中觀論疏 1.28

1.28

From "First, within the Śrāvaka-dharma" onward is the second [part], directly explaining the expounding of the teaching. The previous intention of expounding the teaching referred to inner wisdom examining the conditions, thereby knowing the illness and recognising the medicine; now outwardly uttering the verbal teaching refers to prescribing medicine in response to the illness. Question: Previously it was said that the Buddha wished to cut off wrong views to make them know the Buddha-Dharma; why does it now say that within the Śrāvaka-dharma he expounded the twelvefold dependent origination? Answer: There are two points. First, this is internal contrasted with external: the previous [passage] explained the teachings of non-Buddhists, while here it generally explains that the teachings of the five vehicles are all called Buddha-Dharma; therefore the Śrāvaka teaching is also called Buddha-Dharma. Second, as for the previous statement about making them know the Buddha-Dharma, this is in terms of the Buddha's original intent: the original intent of all Buddhas is solely, for the sake of the one great cause, to elucidate the Buddha-Path; but now, because those of dull faculties cannot receive the Buddha-Path, he provisionally expounded the Hīnayāna teaching within the One Buddha Vehicle. Therefore, the former was based on the fundamental real, while the present concerns the secondary expedient; they do not contradict each other. According to this meaning, the three wheels are fully present: making them know the Buddha-Dharma is the root wheel of Dharma; first expounding the twelvefold dependent origination within the Śrāvaka-dharma is the branch-and-leaf wheel of Dharma; later expounding the Mahāyāna for them is the teaching that gathers the branches back to the root. Because the sūtras possess the three wheels, the treatise elucidating the sūtras also possesses the three wheels. There are four kinds of śrāvakas, as expounded in the Saddharmapuṇḍarīkopadeśa: First, resolute śrāvakas, meaning those who originally practiced the Hīnayāna and realised the lesser fruit. Second, śrāvakas who retrogressed from the bodhicitta, who originally generated the great mind, but retrogressed from the Mahāyāna and took up the Hīnayāna. Third, śrāvakas of excessive pride, who, not having attained the lesser fruit, claim to have attained the lesser fruit. Fourth, transformed śrāvakas, who manifest through skillful means. Combining these four kinds, they are called śrāvakas. Furthermore, as for why it is named the Śrāvaka-dharma, this is to clarify the mutual contrast between the two piṭakas of the śrāvakas and the bodhisattvas. The Hīnayāna is named the Śrāvaka-piṭaka, hence it is called the Śrāvaka-dharma; the Mahāyāna is named the Bodhisattva-piṭaka, hence it is called the Bodhisattva-dharma. Question: The Hīnayāna has the two persons, the śrāvaka and the pratyekabuddha; why is it exclusively named the Śrāvaka-dharma? The Mahāyāna contains the Buddha and bodhisattvas; why is it solely named the Bodhisattva-dharma? Answer: Establishing the names of the two piṭakas is establishing the names of the teachings. Now, the intent of establishing a teaching is precisely for the persons who receive the teaching: the pratyekabuddha does not receive the teaching while the śrāvaka receives the teaching, hence it is called the Śrāvaka-piṭaka; the bodhisattva receives the teaching while the Buddha does not receive the teaching, hence it is called the Bodhisattva-piṭaka. Question: The Lotus Sūtra says that for the śrāvakas he expounded the Four Noble Truths; why does it now say that he expounded the twelvefold dependent origination? Answer: Sūtras have shared teachings and distinct teachings. The Lotus Sūtra explains its distinct teaching, whereas the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra says: "The river of the twelve links of conditionality: the three sages all cross it." This is the shared teaching. This treatise precisely elucidates its primary intent of all crossing it; therefore the bodhisattva and the śrāvaka together contemplate the twelvefold dependent origination. Moreover, the twelvefold dependent origination is simply the Four Noble Truths: condensing dependent origination yields the Four Truths, and expanding the Four Truths yields dependent origination. Therefore, the twelve links generating one another are called suffering and its origination, and the meaning of cessation is called cessation and the path. Question: We now know the teachings are shared and distinct; why does it now follow the shared and not take the distinct? We now know dependent origination is simply the Four Truths; why does it elucidate dependent origination and not elucidate the Four Truths? Answer: In general, setting forth a teaching arises because of the illness. A sūtra says: "The illnesses of sentient beings are of three kinds: first, the illness of greed and desire, for which the contemplation of impurity is taught; second, the illness of anger and hatred, for which the contemplation of loving-kindness and compassion is taught; third, the illness of delusion, for which the contemplation of dependent origination is taught." Now these eight views are precisely delusion, hence dependent origination is expounded. If he had expounded the Four Truths, this would be a case where the medicine is broad while the illness is narrow, for the Four Truths ubiquitously refute the three poisons; then the medicine and the illness would not match each other. Therefore he expounded the twelvefold dependent origination. Question: The sūtras say that dependent origination is extremely profound; how can deluded persons understand it? Answer: This is not the delusion of cattle, sheep, and the like, but rather worldly wisdom and clever eloquence giving rise to erroneous deductions and perverse attachments, positing no-cause or evil causes; hence it is merely called delusion. Question: Did Piṅgala make this explanation himself, or did he inherit it? Answer: The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa, in explaining the chapter on the inexhaustible in the Prajñāpāramitā, says: "In order to refute the worldly [views of] no-cause and evil causes, he expounded the twelvefold dependent origination." Piṅgala cited that to explain this. Question: How does the twelvefold dependent origination remedy the above views? Answer: The aforementioned views comprise five clauses; now they are remedied in sequence. Because of not recognising dependent origination it is called an error; if one recognises dependent origination, it is not called an error. The two past causes generate the five present effects, and the three present causes generate the two future effects, which remedies [the view of] no-cause. These twelve links of dependent origination are called the correct cause, which refutes the evil causes of subtle atoms, Īśvara, and the like. The twelve mutually generating links are neither annihilated nor permanent: because the cause is destroyed it is not permanent, and because the effect continues it is not annihilated, which refutes annihilation and permanence. If one sees the twelvefold dependent origination, it is called right view; hence the "Chapter on the Four Truths" says: "If one sees the Dharma of dependent origination, this person can see the Buddha, / and seeing suffering, origination, cessation, and the path, then one refutes wrong views." There are only the twelve differences and there is no single self; if there were a self, there should be thirteen. Since there is no self, there is also no belonging to a self; therefore expounding the twelve refutes the self and what belongs to a self.