大般涅槃經疏 7.5

7.5

第二再勸，為二：初勸、次辭。勸問戒律初者，一云略耳，具說如上。又取下文意，佛欲寄付，故以戒律而為勸端。次辭者，既於戒律不能問者，即辭不堪。有法、譬、合。法說又三：正辭、釋、結。正辭，辭無智慧，不能問於三號，如文。次釋辭，釋於三號皆不思議，如來境界深微之法允同諸佛，故號如來。我不能問，則是辭上本性空寂。所有諸定不可思議，窮於甚深微妙禪定，能為一切而作福田，故名應供。我不能問，則辭上明了通達。所演教誨不可思議者，窮於一切言說邊底，示導眾生是道非道，號正遍知。我不能問，則辭上戒律。又釋辭不能問於三諦。諸佛境界，是不能問中；所有諸定，是不能問真；所演教誨，是不能問俗。三結辭中云無智慧者，無三智也。次譬辭，為四：一聲聞不堪寄、二如來不應寄、三聲聞彊受寄、四如來失所寄。初明不堪，言老人者，閻浮果報將盡之年，譬諸聲聞十二緣觀，支支十二，從過至現故百二十。過現滅故老死滅，無明滅乃至老死滅故將入涅槃。身嬰長病者，正使雖盡，習氣尚存。又無明別惑未侵一毫，故言長病。寢臥床席者，沈空滯寂失遊戲神通。不能起居者，不能入有如不能起，不紹三寶如不能居。氣力虛劣者，無常住命如無氣，無十力雄猛如無力，少真實故名虛，非勝修故名劣，餘命無幾將入灰斷。次「有一富人者」下，譬如來不應付囑。智斷圓滿故言富人。緣事欲行者，適化多務故言緣事，乘如起應故言欲行。以百金者，百句解脫。《漢書》稱一萬為一金，既有百金即是百萬。一句解脫既有一萬解脫以為眷屬，百句解脫即有百萬解脫而為眷屬。或經十年二十年者，有三解：一云十劫、二十劫。二云人中為十、天二十。三云正法為十、像法二十。是義不然。若爾，後時如何得歸會耶？今明通惑為十、別惑二十。逗緣除物通別兩惑，名付家事。受寄者除通別惑，即感我歸。還時歸我者，舊二解：一云只指釋迦，餘方應盡；此土感興，後還猶見我昔法寶。二云彌勒下生猶見釋迦真實之法，法身不異故言歸我。今解：通別惑盡即是還時、即是歸我，此義稍便。三「是老病人」下，聲聞妄受。無繼嗣者，舊二解：一云無善心實男、慈悲心女。二云無受化眷屬紹續其後。今言無常住信心之子。病篤命終者，灰身入滅。四「財主行還」下，如來失所寄，法寶喪失。癡人者，二解：一云受寄者即是癡人，不能籌量妄受人寄。二云能寄者名癡人，假設此言，若遂寄聲聞則是癡人，若不寄者則非癡人。次「世尊」下，合譬。但合妄受喪失，不合前二。合後二中先合第三，次「我今」下合第四。

