涅槃玄義發源機要 4.2

4.2

From "as the sun" onward: the sun exemplifies the substance of the dharmadhātu; the shining exemplifies the dharmas of the dharmadhātu; and the high mountains exemplify bodhisattvas. From "as if deaf" onward: this exemplifies how those of minor capacity at the Avataṃsaka assembly do not attain great benefit; because they are deaf, they cannot hear what is great, and because they are mute, they cannot speak what is great. From "concealed his" onward: first this addresses the concealment of the body, and next the concealment of the teaching. The first text refers to the body of Rocana with its spiritual virtues, and the sixteen-foot image of Śākyamuni. From "covering the tathāgata" onward: this clarifies the concealment of the teaching. The "tathāgatagarbha" is the complete and sudden teaching, which causes ordinary beings to be transformed and become minor sages. "Without production and without function" means that spoiled seeds do not produce, and damaged roots are of no function. "First granting and later seizing": granting what is minor refers to the Deer Park, and seizing what is minor refers to the Vaipulya teachings. "Entrusting with the enterprise and managing the wealth": this uses the parable of the prodigal son from the Lotus Sūtra. This exemplifies entrusting one with the Mahāyāna family enterprise in order to transform bodhisattvas. For example, across the various divisions of Prajñāpāramitā, mostly Subhūti, Śāriputra, and Pūrṇa engage in exposition. "Bestowing wealth and establishing their nature": this refers to the reunion of father and son, establishing their natural disposition. As the sūtra says: "This is truly my son, and I am truly his father." This exemplifies the Lotus Sūtra's opening of the provisional, where those of the two vehicles are all to become Buddhas. From "The text says" onward: this refers to the ninth roll, pointing to the eight thousand persons in the chapter "Maintaining the Dharma" of the Lotus Sūtra. Therefore we know that the matters of opening and unifying in the Lotus Sūtra and the Nirvāṇa Sūtra are both called "ghee" (sarpirmaṇḍa); yet there the provisional is discarded while here it is bestowed, so in meaning there is a slight difference. However, because the original intent of the Lotus Sūtra had already been expressed, when it reached the present teaching, he entered parinirvāṇa. From "Now, the sentient beings" onward: this generally reveals the purpose of transformation. Sentient beings originally possess it, being no different from the Buddha; yet they use it daily without knowing it, and so are submerged in birth and death. Therefore the Buddha appeared in the world, pointing with the fingers of two kinds of wisdom at confused followers to indicate their original nature. Just as he was about to reveal it directly, he feared slander of the Dharma; since capacities are unequal, there came to be the five periods: combining with the separate, teaching only the tripiṭaka, addressing the three [vehicles], carrying the two [teachings], and having ripened them through that single period, the provisional could finally be opened—this is why the Lotus Sūtra and the present sūtra arose. From "Or producing" onward: this narrates the five periods. The Avataṃsaka has only the separate and complete, and is therefore great; the Deer Park has only the tripiṭaka, and is therefore small; the Vaipulya rebukes the biased and small, praising the complete and great, with the intention of making them ashamed of the small and yearn for the great; Prajñā entrusts the great Dharma, causing the bodhisattvas to be taught and gradually become thoroughly unimpeded; the Lotus opens the provisional, which is called "establishing their natural disposition." From "sentient beings" onward: this clarifies that since they have already seen the Buddha-nature in the Lotus Sūtra, he enters nirvāṇa in the present sūtra; thus we know that the meaning of seeing the nature is the same in both sūtras. "Becoming still at the twin trees": this refers to the sūtra's words "lying on his right side," which expresses that the transformation for that period had reached its limit, and the inner wisdom's pointing and guiding had accomplished its work. "Ceasing the teaching between the two rivers": this refers to the sūtra's words "silent and soundless"; hence it says "ceasing the teaching." As for the two rivers, the larger Bhāgirathī River is south of the city, and the smaller Hiraṇyavatī River is north of the city. Separated by a hundred li, the Buddha dwelt between them and entered nirvāṇa beneath the four pairs and eight trees. From "all buddhas" onward: Dīpaṅkara and Kāśyapa appeared in pure lands, and having merely taught the Lotus Sūtra, they entered nirvāṇa. Since the present Buddha, the World-Honoured One, appeared in an impure land, it was necessary to uphold the vinaya to gather the remaining capacities. Although the two sūtras differ, in seeing the nature there is no distinction. Moreover, if regarding upholding the vinaya as nirvāṇa, it applies only to impure lands; if regarding speaking of the eternal as nirvāṇa, it is taught in both pure and impure lands. From "It is