法華文句記 2

English (machine translation) 2

Language: English

2.1

Expounded by the Tang Tiantai Śramaṇa Zhanran

The origins and conditions of Kāśyapa are the most extensive in the biographies; how could they be recorded completely? Kāśyapa is a clan name, hence called "clan." "Bearing the chart" is like the River Chart in this land. The Sūtra of the Twelvefold Journeying states: "In the third year after the Buddha's attainment of awakening, he first delivered the five men; in the fourth year, he transformed Mahākāśyapa and the three brothers; in the fifth year, he transformed Maudgalyāyana and Śāriputra." A "settlement" is an abode of many people, but takes its name only from superior persons. "Fearing the superior king" means that the subjects and possessions should not surpass the king. The "three renunciations" are what follows from renouncing this. As for "later the Buddha told" and so on, the Ekottarikāgama states: "The Buddha was at Kalanda[ka-veṇuvana] with five hundred monks. At that time Kāśyapa went before the Buddha on almsround and sat to one side. The Buddha said: 'You are old in years and advanced in age, your resolve is waning and your faculties are weary; you may give up the almsround and the twelve dhūtas, and you may accept invitations as well as extra robes.' Kāśyapa said: 'I will not follow the Buddha's instruction. If the Tathāgata had not become a buddha, I would have become a pratyekabuddha; the rule of a pratyekabuddha is to practice the āraṇyaka practice for one's whole life.' The Buddha said: 'Excellent! Excellent! It brings much benefit. If Kāśyapa practices the dhūta practices and remains in the world, my Dharma will abide long, increasing gods and humans, extinguishing the three evil destinies, and accomplishing the path of the three vehicles.'" In the Daśabhūmika-vibhāṣā, the twelve dhūtas each possess ten kinds of merits, detailed in fascicle 14, Chapter on the Twelve Dhūtas. Fascicle 46 of the Ekottarikāgama, in the text of eleven additions, combines dwelling under trees and sitting in the open into one; hence one knows that dharma-characteristics cannot be uniformly standardised. In the Dàzhìdù lùn, fascicle 49, acceptance of non-birth is spoken of as the twelve dhūtas, belonging to the shared and not the Tripiṭaka [teaching]; therefore, judging by the teachings now, it culminates in the Nirvāṇa [Sūtra]. The presence, absence, similarities, and differences are detailed in the Notes on Great Calming and Contemplation, fascicle 4. "Four spiritual samādhis" means the concentrations of the four bases of spiritual power (ṛddhipāda); from the four bases of spiritual power, there are these four functions. "Formless" means being able to conceal oneself. "Immeasurable intention" means knowing the minds of others. "Accumulation of purity" means being able to transform defilement. "Non-retrogression" means being able to enter evil [realms]. As for the "four concentrations," these are definitely attaining the various dhyānas as well as the uncontaminated [dharma], being skilled in discerning, and being replete with the rules of precepts; because of these matters, one attains non-retrogression. "King Mandhātṛ" is King Uṣṇīṣa-born (Mūrdhaja). "Gods and humans all equal" refers to the Ekottarikāgama stating: "Kāśyapa heard gods and humans calling him the Buddha's teacher, arose, bowed his head to the Buddha's feet, and said: 'The Buddha is my teacher; I am the disciple.'" Next, from "Again, Kāśyapa" downward, as the Other Translation of the Saṃyuktāgama, fascicle 20, states: "The Buddha was at Kalandaka. Kāśyapa and Ānanda entered the city on almsround. Ānanda said: 'The time has not yet arrived; let us go for now to the nuns' monastery.' Kāśyapa acted according to his words. The nuns saw them coming from afar, rejoiced, and set out sitting mats. Kāśyapa then expounded the Dharma for the nuns. At that time, Thullanandā was displeased in heart, and secretly said: 'Elder Kāśyapa expounding the Dharma before Ānanda is like a needle-seller going to a needle-maker's gate seeking to sell needles—he will never be able to sell them. Kāśyapa is also like this, expounding the Dharma before Ānanda.' Kāśyapa heard this from afar with his divine ear, and said to Ānanda: 'Why is this worth finding strange?' Kāśyapa uttered a lion's roar before the nuns, arose from his seat, and returned to his dwelling." The present text from "Kāśyapa said to the nuns" onward is precisely the text of Kāśyapa's lion's roar. Furthermore, in the Other Translation of the Saṃyuktāgama, the rule of begging is to stop if one does not get enough from house to house; another says: going up to seven houses, if not enough, then stop. The "four great disciples" are Kāśyapa, Piṇḍola, Rāhula, and Kuṇḍadhāna. The text lists seven greats; if combined with the great native clan and the yearning of the gods as great compassion, they make nine greats together. If these are treated as the four siddhāntas: clan name and renouncing/receiving are the worldly [siddhānta]; the three greatnesses of practice are the individual [siddhānta], since hearing his name and beholding his practice all give rise to goodness; the fourth, confirmation, is the antidotal [siddhānta], because the Buddha's confirmation puts doubts and wonder to rest; status and compassion are the supreme meaning [siddhānta], because seeing principle one enters status. Compiling the Dharma and upholding the Dharma are both the merits of entering status. Citing Master Zhao in compiling the Dharma is to clarify that the merits of compiling the Dharma are many. Furthermore, "greatness of status" in the text does not refer solely to the stage of an aśaikṣa; it is because his virtue was elevated, his prestige weighty, and the office he held was great. The phrase "and so on" means that however many causes and conditions there may be, they are all completely subsumed under the four siddhāntas.

