天台宗一心三觀法門之創立者探究

On the Founder of “Threefold Contemplation in One Single Mind” of Tien-tai Buddhism

一心三觀是天台宗圓教的核心修法，亦是最高、最具代表性，且最為殊勝的法門。對於一心三觀法門的創立，傳統以來，以至於現代學者，皆接受《佛祖統紀》所說，其是由慧文自《大智度論》悟得一心三智所開創，並將之傳予慧思，再傳至智顗的說法。然而《佛祖統紀》所依據的三書之中，二書未說到此，現已不存的《天台宗元錄》中或許有此說法，但是其距離慧文已有五百多年了。在此情況之下，此說法的可信度是一件值得商榷之事。
本文之目的在細緻考察天台宗祖師，自龍樹、慧文、慧思到智顗，以及最早見到一心三觀說的傅翕之生平傳記與著作思想，以確定天台宗的一心三觀法門是由何人所開創，各祖師與三觀及一心三觀之關係又是如何，以澄清此一天台宗修行法門發展之重要歷史事實。亦有助於對天台宗相關僧傳宗史的記載與傳衍有更精確的了解與掌握。
經筆者研究發現，龍樹未曾言三觀法。傅翕著作雖提到一心三觀，但並非其自行化他的入道法門，亦與天台宗一心三觀之建立無直接關係。慧文從龍樹著作悟得一心三智的可能性並不高。從慧思、智顗、灌頂，一直到唐代的湛然，均未見其說，直到四百年後的宋代才看到此說法。從宋代至今傳述一千多年，慧文創立一心三觀，將之傳予慧思，慧思再傳智顗的傳統說法，是大有疑問的。
慧思確實明白三觀，但並不是他的主要法門。三觀與一心三觀尚有一段距離，並無慧思開創一心三觀法門的直接證據。或許慧思明白一心三觀之旨，但並不是他修行悟道與度眾的法門，最多亦只是其所達到的境界。我們可以說慧思的三觀思想奠立了天台三觀說的基礎，而真正創立天台宗一心三觀法門的，則是智顗逐步發展，並至晚年才定案。

“Threefold Contemplation in One Single Mind” (一心三觀) is the central and most superior way of practice in T’ien-t’ai Buddhism. It is said traditionally that “Threefold Contemplation in One Single Mind” was established by Hue-wen (慧文), through comprehending “Three Kinds of Wisdom in One Single Mind” (一心三智) from the book Da-tsu-du-lun (大智度論) and Hue-wen imparted it to Hue-si (慧思), Hue-si imparted it to Zhi-yi (智顗). This saying was ordinarily according to Fo-zu-tong-ji (佛祖統紀). But what Fo-zu-tong-ji said is according to three books. Two of them didn’t mention the saying. The rest one didn’t exist now. Maybe the saying was recorded in the last book but it was compiled more than five hundred years after Hue-wen’s time. Under this situation, whether the saying is true or not is doubtful.
This paper tries to study the biographies and works of those patriarchs of T’ien-t’ai Buddhism, including Nāgārjuna, Hue-wen, Hue-si, Zhi-yi and Fu-si (傅翕), the first introducer of “Threefold Contemplation in One Single Mind”, in order to confirm an important historical fact that who is the founder of “Threefold Contemplation in One Single Mind” and what are the relationships between this practice way and each patriarchs.
The conclusions of this paper are that Nāgārjuna never mentioned “Threefold Contemplation”. Although “Threefold Contemplation in One Single Mind” was recorded in Fu-si’s poem, it was not the way he practiced or taught disciples, and didn’t cause the foundation of T’ien-t’ai Buddhism’s directly. The possibility that Hue-wen comprehended “Three Kinds of Wisdom in One Single Mind” from Nāgārjuna’s books is low. There were not the saying from Hue-si, Zhi-yi, Guan-ding (灌頂) and Zhan-ran (湛然), until Song dynasty which is four hundred years later. So the traditional saying more than one thousand years that Hue-wen founded “Threefold Contemplation in One Single Mind” and taught Hue-si the practice way, Hue-si taught Zhi-yi is doubtful very much.
Hue-si knew about “Threefold Contemplation” indeed, but it was not his major way of practice. “Threefold Contemplation in One Single Mind” is different from “Threefold Contemplation”. There is no direct evidence of Hue-si’s foundation of the way of “Threefold Contemplation in One Single Mind”. Perhaps Hue-si realized “Threefold Contemplation in One Single Mind” but it wasn’t the way he practiced or taught disciples, it was just the state he reached at most. We can say that Hue-si’s thought of “Threefold Contemplation” is the basis of theory of T’ien-t’ai Buddhism’s “Threefold Contemplation”, but it is just until Zhi-yi who really established the way of “Threefold Contemplation in One Single Mind” gradually until his old age.