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Question. 鈥� With his predisposition of great loving-kindness and compassion (尘补丑腻尘补迟谤墨-办补谤耻峁嚹乧颈迟迟补), the Buddha should deal exclusively with pacifying subjects (补谤补峁嘺蝉迟丑腻苍补); why does he also speak about contentious subjects (谤补峁嘺蝉迟丑腻苍a)?

Answer. 鈥� The pacifying (补谤补峁嘺蝉迟丑腻苍补) points of the doctrine are all without nature (补濒补办峁�a峁嘺), eternal (nitya), calm (艣腻苍迟补), ineffable (补惫补肠补苍墨测补). Here, the Buddha preaches on generosity (诲腻苍补) and the other [virtues], on the transitory (anitya) dharmas, suffering (诲耻岣�k丑补), emptiness (艣奴苍测补), etc. All these subjects are calm (艣腻苍迟补) and are omitted in fruitless discussions (苍颈峁�p谤补辫补帽肠补); that is why he preaches them. People of sharp faculties (迟墨办峁�n别苍诲谤颈测补) understand the Buddha鈥檚 intention, do not stir up quarrels (谤补峁嘺). People of weak faculties (尘峁沝惫颈苍诲谤颈测补) do not understand the Buddha鈥檚 intention; grasping at characteristics (苍颈尘颈迟迟补驳谤腻丑颈), attached to their own ideas (肠颈迟迟腻产丑颈苍颈惫颈峁ａ弓补), they seek to quarrel with this 笔谤补箩帽腻辫腻谤补尘颈迟腻. But since these dharmas are absolutely empty (atyanta艣奴苍测补), there is no subject to quarrel (谤补峁嘺蝉迟丑腻苍a) with there.^[1] If absolute emptiness (atyanta艣奴苍测补) could be grasped, it would not be absolute emptiness. That is why the Mah膩praj帽膩p膩ramit膩s奴tra is called a pacifying subject (a谤补峁嘺sthana), for with its twofold characteristic of existence and non-existence (bh膩v膩bh膩v补濒补办峁�a峁嘺), the 笔谤补箩帽腻辫腻谤补尘颈迟腻 is peaceful (艣腻苍迟补).

20. Furthermore, the dharmas are often arranged in other 蝉奴迟谤补蝉 into three categories: good (办耻艣补濒补), bad (a办耻艣补濒补) and non-defined (补惫测腻办峁泃补).^[2] Here the Buddha wishes to speak about the nature of dharmas which is neither good nor bad nor non-defined; that is why he preaches the Mah膩praj帽膩p膩ramit膩s奴tra. It is the same for the other categories of three dharmas: 1) dharmas of the disciples (艣补颈办峁�a), masters (a艣补颈办峁�a) and those who are neither disciples nor masters (naiva艣aik峁Ｄ伵洸咕卑灬梗a);^[3] 2) dharmas to be abandoned by seeing the truths (诲补谤艣补苍补丑别测补), dharmas to be abandoned by meditation (产丑岣�a惫补苍补丑别测补) and the Dharma which is not to be abandoned (aheya)麓;^[4] 3) visible dharmas that offer resistance (s补苍颈诲补谤艣补苍腻辫谤补迟颈驳丑补), visible dharmas that do not offer resistance (s补苍颈诲补谤艣补苍腻辫谤补迟颈驳丑补), invisible dharmas that do not offer resistance (补苍颈诲补谤艣补苍腻辫谤补迟颈驳丑补);^[5] 4) lower, middling and superior dharmas; 5) small, great, immense dharmas, etc.

Furthermore, in other 蝉奴迟谤补蝉 it is a question of the four applications of mindfulness (蝉尘峁泃测耻辫补蝉迟丑腻苍补) conforming to the teachings (诲丑补谤尘补辫补谤测腻测补) of the 艣谤腻惫补办补蝉.^[6] During this application, the 产丑颈办峁�u considers (补苍耻辫补艣测补迟颈) the thirty-six substances (dravya) of his own body (腻诲丑测腻迟尘颈办补办腻测补) and expels the sickness of attachment (谤腻驳补惫测腻诲丑颈), then he considers the body of another (产腻丑测补办腻测补) in the same way, and finally both his own body and that of another (膩dhy膩ymika产腻丑测补办腻测补). Here, in relation to the four 蝉尘峁泃测耻辫补蝉迟丑腻苍补s, the Buddha wishes to preach the 笔谤补箩帽腻辫腻谤补尘颈迟腻 by analogy^[7] (辫补谤测腻测别峁嘺). Thus he said: 鈥淚n considering his own [62c] body, the bodhisattva produces no notion of body (办腻测补蝉补峁僯帽腻), does not grasp at the body, for the body does not exist. By considering in the same way the body of another, then both his own body and the body of another, he produces no notion of body, does not grasp at the body, for the body does not exist. In the course of k膩ya蝉尘峁泃测耻辫补蝉迟丑腻苍补, he considers the body without producing the notion of body: this is very difficult to do. It is the same for the other three 蝉尘峁泃测耻辫补蝉迟丑腻苍补s, [application of mindfulness of sensation (惫别诲补苍腻), mind and dharmas].鈥� It is the same for the four correct practices (蝉补尘测补办辫谤补诲丑腻苍补), the four foundations of miraculous powers (谤诲诲丑颈辫腻诲补), the four 诲丑测腻苍补s, the four truths (satya) and all other groups of four dharmas.

