四大种，即地、水、火、风，是生命之树的四粒种子，亦作四大；西方人称之为唯心主义的四个基本元素。种是因义。世界的一切都是四大种所造；这怎么理解？由身体和外部世界都是心的投影来理解，如新生儿的视力才20几厘米，世界无非是吃奶和大小便产生的快乐感觉。随着成长，身体和外部世界逐渐长大，直至长成三千大千世界（参见插图11.1和第13章）。

The Four Big Seeds, earth, water, fire, and wind, are the four seeds of the tree of life, also known as the Four Bigs; the four basic elements of what Westerners call idealism. Seed is the meaning of cause. Everything in the world is created by the four great seeds; how is this to be understood? It is understood by the fact that the flesh body and the external world are projections of the heart (i.e., mind), as in the case of a newborn baby with a visual acuity of only 20 centimeters or so, and that the world is nothing more than the happy sensations produced by eating milk and urinating and defecating. As it grows, the body and the external world grow until it grows into the Three-Grand Great-Grand Worlds (see figure 11.1 and Chapter 13).

(1) 地是界的比喻The metaphor of earth as a boundary

人使用极限进行思维，即使用界进行认知，界如边、表、正义等。界无形，古德用地来比喻界。高山大地是界的形象。能持，孕育万物是界的功能。坚韧是界的体性。界有了地的形象比喻，人们就可以轻易地理解出界的生、依、立、持、养，这五种因性。

Man uses limits for thinking, i.e., people use boundaries for cognition, boundaries such as edges, tables, justice, etc. The boundaries are invisible, so Ancients used the earth as a metaphor for the boundaries. The mountains and the earth are the images of the boundaries. Capable of holding, nurturing all things is the function of the boundaries. Toughness is the physical nature of the boundaries. With the images of the earth as a metaphor for the boundaries, one can easily understand the five causal qualities of the boundaries, namely, birth, dependence, establishment, holding, and nourishment.

“十八界”是佛学中一个常用的名词，就是：（六根）眼根界、耳根界、 鼻根界、舌根界、身根界、意根界； （六境，亦作六尘）色界、声界、香界、味界、触界、法界；（六识，亦作六情）眼识界、耳识界，鼻识界、舌识界、身识界、意识界。

The “eighteen boundaries” is a term commonly used in Buddhism, namely: (six roots) eye root boundary, ear root boundary, nose root boundary, tongue root boundary, body root boundary, Intent root boundary; (six environments, often called as six-dusts) color boundary, sound boundary, smell boundary, taste boundary, touch boundary, juristic boundary; (six senses, six feelings) eye sense boundary (i.e., seeing), ear sense boundary (i.e., hearing), nose sense boundary (i.e., smelling), tongue sense boundary (i.e., tasting), body sense boundary (i.e., touching), juristic sense boundary (i.e., knowing).

界是种子义、能持义。种子义是约无意识中能生起诸法的功能，即十八界法各由自种生起而有差别相。能持义是约能持诸法自相义；即十八界法各持自相不乱，所以名界。

The boundaries mean seeds and the ability to hold. The meaning of seed is about the function of the unconscious that can give rise to all laws, i.e., each of the eighteen boundaries of laws is born from its own seed and has a different phenomenon. The meaning of being able to hold is about being able to hold the self-phenomenon of the law; that is, each of the eighteen boundaries of laws holds its self-phenomenon unperturbed and is therefore called a boundary.

(2) 水是识的比喻 Water is a metaphor for sense

这样，识就有了江、河、湖、海、云、雨等的巨大形象。识性如水，如粘、附着、流动性等。此大种以流湿为体性，能摄为功能，也有生依立持养五种因性。

In this way, senses have the great images of rivers, streams, lakes, seas, clouds, rain, etc. The nature of senses is like water, such as stickiness, attachment, fluidity, and so on. This Big Seed has flow and wetness as its physical nature, can assimilate as its function, and has the five causal qualities, namely, birth, dependence, establishment, holding, and nourishment.

(3) 火是无意识的比喻 Fire as a metaphor for the unconscious

古人常用火来比喻无意识；这样，无意识就有了猛焰、烈日、赤火的形象。火以温热为体性，能熟为功能。能熟，如日熟谷。大种火亦有生依立持养五种因性。

The ancients often used fire as a metaphor for the unconscious; in this way, the unconscious took on the images of a fierce flame, a blazing sun, and red fires. Fire has warmth and heat as its physical nature, and the ability to ripen as its function. It is capable of ripening, as the sun ripening grain. The big seed, Fire, also has the five causal qualities of birth, dependence, establishment, holding, and nourishment.

(4) 风是境的比喻 Wind as a metaphor for the environment

古德用风来比喻不断变化的环境，境就有了疾猛大风为形象。境以轻动为体性，能长为功能，也有生依立持养五种因性。

The ancients used wind as a metaphor for the ever-changing environment, so the environment has the images of a swift and strong wind. The environment has the nature of easily drifting, the ability to grow as a function, and the five causal qualities of birth, dependence, establishment, holding, and nourishment.

通过以上四种比喻，就有了人们所说的地、水、火、风，这四大种。此四大种都是通性无记的。通性是说此四大种都与无意识相通。无记是说人对四大种没有记忆，不能被回忆。世界万物都是由这四大种和合所成。若大种有变化，依其所造的一切事物都会随之而改变。

Through these four analogies, there are what people call earth, water, fire, and wind, the four big seeds. These four big seeds are all conterminously memoryless. Conterminous, is saying that the four big seeds are all connected to the unconscious. Memoryless, is saying that people have no memory of the four big seeds and cannot be recalled. Everything in the world is made from the combination of these four big seeds. If there is a change in the Four Big Seeds, all things made according to them will change accordingly.

↪️返回第11章🎄生命之树的目录↪️Back to Catalog of Chapter 11🎄Tree of Life