The Related Discourses
3. Dependent Origination
| （二九三）度疑 | 3.11 (293). Beyond Doubt |
|---|---|
| 如是我聞： 一時，佛住王舍城、迦蘭陀竹園。 | 1. Thus I have heard:1 One time, the Buddha was staying at the Squirrels’ Bamboo Grove of Rājagṛha. |
| 爾時，世尊告異比丘： 「『我已度疑，離於猶豫，拔邪見刺，不復退轉。 心無所著故，何處有我？』 為彼比丘說法。 為彼比丘說賢聖、出世空相應緣起隨順法。 所謂『有是故是事有，是事有故是事起』。 所謂『緣無明行。 緣行識。 緣識名色。 緣名色六入處。 緣六入處觸。 緣觸受。 緣受愛。 緣愛取。 緣取有。 緣有生。 緣生老、死、憂、悲、惱、苦。 如是如是純大苦聚集⋯乃至⋯ 如是純大苦聚滅。』 | 2. It was then that the Bhagavān addressed a certain monk, “‘Having gone beyond doubt, I’m free of hesitation, have pulled out the thorn of false views, and I won’t be going back to that again. Since my mind is attached to nothing, where would there be an “I”?’2 I teach the Dharma for that monk [who says this]. I teach that monk according to the Dharma of dependent origination that’s related to the noble and supermundane emptiness. That is to say: ‘This thing exists because there is this, and this thing arises because this thing exists.’ That is to say, ‘Action is conditioned by ignorance. Awareness is conditioned by action. Name and form are conditioned by awareness. The six sense fields are conditioned by name and form. Contact is conditioned by the six sense fields. Feeling is conditioned by contact. Craving is conditioned by feeling. Clinging is conditioned by craving. Existence is conditioned by clinging. Birth is conditioned by existence. Old age, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, and trouble are conditioned by birth. Thus, the whole mass of suffering forms in this way … up to … The whole mass of suffering ceases in this way.’” |
| 「如是說法，而彼比丘猶有疑惑、猶豫。 先不得得想、不獲獲想、不證證想。 今聞法已，心生憂苦、悔恨、矇沒、障礙。 所以者何？ 此甚深處，所謂緣起。 倍復甚深難見，所謂一切取離、愛盡、無欲、寂滅、涅槃。 | 3. “I teach the Dharma in this way, but then that monk has doubts and hesitations. Beforehand, he had the idea of attaining what he hadn’t attained, achieving what he hadn’t achieved, and realizing what he hadn’t realized. Now that he has heard the Dharma, he becomes unhappy, bitter, scarce, and blocked. Why is that? This is a deep standpoint, which is to say that of dependent origination. It’s twice again as profound and hard to see; that is, to part with all grasping, end craving, have no desire, be peacefully ceased, and nirvāṇa-d. |
| 「如此二法，謂有為、無為。 有為者若生、若住、若異、若滅。 無為者不生、不住、不異、不滅。 是名比丘諸行苦寂滅涅槃。 | 4. “Now, there are two things, namely the created and the uncreated. The created might be arising, remaining, changing, or ceasing. The uncreated doesn’t arise, doesn’t remain, doesn’t change, and doesn’t cease. This is called the peaceful cessation and nirvāṇa of a monk’s actions and suffering. |
| 「因集故苦集，因滅故苦滅。 斷諸逕路，滅於相續。 相續滅，是名苦邊。 | 5. “Suffering forms because of the formation of its causes, and suffering ceases because of the cessation of its causes. All pathways are cut, and continuity ceases. When continuity ceases, this is called the limit of suffering. |
| 「比丘，彼何所滅？ 謂有餘苦。 彼若滅、止、清涼、息、沒，所謂一切取滅、愛盡、無欲、寂滅、涅槃。」 | 6. “Monks, what is it that ceases? It’s the remaining suffering. If it ceases, stops, cools, subsides, and disappears, that is called the ceasing of all grasping, the ending of craving, having no desire, peaceful cessation, and nirvāṇa.” |
| 佛說此經已，諸比丘聞佛所說歡喜，奉行。 | 7. After the Buddha spoke this sūtra, the monks who heard what the Buddha taught rejoiced and approved. |
Notes
This is sūtra no. 293 in the Taisho edition and no. 474 in Yinshun (T99.2.83c1-22, Y30.25a11-6a7). This sūtra is partially parallel with SF160, but that text appears to be damaged or abbreviated. The main significance of this sūtra is its mention of a “teaching of dependent origination related to the noble and supermundane emptiness.” This echoes the equation of dependent origination as emptiness in some Mahāyāna sources. The idea that a monk would be dejected and doubtful after hearing such a teaching is also mentioned in Prajñāpāramitā texts. We can surmise from the existence of this text that these themes may not have been invented by Mahāyāna authors. [back]
‘Having gone beyond doubt … where would there be an “I”?’ This initial statement is confusing mainly because it could be punctuated in differ ways: Does the question end with 何處有我 as Yinshun reads it, or does it end with 為彼比丘說法 as CBETA has punctuated the sentence? I’ve followed Yinshun’s suggestion.
There is also the natural inclination to read this initial statement as the Buddha speaking about himself, but I think actually it is a hypothetical statement by a monk who has reached the point of certainty in his practice. Such a monk is then taught the advanced teaching of dependent origination. I’ve therefore added quotation marks to indicate this reading.
If we were to read the passage as the Buddha speaking of himself, then it would mean this: “Having gone beyond doubt, I’m free of hesitation, have pulled out the thorn of false views, and I won’t be going back to that again.^Since my mind is attached to nothing, where would there be an ‘I’? I teach this Dharma for that monk. I teach that monk according to the Dharma ….”
The awkwardness of this reading is that “that monk” hasn’t been introduced yet. The next paragraph also makes better sense if the monk began with complete certainty but then has doubts after receiving the advanced teaching.
This is definitely a difficult passage to interpret given that C. translations sometimes didn’t indicate hypothetical quotations, which leaves us guessing at times if we have no Indic parallel to check them against, as is the case here. [back]
Translator: Dōgen Sīṁsāpa (draft) and Charles Patton (editor)
Last Revised: 5 October 2025
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