大般涅槃經義記 2.4

2.4

自下第二對請為說，於中有三：一舉疑勸問；二「亦當為汝先說」已下，對上所請，許說違住；三「佛出世」下，正為宣說。初中，如來懼諸比丘不堪諮啟，故舉勸問。於中初先舉疑令問，後許酬答。前中「比丘有疑當問」，是總勸也；「若空」下別。別中略舉十四種門以勸其問。「若空、不空」，義有多含：若就生死、涅槃相對，生死名空、涅槃不空，故下文言「空者，所謂一切生死；言不空者，謂大涅槃。」若就二諦相對以論，義則不定，若說相空以為真諦，真諦名空、世諦不空；若說真實如來藏性以為真諦，真諦不空、世諦名空，以不實故。故《勝鬘》中妄法名為空如來藏、真法名為不空藏矣。「若常、無常」，義亦多含：若以生死、涅槃相對，生死無常、涅槃是常；二諦相對，世諦無常、真諦是常。「若依、非依」，義亦多含：邪正相對，三寶可依、外道非依；真妄相對，真法可依、妄法叵依，故《勝鬘》中說如來藏以為一依。「若去、不去」，義亦多含：邪正相對，正行出離名之為去、邪行沈沒說為不去；因果相對，因名為去、果則不去。「若歸、不歸」，義亦多含：大小相對，小乘趣大名為有歸、大無所趣說為不歸；因果相對，因則有歸、果則無歸。「若恒、非恒」，與前若常無、常何別？通釋是一，於中別分，不生名常、不滅曰恒，義亦多含：染淨相對，生死非恒、涅槃是恒；二諦相對，真諦名恒、世諦非恒。「若斷、若常」，義亦多含：染淨相對，生死終斷、涅槃是常；真妄相對，妄想可斷、真識是常。「若眾生、非眾生」，義亦多含：內外相對，內是眾生、外非眾生；假實相對，假是眾生、實非眾生；空有相對，有是眾生、空非眾生；就人相對，佛非眾生，離生死故，餘是眾生。「若有、若無」，義亦多含：若就有為、無為分別，三有為法名之為有、三無為法說之為無；若就二諦相對分別，有為、無為同名為有，無我、我所說之為無。如《地持》說，若就人論，凡有生死而無涅槃；聖有涅槃而無生死，如下文說。「若實、不實」，義亦多含：染淨相對，生死不實、涅槃名實；權實相對，一乘是實、三乘不實；真妄相對，妄情不實、佛性是實；二諦相對，世諦不實、真諦為實；淺深相對，三諦非實、一實為實。「若真、不真」，義亦多含：染淨相對，生死不真、涅槃是真；二諦相對，真諦為真、世諦不真。「若滅、不滅」，義亦多含：四諦相對，滅諦是滅、餘三非滅；真妄相對，妄法可滅、真法不滅。「若密、不密」，就教論之，大小不定，或小教名密、大教不密，小乘覆實名之為密、大教顯實故名不密；或大教名密、小教不密，大乘深隱故名為密、小乘麁顯故名不密。「若二、不二」，就乘論之，權分大小，說之為二，實唯一大，名為不二。「如是種種有疑今問」，總以結勸。「我當隨順為汝斷」者，許為酬答。

