Visuddhimagga XVI-10

527. Kiccāti kiṃ indriyānaṃ kiccanti ce.

（五）「以作用」，什么是诸根的作用？

Ñ(XVI,10): 5. As to function: what is the faculties' function?

Cakkhundriyassa tāva ‘‘cakkhāyatanaṃ cakkhuviññāṇadhātuyā taṃsampayuttakānañca dhammānaṃ indriyapaccayena paccayo’’ti vacanato yaṃ taṃ indriyapaccayabhāvena sādhetabbaṃ attano tikkhamandādibhāvena cakkhuviññāṇādidhammānaṃ tikkhamandādisaṅkhātaṃ attākārānuvattāpanaṃ, idaṃ kiccaṃ.

先依这样的语句「眼界，由于根缘的意义，是眼识界及其相应诸法的缘」，这是由于根缘所成就的作用，又依照自己的锐利及迟钝等的状态，而使眼识等法的锐利及迟钝等亦受自己的行相的影响（作用）──这是眼根的作用。

Ñ: Firstly, because of the words 'The eye base is a condition, as faculty condition, for the eye-consciousness element and for the states associated therewith' (Pṭn.1,5) the eye faculty's function is to cause by its own keenness, slowness, etc., the occurrence of eye-consciousness and associated states, etc., in a mode parallel to its own, which is called their keenness, slowness, etc., this function being accomplishable through the state of faculty condition.

Evaṃ sotaghānajivhākāyānaṃ.

耳、鼻、舌、身根的作用亦然。

Ñ: So too in the case of the ear, nose, tongue, and body.

Manindriyassa pana sahajātadhammānaṃ attano vasavattāpanaṃ.

其次意根的作用是把俱生的诸（心所）法置于自己的势力之下。

Ñ: But the function of the mind faculty is to make conascent states subject to its own mastery.

Jīvitindriyassa sahajātadhammānupālanaṃ.

命根的作用是保护俱生的（色、心、心所）诸法。

Ñ: That of the life faculty is to maintain conascent states.

Itthindriyapurisindriyānaṃ itthipurisaliṅganimittakuttākappākārānuvidhānaṃ.

女根和男根的作用是处置男女的形状、相貌、态度及行动的方式。

Ñ: That of the femininity faculty and the masculinity faculty is to allot the modes of the mark, sign, work and ways of women and men.

Sukhadukkhasomanassadomanassindriyānaṃ sahajātadhamme abhibhavitvā yathāsakaṃ oḷārikākārānupāpanaṃ.

乐、苦、喜、忧根的作用，是克服俱生的（心、心所）诸法，并使获得如同自己的粗显的行相。

Ñ: That of the faculties of pleasure, pain, joy, and grief is to govern conascent states and impart their own particular mode of grossness to those states.

Upekkhindriyassa santapaṇītamajjhattākārānupāpanaṃ.

舍根的作用，则使获得寂静、胜、中庸的行相。

Ñ: That of the equanimity faculty is to impart to them the mode of quiet, superiority and neutrality.

Saddhādīnaṃ paṭipakkhābhibhavanaṃ sampayuttadhammānañca pasannākārādibhāvasampāpanaṃ.

信等的（五根的作用）是克服其反对的（不信等），并使其相应的（心、心所）诸法获得信乐等行相的状态。

Ñ: That of the faculties of faith, etc., is to overcome opposition and to impart to associated states the mode of confidence and so on.

Anaññātaññassāmītindriyassa saṃyojanattayappahānañceva sampayuttānañca tappahānābhimukhabhāvakaraṇaṃ.

未知当知根的作用，是断除（身见、疑、戒禁取的）三结，并使其相应的（心、心所法）趋向于如是的舍断。

Ñ: That of the 'I-shall-come-to-know-the-unknown' faculty is both to abandon three fetters and to confront associated states with the abandonment of them.

Aññindriyassa kāmarāgabyāpādāditanukaraṇappahānañceva sahajātānañca attano vasānuvattāpanaṃ.

已知根的作用，是减少及舍断欲贪与瞋恚等；并使其俱生的（心、心所法）亦受自己的影响。

Ñ: That of the final-knowledge faculty is both to attenuate and abandon respectively lust, ill will, etc., and to subject conascent states to its own mastery.

Aññātāvindriyassa sabbakiccesu ussukkappahānañceva amatābhimukhabhāvapaccayatā ca sampayuttānanti evamettha kiccato vinicchayaṃ vijāniyā.

具知根的作用，是舍断对一切作用的热望，及使其相应的（心、心所法）趋向于不死（涅盘）。这是当以作用而知抉择。

Ñ: That of the final-knower faculty is both to abandon endeavour in all functions and to condition associated states by confronting them with the Deathless. This is how the exposition should be known here as to function.