金光明經文句 2.11

2.11

From "This Ruciraketu" downward is the section correctly explaining the preface of doubtful thoughts. This again has two parts: first, the origin of the doubt; second, the actual arising of the doubt. The origin has both distant and proximate [aspects]: the distant derives from the announcement of entering nirvāṇa in three months; the proximate derives from the narration that whoever hears this can contemplate the supreme meaning. It is also said that it is due to original vows that he is stimulated to give rise to doubt. As for "by what cause and by what condition", generally speaking, all three kinds are called causes. Yet as this text is abridged, the conditioning [cause] and revealing [cause] assist each other, and together they are able to manifest the direct [cause]: the direct corresponds to the cause, while the conditioning and revealing correspond to the conditions. The direct cause is eternal, and its life span is immeasurable; the conditions can manifest the principle: the objective realm is eternal, and wisdom is also eternal. Neither this cause nor these conditions are the cause and condition for eighty [years of life]. Now being only eighty—by what cause and by what condition is this? Therefore, doubt arose. As for "only eighty": worldly life spans have three grades—the lowest grade is forty, the middle grade is eighty, and the highest grade is one hundred and twenty. The lowest grade is too youthful and premature, the highest grade is too old, and the middle grade is neither youthful nor old, symbolizing the eternal. Furthermore, in the twelve links of dependent origination, the eighth is named the link of craving; extinguishing at eighty symbolizes that craving has already been exhausted, entering into nirvāṇa with residue and without residue. The exhaustion of craving without bondage symbolizes the Self; nirvāṇa symbolizes Bliss. Moreover, the middle grade symbolizes the Middle Way; the Buddha takes joy in the Middle Way, and the Middle Way symbolizes Purity. It is for this meaning that it is only eighty years. Ruciraketu did not make this interpretation; therefore, he gave rise to doubt: by what cause and by what condition? From "He further thought" downward is the actual arising of doubt. As for "As spoken by the Buddha": here, grasping the teaching, he doubts the principle. The teaching explains the two types of goodness—refraining and practicing—which bring about a long life span. In the past, the Buddha practiced an immense number of causes, yet now the resultant life span is exceedingly short; principle and teaching contradict each other, so one cannot fail to be bewildered. If this principle does not exist, the teaching was set forth in vain; if it is necessarily so, where is the long life span? This is grasping the principle and being bewildered about the teaching. As for "having two causes and conditions": this is different from before. Previously, refraining and practicing were combined together as the conditioning and revealing [causes]; now, taking refraining and practicing, they themselves form cause and condition. Within the ten good actions, each single good possesses both refraining and practicing: non-killing is the good of refraining, and releasing life is the good of practicing; non-stealing is the good of refraining, and giving food is the good of practicing. Now the sūtra cites the good of refraining belonging to non-killing, and the good of practicing belonging to non-stealing; citing one side of each, they jointly clarify refraining and practicing. If discussed fully, each possesses both refraining and practicing; refraining and practicing must both be made clear. Now, taking each individually, each has its own cause and condition. Life is that which all sentient beings cherish in common; taking it away and harming it is obviously great suffering, while pardoning and releasing it is happiness. The compassionate mind is the cause, and not keeping instruments of killing is the condition: this is the cause and condition of the good of refraining. Food is circumstantial retribution: if one obtains it, life is preserved; if one loses it, life is destroyed. The mind of giving is the cause, and the implements of giving are the condition: this is the cause and condition of the good of practicing. The single item of non-killing being so, it is likewise so up to non-wrong view: in all, there are twenty goods of refraining and practicing, and forty causes and conditions; such causes and conditions all bring about a long life span. The Buddha's two goods of refraining and practicing piled higher than mountains and accumulated thicker than the earth; why today should he come to an end at eighty? This discusses the two goods of refraining and practicing according to the single approach of cause and effect, but to make only this interpretation is not yet adequate in meaning; now I shall explain further. For the causes of humans and devas, the five precepts and ten good actions are called their life. For practitioners of the three vehicles, wisdom is their life. Māra is called "the killer"; if one obstructs and robs them of these matters, this is severing the life of humans and devas; if one does not obstruct or rob, it is called the good of refraining; if one uses skillful means to encourage their cultivation, it is called the good of practicing. If one ruins the Tripiṭaka Dharma, it is called killing the life of people of the two vehicles; if one does not harm it, it is called the good of refraining; if one uses skillful means to encourage its cultivation, it is called the good of practicing. If one reviles phenomenal giving or even reviles worldly wisdom, it is called severing the life of bodhisattvas of the six perfections; if one does not obstruct it, it is called the good of refraining; if one uses skillful means to encourage its cultivation, it is called the good of practicing. If cultivating the emptiness of dharmas to sever greed, anger, and delusion is the life of the two vehicles, then obstructing and not letting them cultivate it is called severing the life of the two vehicles; if one does not obstruct it, it is called the good of refraining; if one uses skillful means to encourage its cultivation, it is called the good of practicing. Denying and slandering identity-with-emptiness severs the life of bodhisattvas of the common teaching; if one does not obstruct it, this is the good of refraining; if one uses skillful means to encourage its cultivation, this is the good of practicing. If one reviles gradual progression, it severs the life of bodhisattvas of the distinctive teaching; not creating obstacles is the good of refraining; using skillful means to encourage its cultivation is the good of practicing. If one slanders perfect interpenetration, it severs the life of bodhisattvas of the perfect teaching and also