大般涅槃經義記 9.3

9.3

處中有二：一寄城處對破外道，明大涅槃常樂我淨；二寄林處，明大涅槃常樂我淨。就城處中，師子初問，問意有三：一問何故捨六大城而來至此；二問何故在此涅槃；三問拘尸弊惡之處，如來何故於中涅槃。下佛別答，先對、後問。「汝不應言弊惡隘小」略翻其言，「應言微妙」以理教示。「何以」下釋。「諸佛菩薩所行之處」法說略釋，「如賤人」下，三喻顯示，次合、下結。「我念昔」下答第二問，有三復次：一於往昔曾於此處聞佛名號修行十善，為報地恩故來在此；二曾此處修四無量；三曾此處見佛發心，故來在此。「我初出」下，對其初問，明為追逐諸外道故，捨六之此。先明捨六，後到拘尸破邪顯正，先別、後結。別中有三：一明六師先往拘尸，增物邪見；二「我見是」下，如來後到，翻邪顯正。三「爾時六師作是言」下，明諸外道執邪亂正，如來對破。初段可知。

Within the place, there are two: first, relying on the place of the city to confront and refute non-Buddhists, clarifying that Great Nirvāṇa is permanent, joyful, self, and pure; second, relying on the place of the forest, clarifying that Great Nirvāṇa is permanent, joyful, self, and pure. Regarding the place of the city, Siṃhanāda first asks; the intent of his questioning has three [aspects]: first, he asks why [the Buddha] abandoned the six great cities and came here; second, he asks why he enters nirvāṇa here; third, he asks why the Tathāgata enters nirvāṇa in such an inferior and evil place as Kuśi[nagara]. Below, the Buddha answers individually, first responding, and then questioning. "You should not say it is inferior, evil, narrow, and small" briefly overturns his words; "you should say it is wondrous" instructs him by means of principle. From "Why?" downward, he explains. "The place traversed by the buddhas and bodhisattvas" briefly explains in terms of the dharma; from "Like a lowly person" downward, three metaphors illustrate it; next is the application, and below is the conclusion. From "I recall in the past" downward answers the second question, with three iterations: first, in the past he once heard the Buddha's name and practiced the ten wholesome deeds in this place, and to repay the kindness of the land he came here; second, he once cultivated the four immeasurables in this place; third, he once saw a buddha and generated the mind [for awakening] in this place, and therefore came here. From "When I first went forth" downward, in response to his first question, he clarifies that it was to pursue the various non-Buddhists that he abandoned the six [cities] and came here. First he clarifies abandoning the six, and afterward arriving at Kuśinagara to refute the heterodox and reveal the orthodox, first individually, and then concluding. Within the individual treatment there are three: first, clarifying that the six masters went to Kuśinagara beforehand and increased sentient beings' wrong views; second, from "I saw this" downward, the Tathāgata arrived afterward to overturn the heterodox and reveal the orthodox; third, from "At that time the six masters made this statement" downward, clarifying that the various non-Buddhists clung to the heterodox and disordered the orthodox, and the Tathāgata confronted and refuted them. The first section can be understood.