·修辭
本目只記本篇譬喻之所在與其所配，不作文學評價。
甲・譬喻 本篇之 viya（詞界）12 見、iva 詞界 零命中、sadisa 諸形 2 見（皆在複合詞之內：taruṇavaṇasadisasukhumālasarīrassa・vijjhanaphālanasadisaṃ）——十四見之中十三見集於〔CSCD §540〕入胎等七源之一段，餘一在生之偈（gūthanarake viya mātugabbhe）。老與死二節一喻不出。
| 位置 | 譬喻 | 所配之義 |
|---|---|---|
| 〔CSCD §540〕 | pūtimacchapūtikummāsacandanikādīsu kimi viya nibbattati | 如蟲生於臭魚臭酪陰溝——胎中之生 |
| 〔CSCD §540〕 | usmanā puṭapākaṃ viya paccamāno | 如以熱氣蒸炙葉包之物 |
| 〔CSCD §540〕 | piṭṭhapiṇḍi viya sediyamāno | 如麵團之被蒸 |
| 〔CSCD §540〕 | surādhuttahatthagato eḷako viya | 如落酒徒手中之羊 |
| 〔CSCD §540〕 | ahituṇḍikahatthagato sappapotako viya | 如落弄蛇者手中之小蛇 |
| 〔CSCD §540〕 | sītanarakupapanno viya | 母飲冷水時如生寒地獄 |
| 〔CSCD §540〕 | aṅgāravuṭṭhisamparikiṇṇo viya | 母食熱粥時如為炭雨所覆 |
| 〔CSCD §540〕 | khārāpaṭicchakādikammakāraṇapatto viya | 母食鹹酸時如受灰汁之刑 |
| 〔CSCD §540〕 | narakapapātaṃ viya atibhayānakaṃ yonimaggaṃ | 產道如地獄之深坑 |
| 〔CSCD §540〕 | tāḷacchiggaḷena viya nikkaḍḍhiyamānassa mahānāgassa | 如自鎖孔拽出大象 |
| 〔CSCD §540〕 | narakasattassa viya ca saṅghātapabbatehi vicuṇṇiyamānassa | 如地獄眾生為眾合山所碎 |
| 〔CSCD §540〕 | taruṇavaṇasadisasukhumālasarīrassa | 初生之柔軟身如新創之瘡 |
| 〔CSCD §540〕 | sūcimukhakhuradhārāhi vijjhanaphālanasadisaṃ dukkhaṃ | 如針尖剃刀之刺割 |
| 〔CSCD §541〕 | Yañcāpi gūthanarake viya mātugabbhe | 母胎如糞地獄——生之偈之語 |
乙・修辭之可核觀察 ①本篇之骨為三節逐節之收束式：Ayaṃ tāva jātiyaṃ vinicchayo.・Ayaṃ jarāyaṃ vinicchayo.・Ayaṃ maraṇe vinicchayo. 3 見，皆縮排二空格——一節一收，一節不漏。②Tattha 之提示語全篇實測 1 見（Tattha kāyikacetasikā dukkhā 領起七苦之首目）。③問句 1 見，即論主之自問 Kasmā panesā dukkhāti ce?（〔CSCD §539〕，問生何以是苦），其答即七苦之列與其結 Iti imassa sabbassāpi dukkhassa ayaṃ jāti vatthumeva hoti。④偈頌 3 首共 37 行（生之偈 24 行分 6 頌、老之偈 6 行分 3 頌、死之偈 7 行分 3 頌，皆縮排四空格）——本篇為處界根諦二品九單元中偈頌最多之篇。⑤所引之經論塊 零處（本篇之引皆隨文而不另起縮排塊）。⑥…pe… 省略式 零命中——所引諸語皆錄其全而不略。⑦Kasmā? 短問零命中。⑧本篇無人事之事例——所出之比況皆物之比況或趣之比況。
以上諸數唯就本篇之域實測，不及全書。
六、章內互讀
每指皆帶段號錨；所指之處唯就本篇文中可核之名相立——本篇之段號與章§二系不明對映，故所指不繫章§，亦不推估換算。不代考定。
| 本篇之處 | 所指 | 可核之由 |
|---|---|---|
〔CSCD §538〕 Seyyathidaṃ, ayañhi jāti-saddo anekattho | 四諦總說之單元〔CSCD §537〕 | 前單元列苦諦十二法而以 tesaṃ jātiādīnaṃ nicchayāpi ettha vinicchayo veditabbo 開其說，本篇之首段逐字承之而無段號 |
〔CSCD §539〕 dukkhadukkhaṃ, vipariṇāmadukkhaṃ, saṅkhāradukkhaṃ | 四諦總說之單元〔CSCD §532〕 | 彼篇立苦諦之相為 bādhanalakkhaṇaṃ，本篇以七苦開其所攝——二處相貫而論未於此明繫 |
〔CSCD §539〕 sesaṃ dukkhasaccavibhaṅge āgataṃ jātiādi sabbampi | 四諦總說之單元〔CSCD §537〕 | 彼篇所引之 (vibha. 190) 一段即苦諦之分別，其十二法逐字可核；論於本篇唯標其名而不繫括注，本目誌其實不代考定 |
〔CSCD §543〕 ''jarāmaraṇaṃ dvīhi khandhehi saṅgahita''nti | 緣起之品 | 老死一支於彼品為十二支之末；論於本篇唯取其有為相之位而不涉其支之義，本目誌其實不代考定 |
〔CSCD §543〕 Jātipaccayā maraṇaṃ | 緣起之品 | 論以緣起之定型語標死之異名之一；論不標其品名，本目誌其實不代考定 |
〔CSCD §538〕 paṭisandhito paṭṭhāya yāva mātukucchimhā nikkhamanaṃ | 蘊之品 | 結生與諸蘊之現起於彼品已立，本篇唯以其為生之界而不重釋 |
