仁王般若經疏 3.23

3.23

“Birth and so forth” means the suffering of birth, the suffering of old age, the suffering of sickness, and the suffering of death. “Revolving in a cycle without boundary” means that transmigration is precisely the suffering of conditioned formations. “Matters running contrary to desires” is precisely the suffering of not getting what one seeks, also called the suffering of separation from what is loved. “Sorrow and grief” is precisely the suffering of destruction. As for “desires are deep and disasters heavy,” the treatise says that like the water of the great ocean, they are boundless and bottomless, and are able to summon heavy suffering, hence it says “disasters are heavy.” As for “sores and tumors are not external,” it is because greed and desire are produced in the internal mind. Sores and tumors are inherent to one's own body, hence it says “they are not external.” “The three realms are all suffering” explains that suffering is real and pleasure is hollow. “What reliance can a kingdom offer” explains that circumstantial retributions are all suffering. The stages of suffering are four: first, suffering because the desire realm is impure; second, suffering because the form realm involves falling back; third, suffering because the formless realm is uneasy; fourth, suffering because the two vehicles are not solely tranquil. The next two verses explain emptiness.