法華義疏 6.154

6.154

「惡獸毒虫藏竄孔穴」者，第二，明色界火起。初一句明在家眾生厭欲界苦修於四禪求生色界，故言「藏竄孔穴」。此經始末有三種喻：一者、取上界高出於下，故舉閣為喻。二者、取凡夫出離蓋不足言，如一尺二尺。三者、今取避火之義、喻同孔穴。「毘舍闍鬼」者，此云狂鬼，譬起見外道，亦厭欲界苦求生色界，故云「亦住其中」。「薄福德故為火所逼」者，雖生色界亦未免於患，所以不免苦者，由薄福德故也。欲界苦重如燒，上界苦輕故言逼也。「共相殘害」者，明色界眾生已受苦果更起惑因，愛多者著有，見多者著無，有無互起更相吞滅，義言殘害。有害無如「飲血」，無害有如「食肉」也。「野干之屬並已前死」者，生上界時，欲界重貪前已斷也。故《十地》云「如梵天王，欲界煩惱不現前也」。「諸大惡獸競來食噉」者，欲界惡雖滅而上界煩惱續起，起則勢奪前惡，故言競噉也。「臭烟熢㶿」者，烟為火氣，因眾苦生諸惡業，故以苦為火，惡業喻烟。遍色界四禪之內，稱「四面充塞」也。《華嚴經》以邪覺觀為烟，此是說諸煩惱本也。邪思惟亦通四禪，如四面充塞。

As for "The evil beasts and venomous insects scurry and hide in holes and burrows," second, it explains the fire starting in the form realm. The first line explains that lay sentient beings, loathing the suffering of the desire realm, cultivate the four dhyānas and seek birth in the form realm; therefore it says "scurry and hide in holes and burrows." Throughout this sūtra, there are three kinds of parables [for this]: first, taking the upper realm as towering above the lower, so it adduces the upper story as a parable. Second, taking the ordinary person's escape as hardly worth mentioning, like one foot or two feet. Third, now taking the sense of avoiding fire, comparing it to holes and burrows. As for "The piśāca ghosts," here translated as "mad ghosts," this is a parable for non-Buddhists who give rise to views; they also loathe the suffering of the desire realm and seek birth in the form realm, so it says "also dwell therein." As for "Because of meager merit, they are pressed by the fire," although born in the form realm, they have not yet escaped peril; the reason they do not escape suffering is due to meager merit. The suffering of the desire realm is heavy, like burning; the suffering of the upper realms is light, so it is said to be "pressed." As for "Mutually injuring and harming one another," this explains that sentient beings of the form realm, having already undergone the fruition of suffering, further give rise to the cause of delusion: those with abundant craving cling to existence, and those with abundant views cling to nonexistence; existence and nonexistence mutually arise and mutually swallow and destroy one another, which in meaning is called injuring and harming. Existence harming nonexistence is like "drinking blood"; nonexistence harming existence is like "eating flesh." As for "Creatures such as jackals are all already dead," when born into the upper realm, the heavy greed of the desire realm has already been cut off previously. Thus the Daśabhūmika says: "Like the Brahmā King, the afflictions of the desire realm do not become manifest." As for "The various large evil beasts vie to come and devour them," although the evils of the desire realm are extinguished, the afflictions of the upper realm arise in succession; when they arise, their power usurps the previous evils, so it says they "vie to devour." As for "The foul-smelling smoke billows and smolders," smoke is the vapor of fire; through various sufferings, various unwholesome karmas are produced. Therefore, suffering is taken as the fire, and unwholesome karma is compared to smoke. Pervading the four dhyānas of the form realm, it is called "filling all four sides." The Avataṃsaka Sūtra takes wrong vitarka and vicāra as smoke; this refers to the root of the various afflictions. Wrong thinking also extends through the four dhyānas, like filling all four sides.