[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [大般涅槃經疏](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1767) › 23.6 # 大般涅槃經疏 23.6 大般涅槃經疏 23.6 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [23.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1767.23.6) 「爾時世尊」下，佛答為二：初讚、次答。初又二：初讚問、次舉五句歎其功用。初六種二人，歎其能開發大眾、能令得解，非但能除見世者疑，亦使未來無有滯閡，實為希有，是故歎之。初兩人：一者本不造惡、二者作已能悔，即是前二健兒。第二知恩報恩。他與我恩，我復須報。第三，聽受新法、二者直溫故不忘。書云「溫故而知新，可以為師矣。」第四，造創新好、二者治葺故壞。第五，樂說樂聽。若無說者，聽何所聽？若無聽者，說為誰說？第六，能難能答，正意在此二人。前之五雙乃為弄引。「善問是汝身，善答即我是。若無汝精問，何得我善解？無我巧答，何得汝能問？」自有人身左能右能，口辯通敏能主能客；自有人專一無二。昔莊嚴門下有淨藏法師，唯能並難，答無所以。有善解釋不便論義者，即彭城正公（云云）。今推前六雙，成後五句。能問能答能聽能說，成後轉于法輪句。造新修故，成枯十二因緣大樹。取有是新、無明是故，不生生是新、世諦死時是故。以新破新名造新，以故破故名修故。作恩念恩成度海句，世恩為他、舟航念恩，自運舟航故成度海句。不作惡悔惡成摧魔幢句，魔以惡為幢，今能倒之，復自能建，故前後相成。歎生善，即初一句；歎滅惡，即後四句。既言因此善問即能轉於無上法輪，寧非生善？後四句復為二：初兩句歎能滅惡、次兩句歎摧惡。於初二句又二：上句即歎枯十二因緣大樹者，十二因緣枝條森聳喻之大樹，今枯此樹，使華葉不生。能度無邊生死大海者，即此生死海中勇浪可畏，今得度此永免驚懼，無復可畏。能與魔王共戰者，此明其始。摧波旬所立勝幢者，此明其終，舉終攝始。外國亦戰得勝樹幢麾，不勝者即倒此麾，今魔戰敗即摧其幢。 > From "At that time the World-Honoured One" onwards, the Buddha's reply has two parts: first praise, and next the answer. The first part also has two sections: first he praises the question, and next he adduces five phrases to praise its function. The first part speaks of six pairs of two persons, praising their capacity to open and develop the great assembly and enable them to attain understanding, not only dispelling the doubts of those who see this world, but also making future generations free of obstructions; this is truly rare, and therefore he praises them. The first two persons: one originally does not create evil, and the second is able to repent after having done so; these are the former two healthy men. The second pair know kindness and repay kindness: others show kindness to me, and I in turn must repay it. The third pair: one listens to and accepts new teachings, and the second directly reviews the old without forgetting. As the \[Confucian\] text says: "Reviewing the old and thereby knowing the new, one may be a teacher." The fourth pair: one creates anew what is good, and the second repairs what has decayed. The fifth pair: one delights in speaking, and the other delights in listening. If there were no speaker, what would the listener hear? If there were no listener, for whom would the speaker speak? The sixth pair: one is able to raise difficulties, and the other is able to answer; the primary intention lies in these two persons. The previous five pairs serve merely as a preliminary display. "The good questioner is your person; the good respondent is me. Were it not for your precise questions, how could I give good explanations? Were it not for my skillful answers, how could you be capable of questioning?" There are people whose persons are adept on both the left and the right, with fluent eloquence, able to act as both host and guest; there are also people who specialize in one role without doing both. Formerly under Master Zhuāngyán was Dharma Master Jìngzàng, who was only capable of posing continuous difficulties, but could offer no coherent answer. There was another who was skilled at explaining but not adept at debate, namely Master Zhèng of Péngchéng (and so on). Now, inferring from the former six pairs, they establish the latter five phrases. Being able to ask and answer, and being able to listen and speak, establish the subsequent phrase on turning the wheel of the Dharma. Creating the new and repairing the old establish withering the great tree of the twelve links of dependent origination. Grasping and existence are the new, while ignorance is the old; non-birth and birth are the new, while death in conventional truth is the old. Using the new to break the new is called "creating the new"; using the old to break the old is called "repairing the old." Conferring kindness and being mindful of kindness establish the phrase on crossing the sea: worldly kindness is for others, and being mindful of kindness is the boat; steering the boat by oneself thus establishes the phrase on crossing the sea. Not doing evil and repenting of evil establish the phrase on destroying the banner of Māra: Māra takes evil as his banner, and now one is able to topple it, and also able to erect one's own, so the former and latter accomplish each other. Praising the arising of good constitutes the first phrase; praising the destruction of evil constitutes the latter four phrases. Since it is said that relying on this good question one can turn the unexcelled wheel of the Dharma, how could this not be the arising of good? The latter four phrases are again divided into two: the first two phrases praise being able to extinguish evil, and the subsequent two phrases praise crushing evil. In the first two phrases there are again two: the upper phrase praises withering the great tree of the twelve links of dependent origination; the dense and towering branches and twigs of the twelve links of dependent origination are likened to a great tree, and now this tree is withered so that its flowers and leaves do not grow. Being able to cross the boundless great sea of birth and death: in this sea of birth and death, the surging waves are fearsome; now crossing this, one is forever free from terror and dread, with nothing more to fear. Being able to do battle with King Māra: this explains the beginning. Crushing the banner of victory erected by Pāpīyas: this explains the end, adducing the end to subsume the beginning. In foreign lands, when they win a battle they also erect a banner and standard, and those who do not win topple this standard; now that Māra has been defeated in battle, his banner is crushed. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 23.5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1767.23.5) - [Next: 23.7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1767.23.7) - [Up: 23](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1767.23) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1767~en-mt.23.6) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1767.23.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1767.23.6) · Pramāṇa