大般涅槃經疏 1.15

1.15

第二別釋者，召請章是經家所置，舊呼為通序、別序，三世道同故言通序，教門機別故言別序。又今佛一期小大別圓悉安如是，故名為通；經經由藉悉皆有異，故名為別。又諸經初皆安如是，同是勸信之詞。於通序中或五或六，由主處離合。如是者，所傳之理。我聞者，能傳之人。一時者，能傳傳所傳，會機會理之時。佛者，稟承之主。住者，所聞之地。眾者，親承之伴。展轉相證勸信非虛，欲使將來順而不惑。又小大諸經初皆勸信，信大信小大小應異。若不異者則無小大共別圓殊，如其有異如何分別？今略說之。若言能傳所傳二事相似為如，能傳所傳無非曰是，此信三藏意也。若言解與真合為如，身灰智寂為是，此信通教意也。若言稱機為如，事逆理順為是，此信別教意也。若言魔界即佛界為如，一色一香無非中道為是，此信圓教意也。如是既爾，我聞等類之可解。故龍樹云：「其信者言是事如是，不信者言是事不如是。」若信初三，是信方便諸權如是；若信後一，是信圓融一實如是。此通別序諸師皆用，世所常聞，不俟多說，具如《法華疏》中。今此唯存約教一義，他皆準彼。今明通序五句，亦可序於五章：如是序請、我聞序施、一時序行、住處序義、同聞序用。如是序涅槃眾者，夫不異曰如、無非曰是。若不得如是，異則定異、非則定非。達斯意者，異則不異、非則不非。始從列眾蛣𧏙已還，詭類殊形果報紛雜，幢摩梵世蓋覆大千，巨細相傾精麁映奪。若以牛羊眼看，則無非舛互，豈得如是？得如是者，知法身大士作首楞嚴種種示現，悟異不異，是故稱如；知非不非，所以言是，當知如是為召請眾作序明矣。我聞序涅槃施者，我昔不聞而今得聞，見八斛粳糧周遍大眾，聞二施果報等無差別，新伊四德祕密佛性，種種法味不聞而聞，故知我聞序涅槃施。一時序涅槃行者，一時之行非次第行，一時之證非前後證。文云「復有一行是如來行，非次第行，於一念中即能具足現五趣身。」即一時證，當知一時序涅槃行。住處序涅槃義者，處是歸身止息之所，表佛性是宗極究竟之地。驅邪引惡向彼拘尸，非枯非榮中間寂滅，若他若自到極而止，當知住處序涅槃義。同聞序涅槃用者，山林河海之神、牛羊螽螫之類為同聞眾，即知等教三子併作三田，善惡俱收邪正悉度，故同聞眾是序涅槃用。

