大般涅槃經集解 29.18

29.18

案僧亮曰。四衢道，譬佛四無量無齊限也。器譬經藏。食譬施戒定。佛為在家之人，初讚施戒，生死之樂；後說無常，讚涅槃樂，此法始終皆佛說。凡夫貪生，不見後過；聖人見過，不生貪也。又四衢譬四辨。器譬名味句身。食譬施戒定也。賣之譬勸行也。遠來飢虛，譬經三途久也。此是何物者，稱其所求，問以定之。食主答言者，戒定能得天人之樂，後必無常也。是人聞已者，不為菩薩說也。多與我價者，生天不受四趣之苦也。僧宗曰：說法聚人之處，譬四衢也。化主說人天因果，取人利養如賣也。菩薩雖知天中報妙，見有死患，不欲生故。喻如彼人雖欲買食，為一惡故，所以遂捨也。寶亮曰：此第三，以賣食譬釋教也。謂若生死之果如此者，聖人何意說此五戒十善受人天報耶？此是善不受義之誠證也。此教本接下愚，若不聞人天之樂，凡夫豈肯行道耶？

Sengliang comments: The crossroads compares to the Buddha's four immeasurables being without boundary. The vessel compares to the basket of sūtras. The food compares to giving, morality, and concentration. For householders, the Buddha first praised giving, morality, and the bliss of birth-and-death; later he spoke of impermanence and praised the bliss of nirvāṇa; from beginning to end, this Dharma was spoken entirely by the Buddha. Ordinary people crave birth and do not see the subsequent faults; noble beings see the faults and do not give rise to craving. Moreover, the crossroads compares to the four unhindered knowledges. The vessel compares to the bodies of words, phrases, and syllables. The food compares to giving, morality, and concentration. Selling it compares to exhorting practice. Being hungry and exhausted from coming from afar compares to spending long periods in the three evil paths. 'What is this item?' matches what was sought, asking to confirm it. The seller of food replying compares to morality and concentration being able to attain the bliss of devas and humans, which must subsequently be impermanent. 'When this person heard it' is not spoken for the bodhisattva. 'Paying me a great price' means taking birth in heaven and not experiencing the suffering of the four evil destinies. Sengzong comments: The place where people gather to hear the Dharma being preached compares to the crossroads. The teaching master speaking of human and heavenly causes and effects, taking people's offerings, is like selling. Although the bodhisattva knows the heavenly retribution is wonderful, seeing the peril of death, he does not wish to be born. The analogy is like that person who, though wishing to buy the food, abandoned it altogether because of that one evil. Baoliang comments: This third [section] uses the seller of food to illustrate the teaching of the Buddha. That is to say: if the fruit of birth-and-death is like this, why did the holy person teach these five precepts and ten virtues to receive human and heavenly retribution? This is sincere proof of the principle that wholesome [karma] is not received [as final]. This teaching originally accommodated those of lower dullness; if they did not hear of the bliss of humans and devas, how would ordinary people ever be willing to practice the path?