大般涅槃經集解 55.14

55.14

Sengliang comments: 'Also internal' refers to right view. 'Also external' refers to wrong view. 'Equally possessing' means possessing it in the future. Sengzong comments: That they share the twelve links of dependent origination is fifth; the text uses what is near to illustrate what is far. To say that they are complete with the twelve speaks only in terms of the whole process from beginning to end; if one dies in the womb, one lacks the twelve. Yet it is said to be complete because they are accomplished [across time]. 'Also internal' means existing in the present. 'External' means that which is not yet utilized in the future; in sense it is termed external. As for 'entering the womb with five parts, the four sense faculties not yet complete,' this means that when entering the womb there are the five aggregates, and at the time when the four faculties are not yet complete, there is only name-and-form. 'Deeply habituating a single craving is called sensation': one should know that craving is part of sensation. The sūtras always consider it indeterminate (avyākṛta) because its power to induce retribution is weak. 'Craving and seeking internally and externally is grasping': greedily clinging to the internal body and craving what is outside the body; four graspings arise from this, hence it is called grasping, meaning grasping at future retribution. 'Engaging in vocal karma for internal and external matters is becoming': because of the aforementioned craving and seeking, augmented craving arises, activating the bodily and mental operations, which speaks of karma. 'Present consciousness is called future birth': this is merely a difference of lifetimes; the rest are all termed aging and death. 'Sentient beings in the form realm lack the three sensations': they lack the sensation of suffering, hence it is said they are absent. 'The three contacts' refers to painful contact. 'The three kinds of craving': like desiring fire when cold, or desiring medicine when ill, all are conditions of suffering. As for the craving that is said to be absent in the higher realms: such craving is merely the craving for equanimity, the joy of higher rebirth. 'Lacking aging and illness': there is indeed moment-to-moment aging. How could there be white hair and wrinkled skin? Nor is there death through the breakdown of the four great elements; because ordinary persons follow the path of suppressing defilements, when they later regress and fall back to be born in the desire realm, they are able to be complete with the twelve. The buddhadhātu is also like this.