〔CSCD §543〕 Ayaṃ maraṇe vinicchayo | 愁悲等之單元〔CSCD §544〕 | 次單元以 Sokādīsu 承之而釋十二法之第四至第十二 |
七、傳本
作者、傳本與注疏源流諸問題，本編不於考據內立說。
I. Placement in the Outline
Base text This unit’s base text is CSCD (internal and not published). Every Pāli string in this layer is copied verbatim from this unit’s base-text column. The single form of location is 〔CSCD §NN〕, which can be checked word for word against that column. Because this chapter has no in-house Pāli text collated to PTS pages, no page range is recorded.
Title The base-text column carries three ### lines, all subsection titles of this unit: ### Jātiniddeso・### Jarāniddeso・### Maraṇaniddeso. The reader-facing title of this unit takes its meaning from all three, and its extent covers all three—the section titles and the full extent of the unit are not coextensive; the fact is recorded. The three subsections measure 6,420／1,008／1,074 bytes (the bytes of each subsection’s own ### title line are counted in that subsection).
Paragraph-number domain The base-text column runs from 〔CSCD §538〕 through 〔CSCD §543〕. Six paragraph numbers are actually present, and the sequence is continuous without a gap. This unit occupies 8,502 bytes in the base-text column.
The first paragraph has no paragraph number The first paragraph after ### Jātiniddeso (Seyyathidaṃ, ayañhi jāti-saddo anekattho⋯) carries no [§NN] marker; [§538] falls on the following paragraph. Direct measurement in this column: after the unit’s first 18 bytes (the section-title line and a blank line), 726 bytes up to [§538] are unnumbered—their text continues the closing words of the preceding unit at 〔CSCD §537〕, tesaṃ jātiādīnaṃ nicchayāpi ettha vinicchayo veditabbo (the final paragraph of the preceding unit breaks off at the unit boundary with its cue Seyyathidaṃ unfinished); this column records the fact and neither supplies a number nor determines the cause.
The three subsections and the phenomena they explain This unit explains the first three of the twelve phenomena of the truth of suffering: jātipi dukkhā (birth)・jarāpi dukkhā (aging)・maraṇampi dukkhaṃ (death); the cited sentences for the three appear verbatim in the preceding unit at 〔CSCD §537〕. The remaining nine of the twelve are in the next unit, and this unit does not reach them.
The closing formula of each subsection The three subsections close with Ayaṃ tāva jātiyaṃ vinicchayo.・Ayaṃ jarāyaṃ vinicchayo.・Ayaṃ maraṇe vinicchayo. respectively (indented two spaces)—the three closings share one form, and the first adds the single word tāva (first, for now); this section records the fact.
