This paper deals with the "Immutability of Things (物不遷論)", the first of the four treatises of chao-lun (肇論) written by Seng-chao (僧肇), when he was working on Kumarajiva`s (鳩摩羅什) translation projects from A.D. 402 to 413. I examine the middle path of no abiding(不住) and no leaving(不遷), which is the framework of the "Immutability of Things", according to the middle path teaching of the mula-madhyamaka-karika (中論). The aim of the paper is to show that the middle path of no abiding and no leaving is the only possible proposition of the existence of things in their relation to time. Thereby it will be confirmed that the middle path of no abiding and no leaving is a synthesis of the doctrine of emptiness (sunyata 空) and the teaching of dependent arising (pratitya-sa8utp2da 緣起), the basic Buddhist tenets. The concept of emptiness is a logical extension of the doctrine of no self (anatman 無我), the fundamental teaching of the Buddha. The essential message of both concepts is that all existence in the world is neither an eternal being (有) nor a temporary non-being (無). In regard to this matter, Seng-chao investigates the distorted mind of ordinary people. So in the "Emptiness of the Unreal", the second part of chao-lun, he deals with the false views of ordinary people regarding their understanding of the existence of things in the phenomenal world and demonstrates that all things, including ourselves, are neither being nor non-being. In the "Immutability of Things" Seng-chao`s argument then delves further into the teaching of dependent arising. To demonstrate this basic idea of Buddhism, he refutes the common thought that things are changing over the course of time. On the contrary, he argues, the past thing abides in the past and does enter into the present, while the present thing belongs to the present and does not recede into the past. Regarding a thing from the past, we may say that it arose in a past moment in relation to its present existence. A thing of the past cannot exist alone separated from a past moment or from the presence of a present thing. The same thing can be said of a thing in the present. It cannot exist on its own, outside of the present moment or its relationship to its future existence. What we think of as a thing is, in fact, in a flux of continuous change from one moment to another moment. What actually exists is a succession of each thing at each moment. Thereby each thing belongs to its own time and does not change. The things of the phenomenal world neither abide nor do they leave. In the chao-lun we can see that Seng-chao`s argument is in accordance with Buddha`s teaching of no self and dependent arising as well as the emptiness concept of Nagarjuna (龍樹). With this confirmation, we can refute the argument that mahajana Buddhism has deviated from the Buddha`s original teaching, supported by Rahula`s denial of such claim (W. Rahula, 55). Seng-chao`s writings, known to be the first indigenous philosophical works of Chinese Buddhism, are the cornerstone of native Chinese schools such as three-treatise school (三論宗), tien-tai (天台) and hua-yen (華嚴).
目次
Abstract 165 Ⅰ. Introduction 166 Ⅱ. Emptiness through the Middle Path of No Being and No Non-being 168 Ⅲ. Seng-chao's Critique of Emptiness Schools and the Middle Path of Twofold Truth 172 Ⅳ. Dependent Arising through the Middle Path of No Abiding and No Leaving 175 V. Conclusion 182 Glossary 184 Abbreviation 185 References 185
