大般涅槃經集解 44

English (machine translation) 44

Language: English

44.1

The Buddha Preaches the Twenty Dharma-Doors for King Ajātaśatru / Explaining the Infant Practice

44.3

At that time the Buddha addressed the great assembly, saying... [to] ...resembling a mountain of subtle, genuine gold.

Sengliang notes: He still had doubts that the Buddha would not extend compassionate rescue and that his offenses could not be eliminated. 'You should know there is no fixed characteristic' means that fixed offenses take defilements as fixed. 'The non-fixed is fixed' means that there is no fixed doubting mind. When the doubting mind is fixed, once cut off it does not arise again.

44.5

At that time the World-Honoured One emitted eight kinds of sounds... [to] ...having finished paying homage, he stepped back and sat to one side.

44.6

Sengliang notes: Saying 'Great King' rather than directly addressing him by name is because he feared his joy would be excessive, so he opened his mind gradually. 'Unsurpassed Great Master' shows he knew the Buddha's compassion is equal, being truly omniscient. Zhixiu says: In the fifth, the Buddha calls upon the Great King in order to settle his mind.

44.7

At that time the Buddha addressed King Ajātaśatru, saying... [to] ...their minds are heedless and there is no evil they do not commit.

44.8

Sengliang notes: If the king does not generate the bodhicitta, his offenses cannot be eliminated. Generating the mind arises from seeing the faults of ordinary people. These twenty matters explain the faults of ordinary people. Sengzong says: The sixth is preaching the Dharma for the king. There are eleven turns; this is the first, first bidding him to contemplate the twenty matters. Approaching them with respect to the body, their characteristics are shallow, resembling the suppression of delusion.

44.9

Ajātaśatru said: "As I understand the meaning of what the Buddha has spoken... [to] ...I shall certainly fall into the Avīci Hell."

44.10

Sengliang notes: Although the five dharmas such as morality were spoken of above as impermanent, the king, worrying over the obstacle of offenses, was still not at peace.

44.11

King Ajātaśatru said to the Buddha: "World-Honoured One... [to] ...therefore you should know that killing has no fixed characteristic."

44.12

Sengliang notes: Removing his attachment to grasping offenses, he immediately attained understanding in accordance with principle. Baoliang says: From above down to this point, he has generally preached the Dharma for the king in an initial way, in order to render it empty and forgotten.

44.13

"Great King! As you have said, your father the king was innocent... [to] ...if nine are not, there should be no offense."

44.14

Sengliang notes: The second is preaching for him the two emptinesses of beings and dharmas. That contemplation being deep, it resembles the cutting off of delusion. Baoliang says: From here down he specifically preaches the Dharma for the king, first opening five gates, and afterwards further explaining these gates with five stages. This is the first gate: preaching the Dharma within the meaning of nominal designations to eliminate his offenses. It means that if one can understand that the myriad dharmas are nominal, empty, and non-existent, while conditioned things are falsely existent, from where could offenses arise? Because his mind is emptied, there is no real offense.

44.15

"Great King! Form is of three kinds: past, future... [to] ...how can you say that you will definitely enter hell?"

44.16

Sengliang notes: By means of five gates he refutes the fixed characteristic of offenses, completing what the king understood. The first gate explains that these are nominal designations without fixed characteristics. Sengzong says: The third turn distinguishes them with respect to the three periods of time, and thus there is no offense.

44.17

"Great King! If the sinful karma committed by a group... [to] ...how could you alone incur the karma?"

44.18

Sengliang comments: The second approach explains: first, killing with mental intention alone can kill a person; second, killing with mind and speech; third, killing fully equipped with body and speech. The king did not possess all three karmas, and therefore his sin is light. Sengzong says: The fourth turn explains that when the three karmas are complete, the sin is heavy; if there are only mind and speech without bodily karma, the sin is light. Baoliang says: The second explains that sin and merit do not reside within causes and conditions.

44.19

[The sūtra says:] 'Great King! In the past Bimbisāra had evil intent […] how can it be said that you will definitely enter hell?'

44.20

Sengliang comments: The third approach explains that evil has lower, middling, and higher [degrees]. The lower refers to someone bearing a grudge against me, and my reciprocating with an evil retribution; the middling refers to someone having shown no kindness to me, yet I inflict evil upon them; the higher refers to someone having shown kindness to me, yet I inflict evil upon them. The king's [action] was lower evil. Sengzong says: The fifth adduces the conditions of past karma, bringing up the incident on Mount Vipula. Baoliang says: The third explains that the former king incurred this through past karma, and it was not the initial creation of sin on [Ajātaśatru's] part.

44.21

[The sūtra says:] 'Great King! There are generally four kinds of madness and delusion among sentient beings […] if it was not your original mind, how could you incur sin?'