2.3

Next, in [explaining] in terms of the teachings, first it treats the objective realm of phenomena, and next, from "taking provisionally" downward, it distinguishes the differences among the teachings in terms of the contemplation of the truths. In the objective realm of phenomena, "free from the five fears" refers to the king, robbers, water, fire, and bad sons. "Two are clothing" and so on correlates them with numbers in order from the beginning, except that in the text begging in succession is missing. The lower three teachings all take the initial phenomena as their objective realm, which the expositor must explain in detail. One should understand that the twelve dhūtas each constitute the eighty-eight proclivities, the thirty-seven limbs of awakening, and so forth. If the dhūtas are already like this, how much more so the remaining inferior practices! Having received the honor of joining the ranks of the path, hearing such supreme dharma, shall one not examine one's own mind and practice? "Similar continuity" means that [phenomena] arise and perish thought-moment by thought-moment, but due to delusion this is thought to be continuous; ordinary persons do not understand and mistakenly think it is permanent. The three feelings are all suffering; feeling that accords with one's wishes is in truth suffering. Movement is not autonomous; because there is movement, there is no self. For the shared teaching, the objective realm of phenomena points to what came before; it should also be apparent that the contemplation of the truths is distinguished solely according to the aspects of practice. For the distinct teaching, taking the dharmakāya as what is relied upon is because the mind aspires to the dharmakāya and cultivates the [other] two virtues. The "and so forth" at the end of the text is because it does not elaborate in detail on the horizontal and vertical aspects of each stage of dhūta practice, for the horizontal and vertical aspects, as well as the portals of self and other across the distinct stages, cannot be set forth at once. Since the perfect teaching states that the dwelling place is identical to the [other] two, we can verify that this is the three virtues intrinsically possessed, and the same holds for those obtained through cultivation. "One is all" and so forth does not depart from the three virtues: "one is all" is practice—clothing; "all is one" is wisdom—food; "neither one nor all" is the body—dwelling place. "And so forth" means that while the aspects of practice are not yet fully explained, they are provisionally correlated with the dhūtas.

2.4

In [explaining] in terms of origin and traces, "relinquishing love of the dharma" means that, since it is said to be attained together with the Tathāgata, it means relinquishing both true and semblance love [of dharma]. This extends to whichever stage one is in: stage by stage one is free from love. Therefore, discussing the three virtues of the ground of origin in the distant origin, the traces manifest the clothing and so forth among the phenomenal matters of the dhūtas of the five flavors. In general, the main purport of explaining origin and traces is distinguished as in the earlier explanation of numbers.

2.5

The "and so forth" below "contemplation" also indicates there is no leisure to set forth the sequence of the various contemplations in full. The perfect dhūta corresponds precisely to the three virtues of non-arising non-arising. Therefore, the three persons below are again correlated with the three virtues, the principle of which is entirely identical.

2.6

"Kṣetra" should be kṣetramā; here it is translated as "field," which is the land ruled by one buddha. Now calling it a "kṣetra pillar" is because it represents the territory; hence in various sūtras it is often called "representing the kṣetra." If one wishes to clarify the four siddhāntas: first is the mundane siddhānta, because the family clans and dwelling places are different; from "Vipaśyin" downward is the siddhānta for persons, because they jointly erected the kṣetra pillar as a wholesome cause; from "the Buddha performed" downward is the remedial siddhānta, because seeing the Buddha can eliminate evil; from "the Buddha then said" downward is the primary truth, because one can see the true principle through the Lesser Vehicle. "The Buddha performed ten spiritual transformations": in the text, as an initial pass, ten matters are listed provisionally; however, the texts of the Vinaya and treatises are not restricted to these ten. Furthermore, although they are listed in the text, the events are not described in detail; the Zengyi [Ahan jing] and the Ruiying [benqi jing] explain the matters extensively, and now they are briefly set forth so that the text can be understood. The Zengyi states: "The Buddha entered Kāśyapa's cave. The poisonous dragon emitted fire and so forth, but the Buddha collected the poisonous dragon and kept it inside his bowl, coming to where Kāśyapa was. Kāśyapa invited him to stay and made offerings for three months. When the time arrived to invite him for a meal, the Buddha said, 'Go ahead.' He then went to the jambu tree to take jambu fruit. This extends to [Kāśyapa] saying, 'Although the śramaṇa is spiritual, he is not as true as my way.' Next, [the Buddha] went to Eastern Pūrvavideha to take bibhītaka fruit; next he went to Godānīya to take harītakī fruit; next he went to Uttarakuru to take naturally growing non-glutinous rice (all with [Kāśyapa] saying as before, 'the śramaṇa' and so forth). Again, in Jambudvīpa he took āmalaka fruit. [Kāśyapa] wished to perform a great sacrifice, but when the five hundred disciples wished to split the firewood, the axes once raised would not come down. Kāśyapa asked the Buddha, and the Buddha said, 'Do you want them to come down?' The axes immediately came down. Once down, they could not be raised again (as before). When they wished to light the fire, the fire would not burn; when they wished to extinguish the fire, the fire would not go out (as before). Kāśyapa thought: 'I wish to perform a great sacrifice, and kings and nobles will surely come. Gautama is handsome; if people see him, it will cause me to lose profit. If he does not come tomorrow, it will be my great good fortune.' Knowing this, the Buddha went provisionally to the north to take non-glutinous rice, to Godānīya to take milk, and went to Lake Anavatapta to eat. In the evening he returned to the rock cave. Kāśyapa asked, 'Why did you not come yesterday?' The Buddha said, 'I knew your thoughts, so I did not come.' He explained the previous matters in detail for him. Furthermore, because the four heavenly kings came to hear the Dharma, there was radiant light at night; the next day [Kāśyapa] asked the Buddha, and the Buddha explained it in detail for him. Next, when Śakra and the Brahmā king came, it was also like this. Kāśyapa asked, 'Can you make my ancestors come to hear the Dharma?' The Buddha then made them come (and so forth). The Ganges river suddenly rose; Kāśyapa feared the Buddha would be drowned by the water and sent disciples to go and look: the water did not submerge his feet, and he was walking upon the water (as before). The Buddha said, 'You are a blind man, your eyes seeing nothing of such spiritual transformations, yet you stubbornly say your way is true.' The Buddha said, 'Can you walk upon the water? Only now can we walk upon the water together' (and so forth). 'If you do not relinquish wrong views, it will cause you to suffer for long kalpas.' Having heard this, he bowed his head and face to the Buddha's feet, seeking repentance, and then told his disciples: 'We should follow what is appropriate; the World-Honoured One is my teacher.' He spoke to his disciples, saying: 'When I saw him subdue the dragon, my mind had already turned in refuge to the Buddha.' This extends to all five hundred disciples hearing 'Welcome [monk]' and attaining the fruition of a śramaṇa; they cast their ritual implements into the water together, and these flowed downstream. The two younger brothers also had five hundred disciples; seeing the fire implements floating down (and so forth), they were also all welcomed [with 'Welcome monk'] and became śramaṇas. The Buddha wished to go to Kapilavastu. [Kāśyapa] asked the Buddha, 'Why go there?' The Buddha said, 'All buddhas together have five matters: first, turning the wheel of the Dharma; second, preaching the Dharma for the father; third, preaching the Dharma for the mother; fourth, guiding ordinary persons to establish bodhisattva practices; fifth, bestowing prophecies on bodhisattvas. Therefore I am going there to preach the Dharma for my father.' The father-king accordingly caused a thousand Śākyas to leave the household to surround [the Buddha] themselves."

