仁王般若經疏 1.16

1.16

Question: Ānanda was born at midnight on the night the Buddha attained the path, and came to serve the Buddha only when he was twenty-five years old. What the Buddha expounded since his attainment of the path was very extensive; Ānanda was not present for any of it, yet he says of all of it, 'have I heard'—what is the meaning of this? Answer: Fascicle six of the Bao'en jing fully relates that Ānanda made several vows: 'May the Buddha repeat for me the sūtras I have not yet heard'; therefore, all were received personally. In the second fascicle of the Commentary, Ānanda speaks a verse himself: 'When the Buddha first expounded the Dharma, / at that time I did not see it; / thus hearing it indirectly: / the Buddha in Vārāṇasī, / for the sake of the five monks, / first opened the gate of ambrosia, / expounding the Dharma of the four true truths.' This refers to the Buddha repeating it, which is called 'hearing indirectly.' The Pusa chutai jing states: 'When the Buddha in the Twin Trees had already entered the golden coffin, he arose, extended his golden hand, and asked Ānanda: "From my beginning onward, I have expounded the Mahāyāna Vaipulya sūtras for the bodhisattvas; do you know them all or not?" Ānanda replied: "Only the Buddha knows." The Buddha again asked: "Formerly I ascended to the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven to expound the Dharma for my mother; do you know it or not?" Ānanda answered: "I do not know." The Buddha again asked: "When I dwelt in the dragon palace expounding the Dharma for the dragons; do you know it or not?" Ānanda answered: "I do not know." The Buddha again asked: "Formerly when I dwelt in the womb turning the wondrous wheel of the Dharma; do you know it or not?" Ānanda answered: "I do not know." Having questioned him thus, the Buddha told Ānanda: "Listen attentively now, and I shall explain them to you one by one." The Tathāgata's oral secret was transmitted all at once, and Ānanda attained the samādhi of awakening to the Buddha, grasping everything all at once.' Ānanda's attainment of the samādhi of awakening to the Buddha comes from the Śāriputraparipṛcchā-sūtra: 'Ānanda cultivated the dhyāna of realizing without forgetting, had long practiced dhāraṇī, and attained the samādhi of awakening to the Buddha.' If one relies on the Jin'gangxian lun, it clarifies three kinds of Ānanda: first, the Mahāyāna Ānanda, who is Ānandasāgara, upholding the Mahāyāna treasury of the Dharma; second, the Middle Vehicle Ānanda, who is Ānandabhadra, upholding the Middle Vehicle treasury of the Dharma; third, the Hīnayāna Ānanda, who is named Ānandabhadra [the Worthy], upholding the Hīnayāna treasury of the Dharma. Now the principle of this sūtra is profound and its marks quiescent, its causes complete and its fruits full, vast as the dharmadhātu and ultimate as empty space; therefore it was Ānandasāgara who stated 'have I heard.'