止觀輔行傳弘決 7.22

7.22

Next, in explaining the perfection of vigor, after citing the Dazhidulun the text arranges the teachings, though the phrasing is abbreviated. As for "the previous three are easy to practice" and so forth, it is fully cited as in the first and third fascicles; this is to cite the distinctive to know the shared, for if the shared were lacking, neither would be established. As for "Ānanda spoke of the factor of awakening that is vigor" and so forth, according to the Dazhidulun, fascicle thirty: "The Buddha told Ānanda, 'My back aches now and I will rest a little.' Spreading his uttarāsaṅga and using his saṅghāṭī as a pillow, he had Ānanda teach the Dharma to the monks. Ānanda then spoke of the seven factors of awakening. At that time the Buddha asked, 'Have you spoken of the factor of awakening that is vigor yet?' Ānanda said, 'I have reached it.' In this way, after three questions and three answers, the Buddha immediately rose up with a start and said to Ānanda: 'You praise vigor, through which bodhi is attained.'" If one follows fascicle seventeen, it simply says: "Having heard it spoken, the Buddha immediately arose from his seat." Furthermore, in the Dīrgha Āgama there are eight occasions of vigor and eight of indolence; with respect to four matters, vigor or indolence arises both before and after: namely, begging for food, engaging in work, traveling, and illness. For instance, when begging for food, if one does not receive it, one thinks: "Having obtained nothing from begging, my body is utterly exhausted. I cannot endure sitting in meditation, chanting, and practicing the path with diligent vigor; it is best to rest for now." Second, if one does obtain food from begging, one then thinks: "My body is heavy; I cannot endure it." These are indolence arising before and after begging for food. If one undertakes a little work, one then thinks: "I am now utterly exhausted and can no longer endure it." If one is about to undertake work, one thinks: "Tomorrow I must work, and I will certainly be utterly exhausted." If one has traveled a little, one thinks: "I traveled this morning and my body is utterly exhausted." If one intends to travel a little, one thinks again: "Tomorrow I must travel and will certainly be utterly exhausted." If one encounters a minor illness, one thinks: "I am now seriously ill, and because it is grave I am utterly exhausted." Once the illness has healed, one thinks again that the illness has not been healed for long, and one's body is utterly exhausted. Under each and every phrase it says: "To attain what has not been attained, to gain what has not been gained, to realize what has not been realized." Due to these eight, none is achieved, and thus it is called indolence. As for the eight occasions of vigor: if one receives nothing from begging, one thinks that one's body needs less sleep and is fit to practice vigor. If one obtains food from begging, one thinks that now being satiated, one's energy is sufficient and one is fit to practice vigor. [If one has worked, one thinks:] "My previous work hindered my practice of the path; now I should be vigorous." If one is to work tomorrow, one thinks it will obstruct the practice of the path, so one must be vigorous in advance. When one has traveled, one thinks that traveling this morning hindered one's practice of the path. If one is to travel tomorrow, one thinks it will hinder the practice of the path. If one contracts a grave illness, one should be mindful of the end of one's life. If one has a minor illness, one fears it might worsen. Under each and every phrase it says: "One should be vigorous, so that what has not been attained is attained, and what has not been realized is realized." This import should correspond to the meaning of "following one's own mind." "Dānapati bailing the ocean" is as explained in the third fascicle. "Bailing" (shu) means removing. The Cangjie pian says: "To ladle out." From "And now" downward, it rebukes faults. As for "like having a pierced nose" and so forth, fascicle thirty-three of the Dazhidulun states: "Like a camel whose nose is pierced, following others in everything. If one has wisdom among conditioned dharmas, one is intimate with the superior sages; if one lacks wisdom, it is like having a pierced nose, overturning all accumulated merits within saṃsāra." As for "a drunken elephant without a hook," fascicle twenty-three of the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra states: "Just like an untamed drunken elephant without a hook, wild, violent, and wicked, killing many. An elephant trainer strikes its crown with a large iron hook, whereupon it immediately becomes tamed and docile, and its evil mind is completely stilled." The Vibhāṣā has extensive circumstances regarding taming an elephant, which serve as a metaphor for the eight liberations. The character wei is originally the name of a plant, and also a surname; here, speaking of excess, this character is borrowed to substitute for a dialect word. The character lü is simply self-sown wild rice; it probably should be written with this lü [with the person radical]. Because the mind lacks strength, one spends time in vain. From "One should arouse" downward, one makes vows and requests empowerment. As for "engraving into bone" and so forth: vowing physical vigor is like carving into bone; vowing mental vigor is like inscribing upon stone. "To inscribe" (ming) means to name; writing it serves as an admonition, and carving it into stone records merit. It is also like this here: committing one's mind with vows is like carving stone to record merit so that it is never forgotten. Dedicating one's body for the sake of the Dharma is called "promising oneself to the path." "Tang" means in vain. As for "no longer [having] a mind of difficulty" and so forth: "no longer a mind of difficulty" concludes the preceding practice of the Dharma without laxity, not regarding the practice as difficult to practice. "No longer a mind of suffering" concludes the preceding straightening of one's body, not regarding the body as exhausted or suffering. From "Evoking the Buddha" downward, one receives empowerment and obtains benefit. In correlating "arising and arising" and so forth with the four types of vigor: vigor is the mark of initiation and exhortation, and therefore "arising" and so forth are used to explain and complete the four kinds of vigor. In the Tripiṭaka [teaching], throughout the three asaṃkhyeya kalpas, vigor still moistens rebirth, hence it is called "arising and arising." In the shared [teaching], the mark of vigor is obliterated, which is named "arising and non-arising." In the distinctive [teaching], having entered emptiness, one makes vigor for the sake of living beings, hence "non-arising and arising." The principle of the perfect [teaching] is fundamentally tranquil, and vigor is also unarisen, hence "non-arising and non-arising"; moreover, with respect to the object of vigor, both subject and object are obliterated.