妙法蓮華經玄贊 3.32

3.32

The four fearlessnesses (vaiśāradya) are distinguished by five gates: first, distinguishing their names; second, identifying their essential nature; third, their active aspects; fourth, their sequence; fifth, the various headings; also as in fascicle 5 of the Bodhisattvapiṭaka-sūtra, fascicle 53 of the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-[sūtra], fascicle 4 of the Prakaraṇāryavācā, fascicle 50 of the Yogācāra[-bhūmi], and fascicle 14 of the Abhidharma[-samuccaya-bhāṣya]. Distinguishing their names has two parts: first, listing the names; second, explaining the names. Listing the names: 1. fearlessness regarding complete and perfect enlightenment (sarvadharmābhisambodhi-vaiśāradya); 2. fearlessness regarding the extinction of outflows (sarvāsravakṣaya-jñāna-vaiśāradya); 3. fearlessness regarding explaining obstructive dharmas (antarāyikadharmānanyathātva-niścita-vyākaraṇa-vaiśāradya); 4. fearlessness regarding the path leading out of suffering (nairyāṇikapratipat-tathātva-vyākaraṇa-vaiśāradya). Explaining the names has two parts: general and specific. In general, "four" is a numerical designation; "fearlessness" means being able to know oneself fully with regard to these four points, being composed and fearless, the mind lacking timidity, without doubts, and completely free from fright; hence it is called "fearlessness." Specific names: correctly awakening to all phenomena and equally awakening to all phenomena is called "complete and perfect enlightenment"; when the seeds and actual manifestations of all afflictive outflows are both severed, it is called "extinction of outflows"; teaching obstructive phenomena, where defilements inevitably cause obstruction, is called "obstructive phenomena"; teaching the path of deliverance, where the practice of the noble ones definitely leads out of suffering, is called "the path leading out of suffering." Attaining fearlessness in these four is in each case a dependent determinative compound (tatpuruṣa). In identifying their essential nature: fascicle 57 states that they take faith, vigor, mindfulness, concentration, wisdom, and the faculty of final knowledge as their nature. The Abhidharma[-samuccaya-bhāṣya] states: "Either concentration or wisdom, and the minds and mental factors associated with them"; and also states: "When giving rise to functions, they take subsequent knowledge as their nature; when abiding in own-nature, they take correct knowledge as their essence." This nature has five aspects: based on supremacy, they take the two knowledges as their nature; based on instigation, they take concentration and wisdom as their nature; speaking of reality, they take the five faculties as their nature; based on association, they take the four aggregates as their nature; based on retinue, they take the five aggregates as their nature. As for their active aspects: as a sūtra states, "The Bhagavat himself declared: 'I am the Completely and Perfectly Enlightened One.'" Then a śramaṇa or non-śramaṇa came from another land, and the Buddha greeted him warmly, asking: "Are you living comfortably? Did you obtain almsfood?" Thereupon someone raised a challenge: "You say you are completely and perfectly enlightened and that there is nothing you do not know; now you ask another—how contradictory! Regarding this challenge, I see no valid ground: I dwell in security, without fear and without dread, declaring myself to abide in the honored position of the Great Sage. Why is this? To receive and guide those who come, causing them to generate a superior resolve; for hearing the Buddha's greeting, they generate the aspiration for the Path; and desiring all people to examine affairs with care: if even the Buddha who knows still asks, how much more should others who do not know? It also serves as a model for future people: seeing those who come to generate the resolve, one should guide and draw them in; it is not that the Buddha did not know, yet he still claims complete enlightenment." Furthermore, as a sūtra states: "All my outflows are extinguished." Later, Devadatta engaged in evil deeds, and the Buddha constantly scowled and scolded him; when Sun-Grasper (Sūryagrahā?) was docile, the Buddha constantly spoke gentle words. Thereupon someone raised a challenge: "You say all outflows are extinguished and afflictions are entirely gone, yet you rebuke Devadatta and speak lovingly to Sun-Grasper; when greed and anger are not extinguished, how can outflows be extinguished? How contradictory! Regarding this challenge, I see no valid ground: I dwell in security, without fear and without dread, declaring myself to abide in the honored position of the Great Sage. Devadatta is likened to a vicious horse, subdued only with whip and pain; if not scolded, he would conversely say he terrifies me. Sun-Grasper is likened to a wise elephant that follows a person's heart, so with gentle words he can be subdued; it is not that there is greed or anger, or that outflows are not extinguished." Furthermore, as a sūtra states: "The Buddha taught his disciples obstructive phenomena, that defilements inevitably cause obstruction, yet he did not forbid stream-entrants and once-returners from having wives and children." Thereupon someone raised a challenge: "Defilements inevitably cause obstruction, yet noble ones keep wives and children—how contradictory! Regarding this challenge, I see no valid ground: I dwell in security without fear, abiding in the position of the Great Sage. Deviant sexual conduct obstructs the noble paths; keeping a wife obstructs the path of detachment from desire. Because persons of the first two fruitions have not yet detached from desire, and innate moral discipline has long been perfected, they eliminate deviant sexual conduct; not severing wives and children—what fault is there in this? Therefore defiled phenomena are indeed not without obstruction." Furthermore, as a sūtra states: "I taught my disciples the path of deliverance, which the noble ones cultivate to definitely deliver them and definitely attain penetration, yet there were the arhat (aśaikṣa) Kālodāyin whose feet were buried in dung and decayed matter, and Aṅgulimāla whose body was burned by the fires of hell." Thereupon someone raised a challenge: "The noble path has been cultivated for a long time in the hope of leaving behind all sufferings; if an arhat still undergoes suffering, what is the use of cultivating the path? How contradictory! Regarding this challenge, I see no valid ground: I dwell in security without fear, abiding in the position of the Great Sage. When one truly attains the stage of non-learning, suffering fruitions are definitely eradicated; yet in order to demonstrate that present causes inevitably have painful retributions, through this the noble ones experience present suffering to inspire later teachings; or, maturation of suffering is not experienced by an arhat because evil karma is exhausted, and if it existed, it would definitely obstruct the fruition so that one would not become an arhat. As for their statement that an arhat undergoes such suffering: at that time, residing in the stage of learning and not yet detached from desire, he was definitely destined to become an arhat, so he was given that name; even if he attained supernormal faculties, he was not a non-returner or the like, possessing only mundane five supernormal faculties. Or, the suffering of an arhat is not incurred by karma, because all suffering of maturation has definitely been transcended; as the Nirvāṇa-sūtra, fascicle 29, in explaining karma of the three times, states that upon reaching the stage of non-learning, all evil karmas are cast aside and none are experienced; it says that before entering the noble [path], it is called fixed karma, but once having entered the noble [path], it is not called fixed karma, as fully explained there; therefore an arhat definitely has no fruitions of suffering. The latter two gates are also as explained in the second fascicle of the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa Commentary."} ], "glossary": [ {"term": "十力", "en": "ten powers"}, {"term": "無所畏", "en": "fearlessness"}, {"term": "處非處智力", "en": "power of knowing what is possible and impossible"}, {"term": "業異熟智力", "en": "power of knowing karma and its maturation"}, {"term": "宿住隨念智力", "en": "power of recollecting past abodes"}, {"term": "死生智力", "en": "power of knowing death and rebirth"}, {"term": "漏盡智力", "en": "power of knowing the extinction of the outflows"}, {"term": "具知根", "en": "faculty of final knowledge (ājñātāvīndriya)"} ]}