Madhyamaka Treatise (Zhong Lun), Fascicle One
答曰？
The respondent says:
不然。何以故？
It is not so. Why?
「空則不可說，非空不可說，
"Empty cannot be said, non-empty cannot be said,
共不共叵說，但以假名說。」
both and neither cannot be said; it is only spoken of by provisional names."
諸法空則不應說，諸法不空亦不應說，諸法空不空亦不應說，非空非不空亦不應說。何以故？但破相違故以假名說。如是正觀思惟，諸法實相中不應以諸難為難。何以故？
That all dharmas are empty should not be asserted, that all dharmas are not empty should not be asserted, that all dharmas are both empty and not empty should not be asserted, that they are neither empty nor not empty should not be asserted. Why? It is only to refute opposition that provisional names are used. Reflecting rightly in this way, in the true nature of dharmas one should not raise various questions as objections. Why?
「寂滅相中無，常無常等四；
"In the mark of stillness and extinction there are no four phrases such as permanent and impermanent;
寂滅相中無，邊無邊等四。」
in the mark of stillness and extinction there are no four phrases such as finite and infinite."
諸法實相如是微妙寂滅，但因過去世起四種邪見：世間有常、世間無常、世間常無常、世間非常非無常；寂滅中盡無。何以故？諸法實相畢竟清淨不可取，空尚不受，何況有四種見。四種見皆因受生，諸法實相無所因受。四種見皆以自見為貴、他見為賤，諸法實相無有此彼。是故說寂滅中無四種見。如因過去世有四種見，因未來世有四種見亦如是。世間有邊、世間無邊、世間有邊無邊、世間非有邊非無邊。
The true nature of dharmas is so subtle and still, and it is only because four wrong views arose in past ages: that the world is permanent, that the world is impermanent, that the world is both permanent and impermanent, that the world is neither permanent nor impermanent; in stillness there are none of these. Why? The true nature of dharmas is ultimately pure and ungraspable; even emptiness is not accepted, how much less the four views. The four views all arise from taking, and the true nature of dharmas has no taking for them to arise from. The four views all value one's own view and despise another's, but the true nature of dharmas has no this and that. So it is said that in stillness there are no four views. As with past ages having four views, so future ages have four views as well: that the world is finite, that the world is infinite, that the world is both finite and infinite, that the world is neither finite nor infinite.
問曰：若如是破如來者，則無如來耶？
The questioner says: If the Tathagata is refuted in this way, then is there no Tathagata?
答曰：
The respondent says:
「邪見深厚者，則說無如來；
"Only those with deep wrong views say there is no Tathagata;
如來寂滅相，分別有亦非。」
the Tathagata is the mark of stillness, and it is also wrong to distinguish and say he exists."
邪見有二種：一者破世間樂；二者破涅槃道。破世間樂者是麁邪見，言無罪無福，無如來等賢聖。起是邪見，捨善為惡，則破世間樂。破涅槃道者，貪著於我，分別有無，起善滅惡。起善故得世間樂，分別有無故不得涅槃。是故若言無如來者，是深厚邪見，乃失世間樂，何況涅槃！若言有如來，亦是邪見。何以故？如來寂滅相，而種種分別故。是故寂滅相中，分別有如來亦為非。
There are two kinds of wrong view: one destroys worldly happiness, the other destroys the path to nirvana. The one that destroys worldly happiness is coarse wrong view, saying there is no sin and no merit and no Tathagata or worthy sages and so on. Giving rise to this wrong view, one gives up good and does evil, and so destroys worldly happiness. The one that destroys the path to nirvana clings to the self and distinguishes being and non-being, giving rise to good and ending evil. Giving rise to good, one gains worldly happiness, but because of distinguishing being and non-being, one does not gain nirvana. So to say there is no Tathagata is deep wrong view, losing even worldly happiness, to say nothing of nirvana! To say there is a Tathagata is also wrong view. Why? The Tathagata is the mark of stillness, yet one makes all kinds of distinctions. So in the mark of stillness, to distinguish and say there is a Tathagata is also wrong.
「如是性空中，思惟亦不可，
"So in emptiness of nature, reflection also cannot be obtained,
如來滅度後，分別於有無。」
to distinguish being and non-being after the Tathagata's extinction."
諸法實相性空故，不應於如來滅後思惟若有、若無、若有無。如來從本已來畢竟空，何況滅後！
Because the true nature of dharmas is empty of nature, one should not think after the Tathagata's extinction of whether he exists, does not exist, or both exists and does not exist. The Tathagata has been ultimately empty from the beginning, to say nothing of after his extinction!
「如來過戲論，而人生戲論，
"The Tathagata is beyond conceptual proliferation, but people give rise to conceptual proliferation,
戲論破慧眼，是皆不見佛。」
conceptual proliferation destroys the eye of wisdom, and these people cannot see the Buddha."
戲論名憶念取相分別此彼。言佛滅不滅等，是人為戲論，覆慧眼故，不能見如來法身。此〈如來品〉中，初中後思惟，如來定性不可得。是故偈說：
Conceptual proliferation (prapanca) is called recollection, grasping at marks and distinguishing this and that. When one says the Buddha is extinguished or not extinguished and so on, that person's eye of wisdom is covered by conceptual proliferation, and he cannot see the Tathagata's Dharma body. In this chapter on the Tathagata, reflecting at the beginning, middle and end, the determinate nature of the Tathagata cannot be found. So the verse says:
「如來所有性，即是世間性；
"What nature the Tathagata has is the nature of the world;
如來無有性，世間亦無性。」
the Tathagata has no nature, and the world has no nature."
