大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 16.14

16.14

疏「涅槃云所言大者」下，證上二義。先證常義，即《涅槃》第三〈名字功德品〉云「佛告迦葉：『是經名為大般涅槃。初語亦善，中語亦善，下語亦善。義味深遠，其文亦善，純備具足清淨梵行，金剛寶藏滿足無缺。汝今善聽，我今當說。善男子！所言大者，名之為常。如八大河悉歸大海。此經如是降伏一切諸結煩惱及諸魔性，然後要於大般涅槃放捨身命，是故名曰大般涅槃。』」釋曰：彼經具釋大般涅槃，今但取其大字，約體不變故名為常，以性出自古，非造成故。故生公序云「夫真理自然，悟亦冥符。真則無差，悟豈容易？不易之體，湛然常照。但從迷乖之，事未在我。苟能涉求，便返迷歸極。歸極得本而似始起，始則必終，常以之昧。若尋其趣，乃是我始會之，非照今有。照不在今，即是莫先為大。既云大矣，所以稱常。常必滅累，復曰般泥洹也。」正順今意。《涅槃》第二十五亦云「所言大者，大名不可思議，以體絕常境故。」言「如人最長」者，謂無一法先法界故。故《老子》云「有物混成，先天地生，寂兮寥兮，獨立而不改，可以為天下母。吾不知其名，字之曰道，強為之名曰大。」釋曰：彼以虛無為道，理異釋門，言可證此。疏「又云大者其性廣博」下，二證上遍義。即《涅槃》第五〈如來性品〉，南經〈四相品〉。文云「佛告迦葉：『所言大者，其性廣博，猶如有人壽命無量，名大丈夫。是人若能安住正法，名人中勝。』」故遠公分此一文成二種大：一廣故名大、二勝故名大。今但取廣遍之義，義便引來。彼更有多故名大，如藏多珍寶。復有高故名大，如大高山難至其頂。復有深故名大，猶如大海，即上不思議義。今以多即約用，高即約果，故但用常遍二義。於常義中已含深勝，如人最長即是勝故。又言「猶如虛空」，復是別文。二十三云「又無不遍者，譬如虛空，解脫亦爾。」彼虛空者喻真解脫，真解脫者即是涅槃。

Regarding the Commentary's passage from "The Nirvāṇa [Sūtra] says: 'That which is called great...'" onwards: this verifies the above two meanings. First, verifying the meaning of permanence (chang): this is from the third fascicle of the Nirvāṇa [Sūtra], the chapter on the "Virtues of the Name," where it says: "The Buddha addressed Kāśyapa: 'This sūtra is named the Mahāparinirvāṇa. Good in its initial words, good in its middle words, and good in its final words. Its meaning and flavor are profound and far-reaching, and its phrasing is also good; it is pure, complete, and endowed with pure brahmacaryā, a diamond jewel-treasury that is fully satisfied and without deficiency. Listen well now; I shall now expound it. Good son! That which is called great is named permanence. Just as the eight great rivers all return to the great ocean, this sūtra likewise subdues all fetters, afflictions, and māra natures, and thereafter must release body and life in the Mahāparinirvāṇa; therefore it is named Mahāparinirvāṇa.'" Explanation: That sūtra fully explains Mahāparinirvāṇa; here we merely take its character da ("great"). In terms of the unchanging nature of the essence, it is named "permanent," because its nature stems from antiquity and is not something fabricated. Therefore Sengzhao's preface states: "The true principle is spontaneous, and awakening also tallys with it darkly. The true is without deviation; how could awakening be easy? The essence that does not change is serenely and constantly illuminating. It is only because of delusion that one turns away from it; the matter does not yet rest with oneself. If one can pursue and seek it, one then reverses delusion and returns to the ultimate. Returning to the ultimate, one attains the source, yet it seems to begin anew; what has a beginning must have an end, and by this, permanence is obscured. If one inquires into its purport, it is merely that I have begun to meet it, not that illumination is newly existent. Since illumination does not belong to the present, it is that nothing precedes it, which constitutes 'great.' Having been called great, it is therefore termed 'permanent.' Permanence must extinguish burdens, hence it is again called parinirvāṇa." This precisely accords with the present meaning. Fascicle twenty-five of the Nirvāṇa [Sūtra] also says: "That which is called great: 'great' is named inconceivable, because its essence transcends ordinary realms." Regarding "just as a person is the eldest," this means that no dharma precedes the dharmadhātu. Hence Laozi says: "There is a thing nebulously formed, born before Heaven and Earth. Silent and void, standing alone and unchanging, it can be the mother of the world. I do not know its name; I style it 'the Way,' and forcing a name upon it, I call it 'great.'" Explanation: He took nothingness as the Way, and his principle differs from the Buddhist school, but his words can corroborate this. Regarding the Commentary's passage from "It also says: 'Great means its nature is expansive and vast'" onwards: this secondly verifies the meaning of pervasiveness (bian) above. This is from fascicle five of the Nirvāṇa [Sūtra], the chapter on the "Tathāgata Nature," which is the "Four Characteristics" chapter in the southern edition. The text states: "The Buddha addressed Kāśyapa: 'That which is called great means its nature is expansive and vast, just like a person whose lifespan is immeasurable is called a great man. If this person can securely abide in the true Dharma, he is called supreme among humans.'" Therefore Master Huiyuan divided this single text into two kinds of greatness: 1. called great because it is broad; 2. called great because it is supreme. Here we merely take the meaning of broad and pervasive; the meaning is conveniently cited. That text further has: called great because it is manifold, like a treasury having many rare jewels. It also has: called great because it is high, like a great high mountain whose peak is difficult to reach. It also has: called great because it is deep, just like the great ocean—which is the inconceivable meaning mentioned above. Now, manifold pertains to function, and high pertains to fruit; therefore we only use the two meanings of permanence and pervasiveness. Within the meaning of permanence, profundity and supremacy are already contained, just as a person being the eldest is supremacy. Furthermore, the statement "just like empty space" is again from a different passage. Fascicle twenty-three says: "Furthermore, being all-pervasive is like empty space; liberation is also like this." That empty space is an analogy for true liberation, and true liberation is nirvāṇa.