阿彌陀經疏 1.85

1.85

經曰：「與大比丘眾」，次釋別證也，即舉同聞此經眾。準經首末略標五眾：一聲聞、二菩薩、三天、四人、五修羅。今經初有三，經末有二。經初三者：一聲聞、二菩薩、三諸天。聲聞眾有五：一標類、二唱數、三舉位、四列名、五結定。與者，其義兼人及己。大者，名稱位高。《善見律》云：僧中功德極大者名大阿羅漢，又最小者名須陀洹，又多比丘眾故言大也。比丘者，《智論》云：此有三義：一者名為能怖，能怖魔王及魔人故名比丘。二名乞士，能離邪命清淨行乞以資身命故名乞士。邪命者此有三種：一離口邪命，不以禁呪妄說吉凶得資生具以活命故；二離身邪命，不行合藥書符耕田種作及手作器得價資養；三離身口邪命，謂口不誦禁呪，身不然火及楊枝折等，出《僧祇律》。又《智度論》有四邪命：一仰口，謂仰觀星象薄蝕；二下口，田種作器；三方口，為他驅使四方；四維口，合藥卜筮兼前三事。若作此四得活身命名四邪命，比丘之法不行此四事，應清淨行乞名為乞士。三比名破、丘名煩惱，能破煩惱故名比丘。言眾者，比丘非一故稱為眾，或多僧和合故名為眾也。

The sūtra says: “Together with a great assembly of monks.” Next this explains the specific attestors, which means citing the assembly who heard this sūtra together. According to the beginning and end of the sūtra, five assemblies are briefly indicated: first, śrāvakas; second, bodhisattvas; third, devas; fourth, humans; fifth, asuras. In the present sūtra, there are three at the beginning and two at the end. The three at the beginning are: first, śrāvakas; second, bodhisattvas; third, devas. The assembly of śrāvakas has five [aspects]: first, designating the category; second, stating the number; third, citing the rank; fourth, listing the names; fifth, concluding the determination. “Together with” (yǔ) has the meaning of including both others and oneself. “Great” (dà) means their fame and rank are exalted. The Samantapāsādikā says: “Those whose merits are greatest in the Saṃgha are called great arhats; furthermore, the least are called srotaāpannas; and also, because the assembly of monks is numerous, it is called ‘great’.” As for “monk” (bhikṣu), the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa states: “This has three meanings. First, it is called ‘frightener,’ because they can frighten Māra the King and the people of Māra, hence they are called bhikṣus. Second, they are called ‘mendicants’ (alms-seekers), because they are able to abandon wrong livelihood and purely beg for alms to sustain body and life, hence they are called ‘mendicants’.” As for wrong livelihood, there are three kinds: first, abandoning wrong livelihood of speech, not gaining the requisites of life to survive by incantations and falsely foretelling good and ill fortune; second, abandoning wrong livelihood of body, not obtaining price and maintenance by compounding medicines, writing talismans, plowing fields, planting crops, or making utensils by hand; third, abandoning wrong livelihood of both body and speech, meaning that the mouth does not chant incantations and the body does not kindle fires, break willow branches, and the like; this is from the Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya. Furthermore, the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa gives four wrong livelihoods: first, upward mouth, meaning gazing upward at stars and eclipses; second, downward mouth, planting fields and making utensils; third, square mouth, running errands for others in the four directions; fourth, diagonal mouth, compounding medicines and divining while combining the previous three things. If one engages in these four to sustain body and life, they are called the four wrong livelihoods. The rule of a monk is not to practice these four things, but purely to beg for alms, which is called being a ‘mendicant.’ Third, bhi means ‘destroying’ and kṣu means ‘afflictions’; because they can destroy afflictions, they are called bhikṣus. As for “assembly” (saṃgha), because the monks are not one, it is called an assembly; or because many monks dwell in harmony, it is called an assembly.