English
English version The self-nature pure mind does not dwell in those dharmas. The skandhas (five aggregates: form, feeling, perception, volition, consciousness), ayatanas (twelve sense bases: six internal sense organs and six external sense objects), and dhatus (eighteen elements) are like the earth; afflictions and karma are like water; Wrong mindfulness is like the wind; the pure mind realm is like space. Relying on nature, wrong thoughts arise; when thoughts arise, afflictions and karma arise. Relying on afflictions and karma, one can generate the skandhas, ayatanas, and dhatus. Relying on the five skandhas, ayatanas, and other dharmas, There is the arising and ceasing of the sense faculties, like the formation and destruction of the world. The pure mind is like space, without cause or condition, And without the meaning of combination, nor arising, abiding, or ceasing. Like space, the pure mind is always bright, originally existent, and does not transform, Because of false discriminations, it is defiled by guest dust-like afflictions. What meaning does this verse of the space metaphor reveal? It elucidates the Tathagatagarbha (Buddha-nature). Even in impure times, the essence of the Dharma does not change. The verse says: 'The wind of wrong thinking, the water of karmas and afflictions, The self-nature mind is like space, not born from those two. The self-nature pure mind, its appearance is like space, The wind of wrong thinking cannot scatter and destroy it. The water of karmas and afflictions cannot wet and rot it. The blazing fire of old age, sickness, and death cannot burn it.' What meaning does this verse elucidate? It's like relying on the wind wheel of wrong thoughts to generate the water mass of karma and afflictions; relying on the water mass of karma and afflictions to generate the world of skandhas, ayatanas, and dhatus. But the self-nature mind is like space, neither arising nor ceasing. The verse says, the wind of wrong thinking, the water of karmas and afflictions, the self-nature mind is like space, not born from those two. Therefore, like relying on the wind disaster of wrong thoughts, the water disaster of karmic actions and afflictions, the fire disaster of old age, sickness, and death, blowing, soaking, and burning the world of skandhas, ayatanas, and dhatus. But the self-nature pure mind is like space, constantly abiding and indestructible. Therefore, in impure times, the container world (bhajana-loka, the material world where beings dwell) is similar to relative dharmas, with afflictions, defilements of karma, defilements of birth, existence, accumulation, and cessation. The unconditioned nature of all Buddhas and Tathagatas is like space, neither arising nor ceasing, constantly unchanging, revealing the essence of the Dharma. This self-nature pure Dharma gate, the metaphor of space, is like what is extensively explained in the Dharani-svararaja-bodhisattva-sutra. It should be known that the sutra says: Good men, afflictions originally have no substance, true nature is originally bright and pure, all afflictions are weak. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
薄。毗婆舍那有大势力。一切烦恼客尘。自性清净心根本。一切诸烦恼虚妄分别。自性清净心如实不分别。诸佛子。譬如大地依水而住。水依风住风依空住。而彼虚空无依住处。诸善男子。如是四大地大水大风大空大。此四大中唯虚空大以为最胜。以为大力。以为坚固。以为不动。以为不作。以为不散。不生不灭自然而住。诸善男子。彼三种大生灭相应。无实体性刹那不住。诸佛子。此三种大变异无常。诸佛子。而虚空界常不变异。诸佛子。如是阴界入依业烦恼住。诸烦恼业依不正思惟住。不正思惟依于佛性自性清净心住。以是义故。经中说言。自性清净心客尘烦恼染。诸善男子。所有邪念。所有烦恼业。所有阴界入。如是诸法从于因缘和合而生。以诸因缘坏散而灭。诸善男子。彼自性清净心无因无缘故。无和合不生不灭。诸善男子。如虚空界。自性清净心亦复如是。如风大界。不正思惟亦复如是。如水大海。诸业烦恼亦复如是。如地大界。阴界入等亦复如是。是故说言。一切诸法皆无根本。皆无坚实。无住无住本。根本清净。无根本故。已说不净时中依无分别相。自性清净心虚空界相似相对法。已说依彼起不正念风界相似相对法。已说依不正念诸业烦恼因相水界相似相对法。已说依彼生阴界入果相转变地相似相对法 现代汉语译本 薄伽梵（Bhagavan，世尊）说：‘毗婆舍那（Vipassanā，内观）有大势力，能照见一切烦恼客尘，直指自性清净心的根本。一切诸烦恼虚妄分别，皆不能动摇自性清净心，因其如实不分别。诸佛子，譬如大地依水而住，水依风住，风依空住，而彼虚空无所依住。诸善男子，如是四大——地大、水大、风大、空大，此四大中唯虚空大以为最胜，以为大力，以为坚固，以为不动，以为不作，以为不散，不生不灭自然而住。诸善男子，彼三种大生灭相应，无实体性，刹那不住。诸佛子，此三种大变异无常。诸佛子，而虚空界常不变异。诸佛子，如是阴界入依业烦恼住，诸烦恼业依不正思惟住，不正思惟依于佛性自性清净心住。以是义故，经中说言：自性清净心客尘烦恼染。诸善男子，所有邪念，所有烦恼业，所有阴界入，如是诸法从于因缘和合而生，以诸因缘坏散而灭。诸善男子，彼自性清净心无因无缘故，无和合，不生不灭。诸善男子，如虚空界，自性清净心亦复如是。如风大界，不正思惟亦复如是。如水大海，诸业烦恼亦复如是。如地大界，阴界入等亦复如是。是故说言：一切诸法皆无根本，皆无坚实，无住无住本，根本清净，无根本故。’ 已说不净时中依无分别相，自性清净心虚空界相似相对法。已说依彼起不正念风界相似相对法。已说依不正念诸业烦恼因相水界相似相对法。已说依彼生阴界入果相转变地相似相对法。
