大乘“三系判教”与如来藏系经典的地位新论

A New Understanding of the “Three Categories of Buddha's Teaching”of Mahayana and the Role of Tathagatagarbha Sutras

支那内学院师生将如来藏经典看作独立一系,以彰显唯识学说之纯正。在这一学派看来,印度佛学的两大系统——空、有二宗之思想是可信的,但中国所传的本觉思想是中土误传,而受此影响而成的台、贤、禅宗等当然是错上加错了。太虚大师之所以力倡"大乘佛教三系"说,就是为了反对内学院的主张,并且为如来藏思想及其在中土的传承与发展建立合法化的理由。印顺法师则独辟蹊径,赞同印度"大乘佛教三系"的判教,但却仅仅说"性空论"为了义,对于如来藏思想其实是取了温和的批评态度。其实,如来藏经典、如来藏思想并非可单独地立为一个与中观学、唯识学并立的独立系统。欲为受如来藏思想深厚影响的中国化佛教诸宗的心性思想辩护,也不一定非从三系来立论。如来藏思想是在中观思想日益成熟的情况下,将小乘"心性本净"说与大乘佛陀观相结合而形成的。在瑜伽行派出现以后,如来藏思想便逐渐被唯识学所吸收,失去了独立的地位。

To highlight the purity of the doctrine of Vijbanavada,the scholars from China's Institute of Buddhism treat Tathagatagarbha as an independent category,stressing that while Madhyamika and Vijbanavada of Mahayana in Indian Buddhism are reliable,the doctrine of the 'innate enlightenment'spread in China results from misinformation,and Tiantai,Huayan and Zen Buddhism influenced by this doctrine are definitely wrong. To oppose such opinion,Tai-xu strongly advocates the'three categories of Buddha's teaching'to justify Tathagatagarbha and its spread and development in China. On the contrary,Yin-shun moderately criticizes Tathagatagarbha by claiming that only Madhyamika is ultimate truth in spite of his acceptance of the 'three categories of Buddha's teaching'. However,it is not necessary to start from the 'three categories'to defend the doctrines of mind-heart and nature in Chinese Buddhism which has been deeply impacted by Tathagatagarbha. In fact,Tathagatagarbha is not a category independent from Madhyamika and Vijbanavada. Tathagatagarbha came into being by combining the theory of the 'original purity of mind-heart and nature'in Hinayana and the doctrine on Buddha in Mahayana when Madhyamika was approaching its maturity. Since the arising of Yogacara,Tathagatagarbha gradually lost its independence with its vanishing into Vijbanavada.