2.7

As for [explaining] in terms of the teachings, one should also list the four teachings in full to explain the practice and virtues of the three persons; the reason for listing the five flavors is that the flavors encompass the teachings. In [explaining] in terms of origin and traces, correlating the three persons with the three virtues is because with perfect virtue one person necessarily possesses all three, yet each person is named partially according to the one virtue they represent; since they jointly represent [the three], their essence is identical and their nature is one. It is also like this in contemplation: first attaining the middle way, next eliminating extreme inversions, and finally illuminating the extreme truths. Therefore we know that the three virtues are precisely the wondrous, perfect non-arising.

2.8

In explaining Śāriputra, the citation of the Jātaka Sūtra (*Sheng jing*) and so forth also possesses the four siddhāntas: first is the mundane [siddhānta], because it clarifies previous lives and his time in the womb; from "Nanda" onward is generating good, because it caused the people of the country to develop faith and, through seeing Aśvajit, they were able to generate good; from "Devadatta" onward is counteraction, because it was able to counteract Devadatta and save wandering ascetics; from "Madhyama [Āgama]" onward is the supreme meaning, because it praises him as being equal to the Buddha. Regarding "In the past…" and so on, that sūtra is in five fascicles, and this is taken from the first fascicle; it is now briefly cited further to make the text apparent. In that explanation of grasping to what belongs to the self, it says: "In the past, countless kalpas ago, a nephew and his uncle were both official weavers. Seeing fine goods in the storehouse, they gave rise to greed, and then conferred together, saying: 'We weave with hard labor, and fully know the fine and base of the storehouse's goods. Should we not take them together to relieve our poverty?' Later, at dead of night, they stole incalculable wealth. The storehouse guard realized it and reported to the king (as in the commentary text below). Later they came again, and the nephew said to his uncle: 'Uncle, you are old and frail; I fear you will be caught by the guards. You should enter backward from the earthen tunnel; if others see you, my strength is robust and I will be able to save you.' It happened just as the nephew said. The nephew knew he could not save him, and fearing that discerning people would recognize him, he immediately cut off his head, left the body, and departed. The king ordered the corpse discarded (as in the commentary). The king ordered subtle surveillance, but the surveillance was not airtight: the nephew then instructed boys to hold torches, dance, play, and make a great uproar, and threw them into the fire; the guards did not notice (as in the commentary). The king again brought forth his daughter, adorned her with pearls, and placed her in a chamber by the great water (as in the commentary). The king first instructed the daughter (as in the commentary); the daughter seized his clothing, and he said: 'What use is seizing my clothes? Seize my hand.' That nephew was ferocious and cunning; he had prepared a dead man in advance (as in the commentary). The king said: 'With such peerless expedients, what can be done?' The daughter was pregnant for ten months and gave birth to a handsome boy; [the king] had the wet nurse hold him and travel all throughout the borders of the kingdom, ordering that whoever made him laugh should be seized. All day they did not catch anyone. The nephew became a baker living below the furnace; the small child wept, and the baker gave him a cake, whereupon he laughed. The wet nurse reported to the king. The king said: 'Why did you not bind and bring him?' The wet nurse said: 'The child was hungry; the baker gave him a cake. I did not imagine he was the thief.' The king again ordered that anyone who approached the child be seized and brought. The nephew again sold pure wine, called the wet nurse and the guards to drink; the guards became dead drunk, and he stole the child and departed (as in the commentary). There were two hundred and fifty horsemen in front and two hundred and fifty behind, with the nephew in the center not dismounting; the king then went into the horsemen and seized him, saying: 'Are you the former thief? Why could you not be seized before and after?' Bowing his head, he replied: 'I beg for this remaining life.' The king said: 'Your keen cleverness is peerless under heaven; it shall be as you wish' (as in the commentary)." Regarding "simultaneously imitating inauspicious signs": on the road, judging by signs, all signs that were judged, insofar as they pertained to himself, were inauspicious. Regarding "Serving as master the Brahmin Sañjaya" and so on, the Ekottarika [Āgama] says: "Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana, the two of them, sought the Way without success, and then asked their master. The master said: 'I myself have spent years seeking the Way without success; is there no Way?' Another day the master fell ill; Śāriputra was at his head and Maudgalyāyana was at his feet. When his life was about to end, he smiled; both of them asked about the meaning of the smile (as in the commentary). Both of them took it down in writing (as in the commentary). From this they made a vow that if they obtained ambrosia, they would certainly taste it together." Regarding "Madhyama [Āgama], fascicle two, to 'how could they be exhausted'", that *Seven Carts Parable Sūtra* says: "Śāriputra saw Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra" (as in the commentary); in its second [fascicle], the "Chapter on the Seven Dharmas", the background is extensively narrated. As for "dwelling in the retreat of his birthplace", the sūtra says "birthplace", which is his original birthplace. The monks of the birthplace reported to the Buddha, praising Pūrṇa and so forth (as in the commentary). *Báixī* (pronounced *xī*) means radiant and pleasant. If pronounced *xī*, it means handsome complexion. Both meanings are valid. Regarding "purity of morality" and so forth: according to the *Commentary on the Vimalakīrti*, purity of morality consists of right speech, right action, and right livelihood; purity of mind consists of right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration; purity of view consists of right view and right resolve; purity by overcoming doubt is