大般涅槃經疏 5.10

5.10

就文為四：一大眾請、二如來答、三比丘疑執、四佛破除疑。就請又二：一請緣、二正請。緣者，緣於地動知必涅槃，是故悲請。問：誰動地為緣？答：法不在因亦不在緣，不在因緣不離因緣，既從因緣寧有作者？雖無作者，亦佛神通而動於地，令其悲戀安置有緣於解脫中。亦佛智力說法，歡喜安置有緣於般若中。亦佛體力非悲非喜，安置有緣於法身中。亦是純陀文殊智力，令眾開解入般若中。亦二人通力去時地動，令眾悲戀入解脫中。亦是二人第一義力，令眾非悲非喜入法身中。亦是大眾感對治力，聞法歡喜感為人力。動地非哀，感第一義；非悲非喜，致地動緣。其義無量。《淨名》云「或有恐畏或歡喜，或生厭離或斷疑，斯則神力不共法。」就地動又四，謂時、處、相、由。時者，佛以四事止華氏之悲，純陀腷臆小醒低頭飲淚，大眾聞法悲惱暫息。二人既去，法音已停，更欲增其悲戀之善，於其去後未久之頃，當是時也。震地動之，即是時也。處者，大地是橫處，梵世是竪處。或言初禪是梵世，或通四禪皆是梵世，雖不連地而有寶宮，亦皆震搖，即其事也。問：上釋聲光徹至非想以為有頂，今此地動焉止梵宮？答：上云有頂，有頂文寬，得作遠解；此云梵世，齊文而已。若依下文「動時能令眾生心動名大地動」，無色四心亦應被動，即其例也。相者有三：一小大動相、二六種動相、三十八動相。是三種相皆以形聲為本，形有動、涌、起，聲有震、覺、吼。若單形聲是為小動，形聲共動是名大動。形聲各三是為六種，一中更三謂動、遍動、等遍動，三六十八。若更分別，閻浮提、一四天下、小千中千大千、十方，傳傳相望，作小大動大大動等。有人云：此經六種，《華嚴》十八動。此豈應爾？特是形中略言一動，聲中略言一震。又云大動，又云能令眾生心動，當知義兼十八，不同人情。由者，例此亦應有小由、大由、大大由。若輪王生沒，地得主失主悲喜故動，是名小動。若辟支羅漢生沒，地得應供失應供悲喜故動，是名大動。若佛生滅，地神山神及諸天龍等得應供失應供悲喜而動，即大大動。今經正明如來八相，唯少升天、降魔，文略不存。就八相中，是如來入滅，地大震動，此則別語經由。若通論者，如前所解，純陀大眾皆是動緣。舊云料簡地動之詞是經家所序，或言佛說。觀師云：不然，當時聞語，豈是經家？文無標告，焉知是佛？應是地震而有此詞。

Analyzing the text, there are four parts: first, the assembly's request; second, the Tathāgata's reply; third, the bhikṣus' doubting attachments; fourth, the Buddha's smashing and elimination of their doubts. Regarding the request, there are again two parts: first, the condition of the request; second, the request proper. As for the condition: conditioned by the earth quaking, they know he must enter nirvāṇa, and therefore sorrowfully entreat him. Question: Who moved the earth to serve as the condition? Answer: Dharmas reside neither in primary causes nor in secondary conditions; they do not reside in causes and conditions, yet are not apart from causes and conditions. Since they arise from causes and conditions, how could there be an agent? Although there is no agent, it is also through the Buddha's supernatural powers that the earth is shaken, causing them to grieve with longing, placing those with affinity into liberation. It is also through the Buddha's power of wisdom preaching the Dharma, rejoicing and placing those with affinity into prajñā. It is also through the Buddha's power of essence, neither sorrowful nor joyful, placing those with affinity into the dharmakāya. It is also through Cunda and Mañjuśrī's power of wisdom, causing the assembly to gain understanding and enter into prajñā. It is also through the two persons' supernatural powers that when they depart, the earth shakes, causing the assembly to grieve with longing and enter into liberation. It is also through the two persons' power of the supreme truth, causing the assembly to be neither sorrowful nor joyful and enter into the dharmakāya. It is also the assembly's stimulus for the therapeutic power, hearing the Dharma with joy stimulating the power of human capacity. The quaking of the earth without sorrow stimulates the supreme truth; being neither sorrowful nor joyful brings about the condition of the earth quaking. Its meanings are immeasurable. The Vimalakīrtinirdeśa states: 'Sometimes there is fear, sometimes joy; sometimes aversion arises, or doubts are severed—these are the unshared attributes of supernatural power.'

