釋摩訶衍論 10.15

10.15

論曰：就此文中即有八門。云何為八？一者舉前所說總結門、二者舉益勸人令修門、三者顯離疑信功德門、四者比類為對示勝門、五者舉受持功讚揚門、六者舉誹謗過令怖門、七者殊勝廣說離謗門、八者總結修行勸人門，是名為八。言舉前所說總結門者，謂以一總字總結八種摩訶衍故。何故餘法略不結焉？所謂舉本攝其末故。如本如是摩訶衍諸佛祕藏，我已總說故。言舉益勸人令修門者，所謂集成行因之海，而為莊嚴法身之果，受持此論思惟義理，常恒相續不斷絕故。如本若有眾生欲於如來甚深境界得生正信，遠離誹謗入大乘道，當持此論思量修習，究竟能至無上之道故。言顯離疑信功德門者，謂有眾生聞此摩訶衍之甚深極妙廣大法門已，即其心中亦不疑畏亦不怯弱，亦不輕賤亦不誹謗，發決定心、發堅固心、發尊重心、發愛信心，當知是人實真佛子，不斷法種、不斷僧種、不斷佛種，常恒相續轉轉增長盡於未來，亦為諸佛親所授記，亦為一切無量菩薩之所護念故。如本若人聞是法已不生怯弱，當知是人定紹佛種，必為諸佛之所授記故。言比類為對示勝門者，謂若有人能善攝化三千大千世界中遍滿眾生，皆悉無餘令行十善，或有眾生於一食頃，於此甚深法觀察思量。若挍量此二人功德，彼第一人所得功德甚極微少，譬如芥子碎作百分一分之量。此第二人所得功德甚極廣大，譬如碎十方世界微塵數量故。如本假使有人能化三千大千世界滿中眾生令行十善，不如有人於一食頃正思此法，過前功德不可為喻故。言舉受持功讚揚門者，謂若有人受持此論觀察義理，若一日若一夜，中間所得功德無量無邊，不可言說不可思量。若假使十方三世一切諸佛，若十方三世一切諸菩薩，以十方世界微塵數舌，各各皆悉於十方世界微塵數之量不可說劫，讚揚其人所有功德，亦不能盡。所以者何？法身真如之功德，等虛空界無邊際故，何況凡夫二乘之人能稱歎之。一日一夜不多中間受持人，尚所得功德不可思議，何況若二日若三日若四日乃至百日中受持讀誦思惟觀察，不可思議不可思議，不可說中不可說故。如本復次若人受持此論觀察修行若一日若一夜，所有功德無量無邊不可得說，假令十方一切諸佛各於無量無邊阿僧祇劫歎其功德亦不能盡。何以故？謂法性功德無有盡故。此人功德亦復如是，無有邊際故。言舉誹謗過令怖門者，謂有眾生於此論教生不信心、破謗不行，如是眾生所得罪報，於諸不可說不可說劫中受苦中之重大苦故。如本其有眾生於此論中毀謗不信，所獲罪報經無量劫受大苦惱故。是故眾生但應仰信不應誹謗者，即是總結上說決擇，勸請行者。自此已下作其因緣示重過失。謂此法中不信誹謗，失自善根損他功德，斷絕一切三寶之種，無續期故。如本以深自害亦害他人，斷絕一切三寶之種故。言殊勝廣說離謗門者，謂十方三世諸如來，一切皆悉以摩訶衍為其根本成正覺故，十方三世無量菩薩，一切皆悉以摩訶衍為其根本具因海故。如是重深摩訶衍法，若有眾生生不信心諍論誹謗，如是眾生亦名斷伐一切諸佛，亦名斷伐一切菩薩，亦名斷絕自如來藏本覺佛故。如本以一切如來皆依此法得涅盤故，一切菩薩因之修行入佛智故。當知過去菩薩已依此法得成淨信，現在菩薩今依此法得成淨信，未來菩薩當依此法得成淨信故。是故眾生應勤修學者，即是總結修行勸人門。應審思擇。