simply" onward: because it can generate ultimate wisdom, it is called the Buddha's master. Because it can produce partial-truth wisdom, it is called the mother of bodhisattvas. From "Buddhas and bodhisattvas" onward: this adduces the excellence of Buddhas and bodhisattvas to contrast with the inferiority of ordinary beings and those of the small vehicle. "A thousand tongues and a hundred blind": this mentions thousands and hundreds of words; how could so many ears manage them? "Dancing with the hands": the preface to the Mao Poetry says, "Sighing is not enough, so one sings it; singing is not enough, so one dances with the hands and stamps with the feet." The purpose of concentrating on the five [analogies] as the substance: the principle explained across the five times is called the purpose. That is, what is explained from the superior milk, the complete characters, the superior cultivation, the complete teaching, and the ghee are all the true substance of the present sūtra. "Establishing the various marks and names": this should be "marks of practice," which means that practice arises based on principle, and is therefore the central theme. "Intent on refuting": that is, within all five times there is the intent to use the complete to refute the biased. Each says "if concentrating": "concentrating" means single. It means that the five times completely contain manifold meanings; if now one exclusively takes one of them, it results in the substance and so forth being different. "Two rolls," etc.: as recorded in the upper roll. "The large text": although the two editions, Northern and Southern, differ, they are both called the "large text," in contrast to the six-roll text, which is called the "small text." "Different hearings in the same assembly": those suited for an expansive version heard the large text; those suited for an abridged version heard the six-roll text. "Taking as an example the large and small Prajñā treatises": the Prajñāpāramitā has a large version and a small version, so it is taken as an example. According to the catalogues of the various scriptures, the translation of the Large Version was completed on the twenty-third day of the fourth month in the fifth year of Hongshi of the Qin, forming twenty-seven rolls. Dharmarakṣa translated the upper fascicle as Guangzan in the first year of Taikang of the Jin. Kumārajīva retranslated it into ten rolls, named the Small Version; hence we know that the Small Version also extracted its earlier portion. If so, then the subsequent explanation is correct, because the six-roll text only reaches the end of the "Bodhisattva Chapter." "These are the expansive and the abridged": the six-roll text is an abridged excerpt of the earlier part, while the large text has the expansive subsequent text. "The world is still confused about it": some say it was different hearings, others say it was expansive and abridged; it is difficult to determine with certainty, so people still have doubts. "The Tathāgata spoke of the thief, dog, and so forth": this shows their discrepancy in sequence. The Tathāgata's speech was after, while Kāśyapa's question was before. "Thief" refers to robbers, exemplifying the Māra of views; "dog" exemplifies the Māra of affection, as in the "Chapter on the Four Reliances." The explanation of the three refuges is in the "Chapter on the Tathāgata-nature." "The Qin people further translated": the six-roll text was translated during the Eastern Jin; the large text was translated during the Northern Liang. Neither was in the Qin period, yet saying "Qin people" is simply because translations under the Yao Qin were most flourishing, so doctrinal scholars inherited and used the term. "Xiehu" (alternating): xie is hu-ji fan, meaning to exchange. Writing it as "xixi" is erroneous. "Formerly Daomeng and others": according to the Record of the Translation of the Scriptures and the Biographies of Eminent Monks, both say that Dharmakṣema arrived in Guzang in the first year of Xuanshi, the year renzi, carrying the first ten rolls of the Nirvāṇa [Sūtra], and stayed in a layman's residence. Mengxun heard of Dharmakṣema's reputation, treated him generously, and requested him to translate. Thus, beginning in the third year of Xuanshi, the year jiayin, and continuing until the tenth year of Xuanshi, the year xinyou, he translated a total of twenty-three works of scriptures and vinaya, comprising 148 rolls, with Huisong acting as the scribe. Furthermore, Nanshan's Preface to the Propagation of the Nirvāṇa states: "Under the Juqu clan of the Northern Liang, in the third year of Xuanshi, there was the Indian Tripiṭaka master Dharmakṣema, whose name in Liang was Fafeng. Carrying the first ten rolls of this Sanskrit text, he arrived in Guzang. The illegitimate ruler Mengxun treasured and esteemed him profoundly; in the Xianyu Palace within the city of Liang, across three translations he completed forty rolls, concluding in the second year of Yongchu of Emperor Wu of the Song." According to these various texts, it was Master Dharmakṣema who brought it; they do not say that Daomeng brought it back. Juqu Mengxun was a barbarian whose ancestors were the