Connections before and after Before it lies the unit on the general account of the four truths: this unit’s first paragraph opens with the cue Seyyathidaṃ (that is) and no paragraph number, taking up verbatim the eighth mode opened by the preceding unit at 〔CSCD §537〕. After it comes the unit on sorrow, lamentation, and the rest: this unit closes Ayaṃ maraṇe vinicchayo., and the next unit takes it up with Sokādīsu⋯soko nāma ñātibyasanādīhi phuṭṭhassa cittasantāpo to explain the fourth phenomenon—with Sokādīsu (among sorrow and the rest) the treatise itself marks it as continuing the account of the remaining phenomena of the twelve.
Movement The interleaf Overview assigns this unit to Movement §C, “The Truth of Suffering—Explanation of Birth, Aging, and Death.” The chapter sections assigned there appear verbatim in that table; this section neither repeats nor excerpts them. The paragraph-number and chapter-section systems have no known correspondence and are neither estimated nor converted.
II. Terms and Renderings
This section records only usage and location in this unit; normative readings of terms are governed by the glossary, and this section does not determine those the glossary leaves unsettled. Readings established in earlier chapters are not re-explained. Previously established terms used here include jāti (birth)・kula (family)・āyukkhayamaraṇa (death by exhaustion of life-span)・puññakkhayamaraṇa (death by exhaustion of merit)・ābādha (affliction)・jīvitindriya (life faculty)・upādānakkhandha (aggregate of clinging)・paṭisandhi (rebirth-linking)・vipariṇāmadukkhatā (suffering as change)・saṅkhāra (formation)・vedanā (feeling)・upekkhā (equanimity)・sukha (pleasure)・dukkha (suffering)・indriya (faculty)・sacca (truth). Only terms newly appearing in this unit are listed below.
The seven positions of the word birth 〔CSCD §538〕
| Pāli | Rendering | Usage in this unit | Locus |
|---|---|---|---|
| jāti-saddo | the word birth | the pivot of this subsection; the treatise itself marks ayañhi jāti-saddo anekattho (this word birth has many meanings) and explains it through seven positions | 〔CSCD §538〕 |
| bhave | of existence | the first position; the usage example ekampi jātiṃ dvepi jātiyo | 〔CSCD §538〕 |
| nikāye | of a class | the second position; the usage example nigaṇṭhā nāma samaṇajātī | 〔CSCD §538〕 |
| saṅkhatalakkhaṇe | of the conditioned characteristic | the third position; the usage example Jāti dvīhi khandhehi saṅgahitā | 〔CSCD §538〕 |
| paṭisandhiyaṃ | of rebirth-linking | the fourth position; the usage example Yaṃ mātukucchismiṃ paṭhamaṃ cittaṃ uppannaṃ | 〔CSCD §538〕 |
| pasūtiyaṃ | of delivery | the fifth position; the usage example Sampatijāto, ānanda, bodhisatto | 〔CSCD §538〕 |
| ariyasīle | of noble virtue | the seventh position; the usage example Yatohaṃ, bhagini, ariyāya jātiyā jāto | 〔CSCD §538〕 |
| gabbhaseyyaka | womb-born | the boundary of the position this unit takes; the aggregates that occur from rebirth-linking to emergence from the mother’s womb | 〔CSCD §538〕 |
| pariyāyakathā・nippariyāyato | qualified statement・in the direct sense | the treatise itself distinguishes two levels: the qualified statement is the boundary above, the unqualified statement is the first appearance of the aggregates | 〔CSCD §538〕 |
| paṭhamābhinibbattilakkhaṇā | characteristic of the first generation in this or that existence | the characteristic of birth | 〔CSCD §538〕 |
| niyyātanarasā | function of handing over | the function of birth | 〔CSCD §538〕 |
| ummujjanapaccupaṭṭhānā | manifestation of emergence | the manifestation of birth; emerging from a past existence and appearing here | 〔CSCD §538〕 |
| dukkhavicittatāpaccupaṭṭhānā | manifestation of the variety of suffering | the alternative view of the manifestation of birth | 〔CSCD §538〕 |
The seven kinds of suffering 〔CSCD §539〕
| Pāli | Rendering | Usage in this unit | Locus |
|---|---|---|---|
| dukkhadukkha | intrinsic suffering | the first; bodily and mental painful feeling, suffering both by nature and by name | 〔CSCD §539〕 |
