止觀輔行傳弘決 1.19

1.19

「行人若聞至宗元」者，總答也。宗，尊也、主也。元，首也、長也。若尋所傳法展轉相付，乃識能傳人元由宗緒。故識一期佛為元由，方曉今師宗於龍樹。「從大覺至降魔」者，別答也。先雙酬兩問。大覺義當天真，行滿義當記莂，人之與法兩意咸爾。二意兼備，師資道成。故書云「崐竹未剪則鳳音不彰，情性未鍊則神明不發。」凡情既待鍊而發，故真理亦由學而成。覺者，詩云有覺德行。又云：覺者，大明也、曉也、直也。今亦如是，十號具足種智圓明，三惑頓盡大夜斯曉，二死永除無復迴曲。又覺滿等名為大覺。四教不同覺智亦異，且寄漸始通總而說，略云大覺。以覺大故，世間中尊。「積劫行滿」者，亦通總而說，是故不云三阿僧祇及以無量阿僧祇等。劫，此云時。《俱舍》等論多以二十增減為一中劫，八十增減為一大劫。《金光明》云「梵天三銖天衣三年一拂，拂盡畟方四十里石以為小劫。八十里盡，以為中劫。百二十里盡，名為大劫。不於如此劫數修學，不名菩薩。」又云「有一里劫、二里劫乃至萬里劫。」又云「有大方城周四十里，滿中芥子不概令平，百年取一，盡名為劫。經劫無數，名阿僧祇。委出劫義非文正意，故不廣明。

Regarding "If practitioners hear... origin of the school": this is the general reply. "School" (zong) means venerable or chief; "origin" (yuan) means head or chief. If one traces the transmitted Dharma as it is successively handed down, one will recognize the primal origin and lineage of those able to transmit it. Thus, recognizing the Buddha of a single era as the primal origin, one only then understands that our present master takes Nāgārjuna as his ancestor. Regarding "From the Great Awakened One... to subduing Māra": this is the specific reply. First, it answers both questions together. "Great Awakened One" corresponds to the sense of natural purity; "fulfillment of practices" corresponds to receiving the prediction. Both human person and Dharma entail these two aspects. When both aspects are complete, the way of master and disciple is accomplished. Hence secular texts say: "If the bamboo of Mount Kun is not cut, the song of the phoenix does not ring out; if human nature is not refined, the spiritual brilliance does not emerge." Since ordinary nature must await refinement to emerge, the true principle likewise comes to fruition through learning. Regarding "Awakened" (jue): the Book of Odes says, "Possessing awakened virtuous conduct." It also says: "Awakened means greatly luminous, enlightened, and upright." Here it is also like this: the ten epithets are complete and all-inclusive wisdom is fully luminous; the three delusions are suddenly exhausted and the great night is thereby illuminated; the two kinds of death are forever eliminated and there is no more crookedness. Furthermore, when awakening is fulfilled, etc., it is termed the "Great Awakened One." The four teachings are not identical, and their awakening and wisdom also differ; here, relying tentatively on the beginning of the gradual [teachings], it speaks comprehensively and in general, concisely calling him the "Great Awakened One." Because his awakening is great, he is the most venerable in the world. Regarding "accumulating practices for kalpas until fulfilled": this is also spoken comprehensively and in general, which is why it does not specify three asaṃkhyeyas or immeasurable asaṃkhyeyas. "Kalpa" is translated here as "time." Treatises such as the Abhidharmakośa mostly take twenty [cycles of] increase and decrease as one medium kalpa, and eighty [cycles of] increase and decrease as one great kalpa. The Suvarṇaprabhāsa says: "A Brahmā heaven garment of three zhu brushes against a square rock of forty li once every three years; when it is worn away completely, that is a small kalpa. When an eighty-li rock is worn away, that is a medium kalpa. When a hundred-and-twenty-li rock is worn away, that is called a great kalpa. One who does not cultivate and study through such counts of kalpas is not called a bodhisattva." It also says: "There are one-li kalpas, two-li kalpas, up to ten-thousand-li kalpas." It also says: "There is a great square city forty li in circumference, filled to the brim with mustard seeds without being leveled off with a scraper; taking one every hundred years until they are exhausted is called a kalpa. Passing through countless kalpas is called an asaṃkhyeya." Setting forth the meaning of kalpas in detail is not the primary purpose of the text, so it is not explained at length.