金剛般若論會釋 3.32

3.32

Next, within the [chapter on] "Sufficiency of the Mind", the third major section is named in the treatise "Provision of Dharmas of Great Benefit". The previous [section] explained the Buddha's realization of correct awakening; this [section] explains that relying upon realization, he gives rise to exposition, providing the correct teaching to greatly benefit sentient beings. Vasubandhu raises the second doubt within this subsection below: "If one attains anuttarāsamyaksaṃbodhi through the fulfillment of all wholesome dharmas, then the spoken Dharma cannot attain great bodhi. Why is that? Because the spoken Dharma is an indeterminate (avyākṛta) dharma." The sūtra text has two [parts]: first, based on the magnitude of the benefit of providing this sūtra, it shows that everything spoken by the Buddha throughout his life greatly benefits sentient beings; second, from "Do you suppose the Tathāgata has this thought?" onwards, it refutes the external doubtful attachments. In the first [part], it first presents the great merit of extensive giving; from "if a person, with this Prajñā..." onwards, it shows by comparison that it does not equal the great benefit of cultivating a single verse of the sūtra. The first text has three [parts]: 1. presenting the great merit of giving; 2. showing the slightness of cultivating the sūtra; 3. comparing the magnitude of the benefit of providing this sūtra. The treatise text has two [parts]: first, stating the name and classification; second, resolving the difficulties point by point. According to an examination of the new translation, there are ten tiers of comparison here. "Does not equal one hundredth part" means taking the merit of cultivating one verse of this sūtra as divided into one hundred parts, and the great merit of that extensive giving does not even equal one part among these hundred parts; hence it says "does not equal one hundredth part". "Does not equal one thousandth part": this is the second, further dividing the merit of cultivating one verse of the sūtra into one thousand parts (to be understood following the previous explanation). "Does not equal one hundred-thousand-millionth part": this combines the third and fourth. According to the new translation, the third says "one hundred thousandth part", which means it does not even equal one part in a hundred thousand. The fourth says "a hundred thousand koṭi parts": a koṭi corresponds here to ten million (crore); counting by hundred-thousands up to ten million, this is ten thousand million (a trillion) parts, which is also not just one; that merit of extensive giving, compared to this merit of cultivating one verse of the sūtra, does not even equal one part among ten thousand million. The Wei translation combines the third and fourth, and furthermore omits the character "hundred million" (yì), hence it says "does not equal one hundred-thousand-millionth part". "A kalā part": this is the fifth, which is simply a distinct numerical term of the Western regions. According to the new translation, this fifth is called "a hundred-thousand koṭi-nayuta part". One koṭi is ten million; ten thousand koṭis is one nayuta, corresponding to a hundred billion. Taking one hundred thousand as a single count, counting up to a hundred billion, this is one nayuta of hundred-thousands. Further, taking one nayuta of hundred-thousands as a single count, counting up to one koṭi, it is called "a hundred-thousand koṭi-nayuta"; "hundred-thousand" encompasses the fractions. It is unknown why the Wei text refers to "thousand encompasses" as a kalā part. For the remaining five numbers below, no explanation has yet been found; among the various editions there are also differences, which should be checked against one another. Vasubandhu's verse says: "Although called an indeterminate dharma, / yet it is spoken of as its cause; / therefore, a single Dharma jewel / surpasses immeasurable rare jewels." The first two lines resolve the doubt according to other traditions; the lower two lines eliminate obstructions according to his own tradition. For the Mahāyāna Buddhas, name, phrase, and phoneme—all three are exclusively wholesome. The Daśabhūmika-śāstra says: "First is sound, second is wholesome words." Furthermore, in that treatise, these ten tiers of comparison are condensed into four kinds of superiority: the first along with the eighth (gaṇanā part), ninth (saṅkhyā), and tenth (upamā) are collectively called "superiority in number", because number is boundless and therefore subsumes the remaining numbers; the fifth, "does not equal one kalā part", is called "superiority in power", which that treatise does not explain (showing that the efficacy of this sūtra cannot be equaled by the merit of giving); the sixth, "does not equal one saṅkhyā part", is called "superiority in non-similarity", because this merit is countless while that merit is countable—if this merit is countless, why say it does not equal one part?; the seventh, "does not equal one upaniṣad part", is called "superiority in cause", because the causes and effects of this merit surpass the causes and effects of that [giving]. Although such an explanation is given, the rationale has not been seen: these ten are all numerical terms, so why do some reveal superiority in power, some reveal superiority in non-similarity, and some reveal superiority in cause and effect? What this treatise does not explain means: the more divisions there are in a single part, the smaller that single part becomes; it means that the great merit of that extensive giving does not even equal the very least single part of this merit. Therefore, his verse says: "Superiority in number, power, and non-similarity; / non-similarity in cause is also thus; / no worldly dharmas whatsoever / can serve as a simile for it."