諸經要集 11.28

11.28

The Commentary says: This clarifies meritorious actions: in contrast to the preceding sinful actions, these meritorious actions are explained. First, explaining ordinary beings cultivating the good of the desire realm: as long as with a distracted mind they cultivate various concrete merits and are born in the lower realm, it is called karma of the desire realm. Among the five destinies, all are able to generate it. First, explaining regarding hell: according to the Abhidharma, beings in hell also have three wholesome karmas, namely the three wholesome roots of the mental ground. These are only possessed as acquisitions, not as active manifestations. Because it is a place of adversity, they mostly do not hear the Dharma or deliberate upon approaching the Path; hence there is no active manifestation. If we discuss innately acquired wholesome roots, hell also has them: as King Xianyu killed five hundred brahmins, was born in hell, gave rise to a faithful mind, and was born in the Land of Amṛta; hence we know there is active manifestation. According to the Tattvasiddhi-śāstra, it is also said that hell has the active manifestation of good: although they lack exertion and expedients to give rise to good and cultivate to attain the noble path, they have innately acquired wholesome roots that generate good. That is, from beginningless time all sentient beings have cultivated worldly faith, vigor, mindfulness, and so forth, and have not generated wrong views slandering the nonexistence of cause and effect; this good is not destroyed, and upon being born they attain it, which is named innately acquired good. Based on these wholesome roots they are able to give rise to a wholesome mind. If there are those whose past karma generates a powerful condition, the Great Sage manifests a transformation to make their suffering cease, expounds the Dharma of the Path for them, and they are able to cultivate expedients. Second, animals, dragons, and the like also cultivate good: as in the Nirvāṇa Sūtra, when the Buddha was expounding the meaning, immeasurable birds and beasts gave rise to the bodhicitta and were born in the heavens. According to the Abhidharma, the ten virtues of ghosts and animals are not subsumed under moral discipline (saṃvara), because the seven wholesome moral disciplines of body and speech arise universally toward all sentient beings, and ghosts and spirits are incapable of receiving them. Therefore the Sarvāstivāda-śāstra states: 'Because animals are foolish and dull, they do not generate moral discipline.' According to the Tattvasiddhi, ghosts, spirits, animals, and the like also attain the precepts.