The Characteristics of All Dharmas
This chapter gives the sūtra's concise teaching of the Three Natures: the discriminated, attached-to characteristic, the dependent characteristic, and the perfectly accomplished characteristic.
Root of Virtue's Question 德本菩薩問
爾時，德本菩薩摩訶薩白佛言：「世尊！如世尊說：『於諸法相善巧菩薩。』於諸法相善巧菩薩者，齊何名為於諸法相善巧菩薩？如來齊何施設彼，為於諸法相善巧菩薩？」說是語已。
爾時，世尊告德本菩薩曰：「善哉！德本！汝今乃能請問如來如是深義；汝今為欲利益安樂無量眾生，哀愍世間、及諸天、人、阿素洛等；為令獲得義利安樂故，發斯問。汝應諦聽，吾當為汝說諸法相。
At that time, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Root of Virtue said to the Buddha, "World-Honored One, the World-Honored One has spoken of 'bodhisattvas skilled in the characteristics of dharmas.' What makes someone a bodhisattva skilled in the characteristics of dharmas? On what basis does the Tathāgata designate someone as a bodhisattva skilled in the characteristics of dharmas?"
When he had said this, the World-Honored One told Bodhisattva Root of Virtue, "Good, Root of Virtue. You are now able to ask the Tathāgata about such a profound meaning. You have raised this question wishing to benefit and bring happiness to immeasurable sentient beings, out of compassion for the world and for devas, humans, asuras, and others, so that they may obtain benefit, welfare, and happiness. Listen carefully. I will explain to you the characteristics of dharmas."
The Three Characteristics 三相
「謂諸法相略有三種，何等為三？一者、遍計所執相；二者、依他起相；三者、圓成實相。云何諸法遍計所執相？謂一切法名假安立自性差別，乃至為令隨起言說。云何諸法依他起相？謂一切法緣生自性，則此有故彼有，此生故彼生，謂無明緣行，乃至招集純大苦蘊。云何諸法圓成實相？謂一切法平等真如。於此真如，諸菩薩眾勇猛精進為因緣故，如理作意，無倒思惟為因緣故，乃能通達。於此通達，漸漸修集，乃至無上正等菩提方證圓滿。
"The characteristics of dharmas, in brief, are of three kinds. What are the three? First, the discriminated, attached-to characteristic. Second, the dependent characteristic. Third, the perfectly accomplished characteristic.
"What is the discriminated, attached-to characteristic of dharmas? It is the names of all dharmas, provisionally established as their own natures and differences, up to and including what causes language to arise accordingly.
"What is the dependent characteristic of dharmas? It is the own-nature of all dharmas as arising from conditions: because this exists, that exists; because this arises, that arises. That is, conditioned by ignorance there are formations, and so on, up to the gathering of the whole great mass of suffering.
"What is the perfectly accomplished characteristic of dharmas? It is the equal suchness of all dharmas. With regard to this suchness, bodhisattvas are able to penetrate it only when fierce diligence serves as a condition, attention according to the principle serves as a condition, and non-inverted thinking serves as a condition. Having penetrated it, they gradually cultivate and gather it until, at unsurpassed, complete, perfect awakening, they finally realize its fulfillment."
Reading note: The vocabulary here is the scriptural root of the later Yogācāra "Three Natures" system. In this chapter, the Chinese says 相, "characteristic"; in later treatises, the same structure is often discussed as 性, "nature." The translation keeps "characteristic" here while aligning the terms with the site's established Three Natures glossary.
The Eye Disease Analogy 眩瞖譬喻
「善男子！如眩瞖人眼中所有眩瞖過患，遍計所執相當知亦爾。如眩瞖人眩瞖眾相：或髮毛、輪、蜂蠅、巨勝，或復青、黃、赤、白等相差別現前；依他起相當知亦爾。如淨眼人遠離眼中眩瞖過患，即此淨眼本性所行無亂境界；圓成實相當知亦爾。
"Good son, it is like the fault of eye disease in the eye of someone with distorted vision. You should understand the discriminated, attached-to characteristic in the same way.
"It is like the many appearances produced by eye disease in someone with distorted vision: hairs, strands, wheels, bees, flies, sesame seeds, or again the different appearances of blue, yellow, red, white, and so on appearing before them. You should understand the dependent characteristic in the same way.
"It is like a person with clear eyes, free from the fault of eye disease in the eye: the undistorted object-field that is the natural sphere of those clear eyes. You should understand the perfectly accomplished characteristic in the same way."
The Crystal Analogy 頗胝迦寶譬喻
「善男子！譬如清淨頗胝迦寶，若與青染色合，則似帝青、大青、末尼寶像；由邪執取帝青、大青、末尼寶故，惑亂有情。若與赤染色合，則似琥珀末尼寶像；由邪執取琥珀末尼寶故，惑亂有情。若與綠染色合，則似末羅羯多末尼寶像；由邪執取末羅羯多末尼寶故，惑亂有情。若與黃染色合，則似金像；由邪執取真金像故，惑亂有情。
「如是，德本！如彼清淨頗胝迦上，所有染色相應；依他起相上，遍計所執相言說習氣，當知亦爾。如彼清淨頗胝迦上，所有帝青、大青、琥珀、末羅羯多、金等邪執；依他起相上遍計所執相執，當知亦爾。如彼清淨頗胝迦寶；依他起相，當知亦爾。如彼清淨頗胝迦上，所有帝青、大青、琥珀、末羅羯多、真金等相，於常常時，於恒恒時，無有真實、無自性性，即依他起相上，由遍計所執相，於常常時、於恒恒時，無有真實、無自性性；圓成實相，當知亦爾。
"Good son, it is like a pure crystal jewel. If it is combined with a blue dye-color, it appears like the image of an indranīla, a great blue jewel, a maṇi jewel. Because beings wrongly grasp it as an indranīla, a great blue jewel, a maṇi jewel, they are confused and disturbed. If it is combined with a red dye-color, it appears like the image of an amber maṇi jewel. Because beings wrongly grasp it as an amber maṇi jewel, they are confused and disturbed. If it is combined with a green dye-color, it appears like the image of an emerald maṇi jewel. Because beings wrongly grasp it as an emerald maṇi jewel, they are confused and disturbed. If it is combined with a yellow dye-color, it appears like the image of gold. Because beings wrongly grasp it as the image of true gold, they are confused and disturbed.