English
English version The Blessed One (Bhagavan) said: 'Vipassanā (Insight Meditation) has great power. All defilements are like adventitious dust. The fundamental nature is the self-nature pure mind. All afflictions and false discriminations do not affect the self-nature pure mind, because it truly does not discriminate. O sons of the Buddha, it is like the earth relying on water to abide, water relying on wind to abide, and wind relying on space to abide. But that space has no place to rely on. O good men, thus are the four great elements: the great earth element, the great water element, the great wind element, and the great space element. Among these four great elements, only the great space element is the most supreme, the most powerful, the most firm, the most unmoving, the most non-acting, the most non-dispersing, neither arising nor ceasing, abiding naturally. O good men, those three great elements are subject to arising and ceasing, without substantial nature, not abiding for even a moment. O sons of the Buddha, these three great elements are changing and impermanent. O sons of the Buddha, but the realm of space is always unchanging. O sons of the Buddha, thus the skandhas (陰), realms (界), and entrances (入) rely on karma and afflictions to abide. The afflictions and karma rely on improper thinking to abide. Improper thinking relies on the Buddha-nature, the self-nature pure mind, to abide. For this reason, it is said in the sutras: the self-nature pure mind is defiled by adventitious dust of afflictions. O good men, all evil thoughts, all afflictions and karma, all skandhas, realms, and entrances, all such dharmas arise from the aggregation of causes and conditions, and cease with the destruction and dispersal of those causes and conditions. O good men, that self-nature pure mind, without cause or condition, is without aggregation, neither arising nor ceasing. O good men, like the realm of space, the self-nature pure mind is also like that. Like the great wind element, improper thinking is also like that. Like the great ocean of water, all karma and afflictions are also like that. Like the great earth element, the skandhas, realms, and entrances are also like that. Therefore, it is said: all dharmas have no root, no solidity, no abiding, no basis for abiding, fundamentally pure, because there is no root.' It has been said that in impure times, relying on the aspect of non-discrimination, the self-nature pure mind is similar and relative to the space realm. It has been said that relying on that, arising improper thoughts, the wind realm is similar and relative. It has been said that relying on improper thoughts, the causal aspect of karma and afflictions, the water realm is similar and relative. It has been said that relying on that, arising the resultant aspect of the skandhas, realms, and entrances, the changing earth is similar and relative. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
