English
To inscribe it at the beginning, can it truly be of benefit? It is merely with this intention to open a path for rapid progress. Chapter One: The Gate of Observing Conditions (Hetu-pratyaya) Composed by Nagarjuna Bodhisattva Translated by Kumarajiva of the Yao Qin Dynasty It is said: Now I shall briefly explain the meaning of Mahayana (Great Vehicle). Question: 'For those who explain Mahayana (Great Vehicle), what is the meaning and benefit?' Answer: 'Mahayana (Great Vehicle) is the profound Dharma treasury of all Buddhas of the ten directions and three times, spoken for those with great merit and sharp faculties. Sentient beings of the degenerate age have meager blessings and dull faculties; though they seek through the sutra texts, they cannot penetrate them. I pity these beings and wish to enable them to awaken, and also wish to illuminate and propagate the unsurpassed Great Dharma of the Tathagata. Therefore, I briefly explain the meaning of Mahayana (Great Vehicle).' Question: 'Mahayana (Great Vehicle) is immeasurable and boundless, beyond calculation. Even the words of the Buddha cannot be exhausted, how much more so to explain and elaborate its meaning?' Answer: 'It is for this reason that I initially said I would briefly explain it.' Question: 'Why is it called Mahayana (Great Vehicle)?' Answer: 'Mahayana (Great Vehicle) is superior to the Two Vehicles (Shravakayana and Pratyekabuddhayana), therefore it is called the Great Vehicle; the Buddhas are the greatest, and this vehicle can reach them, therefore it is called Great; the great beings, the Buddhas, ride this vehicle, therefore it is called Great; moreover, it can extinguish the great suffering of sentient beings and bestow great benefits, therefore it is called Great; furthermore, Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin), Mahasthamaprapta (Dashizhi), Manjushri (Wenshushili), Maitreya Bodhisattva (Mile Pusa), and others, are those great beings who ride it, therefore it is called Great; moreover, with this vehicle, one can exhaust the boundaries and depths of all dharmas, therefore it is called Great; also, as in the Prajna Sutra (Wisdom Sutra), the Buddha himself said that the meaning of Mahayana (Great Vehicle) is immeasurable and boundless, and for this reason, it is called Great.' The deepest meaning of the Great Vehicle is emptiness (shunyata). If one can penetrate this meaning, one penetrates the Great Vehicle, fully possessing the Six Paramitas (Six Perfections), without obstruction. Therefore, I now only explain emptiness. To explain emptiness, one should enter the meaning of emptiness through the twelve gates. The first is the Gate of Conditions (Hetu-pratyaya), which is: The dharmas produced by various conditions, are without self-nature; -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 无自性者， 云何有是法？
Chinese
