大般涅槃經疏 2.16

2.16

從「四天王」下，即是召遠。若從前開文，即第三召上界眾。凡有五章：初欲界天，先明四王，即是類也。各相謂言者，奉召。良由聞見聲光，即以天眼觀他獻供，而自營辦。來至佛所，即順召也。釋天但有所召、順召（云云）。乃至第六天，其間三天略不出之。上至有頂，此應是色頂。加列大梵王，如文。料揀三頂（云云）。前論佛力應徹三種頂，此中論供具只明色頂（云云）。次列修羅王。舍脂父，正報劣天、依報相亞。言光勝者，此是大菩薩光，故可言勝。次魔眾。魔名殺者。波旬名為惡中之惡，住六天頂，為欲界主。文為三：一類數、二開恩赦下、三辦供上獻。上獻為兩：一奉呪、二奉供。佛受呪不受供。問：魔既弊惡，寧得好呪？答：此呪是先佛之法，偶爾得之。譬如有人在國遇寶，還奉國王。他解：呪是鬼神名，聞名不得為害。如盜者伺財，財主知名，覺喚其名，盜則不行。次云：呪是鬼神王名，若喚主名：主勸其黨亦不為害。三云：呪如霹靂，鬼神畏威不敢為害。四云：呪是密語，如軍中號，相應即放、不應則治。鬼神亦爾，順況則護、不順頭破。五云：呪是佛勅無敢違者。有人彈云：呪是明呪大明呪無等等呪。若是鬼名等五，云何令人得悟道果？今解不爾。若一向解，不能契道，應作法門解之。諸煩惱是鬼名，無明是鬼王，善能破惡猶如霹靂，即事而真是為密語。第一義諦為佛所勅，依此法門必能得道。又是通別四悉檀意，前四別、後一通，此解無妨。次大自在天即魔醯首羅，居色界頂，主大千界，十地菩薩迹現其中。若法華中列世界主梵天王者，此意云何？若言娑婆世界主者，正是首羅。若言尸棄大梵等者，更舉二禪，等收三四禪梵王耳。又云：若言為世界主者，其實只領小千而已，經家美之故言世界主。私謂：此是大千之中得為大千之主，降此不得。文為二：一與同類是所召、二獻供是順召，如文。次「爾時東方」下，召他土眾。或云聲光不至彼，彼佛自遣命至此土。若依前文光遍照此三千世界，乃至十方亦復如是，豈非光召？又彼佛遣文三召意足，香飯奉佛，此光召也。往彼禮敬，此動召也。請決所疑，聲召意也。文為二：初明一方、次例三方。東方為三雙：初彼佛說此佛、此眾見彼眾；次此間大眾以不思議不見而見見彼無邊身，無邊身以不思議不來而來；三復以彼供奉此佛，此佛不受彼佛之供。如此三相，還是經初三種之瑞。彼佛說此，此眾見彼，即是聲瑞。此眾見彼，彼眾來此，即動地瑞。彼供獻此，此佛不受，即是光瑞。初雙中初彼佛說此佛，文為四：一明遠近、二彼佛說此、三發來、四現瑞，如文。次此眾見彼眾，亦為四：一驚怖、二安慰、三見彼眾、四唱苦哉。然大眾見佛應生歡喜，何以唱苦？聞彼佛說此佛應當入於涅槃，還是前聲瑞。覺地動戰慄，還是前地動瑞。見如鏡之光，還是前光瑞。聞見是已，彼佛為此作涅槃相，是故唱苦。問：此眾皆是佛同行人，何因驚怖？答：今論實者，意不在權。又十地位有上下品，上品所作下品不知。佛力所作，佛借神力昆蟲能知，不借神力則不能知。此無邊身承佛神力而現此瑞，首羅驚怖復何所疑？次第二雙。初從大眾見無邊身一一毛孔，明此菩薩示不思議不見而見。明一毛道即是見小，容七萬八千城莊嚴巨麗即是見大。然其身量同等虛空，空非大小安可說盡？而復不妨從彼而來。巨細相容，毛孔不闊、城亦不小。復聞歡娛受樂之聲，復聞唱言苦哉之聲，復聞純說大乘之聲，即是非苦非樂不相障閡。菩薩所以現此事者，表於今佛入般涅槃亦不可思議。次從爾時無邊身菩薩與無量菩薩，是彼菩薩以不可思議不來而來。次第三雙中，初供佛、次不受，如文。次例餘三方，悉如文。問：身既無邊，此土他土俱在毛端，那忽從彼以來於此？是即彼邊而來此邊，此間大眾見從彼來，即是此邊見於彼邊。舊云：少分無邊，故有來去。此不應爾。既言量同虛空，虛空豈有少分多分？既言少分則不同空。今明菩薩不思議色，即邊無邊、無邊即邊、非邊非無邊。邊即無邊，量同虛空。無邊即邊，自彼之此，此見彼來。雖邊無邊、非邊非無邊，而能邊無邊，故稱不可思議。若有定者，非不思議。例如丈六，梵不見頂，非見非不見、能見能不見。譬如帶鏡身邊，身在鏡裏，裏而非裏、非裏而裏。又如日不下池、水不上升而影現水。頑閡之色尚復難思，況不思議寧以情取？

From the passage on the "Four Heavenly Kings" onward is the summoning of those from afar. If dividing the text according to the preceding [outline], this is the third: summoning the assemblies of the upper realms. There are five sections in total: First, the heavens of the desire realm. First the Four Heavenly Kings are explained, which is the category. "Each said to one another" represents receiving the summons. Truly, because they heard and saw the sound and light, they immediately used their divine vision to observe others offering worship, and so prepared their own. Coming to the Buddha's place is complying with the summons. For Śakra-devendra, there is only that which is summoned and the compliance with the summons, and so forth. Up to the sixth heaven, the three intermediate heavens are omitted and not mentioned. "Reaching up to the Akaniṣṭha (Summit of Existence)"—this should be the summit of the form realm. The Great Brahmā King is additionally listed, as in the text. Assessing the three summits, and so forth. Earlier it was argued that the Buddha's power must penetrate the three kinds of summits; here, regarding the offerings, only the summit of the form realm is clarified, and so forth. Next, the asura kings are listed. The father of Śacī: his direct retribution is inferior to the gods, but his dependent retribution is nearly equal. When it says their light was superior, this was the light of great bodhisattvas, and thus it may be called superior. Next, Māra's hosts. "Māra" means "the killer." Pāpīyas is called "the evil of evil"; dwelling at the summit of the six heavens, he is the lord of the desire realm. The text has three parts: first, categories and numbers; second, extending mercy and granting amnesties below; third, preparing offerings and presenting them. The presentation has two aspects: first, offering spells (dhāraṇī); second, offering material goods. The Buddha accepted the spells but did not accept the goods. Question: Since Māra is wicked and evil, how could he possess good spells? Answer: This spell was a teaching of a previous Buddha, which he happened to acquire. It is like someone in a kingdom coming upon a treasure and presenting it back to the king. Another interpretation states: Spells are the names of ghosts and spirits; upon hearing their names, they cannot cause harm. Just as a thief watches for wealth, but if the owner knows his name and calls it out upon awakening, the theft will not occur. Secondly, it is said: Spells are the names of the ghost and spirit kings; if one calls the