摩诃止观

《摩诃止观》是一部佛教论著，为天台三大部之一。由天台宗智𫖮大师宣讲，其门徒章安灌顶笔记。

历史

594年（隋开皇14年），智𫖮大师于荆州玉泉寺开讲，原计宣讲十境，但至第七境时，因故停讲。两年后，智𫖮过世，其门徒将其笔记后，集结成《摩诃止观》一书。

内容

《摩诃止观》分成〈缘起〉与〈开章〉两部分。共有十卷(或二十卷)，内容讲述止观。

篇章

大意（五略）

The Mohe Zhiguan (T. 1911), or the Larger Treatise on Cessation and Contemplation (Chinese: 摩訶止観; pinyin: Móhē Zhǐguān; Japanese pronunciation: Makashikan) is a major Buddhist doctrinal treatise based on lectures given by the Chinese Tiantai patriarch Zhiyi (538–597 CE) in 594. These lectures were compiled and edited by Zhiyi´s disciple Guanding (561-632) into seven chapters in ten fascicles.

The voluminous Mohe Zhiguan is a comprehensive Buddhist doctrinal summa that discusses meditation and various key Buddhist doctrines which were very influential in the development of Buddhist meditation and Buddhist philosophy in China. It is one of the central texts of Tiantai (and Japanese Tendai).

Overview

The Mohe Zhiguan is one of three major works attributed to Zhiyi, the founder of the Tiantai school. While his other two great works focus primarily on doctrine, the Mohe Zhiguan presents these same ideas in the context of Buddhist practice, framed by the dual concepts of cessation or śamatha (Ch. 止 zhi) and contemplation or vipaśyana (Ch. 觀 guan).

The Mohe Zhiguan holds a significant place in Buddhist scholarship. This influential treatise is not only remarkable for its profound insights but also for its comprehensive and methodical approach to both the theoretical and practical aspects of the Buddha Dharma. Thus, the Mohe Zhiguan is far more than a meditation manual. It is a comprehensive outline of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, encompassing a vast range of teachings and practices, including the Abhidharma, the Agamas, Madhyamaka treatises (esp. Da zhi du lun), and Mahayana sutras such as the Lotus Sutra, the Nirvana Sutra, the Avatamsaka Sutra, the Vimalakirti Sutra, the Pure Land sutras, and the Prajnaparamita sutras.

Earlier in his career, Zhiyi wrote extensively on Buddhist practice, detailing meditation techniques in works such as the Essential Methods for Practicing the Seated Meditation of Cessation and Contemplation (Ch: 修習止觀坐禪法要 Xiuxi zhiguan zuochan fayao; often dubbed 天台小止觀 Tiantai xiao zhiguan, Tiantai's Short Cessation and Contemplation; T no. 1915). His earlier texts outline a gradual and systematic approach to meditation, while the Mohe Zhiguan emphasizes the "perfect-and-sudden" method. Notably, in his early writings, Zhiyi often employed the term "chan" (zen) to describe Buddhist meditation but later favored "zhi-guan," reflecting a more holistic vision of Buddhist practice.

The Mohe Zhiguan is also significant for its synthesis of diverse Buddhist traditions. Given that Buddhist texts and practices were introduced to China in a fragmented manner, one of Zhiyi's key achievements was creating a coherent and structured system that integrated these varied elements. His doctrinal classification system (panjiao) is considered one of the most effective frameworks for organizing Buddhist teachings, rooted in the Lotus Sutra's concept of the One Vehicle (ekayana) and its teaching on skillful means (upaya). Zhiyi's system blends diverse Buddhist practices into a cohesive structure, organized around the threefold pattern of emptiness, conventionality, and the Middle Way.

These contributions had a lasting influence on subsequent Buddhist traditions. The Mohe Zhiguan's "four samadhis"—which encompass constant sitting, constant walking, a combination of both, and a "free and unbounded" samadhi—directly influenced later practices such as Chan/Zen "just sitting" meditation and Pure Land nianfo recitation. The inclusion of esoteric elements like dhāraṇī within this system also influenced Japanese Shingon and Tendai traditions.