the path of seeing; purity by knowing the path and non-path is also called purity of discernment; purity of knowledge and vision of the traces of the path is also called purity of practice—these two are the path of cultivation; purity by wisdom and abandonment of the traces of the path is also called purity of nirvāṇa, which is the path of no-more-learning. Only when it comes to the context of teachings are the teachings distinguished. The latter two must use identical-essence views and thoughts. Here, "praising the remainderless by means of the with-remainder": from the active discipline at the beginning to wisdom and abandonment at the end, the seven purities are all with-remainder; only when retribution ends and one enters extinction does one realize the remainderless. The seven purities are indeed the gateway to the remainderless; if one directly takes the seven purities to be the remainderless, one should know that it is merely praising the remainderless by means of the with-remainder. The remainderless must rely on the seven purities to be reached; therefore it says that apart from the seven, there is also none. "Kosala" is Śrāvastī. "Sāketa" is a place name, its mileage unknown. Regarding "making the lion's roar", in the *Śāriputra's Lion's Roar Sūtra* of the *Saṃyukta [Āgama]*, the Buddha spoke the meaning of a single phrase, asked Śāriputra three times, and he could not answer three times. The Buddha opened it slightly and entered a quiet room; Śāriputra gathered the monks and addressed them: 'Before the Buddha showed me the starting point, I could not answer; [now] for seven days and seven nights I could expound its dharma without exhausting it.' Regarding "The Buddha ordered Maudgalyāyana to go to the Jetavana to call Śāriputra" and so forth: the Buddha was at Lake Anavatapta with five hundred monks; Ānanda attended the Buddha, sitting on a golden lotus flower with stems of seven treasures, and all five hundred were assembled. Then the dragon king said: 'This assembly has a vacancy, not seeing Śāriputra; may the Buddha send a monk to call him.' At that time, Śāriputra was in the Jetavana patching an old robe (a five-patch robe of mixed colors). Śāriputra said: 'Go ahead there first, and I will come immediately.' Maudgalyāyana said: 'Can your supernormal power surpass mine, that you tell me to go ahead?' Maudgalyāyana said: 'If you do not go at once, I will seize your arm and bring you to that lake.' Śāriputra said: 'Maudgalyāyana is testing and trifling with me.' Śāriputra immediately loosened his sash and placed it on the ground, saying to Maudgalyāyana: 'Can you lift this sash? Then seize my arm and take me away.' At that time Maudgalyāyana thought: 'Śāriputra is slighting and trifling with me.' Maudgalyāyana said: 'This must have a purpose; it is not in vain.' He stretched out his hand to take the sash, but could not move it a hair's breadth; exerting all his supernormal power, he still could not move it. Śāriputra took the sash and tied it to a branch of the jambu tree, telling him to lift it; at that time the entire earth of Jambudvīpa shook. Śāriputra said: 'Maudgalyāyana can still shake the earth of Jambudvīpa, how much more this sash? Now I shall tie it to other continents.' Even to the three continents, he could shake them like shaking a light garment. Next, he tied it to Mount Sumeru, the small thousand, medium thousand, and great thousand [worlds], and could shake them all. At this time heaven and earth shook violently; only the Buddha's seat and Lake Anavatapta did not move. The dragon king asked the Buddha: 'Why does the earth shake?' The Buddha answered (as in the commentary). The dragon king said: 'Whose supernormal power is superior?' The Buddha said: 'Śāriputra is superior.' The dragon king said: 'Why was it previously said that Maudgalyāyana is foremost in supernormal powers?' The Buddha said: 'Maudgalyāyana can abide for one kalpa; Śāriputra abides for many kalpas.' What others call the border-limit samādhi is just this samādhi. Śāriputra entered a samādhi whose name Maudgalyāyana did not know. Śāriputra further thought: 'Maudgalyāyana shook the great earth, and countless wriggling creatures died. I personally heard the Buddha say that the Tathāgata's seat cannot be moved; now I tie it with this sash.' When Maudgalyāyana again lifted it, the reason it did not move was just slightly different from the legs of the seats of buddhas in other regions. Maudgalyāyana thought to himself: 'Have I not regressed in my supernormal powers?' Wanting to go to the Buddha's place to ask about this matter, Maudgalyāyana left and arrived at the World-Honoured One's place, and saw Śāriputra sitting in front of the Buddha from afar. He further thought: 'Among the Buddha's disciples, I am foremost in supernormal powers, yet now am I inferior to Śāriputra?' He then went to ask the Buddha: 'Have I not lost my supernormal powers? I departed earlier, yet now arrive later.' The Buddha said: 'Your supernormal powers have not regressed; it is just that you do not recognize that which Śāriputra entered.' Hearing this, the dragon king was greatly delighted. The monks discussed privately: 'Among the Buddha's disciples, Maudgalyāyana is foremost in supernormal powers, but now he is inferior to Śāriputra.' They then gave rise to slighting thoughts toward Maudgalyāyana. The Buddha told Maudgalyāyana: 'Display your supernormal powers.' Maudgalyāyana bowed to the Buddha, and right before the Buddha, went to the east through worlds [as numerous as] seven Ganges sands, where the Buddha was named Wonderful Light, and walked on the rim of an alms bowl. That assembly saw him, thought he was an insect, and showed him to that Buddha. That Buddha said: 'To the west, seven Ganges sands of worlds...' (and so forth). That Buddha told him to display supernormal powers so that the monks would not give rise to slighting thoughts. He went so far as to put five hundred [monks] in his bowl bag, place them in the Brahmā heaven, tread on the Brahmā heaven with one foot and tread on Mount Sumeru with the other foot, and the sound of his reciting verses filled the Jetavana. The monks heard it, not knowing where he was. They asked the Buddha, and the Buddha said: 'He is in that world' (and so forth). The monks addressed the Buddha, asking that Maudgalyāyana return (and so forth). Those monks wished to come; the Buddha had him bring them, expounded the teaching of the six realms for them to return, and Maudgalyāyana escorted them back (and so forth).