Below is the second [section], preaching in response to their requests, in which there are three parts: first, raising doubts to encourage questioning; second, from "I shall also first explain for your sake" onward, in response to what was requested above, promising to preach while refusing to abide; third, from "The Buddha appears in the world" onward, directly proclaiming [the Dharma]. In the first part, the Tathāgata feared that the bhikṣus would be unable to inquire and ask, so he raised [topics] to encourage questioning. Therein he first raises doubts to have them question, and thereafter promises to answer. In the former, "Bhikṣus, if you have doubts, you should ask" is the general exhortation; from "whether empty..." onward is specific. In the specific, he briefly raises fourteen gates to encourage their questioning. "Whether empty or not empty" has multiple connotations: if discussed in terms of the mutual opposition between birth-and-death and nirvāṇa, birth-and-death is called "empty" and nirvāṇa is "not empty"; hence the text below says, "Empty means all birth-and-death; what is called not empty means great nirvāṇa." If discussed in terms of the mutual opposition between the two truths, the meaning is indefinite: if one speaks of the emptiness of marks as the ultimate truth, the ultimate truth is called "empty" and conventional truth is "not empty"; if one speaks of the real nature of the tathāgatagarbha as the ultimate truth, the ultimate truth is "not empty" and conventional truth is called "empty," because it is unreal. Therefore, in the Śrīmālādevī Sūtra, deluded dharmas are called the "empty tathāgatagarbha," and real dharmas are called the "not-empty garbha." "Whether permanent or impermanent" also has multiple connotations: if birth-and-death and nirvāṇa are contrasted, birth-and-death is impermanent and nirvāṇa is permanent; if the two truths are contrasted, conventional truth is impermanent and ultimate truth is permanent. "Whether a refuge or not a refuge" also has multiple connotations: contrasting the heterodox and orthodox, the Three Jewels can be relied upon, while external paths are not a refuge; contrasting the real and delusive, real dharmas can be relied upon, while delusive dharmas cannot be relied upon; therefore in the Śrīmālādevī Sūtra it says that the tathāgatagarbha is the single refuge. "Whether going or not going" also has multiple connotations: contrasting the heterodox and orthodox, correct practice departing [from saṃsāra] is called "going," while heterodox practice sinking down is called "not going"; contrasting cause and fruit, the cause is called "going" and the fruit is "not going." "Whether tending toward or not tending toward" also has multiple connotations: contrasting the great and small, the small vehicle heading toward the great is called "having a destination," while the great having nowhere to head is called "not having a destination"; contrasting cause and fruit, the cause has a destination, while the fruit has no destination. "Whether eternal or not eternal"—what difference is there between this and the earlier "permanent or impermanent"? Interpreted comprehensively, they are one; but distinguishing them specifically, unarisen is called "permanent," while unceasing is called "eternal." It also has multiple connotations: contrasting defiled and pure, birth-and-death is not eternal and nirvāṇa is eternal; contrasting the two truths, ultimate truth is called eternal and conventional truth is not eternal. "Whether severed or permanent" also has multiple connotations: contrasting defiled and pure, birth-and-death is ultimately severed and nirvāṇa is permanent; contrasting real and delusive, false thinking can be severed and the true consciousness is permanent. "Whether sentient being or non-sentient being" also has multiple connotations: contrasting internal and external, the internal is a sentient being and the external is not a sentient being; contrasting nominal and real, the nominal is a sentient being and the real is not a sentient being; contrasting empty and existent, the existent is a sentient being and the empty is not a sentient being; in terms of persons, the Buddha is not a sentient being because he is free from birth and death, while others are sentient beings. "Whether existent or nonexistent" also has multiple connotations: if differentiated in terms of conditioned and unconditioned, the three conditioned realms of dharmas are called "existent," and the three unconditioned dharmas are called "nonexistent"; if differentiated in terms of the two truths, conditioned and unconditioned are both called "existent," while the lack of self and mine is called "nonexistent." As the Bodhisattvabhūmi says, if discussed in terms of persons, ordinary beings have birth-and-death but no nirvāṇa, whereas sages have nirvāṇa but no birth-and-death, as explained in the text below. "Whether real or unreal" also has multiple connotations: contrasting defiled and pure, birth-and-death is unreal and nirvāṇa is called real; contrasting provisional and real, the One Vehicle is real and the three vehicles are unreal; contrasting real and delusive, deluded feelings are unreal and buddha-nature is real; contrasting the two truths, conventional truth is unreal and ultimate truth is real; contrasting shallow and deep, the three truths are not real, while the one reality is real. "Whether true or untrue" also has multiple connotations: contrasting defiled and pure, birth-and-death is untrue and nirvāṇa is true; contrasting the two truths, ultimate truth is true and conventional truth is untrue. "Whether cessation or non-cessation" also has multiple connotations: contrasting the four truths, the truth of cessation is cessation and the remaining three are not cessation; contrasting real and delusive, delusive dharmas can cease, while real dharmas do not cease. "Whether secret or not secret": discussing this in terms of teaching, great and small are not fixed: either the small teaching is called secret and the great teaching not secret—the small vehicle concealing reality is called secret, while the great teaching revealing reality is called not secret; or the great teaching is called secret and the small teaching not secret—the Mahāyāna being profound and hidden is called secret, while the small vehicle being coarse and obvious is called not secret. "Whether dual or non-dual": discussing this in terms of vehicles, provisionally dividing them into great and small is called "dual," while in reality there is only one Great [Vehicle], which is called "non-dual." "Such various doubts, ask them now" is a general concluding exhortation. "I shall accord with them and cut them off for you" promises to answer.