法華義疏 5.246

5.246

「堂閣朽故」下，第五、明化意。就文為二：初、序宅相；二、明火起。序宅相為二：初、總明三界無常；次、別明三界無常。舊云：一重屋曰堂，二重以上稱閣；欲界在下喻堂，色無色界居上喻閣。今明公集之舍為堂，舍而重累稱閣，三界果報是眾生共有，而同聚其中譬之如堂，三界果報高下昇沈如舍重累喻之如閣。無常衰謝義言朽故。「牆壁頹落」者，第二、別明三界無常也。前明色法無常，外都援為牆，內別障為壁，外四大成三界形域如牆，成內身四大如壁，色法衰謝義同頹落也。「柱根腐敗」者，舍之所以立為柱之所駐，果法所以存以命根之所持，既以陰身為舍，宜用命根為柱，命根勢稍窮報身將壞，其由柱根腐敗堂舍將倒。「梁棟傾危」者，身之維持寄在心識，屋之綱紀要由梁棟，柱根摧朽故梁棟傾危，命根欲窮則心識將落。

"The halls and pavilions were decayed and old": from here on, the fifth [section] explains the intention of transformation. In the text there are two parts: first, narrating the characteristics of the house; second, explaining the fire breaking out. Narrating the characteristics of the house has two parts: first, generally explaining the impermanence of the three realms; second, specifically explaining the impermanence of the three realms. The ancient [masters] said: a single-story building is called a "hall," and two or more stories are called "pavilions"; the desire realm being below parables the halls, and the form and formless realms dwelling above parable the pavilions. Now I explain: a house of public gathering is a "hall," and houses piled high in stories are called "pavilions"; the retributions of the three realms are shared in common by sentient beings, and their gathering together within them is parabled as a hall; the retributions of the three realms, in their rising and falling, ascending and sinking, like houses piled high in stories, are parabled as pavilions. Their impermanent decline and decay is in meaning called "decayed and old." Regarding "the walls and partitions were crumbling and falling": second, this specifically explains the impermanence of the three realms. First it explains the impermanence of physical form (rūpadharma): the outer enclosure as a whole is a wall, and inner separate partitions are partition walls; the outer four great elements forming the spatial domain of the three realms are like walls, and forming the inner body's four great elements are like partition walls; the decline and decay of physical form is equivalent in meaning to "crumbling and falling." Regarding "the bases of the pillars were rotten and ruined": the reason a house stands is because it is supported by pillars; the reason the conditioned results survive is because they are sustained by the life-faculty; since the body of the aggregates is taken as the house, it is appropriate to use the life-faculty as the pillars; when the force of the life-faculty is nearly exhausted, the retribution body is about to disintegrate, just as when the bases of the pillars are rotten and ruined, the halls and houses are about to collapse. Regarding "the beams and ridgepoles were tilting and perilous": the maintenance of the body relies upon mental consciousness; the structure of a house essentially depends on the beams and ridgepoles; because the bases of the pillars are broken and rotten, the beams and ridgepoles tilt and become perilous; when the life-faculty is about to be exhausted, mental consciousness is about to fall.