2.9

Regarding "as spoken in the Prajñā": in that sūtra, Pūrṇa spoke of breaking views of bodhi; therefore, it is the intent of the shared [teaching]. Regarding "noble sages themselves expounding their own dharmas" and so forth: here, explaining the shared teaching, it consequently cites the *Prajñā* to the effect that the bodhisattva practices shared [with the two vehicles] must break views of bodhi, the wheel of Dharma, and so forth before one is named a bodhisattva. Therefore, it cites various Mahāyāna sūtras where, whenever bodhisattvas speak of their own realization, it is always to benefit living beings or to express their understanding before the Buddha, not like ordinary people who assert their own views and praise their own abilities; hence it says "falsely making statements".

2.10

Regarding 'auspicious divination' and so forth in the explanation of Maudgalyāyana: His father was named Auspicious Divination. When his father was first born, a physiognomist divined him and said it was auspicious; hence this was taken as his name. The five characters 'Mù-qié-lüè-xī-dù' are entirely Western sounds. Therefore, the tenth fascicle of the Treatise, in explaining the secrets of the Tathāgata's speech, cites Maudgalyāyana pursuing the sound, where that Buddha addressed him, saying, 'Maudgalyāyanaputra, why have you come here?' Maudgalyāyana then replied, and so forth. That Buddha indeed uttered these five characters to address Maudgalyāyana; it is merely a difference in lightness or heaviness of pronunciation between the two lands. In the text, the character 'lù' (路) was mistaken for 'lüè' (略), and 'zǐ' (子) was mistaken for 'xī' (兮). Regarding 'many share the same name': as the Madhyama Āgama, fascicle thirty-five, says, 'There was Maudgalyāyana the Calculator, who was skilled in the methods of calculation.' In that sūtra, when the Buddha was at the Hall of the Mother of Mṛgāra in Śrāvastī, Maudgalyāyana the Calculator strolled over to the Buddha's place in the afternoon to pay his respects, sat back, and said to the Buddha, 'I wish to ask a question.' The Buddha said, 'Ask as you please.' It goes on to say, 'I preserve my life through the methods of calculation; having taken refuge in the Buddha and gone forth, I maintain my original secular occupation'—hence it is said. Gomat was skilled in the characteristics of dharmas. Because there was more than one Maudgalyāyana, 'Great' is separately designated. 'Being held in honor' and 'being regarded with esteem'—the wording of the text differs, but the meaning is identical; both regard them with esteem on account of their virtuous conduct. Śāriputra was of superior talent and clear wisdom; Maudgalyāyana was of noble lineage and crisp spirit—'crisp' also meaning clear. 'Arts' refers to the six arts, briefly as in the Expository Notes; however, the wisdom and arts of the Western regions differ from this land, because there are those who attain dhyāna, and therefore what is subsumed by the four Vedas is extremely vast. The causes and conditions here also possess the four siddhāntas: the first is mundane; from 'Explanatory Treatise' onward is for the individual; from 'Non-Buddhists' onward is antidotal; from 'Nirvāṇa' onward is the primary meaning. Regarding the 'disciple on the left side': the reason why Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana are made the left and right disciples for turning the wheel of Dharma is that penetrating [wisdom] arises from absorption, which is the pair of absorption and wisdom. Taking these two dharmas as the root of all dharmas, it is also the pair of merit and wisdom. Compassion often manifests supernormal powers, so it is also the pair of compassion and wisdom; the accomplishment and refutation of the wheel of Dharma can be understood accordingly. 'Bò-é' (簸峨) means an appearance of leaning and tilting. Some write it as 𧿽𨁟 and some as 𧿽𨁟; their sources are not found. According to the 'Rhapsody on the Rivers and Seas' in the Literary Selection, it says: 'Yanghou towered and surged (砐硪) as if rising on the shore.' The character 砐 (pronounced gé) is now written as bò (簸), merely carrying the sense of fanning and stirring. Regarding 'Nanda' and so forth: the Ekottarika Āgama, fascicle twenty-eight, says, 'When the Buddha was in Anāthapiṇḍada's Park, Śakra, Lord of the Devas, addressed the Buddha, saying: "While the Tathāgata is in the world, he should perform five tasks. His mother is in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, and he must go to expound the Dharma." The Buddha silently consented (and so on). Thereupon he went (and so on). The dragons grew angry and unleashed fire and great wind; Jambudvīpa was ablaze. Ānanda said to the Buddha, "Why is there such great smoke and fire?" The Buddha answered in full. Kāśyapa, Aniruddha, and others each arose and addressed the Buddha, wishing to subdue these dragons. The Buddha told them all, "The strength of these dragons is violent and difficult to convert; you may sit peacefully." Maudgalyāyana addressed the Buddha, and the Buddha also stopped him. The Buddha then asked, "How will you subdue them?" He answered, "First, I will terrify them with an extremely large body; next, I will bore into and gnaw them with an extremely small body; thereafter, I will subdue them with my ordinary body." The Buddha said, "Excellent! You are capable of this task." The Buddha further admonished him, "Steadfast your mind and do not be perturbed, lest you be troubled by them." Maudgalyāyana prostrated at the Buddha's feet and went to the mountaintop, manifesting fourteen heads and coiling around the mountain fourteen times. Seeing this, the dragons were terrified and said to each other, "Let us now test his surrender to see if he surpasses us." The two dragons then flung the waters of the great sea with their tails, but they did not reach Trāyastriṃśa; Maudgalyāyana flung the waters with his tail, and the waters reached the Brahmā palace and also sprinkled the two dragons. Knowing their inferiority, the two dragons became enraged, unleashing thunder, lightning, and great blazes of fire. Maudgalyāyana thought to himself, "Whenever dragons fight, they always use smoke, fire, and thunder. If I do likewise, both Jambudvīpa and Trāyastriṃśa will be harmed." He then transformed into a small form (and so on). The two dragons yielded and retreated, thinking, "Among dragons of the four modes of birth, none have gone forth; yet this dragon has such majestic power!" Their hair stood on end. Knowing that the dragons' hearts were subdued, the Venerable One resumed his ordinary body and walked upon the dragons' eyelashes. Only then did the two dragons realize he was not a dragon. They exclaimed, "How extraordinary! How extraordinary!" They said to Maudgalyāyana, "Why did you trouble us? What is your admonition?" Maudgalyāyana said, "Yesterday, did you think, 'Does this bald śramaṇa constantly fly above me?'" The dragons said, "It is so." Maudgalyāyana said, "Mount Sumeru is the path of the devas, not your dwelling place." The dragons said, "We beg you to forgive our transgression; from now on we wish to be your disciples." Maudgalyāyana said, "Do not take refuge in me; take refuge in what I take refuge in." The dragons said, "We take refuge in the Tathāgata." Maudgalyāyana led the two dragons to Śrāvastī. Maudgalyāyana said, "The World-Honoured One is now expounding the Dharma for an immeasurable great assembly; do not assume your dragon forms." The dragons said, "It shall be so." They then transformed into handsome humans; the Buddha expounded the Dharma for them, and they became upāsakas. At that time King Prasenajit came to ask about the smoke and fire (and so on). The Buddha answered in full (and so on). When the king saw the two dragons, he did not rise; the two dragons grew angry and thought again, "The people in this kingdom harbor no malice toward us (and so on)." The two dragons then manifested great thunderbolts and so forth above King Prasenajit's palace; the Venerable One transformed them into udumbara flowers. The dragons grew angry again and rained down great mountains; he transformed them again into cakes and food. The dragons became twice as angry and rained down knives and swords; he transformed them again into fine garments. The dragons grew even angrier; he transformed them again into the seven jewels. King Prasenajit did not know this and said, "There is no one in Jambudvīpa with greater virtue than me; since my palace constantly has such objects, am I to become a wheel-turning king?" The dragons thought to themselves again, "How could we be so powerless to such an extent?" Having thought this, they only then realized it was Maudgalyāyana's power, and having seen it, they departed. Having received the seven jewels, rice, and so forth, the king did not dare accept them himself, and brought them to the Buddha's place to report the matter to the Buddha. The Buddha told him to make offerings to Maudgalyāyana; the king had obtained Maudgalyāyana's power. The king asked, "Why is this so?" The Buddha answered in full. Only then did the king understand (and so on).'

