大般涅槃經義記 1.42

1.42

自下第三明其新眾覩相增悲。「是諸眾生」，舉悲哀人。「見聞是已」，生悲所由。見光聞聲，名見聞已。下顯悲相，「心大憂惱」，意業憔惱。「舉聲啼」等，口業傷歎。「舉手拍頭」，身業悲惱。身惱不同，或有悲切不能自裁、舉手拍頭、搥胸大叫，或有自抑內心難忍、身體戰慄、涕泣哽咽。問曰：何故拍頭搥胸？有人釋言：拍頭顯己失於導首，搥胸彰己心胸不暢。未必如此，蓋乃世人悲怨之相。世人悲怨相別種種，或有拍頭、或復搥胸、或有拍手、或時拍頰、或復蹋地，何必一一別有所表？

From here below, the third section explains that the new assembly, upon beholding the signs, experienced an increase in sorrow. “These sentient beings” brings up the people who were sorrowing. “Having seen and heard this” is the reason their sorrow arose. Seeing the light and hearing the sound is called “having seen and heard.” Below, the signs of sorrow are revealed: “Their minds were greatly troubled and distressed” describes the anguish of mental karma. “Raising their voices in weeping,” and so forth, is the lamentation of vocal karma. “Raising their hands to beat their heads” is the distressed agony of bodily karma. The bodily distress took varied forms: some were so heartbroken that they could not contain themselves, raising their hands to beat their heads, pounding their chests, and crying out loudly; others restrained themselves, yet within their hearts could hardly bear it, their bodies trembling, weeping and sobbing in grief. Question: Why did they beat their heads and pound their chests? Someone explains: Beating their heads showed that they had lost their guiding head; pounding their chests showed that their hearts and chests were not at ease. It is not necessarily so; these are simply the signs of worldly grief and lamentation. Worldly signs of grief and lamentation are of various kinds: some beat their heads, some pound their chests, some clap their hands, some slap their cheeks, and some stomp on the ground. Why must each and every one symbolize something specific?