佛頂尊勝陀羅尼經教跡義記 1.99

1.99

述曰：第二、淨除生死也，此則略舉前後苦。若具足說者，應云生老病死也。《涅槃經》云：「佛告波斯匿大王言：『有四大山，從四方來擁塞國王，當為何計？』波斯匿王曰：『不可逃避，唯知專心布施持戒。』佛言：『善哉大王！我說四山者，即眾生生、老、病、死當來逼人，云何不修戒施？』王曰：『布施持戒得何果報？』佛言：『當生人天多受快樂。』」《法華經》云：「四面者，生為東面，老為南面，病為西面，死為北面。」又《法華經》云：「不覺不知不驚不怖，火來逼身」者，解云：不覺者不覺生苦，不知者不知老苦，不驚者不知病苦。不怖者不知死苦也。火來逼身者，為無常之火也。何以得知？《遺教經》曰：「當念無常之火燒諸世間，如救頭然，早求解脫。」今更略釋生老病死。言生死者，大小乘各自不同，如《唯識論》：「以第八識賴耶受生。」若依《俱舍論》云：「第六意識受生。」今解者，由第六意識起愛，引彼賴耶種子方始現行故，所以受生。又《俱舍論》：「六道四生皆有中陰之身，由中陰身起愛，所以受生。其中身，七日一易，極遲七七日。」又云：「死言受胎，須具三緣，一者父母調適，二者父母起欲，三者乾闥婆城亦名中陰。」問曰：「云何喚中陰身作乾闥婆城？」答曰：「為食香故，故名乾闥婆城。此中陰身唯食於香不食餘物。若是有福德者，以妙香氣為食，若薄福德者，以臭氣為食。為尋香故，故名乾闥婆城。」問曰：「其大小如何？」答：「身量大小猶如六七歲小兒，若生天中陰者，頭向上足向下；若是地獄中陰，即頭向下足向上。」問曰：「幾許時受中陰身？」答曰：「極遲者七七日，七日一度易身。若其七七日者，即七度變身，若其七七日滿，不得受生，即變於雜畜生之中而受生。若是春時中陰，便於馬胎受身。何以故？馬春時行欲故。若夏時中陰，便於牛中受身，以牛夏時行欲故。秋時中陰，便於狗中受身，為狗秋時行欲故。若是冬時中陰，便於熊中受身。何以故？為熊於冬時行欲。若非四時中陰者，便於野牛野豿野馬中受身，及人等，為非時行欲故。」問曰：「生有幾種？」答曰：「有其四種，謂胎、卵、濕、化，凡此四生皆從第六意識起愛，然始受生。」問曰：「如化生生於地獄，見一苦具，云何起愛而受生也？」答曰：「由愛處所故，所以受生。為生顛倒妄見，一切猛火苦具有大光明，亦生愛樂，即便受生。」問曰：「濕生云何？」答曰：「愛香氣故，所以濕生。若有福德者，以妙香為香，或以清淨為香，為生愛故於中受身。若薄福德者，以臭氣為香，以不淨為香，即便生愛於中受身。」問曰：「卵生云何？」答曰：「卵生者，由眾生遊戲處所故，所以受卵生身。若有福德者，望見種種園林、種種堂殿遊戲自在，於中受生。若有薄福德者，望見種種逼迫怕怖之事，或見大風、或見大雨，即便入井屋間或草葉間，於中藏避，乃言安穩，即便起愛便即受生。」問曰：「云何胎生？」答曰：「由愛欲故所以胎生。若是男，於母起愛心；若是女人，於父生愛欲心，此中陰身皆有此二相。及想父母行欲不淨流出，心生歡喜，作自不淨想，仍託此不淨於中受身，此一剎那時便即受胎。譬如葉虫依葉，糞虫依糞，種子受胎亦復依附精血而受此身。」又《瑜伽論》云：「胎中有其五位，一七日羯羅藍，二七日頞部陀，三七日閉尸，四七日健南，五七日鉢羅奢佉，是為胎中五位。」初羯羅藍者，唐云凝蘇，為父母妄想精血凝流，由如酪上凝脂，狀如稠膠結聚。二七日頞部陀者，漢云胞結，為父母精血之上起諸胞結，狀糜粟形如粥皮。三七日閉尸者，漢云結取，為結精血狀如爛肉，若是男子在母左邊，上闊下狹，面向其母；若是女人在母右邊，上狹下闊，面向其父。四七日健南者，此云堅肉，為結或肉團。五七日鉢羅奢佉者，此云支分，為但有人形，未有眼耳鼻舌也。至六七日從母臍輪有風吹其肉團，乃至眼耳鼻舌上下手足一切身分，在生藏之下熟藏之上，母若受飢寒冷熱，孩子亦爾；日月滿足，心生厭離，頭趣產門，如兩山間逼切其身，種種不淨與身俱出，其體細濡如新瘡不可得觸，手若觸時如利刀刃，故言生苦也。若言死苦者，依《瑜伽論》云：「由大怖畏一時俱至，親愛永隔，身屋崩倒。」又云：「死王至時，如劫盡燒一切都盡，又如金剛霹靂諸山破碎都盡。」又云：「如大猛風拔倒身樹。」又《五王經》云：「言死苦者，謂四大分張，六情無主，神識離體，風刀解身，眼張口開，白汗流出，兩手橫空，一切怖至。風斷氣絕，火滅身冷，地散血流，膖脹爛壞，虫狼食盡，是名死苦。」今此陀羅尼，悉能除此等之苦。此即第二得除生死也。

The commentary states: Second is purifying and eliminating birth-and-death. This briefly mentions the earlier and later sufferings. If stated in full, it should be said: 'birth, old age, sickness, and death.' The Nirvāṇa Sūtra says: 'The Buddha told the Great King Prasenajit, "Suppose there are four great mountains coming from the four directions to hem in the king; what plan should you make?" King Prasenajit said, "One cannot escape them; I know only to focus my mind on giving and keeping the precepts." The Buddha said, "Excellent, Great King! What I call the four mountains are the birth, old age, sickness, and death of sentient beings, which will come to oppress people. Why not cultivate precepts and giving?" The king said, "What retribution does one obtain by giving and keeping the precepts?" The Buddha said, "You will be born among humans and devas to experience much pleasure."' The Lotus Sūtra says: 'As for the four sides, birth is the eastern side, old age is the southern side, sickness is the western side, and death is the northern side.' Furthermore, the Lotus Sūtra says: 'Neither perceiving, nor knowing, nor alarmed, nor terrified, the fire comes to oppress their bodies.' The explanation says: 'Neither perceiving' means not perceiving the suffering of birth; 'nor knowing' means not knowing the suffering of old age; 'nor alarmed' means not knowing the suffering of sickness; 'nor terrified' means not knowing the suffering of death. 'The fire comes to oppress their bodies' refers to the fire of impermanence. How is this known? The Bequeathed Teaching Sūtra states: 'You should contemplate the fire of impermanence burning the worlds, and as if putting out a fire on your head, quickly seek liberation.' Now let us further explain birth, old age, sickness, and death briefly. Regarding birth and death, the Great and Small Vehicles differ from each other. For example, the Vijñaptimātratāsiddhi says: 'Taking rebirth is by the eighth consciousness, the ālaya.' If based on the Abhidharmakośa, it says: 'Taking rebirth is by the sixth mental consciousness.' The present explanation is: because the sixth mental consciousness gives rise to craving, it