仁王經疏 1.19

1.19

Regarding the causal origins: as the *Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa*, fascicle two, states: "When the Buddha was about to enter nirvāṇa, between the sāla trees in the country of Kuśinagara, he lay with his head to the north, about to enter nirvāṇa. At that time, Ānanda had not yet eradicated his personal affection because he had not yet become free from desire. His mind was submerged in an ocean of grief, and he could not extricate himself. At that time, the Venerable Aniruddha said to Ānanda: 'You are the guardian of the storehouse of the Buddha's Dharma; you should not submerge yourself in an ocean of grief like an ordinary worldling. All conditioned phenomena are impermanent—why do you grieve? Moreover, the Buddha, the World-Honoured One, personally entrusted the Dharma to your hands, yet now you are troubled by sorrow and will lose what you have heard. You ought to ask the Buddha: After the Buddha's nirvāṇa, how should we practice? Who should be our teacher? How should we dwell together with the foul-mouthed Channa (in fascicle four of the *Dīrghāgama*, it asks how to dwell together with the bhikṣu Channa)? What words should be placed at the head of all the Buddha's sūtras?' Ānanda then questioned the Buddha about these matters. The Buddha told Ānanda: 'Practice the four bases of mindfulness. Take the prātimokṣa as your teacher. Deal with the bhikṣu Channa by the Brahmadaṇḍa method (fascicle four of the *Dīrghāgama* and fascicle thirty-six of the *Ekottarikāgama* both state: the Brahmadaṇḍa method means not speaking with him. It is explained in detail there). At the head of all the Buddha's sūtras, speak the words "Thus have I heard", and so on.'" According to the *Faji jing* and the latter part of the *Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra*, the account is largely the same as the *Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa*; fearing prolixity, I will not detail it. The *Mahākāruṇika-sūtra* states that it was Upāli who instructed Ānanda to ask. The reason the sūtras and treatises differ is that both men instructed him together; each account relies on one aspect, and they do not conflict.