大般涅槃經疏 19.5

19.5

In terms of the text, there are two parts: first, explaining the arising of evil; next, explaining the extinguishing of evil. The initial text on the arising of evil has three parts: first, the cause of evil, namely, delighting in slaughter and fully possessing the four evils of speech, with an intense mind fully possessing the causes of the ten evils. Second, the conditions for evil, taking evil people exclusively as one's retinue. From "Craving the present life" onwards is the third, properly explaining the creation of the causes of evil. From "Having killed his father" onwards is the second [part], explaining the extinguishing of evil, which also has three parts: first, extinguishing the causes of evil; second, extinguishing the conditions for evil; third, properly extinguishing evil. The first, extinguishing the causes of evil, also has four parts: first, profoundly generating burning remorse; second, profoundly believing in cause and effect; third, his mother applying medicine; fourth, profoundly scorning and lamenting himself. From "At that time there was a minister" onwards is the second, extinguishing the conditions for evil, which again has two parts: first, explaining evil people as conditions; later, explaining good people as conditions. Question: For doing evil, evil people can serve as conditions; now, in discussing the extinguishing of evil, what use are evil people? Answer: When evil people urge evil and one does not follow their evil teachings, this also extinguishes the conditions for sin. If so, when good people urge good and someone does not follow their good exhortations but does evil, are good people also conditions for doing evil? Viewed in one way, they are indeed analogous, just as the great nirvāṇa is called both ambrosia and poison. Viewed in another way, they are not analogous: the Buddha's original mind never acts as a condition of affliction for sentient beings; your not accepting the exhortation is of itself an evil condition; rejecting an evil urging becomes good for you, which also depends on you. Know that all things depend on one's own mind. The conditions of evil people are divided into six sections according to the six ministers, each having four distinctions: first, the minister comes to court and addresses the king; second, the king replies; third, petitioning the king to explain the place where sins are extinguished; fourth, advocating taking refuge. Some older commentators said: King Ajātaśatru was real—this is impermissible; or some said he was an incarnation, or the function of the dharmadhātu. However, these are all the expedient stratagems of the sage: King Ajātaśatru initiated heinous acts as a skillful means to reveal the majestic power of the sūtra to extinguish all evils. As for Sanjaya, the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa has it as "ye" (Sañjaya), which is merely a difference in light and heavy pronunciation. This uses the character for deleting poetry and determining rituals as a phonetic loan. Di (胝) is pronounced with the fanqie ding-ni. Ajita is the personal name; kesa refers to worn-out garments; kambala refers to cloth of cotton. Jing (穽) has two pronunciations: first, jing (靜); second, jing (淨); the sound jing (淨) is mostly used. The character has two forms: first, with the radical fu (阜); second, beneath the radical xue (穴); beneath xue is mostly used.