Zhànchá shànè yèbào jīng xuányì 占察善惡業報經玄義
The Profound Meaning of the Sūtra of Divining the Karmic Retribution of Good and Evil Acts composed by 智旭 (Zhìxù, Ǒuyì 蕅益, 撰)
About the work
X370 in one fascicle is the profound-meaning prolegomenon (玄義 xuányì, the standard Tiāntái-school commentarial form) to the [[KR6i0545|Zhànchá shànè yèbào jīng 占察善惡業報經 (T839)]], composed by the late-Míng Tiāntái master 智旭 (Ǒuyì Zhìxù, 1599–1655) — one of the Four Great Masters of Late Míng Buddhism. Together with his [[KR6i0549|Yìshū 義疏 (X371)]] (sentence-by-sentence commentary) and [[KR6i0550|Xíngfǎ 行法 (X1485)]] (ritual handbook), the Xuányì forms a tripartite Tiāntái-style exposition of the Zhànchá. Zhìxù’s threefold project gave the Zhànchá its definitive Chinese-Buddhist commentarial elaboration and rescued the text from its earlier semi-apocryphal status.
Prefaces
The opening of the Xuán-yì is itself a brief preface establishing the doctrinal framework: “the three realms are mind alone; outside the mind there is no dharma. The li (理 noumenal) and shì (事 phenomenal) are integrally constituted; they are not in fact two layers. But when one is deluded, the three obstructions (tri-āvaraṇa) are vivid; when one is awakened, the three virtues (tri-guṇa) are inherent. Delusion and awakening have no inherent nature; following convention, they are provisionally named.” The preface positions the Zhàn-chá as a “raft for guiding the deluded back to awakening” (指迷歸悟之要津).
Abstract
The Xuányì expounds the Zhànchá under the standard Tiāntái fivefold prolegomenon-scheme (五重玄義 wǔchóng xuányì) inherited from 智顗 Zhìyǐ (538–597): (1) Explaining the title (釋名 shìmíng): the seven-character title 占察善惡業報經 is parsed into néngguān (能觀, “the contemplating subject”) = 占察, and suǒguān (所觀, “the contemplated object”) = 善惡業報. The contemplating subject is the yīxīn sānzhì (一心三智, “the three knowledges of one mind”), and the contemplated object is the yījìng sāndì (一境三諦, “the three truths of one realm”). (2) Manifesting the substance (顯體 xiǎntǐ): the substance of the sūtra is the yīshí jìngjiè (一實境界, “one true realm”), which is the tathāgatagarbha / one mind. (3) Clarifying the principle (明宗 míngzōng): the principle is the liǎngzhǒng guāndào (兩種觀道, “the two contemplative paths” — śamatha-vipaśyanā). (4) Determining the function (辨用 biànyòng): the function is the elimination of doubt-obstruction and the establishment of pure faith. (5) Discriminating the doctrinal classification (教相 jiàoxiàng): the Zhànchá is classified as a yuánjiào (圓教, “perfect teaching”) in the Tiāntái fivefold-doctrinal scheme.
The Xuányì is one of Zhìxù’s most accomplished prolegomena, exemplifying his integration of Tiāntái doctrinal methodology with Pure-Land and Chán practical concerns. The doctrine of the yīshí jìngjiè drawn from the parent sūtra’s second fascicle is here elaborated through the late-Míng synthetic apparatus that Zhìxù brought to all his commentarial work.
Translations and research
No standalone Western translation located. On Zhìxù’s commentarial work and his Tiāntái-Pure Land synthesis see:
- Shengyan 聖嚴. A Study of Late-Míng Buddhism 明末佛教研究. Taipei: Dongchu Publishing, 1987.
- Madsen, Richard. “Religious Renaissance and Taiwan’s Modern Middle Classes.” In Religion in Modern Taiwan, ed. Philip Clart and Charles B. Jones. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2003.