釋氏要覽 2.324

2.324

有四焉。一父母恩。二師長恩。三國王恩。四施主恩○大乘本生心地觀經。佛言。世間恩有四種。一父母恩。二眾生恩。三國主恩。四三寶恩。如是四恩。一切眾生。平等荷負父母者。父有慈恩。母有悲恩。若我住世。一劫說不能盡。二眾生恩者。無始已來。一切眾生。輪轉五道。互為父母。各有大恩故。三國王恩者。福德最勝。雖生人間。得大自在。三十三天。常以其力。護持國界。山河大地盡屬國王。是故。大聖王以正法化。能使眾生。悉皆安樂○後譯華嚴經云。國有君王。一切獲安。是故。人王為一切眾生安樂之本。在家出家精心道撿。皆依正國而得住持。演化流布。若無王力。功行不成。法滅無餘。況能利濟。是故。所修一切功德。六分之一。常屬國王。願王福山崇固難壞○薩遮經云。王者民之父母。以法攝護眾生。令安樂故○又禮佛時。常為諸天龍神願。風雨順時。文武百官。常居祿位者。西域記云。大臣者。國之重鎮。農務者人之命食國失鎮則危。人絕食則死。又佛法付囑國王大臣故。常須繫心祝願也。四三寶恩者。佛法僧寶。具足無量。神通變化。利樂有情。暫無休息○正法念經云。如來。三界最勝。度脫生死。此恩難報。若於佛法深心。得不壞信是名報恩○華嚴經偈云。如來無數劫。勤苦為眾生。云何諸世間。不報大師恩○報恩經云。父母者三界最勝福田○毘奈耶律云。父母於子。有大勞苦。護持長養。資以乳哺假使一肩持母。一肩持父。經於百劫徒自疲勞。或持七寶種種供養令得富樂。亦未報父母恩。若其父母無信者令起信心。若無戒者。令住禁戒。若性慳者令行惠施。若無智慧者。令起智慧。子能如是。方曰報恩○不思議光經云。非飲食及寶能報父母恩。引導向正法。便為供二親○彌沙塞律云。佛言從今聽比丘盡心盡壽供養父母。若不供養得重罪又云。我聽五處縱極破戒。應供養所謂父母親教師（受業和尚也）。軌範師。及病人。又云出家人。於父母應供養供給。於三衣外自餘物或從施主乞。或從僧得利。或僧所常食之分。減半供給。若常乞食亦與己所滿腹食內。應取其半。濟其父母○中心經云。佛言知師恩者。見師則承事。不見則思惟教誡。如孝子之念父母。如人念飲食等○大方廣不思議境界經云。當供養父母。和尚。及世間。曾致饒益。賴其恩者應念倍增報恩。何以故。知恩者。雖在生死。不壞善根。不知恩者。善根斷滅。是故。諸佛稱讚知恩報恩者○或問釋氏為俗人作疏子亦有云奉為四恩者。其國王父母可知。其師長施主何耶。答經不云。及世間曾致饒益。賴其恩者。若教授經書伎術事業。或令避惡從善者。皆師長也。夫師者教以道之稱也。若假借財本拯苦與樂者皆施主也。夫施者有三種。一財施謂與人財。二心施謂慈悲心與人樂。三法施謂說法利人等。