| vipariṇāmadukkha | suffering as change | the second; pleasant feeling becoming a cause of the arising of suffering through change | 〔CSCD §539〕 |
| saṅkhāradukkha | suffering as formations | the third; equanimous feeling and the remaining formations of the three planes oppressed by rise and fall | 〔CSCD §539〕 |
| paṭicchannadukkha | concealed suffering | the fourth; known only by asking, its harm not evident | 〔CSCD §539〕 |
| apākaṭadukkha | unevident suffering | the alternative name for concealed suffering, given by the treatise itself | 〔CSCD §539〕 |
| appaṭicchannadukkha | unconcealed suffering | the fifth; known without asking, its harm evident | 〔CSCD §539〕 |
| pākaṭadukkha | evident suffering | the alternative name for unconcealed suffering | 〔CSCD §539〕 |
| pariyāyadukkha | suffering in the qualified sense | the sixth; birth and the rest set out in the analysis of the truth of suffering apart from intrinsic suffering, all being the basis of suffering. Following the established precedent in the chapter on dependent arising, pariyāyena = the qualified sense; this column originally proposed “qualified suffering,” and records the fact | 〔CSCD §539〕 |
| nippariyāyadukkha | suffering in the direct sense | the seventh; intrinsic suffering itself. Following the established precedent of nippariyāyena = the direct sense; this column originally proposed “unqualified suffering,” and records the fact | 〔CSCD §539〕 |
| dvattiṃsakammakāraṇa | thirty-two punishments | the example of unconcealed suffering | 〔CSCD §539〕 |
| vatthubhāva | the nature of being a basis | the pivotal word of this subsection; birth is called suffering because it is the basis of many sufferings | 〔CSCD §539〕 |
Suffering rooted in the seven sources beginning with entry into the womb 〔CSCD §540〕
| Pāli | Rendering | Usage in this unit | Locus |
|---|---|---|---|
| gabbhokkantimūlakaṃ dukkhaṃ | suffering rooted in entry into the womb | the first source; ten months of oppression in the mother’s womb | 〔CSCD §540〕 |
| gabbhapariharaṇamūlakaṃ dukkhaṃ | suffering rooted in the mother’s carrying of the womb | the second source; caused by the mother’s movements, postures, and food and drink | 〔CSCD §540〕 |
| gabbhavipattimūlakaṃ dukkhaṃ | suffering rooted in the calamity of the womb | the third source; the suffering of being split when the fetus lies wrong in the womb | 〔CSCD §540〕 |
| vijāyanamūlakaṃ dukkhaṃ | suffering rooted in parturition | the fourth source | 〔CSCD §540〕 |
| mātukucchito bahinikkhamanamūlakaṃ dukkhaṃ | suffering rooted in emergence from the mother’s womb | the fifth source; the newborn’s tender body touched by hands, bathed, and rubbed | 〔CSCD §540〕 |
| attūpakkamamūlakaṃ dukkhaṃ | suffering rooted in self-inflicted harm | the sixth source; austerities such as naked asceticism, refusing food out of anger, hanging oneself | 〔CSCD §540〕 |
| parūpakkamamūlakaṃ dukkhaṃ | suffering rooted in harm inflicted by others | the seventh source; undergoing killing, binding, and the rest | 〔CSCD §540〕 |
| āmāsaya・pakkāsaya | receptacle of undigested food・receptacle of digested food | the position of the womb; below the receptacle of undigested food, above that of digested food | 〔CSCD §540〕 |
| udarapaṭala・piṭṭhikaṇṭaka | belly-lining・backbone | the limits of the womb | 〔CSCD §540〕 |
| paramasambādha | extremely cramped | the character of the womb | 〔CSCD §540〕 |
| kammajā vātā | kamma-born winds | the force that turns the fetus at parturition | 〔CSCD §540〕 |
| saṅghātapabbata | crushing mountains | the hell from which the simile for the suffering of parturition is drawn | 〔CSCD §540〕 |
| acelakavata | observances of the naked ascetics | an example of self-inflicted harm | 〔CSCD §540〕 |
| ātāpanaparitāpanānuyoga | devotion to self-burning and self-tormenting | an example of self-inflicted harm | 〔CSCD §540〕 |
Aging and death 〔CSCD §542〕–〔CSCD §543〕
| Pāli | Rendering | Usage in this unit | Locus |
|---|---|---|---|