Regarding the quaking of the earth, there are again four aspects: the time, place, appearance, and cause. As for the time: the Buddha used four matters to stop the grief of the Licchavis; Cunda's choked chest cleared slightly, and lowering his head, he swallowed his tears; the assembly heard the Dharma, and their sorrow and distress temporarily subsided. The two persons having departed and the sound of the Dharma having ceased, wishing further to augment their goodness of sorrow and longing, in the brief moment after their departure—it was at that very time. The shaking and quaking of the earth took place at precisely this time. As for the place: the great earth is the horizontal location; the Brahmā world is the vertical location. Some say the first dhyāna is the Brahmā world; others say that through to the fourth dhyāna, all are the Brahmā world. Although not connected to the earth, they have jeweled palaces, which also all shook and trembled; this is precisely the matter. Question: Earlier, the sound and light were explained as reaching up to naivasaṃjñānāsaṃjñāyatana as the Peak of Existence; why does this earth quaking stop at the Brahmā palace? Answer: Earlier it said the Peak of Existence; the text of 'Peak of Existence' is broad, allowing for a far-reaching interpretation; here it says the Brahmā world, which merely matches the text. If one relies on the subsequent text, 'when it quakes, it can cause the minds of sentient beings to quake, which is called the great earth quaking,' then the four minds of the formless realm should also be shaken; that is an analogous case. As for the appearances, there are three: first, the appearance of minor and major quakings; second, the six kinds of quaking appearances; third, the eighteen quaking appearances. These three kinds of appearances all take form and sound as their basis. Form has shaking, welling up, and rising; sound has crashing, booming, and roaring. If it is merely form or sound, it is a minor quaking; when form and sound shake together, it is called a major quaking. Form and sound each having three makes six kinds; within each one there are further three, namely shaking, universally shaking, and equally universally shaking: three times six is eighteen. If differentiated further: Jambudvīpa, one four-continent world, a minor chiliocosm, a medium chiliocosm, a trichiliocosm, and the ten directions, viewed successively in relation to each other, constitute minor quaking, major quaking, great-major quaking, and so forth. Someone said: 'This sūtra has six kinds, while the Avataṃsaka has eighteen quakings.' How could this be so? It is merely that within form, 'shaking' is mentioned concisely, and within sound, 'crashing' is mentioned concisely. Furthermore, it says 'major quaking,' and also says 'can cause the minds of sentient beings to quake'; one should know that its meaning encompasses the eighteen, which is different from ordinary sentiment. As for the cause: by analogy, there should also be minor causes, major causes, and great-major causes. When a wheel-turning king is born or dies, the earth gains a master or loses a master, and shakes out of sorrow or joy—this is called a minor cause. When a pratyekabuddha or arhat is born or dies, the earth gains one worthy of offerings or loses one worthy of offerings, and shakes out of sorrow or joy—this is called a major cause. When a Buddha is born or passes into extinction, the earth deities, mountain deities, and the heavenly beings and nāgas gain one worthy of offerings or lose one worthy of offerings, and shake out of sorrow and joy—this is a great-major cause. The present sūtra directly clarifies the Buddha's eight phases, lacking only ascending to heaven and subjugating Māra, which are omitted from the text. Among the eight phases, this is the Tathāgata's entering extinction, when the earth shakes greatly; this specifically speaks of the cause. If discussed generally, as explained previously, Cunda and the great assembly are all conditions for the quaking. Formerly it was said that the words delineating the quaking of the earth were a preface by the sūtra compiler, or some said they were spoken by the Buddha. Master Guān said: 'Not so. The words heard at that time—how could they be the sūtra compiler? The text has no label or announcement—how do we know it was the Buddha? It must be that the earth quaked and these words were produced.'