king's name, the king restrains his party, and they will not cause harm either. Thirdly, it is said: Spells are like thunderbolts; ghosts and spirits fear their majesty and dare not cause harm. Fourthly, it is said: Spells are secret passwords, like military signals; if one responds correctly, they are released, but if not, they are punished. Ghosts and spirits are also like this: if one accords with the situation, they protect; if not, their heads split. Fifthly, it is said: Spells are the Buddha's commands, which none dare violate. Someone objected: Spells are bright spells, great bright spells, and peerless spells. If they are merely the five things such as the names of ghosts, how could they cause people to awaken to the fruits of the Path? The current interpretation is not so. If interpreted in an exclusive, one-sided way, one cannot accord with the Path; it should be understood as a Dharma gateway. The afflictions are the names of ghosts; fundamental ignorance is the ghost king; being able to destroy evil is like a thunderbolt; phenomena themselves being true is the secret password; the paramārthasatya is what the Buddha commands. Relying on this Dharma gateway, one will certainly attain the Path. Moreover, this accords with the meaning of the general and specific four siddhāntas: the first four are specific and the last one is general. There is no problem with this explanation. Next, Maheśvara (the Great Sovereign God) resides at the summit of the form realm and governs the trichiliocosm; bodhisattvas of the tenth ground manifest traces therein. If the Lotus Sūtra lists the Brahmā King as the lord of the world, what is the meaning of this? If speaking of the lord of the Sahā world, it is precisely Maheśvara. If speaking of Śikhin the Great Brahmā and others, this is further raising the second dhyāna to comprehensively encompass the Brahmā kings of the third and fourth dhyānas. It is also said: if he is called the lord of the world, he actually rules only a small chiliocosm, and the compiler of the sūtra praises him by calling him the lord of the world. My personal opinion is: within the trichiliocosm he can be the lord of the trichiliocosm; below this, he cannot be. The text has two parts: first, together with his peers, he is that which is summoned; second, presenting offerings is complying with the summons, as in the text. Next, from "At that time, in the eastern direction" onward, is summoning the assemblies of other lands. Some say the sound and light did not reach there, but that Buddha sent them of his own accord to this land. Yet according to the previous text, the light illuminated this trichiliocosm, and so forth up to the ten directions as well—how could this not be a summons by light? Furthermore, the passage on that Buddha dispatching them adequately contains the three summons: offering fragrant food to the Buddha is the summons by light; going there to pay homage is the summons by movement; asking for the resolution of doubts is the intention of the summons by sound. The text has two parts: first, explaining one direction; next, applying the same to the other three directions. The eastern direction has three pairs: first, that Buddha speaks of this Buddha, and this assembly sees that assembly; second, the great assembly here, through the inconceivable, sees without seeing the Bodhisattva of Boundless Body, and the Bodhisattva of Boundless Body, through the inconceivable, comes without coming; third, using that food to offer to this Buddha, and this Buddha does not accept that Buddha's offering. These three marks are again the three kinds of auspicious omens from the beginning of the sūtra. That Buddha speaking of this Buddha and this assembly seeing that assembly is the sound omen. This assembly seeing that assembly and that assembly coming here is the earth-shaking omen. That offering presented here and this Buddha not accepting it is the light omen. In the first pair, that Buddha speaking of this Buddha has four parts: first, clarifying distance; second, that Buddha speaks of this; third, setting out; fourth, manifesting omens, as in the text. Next, this assembly seeing that assembly also has four parts: first, fright; second, comforting; third, seeing that