大般涅槃經義記 2.71

2.71

第二明己無力持中，先喻、後合。喻中有五：一喻自己無能持德、二「有一人」下喻明如來不應付己、三「是時老」下喻明自己不應輒受、四「而是老」下明受者失、五「財主行」下明付者失。初中，「如人年百二十」，比丘喻己有重煩惱，取老為喻，不取其數；「身嬰長病」，喻有變易；因果未除，心好寂止，名「寢床席」；不堪隨有行化眾生，名「不能起」；悲願薄少，名「力虛劣」；取滅不遙，名「命無幾」。第二段中，「一人」喻佛，具法稱「富」，隨感遷化，故言「緣事欲至他方」；大乘正法喻百斤金，取重為況，不取其數；用付比丘，名「付老人」；「作其言」下，顯委付相；「或十年還、二十年還」，彰還不定，根熟早來、不熟晚至，是以言或；令法住持，稱佛本化，義言「還我」。第三段中，「是時老人即便受」者，比丘喻己非分輒受。第四段中，諸比丘等無有受法傳化弟子可以付囑，名「無繼嗣」；無常遷逼，說為「病篤」；滅身歸無，稱曰「命終」；所付之法無人稟行，名「皆散失」。第五段中，此方有感如來復化，名為「行還」；本法全滅，名「債索無所」；「如是癡」下，呵以顯過。「是故」行下，結以明失。下次合之，前五句中但合第一、第三、第四。「我等聲聞亦復如是」合第一句，「雖聞」已下合第三句，「不能受」下合第四句。「如彼老」下，舉喻以帖。上來第二明己無力不能受持。「我今無智，當何所問」，是第三段，結己不堪，前兩段中就初以結。

In the second part, which clarifies that they themselves lack the strength to uphold it, there is first the simile and then the application. In the simile there are five parts: first, a simile for one's own lacking the virtue of being able to uphold; second, from "There is a person" onward, a simile clarifying that the Tathāgata ought not entrust it to oneself; third, from "At that time the old [man]" onward, a simile clarifying that one ought not rashly accept it; fourth, from "And this old [man]" onward, clarifying the loss on the part of the recipient; fifth, from "The owner of the wealth travels" onward, clarifying the loss on the part of the entruster. In the first, "like a man one hundred and twenty years old": the monks use this as a simile for their own having heavy afflictions; it takes old age as the simile, not the specific number. "His body beset by chronic illness" is a simile for having change. Because cause and effect are not yet eliminated, and the mind is fond of quiescent stillness, it is called "lying on a bed." Being incapable of following existence to transform sentient beings is called "unable to rise." Compassionate vows being weak and few is called "strength feeble and weak." Attaining cessation being not far off is called "his life having not long left." In the second section, "a person" is a simile for the Buddha; possessing dharmas is called "wealthy"; following conditions to move and transform is why it says "on account of affairs wishing to go to another land"; the correct Mahāyāna Dharma is compared to one hundred pounds of gold, taking weight as the comparison, not the specific number; using it to entrust to the monks is called "entrusting it to the old man"; from "saying these words" onward, reveals the manner of entrustment; "returning in ten years or twenty years" shows the indefiniteness of the return, arriving early if faculties are ripe, arriving late if not ripe, which is why it says "or"; causing the Dharma to be maintained and preserved conforms to the Buddha's original transformation, which is the meaning of "return it to me." In the third section, "at that time the old man immediately accepted it": the monks use this as a simile for their own rash acceptance beyond their capacity. In the fourth section, the monks have no disciples who can receive the Dharma and transmit the transformation to whom it could be entrusted, which is called "having no heir"; being pressed by impermanence and change is called "gravely ill"; annihilating the body and returning to nothingness is called "life ending"; the entrusted Dharma having no one to receive and practice it is called "all being scattered and lost." In the fifth section, there being resonance in this realm and the Tathāgata returning to transform is called "traveling and returning"; the original Dharma being completely destroyed is called "having nowhere to seek the debt"; from "such a foolish [man]" onward, rebukes him to reveal the fault. From "Therefore" downward, it concludes by clarifying the loss. Next is the application: among the preceding five clauses, only the first, third, and fourth are applied. "We śrāvakas are also like this" applies to the first clause; from "although hearing" onward applies to the third clause; from "cannot receive" onward applies to the fourth clause. From "Like that old [man]" onward, the simile is brought forward to match it. The above is the second part, clarifying that they themselves lack the strength and cannot accept and uphold it. "I now have no wisdom; what should I ask?" is the third section, concluding their own incapability; between the previous two sections, it concludes based on the first.