44.22

Sengliang comments: The fourth approach explains that killing has three kinds: the severe is killing out of wrong views, the middling is killing out of anger, and the lower is killing out of greed. The king killed with a maddened and disordered mind, so it is not definitive. Sengzong says: The sixth adduces greed and madness to excuse his mind. Baoliang says: Sentient beings committing sins is entirely due to lack of autonomy. If one can recognize this source of sin, then there is no sin.

44.23

[The sūtra says:] 'Great King! Just as an illusionist at a crossroads […] the Buddhas, the World-Honoured Ones, know that they are not real.'

44.24

Sengliang comments: The fifth is a reiterated approach. Sengzong says: The seventh has six analogies, proving the above second [point on] the two kinds of emptiness of persons and phenomena; therefore sin is unobtainable. Baoliang says: The fifth has ten analogies. The substance of phenomena is empty in its nature and lacks self-nature; therefore killing is not fixed.

44.25

[The sūtra says:] 'Great King! The phenomenon of killing, the karma of killing, the killer, and the fruit of killing […] although it was due to the king, the king in truth has no sin.'

44.26

Sengliang comments: This reiterates and reveals the previous second approach. Sengzong says: The eighth proves the above fourth [point that] the king only knew of the killing, but his body did not kill in person, so there is no sin. Baoliang says: This explains the above second [point], that within causes and conditions there is no nature of sin.

44.27

[The sūtra says:] 'Great King! Just as in the king's palace sheep are constantly ordered to be slaughtered […] give rise to heavy grief and suffering regarding your father, the late king.'

44.28

Sengliang comments: This reiterates and reveals the previous second approach. Baoliang says: This explains the above third approach, that within past karma there is no sin.

44.29

[The sūtra says:] 'Great King! Worldly people are fond of servants […] when the king lacked autonomy, what fault should there be?'

44.30

Sengliang comments: This reiterates and reveals the previous fourth approach. Sengzong says: The ninth accomplishes the above sixth [point], that sin stems from greed and madness. Baoliang says: This explains the fourth approach, greed and madness.

44.31

[The sūtra says:] 'Great King! Just as nirvāṇa is neither existent nor non-existent […] for one who has no view of existence, there is no retribution.'

44.32

Sengzong comments: The tenth adduces conventional truth: nirvāṇa is existent, and so one speaks of sin as existent.

44.33

[The sūtra says:] 'For a person with the view of permanence, it is non-existent […] it is neither existent nor non-existent, and yet it is also existent.'

44.34

Sengliang comments: This reiterates and reveals the previous fifth approach. Baoliang says: This explains the above fifth approach, that the myriad existents are empty in substance, and there is no inherent sin. For one who possesses shame and conscience, it is non-existent. Why is this so? Having generated a mind of shame and conscience, one realizes that the substance of myriad phenomena is empty; therefore, for such a person there is no sin. If it is for one without shame and conscience, then it is not non-existent. Receiving retribution is called 'existent.' That is to say, unwise people build causes all day long and obtain fruits; thus it is not non-existent. As for 'for a person with the view of emptiness, it is non-existent,' it means that for this person there is no inherent retribution. 'For a person with the view of existence, it is not non-existent' means that for one who grasps at characteristics, retribution is not non-existent. 'One who has a view of existence' refers to a person who posits permanence taking it as existent. 'One who has no view of existence' means that if one does not hold the previous grasping at characteristics, ultimately there is no retribution. 'A person with the view of permanence' refers to a mind that understands permanence; therefore for this person it is non-existent. 'One who has no view of permanence' means that if one contemplates saṃsāra and makes the Buddha exhaustively impermanent, then there is no absence of the saṃsāra of retribution. 'One who views permanence as permanent' refers to a person who posits permanence, for whom evil fruits are not non-existent. As for 'For this reason,' the sūtra says: 'For one who understands it is non-existent; for one who does not understand it is not non-existent.'

44.35

[The sūtra says:] 'Great King! Sentient beings are named by inhalation and exhalation […] do not enter hell, how could you enter?'

44.36

Sengliang comments: This reiterates and reveals the previous first approach. Sengzong says: The eleventh turn directly explains the fundamental principle of the Dharma.

44.37

[The sūtra says:] 'At that time King Ajātaśatru, in accordance with what the Buddha taught […] all phenomena are impermanent, suffering, empty, and non-self.'

44.38

Sengliang comments: Having already attained understanding, he immediately obtained indestructible faith in the Buddha. Sengzong says: If one understands that conventional designations are empty, there is no sin that is not eliminated.

44.39

[The sūtra says:] 'World-Honoured One! I see in the world that from the seed of an eraṇḍa […] undergoing great pain and distress without considering it suffering.'

44.40

Sengliang comments: Rejecting what is not one's rightful share.

44.41

[The sūtra says:] 'At that time, immeasurable people of the country of Magadha […] are none other than disciples of all Buddhas.'

