金剛般若經贊述 2.9

2.9

Within resolving doubts there are three parts: first, a doubt arises concerning the previous relinquishing of body and life. That is, someone doubts, saying: 'Earlier it was said that that body is suffering, and because of relinquishing that suffering body, the retribution of merit is inferior. If so, then when bodhisattvas practice austerities in receiving, upholding, and expounding according to this Dharma-gate, those austerities are also a fruition of suffering; why would this Dharma-gate not result in a fruition of suffering?' The meaning here is: earlier it was said that relinquishing body and life is suffering, and in return one obtains a body that is a fruition of suffering, so the merit obtained is inferior. If that is so, when bodhisattvas practice various austerities for the sake of this Dharma-gate, they also induce the fruition of a suffering body; why then would their merit be superior? For instance, when Bodhisattva Sadāprarudita, seeking the prajñāpāramitā at the place of Bodhisattva Dharmodgata, broke his bones and extracted his marrow to make an offering, this was suffering and the merit obtained should be little. The intention of the present answer is: if one relinquishes the body for the practice of wisdom, the merit obtained is great; if, although relinquishing the body, one does not perform the practice of wisdom to seek bodhi, because it is a cause for saṃsāra, its merit is low and inferior. Within this text, there are four major parts: first, directly refuting the previous doubt; second, pointing to an event to clarify it; third, from 'a bodhisattva should leave behind all [marks]' onward, citing first-ground bodhisattvas to show the non-abiding principle; fourth, from 'a bodhisattva, to benefit [all beings]' onward, encouraging the benefiting of sentient beings by abiding in the principle of the two kinds of emptiness. This is the first.