大般涅槃經集解 30.26

30.26

Daosheng comments: As for 'absence of suffering', its substance is not painful yet is able to be without suffering; but living beings use the slight in place of the grave and consider it to be free of suffering—this is called an erroneous conception. Sengliang says: Answering the first, second, and fourth. Concerning 'erroneous pleasure', living beings still erroneously give rise to the notion of pleasure regarding lesser suffering, and this was merely accommodated in the teaching. The pleasure spoken of in the past was in accordance with their erroneous feelings, but in the end there is no pleasure; to say now that all is suffering also does not contradict it. Sengzong says: He comprehensively answers the five objections. Because living beings do not recognise the true nature [of things], they erroneously give rise to the notion of pleasure within lesser suffering. Fearing that giving rise to [unrestrained desires] would surely cast them into the three evil paths, he temporarily stated that humans and devas are pleasurable, causing them to cultivate the ten virtues and the five precepts so as to turn their backs on the evil paths—this is what is called 'using a splinter to remove a splinter'. Baoliang says: From here down to the three feelings, he first answers the objections concerning the fruit and retribution of the first, second, and fourth. 'Lesser suffering': the heavy [suffering] of the three evil paths is greater suffering; the light [suffering] of humans and devas is lesser suffering. Ordinary beings do not realise lesser suffering and erroneously give rise to the notion of pleasure.