大般涅槃經集解 8.4

8.4

Daosheng comments: "He wished them to ask about the cause of long life. Long life is fundamentally the excellent ford for entering saṃsāra to save sentient beings, having a mind of compassion as its root. For compassion to deliver beings, there is nothing greater than enacting monastic precepts so that they do not perform various evils but instead practice good to the utmost. Since the monastic precepts have been enacted, transgressions must be punished, which on the surface looks like lack of compassion. Those who speak of a lack of compassion do not truly doubt the monastic precepts; rather, it is a profound investigation of the root of long life, which must be asked about. Asking about the root of long life is a matter for bodhisattvas; it is not something śrāvakas should rashly meddle in, which is why he defers it to them." Sengliang comments: "What is spoken of here may be what the monks practice, which is why he specifically encourages them, saying: 'If you have any doubts regarding the monastic precepts... down to: do not say that the Tathāgata only cultivates the original empty and quiescent nature of all dharmas.' When the Buddha first opened the doctrine, he explained giving as the cause of long life, whereas Cunda took protecting the Dharma as the cause. In the broad exposition of the doctrine, he took the three cultivations as the cause; though he spoke of three causes, he had not fully exhausted the root of long life. Now he first raises morality and later raises wisdom, briefly setting forth the beginning and the end to clarify that all myriad practices are causes of long life, opening up the theme of their questioning; therefore he first raises the monastic precepts here." Sengzong, recorded by Jingyi, comments: "Previously, by rescinding the causes and rescinding the fruits, he reconciled the intents of the two teachings, briefly setting forth the preceding realms to encourage questioning. However, because the principle raised was profound and abstruse, although the two vehicles had doubts, it was beyond their thought and they were unable to raise questions. The Buddha knew their inability; the reason he repeatedly encouraged questioning was to make them defer to those capable. Why did he raise the monastic precepts to prompt questioning? Precepts are the essential practice of śrāvakas, the initial foundation for entering the Path. Another interpretation: śrāvakas did not doubt that precepts lead to the Buddha[-fruit], but only doubted whether precepts necessarily lead to permanence. Another interpretation: even if they can lead to the permanent fruit, they did not know how these precepts differ from the precepts of the past. Since they harbored this doubt, having doubt they should ask." Sengzong, recorded by Falian, comments: "The previous chapter raised the realm of wisdom—such as emptiness and non-emptiness—to encourage questioning; now he raises the monastic precepts, the cause of myriad practices, to encourage questioning. If the cause is not understood, the fruit will also not be ultimate; and within the cause there are precepts, concentration, and wisdom. Why did he specifically ask about the monastic precepts? Precepts are the practice of śrāvakas; relying on the restraint of the precepts one is aided in attaining the concentration-precepts and the path-concomitant precepts." Sengzong, related by Huilang, comments: "Exhorting the monks to ask comprises three tiers in total. In the previous chapter, he stopped their lamentation and then exhorted them to ask, and practice proceeded up to this point. Now this second [tier] is an exhortation again. Wishing to broadly open up the purport of permanence, and because precepts are the root of myriad goods, he raised precepts to encourage questioning." Baoliang comments: "From here down is the fourth section, urging the assembly to question. Precepts are the root of śrāvakas, which is why he raised precepts to encourage questioning." Zhixiu comments: "Above he raised all dharmas as an encouragement, fearing that the monks would be intimidated by the depth of the principle of permanence and dare not formulate a question; now pointing again to precepts, which are matters of everyday practice, he adapts to their immediate sentiments to encourage them." Mingjun comments: "Previously, by accepting the offering he opened the theme of permanence; only Cunda, with sharp faculties, understood as soon as he heard it, formulating five rounds of inquiries to discern the dharmakāya, prajñā, and vimokṣa, thereby again revealing that he had long been a field of permanence. However, the purport of permanence is subtle and abstruse and required broad elucidation; yet because the deep grief of the great assembly caused them to suddenly forget to inquire and decide, repeatedly offering plaintive entreaties, peripheral discussions arose. Therefore, he emitted light to hasten the offering, revealing the doctrinal purport anew. Again, relying on Cunda, he examined both the fundamental and trace doctrines, clarifying that food was not truly received—how could extinction be a real passing away? Yet after Cunda departed, the assembly at that time remained silent. Thereupon, shaking the earth to startle their minds, he again offered the opening for questioning. Still, in their utmost grief and longing, they made no inquiries whatsoever, only deeply expressing lamentation and suffering, and setting up similes to criticize deferentially. Thereupon, the World-Honoured One, through two gāthās, checked their grief and briefly raised Dharma-gates to encourage them to ask. What was raised and encouraged all pertained to the fruit. Observing that their minds were still confused, out of righteous indignation he spoke of the three virtues of nirvāṇa, stripping them of what they had attained. The monks then clung even further to the former teachings and returned to their bitter entreaties. The Buddha used superior cultivation to dispel their clinging and used the physician simile to reconcile the teachings, so that their lamentations and bitter entreaties at last subsided. Therefore, he briefly raised the causes of permanence—precepts, concentration, and wisdom—encouraging them to inquire. This is the second encouragement. Why did he first raise the precepts? The ten stages take great compassion as foremost, and the five precepts take non-killing as primary. Below, in answering the cause of long life, he states: 'With great kindness and great compassion, conferring the precept of non-killing. Among the causes of long life, none is prior to precepts.' Therefore, he first encouraged them to ask [about precepts]."