众缘所生法有二种：一者内，二者外。众缘亦有二种：一者内，二者外。外因缘者，如泥团、转绳、陶师等和合，故有瓶生；又如缕绳、机杼、织师等和合，故有叠生；又如治地、筑基梁、椽、泥、草、人功等和合，故有舍生；又如酪器、钻摇、人功等和合，故有酥生；又如种子、地、水、火、风、虚空、时节、人功等和合，故有芽生；当知外缘等法皆亦如是。内因缘者，所谓无明、行、识、名色、六入、触、受、爱、取、有、生、老死，各各先因而后生。如是内外诸法皆从众缘生，从众缘生故，即非是无性耶！ 若法自性无，他性亦无，自他亦无。何以故？因他性故无自性。若谓以他性故有者，则牛以马性有，马以牛性有，梨以柰性有，柰以梨性有，余皆应尔，而实不然。若谓不以他性故有，但因他故有者，是亦不然。何以故？若以蒲故有席者，则蒲、席一体，不名为他；若谓蒲于席为他者，不得言以蒲故有席。又蒲亦无自性。何以故？蒲亦从众缘出，故无自性。无自性故，不得言以蒲性故有席，是故席不应以蒲为体。余瓶、酥等外因缘生法，皆亦如是不可得。 内因缘生法，皆亦如是不可得，如《七十论》中说： “缘法实无生； 若谓为有生， 为在一 现代汉语译本： 如果事物没有自性（Sva-bhava，自身固有的性质），又怎么会有这种法（Dharma，事物）呢？ 由众多因缘和合而生的法有两种：一是内在的，二是外在的。因缘也有两种：一是内在的，二是外在的。外在的因缘，比如泥土、转轮、陶工等和合，所以产生瓶子；又比如丝线、织布机、织工等和合，所以产生布匹；又比如平整的土地、地基、梁、椽、泥、草、人工等和合，所以产生房屋；又比如乳酪器具、搅拌、人工等和合，所以产生酥油；又比如种子、土地、水、火、风、虚空、时节、人工等和合，所以产生芽。应当知道外在的因缘等法都是这样。 内在的因缘，就是指无明（Avidya，对实相的无知）、行（Samskara，业力行为）、识（Vijnana，意识）、名色（Nama-rupa，名称和形态）、六入（Sadayatana，六根，即眼、耳、鼻、舌、身、意）、触（Sparsa，感觉）、受（Vedana，感受）、爱（Trsna，渴爱）、取（Upadana，执取）、有（Bhava，存在）、生（Jati，出生）、老死（Jara-marana，衰老和死亡），它们各自都是前一个的因，后一个的果。像这样，内外诸法都是从众多因缘而生，从众多因缘而生，就不是没有自性吗！ 如果一个法没有自性，那么他性（Para-bhava，依赖于其他事物的性质）也没有，自性和他性都没有。为什么呢？因为依赖于他性，所以没有自性。如果说因为他性的缘故而有，那么牛就应该以马的性质而有，马以牛的性质而有，梨以柰（苹果的一种）的性质而有，柰以梨的性质而有，其余的都应该这样，但实际上不是这样。如果说不是因为他性的缘故而有，只是因为其他的缘故而有，这也是不对的。为什么呢？如果因为蒲草的缘故而有席子，那么蒲草和席子就是一体的，不能称为‘他’；如果说蒲草对于席子是‘他’，就不能说因为蒲草的缘故而有席子。而且蒲草也没有自性。为什么呢？蒲草也是从众多因缘而生，所以没有自性。没有自性的缘故，就不能说因为蒲草的性质而有席子，所以席子不应该以蒲草为本体。其余的瓶子、酥油等外在因缘所生的法，也都是这样不可得。 内在因缘所生的法，也都是这样不可得，就像《七十论》中所说： ‘因缘法实际上没有生；如果说有生，为在一处生……’
English
English version: If there is no self-nature (Sva-bhava, inherent existence), how can there be such a Dharma (thing)? The Dharmas that arise from the aggregation of various causes and conditions are of two kinds: internal and external. Causes and conditions are also of two kinds: internal and external. External causes and conditions are, for example, the combination of clay, a potter's wheel, and a potter, which gives rise to a pot; or the combination of threads, a loom, and a weaver, which gives rise to cloth; or the combination of leveled ground, a foundation, beams, rafters, mud, grass, and human labor, which gives rise to a house; or the combination of a milk container, churning, and human labor, which gives rise to ghee (clarified butter); or the combination of seeds, earth, water, fire, wind, space, seasons, and human labor, which gives rise to a sprout. It should be known that all external causes and conditions are like this. Internal causes and conditions refer to ignorance (Avidya, unawareness of reality), karmic formations (Samskara, volitional actions), consciousness (Vijnana, awareness), name and form (Nama-rupa, mind and body), the six sense bases (Sadayatana, the six organs: eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind), contact (Sparsa, sensory impression), feeling (Vedana, sensation), craving (Trsna, thirst), grasping (Upadana, clinging), becoming (Bhava, existence), birth (Jati, arising), and old age and death (Jara-marana, aging and death), each arising as a result of the preceding one. Thus, all internal and external Dharmas arise from the aggregation of various causes and conditions. Since they arise from the aggregation of various causes and conditions, are