大方便佛報恩經 1.37

1.37

爾時，如來現如是等身已，告阿難言，及十方諸來大菩薩摩訶薩，及一切大眾諸善男子等：「如來今者以正遍知，宣說真實之言。法無言說，如來以妙方便，能以無名相法作名相說。如來本於生死中時，於如是等微塵數不思議形類一切眾生中，具足受身。以受身故，一切眾生亦曾為如來父母，如來亦曾為一切眾生而作父母。為一切父母故，常修難行苦行，難捨能捨，頭目、髓腦、國城、妻子、象馬、七珍、輦輿、車乘、衣服、飲食、臥具、醫藥，一切給與。勤修精進、戒、施、多聞、禪定、智慧，乃至具足一切萬行，不休不息，心無疲倦。為孝養父母，知恩報恩故，今得速成阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。以是緣故，一切眾生能令如來滿足本願故。是以當知一切眾生於佛有重恩，有重恩故，如來不捨眾生。以大悲心故，常修習有方便，為一切三界二十五有諸眾生中不思己功，修平等慈，常修捨行方便。亦明鑑一切眾生空、法空、五陰空，如是不退不沒，不沈空有，修實相方便故，不捨二乘，修遍學方便。以修如是甚深微妙方便故，得明鑒法相。佛法初終始末非一，然眾生昏濁猖狂有三，渴愛所覆，沒於苦海；為四倒之所顛倒，於有漏法中妄想所見，無我見我，無常見常，無樂見樂，不淨見淨；生老病死之所遷滅，念念無常；五蓋十纏之所覆蔽，輪迴三有，具受生死，無有始終，譬如循環。是以如來教迹隨宜，三藏九部乃至十二部經，分流道化，隨信深淺故，說眾經典。異辦緣使封言者，自以頓足，已得涅槃。是以如來慈悲本誓，顯大方便，運召十方一切有緣。有緣既集，於此大眾中，敷演散說此妙經典，垂訓千載，流布像法，使一切眾生常獲大安。是故如來乘機運化，應時而生，應時而滅。或於異剎，稱盧舍那如來、應供、正遍知、明行足、善逝、世間解、無上士、調御丈夫、天人師、佛、世尊；或昇兜率陀天，為諸天師；或從兜率天下，現於閻浮提，現八十年壽。當知如來不可思議，世界不可思議，業報不可思議，眾生不可思議，禪定不可思議，龍王不可思議，此是佛不可思議。佛欲令一切眾生知佛心者，乃至下流鈍根眾生皆令得知，欲令一切眾生能得見者即便得見；欲令不得見者，假令對目而不能見，正使聲聞、緣覺有天眼通亦不得見。又佛放大光明，下至阿鼻地獄，上至有頂，所應度者皆令得見，不應度者對目不見。有時如來，或時許可，或時默然。當知諸佛世尊不可思議，不可測量，難可得知。汝今云何能問如來如是甚深微妙難行苦行？汝作是問，真是大悲愍傷眾生，閉三惡道，通人天路。阿難善聽！吾當為汝略說孝養父母苦行因緣。」

