大般涅槃經集解 22.46

22.46

Sengliang notes: Seeing the image of a rākṣasa means that because they have hindrances, even though they hear the sūtra, they do not immediately generate the resolve. Because the sūtra induces a dream in which they dream of karmic fruits, they generate the resolve out of dread of suffering—this is the power of the sūtra. 'Mindful recollection of bodhi' means that the resolve generated has strengths and weaknesses: the strong are born among humans, while the weak are born in the three destinies; yet even though they undergo karmic retributions, their bodhicitta is never broken off. Fayao says: When those who slander the sūtra are on the verge of death, the retribution for slandering appears before them, and only then do they give rise to terror. At the time of approaching death, their minds are bewildered and confused, which is called a 'dream'. Their karmic retribution presses upon them so terrifically and dreadfully that it surpasses even a rākṣasa. Baoliang says: The great treatises and scriptural teachings clarify this principle according to two periods. The sūtra states that 'with the lowest of the low wisdom one cuts off the highest of the high defilements.' If so, the past sūtras should have cured the three kinds of transgressions; but now the teaching of the Nirvāṇa [Sūtra] only now claims to be able to eliminate these delusions. This would be contrary to reason; how could it be the middle? When the sūtra states that 'the lowest of the low wisdom cuts off the highest of the high delusions,' this is spoken generally in terms of the cutting off by the true uncontaminated path. What is explained in the two sūtras now precisely clarifies the path of subduing. Arising of delusions and the production of goodness fundamentally reside within the contaminated mind; if the mind is heavy or light, goodness and evil follow suit. In the past sūtras, the principle clarified was not complete and understanding was also slight and meager; hence, with light goodness they subdued light delusions. In the present sūtra, the principle clarified is fully complete and faith and understanding are deep and supreme; hence, with superior goodness one can suppress the highest of the high delusions. How is this known? For example, in the Vinaya rules, if one commits an offense of the second class, it is extinguished only upon repenting before twenty persons. If one commits an offense of the third class or below, it is eliminated directly face-to-face; down to duṣkṛta offenses, which are expelled through self-reproach. If one followed this logic, then lighter transgressions would require many people to extinguish! But now that is not so; hence we know that the past sūtras' principles were shallow, the goodness they generated was inferior, and they only subdued light delusions; the present sūtra's principle is profound, the blessings it generates are superior, and it can subdue heavy delusions. Traced and inferred from this, it is clear that the past sūtras could not bring people to attain the Way.