Introduction
i.1The Sūtra of the Four Factors (Caturdharmakasūtra, Toh 250) is the second of three short sūtras with similar titles, all referring to sets of four factors (Skt. dharma), that contribute to accomplishing the goal of the path. In many Kangyurs (predominantly those of Tshalpa origin, including the Degé Kangyur) these sūtras are found grouped together.
i.1《四法經》（《四法經》，Toh 250）是三部標題相似的短經中的第二部，都涉及對實現道的目標有所貢獻的四法（梵文：dharma）。在許多甘珠爾版本中（主要是札拉巴傳承的版本，包括德格甘珠爾），這些經典被編排在一起。
i.2Of the other sūtras in this set, The Sūtra Teaching the Four Factors (Toh 249) is concerned with the four factors necessary for the practice of confession, while The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra on the Four Factors (Toh 251) identifies four factors of the path that bodhisattvas must not abandon under any circumstance. Two further works, The Accomplishment of the Sets of Four Qualities: The Bodhisattvas’ Prātimokṣa (Toh 248) and The Fourfold Accomplishment (Toh 252) also concern themselves with “sets of four” (catuṣka, bzhi pa), thereby forming a larger group of five sūtras in the Degé Kangyur that lay out key elements of the practice of the path in discrete sets of four factors.
i.2在這組經典中的其他經文裡，《教四因經》（藏經編號249）涉及懺悔實踐所需的四個因素，而《尊貴的大乘四因經》（藏經編號251）則確立了菩薩在任何情況下都不能放棄的四個道路因素。另外兩部作品《四種品質的成就：菩薩別解脫》（藏經編號248）和《四倍成就》（藏經編號252）也涉及「四組」的內容，因此在德格甘珠爾中構成了一個更大的五部經典組合，它們以離散的四因素組來闡述道路實踐的關鍵要素。
i.3In the present sūtra, the Buddha addresses an audience of 1,250 monks in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, in Śrāvastī. He tells them about four beliefs (which, interestingly, are not explicitly called “factors” in the text), describing them as beliefs that a “wise son of good family” should not accept as true: (1) that there is pleasure to be had in consorting with women, (2) or in attending the royal court, (3) that one can depend on health and attractiveness, (4) or on material wealth. The sūtra concludes with two verses in which the Buddha reiterates the inappropriateness of such beliefs and stresses the fragility and transience of wealth, home, and beauty—and, indeed, of life itself.
i.3在本經中，佛陀在舍衛城祇樹給孤獨園的一千二百五十位比丘的聚集中開示。他告訴他們四種信念（有趣的是，這些信念在經文中並未明確稱為「因素」），將其描述為「善男子」不應該接受為真的信念：（1）與女性往來能帶來快樂，（2）或出席皇室宮廷，（3）人可以依賴健康和外貌，（4）或依賴物質財富。經文以兩首偈頌作結，佛陀在其中重申了這些信念的不適當性，並強調財富、家庭和美貌的脆弱性和無常性——實際上，生命本身也是如此。
i.4As with the majority of Buddhist sūtras, the original recipients of this teaching were monks, and it is thus presented from a male perspective. Yet, despite its androcentrism, the sūtra touches upon universal themes. Is it meaningful to seek pleasure in physical attractions or prestigious connections, to rely on present good health or ephemeral stores of wealth? The Buddha tells us that the wise never do so.
i.4像大多數佛教經典一樣，這部經的原始聽眾是比丘，因此從男性的角度呈現。然而，儘管具有男性中心的特點，這部經涉及普遍的主題。在身體的吸引力或尊貴的人脈關係中尋求快樂是否有意義？依賴現在的健康或短暫的財富儲備是否有意義？佛陀告訴我們，智者永遠不會這樣做。
i.5The main prose section of the sūtra employs the rhetorical device of anaphora, the repetition of phrases or opening lines for effect. Successive lines repeat the same opening formula: “Monks, for as long as he lives, a wise son of good family does not hold the belief that…” Such repetition is common throughout Buddhist canonical literature; it has a clear mnemonic advantage and may point to the oral origins of the sūtras.
