大般涅槃經集解 22.46

22.46

案僧亮曰：見羅剎像者，以有障故，雖復聞經，不即發心。由經發夢，夢見業果，懼苦發心，經之力也。憶念菩提者，發心有強弱也，強者生人中、弱者生三塗，雖受罪報，菩提之心不絕也。法瑤曰：誹謗經者，將絕之時，謗對相現，方生怖懼。臨終之時，其心憒亂，謂之夢也。罪對切人，可怖可懼，有過羅剎也。寶亮曰：大論經教有二時明義也。經言以下下智斷上上煩惱者，應以昔經治三種罪，而今涅槃之教方云能除此惑，則於理相反，云何為中耶？經言下下智斷上上惑者，此據真無漏道斷通為語。今所釋兩經，正明伏道也。夫起惑之與生善，本在有漏心中，若心重心輕，善惡俱爾也。昔經明理不圓、解亦微尠，故以輕善伏於輕惑。今經所明理既周足、信解深勝，故以增上之善得抑上上之惑。所以知如此者，如戒律中若犯第二篇，則於二十人中懺方滅。犯第三篇以去，直對手而除，乃至突吉羅罪責心而遣。若尋此為言，則應輕罪，須多人而滅也。今則不然，故知昔經理淺，生善則劣，止伏輕惑；今經理深，生福增上，能伏重惑。尋此而推，昔經不能令人得道明矣。

Sengliang notes: Seeing the image of a rākṣasa means that because they have hindrances, even though they hear the sūtra, they do not immediately generate the resolve. Because the sūtra induces a dream in which they dream of karmic fruits, they generate the resolve out of dread of suffering—this is the power of the sūtra. 'Mindful recollection of bodhi' means that the resolve generated has strengths and weaknesses: the strong are born among humans, while the weak are born in the three destinies; yet even though they undergo karmic retributions, their bodhicitta is never broken off. Fayao says: When those who slander the sūtra are on the verge of death, the retribution for slandering appears before them, and only then do they give rise to terror. At the time of approaching death, their minds are bewildered and confused, which is called a 'dream'. Their karmic retribution presses upon them so terrifically and dreadfully that it surpasses even a rākṣasa. Baoliang says: The great treatises and scriptural teachings clarify this principle according to two periods. The sūtra states that 'with the lowest of the low wisdom one cuts off the highest of the high defilements.' If so, the past sūtras should have cured the three kinds of transgressions; but now the teaching of the Nirvāṇa [Sūtra] only now claims to be able to eliminate these delusions. This would be contrary to reason; how could it be the middle? When the sūtra states that 'the lowest of the low wisdom cuts off the highest of the high delusions,' this is spoken generally in terms of the cutting off by the true uncontaminated path. What is explained in the two sūtras now precisely clarifies the path of subduing. Arising of delusions and the production of goodness fundamentally reside within the contaminated mind; if the mind is heavy or light, goodness and evil follow suit. In the past sūtras, the principle clarified was not complete and understanding was also slight and meager; hence, with light goodness they subdued light delusions. In the present sūtra, the principle clarified is fully complete and faith and understanding are deep and supreme; hence, with superior goodness one can suppress the highest of the high delusions. How is this known? For example, in the Vinaya rules, if one commits an offense of the second class, it is extinguished only upon repenting before twenty persons. If one commits an offense of the third class or below, it is eliminated directly face-to-face; down to duṣkṛta offenses, which are expelled through self-reproach. If one followed this logic, then lighter transgressions would require many people to extinguish! But now that is not so; hence we know that the past sūtras' principles were shallow, the goodness they generated was inferior, and they only subdued light delusions; the present sūtra's principle is profound, the blessings it generates are superior, and it can subdue heavy delusions. Traced and inferred from this, it is clear that the past sūtras could not bring people to attain the Way.