2.11

Regarding 'Devadatta leading five hundred' and so forth: the Ekottarika Āgama, fascicle forty-seven, says, 'The Buddha was in Kuru Park. At that time Devadatta addressed the Buddha three times wishing to go forth, but the Buddha refused twice. He then said: "This śramaṇa harbors jealousy. I should now shave my own head and cultivate pure conduct; what need is there for this śramaṇa?" There was a monk named Śuddha who practiced dhūta and begged for food. Devadatta went to him, bowed his head to his feet, and said, "I wish you to teach me the deportment." The monk then taught him. Next, he learned supernormal powers from him. This monk taught him, saying, "You should know the lightness and heaviness of mind, intellect, and consciousness; having known this, know also the lightness and heaviness of the four great elements; having known this, you should cultivate the autonomous samādhi, next cultivate the valiant samādhi, next cultivate the mind-and-intellect samādhi, and next cultivate the self-cognition samādhi. In this way, before long you will attain the bases of supernormal power." Practicing according to his words, his fame spread far and wide; reaching the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, he plucked an utpala flower and presented it onto the prince's lap (and so on), receiving extensive offerings.' His wishing to split the Saṃgha and casting the lot (śalākā) and so on are fully explained in the first fascicle of the Notes on Great Calming and Contemplation. At that time Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana said to each other, 'Let us go together to hear what he expounds.' Seeing them, he was delighted, thinking they had come to take refuge in him; all the people shared this thought. He said to Śāriputra, 'Can you expound the Dharma for the monks? My back hurts now.' He then rested his feet and lay down. After Śāriputra had expounded the Dharma for them, Maudgalyāyana led the monks away (and so on). Later, because he committed heinous acts (and so on), he was burned by fire and consequently entered Avīci. Ānanda asked the Buddha, 'Where will he be born?' The Buddha replied (and so on).

