Samyukta Āgama (262)

Original text:佛教摩诃迦旃延：世人颠倒依于二边，若有、若无，世人取诸境界，心便计着。

迦旃延！若不受、不取、不住、不计于我，此苦生时生、灭时灭。

迦旃延！于此不疑、不惑、不由于他而能自知，是名正见，如来所说。所以者何？

迦旃延！正观集灭，则不落有无二边。

如实正观世间集者，则不生世间无见。

如实正观世间灭，则不生世间有见。

迦旃延！如来离于二边，说于中道，所谓此有故彼有，此生故彼生，谓缘无明有行，乃至生、老、病、死、忧、悲、恼、苦、集；所谓此无故彼无，此灭故彼灭，谓无明灭则行灭，乃至生、老、病、死、忧、悲、恼、苦灭。

Explanation: The Buddha said: Worldly people are all upside down; their minds constantly rely on the existence of worldly dharmas or on the non-existence of worldly dharmas, and then they grasp at the existence of worldly dharma realms, or grasp at the non-existence of worldly dharma realms, and thus their minds come to fixate on them as existent, or fixate on them as non-existent.

If worldly people neither accept the existence of the world nor accept the non-existence of the world, neither grasp at the existence of the world nor grasp at the non-existence of the world, neither dwell in the existence of the world nor dwell in the non-existence of the world, neither fixate on the existence of the world as self, nor fixate on the non-existence of the world as self, then when the suffering of the world arises, it simply arises, and when the suffering of the world ceases, it simply ceases—having nothing whatsoever to do with me.

Regarding these principles, if one has no doubts arising in the mind, no confusion, and can understand their meaning by oneself without relying on some other teaching, that is right view—this is the Dharma taught by the Tathāgata.

Why is this said? If you can correctly engage in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) on the arising of the world and the ceasing of the world, your views will no longer fall into the two extremes of existence and non-existence. One who can contemplate in accordance with reality the arising of the world will not give rise to the view that the world is non-existent; one who can contemplate in accordance with reality the ceasing of the world will not give rise to the view that the world is existent.

The Tathāgata, being free from the two extremes of existence and non-existence, teaches the Middle Way that the world neither exists nor does not exist, and both exists and does not exist—that is, when this dharma exists, it gives rise to the existence of that dharma; when this dharma arises, it gives rise to the arising of that dharma. This is the Dharma of the twelve links of dependent origination: ignorance conditions volitional formations (avidyā-pratyayāḥ saṃskārāḥ), down to existence conditioning birth, aging, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress—the arising of the world.

The Middle Way is also that when this dharma does not exist, that dharma does not exist; when this dharma ceases, that dharma ceases—that is, when ignorance ceases, volitional formations cease, down to when existence ceases, birth, aging, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress cease.