法苑珠林 68.11

68.11

又涅槃經云。善男子。因有五種。何等為五。一生因。二和合因。三住因。四增長因。五遠因。云何生因。生因者。即是業煩惱等及外諸草木子。是名生因。云何和合因。如善與善心和合。不善與不善心和合。無記與無記心和合。是名和合因。云何住因。如下有柱屋則不墮。山河樹木因大地故而得住立。內有四大無量煩惱眾生得住。是名住因。云何增長因。因緣衣服飲食等故令眾生增長。如外種子。火所不燒。鳥所不食。則得增長。如諸沙門婆羅門等。依因和尚善知識等。而得增長。如因父母子得增長。是名增長因。云何遠因。譬如因呪鬼不能害。毒不能中。依憑國王無有盜賊。如牙依因地水火風等。如乳人攢為蘇遠因。如無明色等為識遠因。父母精血為眾生遠因。如時節等悉名遠因。善男子。涅槃之體非是如是五因所成。云何當云是無常因。一切諸法復有二種因。一者作因。二者了因。如陶師輪繩。是名作因。如燈燭等照暗中物。是名了因。善男子。大涅槃者。不從作因而有了因。了因者。即是三十七品助道之法六波羅蜜。是名了因。又云。三解脫門三十七品。能為一切煩惱作不生生因。亦為涅槃而作了因。善男子。遠離煩惱則得了了見於涅槃。是故涅槃唯有了因無有生因。又云。若離如是三十七品。終不能得聲聞正果。乃至阿耨多羅三藐三菩提果。不見佛性及佛性果。以是因緣。梵行即是三十七品。何以故。三十七品性非顛倒。能壞顛倒。性非惡見。能壞惡見。性非悑畏。能壞悑畏。性是淨行故。能令眾生畢竟造作清淨梵行也。

Moreover, the Nirvāṇa-sūtra says: Good man, there are five kinds of causes. What are the five? The first is the generative cause (janma-hetu); the second is the conjunction cause (saṃyoga-hetu); the third is the abiding cause (sthiti-hetu); the fourth is the augmentative cause (vivṛddhi-hetu); the fifth is the remote cause (dūra-hetu). What is the generative cause? The generative cause is karma, afflictions, and so forth, as well as the seeds of external grass and trees; this is called the generative cause. What is the conjunction cause? It is like wholesome [dharmas] joining with a wholesome mind, unwholesome [dharmas] joining with an unwholesome mind, and neutral [dharmas] joining with a neutral mind; this is called the conjunction cause. What is the abiding cause? It is like a house not collapsing because there are pillars beneath it, or mountains, rivers, and trees being able to abide and stand because of the great earth. Internally, sentient beings are able to abide because of the four great elements and immeasurable afflictions; this is called the abiding cause. What is the augmentative cause? Because of the conditions of clothing, food, drink, and so forth, sentient beings are caused to grow. It is like an external seed: not being burned by fire and not being eaten by birds, it is able to grow. It is like various śramaṇas, brāhmaṇas, and others: relying upon preceptors and spiritual friends, they are able to grow. It is like children being able to grow because of their parents; this is called the augmentative cause. What is the remote cause? For instance, because of a mantra, spirits cannot harm [one], and poison cannot take effect; by relying upon a king, there are no thieves. It is like a sprout relying upon earth, water, fire, and wind, or like milk being churned by a person acting as a remote cause of ghee; like ignorance and form acting as remote causes of consciousness; or like the parents' essence and blood acting as a remote cause of a sentient being. Things like seasons are all called remote causes. Good man, the substance of nirvāṇa is not produced by these five causes. How could it be said that it is caused by the impermanent? All phenomena further have two kinds of causes: the first is the productive cause (kāraka-hetu), and the second is the illuminative cause (jñāpaka-hetu). It is like the potter's wheel and cord; this is called the productive cause. It is like a lamp illuminating an object in the dark; this is called the illuminative cause. Good man, great nirvāṇa does not proceed from a productive cause; it has an illuminative cause. The illuminative cause refers to the thirty-seven factors of awakening and the six pāramitās; these are called the illuminative cause. It also says: The three gates of liberation and the thirty-seven factors [of awakening] can act as the non-generative generative cause of all afflictions, and also act as the illuminative cause of nirvāṇa. Good man, being far removed from afflictions, one can clearly see nirvāṇa. For this reason, nirvāṇa has only an illuminative cause, and has no generative cause. It also says: If one is apart from these thirty-seven factors, one can never attain the true fruit of a śrāvaka, up to the fruit of anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi, and one will not see the Buddha-nature and the fruit of Buddha-nature. For this reason, holy practice (brahmacarya) is precisely the thirty-seven factors. Why is this? The nature of the thirty-seven factors is not erroneous, and can destroy error; its nature is not wrong view, and can destroy wrong view; its nature is not fearful, and can destroy fear. Because its nature is pure conduct, it can cause sentient beings ultimately to perform pure brahmacarya.