| ⚠︎ jarā | aging | what this unit’s second subsection explains; it has no independent entry among the existing chapters’ entries (the entries for the chapter on dependent arising has only the compound position jarāmaraṇa); reading left to the wise who come after | 〔CSCD §542〕 |
| ⚠︎ maraṇa | death | what this unit’s third subsection explains; likewise no independent entry; reading left to the wise who come after | 〔CSCD §543〕 |
| khaṇḍiccādisammata | what is commonly recognized as loss of teeth and the rest | the aging this unit takes; the oldness of the aggregates included in a single existence | 〔CSCD §542〕 |
| khandhaparipākalakkhaṇā | characteristic of the maturing of the aggregates | the characteristic of aging | 〔CSCD §542〕 |
| maraṇūpanayanarasā | function of leading on to death | the function of aging | 〔CSCD §542〕 |
| yobbanavināsapaccupaṭṭhānā | manifestation of the loss of youth | the manifestation of aging | 〔CSCD §542〕 |
| aṅgapaccaṅgasithilībhāva | slackness of the limbs | the first item of the suffering caused by aging | 〔CSCD §542〕 |
| indriyavikāra・virūpatā | alteration of the faculties・ugliness | the second and third items of the suffering caused by aging | 〔CSCD §542〕 |
| balūpaghāta | decline of strength | an item of the suffering caused by aging | 〔CSCD §542〕 |
| satimativippavāsa | departure of mindfulness and intelligence | an item of the suffering caused by aging | 〔CSCD §542〕 |
| paraparibhava | contempt from others | an item of the suffering caused by aging | 〔CSCD §542〕 |
| bālattapatti | falling into foolishness | an item of the suffering of aging in the closing verse | 〔CSCD §542〕 |
| jīvitindriyappabandhaviccheda | cutting off of the continuity of the life faculty | the death this unit takes; that included in a single existence | 〔CSCD §543〕 |
| upakkamamaraṇa | death by violence | one of the alternative names of death | 〔CSCD §543〕 |
| sarasamaraṇa | natural death | one of the alternative names of death | 〔CSCD §543〕 |
| cutilakkhaṇaṃ | characteristic of passing away | the characteristic of death | 〔CSCD §543〕 |
| viyogarasaṃ | function of separation | the function of death | 〔CSCD §543〕 |
| gativippavāsapaccupaṭṭhānaṃ | manifestation of departure from the destination | the manifestation of death | 〔CSCD §543〕 |
| sandhi-bandhanacchedana | cutting of joints and sinews | the character of bodily suffering at death | 〔CSCD §543〕 |
| mamma | vital spot | the seat of bodily suffering at death | 〔CSCD §543〕 |
| asayha・appatikāra | unbearable・without remedy | the judgment on the suffering of death | 〔CSCD §543〕 |
⚠︎ One place left open for the wise who come after The two words jarā (aging) and maraṇa (death) have no independent entry among the existing chapters’ entries (as found by this column’s word-by-word comparison; the entries for the chapter on dependent arising has the compound position jarāmaraṇa but no entry for these two single words). In this unit the two words are tied to subsection titles (### Jarāniddeso・### Maraṇaniddeso) and cannot be avoided. This section reads them as “aging” and “death”—their agreement with the names already established in the Chinese tradition is the natural result of semantic transparency, not borrowed from another translation; their reading is left to the wise who come after.
III. Variant Readings
Material available This unit has no in-house Pāli text collated to PTS pages, so there is no collation passage to record. The only searchable surface is the base-text column itself. Readings are recorded, not adjudicated.
Results of a complete scan A word-for-word scan of the entire base-text column found zero occurrences of variant-note forms such as (sī.)・(syā.)・(kaṃ.)・(pī.); zero occurrences of the variant-recitation marker pāṭho; and zero occurrences of the alternative-view markers Porāṇā／porāṇā・Keci／keci・eke. Square brackets occur in only two forms (six [§NN] paragraph numbers and nine edition-page markers, the latter all inside notes). When the search finds nothing, nothing is recorded: the base-text column itself contains no notice of a variant reading.
