大般涅槃經集解 8.4

8.4

案道生曰：欲令問長壽因也。長壽本是入生死濟物之良津，以慈心為本矣。慈之為濟，無制戒律，令不作諸惡、然使行善，以之極也。既制戒律，有罪必治，即事如似無慈。謂無慈者，非從疑於戒律，乃是厚詮壽本，不可不問也。問於壽本，是菩薩事理，非聲聞所應妄豫，故推之焉。僧亮曰：此中所說，或是比丘所行，故偏勸云「汝於戒律若有所疑，乃至莫謂如來唯修諸法本性空寂者」也。佛初開宗，明施是壽因，純陀以護法為因。廣宗中，以三修為因，雖說三因，未盡壽本。今先舉戒、後舉智，略舉始終，明一切萬行皆是壽因，開其問宗，故此先舉戒律也。敬遺記僧宗曰：前奪因奪果，釋會二教宗致，略舉前來舉境勸問。但所舉之理既為深玄，二乘雖疑，思所不及，未能發問。佛知其不能，所以重勸問者，令其高推有在也。所以舉戒律令問者，戒是聲聞要行，入道之初基也。又一義：聲聞不疑戒不趣佛，但疑戒未必致常也。又一義：假使能致常果，未知此戒與昔之戒云何為別？既懷此疑，疑則應問也。法蓮記僧宗曰：前品舉空不空等慧境以勸問，今舉戒律萬行之因以勸問也。若因不了者，果亦不究竟，而因有戒定慧也。所以偏問戒律者，戒是聲聞所行，由律儀戒資以得定戒、得道共戒也。慧朗述僧宗曰。勸比丘問，凡三重也。前品止其哀歎，便勸令問，因修至此。今此第二又勸也。將欲廣開常旨，而戒是萬善之本，故舉戒以勸問也。寶亮曰：此下第四段，催眾令問也。戒是聲聞之本，所以舉戒而勸問也。智秀曰：上舉諸法以為勸，恐諸比丘憚常理之深，不敢致問；今指復舉戒是常所行事，約就近情以為勸也。明駿案：前因受供以開常宗，唯有純陀利根一聞即悟，設五翻諮難以辨法身般若解脫，即得重顯久是常田也。然而常旨幽微，應須廣辨，以大眾悲深頓忘諮決。頻仍哀請，爰生傍論，是以放光催供，重顯義宗。復因純陀詳本迹二旨，明食非實受，滅豈真亡？而純陀去後，時眾默然，於是動地駭情，復與問首。而哀戀之至，了無諮啟，唯深陳哀苦，設譬仰譏。於是世尊，因以二偈抑其悲情，略舉法門勸其令問。所舉所勸，皆是果旨。觀彼眾心猶迷，憤發乃說三德涅槃，奪其所證。比丘遂乃更執昔教，還復苦請。佛以勝修遣執、以醫譬會教也，哀歎苦請，紛綸始息。是故略舉常住之因，戒定智慧，勸令諮問。此第二勸也。所以先舉戒者，夫十地以大悲為首，五戒以不殺為先。下答長壽因云「大慈大悲，授不殺戒。長壽之因，莫先於戒。」是以先勸問也。

