Chinese
果耶。余曰。必欲修习教法未周。若不善余一家宗途。未可委究行门始末。安能遍括教行事理惑智因果依正心法。用为凡夫初心观首。然子所领似虚其情。计子观道犹为罔象。 客曰。观道者何。仁师谁耶。法依何耶。余曰。子岂不闻。天台大师灵山亲承。大苏妙悟。是余师也。摩诃止观所承法也。以二十五法为前方便。十法成乘观于十境。十境互发观时进否。此观道之大略也。诸问且令识十乘初妙境而已。余乘诸境不暇论之。客曰。善哉。仆当慕之。以为永劫之仗托也。 客曰。屡闻讲说。大乘诸师犹以无情佛性。为一别见何耶。余曰。此有由也。斯等曾睹小乘无情之名。又见大乘佛性之语。亡其所弘融通之谭。而弃涅槃虚空之喻。不达修性三因离合。不思生佛无差之旨。谬敩传习无情之言。反难己宗唯心之教。专引涅槃瓦石之说。不测时部出没之意。如福德子而无寿命。弱丧徒归○犹迷本族。如受贵位不识祖宗。亦如死人而着璎珞。用是福为用璎珞为。法相徒施全迷其本。忽遇斯等应以如上诸意问之所弘之典大小乘耶。尚失小乘已如前说。 客曰。斯失者众。闻仁所宗四教释义可得闻耶。余曰。此之四释关涉五时牢笼八教。十方三世大小乘法咸摄其中。岂可率尔谭其始末。 客曰。若尔 现代汉语译本： 我问：‘你一定要修习教法，但还没有完全了解。如果不熟悉我这一家的宗途，就无法彻底了解修行的始末。又怎能全面概括教、行、事、理、惑、智、因、果、依、正、心法，用作凡夫初学者的入门观行？我看你所理解的似乎很空虚，我认为你的观道还很模糊。’ 客人问：‘什么是观道？您的老师是谁？您所依据的法是什么？’我回答：‘你难道没听说过天台大师在灵山亲身承受佛法，大苏轼妙悟佛理吗？他们是我的老师。我所承袭的法是《摩诃止观》。以二十五种方便法作为前行准备，用十种方法成就乘，观照十种境界。十种境界互相引发，观察修行时是进步还是退步。这是观道的大概内容。现在只让你了解十乘观法最初的微妙境界。其余乘的各种境界，没有时间讨论。’客人说：‘太好了！我应当仰慕它，把它作为永恒的依靠。’ 客人问：‘我多次听到讲说，大乘的各位法师仍然把‘无情佛性’作为一种特别的见解，这是为什么呢？’我回答：‘这其中是有原因的。这些人曾经见过小乘中‘无情’的说法，又见到大乘中‘佛性’的说法，却忘记了他们所弘扬的融通之说，抛弃了《涅槃经》中用虚空来比喻佛性的说法，不明白修性、实性、了因三因的离合关系，不思考众生与佛没有差别的道理，错误地效仿传习‘无情’的说法，反而责难自己宗派的唯心之教，专门引用《涅槃经》中瓦石没有佛性的说法，不了解佛经在不同时期出现和隐没的意义。就像福德之子却没有寿命，衰弱而迷失，仍然迷失于本族；又像接受了高贵地位却不认识祖宗，也像死人却佩戴着珍贵的璎珞。用福德就像用璎珞一样，法相徒有其表，完全迷惑了根本。如果遇到这些人，应该用以上这些道理来问他：他所弘扬的经典是大乘还是小乘？如果他已经像前面所说的那样不了解小乘，那就更不用说了。’ 客人问：‘犯这种错误的人很多。我可以听您讲讲您所宗奉的天台四教的释义吗？’我回答：‘这四种教义的解释，关系到佛陀的五时说法，涵盖了八教，十方三世的大小乘佛法都包含在其中。怎么可以随便谈论它的始末呢？’ 客人问：‘如果这样的话……’
English
English version: I asked: 'You must practice the teachings, but you have not fully understood them yet. If you are not familiar with the tenets of my school, you cannot thoroughly understand the beginning and end of practice. How can you comprehensively encompass the teachings, practice, actions, principles, delusions, wisdom, causes, effects, support, correctness, and mind-dharmas, and use them as an entry point for ordinary beginners? It seems to me that what you understand is quite superficial, and I think your understanding of the path of contemplation is still very vague.' The guest asked: 'What is the path of contemplation? Who is your teacher? What is the Dharma you rely on?' I replied: 'Have you not heard that the Tiantai Master personally received the Dharma at Vulture Peak, and Su Shi (Da Su) had a profound enlightenment? They are my teachers. The Dharma I inherit is the 'Mahayana Samatha-Vipassana' (Mohe Zhiguan). It uses the twenty-five preparatory practices as preliminary preparation, uses ten methods to accomplish the vehicle, and contemplates the ten objects. The ten objects mutually trigger each other, and one observes whether progress or regress is made during practice. This is a general outline of the path of contemplation. Now I will only let you understand the initial subtle realm of the ten vehicles of contemplation. There is no time to discuss the various realms of the other vehicles.' The guest said: 'Excellent! I should admire it and take it as an eternal reliance.' The guest asked: 'I have heard many lectures, and the Mahayana masters still regard 'insentient Buddha-nature' as a special view. Why is that?' I replied: 'There is a reason for this. These people have seen the term 'insentient' in the Hinayana teachings, and they have also seen the term 'Buddha-nature' in the Mahayana teachings, but they have forgotten the syncretic teachings they promote, and abandoned the analogy of emptiness in the 'Nirvana Sutra'. They do not understand the separation and combination of the three causes of cultivation-nature, real-nature, and causal-cause, and they do not think about the principle that sentient beings and Buddhas are not different. They mistakenly imitate and transmit the saying of 'insentient', and instead criticize the Mind-Only teachings of their own school, and specifically cite the saying of tiles and stones in the 'Nirvana Sutra', and