大般涅槃經義記 2.215

2.215

上解昔偈辯出涅槃為解脫處，自下第二就處辯其涅槃之相。文別有三：一釋向前大涅槃義、二彰此涅槃是解脫處、三於前文中有難解者問答重顯。就初段中先解大義，三義釋之：初「言大者，其性廣博」，以廣釋大；二「如人」下以常釋大，但喻無合，與上文中所言「大者名之為常」其義相似；三以勝釋大。勝有二種：初言「是人若住正法名人中勝」，住正故勝；「如我說」下，備德故勝。如我所說《八大人覺》，舉餘經中所說八覺。「為一人」下就人分別，「為一人有」成在一人、「為多人有」修在多人，「若一人具八則為勝」者，就成顯勝。一人是佛，佛備八德，故名為勝，勝故名大。

The above explains the former verse to determine that nirvāṇa is the abode of liberation; from here down, the second part differentiates the characteristics of nirvāṇa with respect to the abode. The text has three distinct sections: first, explaining the meaning of the aforementioned Great Nirvāṇa; second, revealing that this nirvāṇa is the abode of liberation; third, for that which was difficult to understand in the preceding text, clarifying it again through questions and answers. In the first section, he first explains the meaning of "great," explaining it with three meanings: first, "What is called great, its nature is vast and extensive," explaining great by means of vastness; second, from "Just as a person..." onward, explaining great by means of permanence, but it only has the analogy without an application, its meaning being similar to what was said in the text above: "What is called great is named permanent"; third, explaining great by means of superiority. Superiority is of two kinds: first, stating "If this person abides in the true Dharma, he is called superior among humans," being superior because he abides in what is right; from "As I have preached..." onward, being superior because he is replete with virtues. "As I have preached the eight awarenesses of great persons" cites the eight awarenesses preached in other sūtras. From "existing for one person" onward distinguishes them according to persons: "existing for one person" is completion in one person; "existing for many persons" is cultivation in many persons. "If one person possesses all eight, he is considered superior" reveals superiority with respect to completion. The one person is the Buddha; the Buddha is replete with the eight virtues, and is therefore called superior; because he is superior, he is called great.