大般涅槃經疏 7.10

7.10

From "At that time the Buddha praised" onward is the third [section], the Buddha's answer. This also has two parts: first, praising the question; next, answering the question. Praising the question also has two parts: first, the praise; next, [Kāśyapa's] humility. The praise also has two parts: first, general praise; next, specific praise, which respond to the aforementioned specific and general requests [respectively]. If the thirty-four questions are specific requests made by going through phenomena, the conclusion is the general request. Since he first responds to the general request, at the outset he says: "Excellent, excellent!" The reason why this praise is needed is that in worldly interactions of asking and answering, one reciprocates with commendation; the Buddha does not go against worldly ways, and therefore first praises the person. Furthermore, seeing that he is young, people would not expect deep wisdom; seeing that the questions are profound and abstruse, only then do they realize he is not shallow. Moreover, if people see the Buddha praising him, all will give rise to an attitude of seeing him as extraordinary; therefore praise is needed. Furthermore, when the assemblies arriving from other directions see an insignificant bodhisattva able to ask about great matters, all give rise to reverence and submission; therefore praise is needed. In addition, each and every one of these questions accords with the principle; therefore praise is needed. All have their intended purpose (and so on). Next, as for the specific praise, this is specifically praising the questions regarding the three times. First, praising his question regarding the teachings of the past has three meanings: First, adducing the fruit to praise the cause. The statement "which you have not yet attained" does not mean he has not attained it at all, but rather that he has a partial realization on the causal stage, not the ultimate fruition of the fruit ground; hence it says "you have not yet attained it." Second, adducing the exceedingly profound secret treasury to praise what he asked. You asked about longevity: the Buddha takes sarvākārajñatā as life; this wisdom-life is realized on the fruit ground, and so he says, "I have already attained it." Having already attained it is not just beginning to do so; having attained it, it is complete and perfect, and only a Buddha together with a Buddha can fully fathom it; hence it says, "the exceedingly profound secret treasury, yet you are able to ask about it"; therefore he praises the Dharma he asked about. Third, praising his being empowered. In his request above he said, "relying on the Buddha's spiritual power"; now the Buddha empowers and praises him, and so says, "equal and without difference." "Sitting in the place of enlightenment" praises his question about the present. In his question above he asked: "How, in this sūtra, does one ultimately reach the other shore?" The Buddha then adduces three meanings to praise him: 1. Adducing the beginning to establish the end, praising his skillful questioning that covers the entirety of the present transformation from beginning to end; hence he says: "When I sat in the place of enlightenment and first realized true awakening." 2. Praising the one person to equalize the great assembly; hence it says: "There were bodhisattvas who also once asked me this exceedingly profound meaning." 3. Praising his present attainment of the great assembly's assistance. In his request above he said, "and by the power of the great assembly's roots of goodness"; now it explains that the merit, words, and meanings are without difference: this is praising the question on the present teaching. From "Those who ask such questions are able to benefit immeasurable sentient beings" on, this praises the question regarding the future. Above he asked: "How does one become vast and great, serving as a refuge for the assembly?" This statement about "benefiting" can be understood (and so on). Past interpretations: regarding "sitting in the place of enlightenment, [they] also once asked," some say this refers to questions in the *Avataṃsaka Sūtra*, but the translation was incomplete and its text did not come down. Some say it refers to an indeterminate teaching for regional areas, and the text likewise did not come down. Some say it refers to the secret teaching, not included in the explicit. None of these interpretations is correct. We now clarify that the place of enlightenment is the primordial, complete realization where he first sat, not an expedient place of enlightenment. Fascicle two states: "I have already, for immeasurable kalpas, long since attained buddhahood." It is also like the *Lotus Sūtra*'s "since I attained buddhahood, it has been exceedingly long and far." In the past, various bodhisattvas once asked about this meaning, no different from now; this directly corresponds to the question regarding the past, and is not merely the beginning of the single lifetime of transformation; one should not base it on the place of enlightenment of tranquil extinction or on regional and secret teachings. From "At that time Kāśyapa" onward is the second [part], his own humility. The Buddha had just praised him as being equal to the Tathāgata above and on par with the bodhisattvas below. His humility also has two points: first, humbling himself that his questioning falls short both horizontally and vertically; second, vowing to receive the Dharma reverently upon his head and increase it after hearing it. In the first text, being unable to fly across the great sea means falling short horizontally; being unable to pervade empty space means falling short vertically. In the second text, "reverently receiving upon the head" means guarding the lofty and deep; "increasing" means guarding the vast and great. How is this known? In the text it next explains: "May I attain deep and vast wisdom."