大般涅槃經義記 1.178

1.178

下佛答之，文還有二：一述前所慶、二「不應請」下違其後請。前中，先述所成五難，「汝今」已下述勸令喜。前中，初言「如是如是，如汝所說」，總述其言；「佛出世」下，別述其言。上有五難，今述其三，人身、聞法略而不舉。於中先明如來難出，下約此佛明其值遇生信等難，下勸令喜。於中初言「莫大愁苦」，勸苦愁心；應生踊等，教生喜心。「得值如來最後供」等，舉上後難，成前應喜。下違請中，文別有二：一明如來化必須滅，不應請住；二從「離欲善思」已下明真常存，不應請住。前則顯應，後則開真。前中有二：一正違其請，「不應請佛久住於世」；二「汝今觀」下明化須滅，成前不應。於中，初先明應須滅，彰請不應，即為純陀而說偈。下九偈半文明有叵樂，成請不應。前中，初言「汝觀佛境悉無常」者，明應境界之無常也。應身分齊名佛境界，隨化示滅故曰無常。斯乃如來得大涅槃，不捨世間，常共無常。「諸行性相亦如是」者，以聖類凡，五陰諸法遷流名行，同佛無常，故云如是。

Below, the Buddha answers him; the text again has two parts: first, he recounts what was celebrated before; second, from "you should not entreat" downward, he rejects his subsequent entreaty. Within the former, he first recounts the five difficulties that were accomplished; from "you now" downward, he recounts and encourages him to rejoice. Within the former, first saying "So it is, so it is, just as you say" summarizes his words; from "the Buddha appearing in the world" downward, he specifically recounts his words. Above there were five difficulties; here he recounts three of them, omitting the human body and hearing the Dharma without raising them. Therein he first explains that the Tathāgata is difficult to appear; below, with respect to this Buddha, he explains that encountering him, giving rise to faith, and so forth are difficult; below he encourages him to rejoice. Therein first saying "do not grieve and suffer greatly" encourages his distressed and sorrowful mind; saying that he should leap with joy and so forth instructs him to give rise to a joyful mind. "Attaining the final offering of the Tathāgata" and so forth raises the latter difficulty above to establish the prior point that he should rejoice. Within rejecting the entreaty below, the text specifically has two parts: first, it explains that the transformation of the Tathāgata must be extinguished, and that he should not be entreated to abide; second, from "free from desires and considering well" downward, it explains that the true reality constantly abides, and that he should not be entreated to abide. The former reveals the responsive manifestation, while the latter discloses the true reality. Within the former there are two parts: first, directly rejecting his entreaty, "you should not entreat the Buddha to abide long in the world"; second, from "you now observe" downward, explaining that the transformation must be extinguished, establishing the preceding point that it is improper. Therein, it first explains that the responsive manifestation must be extinguished, showing that the entreaty is improper, and he then speaks verses for Cunda. Below, nine and a half verses of text explain that existence contains nothing to be enjoyed, establishing that the entreaty is improper. Within the former, first saying "You observe that the Buddha's realm is entirely impermanent" explains the impermanence of the realm of the responsive manifestation. The scope of the responsive body is called the Buddha's realm; manifesting extinction in accordance with transformation, it is therefore said to be impermanent. This is precisely the Tathāgata attaining Great Nirvāṇa, not abandoning the world, the permanent being together with the impermanent. "The nature and marks of all conditioned formations are also like this" uses the sage to analogize the ordinary; the phenomena of the five aggregates drifting and flowing are called conditioned formations; because they are impermanent just like the Buddha, it says "also like this."