。未说彼焚烧死病老等诸过患相火相似相对法。是故次说偈言。 有三火次第 劫烧人地狱 能作种种苦 能熟诸行根 此偈明何义明此三法。老病死火。于不净时中不能变异彼如来藏。是故圣者胜鬘经言。世尊。生死者。依世谛故说有生死。世尊。死者诸根坏。世尊。生者新诸根起。世尊而如来藏不生不死不老不变。何以故。世尊。如来藏者。离有为相境界。世尊如来藏者。常恒清凉不变故。已说依不净时不变不异。◎ ◎次说依净不净时不变不异故。说二偈。 菩萨摩诃萨 如实知佛性 不生亦不灭 复无老病等 菩萨如是知 得离于生死 怜愍众生故 示现有生灭 此偈示现何义。偈言。 老病死诸苦 圣人永灭尽 依业烦恼生 诸菩萨无彼 此偈明何义。明此老病死等苦火于不净时依业烦恼本生。如世间火依薪本生。以诸菩萨得生意生身。于净不净时毕竟永灭尽。以是义故。诸业烦恼等常不能烧燃。而依慈悲力故。示现生老病死。而远离生等。以见如实故。以是义故。诸菩萨摩诃萨依善根结使生。非依业烦恼结使生。以依心自在力生。依大悲力现于三界。示现生示现老示现病示现死。而彼无有生老病死诸苦等法。以如实见真如佛性不生不灭 现代汉语译本：佛未曾说那焚烧、死亡、疾病、衰老等各种过患之相，如同火相似的相对法。因此接下来用偈语说： 有三火次第，劫烧人地狱， 能作种种苦，能熟诸行根。 这偈语阐明什么意义？阐明这三种法：衰老、疾病、死亡之火。在不净之时，不能改变如来藏（Tathagatagarbha，一切众生皆具的佛性），因此《胜鬘经》（Śrīmālādevī Siṃhanāda Sūtra）中圣者胜鬘夫人说：‘世尊，生死，是依据世俗谛（saṃvṛti-satya，相对真理）而说有生死。世尊，死亡是诸根（indriya，感觉器官）坏灭。世尊，出生是新的诸根生起。世尊，而如来藏不生不死，不老不变。为什么呢？世尊，如来藏是远离有为相（saṃskṛta-lakṣaṇa，因缘和合的现象）境界的。世尊，如来藏是常恒清凉不变的。’以上已经说了依据不净之时，如来藏不变不异。 接下来讲述依据清净与不净之时，如来藏不变不异，所以说了两个偈语： 菩萨摩诃萨，如实知佛性， 不生亦不灭，复无老病等。 菩萨如是知，得离于生死， 怜愍众生故，示现有生灭。 这偈语示现什么意义？偈语说： 老病死诸苦，圣人永灭尽， 依业烦恼生，诸菩萨无彼。 这偈语阐明什么意义？阐明这衰老、疾病、死亡等苦火，在不净之时，依据业（karma，行为）和烦恼（kleśa，精神上的负面情绪）而生。如同世间的火依据柴薪而生。因为诸菩萨得到意生身（manomayakāya，由意念所生的身体），在清净与不净之时，毕竟永远灭尽。因为这个缘故，诸业和烦恼等常常不能烧燃。而是依据慈悲的力量，示现出生、衰老、疾病、死亡，而远离出生等。因为见到如实之相的缘故。因为这个缘故，诸菩萨摩诃萨（bodhisattva-mahāsattva，伟大的菩萨）依据善根结使而生，不是依据业和烦恼结使而生。因为依据心自在力而生，依据大悲力显现在三界（trayo dhātava，欲界、色界、无色界）。示现出生，示现衰老，示现疾病，示现死亡。而他们没有出生、衰老、疾病、死亡等诸苦之法。因为如实见到真如佛性不生不灭。
English
English version: The Buddha did not speak of the various suffering aspects of burning, death, sickness, old age, etc., as relative phenomena similar to fire. Therefore, the following verse is spoken: There are three fires in order, Burning kalpas, humans, and hells, Able to create various sufferings, Able to ripen the roots of all actions. What meaning does this verse clarify? It clarifies these three dharmas: the fires of old age, sickness, and death. In impure times, they cannot transform the Tathagatagarbha (the Buddha-nature inherent in all beings). Therefore, in the Śrīmālādevī Siṃhanāda Sūtra, the holy Śrīmālā says: 'World-Honored One, birth and death are spoken of based on conventional truth (saṃvṛti-satya). World-Honored One, death is the destruction of the senses (indriya). World-Honored One, birth is the arising of new senses. World-Honored One, the Tathagatagarbha neither arises nor dies, neither ages nor changes. Why is that? World-Honored One, the Tathagatagarbha is apart from the realm of conditioned phenomena (saṃskṛta-lakṣaṇa). World-Honored One, the Tathagatagarbha is constant, cool, and unchanging.' The above has already spoken of the Tathagatagarbha being unchanging and undifferentiated in impure times. Next, to explain that the Tathagatagarbha is unchanging and undifferentiated in both pure and impure times, two verses are spoken: Bodhisattvas-Mahasattvas, Truly know the Buddha-nature, Neither arising nor ceasing, Also without old age, sickness, etc. Bodhisattvas know thus, Attaining liberation from birth and death, Out of compassion for sentient beings, They manifest the appearance of birth and death. What meaning does this verse reveal? The verse says: The sufferings of old age, sickness, and death, Are forever extinguished by the sages, Arising from karma and afflictions, Bodhisattvas do not have them. What meaning does this verse clarify? It clarifies that these suffering fires of old age, sickness, and death, in impure times, arise based on karma (action) and afflictions (kleśa). Just as worldly fire arises based on firewood. Because the Bodhisattvas attain the mind-made body (manomayakāya), in pure and impure times, they are ultimately and forever extinguished. For this reason, karma and afflictions, etc., cannot constantly burn. But based on the power of compassion, they manifest birth, old age, sickness, and death, while being apart from birth, etc. Because they see the true aspect of reality. For this reason, the Bodhisattvas-Mahasattvas (bodhisattva-mahāsattva) are born based on the binding force of good roots, not based on the binding force of karma and afflictions. Because they are born based on the power of the mind's freedom, they manifest in the three realms (trayo dhātava) based on the power of great compassion. They manifest birth, manifest old age, manifest sickness, manifest death. But they do not have the sufferings of birth, old age, sickness, death, and other such dharmas. Because they truly see that the true nature of Suchness, the Buddha-nature, neither arises nor ceases. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------