Quotation-mark symmetry The complete unit contains 24 occurrences of '', an even number. Of these, 13 open and 11 close, a difference of two—the difference is entirely caused by the reopening of each stanza of the verses: the three stanzas of the verse on aging each reopen with '' while only the last stanza closes with ''ti (''Aṅgānaṃ・''Vippavāsā・''Pappoti), and the verse on death follows the same pattern (''Pāpassa; the stanza Sabbesañcāpi does not reopen; the stanza Asayhamappatikāraṃ does not reopen). Every citation has its closing; there is no true asymmetry—the fact is recorded.
Two literal inconsistencies within this column (1) The final word of the closing verse on aging reads jarā dukhā''ti (dukhā, one k short), while the same word elsewhere in this unit always reads dukkhā—dukhā occurs only this once in the whole unit. (2) The first stanza of the verse on death has 3 lines while the other two stanzas have 2 lines each (direct measurement: the unit’s verses total 37 lines—the verse on birth 24 lines in 6 stanzas, the verse on aging 6 lines in 3 stanzas, the verse on death 7 lines in 3 stanzas)—only the first stanza of the verse on death is uneven in line count. Both are recorded without alteration or regularization.
Scope of this column All findings above are literal facts of the base-text column; This column has not been collated against the scanned PTS pages. Zero occurrences here apply only to the single surface of the base-text column and do not support an inference about other editions.
IV. The Commentator’s Citations
Each passage cited by the Commentator is attached to a paragraph-number anchor. A source is recorded only when identified by the text itself; this column does not determine one on its behalf. Parenthetical references in “Source identified by the text itself” are copied verbatim and their titles are not translated.
| Location | Citation Formula [Verbatim] | Point Cited | Source Identified by the Text Itself |
|---|---|---|---|
| 〔CSCD §538〕 | ''ekampi jātiṃ dvepi jātiyo''ti | usage example of the word birth as “existence” | (dī. ni. 1.244; pārā. 12) |
| 〔CSCD §538〕 | ''Atthi, visākhe, nigaṇṭhā nāma samaṇajātī''ti | usage example of the word birth as “class” | (a. ni. 3.71) |
| 〔CSCD §538〕 | ''Jāti dvīhi khandhehi saṅgahitā''ti | usage example of the word birth as “conditioned characteristic” | (dhātu. 71) |
| 〔CSCD §538〕 | ''Yaṃ mātukucchismiṃ paṭhamaṃ cittaṃ uppannaṃ | usage example of the word birth as “rebirth-linking” | (mahāva. 124) |
| 〔CSCD §538〕 | ''Sampatijāto, ānanda, bodhisatto''ti | usage example of the word birth as “delivery” | (ma. ni. 3.207) |
| 〔CSCD §538〕 | ''Akkhitto anupakuṭṭho jātivādenā''ti | usage example of the word birth as “family” | (dī. ni. 1.331) |
| 〔CSCD §538〕 | ''Yatohaṃ, bhagini, ariyāya jātiyā jāto''ti | usage example of the word birth as “noble virtue” | (ma. ni. 2.351) |
| 〔CSCD §539〕 | yaṃ taṃ bālapaṇḍitasuttādīsu⋯bhagavatāpi upamāvasena pakāsitaṃ āpāyikaṃ dukkhaṃ | the suffering of the states of loss as what the Blessed One showed by similes—the treatise gives only the sutta’s name and does not cite its text | (ma. ni. 3.246 ādayo) |
| 〔CSCD §543〕 | yaṃ sandhāya vuttaṃ ''jarāmaraṇaṃ dvīhi khandhehi saṅgahita''nti | the basis for death as “conditioned characteristic” | (dhātu. 71) |
| 〔CSCD §543〕 | yaṃ sandhāya vuttaṃ ''niccaṃ maraṇato bhaya''nti | the basis for death as “cutting off of the continuity of the life faculty” | (su. ni. 581) |
Number of citation formulas [direct measurement in this column] Tenetaṃ vuccati 3 times (one in each subsection, each introducing the closing verse)・Seyyathidaṃ twice・Tathā hesa once (the lead-in to the seven positions of the word birth)・yaṃ sandhāya vuttaṃ twice・Yathāha・Vuttañhetaṃ・Vuttampi cetaṃ・Tena vuttaṃ・Tenāha・Apare āhu・kira all zero times. The text itself gives 10 parenthetical source references, distributed as ma. ni. 3・dī. ni. 2・dhātu. 2・a. ni. 1・mahāva. 1・su. ni. 1・pārā. 1 (one entry carries two references and is counted in both totals)—the two Dhātukathā references are the only ones among the nine units of the two chapters on bases, elements, faculties, and truths; the two Vinaya references (mahāva.・pārā., one each) are not unique, as the unit on the truths has one further mahāva.. These counts apply only to this unit, not the whole work; seven of the ten references cluster in the single passage on the seven positions of the word birth at 〔CSCD §538〕.