severs the Buddha's life; if one does not place difficulties, this is the good of refraining; using skillful means to encourage its cultivation is the good of practicing. The person of the perfect [teaching] not only does not destroy all dharmas but accords with the single mark; precisely by killing all dharmas, he accords with the single mark—just as King Senyo took the short lives of five hundred [Brahmins] and bestowed on them a long life of ten kalpas, and just as the Buddha severed all defilements and their residual propensities with nothing remaining. These are all cases where the words are contrary but the principle is compliant; they are not what practitioners of the small [vehicles] can practice. As discussed above, every single dharma possesses the two goods of refraining and practicing, and every single good possesses cause and condition. If one grasps this meaning, traversing through the Dharma gates is vast as the ocean. Thus the Mahā[parinirvāṇa]-sūtra says: "Practicing dāna-pāramitā brings about a long life span; when a bodhisattva practices dāna, he bestows immeasurable life span on sentient beings... up to: practicing prajñā brings about a long life span; when a bodhisattva practices prajñā, he bestows immeasurable life span on sentient beings." Such is this meaning. Yet our World-Honoured One's practice was completely fulfilled and his fruit was completely perfected; why today is he only eighty years old? Next, clarifying the giving of food: delicious broths of a hundred flavors and the like are the food of circumstantial retribution. Bodily flesh, bones, and marrow are the food of direct retribution. These are all merely giving of food in phenomenal terms. The sūtra speaks of Dharma-food. As for Dharma-food: there is the worldly taste of Dharma, the world-transcending taste of Dharma, and the supreme world-transcending taste of Dharma. A bodhisattva is able to act as a great donor for all sentient beings, causing those who have not yet generated the mind to turn from the heterodox and enter the orthodox, and causing those who have already entered the orthodox to increase their sprouts—just as yin and yang nourish plants, and just as parents rear children, accumulating abundant silk and cotton so that when they fall to the ground they feel no pain—conferring upon them the five precepts and ten good actions. To those who already uphold the five precepts, he explains that the fires of the triple realm are fierce and cause much burning and harm, praising the unattached liberation of the three vehicles. To those who have already attained realization, he reviles the small vehicle as ruined seeds and scorched grain, praising the path practiced by bodhisattvas. Preparing a feast fit for a great king for the people of a famished state, defilements serve as firewood and wisdom serves as fire; through these causes and conditions, the food of nirvāṇa is prepared, causing all disciples to find it completely sweet and delicious. All such Dharma gates are called Dharma-food. Every single dharma is endowed with the two goods of refraining and practicing, and every single good is endowed with cause and condition; these causes and conditions bring about the fruit of a long life span. Yet our World-Honoured One's practice was completely fulfilled and his fruit was completely perfected; why today is he only eighty years old? Contemplating the mind regarding non-killing: ignorance is the father, and craving is the mother; if one severs these, it constitutes patricide and matricide. Simply contemplating that ignorance is itself luminescence and craving is itself purity, fundamentally realizing that both subject and object are like empty space—this is the good of refraining. Contemplating all mental factors likewise—this is named the good of practicing. Being able to contemplate thus, one attains a vajra-like, permanently abiding life span. As for one's own bones, marrow, blood, and flesh: looking from this to that, this is one's own body; when examined with wisdom, it is not one's own body. Like the prince feeding the tigress and Śibi trading for the dove, both gave up the bodies left behind by their parents, not giving up their own true body. One's own body is the true mark of dharmatā. The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: "Upholding precepts is the skin, dhyāna-concentration is the blood, wisdom is the bones, and the subtle, wondrous good mind is the marrow." Explaining the precepts to others: precepts can prevent transgressions and cultivate merit; being signless is the highest. The śīla-pāramitā of neither upholding nor violating is the giving of one's own skin. Explaining the various dhyāna-concentrations, supernormal powers, and transformations, not arising from the concentration of cessation yet manifesting all comportments, is the giving of one's own blood. Explaining non-attached wondrous wisdom, which is neither wise nor foolish, extinguished and pure, speaking all day without speaking all day, whose preached dharmas all reach the stage of omniscient wisdom, is the giving of one's own bones. Dāna, kṣānti, and the like should be the flesh. Explaining the profound dharmatā, the realm traversed by all buddhas, which is neither one nor two, where the path of language is cut off and the workings of the mind are extinguished—the subtle and wondrous Middle Way—is the giving of one's own marrow. Using this to satisfy hungry sentient beings, how much more so with the remaining food and drink! The remaining food and drink are just the precept-skin, concentration-blood, and wisdom-bones of humans, devas, and the two vehicles, and the marrow of the absolute truth. In the Lotus Sūtra, "Among the other profound dharmas, demonstrating, teaching, benefiting, and rejoicing" expresses this meaning. In the past, the Tathāgata's teachings in accordance with others' minds were immeasurable and boundless, and his teachings in accordance with his own mind were also immeasurable and boundless, all of which are causes and conditions for a long life span; why today is he only eighty years old? From "When the Mahāsattva thus single-mindedly was mindful of the Buddha and contemplated this meaning": this single sentence concludes what preceded and opens what follows. As for "single-mindedly": penetrating through to the source of the mind and exhausting the ultimate limit of the mind, hence it is said "single-mindedly". Contemplation of the mind being thus, contemplating the Buddha is also like this; hence it is said "mindful of the Buddha". Being mindful of the Buddha's non-killing and giving of food as equal to dharmatā and empty space, such a life span ought not to be short. This is concluding what preceded. As for opening what follows: because of making this contemplation, the capacity was stirred and auspicious signs arose; hence it is said to open what follows.