俱舍論記 4.131

4.131

「經說諂誑至令還問佛」者，引經證成。經說：諂誑始從欲界至初定梵天，由有王臣、尊卑差別，更相接事眾相依故，故有諂、誑。二定已上乃至有頂，無王臣等尊卑差別，無有諂、誑。所以得知初定有諂、誑者？如佛昔在室羅筏城住誓多林，時有苾芻名曰馬勝，是阿羅漢。作是思惟：「諸四大種，當於何位盡滅無餘？」為欲知故，入勝等持，即以定心於誓多林沒，於四大王眾天出。從定而起，問彼天眾：「諸四大種，當於何位盡滅無餘？」答曰：「不知。」如是欲界六天展轉相推，乃至他化自在天所，彼復仰推梵眾。欲往梵世，入勝等持，復以定心自在宮沒，梵眾天出。從定而起，還作上問。梵眾咸曰：「我等不知。」復推大梵。馬勝苾芻尋問彼大梵王，時大梵王處自梵眾，忽被馬勝苾芻問言：「此欲、色界諸四大種，當於何位盡滅，無餘煩惱繫縛？」梵王不知隨其所應。依四根本靜慮、未至、中間、空處近分，斷第四靜慮煩惱盡時，諸四大種究竟離縛，無餘滅位。便矯自歎，顯彼有誑。諂言愧謝，顯彼有諂。略述如是。廣如《婆沙》一百二十九說。問：是大梵等有何差別？解云：梵眾中尊，名為大梵。統攝一切皆得自在，能作器世間名作者，能化有情世間名化者。言生者，釋前作者，重顯作義，謂能生器世間者，故名作者。養者已下，釋前化者，重顯化義，謂能養育有情世間者，是一切有情父，故名化者（此是《婆沙》、《正理》意釋）。問：馬勝至彼更化身不？至彼一念復容得有幾通果俱？解云：馬勝運身至彼初定，作彼地化，大梵故得執手相牽；若不別化，欲界色麁，執便不得。應知運身及化神境通果，先留化身，後起天眼見彼地色，或起天耳聞彼地聲，二通互起。總而言之，於一念中容二俱起。故《婆沙》一百五十云「問：一念得起幾通果耶？答：諸有欲令無留化事天眼、天耳無彼同分者，彼說一念唯起一通果，謂五通隨一。諸有欲令有留化事天眼、天耳無彼同分者，彼說一念得起二通果，謂神境通果及餘四隨一。諸有欲令有留化事天眼、天耳有彼同分，彼說一念得起四通果，謂神境通果、天眼、天耳及餘二隨一，謂他心通、宿住隨念通，境界各別不俱起故。如是說者，應知第二所說為善，以化事可留天眼、天耳必無彼同分，要於同時乃現前故。