44.42

Sengliang comments: 'One's own body is a divine body' speaks of the fruit within the cause. Sengzong says: What was stated earlier, that [the Buddha] stayed for the sake of Ajātaśatru, has its meaning demonstrated here.

44.43

[The sūtra says:] 'Having spoken these words, they immediately used various […] clearly seeing the buddhadhātu just like Mañjuśrī and the others.'

44.44

Sengliang comments: The first nine and a half lines praise the Buddha; the next six lines are his own generation of the aspiration [for awakening]. Among the former nine and a half lines, the first three lines generally praise the four karmas of speech; the next one and a half lines separately praise freedom from harsh speech; the next one line praises freedom from frivolous speech; the next two lines speak of speech benefiting sentient beings; the next two lines praise loving-kindness and compassion.

44.45

[The sūtra says:] 'At that time the World-Honoured One praised King Ajātaśatru […] The Chapter on Heavenly Practice is as explained in the Avataṃsaka.'

44.46

Sengliang comments: Praising and reiterating what was praised.

44.47

Chapter 21: Baby Practice

44.48

Sengzong comments: Having completely cultivated the three practices, their virtue is analogized to a baby, and it also means manifesting as a baby. This chapter has three sections: first, analogizing the Buddha; second, from 'not knowing suffering and pleasure' onward, analogizing bodhisattvas; third, from 'further, like a baby' onward, analogizing sentient beings. It clarifies why the teaching of the five vehicles had to be taught in the past. Baoliang says: This chapter has five sections: first, clarifying that the Buddha himself acts as a baby; second, clarifying that bodhisattvas act as babies; third, clarifying that the Buddha uses upāya for transformation; fourth, clarifying that the Buddha taught the fruits of the two vehicles as the true ultimate; fifth, clarifying that for those with the view of nihilism, he taught the existence of real sentient beings.

44.49

[The sūtra says:] 'Good son! What is called baby practice? […] severing impermanence; this is called baby practice.'

44.50

Sengzong comments: The first analogy.

44.51

[The sūtra says:] 'Furthermore, a baby does not know suffering and pleasure […] yet acts as the vehicle of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas.'

44.52

Sengliang comments: Enticing through upāya, it is not immediate to the reality of phenomena. Using karma as an analogy, what follows is its authentic substance. That the Tathāgata and bodhisattvas are analogized to babies is because in meaning they resemble babies, broadly explaining that it is not the substance of the practice. Why? In Vimokṣa it says: 'That the Tathāgata has baby practice is impossible.' This is proof of it. Alternatively, it is that Buddhas and bodhisattvas are the root of baby practice, hence it is called baby practice. Sengzong says: The second analogy.

44.53

[The sūtra says:] 'Furthermore, baby practice: just as that baby […] yet these yellow leaves are in truth not gold.'

44.54

Sengliang comments: The third analogy. Preaching the bliss of the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven so that they may escape the suffering of the three evil paths.

44.55

[The sūtra says:] 'Wooden cows, wooden horses, wooden men, and wooden women […] because of the notion of male and female, one is called a baby.'

44.56

Baoliang comments: The wooden cows are the fourth analogy, preaching the fruits of the two vehicles for them. The wooden men are the fifth analogy, preaching the existence of sentient beings for those with nihilistic views.

44.57

[The sūtra says:] 'The Tathāgata is also like this: if there are sentient beings […] they will also, like you, attain these five practices.'

44.58

Sengliang comments: First, three dharmas are used in general as analogies: the willow leaves analogize the four fruits of the human and heavenly vehicles; cows, horses, humans, and devas, etc., the single vehicle; men and women analogize sentient beings; crying analogizes committing evil karma. The Trāyastriṃśa Heaven specifically corresponds to the willow leaves. The reason this is explained is that to those attached to existence, nirvāṇa is not preached. 'When sentient beings become weary, to the reality of the two vehicles' corresponds to the cows and horses. The reason for this is that to those weary of saṃsāra, the causes of human and heavenly rebirth are not preached. Having severed or not severed: wisdom severs afflictions, but latencies are not severed. The rest below are similar. 'Giving rise to the notion of gold in what is not gold [...] up to preaching it as pure' generally unites the above four fruits as pure. 'Forming the notion of cows and horses regarding what are not cows and horses [...] up to preaching what is not the path as the path' generally unites the four vehicles as the path. Preaching conventionally designated sentient beings corresponds to men and women separately falling into wrong views and falling into annihilation. Therefore, when the Tathāgata preaches the existence of sentient beings, he preaches conventionally designated sentient beings to remove their nihilistic views. 'Forming the notion of sentient beings among sentient beings' means preaching that those who posit a self are pervasive. 'Destroying the view of sentient beings among sentient beings' clarifies that preaching conventionally designated sentient beings also destroys the view of permanence, not merely this.

44.59

Collected Commentaries on the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra, Fascicle 44

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大般涅槃經集解 — Classical Chinese