佛說盂蘭盆經疏 2.15

2.15

度謂度脫。然報恩兩字，但是通標虛位，度脫正是其報。乳謂母乳，哺是嚼哺。然父母有遠近、恩有輕重、報有分全。遠者七世乃至多世，近者即生此身。七世者，外教所宗。人以形質為本，傳體相續，以父祖已上為七世，故偏尊於父。佛教所宗，人以靈識為本，四大形質為靈識所依，世世生生皆有父母，生養此身已去乃至七生所生父母為七世也。然寄託之處惟在母胎，生來乳哺懷抱亦多是母，故偏重母，是以經中但云報乳哺之恩也。乃至多世者，於中偏取歸依佛已來所有生身父母，能生我身修道器故。諸佛成道之時，多生父母皆相會遇，聞法獲益。恩有輕重者，此生父母最重，餘漸輕也。報有分全者，侍養一生為分，度脫多生為全。故經云「左肩擔父、右肩擔母，遍行大地，亦不能報恩。」故知此生所報為分，設同孟宗、董黯、董永之類，亦為分也。今經云「欲度父母者，意令得道。」明其全也。若總不報，便是不孝罪人，況加逆事。且泛論一切人恩，《華嚴經》云「不知恩者，多遭橫死。」《觀佛相海經》云「有恩不報，是阿鼻因。」諸恩尚然，況於父母。父母之恩無可校量，故《詩》云「蓼蓼者莪，匪莪伊蒿。哀哀父母，生我劬勞。乃至無父可怙，無母可恃，出則銜恤，入則靡至。父兮生我，母兮鞠我，撫我畜我，長我育我。顧我復我，出入腹我。欲報之德，昊天罔極。」故三藏云：「父母義高天地、恩深巨海，是以係仰顧腹之恩、思答劬勞之德。」《父母恩重經》云「父母懷抱，含笑未語和和弄聲，飢時須食非母不哺，渴時須飲非母不乳（云云）。計論母恩昊天罔極。嗚呼慈母云何可報（云云）。至於行來東西隣里井竈碓磨，不時還家。母忽心驚，兩乳流出，即知我兒家中憶我。即便還家。」

'To deliver' means deliverance and liberation. However, the two words 'repay kindness' merely indicate an empty role in a general way; deliverance and liberation are precisely the actual repayment. 'Nursing' refers to mother's milk; 'feeding' is chewing food and feeding it. Now, parents may be distant or near, kindness may be light or heavy, and repayment may be partial or complete. 'Distant' refers to seven lifetimes and even many lifetimes; 'near' refers to this very body in the present life. As for 'seven lifetimes', this is upheld by non-Buddhist teachings. They take the physical form as the root, transmitting the bodily substance in continuity; taking the father, grandfather, and so forth upward as the seven generations, they therefore give special reverence to the father. What Buddhist teaching upholds is that human beings take the spiritual consciousness as the root, and the physical form of the four great elements is that upon which the spiritual consciousness relies. In lifetime after lifetime and birth after birth, there are always parents; taking the parents who gave birth to and raised this body backward up to the parents who gave birth to one in seven lifetimes constitutes the 'seven lifetimes'. However, the place of entrustment is solely within the mother's womb, and from birth onward, nursing, feeding, and cradling in the bosom are also mostly done by the mother; hence, special weight is given to the mother. For this reason, the sūtra only speaks of 'repaying the kindness of nursing and feeding'. As for 'even many lifetimes', among them it specifically takes all the physical parents who gave birth to one since taking refuge in the Buddha, because they were able to give birth to my body as a vessel for cultivating the path. When all Buddhas attain the path, their parents over many lifetimes all meet together, hear the Dharma, and obtain benefit. As for 'kindness may be light or heavy': the parents of this life are the weightiest, and the rest are progressively lighter. As for 'repayment may be partial or complete': serving and nurturing them for one lifetime is partial; delivering and liberating them across many lifetimes is complete. Therefore, a sūtra says: 'Even if one carried one's father on the left shoulder and one's mother on the right shoulder and walked all over the great earth, one still could not repay their kindness.' Thus we know that what is repaid in this life is partial; even if one were like the likes of Meng Zong, Dong An, or Dong Yong, it would still be partial. Now this sūtra says: 'He wished to deliver his parents'—the intention is to cause them to attain the path, making clear that it is complete. If one does not repay it at all, one is simply an unfilial sinner, not to mention committing rebellious acts. Furthermore, speaking broadly of kindness from all people, the Avataṃsaka Sūtra says: 'Those who do not recognize kindness often suffer untimely deaths.' The Sūtra on the Ocean of the Samādhi of the Visualization of the Buddha says: 'Having received kindness and not repaying it is a cause for Avīci.' If other kinds of kindness are still like this, how much more so with parents? The kindness of parents is beyond measure. Therefore, the Book of Odes says: 'Long and large grows the artemisia, / Yet it is not artemisia, but southernwood. / Alas, alas, my parents! / With what toil they gave me birth!' And further: 'Fatherless, whom can I rely on? / Motherless, whom can I depend on? / When I go out, I carry sorrow; / When I come in, there is nowhere to go. / Father, you gave me birth; / Mother, you nurtured me, / Caressed me and fed me, / Reared me and educated me, / Looked after me and sheltered me, / Going out and coming in, holding me in your bosom. / Wishing to repay this virtue, / It is like vast Heaven, boundless!' Therefore, the Tripiṭaka Master says: 'The righteousness of parents is as high as heaven and earth, their kindness as deep as the great ocean; for this reason, one binds one's thoughts to and looks up to the kindness of their looking after and holding one to their bosom, and thinks of responding to the virtue of their toilsome labor.' The Sūtra on the Heavy Kindness of Parents says: 'In the bosom of the parents, smiling without yet speaking, making harmonious babbling sounds; when hungry, needing food, without mother one is not fed; when thirsty, needing drink, without mother one is not suckled (and so forth). Considering and assessing the mother's kindness, it is like vast Heaven, boundless. Alas, kind mother, how can it ever be repaid? (and so forth). As for her walking back and forth to east and west, among neighbors, by the well, stove, mortar, and mill, not returning home on time: the mother's heart suddenly trembles and milk flows from both her breasts, and she immediately knows: "My child at home is longing for me." She then returns home at once.'