大般涅槃經集解 8.42

8.42

Sengzong states: The preceding concise section distinguished cause and fruition, established the sūtra's title, and manifested dissemination; in this expanded section, it only clarifies fruition and not cause, yet still distinguishes dissemination, showing that the sūtra's purport does not lie in the cause, but takes fruition as its main principle. The preceding 'Chapter on the Four Aspects' clarified four kinds of dharmas, while this chapter presents the persons of the four refuges: that chapter drew upon dharmas to reveal virtues, while this chapter presents stages to indicate persons. The Tathāgata dwells in the supreme and embodies the ultimate, being a true arhat; bodhisattvas resemble him, but the Great Beings' traces are exalted and far removed from ordinary humans, difficult to distinguish, and thus an analogy is lodged in the four fruitions to make it roughly accessible, enabling people to grasp it. Baoliang states: Below there are four consecutive questions, all of which expand upon dissemination. This single question asks about the level and measure of virtue of the person who disseminates, which is answered in the subsequent 'Chapter on the Four Refuges.' Zhixiu states: This is the seventh question, which means: persons of what stage are capable of obtaining this vast and great sūtra to serve as a refuge? Even though they are bodhisattvas, are their stages equal to those of the śrāvakas?