大般涅槃經義記 4.298

4.298

第七偈中，文殊先問，「文殊復說」經家敘列，下出問辭。問辭有二：一舉佛昔偈。如來本昔為羖羝德而說此偈，彼習自餓。佛欲教之修八戒齋，故說此偈，一切眾生依飲食存，非彼外道習自餓法，一切依食，云何自餓？「一切大力心無嫉妬」，佛自免過，佛非外道，似有嫉妬，故自勉過明己大力，雖非外道而非嫉妬。「一切因食而多得病」，勸修齋法，斷數數食，一切修行而得受樂，教修八戒。二約之徵佛。若言因食而得病者，佛今受彼純陀飲食，將無如來怖畏病苦。

In the seventh verse, Mañjuśrī asks first. "Mañjuśrī spoke again" is the compiler's narrative presentation; below appears the wording of his question. The wording of the question has two parts: First, he adduces the Buddha's past verse. In the past, the Tathāgata spoke this verse for the sake of the ram-virtue [ascetic], who practiced self-starvation. The Buddha wished to teach him to cultivate the eightfold fasting precepts, and therefore spoke this verse: "All sentient beings depend on food and drink to survive"—not the self-starvation practiced by those non-Buddhists; since all depend on food, why starve oneself? "All who possess great power have minds free from jealousy"—the Buddha excused himself from fault; the Buddha was not a non-Buddhist, yet appeared to have jealousy, so he excused himself from fault by clarifying that he himself possesses great power, and although not a non-Buddhist, he was free from jealousy. "All, because of food, incur much sickness"—encouraging the cultivation of the method of fasting and the cessation of frequent eating. "All, through cultivation, obtain the experience of joy"—teaching the cultivation of the eight precepts. Second, he challenges the Buddha on that basis: if it is said that because of food one contracts sickness, then since the Buddha now accepts the food and drink of that Cunda, could it be that the Tathāgata is not free from the fear of the suffering of illness?