Two statements in the Commentator’s own voice (1) 〔CSCD §538〕 Ayampi ca pariyāyakathāva—the treatise itself judges the preceding definition to be a qualified statement and separately establishes the unqualified one. (2) 〔CSCD §539〕 Ṭhapetvā dukkhadukkhaṃ sesaṃ dukkhasaccavibhaṅge āgataṃ jātiādi sabbampi—the treatise itself marks the analysis it relies on as the analysis of the truth of suffering and does not name its book. Both are statements in the Commentator’s own voice; this section records their locations verbatim and does not determine the book referred to.
One citation whose text is not reproduced For the citation bālapaṇḍitasuttādīsu at 〔CSCD §539〕, the treatise gives only the sutta’s name with a parenthetical reference and does not cite one word of its text, summing up the suffering it refers to in the phrase upamāvasena pakāsitaṃ āpāyikaṃ dukkhaṃ—unique among the nine units of the two chapters on bases, elements, faculties, and truths (every other citation reproduces its text). The fact is recorded; the text is not supplied.
V. Similes and Rhetoric
This section records only the location of each simile and what it is applied to; it makes no literary evaluation.
A. Similes In this unit the word-boundary form viya occurs 12 times, word-boundary iva zero times, and forms of sadisa twice (both within compounds: taruṇavaṇasadisasukhumālasarīrassa・vijjhanaphālanasadisaṃ)—of the fourteen occurrences, thirteen cluster in the single passage on the seven sources beginning with entry into the womb at 〔CSCD §540〕, and the remaining one is in the verse on birth (gūthanarake viya mātugabbhe). The two subsections on aging and death contain not a single simile.
| Location | Simile | Meaning to Which It Is Applied |
|---|---|---|
| 〔CSCD §540〕 | pūtimacchapūtikummāsacandanikādīsu kimi viya nibbattati | like a worm born in rotten fish, rotten curds, a cesspool—birth in the womb |
| 〔CSCD §540〕 | usmanā puṭapākaṃ viya paccamāno | like something baked in a leaf wrapper by heat |
| 〔CSCD §540〕 | piṭṭhapiṇḍi viya sediyamāno | like a lump of dough being steamed |
| 〔CSCD §540〕 | surādhuttahatthagato eḷako viya | like a goat fallen into a drunkard’s hands |
| 〔CSCD §540〕 | ahituṇḍikahatthagato sappapotako viya | like a young snake fallen into a snake-charmer’s hands |
| 〔CSCD §540〕 | sītanarakupapanno viya | as if born in a cold hell, when the mother drinks cold water |
| 〔CSCD §540〕 | aṅgāravuṭṭhisamparikiṇṇo viya | as if showered with a rain of embers, when the mother eats hot gruel |
| 〔CSCD §540〕 | khārāpaṭicchakādikammakāraṇapatto viya | as if subjected to the punishment of the lye-bath, when the mother eats salty and sour things |
| 〔CSCD §540〕 | narakapapātaṃ viya atibhayānakaṃ yonimaggaṃ | the birth passage like a hell-pit |
| 〔CSCD §540〕 | tāḷacchiggaḷena viya nikkaḍḍhiyamānassa mahānāgassa | like a great elephant dragged out through a keyhole |
| 〔CSCD §540〕 | narakasattassa viya ca saṅghātapabbatehi vicuṇṇiyamānassa | like a hell-being crushed by the crushing mountains |
| 〔CSCD §540〕 | taruṇavaṇasadisasukhumālasarīrassa | the newborn’s tender body like a fresh wound |
| 〔CSCD §540〕 | sūcimukhakhuradhārāhi vijjhanaphālanasadisaṃ dukkhaṃ | like piercing and splitting by needle-points and razor-edges |
| 〔CSCD §541〕 | Yañcāpi gūthanarake viya mātugabbhe | the mother’s womb like a hell of excrement—a phrase of the verse on birth |
