中觀論疏 7.3

7.3

Above it was said that there is neither saṃsāra nor a beginning point. An opponent says: "The sūtras state, 'Saṃsāra is suffering; nirvāṇa is bliss.' Now, since there is suffering, there is saṃsāra; and if there is saṃsāra, there must be a beginning, an end, and an interval in between. Second, it is explained that when the Tathāgata was first born, he immediately proclaimed that the three realms are all suffering; hence we know that this teaching is the very source of the Buddha's dispensation. Now, since this teaching exists, we know that suffering exists; because suffering exists, saṃsāra exists. If there were no saṃsāra, what thing would the Buddha have called suffering? Third, the very reason the author of this treatise refutes things must be his wish to pull sentient beings out of suffering and give them bliss. If he did not wish to pull them out of suffering and give bliss, why would he engage in refutation? Since he wishes to pull sentient beings out of suffering, and suffering is precisely saṃsāra, one should not say that there are no sentient beings and no saṃsāra. Fourth, he wishes to explain the profound and essential contemplations of the Mahāyāna, as the Pañcaviṃśati states: 'Form is neither permanent nor impermanent, neither suffering nor bliss.' And as the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa says: 'Pervasively penetrating the five aggregates of appropriation to be empty and unarisen is called the meaning of suffering.' The bodhisattva understands suffering to be without suffering; therefore, there being no suffering, there is ultimate truth. For this reason this chapter is spoken. Fifth, it is to pull sentient beings out of suffering and give them bliss that this chapter is spoken. If one genuinely sees suffering to exist, then one cannot become free from suffering; it is truly because of understanding suffering to be without suffering that one is able to be free from suffering." Question: What is called suffering? Answer: Śākyamuni's entire teaching career contains briefly three approaches: first, explaining one suffering; next, explaining three sufferings; and finally, explaining eight sufferings. As for the "one suffering," when the Buddha fell to earth upon his first birth, he immediately walked seven steps, pointed one hand to heaven and one to earth, and spoke the gāthā: "Above heaven and below heaven, only I am supreme. The three realms are all suffering; what could there be to enjoy?" This is the teaching of one suffering. Question: What is meant by "one suffering"? Answer: One explanation says that all three realms have painful sensation, and therefore all are the suffering of suffering. The Tattvasiddhi states: "All three realms have painful sensation, differing only in being heavy or light." A second says that all three realms are constituted by the suffering of conditioned existence; because of the suffering of conditioned existence, all are suffering. A third says that generally speaking of all sufferings is called "one suffering." Hence the Lotus Sūtra says: "There is no safety in the three realms, just like a burning house; there are always the worries and tribulations of birth, old age, sickness, and death." Because the three realms equally have this tribulation, it is called "one suffering." The Dharmaskandha Abhidharma states: "The desire realm is called the suffering of suffering, the form realm is called the suffering of change, and the formless realm has the suffering of conditioned existence." Because the three realms possess all three sufferings, it says that the three realms are all suffering. Question: Why is that so? Answer: According to the Abhidharma doctrine, the desire realm has painful sensation, and hence is called the suffering of suffering. The form realm has no painful sensation but only pleasant sensation, and when pleasant sensation deteriorates it gives rise to suffering, which is called the suffering of change. The formless realm has no physical form and the meaning of deterioration is not apparent, but it is merely driven by impermanence; hence it is called the suffering of conditioned existence. This is the teaching of one suffering. Next, regarding the explanation of the three sufferings, there are two kinds of three sufferings: first, the suffering explained by the Sāṃkhyas, as set forth in the Commentary on the Śata-śāstra; second, as the Nirvāṇa-sūtra says: "Painful sensation is called the suffering of suffering; the other two sensations are the suffering of change and the suffering of conditioned existence." Various masters have forced interpretations and divergent theories abound, yet none has grasped its gateway. Now I merely rely on what is stated by the Tripiṭaka Master in the Abhidharmakośa-bhāṣya: "Regarding suffering: when sensation arises it is painful, when it abides it is painful, and when it ceases it is pleasant; because painful sensation is painful both at the time of arising and abiding, it is given the name 'suffering of suffering.' Pleasant sensation is pleasant when it arises and pleasant when it abides, and is painful only when its fruition deteriorates; therefore pleasant sensation is called 'the suffering of change.' With neutral sensation, the sense of suffering is not apparent at any of the three times of arising, abiding, or deterioration, but being driven by impermanence, neutral sensation is termed 'the suffering of conditioned existence.'" The Tattvasiddhi masters say: If classified according to planes of existence, the three bad destinies are painful sensation, which is the suffering of suffering; humans and gods up to the third dhyāna are pleasant sensation, which is the suffering of change; the fourth dhyāna up to the station of neither-perception-nor-non-perception is neutral sensation, which is the suffering of conditioned existence. If classified according to principle, each and every plane possesses all three sufferings, but in the upper two realms the three sufferings are light, while in the lower realm suffering is heavy. The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says, "The suffering of death in the higher realms is worse than that among humans," hence we know that the higher realms also have painful sensation, unlike the Sarvāstivādins who hold that the higher realms have no painful sensation whatsoever. If one encounters pleasant conditions, pleasant sensation arises; if one beholds hated enemies, painful sensation arises; if neither enemy nor