they not without self-nature? If a Dharma has no self-nature, then it also has no other-nature (Para-bhava, nature dependent on other things), and neither self-nature nor other-nature exists. Why? Because due to dependence on other-nature, there is no self-nature. If it is said that it exists because of other-nature, then a cow should exist with the nature of a horse, a horse with the nature of a cow, a pear with the nature of a quince, a quince with the nature of a pear, and so on for everything else, but this is not the case. If it is said that it does not exist because of other-nature, but only because of something else, this is also not correct. Why? If a mat exists because of reeds, then the reeds and the mat are one and the same, and cannot be called 'other'; if it is said that the reeds are 'other' than the mat, then it cannot be said that the mat exists because of the reeds. Moreover, the reeds also have no self-nature. Why? The reeds also arise from the aggregation of various causes and conditions, so they have no self-nature. Because there is no self-nature, it cannot be said that the mat exists because of the nature of the reeds, so the mat should not have reeds as its essence. The same is true for other Dharmas arising from external causes and conditions, such as pots and ghee; they are all unattainable. The Dharmas arising from internal causes and conditions are also unattainable in the same way, as stated in the *Seventy Stanzas*: 'The Dharma of conditions truly has no arising; if it is said to have arising, it arises in one place...' -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 心中； 为在多心中？”
Chinese
是十二因缘法实自无生。若谓有生，为一心中有？为众心中有？若一心中有者，因果即一时共生。又因果一时有，是事不然。何以故？凡物先因后果故。若众心中有者，十二因缘法则各各别异，先分共心灭已，后分谁为因缘？灭法无所有，何得为因？十二因缘法若先有者，应若一心、若多心，二俱不然。 是故众缘皆空。缘空故，从缘生法亦空，是故当知一切有为法皆空。 有为法尚空，何况我耶？因五阴、十二入、十八界有为法故说有我，如因可然故说有然；若阴、入、界空，更无有法可说为我，如无可然不可说然。如经说：“佛告诸比丘：‘因我故有我所，若无我则无我所。’” 如是有为法空故，当知无为涅槃法亦空。何以故？此五阴灭更不生余五阴，是名涅槃。五阴本来自空，何所灭故说名涅槃？又我亦复空，谁得涅槃？复次，无生法名涅槃，若生法成者，无生法亦应成；生法不成，先已说因缘，后当复说，是故生法不成。因生法故名无生，若生法不成，无生法云何成？ 是故有为、无为及我皆空。 观有果无果门第二 复次，诸法不生。何以故？ 先有则不生， 先无亦不生， 有无亦不生， 谁当有生者？ 若 现代汉语译本： ‘心中；为在多心中？’ 十二因缘法（Twelve Nidānas，佛教关于生命轮回的十二个环节）实际上是无生的。如果说有生，是在一个心中有？还是在多个心中有？如果在一个心中有，那么因和果就同时产生。而且因果同时存在，这是不合理的。为什么呢？因为任何事物都是先有因，后有果。如果在多个心中有，那么十二因缘法就会各自不同，先分离共同的心灭亡后，谁来作为因缘呢？灭亡的法什么都没有，怎么能作为因呢？如果十二因缘法先存在，那么无论是在一个心中，还是在多个心中，这两种情况都不成立。 因此，众缘（hetu-pratyaya，各种条件和因素）都是空性的。因为缘是空性的，所以从缘而生的法也是空性的，因此应当明白一切有为法（saṃskṛta-dharma，由因缘和合而成的法）都是空性的。 有为法尚且是空性的，更何况我呢？因为五阴（pañca-skandha，构成个体的五种要素）、十二入（dvādaśa-āyatana，感官与对象相互作用的十二个领域）、十八界（aṣṭādaśa-dhātu，六根、六尘、六识）这些有为法，所以才说有我，就像因为有可燃物所以才说有燃烧一样；如果阴、入、界都是空性的，就没有什么法可以用来指代我了，就像没有可燃物就不能说有燃烧一样。如经中所说：‘佛告诉众比丘：因为有我，所以有我所；如果没有我，就没有我所。’ 像这样，因为有为法是空性的，所以应当明白无为涅槃法（asaṃskṛta-nirvāṇa-dharma，超越因果的涅槃境界）也是空性的。为什么呢？因为这五阴灭亡后不再产生其他的五阴，这叫做涅槃。五阴本来就是空性的，灭掉什么才能叫做涅槃呢？而且，我也是空性的，谁能证得涅槃呢？再者，无生法叫做涅槃，如果生法成立，那么无生法也应该成立；生法不成立，之前已经说了因缘，后面还会再说，所以生法是不成立的。因为生法才有名为无生，如果生法不成立，无生法怎么能成立呢？ 因此，有为、无为以及我都是空性的。 观有果无果门第二 再者，诸法（dharma，一切事物和现象）是不生的。为什么呢？ 先有则不生， 先无亦不生， 有无亦不生， 谁当有生者？ 如果