At that time, having manifested these bodies, the Tathāgata addressed Ānanda, the great bodhisattva-mahāsattvas arriving from the ten directions, and all the good men of the entire great assembly: "The Tathāgata now, with his Samyaksaṃbuddha knowledge, proclaims true words. The Dharma is without speech, yet the Tathāgata, by wondrous upāya, is able to express the Dharma that is free of names and characteristics through names and characteristics. When the Tathāgata was originally in saṃsāra, he fully underwent embodiment among all sentient beings of such fine dust motes of inconceivable forms and kinds. Because he underwent embodiment, all sentient beings have also been the Tathāgata's parents, and the Tathāgata has also been a parent to all sentient beings. For the sake of all parents, he constantly practiced difficult and ascetic practices, giving up what is hard to give up: head, eyes, marrow, brain, kingdoms, cities, wives, children, elephants, horses, the seven precious jewels, palanquins, carriages, vehicles, clothing, food, drink, bedding, and medicines—giving all of them away. He diligently practiced energetic vigor, precepts, generosity, extensive learning, dhyāna, and wisdom, even perfecting all the myriad practices without rest or cessation, with a mind free of weariness. Because he filially supported his parents and knew kindness so as to repay kindness, he has now quickly attained anuttarasamyaksaṃbodhi. For this reason, all sentient beings were able to cause the Tathāgata to fulfill his original vows. Therefore, you should know that all sentient beings have weighty kindness toward the Buddha; because they have weighty kindness, the Tathāgata does not abandon sentient beings. With a mind of great compassion, he constantly practices the upāya of existence; among all the sentient beings of the three realms and the twenty-five states of existence, he does not consider his own merit, but cultivates equanimous benevolence and constantly cultivates the upāya of practicing renunciation. He also clearly perceives that all sentient beings are empty, phenomena are empty, and the five aggregates are empty; thus neither retreating nor sinking, neither drowning in emptiness nor in existence, because he cultivates the upāya of true reality, he does not abandon the two vehicles, and cultivates the upāya of universal learning. Because he cultivates such profound and wondrous upāya, he can clearly perceive the characteristics of phenomena. The beginning and end, origin and conclusion, of the Buddha's Dharma are not merely one, yet the sentient beings' delusion, confusion, and frenzy have three aspects; covered by thirsting craving, they sink in the ocean of suffering. Inverted by the four inversions, through false conceptualization within conditioned phenomena they see a self where there is no self, see permanence where there is no permanence, see pleasure where there is no pleasure, and see purity where there is impurity. Changed and destroyed by birth, old age, sickness, and death, moment to moment they are impermanent. Covered and obscured by the five hindrances and ten fetters, they transmigrate through the three realms of existence, fully undergoing birth and death without beginning or end, like a turning wheel. Therefore, the Tathāgata's teaching traces adapt to what is appropriate: the three baskets, the nine divisions, and up to the twelve divisions of scriptures, branching out in their guidance, expounding numerous scriptures according to the depth or shallowness of faith. With diverse provisional conditions causing those who cling to words to think they have halted their steps and have already attained nirvāṇa. Therefore, out of the Tathāgata's original vow of compassion, he reveals great upāya and gathers all those with karmic affinity from the ten directions. The affinities having assembled, he expounds and spreads this wondrous scripture among this great assembly, bequeathing instructions for a thousand years and spreading the semblance dharma, so that all sentient beings may constantly obtain great peace. For this reason, the Tathāgata moves and transforms in response to conditions, being born at the proper time and extinguishing at the proper time. Sometimes in other lands he is called Rocana Tathāgata, Arhat, Samyaksaṃbuddha, Vidyācaraṇasaṃpanna, Sugata, Lokavid, Anuttara, Puruṣadamyasārathi, Śāstā Devamanuṣyāṇām, Buddha, Bhagavat; sometimes he ascends to the Tuṣita Heaven to be the teacher of the gods; sometimes he descends from the Tuṣita Heaven to manifest in Jambudvīpa, showing an eighty-year lifespan. You should know that the Tathāgata is inconceivable, the world is inconceivable, the karmic retribution is inconceivable, sentient beings are inconceivable, dhyāna is inconceivable, and the dragon kings are inconceivable; these are the Buddha's inconceivabilities. If the Buddha wishes to cause all sentient beings to know the Buddha's mind, even low and dull-rooted sentient beings are all caused to know it; if he wishes to cause all sentient beings to be able to see, they immediately see; if he wishes to cause them not to see, even if right before their eyes, they cannot see; even if śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas possess divine vision, they still cannot see. Furthermore, when the Buddha emits a great light reaching down to the Avīci Hell and up to the Summit of Existence, those who are to be saved are all caused to see, while those who are not to be saved do not see even if right before their eyes. At times the Tathāgata gives consent; at times he remains silent. You should know that the Buddhas, the Bhagavats, are inconceivable, immeasurable, and difficult to know. How could you now ask the Tathāgata about such profound, wondrous, and difficult ascetic practices? In asking such a question, you truly have great compassion and pity for sentient beings, closing off the three evil destinies and opening the way to humans and gods. Ānanda, listen well! I shall briefly explain to you the causes and conditions of the ascetic practices of filially supporting parents."