kin, neutral sensation arises—these three conditions give rise to the three sensations. Just as when cold, encountering fire is pleasant; drawing closer so that it burns is painful sensation; and in between the two is neutral sensation: thus a single fire-condition fully gives rise to three sensations. Next, as for the teaching of the eight sufferings: dwelling for ten months in the prison of the womb, fully experiencing boiling and burning, and upon first being born, the cold air touching the body is no different from hell—this is called the suffering of birth. The Lotus Sūtra says: "Hair white and face wrinkled, teeth sparse and form withered away, thinking that his death will not be long"—this is called the suffering of old age. When one great element is out of harmony there are a hundred and one ailments; when in total the four great elements run contrary there are four hundred and four ailments—this is called the suffering of illness. Death is the ultimate grief under heaven: the wind of the blade dismembers the form, the body is severed and the consciousness departs—this is called the suffering of death. Father to the east and son to the west, elder brother to the south and younger brother to the north—this is called the suffering of separation from the beloved. Gathering together with what is unloved—this is called the suffering of encountering what is hated. Matters sought after not complying with one's wishes—this is called the suffering of not getting what one seeks. Possessing these five aggregates, all sufferings blaze fiercely—this is called the suffering of the five blazingly rampant aggregates. Moreover, these five aggregates abundantly contain all sufferings, and hence are called the suffering of the five blazingly rampant aggregates. Question: How do the eight sufferings subsume the three sufferings? Answer: The Nirvāṇa-sūtra says, "Birth possesses five kinds," so within birth the three sufferings are fully contained. In detailed analysis, old age, illness, and death possess all three sufferings; broadly classified, they comprise the two sufferings of conditioned existence and change. Death and separation from the beloved are the suffering of change; encountering what is hated is the suffering of suffering; not getting what one seeks has two: first, seeking wholesome dharmas and not obtaining them is the suffering of change; second, not being free from unwholesome dharmas is the suffering of suffering. This is the explanation by [Master] Zhaoti. If explained according to the three sufferings in the Abhidharmakośa-bhāṣya, it can be known that among these eight sufferings, since having painful sensation necessarily entails the two [other] sufferings, one knows that the eight sufferings all possess the three sufferings; but the Sarvāstivādins and the Tattvasiddhi differ in their understanding of suffering. The Sarvāstivādins say: The three categories of form, mind, and [non-concurrent dharmas] are all suffering. Why so? All conditioned dharmas desire to abide in pleasure, but now they are pressed by impermanence; therefore all are suffering. The Tattvasiddhi says: "Only the mind is suffering; the other two categories are without suffering. As for the sūtras stating that form is all suffering, this is an instrument of suffering, and hence is called suffering." Although the Sarvāstivādins say that both form and mind are suffering, it is defiled dharmas that are suffering because of being pressed by impermanence. When undefiled dharmas are pressed by impermanence, they accord with nirvāṇa, and therefore are not suffering. The Tattvasiddhi explains that both defiled and undefiled dharmas are entirely suffering. Following the subsequent text, the non-Buddhists explain suffering in the narrowest way: only painful sensation is suffering. Question: Does saṃsāra have pleasure, or is it devoid of pleasure? Answer: Kaishan says that saṃsāra is truly suffering and entirely devoid of pleasure; it is merely that within painful dharmas, one mistakenly gives rise to the conception of pleasure and says that pleasure exists. Zhuangyan says: Although there is no real pleasure within saṃsāra, there is illusory pleasure. Illusory pleasure is mixed with the suffering of conditioned existence; when grasping signs evokes impermanent wholesomeness, it evokes pleasure. Now, because wholesomeness that grasps signs evokes pleasure, pleasure is illusory. However, although the two masters differ in their explanation of pleasure, they agree in stating that saṃsāra contains real suffering. The Abhidharmakośa-bhāṣya says: "Saṃsāra has pleasure, but pleasure is little and suffering is much; therefore it is said that all is suffering." Kātyāyana adopts this view. Fascicle forty-two of the Mahāvibhāṣā asks: "Is there pleasure within the aggregates or not? If there is, why is pleasure not spoken of? If there is not, why did the Buddha teach three sensations? Answer: It should be said like this: There is pleasure within the aggregates, but because pleasure is little, just like a jar of poison into which a single drop of honey falls, on account of that one drop of honey it is not called a honey-jar, but because poison is much it is called a poison-jar. Another explanation: In reality there is no pleasure, and therefore only the truth of suffering is taught. That three sensations are spoken of is merely that when one experiences severe suffering, looking toward mild suffering it is taken as pleasure. Just like experiencing the suffering of hell, looking toward the suffering of animals it is taken as pleasure." These two masters differ from Kaishan and Zhuangyan: Kaishan and Zhuangyan debated whether illusory pleasure exists or not; now the debate is between real pleasure existing and real pleasure not existing. Now regarding the refutation: among the great afflictions of beings, none exceeds suffering. The ninety-six heterodox arts all vie to seek release from it, but failing to reach its causes, they give rise to four kinds of delusions. Although the five hundred different sects recognize the causes of suffering, they have not plumbed its root; clinging rigidly to fixed intrinsic nature, the fruits of suffering do not cease, and they further create causes of suffering. Now, wishing to show that the suffering of dependent origination has no fixed intrinsic nature, so that the fruits of suffering may be made to cease and causes of suffering are not generated, this is why it is called the 'Chapter on Examining Suffering.'"