阿彌陀經疏 1.85

1.85

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.