金光明經文句 3.9.3

3.9.3

Next, five and a half stanzas confess the two difficulties of good and evil. Regarding the retributive obstruction, the text also has two parts: first, two and a half stanzas present the marks of the retributive obstruction; next, two stanzas pray for its elimination. 'A hundred kalpas' refers to the time of receiving retribution. In that time, taking on a body—the body itself is the retribution. The retribution involves actions, and these actions are the obstruction. 'Poverty, distress, and suffering' represent the imperfection of circumstantial retribution, which is also a retributive obstruction. 'Grief, burning distress, alarm, and fear'—because poverty presses from without, alarm and fear cause inner burning, all of which are retributive obstructions. 'All the evils done' refers to the suffering of the aggregates of conception and volition. 'Poverty, distress, and suffering' refers to the suffering of the aggregate of form. 'Grief, burning distress, alarm, and fear, with a mind constantly timid and inferior' refers to the suffering of the aggregate of consciousness. 'Having no joy or pleasure for even a moment' refers to the suffering of the aggregate of sensation. All these convey the sense of retributive obstruction. Next, regarding the affliction obstruction, the text has two parts: first, two lines set forth its marks; next, one stanza begs for purity. Next, regarding the karmic obstruction, the text has three parts: first, two stanzas vertically discuss the creation of karma across the three periods of time; next, two stanzas horizontally explain the ten evil deeds currently arising; next, two stanzas seek confession of past karma. That which is currently being experienced is called the retributive obstruction; that which is not yet experienced remains tied to the practitioner and, if one cultivates the good path, can become an obstruction. Question: Past and present must be confessed, but the future does not yet exist; how can one speak of confessing it? Answer: The Sarvāstivādins call it 'future existence,' while the treatise masters call it 'that which will exist.' The Great Sūtra says: 'Because it obstructs the future, it is called killing. The present perishes from thought-moment to thought-moment; what could there be to kill? It is merely obstructing and cutting off the future that is called killing.' Sūtras and treatises all regard the future as existing, hence it must be confessed. Now I will further cite a present-day worldly example as an illustration: Suppose a householder by day plans a livelihood, giving rise to countless evil thoughts; although the affairs have not yet occurred, they will inevitably unfold in succession. If he suddenly arouses the aspiration, renounces the household life, and cultivates the path, the affairs he previously contemplated will altogether fail to meet their conditions. Future karma is likewise: although not present, when the time comes it is inevitable. If he confesses now, it becomes completely pure. Horizontally opening the present three modes of action into the ten evil deeds is easy to understand. 'Distancing' means cutting off evil. 'Cultivating' means giving rise to good. 'The ten abodes' refers to the causal stage of the initial mind. 'Attaining the ten powers' refers to the subsequent fruition being fulfilled. Next, explaining 'dedication': because sentient beings are obtuse, they cling with attachment to existence and cannot ascend and transcend. Now confessing these sins, dedication is therefore spoken of. Others take 'whether in this realm or in other worlds' as a passage on rejoicing in merit. My view is not so: all good performed in this land or in other directions is bestowed upon sentient beings to jointly advance toward the Buddha-fruit. Like a sound entering a horn, it can be heard far away; the power of expedient means is vast, equal to empty space. Furthermore, the concluding text states, 'This is dedication'; it cannot be taken as rejoicing in merit, as the explanation of rejoicing in merit comes below. Explaining the eight difficulties: this discusses the eight difficulties within good and evil, not the eight difficulties of before the Buddha or after the Buddha. The text has two parts: first, four stanzas point out evil as the difficulty; next, one and a half stanzas point out evil obstructing good as the difficulty, or point out good obstructing the path as the difficulty. The first four lines are the difficulty of retributive obstruction. 'All existences' means the twenty-five realms of existence. The body obtained as retribution creates all manner of evils; how could this not be a retributive obstruction? 'The perilous difficulties of birth and death' has two interpretations: if taken in terms of cause, it is karmic obstruction; if taken in terms of fruition, it is retributive obstruction. 'Various lustful desires' are the affliction obstruction. 'A mind fickle and agitated' is again a retributive obstruction. Fickleness and agitation are investigation and reflection (vitarka-vicāra), and investigation and reflection belong to retributive dharmas. As when an arhat has completely cut off afflictions, upon emerging from absorption there is still the scattered mind of investigation and reflection. One should know that fickleness and agitation are retributive obstructions, not afflictions. To cite further worldly people whose studies turn about and easily change paths without forming karmic obstructions—all are due to the fault of fickleness and agitation; how are they not obstructions? The difficulty of 'approaching bad friends': bad friends can defile a person's three modes of action; this belongs to karmic obstruction. It is like moving a stable next to a slaughterhouse, or like Mencius's mother living near mourners and merchants; 'vermilion makes red, and ink makes black' expresses this meaning. The three poisons are the affliction obstruction. Below 'encountering the difficulty of having no difficulties,' there are two meanings: First, if one does not cultivate good, obstructing difficulties do not arise; if one wishes to cultivate good, evil obstructions immediately arise. Good is not an obstruction, but evil comes to obstruct good; this is called 'good being a difficulty.' This meaning is easy to understand, and ordinary people all explain it this way. Second, all goods are difficulties; good can obstruct the path—how could it not be a difficulty? This meaning shall now be explained. 'The difficulty of encountering no difficulties': one considers oneself free of evil and is unwilling to cultivate good. Just as the two vehicles enter emptiness, give rise to the notion of extinction and the notion of peace, and no longer advance to seek bodhi—this is that meaning. 'The difficulty of cultivating merits': doing much conditioned activity, seeking pleasing results. Just like a bhikṣu who exclusively practiced blessed virtues but did not cultivate the prohibitive precepts, falling among white elephants, with the seven treasures adorning his body and a golden basin receiving his dung. Or like the past deeds of King Śubhavyūha and the like—how is this not the difficulty of cultivating merits? 'The difficulty of encountering good times': like at the beginning of a kalpa or in Uttarakuru, where one exclusively enjoys pleasures and cultivates the path not at all—how is this not the difficulty of encountering good times? 'Encountering the Buddha is also a difficulty': like the brahmin woman Ciñcā, Sunakkhatta, Devadatta, and the like—all encountered the Buddha yet suffered difficulty. By this analogy, one should say: hearing the Dharma and giving rise to slander, or encountering the Saṃgha and causing schism—these are all difficulties. If read as 'difficulty' in the sense of 'hard versus easy' (nán), this is the meaning of evil coming to obstruct good, making good hard to accomplish; if read as 'difficulty' in the sense of 'obstruction and adversity' (nàn), this is good itself being an adversity, capable of obstructing the path. Furthermore, relying on the sūtra text which says, 'Such difficulties I now confess altogether,' one should know that the sūtra takes the meaning of adversity as obstacle.