induces the seeds of that ālaya to only then become manifest; therefore one takes birth. Furthermore, the Abhidharmakośa states: 'In the six destinies and four modes of birth, all have an intermediate existence (antarābhava) body. Because the intermediate existence body gives rise to craving, one takes rebirth. This intermediate body changes once every seven days, lasting at most seven times seven days (forty-nine days).' It also says: 'Regarding dying and entering the womb, three conditions must be complete: first, the parents are in harmony; second, the parents give rise to desire; third, the Gandharvan city, also called the intermediate existence.' Question: 'Why is the intermediate existence body called a Gandharvan city?' Answer: 'Because it feeds on fragrance, it is called a Gandharva. This intermediate existence body feeds only on fragrance and eats no other food. If it has merit, it takes sublime fragrance as food; if it has scanty merit, it takes foul odors as food. Because it seeks fragrance, it is called a Gandharvan city.' Question: 'What is its size?' Answer: 'The size of its body is like that of a small child of six or seven years old. If it is an intermediate existence to be born in heaven, its head is upward and its feet downward; if it is a hell intermediate existence, its head is downward and its feet upward.' Question: 'For how long does one undergo the intermediate existence body?' Answer: 'At the longest, seven times seven days, changing its body once every seven days. If it reaches seven times seven days, it transforms its body seven times. If its seven times seven days are completed and it fails to obtain rebirth, it transforms and takes rebirth among miscellaneous beasts. If it is an intermediate existence in springtime, it takes a body in a horse's womb. Why is that? Because horses engage in desire in spring. If it is an intermediate existence in summertime, it takes a body among cattle, because cattle engage in desire in summer. If it is an intermediate existence in autumn, it takes a body among dogs, because dogs engage in desire in autumn. If it is an intermediate existence in wintertime, it takes a body among bears. Why is that? Because bears engage in desire in winter. If it is an intermediate existence outside the four seasons, it takes a body among wild oxen, wild dogs, and wild horses, as well as humans and the like, because they engage in desire at unseasonable times.' Question: 'How many kinds of birth are there?' Answer: 'There are four kinds: namely, womb-born, egg-born, moisture-born, and spontaneously born. All these four modes of birth give rise to craving from the sixth mental consciousness, and only then do they take rebirth.' Question: 'As in spontaneous birth into hell where one sees instruments of torment, how does one give rise to craving and take rebirth?' Answer: 'Because of craving for a place, one therefore takes birth. Because one gives rise to inverted, erroneous views, all the blazing fire and instruments of torment appear to have great radiance; giving rise to craving and delight in them, one immediately takes birth.' Question: 'What about moisture-born?' Answer: 'Because of craving for fragrance, one is born from moisture. If one has merit, one takes sublime fragrance as fragrance, or purity as fragrance; giving rise to craving, one takes a body therein. If one has scanty merit, one takes foul odors as fragrance and impurity as fragrance, immediately giving rise to craving and taking a body therein.' Question: 'What about egg-born?' Answer: 'As for the egg-born, because of places where sentient beings sport, they therefore take an egg-born body. If one has merit, gazing upon various gardens, groves, and various halls and palaces, sporting with sovereignty, one takes birth therein. If one has scanty merit, gazing upon various oppressions and terrifying things, or seeing great wind or great rain, one immediately enters between wells and houses or among grass and leaves to hide