大般涅槃經集解 61.68

61.68

案僧亮曰：答初難也。七人皆具手足，譬佛性。習浮者度、不習不度，譬修道也。眾生亦爾，皆有佛性，不修聖道不得涅槃，是煩惱過也。眾生以三事入生死：一以洗浴，譬斷煩惱；二以恐怖，譬畏生死苦；三以採花，譬修功德也。僧宗曰：下取闡提、上至諸佛，為七人也。若為洗浴者，言無漏聖人能永斷煩惱，如洗浴去垢也。或為恐怖者，聲聞二乘怖畏四魔。或為採花，凡夫貪世五欲以悅其情。此三種人各有所為，故同入河中運其身手。明若凡若聖，期心不同，故生死河中各修其善，隨其力用不同，故有七種之別也。寶亮曰：今將恒河中七人答第一難。如恒河邊，七人悉有手足，若不習浮，不能得度。眾生雖有佛性，要久習緣因善，方乃得成佛。云何難言：率爾行道而得佛耶？此中借恒河為譬者，用生死為河，明眾生雖復在生死河中，要未識生死，及至觀解信聖之語，方覺其過，故言入河。入河之意，凡為三義：第一譬除煩惱；第二畏生死八苦；第三如修萬善。此恒河中七人，雖盡曾為一闡提來，要當時行異。第三人信常故畏行成，資斯之解，仍得出生死也。

Sengliang comments: "This answers the first objection. All seven persons possess hands and feet, which illustrates the buddhadhātu. Those who practice swimming cross over, while those who do not practice do not cross over, which illustrates cultivating the path. Sentient beings are also like this: all possess the buddhadhātu, but failing to cultivate the noble path, they do not attain nirvāṇa—this is the fault of defilements. Sentient beings enter saṃsāra for three reasons: first, to bathe, which illustrates severing defilements; second, out of terror, which illustrates fearing the suffering of saṃsāra; third, to pick flowers, which illustrates cultivating meritorious virtues." Sengzong comments: "From the icchantika below up to the Buddhas above, these constitute the seven persons. As for 'to bathe,' this means that uncontaminated noble ones can eternally sever defilements, just as bathing removes dirt. 'Out of terror' means that śrāvakas of the two vehicles fear the four māras. 'To pick flowers' means that ordinary beings crave the five worldly desires to delight their feelings. These three kinds of people each have their purposes, and thus they together enter the river and move their bodies and hands. This clarifies that whether ordinary or noble, their intended aims differ; therefore, within the river of saṃsāra, each cultivates their goodness, and according to their different strengths and applications, there are seven distinct kinds." Baoliang comments: "Now the seven persons in the Ganges River are used to answer the first objection. Just as on the bank of the Ganges, all seven persons have hands and feet, yet if they do not practice swimming, they cannot cross over. Although sentient beings possess the buddhadhātu, they must long practice contributory good before they will then accomplish Buddhahood. Why object by asking: 'Can one immediately practice the path and attain Buddhahood?' The reason the Ganges is borrowed here as an analogy is that saṃsāra is taken as the river, clarifying that although sentient beings are within the river of saṃsāra, they do not yet recognize saṃsāra; only when they arrive at contemplative understanding and trust the words of the noble do they realize its faults, hence it is said that they 'enter the river.' The intention of entering the river has three meanings: first, illustrating the removal of defilements; second, fearing the eight sufferings of saṃsāra; third, like cultivating the myriad goods. Although all seven persons in the Ganges were previously icchantikas, their current practices differ. The third person, having faith in the permanent, achieves fearful practice, and supported by this understanding, nevertheless manages to exit saṃsāra."