觀音義疏記 2.2

2.2

Third, the peril of the rākṣasas has two [parts]: first, laying out the headings of meaning; second, explaining according to the headings, which has three [parts]: first, closely following the text, which has two: first, outlining the sūtra; second, from "number of people" onward, explaining in sequence, which has two: first, clarifying the peril, which has five: first, bringing up the numbers, which has two: first, explaining the number of people. Whether a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, or a hundred million—because traversing the sea requires boarding a large ship, it says they form companions and cannot go alone. Second, from "the wise and the foolish" onward, clarifies entering the sea. Second, from "then encountering" onward, the cause of the peril, which has three: first, directly explaining the cause of the peril, which has two: first, proving that the wind is not [itself] the peril. Because ancient teachers added the wind to make eight perils, but based on the concluding text, it only constitutes the peril of spirits. Second, from "the cause of the peril" onward, deducing: the wind is the cause of the peril; if deduced successively, all are causes of the peril. Among all the causes, the cause of the wind is the most critical, which is why the sūtra text specifically mentions the wind. Second, from "seven treasures" onward, retrospectively explains the treasure objects, which has two: first, distinguishing the true from the false; second, demonstrating what resembles the true. Third, from "black wind" onward, further explains the characteristics of the wind, which has two: first, others' explanations, which has three: first, established by past teachers; second, from "someone" onward, refuted by others; third, from "now return" onward, now problematized in a similar manner. Second, from "please observe" onward, the present explanation, which has two: first, the sūtra clarifies the wind's color; second, from "the wind adds" onward, the wind's blackness causes extreme terror. Third, from "rākṣasa" onward, suffering the affliction. As for rākṣasa spirits, they are originally governed by the Heavenly King Vaiśravaṇa. There are two divisions of them: the first is called yakṣas, which are fleet spirits; the second is called rākṣasas, which are man-eating spirits. They are omnipresent in various places, yet their original dwelling is a country across the sea. Either humans are blown to their country, or spirits come here to torment humans; both are due to the correlation of evil causes. Fourth, from "one person" onward, clarifies the capacity. Fifth, clarifies the response. Second, from "what meaning" onward, concludes the names. Second, in terms of worldly phenomena. Third, explanation through contemplation, which has two: first, clarifying that the meaning of wind is not restricted to the wind in the world; it is the wind of karmic retribution. Black karma is named wind, down to losing the good treasures of the human realm—all are the wind of evil karma. Losing the untainted wealth is the wind of afflictions. Because below, the fifth [peril] also clarifies the peril of spirits and fully clarifies the meaning of the evil spirits of the three obstacles, the present contemplative practice temporarily proceeds from the meaning of wind as the cause of the peril. Showing the desire to use the six elements to clarify the separate and perfect contemplations is precisely the model for all contemplative objects. Second, from "from the earth" onward, explains that wind pervades the three obstacles, which has three: first, karmic retribution, which has two: first, suffering the affliction, which has two: first, reaching upward to the third dhyāna. Second, from "as Sangharakṣita" onward, pervading the various destinies downward. The bhikṣu Sangharakṣita was clear about the four Āgamas and served as a good friend to the community. Five hundred merchants entered the sea to gather jewels; they came to the World-Honoured One to request this bhikṣu to preach the Dharma on the ship. Knowing there would be benefit, the Buddha permitted him to go. When the ship returned to the seashore, he went ashore and walked, lodging overnight under a tree. The merchants departed early and forgot to call the bhikṣu, who consequently lost his companions and walked alone in the mountain forests. He saw the dwelling places of bhikṣus in a saṅghārāma: food and drink, rooms and dwellings, bathhouses, gardens and groves, fields, and utensils were all implements of suffering; day and night they endured various kinds of suffering, with more than a hundred instances. Because Sangharakṣita asked, they all answered, saying: "When you return, ask the Buddha; you will know on your own." Having arrived at the Buddha's place, he recounted in full what he had seen. The Buddha answered them all: these were all bhikṣus who broke the prohibitions and precepts, destroyed the property of the Sangha, and misappropriated communal goods, suffering hellish agony in that sea mountain. When practitioners peruse this, it is sufficient for self-admonition. Second, from "when this" onward, clarifies capacity and response. Second, from "next, clarifying" onward, evil karma, which has two: first, encountering peril. The three evil destinies are discussed in terms of results, while craving and views are discussed in terms of causes; both are due to past karma causing craving and views to arise and causing one to fall into the three evil destinies. The mind of lustful greed is like a rākṣasī; destroying the good of precepts and concentration is like eating her offspring; losing human and heavenly retribution is like eating her husband. Second, from "urgently must" onward, capacity and response. Third, from "next, clarifying" onward, afflictions, which has two: first, clarifies capacity, which has two: first, śrāvakas. The noble wealth does not exceed seven kinds: first, hearing; second, faith; third, morality; fourth, concentration; fifth, vigor; sixth, renunciation; seventh, shame and remorse. The practice of wisdom is the analytical contemplation of impermanence; the practice of conduct is impurity, the mind of loving-kindness, and so forth. The two practices are cultivated in ordinary stages; the seven kinds of wealth are obtained in noble stages. Second, from "next, clarifying" onward, the various stages. The wind of the eight inversions refers to the pratyekabuddhas, the six pāramitās, the shared, the separate, and the perfect contemplations of entering emptiness taking permanence and so forth as inversions, and provisionality, the Middle, and transformative change taking impermanence and so forth as inversions. Using correct contemplation to single-mindedly recite the name of Avalokiteśvara, one immediately departs from the realm of evil spirits of the two extremes, and can reach the jewel islet of the Middle Way. The meaning of spirits joins the preceding and subsequent chapters: the preceding is this chapter, closely following the text in terms of worldly phenomena; the subsequent is the chapter on the fifth peril, the peril of spirits. Second, from "dharmadhātu" onward, clarifies the response, which has two: first, universally indicates the loving-kindness and compassion of the two contemplations. Although the separate is gradual cultivation, its result can respond perfectly. Second, from "the bodhisattva" onward, separately clarifies the gradual and sudden of samādhi, which has two: first, the gradual, which has two: first, during cultivation, making vows in accordance with practices. Second, from "now entering" onward, clarifies that at the time of realization, it corresponds according to the perils. Second, from "if making" onward, the sudden, which has two: first, cultivation grasps the perfect fusion of the three truths. The gate of the syllable wind: like the Commentary on the Invocations of Avalokiteśvara explains the six-syllable phrases by taking the six destinies and so forth as the six syllable-gates. Because the substance of the six destinies is the dharmadhātu and can penetrate true reality, they are called gates. Now taking the syllable wind as a gate, its meaning is also like this. A syllable is a word that designates phenomena. Second, from "if distinguishing" onward, distinctions in a single thought-moment during application.