大般涅槃經集解 8.30

8.30

Sengliang states: From here down is the second [major section], the section of questions, containing thirty-four questions in all. It has four divisions: the first is brief; the second is expanded; the third encourages faith; the fourth inquires into cultivation and practice. Within the first division there are four questions: the first two ask about the fruition, the third asks about the cause, and the fourth asks about the title of the sūtra and the virtue of propagating it. When the substance of the sūtra is already complete, it is termed 'reaching the ultimate other shore.' Within the second division there are sixteen questions, from unfolding the subtle and secret up to the wish-fulfilling tree of the devas. Here the expanded explanation has four levels: the first single question expands upon the fruition; next, from 'having attained the vast' down to the four inversions, there are four questions, expanding upon the meaning of propagation and the reliance upon persons. Next are two questions, asking about performing good karma and the difficulty of seeing the nature, so as to expand upon the cause. Next are nine questions, from understanding the full letter down to the wish-fulfilling tree of the devas, expanding upon the merit of the written words. The preceding twenty questions conclude the twofold statement, expanded and brief. Within the third division there are ten questions encouraging faith. The reason faith is encouraged is that the Buddha attained it through causes, yet speaks of nirvāṇa and declares it to be permanent. If it were not further explained through concrete facts, it would be difficult for the world to believe; therefore ten questions are spoken to explain it. As for the point of the first question, if the Buddha had no nature because of arising from conditions, he should not be solely permanent. The answer below is that although it is attained through conditions, yet when there is delusion there is impermanence, and when there is no delusion there is permanence. The second and third questions bring up the fruition to encourage faith: the former brings up the external, and the latter brings up the internal. The fourth and fifth say that he has great compassion, like earthly parents, so that what he speaks with a compassionate heart does not deceive sentient beings. The sixth speaks of nirvāṇa as an unreal manifestation. The four questions from 'the Buddha is permanent' onward verify this manifestation. Why? The Buddha does not eat yet receives food; he is not sick yet manifests lying down; thus one knows that he does not perish yet manifests perishing. Next are two questions, clarifying that in the present he knows the permanent and experiences bliss, and that future generations will know the remainder and the remainderless. His work of transformation being finished, he accordingly manifests this. The ninth verifies his lack of sickness, and the tenth clarifies that speaking of sickness and speaking of extinction are both esoteric teachings. Within the fourth division there are four questions: the first asks about cultivating and practicing in reliance upon the sūtra, namely the five courses of conduct. The reason conduct is asked about is that the sūtra's merit was spoken above as being able to cure the four grave offences and five heinous sins. Curing inevitably requires practice; if one practices these five courses of conduct, then without curing, [the affliction] resolves of itself. The second explains why it resolves: because turning closer constitutes resolution, he brings up the five kinds of people, distant and near, as proof. The third requests the teaching on the meaning of conduct. The fourth asks about the nature, clarifying that the nature has cause and effect, and conduct has conformity and opposition. Discerning the nature means conformity, which is the Lion's Roar's questioning; failing to discern the nature means opposition, which is Kāśyapa's questioning. The next two verses speak of nirvāṇa; the cause and effect are so vast and unbounded that questions cannot exhaust them, which is why they are not asked about. Baoliang's division is the same as this and will not be recounted redundantly. Tanji states: The first has four questions, directly clarifying the substance of the sūtra, the cause and effect of long life, and concluding the title of the sūtra. The second, from unfolding the subtle and secret to contemplating the Three Jewels, has sixteen questions, expanding upon the fruition above as well as the title and propagation of the sūtra. The third, from 'if the three vehicles have no nature' to speaking of the subtle and secret, has ten questions, encouraging faith. The fourth speaks of the various wondrous courses of conduct, having three questions, which inquire into cultivating and practicing by means of the sūtra. The fifth, 'all have the nature of peaceful bliss', is one question, discerning the sequence of practicing the conduct in reliance upon the sūtra. The sixth, 'now I wish to ask about the aggregates', is one question, intended to be answered with Kauṇḍinya. Sengzong states: The great essential of this sūtra takes the permanent fruition as its core theme. Earlier, Cunda clarified permanence by means of giving, but the meaning was brief. Kāśyapa now sets forth extensive questions to reiterate that earlier intent. Why distinguish these two sets of questions, brief and expanded, by bringing out so many decayed teachings to clarify permanence? Now questions and answers are set up to produce awakening. Yet the grand purport of the questions and answers discusses cause and expounds fruition, clarifies the objective realm and discerns conduct. Although the threads are manifold, in essence they do not go beyond this. As the substance of questioning anticipates the intent of the answer, the sense and purport correspond with one another, never diverging from the sūtra's aim. Within these questions, the outline has broadly four divisions: first are thirteen questions, clarifying the cause and effect of permanent abiding. Next are nineteen questions, praising the power and function of the sūtra. Next is one question, clarifying the conduct based on life. Next is one question, clarifying the objective realm