圆瑛大师答性觉、本觉、究竟觉等诸觉之异同

省斋居士慧鉴：

沪上晤别，弹指月余。昨得华函，知在觉园听讲《金刚般若经》，定必悟诸相之非相，明无住之真住矣。所询性觉、本觉、究竟觉，略答如下：

诸觉之名虽异，实同一觉，但随迷悟安立而已。性觉、本觉，在迷之称。始觉，方悟之谓。究竟觉，乃悟证彻底穷源之号。

Although the names of the various forms of enlightenment differ, they refer in actuality to the same act of being awakened. They are named differently because it all depends on whether one is in a state of illusion or awakening. ‘Innate enlightenment’ or ‘fundamental enlightenment’ are the names used when one is in a state of illusion, and ‘initial enlightenment ‘ is the expression employed when one has just begun to actualize awakening, whereas ‘absolute enlightenment’ is the term to describe one who has achieved complete and ultimate awakening.

■ 性觉者：即众生具有之觉，不变谓之性。虽在迷位，其性不变，寂然灵知，有感则通。

Innate enlightenment is the awakening inherent in all sentient beings, so called ‘innate’ because it is unchanging. It is immutable in nature although one is in a state of illusion, being tranquil, transcendently insightful, and penetrative once it has been activated.

■ 本觉者：众生本来之觉性，以元具谓之本，由在迷位。由来不失，天真本具，亘古如斯。

Fundamental enlightenment is the nature of awakening that all sentient beings possess originally, so called ‘fundamental’ because one is born with it. Despite being in state of illusion, one has never lost it for it is forever unadulterated and inherently present.

■ 始觉者：即众生由迷启悟，初起之觉性，由无明妄动以来，迷成不觉。今者或阅如来经教，或善知识开导，忽悟本有之觉性，了知众生本来是佛，昔未曾觉，今日方觉，故曰始觉。

Initial enlightenment is the nature of awakening sentient beings begin to actualize while still in the state of illusion. Due to the impulsiveness caused by ignorance, one becomes illusioned and is therefore unawakened. Now that one has read the Tathagata’s teachings in the scriptures or received the counsel of wholesome spiritual friends, and come to the sudden realization of the nature of awakening one originally possesses, one recognizes sentient beings are fundamentally no different from the Buddhas. It is because one has never realized this previously, and has only just realized it now that it is so called ‘initial enlightenment’.

本觉如醒人，不觉如睡人，始觉如梦醒，从梦醒者即本醒人，并非二人也。究竟觉者：以始觉有功，渐渐返迷归悟，觉至心源，觉乃究竟，更无可觉，始本合一，究竟成佛，是谓究竟觉。

Original enlightenment is like a person who is awake while non-enlightenment a person who is sleeping. Initial enlightenment is likened to someone who has come out of a dream, him being the same person who was originally awake – it is not a case of two different persons. Absolute enlightenment is when initial enlightenment bears effects and one gradually returns from illusion to being awakened and is enlightened to the core of one’s mind during which there is no further awakening. One ultimately reaches Buddha-hood as one’s initial enlightenment merges with one’s fundamental enlightenment. This is known as absolute enlightenment.

总之，一觉之体，随缘异称。又不仅此，即众生无明不觉，与迷情妄觉，亦同此觉。何以故？论云：不觉之相，不离本觉之体，喻如波之与水，波性即水性也。

In summary, the same body of awakening is named differently according to varying conditions. Not only this, the non-enlightenment in sentient beings due to their ignorance as well as the illusion and deluded awareness that they have are no different from this same body. Why is this so? As the commentaries say: the manifestation of non-enlightenment is not separate from the body of fundamental enlightenment; it is like waves and water – the nature of waves is the nature of water.

《大乘起信论》中，明觉不觉之义甚详。此书为佛教之开钥，不得不研究。如洞明奥旨，则性相二宗，圆融无碍，修证佛道之相，如指诸掌。拙著《大乘起信论讲义》，商务印书馆出版，请阅自明，肃此奉覆，顺问精进。

天童寺 圆瑛