妙法蓮華經玄贊 9.400

9.400

贊曰：第八申請。有二：初長行，有三：初舉事難，次舉喻難，後正申難。初文有二：初舉成道處所、年歲，後正申難。此初也。「伽耶城」者，極險固，少居人，唯婆羅門減有千家，此並仙人之族胤也。不事公王貴庶宗仰，城居勝強舉國咸悉。即在摩竭提國之內境，佛菩提樹次南極近，故言不遠。又言伽耶是佛生處，是迦維羅國之都城。佛於摩揭陀國菩提樹下成道，俱中天竺，相去極近，故言不遠。「得大菩提從是已來始過四十餘年」者，於此義中略有二說：一者有諸部說，十九出家、三十成道。《本起因果經》說十九出家。《思惟無相三昧經》說三十成道。《智度論》說「佛臨涅槃告須跋陀羅，我年十九出家已求佛道，出家已來過五十歲。」不說成道之時。佛實年八十矣。此有解云，十九出家，後五年事仙人行樂行，六年行苦行，三十成道，故告須跋陀羅過五十歲。《智度論》中用於此義，即依此說。今言成道四十年者，纔年七十矣。二者亦有諸部及大乘中說，二十九出家，三十五成道。《增一阿含》、《中阿含》、《雜阿含》、《出曜經》、《和須密論》並說二十九出家，《悲華經》、《善見論》並說三十五成道。《本起經》云：「佛欲出家，指耶輸腹云：却後六年汝當生男。遂懷羅睺。」佛六年苦行，成道之夜羅睺始生。但言羅睺六歲在胎，不說十一年在母腹，故知二十九出家、三十五成道，六年之內兼脩樂行，阿藍迦藍處坐得無所有處定，欝頭藍子處學得非想處定。菩提留支法師引經偈云：「八年作嬰孩，　七年作童子，　四年學五明，　十年受五欲，　六年行苦行，　三十五成道，　四十五年中，　教化諸眾生。」真諦三藏及和上《西域記》等，並說二十九出家、三十五成道。《金光明經》說佛壽八十。今言成道過四十餘年，即年七十有五。並初成道年合四十一年，名過四十。

Commentary: The eighth part: requesting instruction. It has two parts: first the prose, which has three parts: first raising the difficulty based on facts, next raising the difficulty based on a metaphor, and finally setting forth the difficulty directly. The first text has two parts: first raising the place and years since the attainment of the Way, and later setting forth the difficulty directly. This is the first. As for the "city of Gayā," it is extremely precipitous and well-fortified, with few residents, having just under a thousand households of brahmins, all of whom are descendants of ṛṣis. They do not serve dukes and kings, yet are revered by noble and base alike; their residence in the city is superior and strong, known throughout the country. It lies within the borders of Magadha, extremely close to the south of the Buddha's Bodhi tree, hence it is said to be not far. Again, it is said that Gayā was where the Buddha was born, being the capital city of the Kapilavastu state. The Buddha attained the Way under the Bodhi tree in Magadha; both are in Central India and are extremely close to one another, hence it is said to be not far. Regarding "having attained great bodhi, from then until now only forty-odd years have elapsed," there are briefly two explanations on this point: First, some schools say that he left home at nineteen and attained the Way at thirty. The *Benqi yinguo jing* states he left home at nineteen. The *Siwei wuxiang sanmei jing* states he attained the Way at thirty. The *Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa* states: "When the Buddha was about to enter nirvāṇa, he told Subhadra: 'When I was nineteen years of age I left home to seek the Buddha-path; since I left home more than fifty years have elapsed.'" It does not state the time of attaining the Way. The Buddha was actually eighty years old. There is an explanation of this stating: he left home at nineteen, then for five years served ṛṣis practicing pleasant austerities, for six years practiced bitter austerities, and attained the Way at thirty; hence he told Subhadra that more than fifty years had elapsed. This interpretation is adopted in the *Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa*, directly following this explanation. Now, saying that it has been forty years since attaining the Way, he would barely be seventy years old. Second, there are also various schools and Mahāyāna texts that say he left home at twenty-nine and attained the Way at thirty-five. The *Ekottarika Āgama*, *Madhyama Āgama*, *Saṃyukta Āgama*, *Udānavarga* commentary, and *Vasu[mitra]śāstra* all state he left home at twenty-nine; the *Karuṇāpuṇḍarīka-sūtra* and *Samantapāsādikā* both state he attained the Way at thirty-five. The *Benqi jing* says: "When the Buddha wished to leave home, he pointed to Yaśodharā's womb, saying: 'Six years from now you will give birth to a son.' Thereupon she conceived Rāhula." The Buddha practiced austerities for six years, and on the night of attaining the Way, Rāhula was just born. It only says that Rāhula was in the womb for six years; it does not say eleven years in the mother's womb. Hence we know he left home at twenty-nine and attained the Way at thirty-five. Within those six years he also practiced pleasant austerities: with Ārāḍa Kālāma he sat and attained the state of nothingness, and with Udraka Rāmaputra he studied and attained the state of neither-perception-nor-non-perception. Dharma Master Bodhiruci cited a sūtra verse, saying: "Eight years as an infant, / seven years as a child, / four years studying the five sciences, / ten years enjoying the five desires, / six years practicing austerities, / at thirty-five attained the Way, / and during forty-five years / taught and transformed sentient beings." The Tripiṭaka Master Paramārtha and our Upādhyāya's *Record of the Western Regions* and so forth all state he left home at twenty-nine and attained the Way at thirty-five. The *Suvarṇaprabhāsa-sūtra* states the Buddha's lifespan was eighty. Now, saying that since attaining the Way more than forty-odd years have passed, he is seventy-five years old. Together with the first year of attaining the Way, it totals forty-one years, which is called "over forty."