妙法蓮華經玄贊 3.131

3.131

贊曰：下釋起去所由，此自徵云難得有五：一得人身難，二生中國難，三具諸根難，四值佛出難，五聞正法難。五千之徒已具初四，何故將說妙法避廗而起去耶？此去之所以者何謂也？今釋有二意：一罪根深重，二有增上慢。此「輩」者補配反，群黨也。《說文》「軍法發車百兩為一輩」，《廣雅》等翻輩亦類也。《玉篇》部比類也。「罪」者，可毀可嘖可怖可厭之義，若因若果可毀厭者皆名為罪。若依小乘，此罪眾多，重者有三：一煩惱障，二業障，三異熟障。一切煩惱總為二類：一數數起名勤二起而猛名利。分為四句：一勤而不利，二利而不勤，三亦勤亦利，四不勤不利。今取初及第三句名煩惱障，五無間業名業障，三途八難名異熟障。此之三障障入聖道，名為重罪。今依大乘，障有二種：一煩惱障，二所知障。所知障者，隨其所應障入大乘聖位；煩惱障者，隨其所應障入三乘聖位。依《佛地論》，煩惱障有三：一者一百二十八煩惱并隨煩惱，二所發業，三所得果。此意所說是彼品類總名為障，非據重者。依《大般若》，重障有四：一煩惱障，二業障，三異熟障，四法障。煩惱障者，一百二十八根本煩惱，及彼等流諸隨煩惱，隨其所應能障聖者皆名此障，若具有者隨其所應障彼聖故。業障者，依《薩遮尼乾子經》有五種逆：一破塔壞寺焚燒經像，竊盜及用三寶財物。二謗三乘法言非聖法，障礙留難隱弊覆藏。三於一切出家人所，若有戒無戒持戒破戒打罵訶責，說其過失禁閇窂獄，或脫袈裟逼令還俗，責役驅使債其發調斷其命根故。《大集經》言「說一破戒比丘過失，過出萬億佛身血」。四殺父、害母、殺阿羅漢、出佛身血、破和合僧。五起大邪見謗無因果，長夜常行十不善業。此之五種唯於大乘名五逆業障。亦有說七等，不過此五，所以不說。異熟障者，謂能障聖道諸異熟果，即三惡趣、八無暇等。其間佛前佛後難應云法前法後，是佛法前後不得聖故。法障者，謂於宿世障他作善造匱法業，於此生中不得聞法，匱乏正法，謂五果中等流、增上二果所攝。罪根深重者感匱法業，是罪根故現不聞法，是罪體故，即第四障也。「慢」者，《玉篇》輕悔也、不畏也、倨也。或為「嫚」字，《切韻》欺為謾，緩為慢，恃己陵他高舉為相。《瑜伽》等說慢有七種：一慢，二過慢，三慢過慢，四我慢，五增上慢，六卑慢，七邪慢。初慢者，謂於劣計己勝，或於等計己等。過慢者，謂於等計己勝，或於勝計己等。慢過慢者，謂於勝計己勝。我慢者，恃所執我高舉為相。增上慢者，己實少德謂己多德。卑慢者，謂他多分勝己，計己少分劣他。邪慢者，己全無德謂己有德。今增上慢即是第五己實少德，謂己多德。得世間涅槃禪定等故，未多得謂多德，未多證謂多證。得謂有為道，證謂無為滅。此是增上慢相，非全未得而今謂得。若不爾者，便非增上慢相，乃是第七邪慢相故。有此煩惱障及前法障二種力故，不堪聞法。

