大般涅槃經疏 4.11

4.11

Next, the universal acceptance, from "I now..." onward, is the acceptance of the assembly's offerings, followed by their requesting [the Buddha] to abide. The text has four parts: first, making the request due to a cause; second, conveying the request; third, checking the request; and fourth, repeating the request. First, to trace the arising of the four intentions: The assembly all presented offerings and requested him to abide; since the offerings were not granted, the request to abide was not yet expressed. Because of Cunda, the Buddha consented to accept the offerings of the assembly; because of Cunda, the assembly again requested the Buddha to abide; Cunda complied with the intent and accordingly conveyed the mind of the assembly; the Buddha accepted the offerings of the assembly and universally opened up the eternal. The eternal Dharma is not abiding, so one should not request him to abide; yet the eternal Dharma is profound and arcane, and the assembly was not yet able to comprehend it; the assembly's intention was earnest, and therefore they repeated their request. Master Xīnghuáng explained: The great assembly together heard the voice announcing that he would soon pass away. Hearing the reply to the objection, they said the Dharma body is an eternal body; again, at first hearing of his passing away, they thought it was like an extinguishing lamp, and hearing of eternity, they thought he was always remaining in the world. As for the Tathāgata, he originally has no going or abiding; how could he ever be as they see, abiding or going? Just going is abiding, and just abiding is going; without rising from quiescence, he manifests his body in other assemblies; the aspect of going is vivid, yet he always remains; the aspect of abiding does not go, yet he always goes. If so, of what benefit to the assembly are the Tathāgata's going and abiding? (and so forth). Now I clarify that the Buddha has no going or abiding; the suitability for conditions varies, and there are roughly four kinds: Some see him going and rejoice for themselves, saying: "Immeasurable sentient beings have fallen before or after the Buddha; I am now fortunate to see the Buddha from beginning to end," comforting themselves that they have attained [the encounter]—this is seeing going through worldly conditions. Some weep in sorrow and anguish, beating their heads and wailing, longing with their three karmas—this is seeing going through conditions for the sake of persons. Some see going and destroy immeasurable evils, [thinking], "The Tathāgata still departs; how could I be attached?"—this is seeing going through therapeutic conditions. Some see going and enter the secret treasury, arriving where the Buddha arrives, clearly seeing the nature, equal to the Dharma Prince—this is seeing going through supreme truth conditions. It may be that one person possesses all four, or only three, or only two, or it may be that four persons each have one; they are varied and not uniform, yet for the Tathāgata there is no going or abiding at all. Take Cunda for example: at times he is grieved, at times delighted; at times he says, "The Tathāgata does not enter parinirvāṇa, yet I cannot help but harbor sorrow and anguish"; at times he says of himself, "I am now equal to the Dharma Prince Mañjuśrī." If the assembly had no conditions, how could Cunda be thus? Hence we know that Cunda was not [acting for] himself; it was all for the sake of conditions. For the single phrase of going, the four conditions vary; the remaining three phrases—abiding, both going and abiding, and neither going nor abiding—are to be understood by analogy.