大般涅槃經集解 45.3

45.3

案僧亮曰：已說五門，次說行之所得功德也。僧宗曰：此品廣前五行也。功德是行中之勝，未至佛果，且有功德也。功德之與行，乃義有因果耳。如苦樂一法，以能生之義為集，從生之義為苦；今行與功德亦如是也。十功德中，以初功德及第二功德同廣聖行；第三第四同廣梵行；第五第六同廣天行；第七至第十無別所廣，並通廣上三行也。寶亮曰：五行十功德，蓋左右為名也。行以從因向果為義，功德以讚歎受名也。又一解五行是因語，功德是果語也。所以者何？金剛心是因中之極，涅槃是果中之極。自一念以上，通一切行，盡是涅槃之因。雖然金剛已還，亦得具有因果之義。但未測起善之久近，要取前一念為因，能資生後念；後念善得生，必由前念善為因。如是前後念相續者，至佛果有即因即果義。若捉後念而望前念是因、捉前念而望後念是果，是則五行據因，十功德據果也。今十功德，還廣前五行。何以知之？聖行以戒定慧為體，今初功德，還明三慧終迄漏盡，通為體也。第二功德，以五通為體。慧即是智慧，五通是定家之果，故以此二功德廣聖行也。第三功德，以慈悲為體。第四功德，以十事為體。十事即是喜捨，故用此二廣梵行也。第五功德，以五事為體。第六功德，以金剛三昧為體。此二廣天行，天行以八禪定為體故也。五事者，一諸根具，故能修定；二不生邊地，以非難故能修定；三諸天護念；四世間愛念，宿植德本，故天護人愛，便能修定；五得宿命智，即是定果也。修此五事，便得天行；金剛三昧，即是眾定中之極，故知廣天行也。第七第八兩功德，廣嬰兒行。第七以四法為體，謂親近善友、聽聞正法、繫念思惟、如說修行，此四本是始行之所行，教嬰兒之法。第八以九聚法為體，從斷五陰乃至心善解脫，亦是始教之法。是故得知此二功德，並廣嬰兒行也。第十功德廣病行。而相傳用前三種病人及須陀洹等五種病人為病行相，今第九功德還明三種病人也。第十功德，明三十七品。此三十七品，即是彼五種病人所行之法，是故廣病行也。智秀曰：大判一品凡有二意，初列總歎、第二隨辨體。別為十者，蓋一塗之法門耳。

Sengliang states: "Having already explained the five practices, [the sūtra] next explains the meritorious virtues obtained through practice." Sengzong states: "This chapter elaborates upon the preceding five practices. Meritorious virtues are the excellence within practice; before reaching the fruit of buddhahood, one possesses meritorious virtues. Meritorious virtue and practice stand only in a conceptual relationship of cause and fruit. Just as with the single dharma of suffering and bliss, in terms of the sense of being able to produce, it is the origin [of suffering], while in terms of the sense of being produced, it is suffering; practice and meritorious virtue are also like this. Among the ten meritorious virtues, the first and second meritorious virtues together elaborate upon the noble practice; the third and fourth together elaborate upon the pure practice; the fifth and sixth together elaborate upon the heavenly practice; the seventh through the tenth have no separate practices to elaborate upon, but comprehensively elaborate upon the three practices above." Baoliang states: "The five practices and ten meritorious virtues are designations given from complementary perspectives. Practice takes proceeding from cause toward fruit as its meaning; meritorious virtue takes praise as its designation. Another interpretation is that the five practices are terms for the cause, while meritorious virtues are terms for the fruit. Why is this? The adamantine mind is the culmination among causes; nirvāṇa is the culmination among fruits. From a single thought onward, comprehensively encompassing all practices, all are the cause of nirvāṇa. Nevertheless, prior to the adamantine [mind], the meaning of both cause and fruit is also possessed. However, not knowing how long ago the arising of wholesome [roots] was, taking the preceding single thought as the cause, it can nourish and produce the subsequent thought; for the subsequent wholesome thought to be produced, it must take the preceding wholesome thought as its cause. When preceding and subsequent thoughts succeed one another in this way, upon reaching the fruit of buddhahood, there is the principle of being both cause and fruit. If one grasps the subsequent thought looking back toward the preceding thought, it is the cause; if one grasps the preceding thought looking toward the subsequent thought, it is the fruit. Thus, the five practices are based on the cause, and the ten meritorious virtues are based on the fruit. Now the ten meritorious virtues in turn elaborate upon the preceding five practices. How is this known? The noble practice takes discipline, concentration, and wisdom as its essence; here, the first meritorious virtue likewise clarifies the three wisdoms up to the exhaustion of outflows as comprehensively forming its essence. The second meritorious virtue takes the five superknowledges as its essence. Wisdom is prajñā, and the five superknowledges are the fruit of concentration; therefore, these two meritorious virtues elaborate upon the noble practice. The third meritorious virtue takes loving-kindness and compassion as its essence. The fourth meritorious virtue takes ten matters as its essence. The ten matters are sympathetic joy and equanimity; therefore, these two are used to elaborate upon the pure practice. The fifth meritorious virtue takes five matters as its essence. The sixth meritorious virtue takes the adamantine samādhi as its essence. These two elaborate upon the heavenly practice, because the heavenly practice takes the eight dhyāna-concentrations as its essence. Regarding the five matters: first, having all faculties intact, one is therefore able to cultivate concentration; second, not being born in borderlands, because it is not a difficult condition, one is therefore able to cultivate concentration; third, being protected and remembered by the devas; fourth, being loved and remembered by the world, having planted the roots of virtue in past lives, thus devas protect and humans love them, so they are then able to cultivate concentration; fifth, obtaining the knowledge of past lives, which is the fruit of concentration. Cultivating these five matters, one then obtains the heavenly practice; the adamantine samādhi is the culmination among all concentrations, so it is known to elaborate upon the heavenly practice. The seventh and eighth meritorious virtues elaborate upon the infant practice. The seventh takes four dharmas as its essence, namely: associating with good friends, listening to the correct Dharma, fastening mindfulness in reflection, and practicing as taught; these four were originally what beginners practice, the dharmas for instructing infants. The eighth takes nine gathered dharmas as its essence, from severing the five aggregates up to the mind's good liberation; this is also a dharma of initial teaching. Therefore, it is known that these two meritorious virtues both elaborate upon the infant practice. The tenth meritorious virtue elaborates upon the diseased practice. According to traditional transmission, the previously mentioned three types of sick persons and the five types of sick persons such as the srotāpanna are used as the characteristics of diseased practice; now the ninth meritorious virtue likewise clarifies the three types of sick persons. The tenth meritorious virtue clarifies the thirty-seven factors [of awakening]. These thirty-seven factors are the dharmas practiced by those five types of sick persons, and for this reason it elaborates upon the diseased practice." Zhixiu states: "Generally dividing this chapter, there are overall two meanings: first, presenting a comprehensive praise; second, delineating the essences in turn. Differentiating them into ten is merely one approach to the Dharma gates."