大般涅槃經疏 5.10

5.10

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.'