大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 38.18

38.18

疏「問：涅槃比丘」下，第二依《涅槃》常無常對解。於中二：先問答生起、二依經正釋。今初，即〈哀歎品〉三修比丘讚無常等想中文也。「比丘白佛言：『世尊！快說無常苦空無我。世尊！一切眾跡中象跡為上，是無常想亦復如是，於諸想中最為第一。若有精勤修習之者，能除一切欲界欲愛等。又如秋耕為勝等，又說無我。』佛便讚其善修無我比丘，答言：『我等不但修無我想，亦更修習其餘諸想，謂苦想、無常想、無我想。』」略不說空，故云三修。又引醉人喻云，下取意引。譬如醉人見日月轉，眾生亦爾，無常計常。佛言向引醉人，但知其文字未知其義。謂醉人見日月轉，日月實不曾轉。涅槃真常，而謂無常等涅槃等，實不無常等。謂依如來法門次第，初因外道橫計邪常故說無常，諸觀中最。二乘不曉，漫該佛地，雙林極唱則常等區分。問答並可知。疏「又無常者」下，二依經正解。躡前問答，故致「又」言。上以無常該於涅槃，今以未會涅槃則不該矣。由生死中有無常等，則顯法身是常、涅槃是樂、善有不空、自在有我。「八自在我」者，一能作小、二能作大、三能作輕、四能作自在、五能作主、六能遠到、七者動地、八隨意所欲盡能作得，廣如《大論》及《涅槃經》說。然以法身性出自古，體無變異偏語其常，涅槃寂滅故為真樂。然空亦不淨是有為，故《涅槃》云「淨者，諸佛菩薩正法，名為善有。如來者，即是我義。」然別說則爾，若如實言，涅槃即具四德，故二十七經云「所言空者，不見空與不空。智者見空及與不空、常與無常、苦之與樂、我與無我，空者一切生死，不空者謂大涅槃，乃至無我者所謂生死，我者謂大涅槃。」釋曰：其「乃至」字中間越二，若具說云：無常者所謂生死，常者謂大涅槃，苦者所謂生死，樂者謂大涅槃。故一經中廣說生死無常樂我淨，涅槃有常樂我淨，則知涅槃必具四德。

Regarding the commentary's passage beginning with "Question: The bhikṣus in the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra...", this is the second explanation, relying on the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra to explain the pairing of permanence and impermanence. Within this, there are two parts: first, a question and answer setting the stage; and second, the direct explanation according to the sūtra. Here in the first part, it refers to the passage in the "Chapter on Mourning and Lamentation" where the bhikṣus of the three cultivations praise contemplations such as impermanence: "The bhikṣus addressed the Buddha, saying: 'World-Honoured One! Excellent is your preaching of impermanence, suffering, emptiness, and non-self! World-Honoured One! Just as among all animal footprints, the elephant's footprint is supreme, so too is this contemplation of impermanence: it is foremost among all contemplations. If there are those who diligently cultivate it, they can eliminate all sensual desires and cravings in the desire realm, and so forth. Furthermore, just as autumn plowing is supreme, and so forth, you have also taught non-self.' The Buddha then praised their skillful cultivation of non-self. The bhikṣus replied, saying: 'We not only cultivate the contemplation of non-self, but also further cultivate other contemplations—namely, the contemplation of suffering, the contemplation of impermanence, and the contemplation of non-self.'" Because emptiness is omitted, they are called the three cultivations. Furthermore, the analogy of the drunken person is cited; below, it is cited in essence: Just as a drunken person sees the sun and moon spinning, so too are sentient beings, who impute permanence to what is impermanent. The Buddha said that the preceding citation of the drunken person only grasps its words and not its meaning: when a drunken person sees the sun and moon spinning, the sun and moon have never actually spun. Nirvāṇa is truly permanent, yet one regards it as impermanent; Nirvāṇa and so forth are not genuinely impermanent. This means that, according to the sequential order of the Tathāgata's Dharma doors, initially impermanence was taught because non-Buddhists arbitrarily imputed an erroneous permanence; this is supreme among all contemplations. The followers of the two vehicles did not understand and indiscriminately applied it to the Buddha-ground; only with the final proclamation at the Twin Sala Trees were permanence and the like distinguished. Both the question and answer are self-evident. Regarding the commentary's passage beginning with "Furthermore, regarding impermanence...", this is the second part, the direct explanation according to the sūtra. Continuing from the preceding question and answer, the word "furthermore" is used. Above, impermanence was applied across to nirvāṇa; now, because one has not yet realized nirvāṇa, it is not applied across. Since within saṃsāra there are impermanence and the rest, this reveals that the dharmakāya is permanent, nirvāṇa is bliss, the wholesome existence is not empty, and sovereign existence is the Self. The "eight sovereign selves" are: (1) ability to become small, (2) ability to become large, (3) ability to become light, (4) ability to act with sovereignty, (5) ability to act as master, (6) ability to reach far, (7) ability to shake the earth, and (8) ability to fully accomplish whatever is wished—as explained at length in the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa and the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra. However, because the nature of the dharmakāya has emerged from antiquity and its essence is devoid of alteration, one speaks of it primarily as permanent; and because nirvāṇa is quiescence and cessation, it is true bliss. Yet emptiness is also impure and conditioned; therefore, the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra says: "Purity refers to the true Dharma of all Buddhas and bodhisattvas; it is called wholesome existence. The Tathāgata signifies the meaning of the Self." However, while this is so when explained distinctively, if spoken in accordance with reality, nirvāṇa inherently possesses all four virtues. Thus the twenty-seventh fascicle states: "What is called emptiness means not seeing emptiness and non-emptiness. The wise see emptiness and non-emptiness, permanence and impermanence, suffering and bliss, self and non-self. Emptiness refers to all of saṃsāra, and non-emptiness refers to the great nirvāṇa; up to non-self refers to saṃsāra, and Self refers to the great nirvāṇa." The commentary says: The phrase "up to" skips two pairs in the middle. Stated fully, it would be: impermanence refers to saṃsāra, permanence refers to the great nirvāṇa; suffering refers to saṃsāra, bliss refers to the great nirvāṇa. Thus, when an entire sūtra broadly teaches that saṃsāra is impermanent, without bliss, non-self, and impure, whereas nirvāṇa possesses permanence, bliss, Self, and purity, one knows that nirvāṇa must possess all four virtues.