"In this way, Root of Virtue, just as those dye-colors are associated with the pure crystal, so too should you understand the habitual tendencies of language belonging to the discriminated, attached-to characteristic upon the dependent characteristic. Just as there is wrong grasping on that pure crystal as indranīla, great blue jewel, amber, emerald, gold, and the like, so too should you understand grasping at the discriminated, attached-to characteristic upon the dependent characteristic.
"Just as there is the pure crystal jewel itself, so too should you understand the dependent characteristic. Just as, upon that pure crystal, the characteristics of indranīla, great blue jewel, amber, emerald, true gold, and the like are, always and ever, constantly and continually, without reality and without their own nature, so too upon the dependent characteristic, because of the discriminated, attached-to characteristic, there is, always and ever, constantly and continually, no reality and no own-nature. You should understand the perfectly accomplished characteristic in this way."
How the Three Are Known 三相可了知
「復次，德本！相名相應以為緣故，遍計所執相而可了知；依他起相上，遍計所執相執以為緣故，依他起相而可了知；依他起相上，遍計所執相無執以為緣故，圓成實相而可了知。
「善男子！若諸菩薩能於諸法依他起相上，如實了知遍計所執相，即能如實了知一切無相之法；若諸菩薩如實了知依他起相，即能如實了知一切雜染相法；若諸菩薩如實了知圓成實相，即能如實了知一切清淨相法。
「善男子！若諸菩薩能於依他起相上，如實了知無相之法，即能斷滅雜染相法；若能斷滅雜染相法，即能證得清淨相法。
「如是，德本！由諸菩薩如實了知遍計所執相、依他起相、圓成實相故；如實了知諸無相法、雜染相法、清淨相法；如實了知無相法故，斷滅一切雜染相法，斷滅一切染相法故，證得一切清淨相法。齊此名為於諸法相善巧菩薩；如來齊此施設彼為於諸法相善巧菩薩。」
"Furthermore, Root of Virtue, because the association of characteristic and name serves as a condition, the discriminated, attached-to characteristic can be known. Because grasping at the discriminated, attached-to characteristic upon the dependent characteristic serves as a condition, the dependent characteristic can be known. Because non-grasping at the discriminated, attached-to characteristic upon the dependent characteristic serves as a condition, the perfectly accomplished characteristic can be known.
"Good son, if bodhisattvas are able, upon the dependent characteristic of dharmas, to know the discriminated, attached-to characteristic exactly as it is, then they are able to know all dharmas without characteristics exactly as they are. If bodhisattvas know the dependent characteristic exactly as it is, then they are able to know all dharmas with the characteristic of defilement exactly as they are. If bodhisattvas know the perfectly accomplished characteristic exactly as it is, then they are able to know all dharmas with the characteristic of purity exactly as they are.
"Good son, if bodhisattvas are able, upon the dependent characteristic, to know dharmas without characteristics exactly as they are, then they are able to cut off and extinguish dharmas with the characteristic of defilement. If they are able to cut off and extinguish dharmas with the characteristic of defilement, then they are able to realize dharmas with the characteristic of purity.
"In this way, Root of Virtue, because bodhisattvas know exactly as they are the discriminated, attached-to characteristic, the dependent characteristic, and the perfectly accomplished characteristic, they know exactly as they are dharmas without characteristics, dharmas with the characteristic of defilement, and dharmas with the characteristic of purity. Because they know dharmas without characteristics exactly as they are, they cut off and extinguish all dharmas with the characteristic of defilement. Because they cut off and extinguish all dharmas with defiled characteristics, they realize all dharmas with the characteristic of purity. Only this is called being a bodhisattva skilled in the characteristics of dharmas. Only on this basis does the Tathāgata designate such a one as a bodhisattva skilled in the characteristics of dharmas."
Verse Summary
爾時，世尊欲重宣此義，而說頌曰：
若不了知無相法，雜染相法不能斷；
不斷雜染相法故，壞證微妙淨相法。
不觀諸行眾過失，放逸過失害眾生；
懈怠住法動法中，無有失壞可憐愍。
Then the World-Honored One, wishing to restate this meaning, spoke these verses:
If one does not understand dharmas without characteristics,
dharmas with the characteristic of defilement cannot be cut off.
Because dharmas with the characteristic of defilement are not cut off,
one ruins the realization of subtle, wondrous dharmas with the characteristic of purity.
Not contemplating the many faults of conditioned phenomena,
the fault of heedlessness harms sentient beings.
Indolent, abiding in dharmas that move and change,
they have no loss or ruin to pity.
Next
Chapter 5 explains the three naturelessnesses, the hidden intent behind the Buddha's teaching that all dharmas lack their own nature.
Continue to chapter 5 →