大般涅槃經疏 10.4

10.4

四者數也，依者憑也。一切世間憑之得益，故言四依。憑有二種：一憑自法取益、二憑他取益。若唯憑法不兼憑人，不名為依。若憑人者，兼得於法。文云「四人出世，護持建立利益義彊。」故立四依，答上云何得廣大為眾作依止問。廣大，法也。得者，人也。直論廣大，亦可依止，未必有人；若得法者，人必有法。上問得法人，今答得法人，故知從人立四依名。又昔人雜真偽，依法簡人；今法混小大，依人簡法。今依正人取正法，故依於四人立四依品。又昔依法簡人，則其人無法，法亦不遍，如捨此就彼以求虛空。今明人即秉法，不捨此就彼，故從四人立四依品，是用四悉檀意以釋品也。問：如來是正人，何不作如來像？四果非正人，那作四果像？答：佛雖正人，其出佛後，故不得作如來之像。四果非正人，謂四果是真福田，化道易行，宜作此像。問：餘像難者，《楞嚴》何故種種示現？答：通論悉作，別存四果。自有如來為如來、如來為四依、四依為如來、四依為四依，四依為四果、四果為四果、四果不能為四依。雖有諸義今取一塗，即是四依為四果像。問：如來為四依，可得四依為一依不？答：上開一相為四相，合四相為一相，開則百解脫，合則但是如來涅槃。今從涅槃開出四依，合則還是佛為四依。問：何故初令依法，後令依人？答：佛初出世，邪人甚多，使依正法簡邪人。後無邪人，唯有小法，令依正人簡小法。亦是初人利故依法，今人鈍故依人。究竟而論，人法雙依。文云「依法者是法性，法性即如來。」舊明四依位行不同，地論人：三十心前是弟子位，三十心是師位。初地已上是第二依，皆師位。成論人：十住六心已前是弟子位，七住已上是初依師位。又云十二心已前是弟子位，十三心是初依師位。彼見《華嚴》十三心為主為導為尊為勝。又十七心已前弟子位，十八心已上是初依師位。又十九心已前是弟子位，二十心道種終心是初依師位。中論師：十信皆非師位，十住初心去至六住是初依師位，從七住至七地是第二依位，八地九地是第三依位，第十地是第四依位。差別為論，初有煩惱無涅槃、後有涅槃無煩惱。無差別論，初後俱有煩惱、俱有涅槃。然地人是別義；《中論》是圓義；《成論》三十心不斷別惑而於中立依，別圓俱不成。今約地前未斷別惑是初依，地上斷別惑作三依者是別義；約十信是初依，三十心十地斷別惑作三依者是圓義。就圓義更作通別，通者四十心共作四依；別者十信是初依，初住至六住是第二依，七住至九住是第三依，十住是第四依，餘皆例爾。他明初依有師弟位。今則不爾，四依通是師位，能為世間作依止故；通是弟子位，弘宣佛法故。別論，初依唯弟子，後依唯師，中間亦師亦弟子（云云）。

