瑜伽師地論略纂 1.6

1.6

Second, the causes [for its composition]. The Vibhāṣā explains: after the Buddha's nirvāṇa, when demonic incidents arose in confusion. That is to say, in the first hundred years after the Buddha's extinction, it was due to that Mahādeva disputing over the five points. Mahādeva's fame was high and his virtue great; the age at which he realized the fruits was young. Kings and nobles admired his style, and the monastic assembly revered his way. Since he was uniquely eminent and without peer, he was consequently envied by the worldly of that time, who slandered him as having committed the three heinous crimes, and added to this by amplifying the five points. Mahādeva spoke the verse: "Temptation by others, ignorance, / Doubt, being caused to enter by another, / And the path arising because of sound: / These are called the true Buddhist teaching." Mahādeva explained: As for all arhats, afflictions and emissions are both absent; being tempted by Māra, [Māra] smeared and soiled his garments with impurity, which appeared as if it were an emission. The various masters slandered him, saying: Mahādeva is an ordinary fool; delusion regarding sense objects gave rise to defilement; giving rise to thoughts at night, impurity soiled his garments, yet he pushed it onto the harassment of Māra. Consequently, discord arose. Mahādeva explained: As for those who see the truths, although doubts regarding afflictions and principles are entirely severed, factual doubts, such as mistaking a post for a man, still remain. The various masters slandered him, saying: Mahādeva is an ordinary fool who does not understand the true teaching, claiming that all noble ones still have afflictive doubts. Consequently, discord arose. Mahādeva explained: There are two kinds of ignorance, namely defiled and undefiled. As for all arhats, the defiled is completely exhausted, but the undefiled still remains. The various masters slandered him, saying: Mahādeva is an ordinary fool who does not understand the true teaching, claiming that arhats have undefiled ignorance. Consequently, discord arose. Mahādeva explained: Even those of sharp faculties such as Śāriputra were brought to enter the path by reliance on spiritual friends; that others should enter due to a cause is not confusing. The various masters slandered him, saying: Mahādeva is an ordinary fool who does not understand the scriptures and teachings, saying that those of sharp faculties such as Śāriputra were caused to enter the path by others and did not even know for themselves that they had attained the arhat fruit, so how much less the rest of you? Consequently, discord arose. Mahādeva explained: Those with past cultivation have practiced for many lifetimes; when approaching the realization of the fruit, relying on the Buddha's verbal teachings explaining suffering, emptiness, and so forth, upon hearing them they immediately enter the path and realize the noble fruit. Therefore, under the Buddha's words, many visibly realize the fruit; also, there are those who, repulsed by suffering, utter the sound of repulsion themselves, whereupon the noble path arises. The various masters slandered him, saying: Mahādeva committed heinous crimes; not severing wholesome roots and fearing that he would fall, he called out 'suffering' many times at night; his disciples thought he had caught an illness and inquired about his well-being in the morning. He answered: 'I have no illness.' They then asked: 'Why did you call out 'suffering'?' He then answered: 'In former days when I was young, entering the path was at will; today I am already old, and the arising of the path is difficult to follow. If I do not utter the sound of suffering with deep repulsion, there is no way for the noble path to arise.' Since such slanders arose, discord became tumultuous; hence it is said that after the extinction, demonic incidents arose in confusion. Competing for fame and gain is the same in both present and past; fabricating out of nothing is common to all ordinary beings. When the events spoken of involve suspicious traces, how could there not be such turmoil? Therefore, the various Hīnayāna schools, on account of the Mahāsāṃghika, were divided like several pieces of gold, or fragmented like pieces of fine white cloth; the Buddha's advance prophecy began from this. However, although the treatise has this primary cause, it lacked its secondary cause. Since the true Dharma gradually spread to the east, the years have been very long; although the name of the Treatise on the Seventeen Bhūmis was heard, they did not know what the seventeen were. The Bodhisattvabhūmi-sūtra is only one bhūmi of the Bodhisattva; the Viniscayasaṃgrahaṇī is the beginning of the Viniścayasaṃgrahaṇī; beyond these, none had existed in the land of Han. In the twenty-second year of Zhenguan, the Great Master first began to translate it at the Hongfa Cloister of the Northern Palace. The one fascicle of mixed Vibhāṣā text was translated at Da Cien Temple in the first year of Yonghui.