2.12

Regarding 'Samyukta Āgama twenty-nine' and so forth: that text is very extensive. Furthermore, the Ekottarika Āgama, fascicle forty-four, also says, 'The Buddha was in Anāthapiṇḍada's [Park]. Ānanda asked the Buddha: "After how much time did flaws and defilements arise among the disciples of Vipaśyin Buddha?" The Buddha said: "Initially, eighty-four thousand years, and later eighty, seventy, sixty, thirty, twenty, down to twelve, matching the seven buddhas in sequence."' 'The battle between Śakra and the asuras' is fully explained in the fifth fascicle of the Notes on Great Calming and Contemplation. 'The Buddha's Brahmā voice is deep and far-reaching' is as in the first fascicle of the Notes on Great Calming and Contemplation. 'The Buddha seeks an attendant' is as in the sixth fascicle of the Notes on Great Calming and Contemplation.

2.13

In the explanation according to the teachings, regarding the 'fourteen transformations': this is fully as in the Expository Notes, and thus the four dhyānas are explained by the fourteen transformations; these are attained by all arhats. Next, 'contemplation' and so forth can only be fully possessed by those liberated in both ways, because those who possess the contemplation dhyānas will inevitably attain the concentration of cessation of perception and feeling. Next, the 'ten all-inclusives' are intended to make supernormal powers extensive and universal. 'Smelted, perfumed, and cultivated' are as in the ninth fascicle of Great Calming and Contemplation and the Gradual Order of the Dharma Realm; the ten all-inclusives are fully detailed in the Gradual Order of the Dharma Realm. 'Phenomenal dhyāna' is fully as in the text of the Profound Meaning and the Gradual Gate of Dhyāna. The 'eighteen transformations' are as in the tenth fascicle of the Notes on Great Calming and Contemplation. Furthermore, some say: the eighteen transformations refer to shaking and so forth; now they are stated in verse: 'Shaking and blazing, / flowing and manifesting, / transforming and coming and going, / curling and stretching bodies of many forms, / going to adapt to realms, hiding and appearing, / mastery and subduing others, / bestowing eloquence and recollection, / bestowing security and emitting light.' Others also say: emitting fire from the upper body, and so forth. Regarding 'giving rise to wisdom based on emptiness': emptiness is the object-field of the truth; wisdom generated based on the object-field broadly belongs to the nature of wisdom; hence it says 'with a mind of wisdom of emptiness.' Regarding 'gradual order' and so forth: the functions of the three truths are broadly termed supernormal powers; from the first bhūmi onward, they are distinctively termed stimulus and response. Because of the gradual order of the three truths, it says 'deeply penetrating'; being exclusively the dharma of bodhisattvas, it tentatively says 'surpassing the two vehicles,' but in reality it transcends both the two teachings and the three vehicles. The statement 'not with dual characteristics' and so forth: non-duality is the true character; seeing lands is supernormal power; seeing based on principle is therefore called 'seeing without dual characteristics.' The phrase 'and so forth' directs one to distinguish them: the first two are attained through cultivation, while the latter two are attained through manifestation; the Tripitaka teaching relies on phenomenal dhyāna, the shared teaching relies on true principle, the distinct teaching assists before the bhūmis, and the perfect teaching manifests spontaneously. The first two are called supernormal and transformation, while the latter two are called secret and response; the first two subdue sentient beings, while the latter two see sentient beings' capacities; the first two can be destroyed, while the latter two are indestructible; the first two are in the teaching path, while the latter two are in the realized path; the physical supernormal powers of the first two are only present, while the latter two penetrate the three periods of time; the first two cultivate supernormal powers only at noble stages, while the latter two cultivate supernormal powers at both ordinary and noble stages; the first two can be cultivated following any support, while the latter two must have superior support. 'Vowing to attain supernormal powers' should have been in the previous explanation of causes and conditions; however, the four vows may also express the teachings. In the present text, the first teaching follows phenomena, the shared teaching follows truth, and the latter two reside in principle, so they are comfortably placed here. The phrase 'and so forth' means that there are many more conditions that all lie in wishing and attaining; there are also those who attain without wishing, following conditions, just like Aniruddha's condition of trimming the lamp with an arrow. Regarding 'leading them to enter the ultimate, and so forth': the distinction of the five flavors is as before.

2.14

In the contemplation of mind, 'suddenly having' and so forth refers to the intention of the threefold contemplation. The true character is the middle object-field; there is no such thing as being without mind yet tallying with the middle object-field; hence it says 'penetrating to the utmost.'