'Four' is a number; 'reliance' means to depend upon. All the world depends upon them to obtain benefit, hence they are called the 'four reliances'. Depending is of two kinds: 1. Depending on one's own Dharma to obtain benefit; 2. Depending on others to obtain benefit. If one only depends on the Dharma without also depending on the person, it is not called reliance. If one depends on the person, one also gains the Dharma. The text says: 'Four persons appear in the world; their safeguarding, upholding, establishing, and benefiting have powerful significance.' Therefore, the four reliances are established, answering the earlier question: 'How does one attain the vast to serve as a reliance for the multitude?' 'Vast' is the Dharma. 'One who attains' is the person. If one simply discusses the vast, it can also be relied upon, but does not necessarily entail a person; whereas if one has attained the Dharma, the person must possess the Dharma. The previous question asked about the person who attains the Dharma, and now the answer concerns the person who attains the Dharma; therefore, we know that the name 'four reliances' is established based on persons. Furthermore, in the past, persons were mixed in truth and falsity, so one relied on the Dharma to select persons; now, dharmas are conflated between Hinayāna and Mahāyāna, so one relies on persons to select dharmas. Now, one relies on correct persons to grasp the correct Dharma; therefore, based on four persons, the Chapter on the Four Reliances is established. Furthermore, in the past, when relying on the Dharma to select persons, the person lacked the Dharma and the Dharma was also not pervasive, like abandoning this and going to that in search of empty space. Now it is made clear that the person directly upholds the Dharma, not abandoning this and going to that; therefore, the Chapter on the Four Reliances is established based on the four persons. This is explaining the chapter using the meaning of the four siddhāntas. Question: The Tathāgata is the correct person; why not manifest the Tathāgata's image? The four fruits are not correct persons; why manifest the image of the four fruits? Answer: Although the Buddha is the correct person, these appear after the Buddha's [parinirvāṇa], so they cannot manifest the Tathāgata's image. The four fruits are not [the supreme] correct persons, but the four fruits are true fields of merit, their transformative path is easily practiced, and it is suitable to manifest this image. Question: If other images are difficult, why does the Śūraṅgama speak of manifesting various forms? Answer: Generally speaking, all are manifested; specifically, the four fruits are preserved. There is the Tathāgata acting as the Tathāgata, the Tathāgata acting as the four reliances, the four reliances acting as the Tathāgata, the four reliances acting as the four reliances, the four reliances acting as the four fruits, the four fruits acting as the four fruits, and the four fruits being unable to act as the four reliances. Although there are various meanings, we now adopt one perspective: that is, the four reliances manifest as the image of the four fruits. Question: If the Tathāgata acts as the four reliances, can the four reliances be taken as one single reliance? Answer: Above, the single characteristic was opened into four characteristics, and the four characteristics were combined into a single characteristic; opened, there are a hundred liberations; combined, there is only the Tathāgata's nirvāṇa. Now, from nirvāṇa, the four reliances are opened forth; combined, it is still the Buddha acting as the four reliances. Question: Why was it first instructed to rely on the Dharma, and later instructed to rely on persons? Answer: When the Buddha first appeared in the world, heterodox persons were very numerous, so he had people rely on the correct Dharma to select against heterodox persons. Later, there were no heterodox persons, only lesser dharmas, so he had people rely on correct persons to select against lesser dharmas. It is also because the earlier people were sharp, so they relied on the Dharma, while later people are dull, so they rely on persons. Ultimately speaking, one relies on both person and Dharma. The text says: 'That which relies on the Dharma is the dharmatā; the dharmatā is precisely the Tathāgata.' Formerly, the stages and practices of the four reliances were explained differently. Master of the Daśabhūmika: Before the thirty minds is the disciple stage; the thirty minds are the teacher stage. From the first bhūmi upwards is the second reliance, all being teacher stages. Masters of the Harivarman's Satyasiddhi: Before the sixth mind of the ten abodes is the disciple stage; from the seventh abode upwards is the teacher stage of the first reliance. They also say before the twelve minds is the disciple stage, and the thirteenth mind is the teacher stage of the first reliance. They saw that in the Avataṃsaka, the thirteenth mind is the master, guide, honored, and supreme. They also say before the seventeenth mind is the disciple stage, and from the eighteenth mind upwards is the teacher stage of the first reliance. They also say before the nineteenth mind is the disciple stage, and the twentieth mind, the final mind of the path-species, is the teacher stage of the first reliance. Mādhyamika masters: The ten faiths are none of them teacher stages; from the initial mind of the ten abodes up to the sixth abode is the teacher stage of the first reliance; from the seventh abode to the seventh bhūmi is the stage of the second reliance; the eighth and ninth bhūmis are the stage of the third reliance; the tenth bhūmi is the stage of the fourth reliance. Speaking in terms of differentiation: the first has afflictions and lacks nirvāṇa; the last has nirvāṇa and lacks afflictions. Speaking in terms of non-differentiation: the first and the last both have afflictions and both have nirvāṇa. However, the Daśabhūmika masters represent the distinct meaning; the Mādhyamika represents the perfect meaning; the Satyasiddhi establishes reliances within the thirty minds without severing distinct delusions, succeeding in neither distinct nor perfect. Now, taking the stages before the bhūmis where distinct delusions are not yet severed as the first reliance, and the severing of distinct delusions on the bhūmis to form three reliances, is the distinct meaning; taking the ten faiths as the first reliance, and the thirty minds and ten bhūmis where distinct delusions are severed to form three reliances, is the perfect meaning. Regarding the perfect meaning, we further make common and distinct divisions: the common is that the forty minds together constitute the four reliances; the distinct is that the ten faiths are the first reliance, the first to sixth abodes are the second reliance, the seventh to ninth abodes are the third reliance, the tenth abode is the fourth reliance, and the rest follow this pattern. Others explain that the first reliance has disciple and teacher stages. Now we say this is not so: the four reliances are universally teacher stages, because they can serve as a reliance for the world; they are universally disciple stages, because they propagate the Buddha's Dharma. Speaking distinctly, the first reliance is solely disciple, the final reliance is solely teacher, and the intermediate ones are both teacher and disciple, and so on.