do not understand the meaning of the appearance and disappearance of the sutras in different periods. It is like a son of merit without longevity, weak and lost, still lost in his own clan; it is also like receiving a noble position but not knowing his ancestors, or like a dead person wearing precious jewelry. Using merit is like using jewelry, the Dharma-characteristics are only superficial, and the root is completely confused. If you encounter these people, you should use the above principles to ask him: Is the scripture he promotes Mahayana or Hinayana? If he already does not understand Hinayana as mentioned before, then it goes without saying.' The guest asked: 'There are many people who make this mistake. Can I hear you talk about the interpretation of the four teachings of Tiantai that you uphold?' I replied: 'The explanation of these four teachings is related to the Buddha's five periods of teaching, and encompasses the eight teachings. The Mahayana and Hinayana Buddhadharma of the ten directions and three times are all contained within it. How can I casually talk about its beginning and end?' The guest asked: 'If that's the case...' --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
可能以四教。略判佛性无情有无心造心变具不具耶。余曰。略示方隅斯亦可矣。何者自法华前藏通三乘俱未禀性。二乘惮教。菩萨不行。别人初心教权理实。以教权故所禀未周。故此七人可云无情不云有性。圆人始末知理不二。心外无境谁情无情。法华会中一切不隔。草木与地四微何殊。举足修途皆趣宝渚。弹指合掌咸成佛因。与一许三无乖先志。岂至今日云无情无言心造心变咸出大宗。小乘有言而无其理。然诸乘中其名虽同义亦少别。有共造依报各造正报。有共造正报各造依报。众生迷故或谓自然梵天等造。造已或谓情与无情。故造名犹通。应云心变。心变复通。应云体具。以无始来心体本遍。故佛体遍由生性遍。遍有二种。一宽广遍。二即狭遍所以造通于四。变义唯二。即具唯圆。及别后位。故藏通造六。别圆造十。此六及十括大小乘教法罄尽。由观解异故十与六各分二别。藏见六实。通见无生。别见前后生灭。圆见事理一念具足。论生两教似等。明具别教不诠。种具等义非此可述。故别佛性灭九方见。圆人即达九界三道。即见圆伊三德体遍。 客曰。如何能摄依正因果。余曰一家所立不思议境于一念中理具三千。故曰念中具有因果凡圣大小依正自他。故所变处无非三千。而此三千性是中理。不当有无有无 现代汉语译本： 客人问：‘佛性是否可以通过天台四教来略作判别？比如，无情之物是否有佛性？心造还是心变？具足还是不具足？’ 我回答说：‘略微指示方向是可以的。’为什么这么说呢？因为在《法华经》之前，藏教、通教、三乘（声闻乘、缘觉乘、菩萨乘）都没有禀受佛性。二乘人畏惧教法，菩萨不实行。别教的初心，教是权巧，理是真实。因为教是权巧，所以所禀受的并不周全。因此，这七种人可以说没有情识，不能说具有佛性。圆教的人从始至终都知道理体不二，心外没有境界，哪里有什么有情无情？在《法华经》的法会上，一切都没有隔阂，草木和土地，四大微尘有什么区别？举足行走都是通往宝渚的道路，弹指合掌都能成就成佛的因缘。与一佛乘和允许三乘并行不违背先前的意愿。难道到了今天还要说无情，无言，心造，心变吗？这些都出自大乘宗义。小乘有言说而没有其中的道理。然而在各乘教法中，名称虽然相同，意义却略有差别。有共同创造依报，各自创造正报；有共同创造正报，各自创造依报。众生迷惑，所以或者认为是自然或梵天等创造的。创造之后，或者认为是情与无情。所以‘造’这个名称仍然是通用的，应该说是‘心变’。‘心变’也仍然是通用的，应该说是‘体具’。因为从无始以来，心体本来就是周遍的。所以佛的体性周遍，是因为众生的性也周遍。周遍有两种，一是宽广的周遍，二是即狭小的周遍。所以‘造’通于四教，‘变’的意义只有二教，‘即具’只有圆教以及别教的后位。所以藏教和通教说‘造’六道，别教和圆教说‘造’十法界。这六道和十法界包括了大小乘的教法，全部穷尽。由于观解不同，所以十法界和六道各自又分为两种差别。藏教见六道是真实的，通教见无生，别教见前后生灭，圆教见事理在一念中具足。从生灭的角度来说，两教相似，但从具足的角度来说，别教没有诠释，种性具足等的意义不是这里可以叙述的。所以别教的佛性灭九界才能见到，圆教的人当下就能通达九界三道，当下就能见到圆满的伊字三德体性周遍。 客人问：‘如何能够总摄依报、正报、因、果呢？’ 我回答说：‘天台一家所建立的不可思议境界，在一念之中，理体具足三千法。’所以说，‘一念之中具有因果、凡圣、大小、依报、正报、自他。’所以所变现之处，无非是三千法。而这三千法的体性是中道之理，不应当执着于有或无，有无。
English
English version: Guest: 'Can the Buddhahood be roughly distinguished by the Four Teachings of Tiantai? For example, do inanimate objects have Buddhahood? Is it created by the mind or transformed by the mind? Is it fully endowed or not?' I replied: 'Giving a brief indication of the direction is possible.' Why do I say this? Because before the *Lotus Sutra*, the Tripitaka Teaching, the Shared Teaching, and the Three Vehicles (Śrāvakayāna, Pratyekabuddhayāna, and Bodhisattvayāna) had not received the nature. The Two Vehicles feared the teachings, and Bodhisattvas did not practice them. In the initial intention of the Distinct Teaching, the teaching is provisional, and the principle is real. Because the teaching is provisional, what is received is not complete. Therefore, these seven types of people can be said to be without sentience and cannot be said to have Buddhahood. People of the Perfect Teaching know from beginning to end that principle and reality are not two. There is no realm outside the mind, so where is there sentient or insentient? In the assembly of the *Lotus