大般涅槃經義記 1.165

1.165

上來大眾共推純陀以為請主，自下第二純陀為請。於中初明純陀心喜。彼何故喜？還有二意：一蒙佛受供，成檀故喜；二準前類後，望留佛住，所以生喜。文中初法、次以喻顯。「父母卒喪忽還活」者，解有二義：一就檀行以釋還活，供佛善根，可尊可重，如世父母。佛前不受人天供養，名為卒喪；今受純陀所奉供養，如似還活。二就佛解，佛如父母，向前唱滅，名為卒喪；純陀今者準前驗後，望留佛住，說為還活。下合可知。次以身禮，下以口請。偈言巧妙，少字之中能攝多義，故以偈請。於中偈有十八行半，判以為二：初十偈半慶前所得，下之八偈啟請於後。對前大眾歎成五難所以慶前，對上大眾四偈推請所以請後，此二即顯喜中二意。

The above shows the great assembly jointly pushing forward Cunda to be the requester; from here below is the second [part], where Cunda makes the request. Therein, it first clarifies Cunda's joy of mind. Why did he rejoice? Here too there are two meanings: first, receiving the Buddha's acceptance of his offering and accomplishing giving, he therefore rejoiced; second, inferring what follows based on what came before, he hoped to detain the Buddha to abide, and so joy arose. In the text, first is the doctrine, and next it is revealed through a metaphor. As for "parents suddenly dying and abruptly coming back to life," the explanation has two meanings: first, explaining coming back to life in terms of the practice of giving: the good root of making offerings to the Buddha is worthy of honor and respect, like worldly parents. The Buddha previously not accepting the offerings of humans and devas was called "suddenly dying"; now accepting the offering presented by Cunda is like "coming back to life." Second, explained in terms of the Buddha: the Buddha is like a parent; his previous proclamation of extinction was called "suddenly dying"; Cunda now, testing the outcome by what preceded, hopes to detain the Buddha to abide, which is described as "coming back to life." The application below can be known. Next he pays homage with his body, and below he requests with his speech. Verse words are ingenious, able to encompass many meanings within few characters, so he makes the request in verse. Therein, the verses have eighteen and a half stanzas, divided into two: the first ten and a half verses celebrate what was attained previously; the lower eight verses make the request for what follows. Corresponding to the great assembly's praise of his accomplishing the five difficulties above, he therefore celebrates what preceded; corresponding to the great assembly's pushing him forward to request in four verses above, he therefore requests what follows; these two reveal the two meanings within the joy.