大般涅槃經集解 61.4

61.4

Sengliang states: "Above, he explained the two similes of the fool and the wise man, but had not yet explained the practice of these two people. Now he explains that body, precepts, mind, and wisdom are what the wise man practices, in order to prove that the path can transform obstacles." Sengzong states: "From here down, he clarifies in detail the two kinds of wholesome and unwholesome karmic characteristics, meaning that when a person acts with such karma it is transformed, and when they act with such karma it is not transformed." Baoliang states: "From here down is the third section, elaborating on the practices cultivated by the two people mentioned above. Wishing to clarify the practiced teachings, he first briefly mentions the two people. In this context, he explains that pure conduct is of three kinds in total. If one relies on today's sūtra teaching to cultivate body, precepts, mind, and wisdom, all karma becomes unfixed. To cultivate the body is to practice the contemplation of the four applications of mindfulness. To cultivate precepts is to purify body, speech, and mind, attaining the precepts of right speech and right action. To cultivate the mind is to attain samādhi. To cultivate wisdom is to enter uncontaminated understanding. If one cultivates these four dharmas, one transforms heavy karma to be experienced lightly. Discussing this principle is truly difficult to comprehend. If one cultivates relative goodness, the principle of suppressing the heavy and using the light is plausible; but now, cultivating these four dharmas is uncontaminated. Since the power of the initial uncontaminated [realisation] can naturally cure the heavy, the remaining light karma is not within its own power and is naturally experienced in the human and heavenly realms—what transformation is there? In ultimate truth, there is no 'light'; the present words are spoken for the foolish person. When the foolish person hears this teaching, they will then wish to practice diligently. If their cultivation of these four is perfected, the heavy is eliminated first. As for the remaining karma experienced among humans and devas, it was originally an adjunct to the heavy karma mentioned earlier. Performing such heavy karma necessarily requires preliminary expedients; it does not suddenly become heavy all at once. If one lacked the aforementioned four dharmas, regardless of whether it is light or heavy, all of it would result in hell retribution. Now that one has cultivated the power of the four, the remaining light karma cannot produce heavy retribution on its own and is lightly experienced among humans and devas; hence it is said that 'the heavy is transformed into the light.' The meaning of 'transforming the light into the heavy' is likewise. Light karma should originally have resulted in the human and heavenly realms; but lacking the power of mind and precepts, one ultimately experiences this karma in the three miserable destinies—it is also not that light karma becomes a heavy realm."