「處」義探源──以初期佛教文獻為中心

Exploring the Meaning of āyatana in Early Buddhist Literature

「處」是初期佛教的核心名相之一，目前研究尚不充分。通過文獻回顧可知：學界對「處」的語義及義理內涵已形成諸多共識，但也有衝突，爭議的核心在於它是否包含無為法。此外，初期佛教對「處」所作的施設具有怎樣理論與實踐的意義，也是亟需學界回答的問題。本文根據初期佛教文獻，以學界的研究成果為基礎，對此進行研討後得出如下結論： （1）十二處是因緣法，無為法不是因緣法，所以十二處不應包括無為法。 （2）處的施設具有理論與實踐兩方面意義：從理論看，明確了初期佛教的範疇；奠定了以有情為中心的思想基礎；構建了佛教認識論的理論依據；確立了佛教中道二元論的理論架構。從實踐看，明確了觀的對象、結果與內容，是解脫實踐的指導。 本文的學術貢獻在於：從初期佛教文獻出發，確認了十二處不包括無為法的文獻依據。初步探討了施設「處」的理論與實踐意義。

Āyatana is one of the core terms of early Buddhism, yet academic research regarding this important topic is lacking. The conflicting interpretations of āyatana lies in the question of whether or not it contains unconditioned (asaṅkhata) phenomena. This paper summarizes the research results based on the early Buddhist literature and draws the following conclusions following a comprehensive discussion: (1) The twelve āyatana-s are conditioned phenomena, distinct from unconditioned phenomena. Therefore, the twelve āyatana-s should not be regarded as asaṅkhata. (2) The application of āyatana has both theoretical and practical significance: from the theoretical point of view, it clarifies the scope of early Buddhism, it establishes the ideological foundation centered on sentience, it constructs the theoretical basis of Buddhist epistemology, and establishes the theoretical framework for the Buddhist notion of the Middle Way. From the perspective of practice, the object and content of introspection (vipaśyanā) are clearly defined; it is the guide in the practice aimed at liberation. This preliminary discussion of the term shows that, based on the teaching of the early Buddhist literature, the twelve āyatana-s do not include asaṅkhata phenomena.