assembly; fourth, crying out in anguish. Now, when the great assembly sees the Buddha, they should give rise to joy; why do they cry out in anguish? Hearing that Buddha say that this Buddha is about to enter nirvāṇa is again the previous sound omen. Feeling the earth shake and tremble is again the previous earth-shaking omen. Seeing the light like a mirror is again the previous light omen. Having heard and seen these things, because that Buddha made the manifestation of nirvāṇa on behalf of this one, they cry out in anguish. Question: This assembly consists entirely of those who practice alongside the Buddha; for what reason are they frightened? Answer: Now, when discussing the real, the focus is not on the provisional. Furthermore, the stages of the ten grounds have superior and inferior grades; what is done by the superior grade is not known by the inferior grade. As for what is accomplished by the Buddha's power, if the Buddha lends divine power, even insects can know it; if he does not lend divine power, they cannot know it. This Bodhisattva of Boundless Body relied on the Buddha's divine power to manifest this omen; what doubt is there that Maheśvara would be frightened? Next, the second pair. First, from the great assembly seeing each single pore of the Bodhisattva of Boundless Body, it explains this bodhisattva displaying the inconceivable seeing without seeing. Clarifying a single pore is seeing the small; accommodating seventy-eight thousand cities with magnificent adornments is seeing the large. Yet the measure of his body is equal to empty space; since empty space is neither large nor small, how could it be fully described? And yet it does not prevent him from coming from there. The immense and the minute accommodate each other: the pore does not widen, nor do the cities shrink. Furthermore, hearing the sounds of joy and pleasure, hearing the sound of crying out in anguish, and hearing the sound of purely expounding the Great Vehicle—this means that non-suffering and non-pleasure do not obstruct each other. The reason the bodhisattva manifested these events was to signify that the present Buddha's entering into parinirvāṇa is also inconceivable. Next, from "At that time, the Bodhisattva of Boundless Body, together with immeasurable bodhisattvas," this is that bodhisattva coming without coming through the inconceivable. Next, in the third pair: first, offering to the Buddha; next, not accepting, as in the text. Next, applying this to the other three directions, all as in the text. Question: Since his body is boundless, and both this land and other lands are upon the tip of a single hair, how could he suddenly come from there to here? This would mean coming from that boundary to this boundary; the great assembly here seeing him come from there means this boundary sees that boundary. An old explanation says: It is a partial boundlessness, and therefore there is coming and going. This should not be so. Since it is said that his measure is equal to empty space, how could empty space have a partial or a full portion? Since you speak of a partial portion, it is not identical to space. Now it is explained that the bodhisattva's inconceivable form is precisely the bounded as the boundless, the boundless as the bounded, and neither bounded nor boundless. The bounded being the boundless: its measure is equal to empty space. The boundless being the bounded: from there to here, this [assembly] sees that one come. Although it is bounded and boundless, neither bounded nor boundless, it can be both bounded and boundless; therefore it is called inconceivable. If it were fixed, it would not be inconceivable. For example, regarding the sixteen-foot body, Brahmā cannot see the top of his head; it is neither seen nor not seen, yet capable of being seen and capable of not being seen. It is like wearing a mirror beside one's body: the body is inside the mirror, yet inside is not inside, and what is not inside is inside. Furthermore, it is like the sun not descending into the pond and the water not ascending, yet the reflection appears in the water. Even stubborn, obstructive matter is already hard to conceive, how much more so the inconceivable—how could it be grasped by ordinary sentiment?