大方廣佛華嚴經疏 29.12

29.12

五十六施妻子二事合願。初施行中二：先標章引例。須達拏者，此云善愛，或云好愛，事如彼經。現莊嚴王，如《大莊嚴經》說。又如《菩薩本緣經》說，一切持王子施二子等。二「菩薩爾時」下明能施心。於中，初自分所依。後「菩薩摩訶薩」下勝進所為，初結前生後；次「自觀」下觀身不堅，況於妻子；後「又以」下而修堅固二利之法。二「佛子」下明迴向行，有十一願：初一依於施心，欲令普遍故；次二依妻立願；次三及後一依子立願，生自己心，如己骨肉等故。餘通依上三立願。然所施化實，應成四句：一乞者是化、所施為實，如《賢愚經》說毘沙門化作夜叉，從王乞子等，此破菩薩執故。二乞者是實、所施是化，如《攝論》說毘荀陀王捨子與婆羅門，是化無惱，以菩薩方便滿乞意故。三者俱化，旁警眾生。四者俱實，復有二種：一始行者，欲將施時再三本問，故《瑜伽》三十九說「施妻子時，先當曉喻令喜，終不強逼令其憂惱。於來乞者，雖以正言曉喻，不施怨家」等。二根熟者，其所施人多與菩薩同結志願，互為主伴，今將為施，遂本所祈，故下經云「生生行施處，願常以我施。」

Fifty-six: Giving away one's wife and children, combining the two matters into a single vow. In the first part, the practice of giving, there are two: first, setting forth the heading and citing precedents. 'Sudāna' means 'Virtuous Love' or 'Fond Love' here; the story is as in that sūtra. King Vicitrābharaṇa is as explained in the Sūtrālaṃkāra-śāstra. Further, as the Bodhisattvapūrvapraṇidhāna-sūtra explains, Prince Sarvadatta gave away his two children, and so forth. Second, from 'The bodhisattva at that time' onward clarifies the mind capable of giving. Within this, first is the basis of one's own share. Next, from 'Bodhisattva-mahāsattva' onward is what is aimed at in superior progress: first concluding the preceding and generating what follows; next, from 'observing himself' onward, he contemplates that his own body is impermanent, how much more so his wife and children; finally, from 'and furthermore' onward, he cultivates the firm dharmas of the two benefits. Second, from 'O sons of the Buddha' onward clarifies the practice of pariṇāmanā, containing eleven vows: the first one relies on the mind of giving, wishing to make it universal; the next two establish vows based on the wife; the next three and the final one establish vows based on the children, generating the thought of oneself, because they are like one's own flesh and bone, etc. The rest are established as vows generally relying on all three above. However, as to whether the recipients and the given are illusory transformations or real, four propositions are formed: 1. The beggar is a transformation and the given is real, as the Damamūka-nidāna-sūtra explains that Vaiśravaṇa transformed into a yakṣa to beg the king for his children, etc., which was to break the bodhisattva's attachment. 2. The beggar is real and the given is a transformation, as the Mahāyānasaṃgraha explains that King Viśvantara relinquishing his children to a brāhmaṇa was an illusory transformation free from affliction, because the bodhisattva by skillful means fulfilled the beggar's intent. 3. Both are transformations, alerting sentient beings from the side. 4. Both are real, which again has two kinds: first, beginners: when about to give, they question repeatedly beforehand, so Yogācārabhūmi fascicle 39 states: 'When giving away wife and children, one must first explain and cause them to rejoice, never forcing or coercing them into worry and distress. When beggars come, though explaining with right words, one does not give to enemies,' etc. Second, those whose faculties are ripe: the persons given mostly share the same vows with the bodhisattva, mutually serving as host and companion; now being about to give them away fulfills their original prayer, hence the sūtra below says: 'In every birth where giving is practiced, may they always be given by me.'