大般涅槃經疏 5.4

5.4

From "Mañjuśrī praised him, saying" onward is the third part: Mañjuśrī's praise. The text has four parts: first, accepting and confirming his explanation; second, praising the correspondence between his words and deeds; third, praising his profound accord with the Buddha's intention; fourth, accepting the exhortation and also exhorting, accepting and confirming the previous two exhortations while taking up both rebukes. The first is as in the text. Second, from "Good man, you now..." onward is the correspondence between words and deeds. Speaking of the "causes and conditions for long life": right view, right knowledge, right protection, and right explanation are the causes and conditions for permanent abiding. This accepts the intention of similarity understanding in the earlier application of the parable, hence it says "causes and conditions." "Being able to know that the Tathāgata is a permanently abiding dharma" accepts the understanding of partial realization in the earlier application of the parable. "Skillfully covering the Tathāgata" accepts the similarity understanding in the subsequent application of the parable. "Always receiving peace and joy" accepts the understanding of partial realization in the subsequent application of the parable. If it accepts the two understandings of the real and similarity, it simultaneously accepts the intent of the six positions. However, Mañjuśrī uttered only a single word of rebuke and exhortation, while Cunda made that much rebuke and exhortation; yet Mañjuśrī did not resist at all, but on the contrary praised him, truly because what Cunda said accorded with the teaching and with the capacities. A sage speaks only of his own dharma and does not speak of other dharmas; this proves that Cunda is in the position of partial realization, which is why Mañjuśrī in turn praised his words and deeds in terms of partial realization, disclosing the trace of Cunda's five precepts to reveal the origin of his partial realization. Personally, I say: one should know that the ten yieldings are spoken from the trace, and using the early lesser [vehicle] to challenge the later great [vehicle] was also for fear that the assembly at that time and future generations would exclusively cling to the early lesser to challenge the later great, impeding the later great from being used to refute the early lesser. As for the "assembly at that time," it refers to the newly arrived assembly. Why is this? The teachings of a whole lifetime have already rebuked, eliminated, and gathered the finest good; how could they cling to the Tathāgata definitely entering nirvāṇa like the early lesser vehicle? It was precisely for the dull-rooted with lesser habits in future times who cling to the lesser; therefore the Lotus Sūtra says, "Except after the Buddha's extinction." If not for this, why would the earlier excellent offerings of banners and standards from humans, devas, mixed crowds, bodhisattvas, and śrāvakas all be accepted in silence, whereas the modest, manual offering in the city was openly declared to be accepted, and through this the offerings of the assembly were gathered universally, and he was further able to challenge the Buddha and be praised by the Buddha? Moreover, he engaged in a side-discussion back and forth with Mañjuśrī; hence we know Cunda was no ordinary person. Third, from "Next, the Tathāgata..." onward praises his profound accord with the Buddha's intention, pointing to the chapter on "Lamentation" and others as the detailed exposition. Fourth, from "I and you..." onward accepts the exhortation: moreover, you exhort me to cover the conditioned, and I also exhort you to cover the unconditioned. Though one speaks of existence all day long, one cannot exhaust its function; though one speaks of non-existence all day long, one cannot exhaust its utmost limit; words cannot reach it, so cut it off and set it aside. Moreover, speaking of setting aside means pointing to the broad and setting aside the brief, which is setting aside in terms of the worldly mode. The correct essence of nirvāṇa is neither essence nor function, neither conditioned nor unconditioned; since it is not the correct essence, it can be set aside together, which is setting aside in terms of paramārthasatya. You exhort me to cover existence, and I exhort you to cover non-existence; mutually asserting right and wrong, neither knows what is correct, which is setting aside in terms of the antidotal mode. The conditioned and unconditioned are merely a side-discussion; here the offering of food is the principal theme. Setting aside the side-discussion to return to the principal theme, it says "let it be set aside for now," which is setting aside in terms of the individual mode.