大般涅槃經義記 5.8

5.8

Second, in teaching the five practices separately: up through the end of this chapter, it teaches the cultivation of noble practice; the single chapter 'Brahmacaryā Practice' teaches the cultivation of brahmacaryā practice; the single chapter 'Infant Practice' teaches infant practice; the single divine practice points mysteriously to the *Avataṃsaka*; while the single illness practice is not discussed at all. What is it? Someone explained: 'The five kinds of persons discussed in the preceding chapter—the place where they have illness practice is this illness practice.' But that is the illness practice of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas; what does it have to do with bodhisattvas? Furthermore, what was discussed previously was the practice of mixed illnesses, whereas what is taught now is the practice of curing illnesses, which is vastly different from the former; how could it point to what preceded? Moreover, in the preceding chapter the five practices were not yet designated; on what basis would illness practice be spoken of in advance? There is conclusively no such principle. If the former is not it, what is it? King Ajātaśatru's repentance of transgressions and cure of illness at the end of the 'Brahmacaryā Practice Chapter' must be illness practice. Hence, in the text below, the king's killing of his father is the mental illness, and the eruption of sores on his body is his bodily illness. The Buddha emits a compassionate light to cure his bodily illness, and speaks the wondrous Dharma to eliminate his mental illness. Because it cures these two illnesses, it is called illness practice. If that repentance of transgressions were not illness practice, there should be something else indicated; it should not simply be left out.