2.15

Next, in explaining Kātyāyana, the initial [explanation through] causes and conditions is complete with the four siddhāntas: the first is the mundane [siddhānta]; from 'the Ekottarika' onward is for the individual; 'debating with non-Buddhists' is the counteractive and the ultimate truth [siddhāntas], because the views of annihilationism and the mundane classics each involve refuting heterodoxy and attaining the Path. As for 'literary embellishment', this is because he excelled in praising and chanting. As for 'fan-cord' (shànshéng), to write the two characters 'shoulder-mount' (jiāndèng) is erroneous; because his father had already died when he was born, this child obstructed his mother from remarrying, like a fan tied to a cord. It may also mean 'fine shoulders', because he had fine shoulder blades. As for 'superior thought', thought is a mental factor of wisdom, and because of his powerful ability in debating he gained the name 'Superior Thought'. The ten rounds of questions and answers cited from the Dīrgha-āgama borrow that text where the nun Kumārī Kāśyapī refutes Pāyāsi, using it as an example. One who posits annihilationism posits that the spirit is annihilated after death, so he was questioned regarding non-annihilation; if he had posited eternalism, it would have reinforced his view, so he should instead be refuted by [the principle of] moment-to-moment non-abiding. In the first round, regarding 'the sun and moon of today', the initial response by cross-examination asks: 'Do the sun and moon of today stand by themselves, or are they for others? If for others, are they for gods or for humans? It is solely because of other gods and humans that there is a tomorrow. If there were no other world, there should be only today; and if there were no tomorrow, there would be no yesterday either, for today is yesterday's tomorrow.' As for 'splitting firewood', when conditions are complete, fire exists, just as when conditions are complete, the spirit exists; when conditions perish, there is no fire, just as without conditions there is no spirit. How could one split a spiritless body and be able to see the spirit? Like splitting the source that lacks conditions in hopes of seeing fire, this is far off. As for 'the sound of a conch', a human body is form and visible to the eye; the spirit is not form—how could it be seen? Just as the conch can be seen while the sound cannot be seen, if one wishes to seek the invisible within the visible, further conditions must be complete. Once conditions are lacking, to seek it conversely will never yield success; the spirit is also like this: when conditions are complete, it is in the body; when conditions are lacking, the spirit departs. By the eighth round, he had no further argument to raise and could only say that having held it so long, he stubbornly resisted and went against it. In the ninth answer, the 'two merchants' represent correct and wrong views. The demon is like your teacher: although your teacher was perverse, he also falsely claimed wisdom, so he fraudulently assumed human form to speak heterodoxy and disrupt the correct, speaking of a heterodox nirvāṇa as peaceful and joyful; thus it is said that 'the road ahead is abundant in rice and grass.' The old rice and grass are mundane correct view. The new rice and grass are supramundane correct view. The person is the practitioner who can ride; the ox is the wisdom ridden. Believing the words of the demon of the heterodox teacher is like your discarding the old: one loses even human and heavenly [rebirth], how much more so nirvāṇa? Thus it is said that both the person and the ox died and were devoured by heterodoxy; because it ruins both the mundane and supramundane, it says 'devoured both.' Next, the other merchant is a person of mundane correct view; only upon attaining supramundane correct view does he discard the contaminated dharmas of humans and heavens. 'I teach the correct view—why do you not discard it?' When both his words and logic were exhausted, his stubborn resistance also ceased. Furthermore, regarding 'mundane classics', Ekottarika fascicle eight says: 'The Buddha was in the Nigrodha Park in the Śākya territory together with five hundred people, assembled in the Universal Meaning Hall. At that time, a brāhmaṇa of the mundane classics went to where the Śākyas were and spoke thus: “Sirs, is there anyone who can debate with me?” The Śākyas said: “There are two persons here, within the assembly of the Fully Awakened One, who lack wit and learning, whose speech is coarse and clumsy, and who cannot distinguish coming from going. If you can debate with them, we will offer you a thousand liang of pure gold.” The mundane scholar thought to himself: “The people in this country are mostly full of deceit. Even if I win, why should it be considered extraordinary? Or they might find my weakness, and I would be subdued by a fool.” Having considered this, he said: “I will not debate.” Having spoken, he left, and met Panthaka on the road. The mundane scholar thought: “I should now go and question that man on doctrine.” He then went and asked: “What is your name?” (As in the Commentary). Kātyāyana, hearing from afar with the divine ear, assumed the form of Panthaka and said to him: “If you say that I only have supernatural powers and am incapable of debate, I will respond to your question just now, and further provide a metaphor for you: What is your name?” The mundane scholar said: “Brahmā.” He asked again: “Are you a hero?” He replied: “A hero.” He asked again: “Are you a man?” He replied: “I am a man.” [Kātyāyana] asked again: “Are not 'man' and 'hero' redundant? 'Blind' and 'having no eyes'—these meanings are not the same.” The mundane scholar said: “What is called blind?” He replied: “It is like not seeing. Not knowing in accordance with reality the present world, the future world, those who arise, those who perish, good karma, and bad karma, never seeing anything—this is called blind.” “What is having no eyes?” He replied: “It is simply lacking the above eye of wisdom.” The mundane scholar said (as in the Commentary). He asked again: “Do the five aggregates arise with conditions or arise without conditions?” He replied: “They arise with conditions, not without conditions.” He asked again: “What is the condition for the five aggregates?” He replied: “Craving is the condition.” He asked again: “What is craving?” He replied: “Birth is it.” He asked again: “What is birth?” He replied: “Craving is birth” (as in the Commentary). Having heard this, the mundane scholar attained the fruit [of the Path], and his life ended. Panthaka informed the Śākyas, instructing them to prepare firewood to cremate him and erect a stūpa for him.' Furthermore, the heterodox views in the Dīrgha-āgama are extremely broad, as it says: not shielding the body with hands; not eating between two arms, between two people, between two knives, between two pestles, or between two households. It also says: those who speak of doctrine first must not eat; not eating from two vessels; taking from one mouthful and one swallow up to seven mouthfuls and stopping, and taking no more than three helpings; or eating once a day, once every two days, or up to once every seven days; eating rice, eating greens, cow dung, deer dung, tree roots, flowers, and fruits, eating what falls naturally; or wearing clothes of grass, clothes of bark, clothes of hair, clothes of hide, clothes of sedge; keeping sideburns, keeping beards, and so forth; standing on one foot, constantly sitting on a seat (already present in the current age), constantly squatting, sleeping on thorns, sleeping on dung, sleeping on melons; bathing once every three days, bathing three times in one night. Such practices as these are called impure dharmas in our Dharma. One should briefly recognise such things. Recently there are those who cling exclusively to sitting, who have not yet accorded with the Great Way. To speak of 'exclusive sitting' is to take not lying down as merit, and not to take non-walking as virtue. How could it be that when dwelling in a dark room one's four postures are like an ordinary person's, but upon seeing an approaching assembly one sits upright and formal as if a sage? Even the conduct of a gentleman is lacking, and the way of a bodhisattva is forever impaired! Relying on one's own opinions with no teaching as a standard, they cause later generations who lack discernment to approve and esteem them, while looking down on those who walk about as if they were chaff. Even the Buddha was active in the four deportments—how could an unlearned person surpass him? The Way lies in the mind, not in external affairs and methods; it comes from oneself, not from others. Since one cannot restrain virtue and expose flaws, at least keep the overt and hidden uniform.

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法華文句記 — Classical Chinese