Left Juqu of the Xiongnu, and thus took the official title as their clan name. Mengxun read widely in the histories and was well versed in astronomy; he killed Duan Ye and called himself the Governor of Liangzhou. He also defeated Nudan at Qiongquan, advanced on his victory to enter Guzang, and usurped the title of King of Xihe. "Longyou" is Longxi. Writing "you" (right) as "hou" (queen) or "hou" (behind) is erroneous. "Called his own era Xuanshi": he changed the era name to Xuanshi. From "At that time" onward: the origin of the Southern text. The sūtra entered Jiangnan from the Northern Liang; later, because it was edited, and its divisions of chapters and rolls differed from the old text, it was named the Southern text. Yao Chang killed Fu Jian, changed Chang'an to Chang'an, made it his capital, changed the era name to Baique, and later to Jianyuan. When Chang died, his son Xing was established, changing the era to Huangchu, and later to Hongshi. Now saying that Yao Chang also held the name Hongshi is an error; it should say Yao Xing's Hongshi. "Not Xuanshi": this distinguishes between the era names of the two states. "The fifth year of Xuanshi was the first year of Yuanxi of Emperor Gong of the Jin": Emperor Gong was the eleventh emperor of the Eastern Jin, reigning in Jiankang for one year. He abdicated to Liu Yu, who became Emperor Wu of the Song; hence it says "it next entered [the reign of] Liu Yu, Emperor Wu of the Song." The first year of Yuanxi of Emperor Gong was the first year of Yongchu of Emperor Wu of the Song, because the era name was changed in that same year. Emperor Wu of the Song had the surname Liu, personal name Yu, and style name Deyu. "Reached four years": Emperor Wu of the Song was on the throne for three years and died. His eldest son, Yifu, was established, who was the Young Emperor. His reign was confused and unruly, so the Empress Dowager deposed the emperor as King of Xingyang; he was on the throne for two years. Emperor Wu's third son, named Yilong, ascended the throne, who was Emperor Wen. Because the Young Emperor ascended the throne in the third year of Emperor Wu and was on the throne for two years, counting until the first year of Yuanjia of Emperor Wen makes four years in all; hence it says "reached four years." This was the year when the large text first reached the Southern court. Therefore, the Kaihuang Catalogue says: "In the era of Emperor Wen of the Song, at the beginning of Yuanjia, it arrived in Jiankang," which was the ninth year of Xuanshi of the Northern Liang. "These two eminent luminaries": meaning persons of lofty virtue and bright wisdom, an honorific title. Their deeds are found in the seventh fascicle of the Liang Biographies. "Magistrate of Kangle County": the eighteenth fascicle of the History of the Southern Dynasties says, "Xie Lingyun in his youth was fond of learning, read widely in books, and the beauty of his prose along with Yan Yanzhi was the foremost east of the Yangtze; his unrestrained brilliance surpassed Yanzhi's, but he was inferior in profundity and density. He inherited the enfeoffment of Duke of Kangle." Now saying "county magistrate" is feared to be an error. "Surpassing his generation and towering above the crowd," etc.: kang means to raise up. "Towering above the crowd" means standing out from the crowd. The History of the Southern Dynasties says: "Following the precedent of state dukes, he was appointed Gentleman of the Scattered Cavalier Attendants Outside the Establishment, but did not accept, becoming Aide to the Grand Marshal, the Prince of Langya. His carriages and attire were fresh and splendid; he altered many old styles of clothing, and the world revered him together, all calling him Xie Kangle." The Kaihuang Sanbao Lu says: "Edited by the retired scholar Xie Lingyun of Chen commandery." This was likely because Lingyun called himself a retired scholar. Lingyun was a man of Yangxia in Chen commandery and once served as the prefect of Yongjia. The commandery had famous landscapes; the Duke had long been fond of them, roamed freely, and retired on the pretext of illness. In Shining county he built and managed his old villa, bordering mountains and flanked by a river, realizing all the beauty of secluded dwelling, and consequently composed the 'Rhapsody on Dwelling in the Mountains.' In scaling mountains and climbing ridges he always wore wooden clogs; going up he removed their front teeth, and going down he removed their rear teeth. The prefect of Kuaiji, Meng Yi, served the Buddha with deep sincerity; the Duke said to him: 'Attaining the Way requires karmic aptitude for wisdom. You, sir, should be born in heaven before Lingyun, but you will surely become a Buddha after Lingyun.' Yi deeply resented him. Today, four li southeast of the city of Fuzhou, there is a Scripture Translation Terrace; the Tang stele by Yan Lugong says: 'The Song Marquis of Kangle, Lord Xie, translated the Nirvāṇa Sūtra here at the beginning of the Yuanjia era, hence the name.' Question: Lord Xie merely edited the old text; how can it be called 'translating'? Answer: At the place of translating scriptures, there are translators of