金剛經纂要刊定記 3.14

3.14

5. "The activity of teaching": this explains the two characters "begging for food" in the sūtra. Under "Dhūta...": someone may ask, "Since the Buddha is the master of the teaching, why does he need to beg for food?" Hence the commentary explains it. *Dhūta* is translated here as shaking off, because it shakes off afflictions. Now, dhūtas consist of twelve practices: namely, always begging for alms, dwelling in an araṇya, up to sitting beneath trees, sitting in the open, sitting among graves, and so forth; here, it is one of them. If one practices this matter, one obtains great merit; the Buddha manifested this model to cause people to emulate it. Since dhūta obtains merit, heedlessness is fully clear as an error. If the World-Honoured One himself still begged for food, how could other people be indolent? Feeling ashamed and apprehensive, they naturally practice it.