"The sūtra says that deceit and flattery [...] made him return to ask the Buddha": this cites a sūtra to establish proof. The sūtra says: deceit and flattery exist from the Desire Realm up to the Brahmā heaven of the first dhyāna, because there are differences of king and ministers, high and low, serving one another, and assemblies relying on one another; hence deceit and flattery exist. From the second dhyāna upward up to the summit of existence (bhavāgra), there are no differences between high and low like king and ministers, so there is neither deceit nor flattery. How is it known that the first dhyāna has deceit and flattery? Formerly, when the Buddha was staying in the Jeta Grove in Śrāvastī, there was at that time a bhikṣu named Aśvajit, who was an arhat. He had this thought: "At what stage do the four great elements completely cease without remainder?" Desiring to know this, he entered an exalted samādhi, and with his absorbed mind he disappeared from the Jeta Grove and appeared in the heaven of the Four Great Kings. Emerging from samādhi, he asked those celestial beings: "At what stage do the four great elements completely cease without remainder?" They replied: "We do not know." In this way, the six heavens of the Desire Realm successively referred him along, up to the Heaven of Controlling Others' Emanations (Paranirmitavaśavartin). They further looked up and referred him to the assembly of Brahmā. Desiring to go to the Brahmā world, he entered an exalted samādhi, and with his absorbed mind he disappeared from the palace of Vaśavartin and appeared in the heaven of the assembly of Brahmā. Emerging from samādhi, he again asked the same question as above. The assembly of Brahmā all said: "We do not know," and again referred him to Mahābrahmā. The bhikṣu Aśvajit then asked Mahābrahmā. At that time Mahābrahmā was dwelling amid his own Brahmā assembly, when suddenly he was asked by the bhikṣu Aśvajit: "At what stage do these four great elements of the Desire and Form Realms completely cease, free from the fetters of remaining defilements?" The Brahmā King did not know, according to what corresponds, that when relying on the four fundamental dhyānas, the unarrived, the intermediate, and the access to the sphere of infinite space, all defilements of the fourth dhyāna are exhausted, the four great elements are completely freed from fetters, which is the stage of cessation without remainder. He then falsely praised himself to show that he had deceit, and through flattering words apologetically acknowledged his shame, showing that he had flattery. This is a brief account; it is explained in detail in the Mahāvibhāṣā, fascicle one hundred twenty-nine. Question: What is the distinction between Mahābrahmā and the others? Explanation: The preeminent among the assembly of Brahmā is called Mahābrahmā. He governs everything with complete sovereignty; being able to create the physical container world, he is called the creator (kartṛ); being able to transform the world of sentient beings, he is called the transformer (nirmātṛ). The term "generator" (janayitṛ) explains the preceding "creator" to reiterate the sense of creation, meaning one who can produce the physical container world, hence called creator. From "nourisher" (poṣakṛt) onward, it explains the preceding "transformer" to reiterate the sense of transformation, meaning one who can rear and nurture the world of sentient beings; he is the father of all sentient beings, hence called transformer (this is the interpretation intended by the Mahāvibhāṣā and the Nyāyānusāra). Question: When Aśvajit reached there, did he further manifest an illusory body or not? When reaching there in a single thought-moment, how many fruits of supernatural power can co-occur? Explanation: When Aśvajit transported his body to that first dhyāna, he created an emanation of that stage; therefore Mahābrahmā was able to take him by the hand and lead him. If he had not specially emanated it, the form of the Desire Realm being coarse, Brahmā would not have been able to grasp it. One should know that transporting the body and creating emanations belong to the fruit of the supernatural power of psychic transformation (ṛddhi-sākṣātkriyā-jñāna); first he leaves behind an emanated body, and later arouses the divine eye to see the forms of that stage, or arouses the divine ear to hear the sounds of that stage—the two supernatural powers arise alternately. In summary, in a single thought-moment it is permissible for two to arise together. Hence the Mahāvibhāṣā, fascicle one hundred fifty, states: "Question: In a single thought-moment, how many fruits of supernatural power can be aroused? Answer: Those who maintain that there is no leaving behind an emanated body, and that the divine eye and divine ear lack sabhāgatā, say that in a single thought-moment only one fruit of supernatural power arises, namely any one among the five supernatural powers. Those who maintain that there is the leaving behind of an emanated body, and that the divine eye and divine ear lack sabhāgatā, say that in a single thought-moment two fruits of supernatural power can be aroused, namely the fruit of psychic transformation and any one among the remaining four. Those who maintain that there is the leaving behind of an emanated body, and that the divine eye and divine ear have sabhāgatā, say that in a single thought-moment four fruits of supernatural power can be aroused, namely the fruit of psychic transformation, the divine eye, the divine ear, and any one among the remaining two—knowledge of others' minds and recollection of past lives—because their objects are distinct and do not arise together. Of these statements, one should know that the second statement is superior, because while emanations can be left behind, the divine eye and divine ear necessarily lack sabhāgatā, since they must be present at that very time."