金剛般若論會釋 2.5

2.5

In the second [section], "on eliminating little learning", there are two parts: first, correlating with the sūtra to eliminate obstacles; second, pointing out what can be contemplated and known. The sūtra text has two parts: first, a question; second, an answer. Vasubandhu's treatise states that here there is a doubt: "The Tathāgata Śākyamuni in the past, abiding in the eighth stage, met Dīpaṅkara Buddha, who gave him the prediction. That Buddha had something to speak, and this Buddha had something to receive; how can it be said that dharmas cannot be grasped or spoken?" Now, the meaning of this treatise is: to say that there is grasping and speaking is due to not having met good friends and being separated from the advent of buddhas in the world, so that one does not broadly hear and understand the Dharma. Because of little learning, one says that at that time this Buddha and that Buddha had grasping and speaking. Now, in order to remove this obstacle of little learning, the subsequent sūtra text appears. The preceding fascicle was for externally not meeting good friends, so the subsequent sūtra text appeared to cause one to meet good friends; this fascicle is for internally possessing the obstacle of the knowable, where because of lacking much learning there is the obstacle of little learning, so the subsequent sūtra text is spoken to cause one to study much learning. Therefore it is said in a sūtra: "Much learning can cut off delusion; much learning can bring about joy; much learning abandons what is meaningless; much learning attains nirvāṇa." Moreover, the treatise says that the perfuming of much learning is the seed of the supramundane mind; therefore this little learning is an obstacle of the knowable. The arising of doubt pertains to both obstacles. Taking up the doubt in that treatise as arising from what preceded, and this treatise relying on one's own little learning of not meeting good friends—each looks to one sense, and they also do not contradict each other. If one meets good friends, encounters the buddhas, and widely studies much learning, one will know that in the presence of Dīpaṅkara Buddha, Śākyamuni in ultimate truth had not the slightest dharma to attain, and does not give rise to discrimination. Saying that at that time there was grasping and speaking, and giving rise to this discrimination, is due to not having met buddhas and possessing the obstacle of little learning; in order to cause one to meet good friends, abandon the obstacle of discrimination, and study much learning, the sūtra text arises. In conventional truth there is attainment and speaking; in ultimate truth there is no such thing. The two treatises and the three texts each look to one explanation. The various versions are all the same; only Bodhiruci's version says, "In the past, when in the presence of Dīpaṅkara, was there any dharma of anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi attained or not?" having the sense of: "In ultimate truth, was there anything attained or not?" The origin story of this is as related in the first fascicle of the Sūtra on Past and Present Causes and Effects, where the ṛṣi Sumati had the five dreams, and so forth; the Vibhāṣā-śāstra has minor differences, which will be explained in the commentary.