四教義 7.8

7.8

Fourth, explaining the fulfillment of the six pāramitās: Question: How is the dāna-pāramitā fulfilled? Answer: Being able to give everything without any hindrance or reservation, even to the point that when giving one's own body, the mind has no regret. For example, King Śibi gave his body for a dove; though suffering excruciating pain as his skin and flesh were carved away, he stepped onto the balance with his entire body to ransom the dove's life without resentment, making a vow as self-verification: "If my mind is without regret, may my body be restored to normal." Once he had made the vow, heaven and earth shook, and his body returned to its original state. In such jātaka stories of the Bodhisattva relinquishing his body and life in acts of giving without retreat or regret, this is the fulfillment of the dāna-pāramitā. Question: How is the śīla-pāramitā fulfilled? Answer: Upholding the pure precepts without begrudging one's life, as King Sudharma did. This king was energetic in upholding the precepts and always adhered to truthful speech. Having agreed with the Great King Kalmāṣapāda to ask for leave to return to his kingdom, once he had made offerings to the śramaṇas for seven days, he immediately came to face his demise. When the king's term expired, for the sake of upholding the precept of truthful speech, he went to the appointed place to die. This is not begrudging body and life for the sake of upholding a single precept. In such cases, everywhere in the Nidāna-sūtras it is taught that when the Bodhisattva in his causal stage upheld precepts, relinquishing body and life without regret, this is the mark of the fulfillment of the śīla-pāramitā. Question: How is the kṣānti-pāramitā fulfilled? Answer: If someone comes to revile, beat, flay, dismember, or take one's life, the mind does not give rise to anger, like the monk Kṣānti, who constantly cultivated loving-kindness and forbearance, entering meditative samādhi beneath trees in the forest. At that time, King Kali, succumbing to defiled craving on account of female charms, severed his hands, feet, ears, and nose, yet his mind remained forbearing and unmoved. The king then asked: "Now that your body is dismembered, can you truly endure it?" The monk replied: "My mind truly harbors no anger or hatred." The king said: "Who can believe you now?" The monk replied: "If my forbearance is genuine and my mind harbors no anger or hatred, let my body immediately be restored to normal." When he spoke these words, his body was immediately restored as before. In such cases, practicing forbearance without begrudging body and life is called the mark of the fulfillment of the kṣānti-pāramitā. Question: How is the vīrya-pāramitā fulfilled? Answer: If one possesses a great aspiration like Prince Mahātyāgavān, who entered the ocean to gather jewels for all sentient beings, obtained a wish-fulfilling jewel from the dragon king, and wished to bring it back to Jambudvīpa to rain down clothing and precious objects as gifts to sentient beings. The ocean deity begrudged the jewel, stole it while he was asleep, and took it back to the ocean palace. When the prince awoke, for the sake of this jewel he vowed to bail out the great ocean with his own body until it was completely dried up, demanding the jewel from the ocean deity, his resolve steadfast and indefatigable. Śakra and the gods were moved by the prince's energetic effort on behalf of beings and his disregard for his own life; they led the gods to assist in bailing out the sea water, which subsequently dropped by half. Terrified and ashamed, the ocean deity returned the jewel. It is also like the Bodhisattva Śākyamuni encountering Puṣya Buddha, standing on one foot for seven days and seven nights without blinking an eye. In such cases, making energetic efforts on behalf of beings without begrudging body and life is called the mark of the fulfillment of the vīrya-pāramitā. Question: What is called the mark of the fulfillment of the dhyāna-pāramitā? Answer: It is like having sovereign mastery over all dhyāna concentrations. It is also like the hermit Śāṅkarī, who, while sitting in meditation, had neither in-breath nor out-breath, such that birds nested and hatched chicks in his topknot, and he remained unmoving until the chicks flew away. This is called the mark of the fulfillment of the dhyāna-pāramitā. Question: How is the prajñā-pāramitā fulfilled? Answer: The Bodhisattva's great-minded analysis is like the brāhmaṇa minister Govinda dividing the great earth of Jambudvīpa into seven parts, dividing all its various large and small cities, settlements, and villages into seven parts; the prajñā-pāramitā is also like this. This is the mark of the Bodhisattva's fulfillment of the prajñā-pāramitā. Now I say that these are all the wisdom of the lower stage of forbearance, which is capable of subduing the sense faculties and fulfilling the six pāramitās. Why is this? The power of the wisdom of lower forbearance is strong, and the power of afflictions is weak; using this wisdom to practice the six pāramitās, one can endure the six defilements and accomplish the six pāramitās without begrudging body and life. The fulfillment of the [first] four pāramitās is precisely the power of the mindfulness of dharmic nature reaching the lower stage of forbearance. The fulfillment of the dhyāna-pāramitā is mostly the power of shared mindfulness reaching the lower stage of forbearance. The fulfillment of the prajñā-pāramitā is precisely the power of object-oriented mindfulness reaching the lower stage of forbearance. Question: An arhat is still unable to practice the six pāramitās without begrudging body and life; how could the power of the wisdom of lower forbearance accomplish the six pāramitās? Answer: Without the power of vows of loving-kindness and compassion and cultivation accumulated over kalpas, even the wisdom of an arhat cannot do so, much less that of lower forbearance. Here, externally conditioned by vows of loving-kindness and compassion and long-accumulated perfuming cultivation, and internally possessing the wisdom of the dharma of forbearance, there is the power to assist in breaking the six defilements.