此品中思惟推求，如來性即是一切世間性。
Reflecting and searching in this chapter, the nature of the Tathagata is the nature of all the world.
問曰：何等是如來性？
The questioner says: What is the nature of the Tathagata?
答曰：如來無有性，同世間無性。
The respondent says: The Tathagata has no nature, the same as the world having no nature.
中論觀顛倒品第二十三(二十四偈)
The Middle Treatise, Chapter Twenty-Three: Examination of Inversions (twenty-four verses)
問曰：
The questioner says:
「從憶想分別，生於貪恚痴，
"From recollection and discrimination, desire, hatred and delusion arise,
淨不淨顛倒，皆從眾緣生。」
the inversions of pure and impure all arise from many conditions."
經說因淨不淨顛倒，憶想分別生貪恚痴。是故當知有貪恚痴。
The sutras say that because of the inversions of pure and impure, recollection and discrimination give rise to desire, hatred and delusion. So it should be known that desire, hatred and delusion exist.
答曰：
The respondent says:
「若因淨不淨，顛倒生三毒，
"If the three poisons arise because of the inversions of pure and impure,
三毒即無性，故煩惱無實。」
the three poisons have no nature, and so the afflictions are not real."
若諸煩惱因淨不淨顛倒憶想分別生，即無自性，是故諸煩惱無實。復次：
If the afflictions arise because of the inversions of pure and impure and recollection and discrimination, they have no self-nature, and so the afflictions are not real. Furthermore:
「我法有以無，是事終不成；
"The dharma of self, whether existing or not, can in the end not be established;
無我諸煩惱，有無亦不成。」
with no self, the existence or non-existence of the afflictions cannot be established either."
我無有因緣若有若無而可成，今無我諸煩惱云何以有無而可成？何以故？
The self has no cause or condition by which, whether existing or not, it can be established; now with no self, how can the afflictions be established by existence or non-existence? Why?
「誰有此煩惱，是即為不成；
"Who has these afflictions? This is not established;
若離是而有，煩惱則無屬。」
if they exist apart from this, the afflictions would have no one to belong to."
煩惱名為能惱他，惱他者應是眾生，是眾生於一切處推求不可得。若謂離眾生但有煩惱，是煩惱則無所屬。若謂雖無我而煩惱屬心，是事亦不然。何以故？
Afflictions are called what can trouble and disturb others; what troubles others should be a being, and this being cannot be found anywhere on search. If one says that apart from beings there are only afflictions, these afflictions would belong to no one. If one says that though there is no self, the afflictions belong to the mind, this too is wrong. Why?
「如身見五種，求之不可得，
"As the view of the body cannot be found by the five kinds of search,
煩惱於垢心，五求亦不得。」
the afflictions in relation to the defiled mind also cannot be found by the five kinds of search."
如身見，五陰中五種求不可得；諸煩惱亦於垢心中，五種求亦不可得。又垢心於煩惱中，五種求亦不可得。復次：
As the view of the body cannot be found in the five aggregates by the five kinds of search; so the afflictions in relation to the defiled mind cannot be found by the five kinds of search either. And the defiled mind in relation to the afflictions cannot be found by the five kinds of search either. Furthermore:
「淨不淨顛倒，是則無自性；
"The inversions of pure and impure have no self-nature;
云何因此二，而生諸煩惱？」
how can the afflictions arise depending on these two?"
淨不淨顛倒者，顛倒名虛妄。若虛妄即無性，無性則無顛倒。若無顛倒，云何因顛倒起諸煩惱？
As for the inversions of pure and impure: inversion means falsity. If false, it has no nature, and if it has no nature, there is no inversion. If there is no inversion, how can the afflictions arise from inversion?
問曰：
The questioner says:
「色聲香味觸，及法為六種，
"Form, sound, smell, taste, touch and dharmas, these six,
如是之六種，是三毒根本。」
these six are the root of the three poisons."
是六入，三毒根本，因此六入生淨不淨顛倒，因淨不淨顛倒生貪恚痴。
These six sense-bases are the root of the three poisons: because of these six sense-bases the inversions of pure and impure arise, and because of the inversions of pure and impure desire, hatred and delusion arise.
答曰：
The respondent says:
「色聲香味觸，及法體六種，
"Form, sound, smell, taste, touch and dharmas, the substance of these six,
皆空如炎夢，如乾闥婆城。
are all empty, like heat shimmer, like a dream, like the city of gandharvas.
如是六種中，何有淨不淨？
In these six, where is there pure or impure?
猶如幻化人，亦如鏡中像。」
Like a conjured person, like an image in a mirror."
色聲香味觸法自體，未與心和合時空無所有，如炎如夢，如化如鏡中像，但誑惑於心，無有定相。如是六入中，何有淨不淨？復次：
The own substance of form, sound, smell, taste, touch and dharmas, before uniting with the mind, is empty and has nothing, like a heat shimmer, like a dream, like a conjuration or an image in a mirror; it only deceives the mind and has no determinate mark. In these six sense-bases, where is there pure or impure? Furthermore:
「不因於淨相，則無有不淨；
"Not depending on the pure, there is no impure;
因淨有不淨，是故無不淨。」
it is because of the pure that there is impure, and so there is no impure."
若不因於淨，先無有不淨，因何而說不淨？是故無不淨。復次：
If not depending on the pure, there was no impure beforehand, by what is the impure called impure? So there is no impure. Furthermore:
「不因於不淨，則亦無有淨；
"Not depending on the impure, there is also no pure;
因不淨有淨，是故無有淨。」
it is because of the impure that there is pure, and so there is no pure."