大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 8.27

8.27

From the commentary's "Therefore" onward, it causes beings to eliminate attachment. Even when constantly speaking of provisional and real, one must not attach to them. This is the verse left behind by Guṇavarman. That is, there is a verse which says: "The treatises each have different tenets, / But in practice the principle is not two. / Contending attachments produce right and wrong; / Those who have penetrated are free from dispute." It is also like the Venerable Pārśva replying to King Kaniṣka: "Just as breaking a golden staff [leaves each part gold], or comparing it to contending over a garment: in contending over the garment, the garment is ultimately not different; in breaking the gold, the essence of the gold is not distinct." Therefore, if one cultivates in accordance with them, none will fail to obtain benefit. Regarding the commentary saying "Although the five divisions in the Mahāsaṃnipāta are different," this refers to the monks of the five divisions. Thus the thirty-third [fascicle of the] Nirvāṇa also says: "The five divisions mutually generate disputes of right and wrong, sinking forever into the three evil destinies." As for the commentary saying, "In the Nirvāṇa, each expounds the cause of the body," this refers to the thirty-fifth fascicle of the sūtra, which says: "'Good son, the twelve divisions of scripture spoken by the Tathāgata are spoken either according to his own intention, according to others' intentions, or according to both his own and others' intentions. What is meant by speaking according to his own intention? Like when five hundred monks asked Śāriputra: "Venerable sir! The Buddha spoke of the cause of the body. What is it?" Śāriputra said: "Venerable sirs! Each of you has also attained right liberation; you ought to know it yourselves. For what reason do you now ask such a question?" One monk said: "Venerable sir, when I had not yet attained right liberation, my thought was that avidyā was the cause of the body; practicing this contemplation, I attained the fruit of an arhat." Another monk said: "Venerable sir, when I had not yet attained right liberation, I held that craving and avidyā were the cause of the body; practicing this contemplation, I attained the fruit of an arhat." Another said: "Formations, consciousness, name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, becoming, birth, food and drink, and the five desires are the cause of the body." At that time, after the five hundred monks had each spoken their own understanding, they went together to the Buddha's presence, bowed their heads at the Buddha's feet, circumambulated him three times to the right, finished making obeisance, and sat to one side, each presenting their understanding as above to the Buddha. Then Śāriputra said to the Buddha: "World-Honoured One, among these people, whose is the correct explanation? Whose is not the correct explanation?" The Buddha told Śāriputra: "Excellent, excellent! Not one of the monks is not speaking correctly." Śāriputra said: "World-Honoured One, what is the Buddha's meaning?" The Buddha said: "Śāriputra, for the beings of the desire realm, I say that father and mother are the cause of the body. Such scriptures as these are called speaking according to one's own intention (and so forth)."'" Explanation: The intention takes each speaking according to their own [understanding] to be "speaking according to one's own intention." What the commentary cites here does not take the meaning of "speaking according to one's own intention," but only takes the phrase "all are correct explanations." Although the five hundred were different, all were correct explanations; the minor differences of the two tenets both accord with the Buddha's teaching, so one should not dispute right and wrong. Thus Master Xiao of Haedong said: "If taken literally according to words, all that is said is wrong; if discussed having grasped the intended meaning, all that is said is right." Thus value lies in grasping the meaning and forgetting the words. The rest can be understood.