There are four kinds: First, the kindness of parents. Second, the kindness of teachers and elders. Third, the kindness of the king. Fourth, the kindness of donors. The Mahāyāna Sūtra of the Mental Contemplation of the Buddha's Original Life says: The Buddha said: 'There are four kinds of kindness in the world: first, the kindness of parents; second, the kindness of sentient beings; third, the kindness of the ruler of the country; fourth, the kindness of the Three Jewels. These four kindnesses are borne equally by all sentient beings. As for parents, the father has the kindness of loving-kindness, and the mother has the kindness of compassion. Even if I were to abide in the world for an entire kalpa, I could not finish explaining them. Second, as for the kindness of sentient beings: from the beginningless past, all sentient beings have transmigrated through the five destinies, mutually being parents to each other, each possessing great kindness. Third, as for the kindness of the king: his merit and virtue are most supreme; though born among humans, he attains great sovereignty. The Thirty-Three Devas constantly use their power to protect and uphold the state and territory; the mountains, rivers, and the great earth all belong to the king. Therefore, the great sage king transforms through the correct Dharma, and is able to make all sentient beings peaceful and happy.' The later translation of the Avataṃsaka-sūtra says: 'When a country has a sovereign king, all obtain peace. Therefore, the king of men is the foundation of peace and happiness for all sentient beings. The diligent inspection of the path by those at home and those who have left home relies entirely on a righteous state to abide, proclaim, and spread. Without the royal power, meritorious practice cannot be accomplished, and the Dharma would perish without remainder, let alone be able to benefit and deliver. Therefore, one-sixth of all merit cultivated constantly belongs to the king; may the mountain of the king's blessings be lofty, solid, and hard to destroy.' The Satyavadhāna-sūtra says: 'The king is the father and mother of the people; through the Dharma he gathers and protects sentient beings, making them peaceful and happy.' Furthermore, when worshipping the Buddha, one constantly makes wishes for the devas, nāgas, and spirits that the wind and rain may be seasonal, and that the civil and military officials may always remain in their emoluments and positions; the Records of the Western Regions says: 'Ministers of state are the heavy bulwarks of the state; farming is the sustaining food of the people. If the state loses its bulwark, it is endangered; if the people are deprived of food, they die.' Moreover, because the Buddha-Dharma was entrusted to kings and ministers, one must always maintain this in mind and make wishes for them. Fourth, as for the kindness of the Three Jewels: the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha treasures are endowed with immeasurable spiritual powers and transformations, benefiting and gladdening sentient beings without resting for a moment. The Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna-sūtra says: 'The Tathāgata is the most supreme in the three realms, delivering from birth and death; this kindness is difficult to repay. If in the Buddha-Dharma one attains unfaltering faith with a deep mind, this is called repaying kindness.' A verse of the Avataṃsaka-sūtra says: 'The Tathāgata for countless kalpas / Labored diligently for sentient beings; / How could the worlds / Fail to repay the Great Teacher's kindness?' The Sūtra on Repaying Kindness says: 'Parents are the most supreme field of merit in the three realms.' The Vinaya says: 'Parents undergo great toil for their children, protecting, sustaining, and nourishing them with milk. Even if one were to carry one's mother on one shoulder and one's father on the other shoulder throughout a hundred kalpas, one would only exhaust oneself in vain; or even if one were to offer various seven-jewel treasures to make them wealthy and joyful, one would still not have repaid one's parents' kindness. If one's parents lack faith, one should cause them to give rise to faith; if they lack precepts, one should cause them to abide in the prohibitive precepts; if their nature is stingy, one should cause them to practice generosity; if they lack wisdom, one should cause them to give rise to wisdom. Only when a child can do this is it called repaying kindness.' The Acintyaprabhāsa-sūtra says: 'It is not by food, drink, and jewels that one can repay parents' kindness; guiding them toward the correct Dharma is indeed making offerings to both parents.' The Mahīśāsaka Vinaya says: 'The Buddha said: "From this day forward, I permit monks to make offerings to their parents with all their heart and for their entire lives; if they do not make offerings, they incur a grave offense."' It also says: 'I permit that in five places, even if they have severely broken the precepts, one should make offerings: namely, father, mother, preceptor (the master who confers ordination), mentor, and the sick.' It also says: 'One who has left home should provide offerings to parents. Aside from the three robes, from other things, whether begged from donors, gained as monastic distributions, or from the regular portion of monastic food, one should reduce it by half to provide for them. If one regularly begs for food, from the food that fills one's own belly, one should also take half to relieve one's parents.' The Sūtra on the Central Mind says: 'The Buddha said: "One who knows the teacher's kindness serves the teacher when seeing him, and contemplates his admonitions when not seeing him, just as a filial child longs for parents, or as one longs for food and drink."' The Mahāvaipulya Sūtra of the Inconceivable Realm says: 'One should make offerings to parents, the preceptor, and those in the world who have brought benefit and on whose kindness one has relied, mindfulness of repaying kindness should be redoubled. Why? Those who know kindness, though in birth and death, do not destroy their roots of goodness; those who do not know kindness have their roots of goodness severed and extinguished. Therefore, all Buddhas praise those who know kindness and repay kindness.' Someone asked: 'When Buddhists compose petition documents for laypeople, some also say: "Respectfully offered on behalf of the four kindnesses." The king and parents can be understood; what about teachers, elders, and donors?' The answer is: Does the sūtra not say, 'and those in the world who have brought benefit and on whose kindness one has relied'? If they taught scriptures, books, crafts, arts, and professions, or caused one to avoid evil and follow good, they are all teachers and elders. A 'teacher' is indeed the designation for one who instructs in the Way. If someone lent capital and wealth to relieve suffering and bestow joy, they are all donors. Donors are of three kinds: first, donors of material wealth, which means giving people wealth; second, donors of mind, which means bestowing joy on people with a compassionate mind; third, donors of Dharma, which means expounding the Dharma to benefit people, and so forth.