The second [section], in which [the Buddha] encourages them a second time, has two parts: first the encouragement, then the declining. As for the first part, encouraging them to ask about the precepts and rules: one view says that it is merely an abbreviation, the full explanation being as given above. Furthermore, taking the sense of the passage below, because the Buddha wished to entrust [the Dharma], he took the precepts and rules as the starting point for encouragement. Next, as for the declining: since they were incapable of asking about the precepts and rules, they declined as being incompetent. This contains the doctrine, the simile, and the application. The doctrinal explanation also has three parts: the direct declining, the explanation, and the conclusion. The direct declining declines on the grounds of lacking wisdom and being incapable of asking about the three titles, as in the text. Next, explaining the declining: it explains that the three titles are all inconceivable. Because the profound and subtle Dharma of the Tathāgata's realm is truly identical with all buddhas, he is titled 'Tathāgata'. My inability to ask is declining [on the ground of] the original nature of emptiness and quiescence above. Because all the samādhis are inconceivable, fully plumb the extremely profound and wondrous dhyāna-contemplations, and are able to serve as fields of merit for all beings, he is named 'One Worthy of Offerings' (Arhat). My inability to ask is declining [on the ground of] clear and penetrating comprehension above. That the teachings and admonitions expounded are inconceivable means that they plumb the very limits of all discourses, showing and guiding sentient beings as to what is the path and what is not the path, hence he is titled 'Fully and Truly Enlightened One' (Samyaksaṃbuddha). My inability to ask is declining [on the ground of] the precepts and rules above. Furthermore, the explanation of the declining is an inability to ask about the three truths: the realm of all buddhas is the inability to ask about the middle; all the samādhis are the inability to ask about the real; the teachings and admonitions expounded are the inability to ask about the conventional. In the third, concluding the declining, 'lacking wisdom' means lacking the three knowledges. Next, the declining through simile has four parts: 1. the śrāvakas are unfit to receive the entrustment; 2. the Tathāgata ought not to entrust them; 3. the śrāvakas forcibly accept the entrustment; 4. the Tathāgata loses that which was entrusted. First, explaining unfitness: 'an old person' refers to the years when the karmic retributions of Jambudvīpa are about to end, analogizing the śrāvakas' contemplation of the twelve links of dependent origination—each link having twelve aspects, spanning past to present, hence one hundred and twenty. Because the past and present are extinguished, old age and death are extinguished; from the extinction of ignorance up to the extinction of old age and death, they are about to enter nirvāṇa. 'Their body beset by chronic illness': although the primary afflictions are exhausted, the lingering traces (vāsanā) still remain. Furthermore, the particular delusions of ignorance have not been touched in the slightest; hence it is called 'chronic illness'. 'Lying prostrate on a bed or mat': sinking into emptiness and stagnating in quiescence, they lose playful mastery of supernatural powers. 'Incapable of rising or resting': unable to enter existence is like being unable to rise; failing to continue the lineage of the Three Jewels is like being unable to rest. 'Their vital energy and strength being frail and feeble': lacking the permanent life-force is like lacking vital energy; lacking the fierce vigor of the ten powers is like lacking strength. Because they possess little of the real, it is called 'frail'; because it is not the supreme cultivation, it is called 'feeble'; with little of their remaining lifespan left, they are about to enter the extinction of the body into ashes. Next, from 'There was a rich man' onwards analogizes that the Tathāgata ought not to entrust [it to them]. 'Rich man' refers to the perfection of wisdom and eradication [of delusions]. 'Bound by business and wishing to travel': because adaptive transformation involves many affairs, it says 'bound by business'; mounting suchness to manifest responsive bodies, it says 'wishing to travel'. 'With a hundred pieces of gold': the hundred lines of liberation. The Book of Han states that ten thousand is considered one piece of gold; having a hundred pieces of gold means one million. Since one line of liberation has ten thousand liberations as its retinue, a hundred lines of liberation have one million liberations as their retinue. 'Perhaps after ten or twenty years': there are three interpretations: 1. It refers to ten kalpas or twenty kalpas. 2. It refers to ten [years] among humans and twenty among gods. 3. It refers to ten for the true Dharma and twenty for the semblance Dharma. This meaning is not correct. If it were so, how could there later be a return and reunion? Now it is explained that common delusions are ten, and particular delusions are twenty. Adapting to conditions to eliminate sentient beings' two delusions, common and particular, is called entrusting household affairs. When the recipient of the entrustment eliminates the common and particular delusions, this prompts my return. 'Upon returning, return it to me': there were formerly two interpretations: 1. It only refers to Śākyamuni; when his responsive manifestation in other lands is exhausted, and the conditions arise in this land, upon returning afterwards one still sees my former Dharma jewel. 2. When Maitreya descends to be born, he still sees the true Dharma of Śākyamuni; because the dharmakāya is not different, it says 'return it to me'. Now it is explained: the exhaustion of common and particular delusions is precisely the time of return, and precisely returning it to me; this meaning is more fitting. Third, from 'This old and sick person' onwards, the śrāvakas mistakenly receive it. 'Having no heir': there were formerly two interpretations: 1. They have no good-hearted real son or compassionate daughter. 2. They have no transformed retinue to continue after them. Now it is said that they have no sons of firm faith in the permanent [Dharma]. 'The disease grows severe and life ends': turning the body to ashes and entering extinction. Fourth, from 'When the property owner returned from the journey' onwards: the Tathāgata loses that which was entrusted, and the Dharma jewel is lost. 'Foolish person': two interpretations: 1. The recipient of the entrustment is the foolish person, unable to measure their capacity and mistakenly receiving another's entrustment. 2. The entrustor is named the foolish person; this is a hypothetical statement: if one were to entrust it to a śrāvaka, one would be a foolish person; if one does not entrust it, one is not a foolish person. Next, from 'World-Honoured One' onwards is the application of the simile. It only applies the mistaken receipt and the loss, not the first two. In applying the latter two, it first applies the third, and next from 'I now' onwards applies the fourth.