大般涅槃經集解 65.40

65.40

Sengliang comments: 'Not the cause of a different form' means: the bodily and vocal manifest actions are material in nature, [consisting of] the three kinds—wholesome, unwholesome, and indeterminate. The precepts take wholesome manifest [action] as their cause. Wholesome manifest action is different from the unwholesome and the indeterminate; hence it is called 'the cause of a different form.' 'Does not serve as the cause and effect of a different form' means: non-manifest [action] is the effect of the cause that is the different form. To say that it has no difference as its cause means that it does not have this effect as its like effect. Sengzong says: 'Not the cause of a different form' means: the different form is the substance of the non-manifest [action]. If other forms do not give rise to non-manifest [action], they are not the cause of non-manifest [action], as in the case of indeterminate bodily and vocal [actions] and the forms of mountains and rivers. Since it is said that it is not the cause belonging to a different form, a different form is also not its effect. If wholesome bodily and vocal form can give rise to non-manifest [action], it is the cause of a different form, and the different form is also its effect. Because it is produced from wholesome form, it is called non-manifest. Because [some] did not understand, they then said that non-manifest [action] is itself form. Baoliang says: 'Not the cause of a different form': a different form refers to the mind, clarifying that it does not simply take the mind as its cause. 'Not the effect belonging to a cause that is different': this precept is also not solely the effect belonging to the mind; material form and mind must be combined in application before it is called the wholesome [action] of the precepts. Daohui's notes say: This clarifies that if one wishes to generate non-manifest [action], one must first align the body and join the palms, performing an extraordinary form, and only then can one generate this effect of non-manifest [action]. Zhixiu says: Mind is not body or speech; it is called a different form. The non-manifest [action] of body and speech does not arise from it, and therefore it is said that it does not take a different form as its cause. 'Does not serve as the cause and effect of a different form': it does not serve as an effect for the mind, and therefore it is said that it does not serve as the effect belonging to the cause that is a different form. Huilang sets forth an alternative explanation separately, saying: Non-manifest [action] is a different form, meaning that if it is not the cause of a different form, then it does not serve as the effect of a different form.