起信論疏筆削記 18.37

18.37

In the treatise, "leaving home..." and so forth: The former precept of discipline applies to both lay and ordained; this precept of good dharmas applies only to the ordained. "In order to subdue..." below expresses the intention of dwelling in solitude: if one lives among worldly society, it is difficult to sever afflictions; hence one must shed worldliness, leave the dust behind, and rest peacefully in the forests and groves. Therefore, the Bequeathed Teaching Sūtra says: "In a quiet, secluded place, contemplate the eradication of the root of suffering, mindfulness of the dharmas received, not allowing them to be lost." This is explained extensively in the Candragarbha-sūtra. Moreover, Śākyamuni Tathāgata abandoned the royal palace and went to the Snow Mountains; his causal practice lasted six years, and his fruit perfected ten thousand virtues. Bequeathing this standard was for precisely this reason. "Few desires..." and so forth: Seeing what is obtained and thinking of it is called knowing contentment; wealth not being obtained improperly is called having few desires. Dhūta is translated here as "shaking off," meaning shaking off the afflictions, karma, and retributions of the three realms. However, there are twelve kinds: three regarding clothing, three regarding food, and six regarding dwelling places. Explaining the six dwellings: 1. Dwelling in a secluded place: leaving behind the noisy crowd and residing in an āraṇya; because the body is secluded, the mind leaves behind the hindrance of desire, increasing all good things. 2. Sitting upright without lying down: walking or standing, the mind moves and is hard to restrain, and cannot last long; one should undertake constant sitting, and when wanting to sleep, one's ribs do not touch the mat. 3. Sitting beneath a tree: following the Buddha's Dharma, just as the Buddha attained awakening, turned the wheel of Dharma, and entered nirvāṇa all beneath trees; it can cure greed for houses and makes it easy to enter the path. 4. Sitting among graves: in graveyards there are constantly weeping sounds and scattered corpses; impermanence and impurity make it easy to accomplish the contemplation of the path. 5. Sitting in the open: trees are like half a house, where attachment still arises, and there are rain, dampness, noisy birds, and filthy impurity; in the open ground, light shines everywhere, making the mind clear and sharp, and the contemplation of emptiness easy to accomplish. 6. Sitting on whatever grass is available: sitting on whatever grass the mind obtains, leaving behind attachment, and not troubling others. Regarding the three of food: 1. Always begging for food: begging according to the Dharma, one should restrain the six senses, not cling to the six sense objects, nor discriminate between the marks of male and female, or obtaining and not obtaining; whether it is good or bad, one does not give rise to hatred or love. If invited to meals, one may or may not receive them, and greed and resentment easily arise; if eating with the saṅgha, arranging duties scatters the mind, preventing entry into the path. 2. Eating a measured amount: mindful of the eighty thousand families of worms within the body, who are at peace when receiving this food; I now gather these worms through food, and later when attaining the path, I will gather them through the Dharma. Furthermore, even in a single meal, if one indulges in greedy overeating, the abdomen bloats and the breath is blocked, hindering practice of the path; eating two-thirds of whatever food is obtained, the body is light and at ease, which is called eating a measured amount. 3. Eating in a single sitting: eating a second time loses half a day's effort; not eating for the sake of nourishing the body, severing frequent eating—this is the rule against eating leftover food in the Four-Part Vinaya. The Dhūta Sūtra says: Do not drink juice after midday. Regarding the three of clothing: 1. Keeping only three robes: laypeople like to keep various clothes, while non-Buddhist ascetics go naked; now the Buddha's disciples should abandon both extremes and have only three robes, also avoiding excessive seeking and guarding. 2. Rags from a dust heap: picking up rags from trash heaps and stitching them into robes; using this to cover against cold and screen from dew, one avoids greed, stays away from thieves, and has no danger of losing one's life. 3. Woolen robes: whether three robes or extra robes, all are made using wool/down, keeping no other robes. These twelve are practices of contentment; the Nirvāṇa Sūtra, the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa, and the Yogācārabhūmi all clarify their meaning. Thus we know that evil greed and excessive desire are unsuitable for those who have left home, and should be strictly warned against.