Second, the specific explanation: The chapter on convocation was set in place by the compiler of the sūtra. Formerly, it was called the common preface and the specific preface. Because the Path of the three times is identical, it is called the common preface; because the teachings and capacities differ, it is called the specific preface. Furthermore, in the present Buddha's single lifetime, the Hinayāna, Mahāyāna, Distinct, and Perfect teachings all place 'Thus' at the start, hence it is called common; each sūtra has different occasions and origins, hence it is called specific. Moreover, all sūtras place 'Thus' at their opening, which uniformly serves as words encouraging faith. In the common preface, there are five or six elements, depending on the combination or division of the teacher and the place. 'Thus' is the principle that was transmitted. 'I have heard' is the person who transmitted it. 'At one time' is the time when the transmitter transmitted what was transmitted, matching capacity to principle. 'The Buddha' is the master from whom it was received. 'Dwelling' is the place where it was heard. 'The assembly' are the companions who directly received it. Verifying one another in turn, they urge faith that it is not false, desiring that future generations may follow it without confusion. Furthermore, the beginnings of both Hinayāna and Mahāyāna sūtras urge faith; faith in the Mahāyāna and faith in the Hinayāna, Mahāyāna and Hinayāna must differ. If they were not different, there would be no distinction between Hinayāna, Mahāyāna, Shared, Distinct, and Perfect; if they are different, how are they distinguished? We will now explain it briefly: If one says that the two matters of what can transmit and what is transmitted are similar, calling this 'Thus', and that what can transmit and what is transmitted are nothing other than this, calling this 'is so' (śraddhā)—this is the meaning of faith according to the Tripiṭaka teaching. If one says that understanding coalescing with the real is 'Thus', and that body reduced to ashes and wisdom extinguished is 'is so'—this is the meaning of faith according to the Shared teaching. If one says that according with capacity is 'Thus', and that phenomenal adversity accords with principle is 'is so'—this is the meaning of faith according to the Distinct teaching. If one says that the realm of māras is itself the realm of buddhas is 'Thus', and that a single color or a single fragrance is nothing other than the middle way is 'is so'—this is the meaning of faith according to the Perfect teaching. 'Thus' being so, 'I have heard' and the rest can be understood analogously. Therefore Nāgārjuna says: 'One who has faith says, "This matter is thus"; one who lacks faith says, "This matter is not thus."' If one has faith in the first three, one has faith in the 'Thus' of the various provisional skillful means; if one has faith in the latter one, one has faith in the 'Thus' of the perfectly integrated single reality. These common and specific prefaces are used by all masters and are commonly heard in the world, so there is no need to speak of them extensively; they are fully set forth as in the Lotus Sūtra Commentary. Here we only preserve the single sense of classifying according to teachings; the rest all follow that model. Now, clarifying the five phrases of the common preface, they can also serve as prefaces to the five chapters: 'Thus' prefaces the convocation; 'I have heard' prefaces the giving; 'at one time' prefaces the practice; 'the dwelling place' prefaces the meaning; and 'hearing together' prefaces the function. As for 'Thus' prefacing the nirvāṇa assembly: Non-difference is called 'Thus' (ru); the absence of negation is called 'is so' (shi). If one does not attain 'Thus', difference is definitively different, and negation is definitively negated. For one who comprehends this meaning, difference is non-different, and negation is non-negated. From the listing of the assembly down to dung beetles, their strange species and varied forms have mixed and tangled karmic retributions; banner rubies illuminate the Brahmā realm, and canopies cover the trichiliocosm, the immense and the tiny tipping toward one another, the subtle and the gross mutually contrasting. If viewed with the eyes of oxen and sheep, there would be nothing but mutual contradiction—how could this be attained as 'Thus'? For one who attains 'Thus', knowing that the Great Beings of the Dharmakāya perform the śūraṅgama manifesting in various ways, realizes that difference is non-different, and therefore calls it 'Thus'; knowing that negation is non-negated, therefore says 'is so'. One should know that it is clear that 'Thus' serves as the preface to the convoked assembly. As for 'I have heard' prefacing the giving of nirvāṇa: What I formerly did not hear, I now get to hear—seeing the eight hu of non-glutinous rice grains suffuse the great assembly, hearing that the retributions of the two givings are equal and without distinction, and hearing the newly realized four virtues of the letter 'I', the secret buddhadhātu, and various flavors of the Dharma, previously unheard but now heard; therefore one knows that 'I have heard' prefaces the giving of nirvāṇa. As for 'at one time' prefacing the practice of nirvāṇa: Practice at one time is not sequential practice; realization at one time is not before-and-after realization. The text says: 'There is yet another practice which is the practice of the Tathāgata, not a sequential practice, which in a single thought-moment is able to fully manifest bodies across the five destinies.' This is realization at one time; one should know that 'at one time' prefaces the practice of nirvāṇa. As for 'the dwelling place' prefacing the meaning of nirvāṇa: A place is a refuge where one's body comes to rest, signifying that buddhadhātu is the supreme and ultimate ground. Driving out heterodoxy and leading the evil toward that Kuśinagara, neither withered nor flourishing, tranquil and extinguished in between; whether for others or oneself, reaching the ultimate and stopping there—one should know that 'the dwelling place' prefaces the meaning of nirvāṇa. As for 'hearing together' prefacing the function of nirvāṇa: Spirits of mountains, forests, rivers, and oceans, and kinds such as oxen, sheep, crickets, and scorpions form the assembly that heard together; one thus knows that the three sons are taught equally and together constitute three fields, where both good and evil are gathered in, and both heterodox and orthodox are delivered. Therefore the assembly that heard together prefaces the function of nirvāṇa.