大般涅槃經集解 34.44

34.44

案僧亮曰：前三是因，後四是果。慧能斷因果，故總說地德也。亦不畏三惡道者，除惡已漸，故次說之。此三麁，故先除也。惡有二種者，此善趣中惡也。不畏受二十五有者，無如上惡，能斷二十五有也。法瑤曰：得上戒定慧行，則入此初住地也。離五怖畏，故曰無畏地也。畏貪恚病死等者，即不死不活畏也。闡提等者，離惡名畏也。不畏三惡道，無惡道畏也。不畏沙門乃至波旬，無大眾畏也。前不動地，是入初地之始也。堪忍地，是初地之中。此無畏地，是初地之終。亦可七住，七住三界結盡，始無三畏之畏也。僧宗曰：無畏地者，七地也。前結戒果云初不動地，次結定果云第三堪忍地，今結慧果指第七地也。所以爾者，示行有淺深，結果亦異。言無畏為七地，依常釋七地為遠行地。今乃云無畏者，謂不畏三界果報，故偏稱也。寶亮曰：無畏果者，亦同是初地。明慧是解性，不存緣而照。既具有無分別之知，故結之以無畏也。第一無不活畏，以菩薩達萬法相空，不假資生，豈畏不活？以不畏故，則不生三毒，故無不活畏也。第二無三惡道畏也；第三無惡名畏；第四無大眾威德畏；第五無生死畏，大士不畏受二十五有生死。

Sengliang comments: The first three are causes, and the later four are fruits. Since wisdom is able to eradicate cause and fruit, he comprehensively explains the virtues of the stage. As for 'nor does he fear the three evil destinies': evil has already been gradually eliminated, so he explains it next. These three are coarse, hence they are eliminated first. As for 'evil being of two kinds': this refers to evil within the wholesome destinies. As for 'not fearing receiving the twenty-five states of existence': having no such evils as above, he is able to sever the twenty-five states of existence.
Fayao says: Attaining the aforementioned practices of morality, concentration, and wisdom, one enters this stage of the first abiding. Being free from the five terrors, it is therefore called the Stage of Fearlessness. 'Fearing greed, anger, sickness, death, and the like' is the fear of neither dying nor living. 'Icchantikas and the like' is the fear of ill repute. 'Not fearing the three evil destinies' is having no fear of evil destinies. 'Not fearing śramaṇas up to Māra Pāpīyas' is having no fear of assemblies. The preceding Immovable Stage is the beginning of entering the first stage; the Endurance Stage is the middle of the first stage; this Stage of Fearlessness is the end of the first stage. Alternatively, it may be the seventh abiding: in the seventh abiding, the fetters of the three realms are exhausted, and only then is there no fear of the three fears.
Sengzong says: The Stage of Fearlessness is the seventh stage. Previously, concluding the fruit of morality, he spoke of the initial Immovable Stage; next, concluding the fruit of concentration, he spoke of the third Endurance Stage; now, concluding the fruit of wisdom, he points to the seventh stage. The reason for this is to show that practice has shallow and deep levels, and the concluding fruits are also different. Calling fearlessness the seventh stage relies on the common explanation of the seventh stage as the Stage of Far-Reaching Practice (Dūraṅgamā). Here it is called fearlessness because one does not fear the retributions of the three realms; hence it is particularly named so.
Baoliang says: The fruit of fearlessness is likewise in the first stage. This clarifies that wisdom is of an understanding nature, illuminating without clinging to conditions. Since it fully possesses non-conceptual knowledge, he concludes it with fearlessness. First, there is no fear of inability to live: because the bodhisattva thoroughly realizes that the marks of all phenomena are empty and does not rely on material requisites for living, how could he fear inability to live? Because he does not fear, the three poisons do not arise; hence there is no fear of inability to live. Second is the lack of fear of the three evil destinies; third is the lack of fear of ill repute; fourth is the lack of fear of the majesty of assemblies; fifth is the lack of fear of saṃsāra: the great being does not fear undergoing the saṃsāra of the twenty-five states of existence.