i.5經文的主要散文部分採用了排比的修辭手法，通過重複短語或開頭行來製造效果。連續的段落重複相同的開頭公式：「比丘們，善男子活著的時候，絕不相信……」這種重複在佛教經典文獻中很普遍；它具有明顯的助記優勢，並可能指向經的口頭起源。
i.6The sūtra’s two concluding verses also appear among the concluding verses of the Śīlasaṃyuktasūtra (tshul khrims yang dag par ldan pa’i mdo, Toh 303). This is of particular interest since there is a Sanskrit version of that sūtra, whereas there is no known Sanskrit version of The Sūtra of the Four Factors.
i.6這部經的兩首結尾偈頌也出現在《正戒相應經》（藏文：tshul khrims yang dag par ldan pa'i mdo，Toh 303）的結尾偈頌中。這特別值得關注，因為那部經有梵文版本，而《四因素經》目前還沒有發現梵文版本。
i.7As Peter Skilling has noted, The Sūtra of the Four Factors is not called a Mahāyāna text in its Sanskrit or Tibetan titles, and there is nothing in its content that is indicative of a uniquely Mahāyāna viewpoint. In fact, the Stok Palace Kangyur version concludes with a line stating that the sūtra belongs to the teachings of the first turning of the Dharma wheel, which is to say, the tradition of the śrāvakas.
i.7如彼得·斯基林所指出的，《四法經》在其梵文或藏文標題中並未被稱為大乘經典，其內容中也沒有任何獨特的大乘觀點的跡象。實際上，斯托克宮甘珠爾版本的結尾有一句話說明該經屬於初轉法輪的法教，也就是說，屬於聲聞的傳統。
i.8A text by the name of Sūtra of the Four Factors (chos bzhi’i mdo or chos bzhi pa’i mdo) is listed in the Denkarma and Phangthangma catalogs of translated works. This very likely refers to the current sūtra, which is also summarized in Kawa Paltsek’s An Account of the Precious Teachings together with a Lineage of the Śākya Clan (gsung rab rin po che’i gtam rgyud dang shA kya’i rabs rgyud, Toh 4357), suggesting that it was translated during the imperial period. Even so, since it lacks a translator’s colophon, we cannot say precisely who translated it or when.
i.8一部名為《四法經》（chos bzhi'i mdo或chos bzhi pa'i mdo）的典籍被列在《頓卡目錄》和《帕當瑪目錄》中的譯作目錄裡。這很可能指的就是現存的這部經文，它也被總結在卡瓦·帕爾澤克的《寶貴教法的記述以及釋迦氏族的傳承》（gsung rab rin po che'i gtam rgyud dang shA kya'i rabs rgyud，Toh 4357）一書中，這表明它是在帝國時期被翻譯的。儘管如此，由於它缺少譯者的跋文，我們無法確切地知道是誰翻譯的，也無法確定翻譯的具體時間。
i.9The sūtra does not appear to have been cited in any Indian treatise contained in the Tengyur. Nor was it commonly cited by later Tibetan authors. There is no Chinese version. A French translation of it was first published by Léon Feer in 1866 (and reprinted in 1883). Peter Skilling has also published a translation along with helpful introductory notes in his book, Questioning the Buddha: A Selection of Twenty-Five Sutras.
i.9這部經在收錄於丹珠爾中的印度論著中似乎沒有被引用過。後世的藏文作者也很少引用它。沒有中文版本。法文版本最早由萊昂·費爾在1866年出版（並在1883年重印）。彼得·斯基林也在他的著作《質疑佛陀：二十五部經典選集》中發表了翻譯，並附上了有幫助的引言說明。
i.10The following translation was made based on the Degé block print with reference to the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) and the Stok Palace Kangyur.
i.10下列翻譯是根據德格木刻版，並參考《對照版》（藏文：དཔེ་བསྡུར་མ）和斯托克宮殿甘珠爾所製作的。