The commentary states: In this text, there are eight gates. What are the eight? First, the gate of citing what was previously explained to provide a comprehensive summary; second, the gate of adducing the benefits to encourage people to practice; third, the gate of revealing the merit of leaving behind doubt and having faith; fourth, the gate of making a comparison to demonstrate superiority; fifth, the gate of praising the merit of upholding [the text]; sixth, the gate of adducing the faults of slander to inspire fear; seventh, the gate of broadly explaining the [teaching's] supremacy to keep people from slander; eighth, the gate of summarizing practice to encourage people. These are called the eight. Regarding the gate of citing what was previously explained to provide a comprehensive summary: it means using the single word 'summary' to summarize the eight kinds of Mahāyāna. Why are the remaining dharmas not briefly summarized? Because by citing the root, the branches are subsumed. This corresponds to the basic text: 'Such is the Mahāyāna, the secret treasury of all Buddhas, which I have expounded in summary.' Regarding the gate of adducing the benefits to encourage people to practice: it refers to gathering the ocean of causal practice to adorn the fruition of the dharmakāya, upholding this treatise, and contemplating its principles, constantly and continuously without interruption. This corresponds to the basic text: 'If there are sentient beings who wish to generate correct faith in the profoundly deep realm of the Tathāgata, stay far away from slander, and enter the Mahāyāna path, they should uphold this treatise, contemplate it, and practice it; ultimately they will be able to reach the unsurpassed path.' Regarding the gate of revealing the merit of leaving behind doubt and having faith: it means that when sentient beings hear this profoundly deep, exceedingly wondrous, and expansive teaching of the Mahāyāna, their minds do not harbor doubt, fear, or weakness, nor do they look down upon it or slander it; they generate a resolute mind, a firm mind, a respectful mind, and a mind of loving faith. One should know that such a person is a true disciple of the Buddha who does not sever the lineage of the Dharma, the lineage of the Saṃgha, or the lineage of the Buddha, which continues constantly and grows ever greater until the end of the future; they will also be personally prophesied by all Buddhas, and will be protected and remembered by all measureless bodhisattvas. This corresponds to the basic text: 'If a person, having heard this teaching, does not give rise to fear or weakness, one should know that this person will certainly continue the lineage of the Buddhas and will surely receive a prophecy from all Buddhas.' Regarding the gate of making a comparison to demonstrate superiority: it means that if someone were able to skillfully convert and transform all the sentient beings filling the trichiliocosm, causing them without exception to practice the ten good deeds, and another sentient being, for the duration of a single meal, contemplates and ponders this profound teaching—if one compares the merit of these two individuals, the merit gained by the first person is exceedingly minuscule, like a mustard seed crushed into a hundred parts, of which it is just one part. The merit gained by this second person is exceedingly vast and great, like the number of dust motes resulting from crushing the worlds of the ten directions. This corresponds to the basic text: 'Even if someone were able to transform all the sentient beings filling the trichiliocosm and cause them to practice the ten good deeds, it would not equal someone who, for the space of a single meal, correctly contemplates this teaching; [the latter's] merit exceeds the former beyond all comparison.' Regarding the gate of praising the merit of upholding [the text]: it means that if someone upholds this treatise and contemplates its principles for even a single day or a single night, the merit obtained during that interval is measureless, boundless, ineffable, and inconceivable. Even if all the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three times, and all the bodhisattvas of the ten directions and the three times, were each to use tongues as numerous as the dust motes of the worlds in the ten directions to praise all the merit of that person for ineffable kalpas as numerous as the dust motes of the worlds in the ten directions, they still could not exhaust it. Why is this? Because the merit of the dharmakāya and tathatā is equal to the realm of space and has no boundaries; how much less could ordinary beings and people of the two vehicles fully praise it! If the merit gained by a person who upholds it for the brief interval of only one day and one night is already inconceivable, how much more so for upholding, chanting, pondering, and contemplating it for two days, three days, four days, or up to a hundred days? It is inconceivable among the inconceivable, and ineffable among the ineffable. This corresponds to the basic text: 'Furthermore, if a person upholds this treatise, contemplates, and practices it for even one day and one night, all the merit obtained is measureless, boundless, and impossible to describe. Even if all the Buddhas of the ten directions were each to praise this person's merit for measureless and boundless asaṃkhyeya kalpas, they could not exhaust it. Why is this? Because the merit of the nature of dharmas is inexhaustible; the merit of this person is likewise limitless.' Regarding the gate of adducing the faults of slander to inspire fear: it means that if there are sentient beings who generate disbelief toward this treatise and teaching, refuting and slandering it without practicing it, the sinful retribution incurred by such sentient beings will cause them to undergo the gravest of sufferings among all sufferings for ineffable, ineffable kalpas. This corresponds to the basic text: 'If there are sentient beings who slander this treatise and lack faith, the retribution for the sins they incur will cause them to undergo great suffering and torment for measureless kalpas.' 'Therefore, sentient beings should only have reverent faith and must not slander it' serves to summarize the preceding determination and encourages practitioners. From here on, [the text] provides the causes and conditions to show the grave faults. That is, if one lacks faith and slanders this teaching, one loses one's own roots of goodness, impairs the merit of others, and severs all seeds of the Three Jewels, leaving no prospect of continuity. This corresponds to the basic text: 'as slandering it deeply harms oneself and harms others, cutting off all seeds of the Three Jewels.' Regarding the gate of broadly explaining the [teaching's] supremacy to keep people from slander: it means that all the Tathāgatas of the ten directions and the three times achieve right awakening taking the Mahāyāna as their root, and all the measureless bodhisattvas of the ten directions and the three times possess the ocean of causes taking the Mahāyāna as their root. If there are sentient beings who generate disbelief, dispute, and slander such a profound Mahāyāna teaching, such sentient beings are also said to cut down all Buddhas, to cut down all bodhisattvas, and to sever their own tathāgatagarbha and original awakening Buddha. This corresponds to the basic text: 'For all Tathāgatas attain nirvāṇa by relying on this teaching, and all bodhisattvas, by practicing in accordance with it, enter the wisdom of the Buddhas. One should know that past bodhisattvas have already attained pure faith by relying on this teaching, present bodhisattvas now attain pure faith by relying on this teaching, and future bodhisattvas will attain pure faith by relying on this teaching.' 'Therefore, sentient beings should diligently cultivate and study it' is the gate of summarizing practice to encourage people. One should carefully contemplate and discern this.