B. Verifiable rhetorical observations (1) The unit’s skeleton is the closing formula for each of the three subsections: Ayaṃ tāva jātiyaṃ vinicchayo.・Ayaṃ jarāyaṃ vinicchayo.・Ayaṃ maraṇe vinicchayo. 3 occurrences, all indented two spaces—each subsection closes in turn, with none omitted. (2) The cue Tattha occurs once in the unit (Tattha kāyikacetasikā dukkhā introduces the first of the seven kinds of suffering). (3) A question occurs once, the Commentator’s own question Kasmā panesā dukkhāti ce? (〔CSCD §539〕, asking why birth is suffering), whose answer is the list of the seven kinds of suffering and its conclusion Iti imassa sabbassāpi dukkhassa ayaṃ jāti vatthumeva hoti. (4) There are three verses totaling 37 lines (the verse on birth, 24 lines in 6 stanzas; the verse on aging, 6 lines in 3 stanzas; the verse on death, 7 lines in 3 stanzas; all indented four spaces)—this unit has the most verse among the nine units of the two chapters on bases, elements, faculties, and truths. (5) No indented block of cited teaching (every citation in this unit runs in the text without a separate indented block). (6) The abbreviation …pe… occurs zero times—every cited passage is given in full without abbreviation. (7) The short question Kasmā? occurs zero times. (8) The unit contains no narrative example involving a person; its similes compare things or destinations.
All counts above are direct measurements applying only to this unit, not the whole work.
VI. Intratextual Cross-Reading
Every pointer carries a paragraph-number anchor. Each target is established only from names and statements verifiable in this unit—no correspondence is known between this unit’s paragraph-number and chapter-section systems, so the pointers do not attach chapter sections, estimate, or convert them. This column does not determine them on another source’s behalf.
| Place in This Unit | Target | Verifiable Basis |
|---|---|---|
〔CSCD §538〕 Seyyathidaṃ, ayañhi jāti-saddo anekattho | unit on the general account of the four truths 〔CSCD §537〕 | the preceding unit lists the twelve phenomena of the truth of suffering and opens their account with tesaṃ jātiādīnaṃ nicchayāpi ettha vinicchayo veditabbo; this unit’s first paragraph takes it up verbatim, without a paragraph number |
〔CSCD §539〕 dukkhadukkhaṃ, vipariṇāmadukkhaṃ, saṅkhāradukkhaṃ | unit on the general account of the four truths 〔CSCD §532〕 | that unit establishes the characteristic of the truth of suffering as bādhanalakkhaṇaṃ; this unit opens what it includes through the seven kinds of suffering—the two passages run together, though the treatise does not explicitly link them here |
〔CSCD §539〕 sesaṃ dukkhasaccavibhaṅge āgataṃ jātiādi sabbampi | unit on the general account of the four truths 〔CSCD §537〕 | the passage cited there as (vibha. 190) is the analysis of the truth of suffering, whose twelve phenomena can be checked verbatim; in this unit the treatise gives only the name without a parenthetical reference; this section records the fact without determining it |
〔CSCD §543〕 ''jarāmaraṇaṃ dvīhi khandhehi saṅgahita''nti | chapter on dependent arising | in that chapter the factor aging-and-death is the last of the twelve factors; in this unit the treatise takes only its position as a conditioned characteristic and does not touch the meaning of the factor; this section records the fact without determining it |
〔CSCD §543〕 Jātipaccayā maraṇaṃ | chapter on dependent arising | the treatise marks one of the alternative names of death with the set phrase of dependent arising; the treatise does not name the chapter; this section records the fact without determining it |
〔CSCD §538〕 paṭisandhito paṭṭhāya yāva mātukucchimhā nikkhamanaṃ | chapter on the aggregates | rebirth-linking and the appearance of the aggregates were established in that chapter; this unit uses them only as the boundary of birth and does not explain them anew |
〔CSCD §543〕 Ayaṃ maraṇe vinicchayo | unit on sorrow, lamentation, and the rest 〔CSCD §544〕 | the next unit takes it up with Sokādīsu and explains the fourth through twelfth of the twelve phenomena |
VII. Transmission
This edition takes no position in its apparatus on questions of authorship, textual transmission, or the lineages of the commentaries.