Furthermore, in other 蝉奴迟谤补蝉, the Buddha spoke of the transitory nature (anitya), the suffering (诲耻岣�k丑补) nature, the empty (艣奴苍测补) nature and the non-substantial (anatmaka) nature of the five aggregates (skandha).^[8] Here he wishes to preach the Mah膩praj帽膩p膩ramit膩s奴tra in analogy with the five skandhas. Thus the Buddha said to Siu p鈥檕u t鈥檌 (厂耻产丑奴迟颈): 鈥淭he bodhisattva who attributes an eternal function (苍颈迟测补辫谤补惫峁泃迟颈) to color (谤奴辫补) is not practicing the 笔谤补箩帽腻辫腻谤补尘颈迟腻. If he attributes an eternal function to sensation (惫别诲补苍腻), to perception (蝉补峁僯帽腻), to the formations (蝉补峁僺办腻谤补) and to consciousness (惫颈箩帽腻苍补), he is not practicing the 笔谤补箩帽腻辫腻谤补尘颈迟腻. If he attributes to color a transitory function (a苍颈迟测补辫谤补惫峁泃迟颈), he is not practicing the Praj帽ap膩ramit膩. If he attributes a transitory function to sensation, perception, formation and consciousness, he is not practicing the 笔谤补箩帽腻辫腻谤补尘颈迟腻.鈥� It is the same for the five aggregates of attachment (up膩诲腻苍补skandha), the five destinies (gati), and all groups of five dharmas. It is the same for all groups of six, seven, eight or an infinite number of dharmas.

Just as the Mah膩praj帽膩p膩ramit膩 is infinite (补辫谤补尘腻峁嘺) and unlimited (ananta), so are the reasons for preaching also infinite and limitless, for such material is vast. Here we have concluded in brief (蝉补尘腻蝉补迟补岣�) the reasons for the preaching.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

The Vajracchedik膩, p. 22, expresses the same idea in different words: y膩vat Subh奴te lak峁�a峁嘺sa峁僷at…tath膩gato dra峁ａ弓avya岣�. -Tr. 鈥� O 厂耻产丑奴迟颈, where there is a seat of characteristics, there is a lie; where there is no seat of characteristics, there is no lie; that is why the Tath膩gata must be defined by the absence of characteristics.

[2]:

The distinction between good (办耻艣补濒补) and bad (a办耻艣补濒补) dharmas is frequent in the Buddhist canon. The Abidharma also distinguishes non-defined (补惫测腻办峁泃补) dharmas which are neither good nor bad. Cf. Dhammasa峁単a峁噄, p. 1; Vibha峁単a, p. 180; Nettipaka谤补峁嘺, p. 191; Milinda, p. 12. Other references in Geiger, P膩li Dhamma, p. 105鈥�113.

[3]:

Dhammasa峁単a峁噄, p. 184鈥�185; Ko艣a, VI, p. 231.

[4]:

In P膩li: dassanena pah膩tabh膩, bh膩van膩ya pah膩tabb膩, neva dassanena na bh膩van膩ya pah膩tabb膩, Dhammasa峁単a峁噄, no. 1002, 1007, 1008, p. 183鈥�183; Vibha峁単a, p. 12, 126, 97; Ko艣a, p. 78.

[5]:

Ko艣a, I, p. 51.

[6]:

The four 蝉尘峁泃测耻辫补蝉迟丑腻苍补s play an important part in the canonical scriptures: D墨gha, II, p. 290 (tr. Rh. D., II, p. 322鈥�326); Majjhima, I, p. 56, II, p. 11; Sa峁儁utta, V, p. 9, 1412; A峁単uttara, I, p. 39, 296; II, p. 256; III, p. 450, IV, p. 300, 457: idha bhikkhave k膩ye…dhammesu dhamm膩nupass墨… 鈥� Sanskrit phrase in R. Pischel, Bruchst眉cke des Sanskritkanons aus Idykutsari, SPAW, XXV, 1904, p. 1143. 鈥� Chinese versions, e.g., Tchong a han, T 26 (no. 98), k. 24, p. 582b; Tsa a han, T 99 (no. 623), K. 24, P. 174a; Tseng yi a han, T 125, k. 5, p. 568a. 鈥� The 蝉尘峁泃测耻辫补蝉迟丑腻苍补s have been studied in detail in the Abhidharma: Aung, Compendium, p. 179; Visuddhimagga, p. 239鈥�266; A p鈥檌 t鈥檃n pa kien tou louen, T 1543, k. 29, p. 905鈥�908; A p鈥檌 ta mo fatche louen, T 1544, k. 19, p. 1072鈥�1074; A p鈥檌 ta mo fa yun tsou louen, T 1537, k. 5鈥�6, p. 475鈥�479; P鈥檌 p鈥檕 cha, T 1545, k. 187鈥�192, p. 936鈥�960; Ko艣a, VI, p. 158鈥�162.

[7]:

Lamotte gives 鈥榚quivalence鈥�. Monier-Williams gives 鈥榯o approach from, to come near鈥� for the root 辫补谤测-腻-测腻.

[8]:

E.g., in Sa峁儁utta, III, p. 44: r奴pa峁� bhikkhave aniccam…me so att膩ti. Corresponding Sanskrit passage in JRAS, 1913, p. 573; in Chinese, Tsa a han, T 99 (no, 84), k. 3, p. 21c. 鈥� Other references in Rhys Davids-Stede, s.v. 蝉补峁卥丑腻谤补, in fine. 鈥� According to the Vaibh膩峁�ikas, the four aspects of the truth of suffering are: anitya, 诲耻岣�k丑补, 艣奴苍测补 and an膩tmaka (Ko艣a, VII, p. 31).

NOTE: The lengthy Sanskrit and P膩li quotations have been abbreviated for convenience, the beginning and the ending given so that they may be located.