The Eulogy says: Below is the explanation of the reason for their departure. This self-query observes that five things are difficult to obtain: first, obtaining human form is difficult; second, being born in a central region is difficult; third, possessing all sense faculties is difficult; fourth, encountering a buddha’s appearance is difficult; fifth, hearing the correct Dharma is difficult. The group of five thousand had already possessed the first four; why, just as the wonderful Dharma was about to be spoken, did they avoid it and rise to leave? What is meant by this reason for their departure? It is now explained with two meanings: first, their roots of transgression were deep and heavy; second, they had overweening pride. This word “group” (bèi) is pronounced bǔ pèi fǎn; it means an assembly or faction. The Shuowen says: “By military law, dispatching one hundred chariots constitutes one bèi.” The Guangya and other texts also translate bèi as kind or class. The Yupian says it is a section, category, or class. “Transgression” (zuì) has the meaning of blameworthy, rebukable, terrifying, and repulsive; whether cause or fruit, whatever is blameworthy and repulsive is called a transgression. According to the Hīnayāna, these transgressions are numerous, the heavy ones being three: first, the affliction obstacle (kleśāvaraṇa); second, the karma obstacle (karmāvaraṇa); third, the retributive obstacle (vipākāvaraṇa). All afflictions are broadly divided into two classes: first, arising repeatedly is called persistent; second, arising intensely is called sharp. They are divided into four alternatives: first, persistent but not sharp; second, sharp but not persistent; third, both persistent and sharp; fourth, neither persistent nor sharp. Here we take the first and third alternatives as the affliction obstacle; the five unpardonable acts (ānantarya) as the karma obstacle; and the three destinies and eight difficulties as the retributive obstacle. These three obstacles obstruct entry into the noble path and are called heavy transgressions. Now according to the Mahāyāna, obstacles are of two kinds: first, the affliction obstacle; second, the cognitive obstacle (jñeyāvaraṇa). The cognitive obstacle, as appropriate, obstructs entry into the noble stages of the Mahāyāna; the affliction obstacle, as appropriate, obstructs entry into the noble stages of the three vehicles. According to the Buddhabhūmi-śāstra, the affliction obstacle has three aspects: first, the one hundred and twenty-eight afflictions along with secondary afflictions; second, the karma initiated by them; third, the fruits obtained. What this text intends to say is that these categories are collectively called obstacles, not referring specifically to the heavy ones. According to the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-sūtra, the heavy obstacles are four: first, the affliction obstacle; second, the karma obstacle; third, the retributive obstacle; fourth, the Dharma obstacle (dharmāvaraṇa). The affliction obstacle refers to the one hundred and twenty-eight fundamental afflictions and the various secondary afflictions that flow from them; whatever can obstruct the noble ones as appropriate is called this obstacle, because if one completely possesses them, they obstruct those noble ones accordingly. The karma obstacle, according to the Satyaka-nirgrantha-sūtra, consists of five kinds of heinous deeds: first, destroying stūpas, ruining monasteries, burning scriptures and images, or stealing and using the property of the Three Jewels; second, slandering the Dharma of the three vehicles, claiming it is not the noble Dharma, and obstructing, hindering, concealing, or suppressing it; third, in the presence of any renunciant—whether with or without precepts, keeping precepts or breaking precepts—striking, scolding, rebuking, publicizing their faults, locking them in prison, or stripping off their kāṣāya robes to force their return to lay life, placing levies and burdens on them, exacting debts from them, or terminating their life-faculties. The Mahāsaṃnipāta-sūtra says: “Speaking of the faults of a single monk who has broken the precepts is worse than shedding the blood of ten thousand billion buddhas”; fourth, killing one’s father, slaying one’s mother, killing an arhat, shedding the blood of a buddha, and breaking the harmony of the Saṅgha; fifth, giving rise to great wrong views, denying cause and effect, and constantly practicing the ten unwholesome actions through the long night. These five kinds are called the obstacle of the five heinous karmas only in the Mahāyāna. Some also speak of seven and so on, but they do not exceed these five, which is why they are not stated. The retributive obstacle refers to all retributive fruits that can obstruct the noble path—namely, the three evil destinies, the eight inopportune states, and so on. Among them, the difficulty of being born before or after a buddha should be called being before or after the Dharma, since one cannot attain noble status before or after the Buddha’s Dharma. The Dharma obstacle means that in past lives, one obstructed others from doing good and generated karma that depleted the Dharma, so that in this life one cannot hear the Dharma, being devoid of the true Dharma; it is subsumed under two of the five fruits: the causally concordant fruit (niṣyanda-phala) and the sovereign fruit (adhipati-phala). Those whose roots of transgression are deep and heavy bring about the karma of depleting the Dharma; because it is the root of transgression, they currently do not hear the Dharma, and because it is the substance of transgression, it is the fourth obstacle. “Pride” (màn): the Yupian says it means to belittle and regret, to be fearless, and to be arrogant. It is sometimes written as 嫚. The Qieyun says deception is mán, remissness is màn; relying on oneself to demean others and exalting oneself is its characteristic. The Yogācārabhūmi and other texts state that pride is of seven kinds: first, pride (māna); second, excessive pride (atimāna); third, pride beyond pride (mānātimāna); fourth, egotistic pride (asmimāna); fifth, overweening pride (adhimāna); sixth, inferiority pride (ūnamāna); seventh, erroneous pride (mithyāmāna). First, pride means conceiving oneself to be superior to an inferior, or conceiving oneself to be equal to an equal. Excessive pride means conceiving oneself to be superior to an equal, or conceiving oneself to be equal to a superior. Pride beyond pride means conceiving oneself to be superior to a superior. Egotistic pride has the characteristic of exalting oneself relying on the grasped self. Overweening pride means, when one actually has few virtues, conceiving that one has many virtues. Inferiority pride means, when another is mostly superior to oneself, conceiving that one is only slightly inferior to them. Erroneous pride means, when one has no virtue at all, conceiving that one has virtue. Here, overweening pride is the fifth: having few actual virtues, one conceives oneself to have many virtues. Because they have attained mundane nirvāṇa, meditative absorptions, and so on, having not attained much, they think they have attained many virtues; having not verified much, they think they have verified much. “Attaining” refers to the conditioned path; “verifying” refers to unconditioned cessation. This is the characteristic of overweening pride, not that of having attained nothing at all and now thinking one has attained it. Were it not so, it would not be the characteristic of overweening pride, but rather the seventh, the characteristic of erroneous pride. Due to the two forces of this affliction obstacle and the previous Dharma obstacle, they lacked the capacity to hear the Dharma.