therein, considering it safe; immediately giving rise to craving, one then takes birth.' Question: 'What about womb-born?' Answer: 'Because of love and desire, one is womb-born. If a male, he gives rise to a craving mind toward the mother; if a female, she gives rise to a mind of love and desire toward the father. These intermediate existence bodies all have these two marks. And imagining the parents engaging in desire and the impure fluids flowing forth, their mind gives rise to joy, conceiving the thought of their own impurity; still relying on this impurity, they take a body therein, and at this single kṣaṇa they immediately enter the womb. Just as a leaf-worm relies on a leaf and a dung-worm relies on dung, so too the seed taking a womb relies upon semen and blood to receive this body.' Furthermore, the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra states: 'In the womb there are five stages: the first seven days are kalala; the second seven days are arbuda; the third seven days are peśī; the fourth seven days are ghana; the fifth seven days are praśākhā; these are the five stages in the womb.' First, kalala, rendered in Chinese as "congealed ghee," is the coagulation and flow of the parents' conceptualized semen and blood, like the congealed fat atop curds, in the form of thick, aggregated glue. The second seven days, arbuda, rendered in Han as "vesicle knot," is the arising of various vesicle knots atop the parents' semen and blood, shaped like cooked grain or the skin atop congee. The third seven days, peśī, rendered in Han as "congealed mass," is the coagulated semen and blood shaped like soft flesh. If it is a boy, it is on the mother's left side, wide above and narrow below, facing its mother; if a girl, it is on the mother's right side, narrow above and wide below, facing her father. The fourth seven days, ghana, translated here as "solid flesh," is the knot or ball of flesh. The fifth seven days, praśākhā, translated here as "limbs and branches," is having only a human shape without yet having eyes, ears, nose, or tongue. Reaching the sixth seven days, from the mother's navel-wheel a wind blows this ball of flesh, developing up to the eyes, ears, nose, and tongue, upper and lower limbs, and all parts of the body. Below the stomach and above the large intestine, if the mother undergoes hunger, cold, chill, or heat, the child does likewise. When the months and days are complete, disgust arises in its mind; its head heads toward the birth canal, its body pressed and cut as if between two mountains, and various impurities emerge together with the body. Its body is delicate and tender like a fresh wound that cannot bear to be touched; if a hand touches it, it is like a sharp blade. Therefore it is called the suffering of birth. If one speaks of the suffering of death, based on the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra, it says: 'Due to great terror all arriving at once, eternal separation from beloved ones, and the body-house collapsing.' It also says: 'When the King of Death arrives, it is like the burning at the end of the kalpa completely consuming everything, and like a vajra thunderbolt shattering all mountains to utter ruin.' It also says: 'Like a great violent wind uprooting the body-tree.' Furthermore, the Sūtra of the Five Kings says: 'Speaking of the suffering of death: the four great elements disperse, the six sense faculties have no master, the consciousness departs from the body, the wind-knives dismember the body, the eyes stare and mouth opens, white sweat flows out, both hands clutch empty space, and all terrors arrive. The breath of wind is cut off, the fire is extinguished and the body grows cold, the earth disperses and blood flows, bloating, rotting, and putrefying, devoured entirely by worms and wolves—this is called the suffering of death.' Now, this dhāraṇī can entirely eliminate such sufferings as these. This is the second: obtaining the elimination of birth-and-death.