that is illuminated. Within each of these four there are expanded and brief treatments: unfolded they make eight, combined they make four. Because of the branches within them, they are thus threaded into four. Zhixiu states: The intent to encourage has already been made manifest; the time is suitable for questioning. The capacity rests with Kāśyapa, and therefore he has heeded the command. The expressions of the questions are thirty-four in all, which divided by their meaning broadly form three sections. Why? The ultimate aim of the sūtra takes the ultimate fruition as its core theme; yet what the fruition arises from cannot be accomplished without causes, and so the beginning of the inquiry ought to place them first. For this reason, the first section, from the beginning to 'reaching the ultimate other shore', has five questions, asking about cause and effect and concluding with the title. The substance of the canonical teaching has broadly been raised; in intending to transmit its transformation for a thousand years, its benefit will be without end. Yet the Way does not broaden itself—its propagation depends on persons. For this reason, the second section, from 'we pray that the Buddha will unfold the subtle and secret' down to 'Venus and the comets', has ten questions in all, asking about the method for propagating the sūtra and the persons who can propagate it. Although the two principles of persons and Dharma are clearly distinguishable, if one does not discern the benefits of propagating it, there will be no way to encourage eager students. For this reason, the third section, from 'how is it that those who have not yet set their minds' down to 'the most supreme, unsurpassed Way', has nineteen questions in all, asking about the power and influence of the sūtra. If discussed comprehensively, these three meanings are also sufficiently coherent; but taking them in terms of concrete topics and meanings, differences inevitably arise. Mingjun states: On the general outline of the questions, the world has a division into six or three sections: first brief, second expanded, and third encouraging faith. Within the brief questions there are eight questions: the first asks about the cause of long life; the second asks about the fruition of long life; the third asks about the fruition of the adamantine body; the fourth asks about the cause of the adamantine body. These four questions briefly discern prajñā and the dharmakāya. The fifth asks about vimokṣa; the sixth asks about the sūtra's power; the seventh asks about the sūtra's title. The reason vimokṣa is asked about by examining the sūtra's power in reference to its title has two meanings: first, this sūtra takes permanent abiding as its core theme and takes 'free from burdens' as its name; because of burdens there is impermanence, and because of permanence there is freedom from burdens. Second, it clarifies that both immediate and distant vimokṣa are due to the power of the sūtra: immediately it can extinguish the three hindrances in the causal stage; distantly it can realize vimokṣa in the stage of fruition. Therefore, asking 'how is it that regarding this sūtra' is asking about the name and asking about the power; 'reaching the ultimate other shore' is asking about vimokṣa. The 'Chapter on the Name' below says, 'If one hears the name of this sūtra and is born into the four evil destinies, there is no such possibility'—this is the immediate power. It also says, 'Bodhisattvas abiding in this can manifest everywhere'—this is the distant power. The seven excellences are brought up to answer about the title of the sūtra. To subdue all fetters and afflictions and the nature of the māras, and only then necessarily abandon bodily life in the Mahāparinirvāṇa—this answers 'reaching the ultimate other shore.' It also says 'endowed with the eight flavours', bringing up clauses such as 'permanent and constant' to explain the substance of vimokṣa. Why? In the text below clarifying vimokṣa, these eight clauses are listed and each explained in detail, which is clearly visible. The eighth asks about the reliance for propagation, just as the six-fascicle Nirvāṇa Sūtra says, 'When a bodhisattva transforms sentient beings, how many kinds of preaching Dharma are there?' If this were not missing here, it would truly be fitting in meaning. Even if one does not adopt that question, based on this obscure phrasing there is also the sense of asking about propagation. In the 'Chapter on the Name', Kāśyapa asks: 'What should this sūtra be named? How should it be upheld?' Its purport is obvious. The 'Chapter on the Four Marks' below provides the answer. The second section, the expanded questions, has sixteen questions. First, it uses one question to expand upon the three virtues of the stage of fruition, which the text below answers from the end of the 'Chapter on the Four Marks' on remainder and remainderless nirvāṇa down to vimokṣa. Next are two questions, expanding upon propagation by discerning persons and discerning teachings, discerning the perverse and discerning the correct: the 'Chapter on the Four Reliances' takes the correct Dharma and correct persons as the reliances; the 'Chapter on the Perverse and the Correct' casts away perverse persons and perverse teachings, taking them to be demonic. Next are four questions expanding upon the cause: the two questions on the four truths and the four inversions bring up understanding and delusion to clarify wisdom, which is the expansion of the conditioning cause; the two questions on good karma and the difficulty of seeing the nature bring up the beginning and the end to clarify the direct cause. Next are two questions expanding upon the title of the sūtra, namely the full letter and the noble conduct. Next are seven questions expanding upon the sūtra's power: the preceding four questions, such as 'those who have not yet set their minds', expand upon the power to extinguish the three hindrances in the causal stage; the latter three questions, such as the ferryman, extensively discern the stage of fruition, where the myriad delusions are completely extinguished and vimokṣa is ultimate. The third section has twelve questions encouraging faith, identical to the explanation by Dharma Master Sengliang.