Daosheng comments: "He wished them to ask about the cause of long life. Long life is fundamentally the excellent ford for entering saṃsāra to save sentient beings, having a mind of compassion as its root. For compassion to deliver beings, there is nothing greater than enacting monastic precepts so that they do not perform various evils but instead practice good to the utmost. Since the monastic precepts have been enacted, transgressions must be punished, which on the surface looks like lack of compassion. Those who speak of a lack of compassion do not truly doubt the monastic precepts; rather, it is a profound investigation of the root of long life, which must be asked about. Asking about the root of long life is a matter for bodhisattvas; it is not something śrāvakas should rashly meddle in, which is why he defers it to them." Sengliang comments: "What is spoken of here may be what the monks practice, which is why he specifically encourages them, saying: 'If you have any doubts regarding the monastic precepts... down to: do not say that the Tathāgata only cultivates the original empty and quiescent nature of all dharmas.' When the Buddha first opened the doctrine, he explained giving as the cause of long life, whereas Cunda took protecting the Dharma as the cause. In the broad exposition of the doctrine, he took the three cultivations as the cause; though he spoke of three causes, he had not fully exhausted the root of long life. Now he first raises morality and later raises wisdom, briefly setting forth the beginning and the end to clarify that all myriad practices are causes of long life, opening up the theme of their questioning; therefore he first raises the monastic precepts here." Sengzong, recorded by Jingyi, comments: "Previously, by rescinding the causes and rescinding the fruits, he reconciled the intents of the two teachings, briefly setting forth the preceding realms to encourage questioning. However, because the principle raised was profound and abstruse, although the two vehicles had doubts, it was beyond their thought and they were unable to raise questions. The Buddha knew their inability; the reason he repeatedly encouraged questioning was to make them defer to those capable. Why did he raise the monastic precepts to prompt questioning? Precepts are the essential practice of śrāvakas, the initial foundation for entering the Path. Another interpretation: śrāvakas did not doubt that precepts lead to the Buddha[-fruit], but only doubted whether precepts necessarily lead to permanence. Another interpretation: even if they can lead to the permanent fruit, they did not know how these precepts differ from the precepts of the past. Since they harbored this doubt, having doubt they should ask." Sengzong, recorded by Falian, comments: "The previous chapter raised the realm of wisdom—such as emptiness and non-emptiness—to encourage questioning; now he raises the monastic precepts, the cause of myriad practices, to encourage questioning. If the cause is not understood, the fruit will also not be ultimate; and within the cause there are precepts, concentration, and wisdom. Why did he specifically ask about the monastic precepts? Precepts are the practice of śrāvakas; relying on the restraint of the precepts one is aided in attaining the concentration-precepts and the path-concomitant precepts." Sengzong, related by Huilang, comments: "Exhorting the monks to ask comprises three tiers in total. In the previous chapter, he stopped their lamentation and then exhorted them to ask, and practice proceeded up to this point. Now this second [tier] is an exhortation again. Wishing to broadly open up the purport of permanence, and because precepts are the root of myriad goods, he raised precepts to encourage questioning." Baoliang comments: "From here down is the fourth section, urging the assembly to question. Precepts are the root of śrāvakas, which is why he raised precepts to encourage questioning." Zhixiu comments: "Above he raised all dharmas as an encouragement, fearing that the monks would be intimidated by the depth of the principle of permanence and dare not formulate a question; now pointing again to precepts, which are matters of everyday practice, he adapts to their immediate sentiments to encourage them." Mingjun comments: "Previously, by accepting the offering he opened the theme of permanence; only Cunda, with sharp faculties, understood as soon as he heard it, formulating five rounds of inquiries to discern the dharmakāya, prajñā, and vimokṣa, thereby again revealing that he had long been a field of permanence. However, the purport of permanence is subtle and abstruse and required broad elucidation; yet because the deep grief of the great assembly caused them to suddenly forget to inquire and decide, repeatedly offering plaintive entreaties, peripheral discussions arose. Therefore, he emitted light to hasten the offering, revealing the doctrinal purport anew. Again, relying on Cunda, he examined both the fundamental and trace doctrines, clarifying that food was not truly received—how could extinction be a real passing away? Yet after Cunda departed, the assembly at that time remained silent. Thereupon, shaking the earth to startle their minds, he again offered the opening for questioning. Still, in their utmost grief and longing, they made no inquiries whatsoever, only deeply expressing lamentation and suffering, and setting up similes to criticize deferentially. Thereupon, the World-Honoured One, through two gāthās, checked their grief and briefly raised Dharma-gates to encourage them to ask. What was raised and encouraged all pertained to the fruit. Observing that their minds were still confused, out of righteous indignation he spoke of the three virtues of nirvāṇa, stripping them of what they had attained. The monks then clung even further to the former teachings and returned to their bitter entreaties. The Buddha used superior cultivation to dispel their clinging and used the physician simile to reconcile the teachings, so that their lamentations and bitter entreaties at last subsided. Therefore, he briefly raised the causes of permanence—precepts, concentration, and wisdom—encouraging them to inquire. This is the second encouragement. Why did he first raise the precepts? The ten stages take great compassion as foremost, and the five precepts take non-killing as primary. Below, in answering the cause of long life, he states: 'With great kindness and great compassion, conferring the precept of non-killing. Among the causes of long life, none is prior to precepts.' Therefore, he first encouraged them to ask [about precepts]."