Sutra*, everything is without separation. What is the difference between grass, trees, land, and the four subtle elements? Lifting the foot and walking are all paths to the treasure shore. Snapping the fingers and joining the palms all become causes for attaining Buddhahood. Accordance with the One Vehicle and permission for the Three Vehicles to coexist do not contradict the previous intentions. How can we say today that there is no sentience, no speech, creation by the mind, or transformation by the mind? These all come from the Great Vehicle doctrines. The Small Vehicle has speech but does not have the principle within it. However, in the various Vehicle teachings, although the names are the same, the meanings are slightly different. There are those who jointly create the circumstantial rewards and each create the direct rewards; there are those who jointly create the direct rewards and each create the circumstantial rewards. Beings are deluded, so they either think that it is created by nature or Brahmā, etc. After creation, they either think that it is sentient or insentient. Therefore, the name 'creation' is still common. It should be said 'transformation by the mind.' 'Transformation by the mind' is also still common. It should be said 'fully endowed by the substance.' Because from beginningless time, the substance of the mind is originally pervasive. Therefore, the Buddha's substance is pervasive because the nature of beings is also pervasive. There are two types of pervasiveness: one is broad pervasiveness, and the other is immediate narrow pervasiveness. Therefore, 'creation' is common to the Four Teachings, the meaning of 'transformation' is only in Two Teachings, and 'immediate endowment' is only in the Perfect Teaching and the later stages of the Distinct Teaching. Therefore, the Tripitaka Teaching and the Shared Teaching say 'creation' of the six realms, and the Distinct Teaching and the Perfect Teaching say 'creation' of the ten Dharma realms. These six realms and ten Dharma realms include the teachings of the Small and Great Vehicles, completely exhausting them. Because of different views and understandings, the ten Dharma realms and six realms are each divided into two differences. The Tripitaka Teaching sees the six realms as real, the Shared Teaching sees no birth, the Distinct Teaching sees before and after arising and ceasing, and the Perfect Teaching sees that principle and reality are fully endowed in one thought. From the perspective of arising and ceasing, the two teachings are similar, but from the perspective of full endowment, the Distinct Teaching does not explain it, and the meaning of seed endowment, etc., cannot be described here. Therefore, the Buddhahood of the Distinct Teaching can only be seen by extinguishing the nine realms, and people of the Perfect Teaching can immediately understand the three paths of the nine realms, and immediately see the pervasive substance of the perfect three virtues of the *Ī* character. Guest: 'How can one comprehensively include the circumstantial rewards, the direct rewards, cause, and effect?' I replied: 'The inconceivable realm established by the Tiantai school, in one thought, the principle fully possesses three thousand dharmas.' Therefore, it is said, 'In one thought, there are cause and effect, ordinary and sage, small and large, circumstantial rewards, direct rewards, self and other.' Therefore, the place that is transformed is none other than the three thousand dharmas. And the nature of these three thousand dharmas is the principle of the Middle Way, and one should not be attached to existence or non-existence, existence and non-existence. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------