大般涅槃經集解 67.98

67.98

Sengliang comments: Above, the dharma of heat was explained; here, the practitioners are explained. If one has not yet subdued the afflictions of the desire realm, and possesses all the afflictions of the three realms, one is called an 'ordinary person bound by all fetters', which constitutes one type of person. If one has severed one grade, one is called 'not bound by all fetters', up to nine grades making nine types, which together with the preceding makes ten in the desire realm. Above, excluding the seven stages [of the higher realms], each has nine types of persons who can no longer sever the roots of goodness. Sengzong comments: The general meaning is that all these seventy-three persons are capable of practicing the contemplation of heat. There are ten in the desire realm; from the first dhyāna up to the stage of nothingness, there are seven stages in all, seven times nine making sixty-three. Combined with the ten of the desire realm, this makes seventy-three. The fetters of the desire realm have nine grades; if one is an ordinary person bound by all fetters, who is not without coarse subduing, but has not subdued the nine grades in sequence, that is designated as one separate person. According to the exegetes of the Abhidharma scriptures, one must first attain the mind of the first dhyāna before subduing the fetters of the desire realm; one must attain the mind of a higher stage to subdue the fetters of a lower stage. According to the treatise master, this cannot be maintained. If one who attains the dharma of heat attains the mind of the first dhyāna, he subdues the fetters of the desire realm. If he is of sharp faculties, he does not need to rely on the mind of a higher stage; directly employing the mind of his own stage, he proceeds gradually from the four stations of mindfulness into the dharma of heat, enters the path of seeing the truths, and achieves the noble fruit. If he is of dull faculties, he must cultivate the superior, rapid concentration of a higher stage before he can subdue the lower stage. Baoliang comments: When the Buddha first appeared in the world, he had to first deliver all the non-Buddhists. However, the methods used by non-Buddhists to subdue fetters do not recognize the distinction between seeing the truths and cultivation; they only know how to revile what is below and seek what is above, practicing the nine grades of subduing. Why is this? The root of the fetters abandoned by seeing has its source in the view of self and in the views of annihilation and permanence. Since non-Buddhists do not subdue these fetters, yet their afflictions share similarities with those abandoned by cultivation, why would they not subdue them? It is only that their subduing of the fetters of seeing is not accomplished. Therefore, the Buddha now establishes the seventy-three persons solely in terms of subduing the nine grades of cognitive afflictions abandoned by cultivation in the three realms, not in terms of seeing the truths. While initially subduing to achieve concentration follows this pattern, after the contemplation of heat is fulfilled, all is the function of wisdom. As for the ten persons of the desire realm, they are taken from having previously subdued the [afflictions of] cultivation, or divided into nine persons according to the nine grades, while the first person has never subdued any fetters at all. Why is this? Although this person previously did not direct his mind to subdue afflictions, upon encountering a worthy or meeting a noble one, he immediately practiced according to the teachings. Practicing the contemplation of suffering and impermanence, he attained nominal and dharmic emptiness, fulfilling the contemplation of the dharma of heat; hence he constitutes one person. If one had previously directed the mind to use the nine grades to subdue afflictions, upon later entering the path, his method is no different from that of the first person. In this way, from the fruit of desire up to the stage of nothingness, each stage has nine. Adding the one who had never subdued fetters in the desire realm, the seven stages each have nine, which is seven times nine making sixty-three. Adding the ten persons of the desire realm, together they make seventy-three persons. Why are there ten in the desire realm, while the upper realms have only nine? For rebirth into the upper realms, there is no one who can ascend to be reborn without having subdued the afflictions of the lower stages. Since among those reborn in the upper realms there are none who, like in the desire realm, have never subdued afflictions, there are only nine persons. Zhixiu comments: The reason no persons are established in the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception is that according to the Hīnayāna scriptures, ordinary persons have nothing higher to rely upon, and are therefore unable to subdue afflictions there.