speech, scribes, text-arrangers, verifiers of meaning, and polishers, all of whom are collectively called translators. Lord Xie's editing was the duty of verifying meaning and polishing; hence it is called Lingyun translating the scripture. From "Opening the Lifespan" onward: the "Lifespan Chapter" was divided into four chapters, and "Lifespan" was changed to "Longevity"; the "Tathāgata-nature Chapter" was divided into ten chapters. "In total twelve chapters": the newly opened chapter titles numbered twelve, and together with the former "Lifespan" and "Tathāgata-nature" there were fourteen in all, all opened according to the chapter names in the six-roll text. Therefore the Sanbao Lu states: "Because the number of chapters in Dharmakṣema's Nirvāṇa was sparse and brief, making it difficult for beginners to grasp, Lingyun and others added to it based on the old translation of the standard Niḥsaraṇa text; where the text was excessively plain, they also considerably edited and polished it." "Supplying the preceding," etc.: this includes the former "Questions of the Great Assembly Chapter" and other chapters. The Northern text has only thirteen chapters, forming forty rolls. The Southern text has twenty-five chapters, forming thirty-six rolls. Therefore, Master Huiyuan of the North named the Northern text the 'sūtra with few chapters and many rolls,' and named the Southern text the 'sūtra with many chapters and few rolls.' "Having three chapters," etc.: only during the Linde era of the Tang did the latter portion arrive, and it still lacked the "Distribution of the Śarīra." That the chapters established in the latter portion differ from Dharmakṣema's exposition is reconciled as in the twentieth roll of the Subcommentary. "Originally from Guanzhong": Guanzhong was Qin territory; Kumārajīva dwelt in Guanzhong and did not see the large text, so we know that adding the chapters was not Kumārajīva's doing. "The catalogues state": that is, Liang's Baochang Catalogue and Sui's Kaihuang Sanbao Lu, roll thirteen, state: "The śramaṇa Fan Huiyan of Yuzhou, the śramaṇa Cui Huiguan of Qinghe, the retired scholar Xie Lingyun of Chen commandery, and others added chapters and edited it." Therefore, relying on this now, we know that Xiaoliang was incorrect. From "At first the three persons" onward: this clarifies the historical events. Where it differs from the Liang Biographies of Monks and the Kaihuang Catalogue, it is feared to be due to discrepancies in oral traditions, but both texts state thirty-six rolls. At first there were only a few copies, which had not yet circulated widely. Later, one night, Yan suddenly dreamed of a person of extremely grand stature, who rebuked Yan in a loud voice, saying: 'How could you rashly and lightly tamper with the venerable scripture of the Nirvāṇa?' When Yan awoke, he felt terrified; at dawn he assembled the monks wishing to recall the earlier copies. At that time discerning persons all stopped him together: 'This is probably meant to admonish later generations. If it truly violated principle, why would you only just now be moved to this dream?' Yan agreed with this. Shortly afterward, he again dreamed of a divine being saying: 'By virtue of your dedication and thoroughness in propagating the scripture, you will surely see the Buddha hereafter.' 'As explained in the Lotus Commentary': this refers to the eighth roll of the Profound Meaning explaining that translating and not translating each possess five meanings. 'Also like that': like the Words and Phrases. Since both the Profound Meaning and the Words and Phrases interpret the sūtra, they are both broadly titled 'commentaries.' Since interpreting the meaning of the introductory chapter refers to the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra, the commentary text below simply explains the five events of the general preface, and no longer needs to interpret the name and meaning of the introductory chapter. Furthermore, the beginning of the commentary text below first separates from the text to generally present the five chapters, which is why the two characters 'Introductory Chapter' are not titled at the beginning of the commentary. In the case of the Commentary on the Lotus Sūtra, right at the start it explains the introductory chapter, saying that 'preface' (xu) means orderly (xiangxu), and so forth. That is why the two characters 'Introductory Chapter' are titled at the beginning of the commentary, or by analogy with the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra. Adding the two characters 'Introductory Chapter' to the beginning of this commentary is incorrect. Moreover, the beginning of the Commentary on the Vimalakīrti also does not title its chapter heading; the intents are distinct, so why must they conform to a single standard? Furthermore, the commentary text has already been edited, and its title simplified; thus the two characters 'Daban' (Mahāpari-) were omitted, simply titling it Nirvāṇa Commentary. This is Jingxi's new phrasing. Those who add the two characters 'Daban' are also incorrect. 'To rectify names' is indeed what Confucius admonished; later scholars should consider and discern this well.