金剛般若經旨贊 1.97

1.97

Sūtra: Subhūti, [what do you think? Does a stream-enterer have this thought: 'I have attained the fruit of a stream-enterer'?] up to: [fruit of an arhat?] / Commentary: Above explained seeking the fruit; below explains departing from obstacles. This is the fourth among the eight: the state of departing from obstacles. Among the eighteen, it comprises twelve abodes, namely from the fifth to the sixteenth. In them, one cultivates twelve kinds of practice to counteract twelve kinds of obstacles such as conceit; therefore, they are collectively named the abodes of departing from obstacles. The twelve obstacles are: first, conceit; second, little learning; third, little mindfulness of climbing conditions in cultivating the path; fourth, abandoning sentient beings; fifth, delighting in following non-Buddhist treatises with distraction; sixth, lacking skillful means regarding mastery in images and characteristics; seventh, merit provisions being incomplete; eighth, relishing the taste of indolence and so forth; ninth, not enduring suffering; tenth, lacking wisdom provisions; eleventh, joy in agitation; twelfth, lacking personal instruction. Departing from the twelve obstacles is accordingly divided into twelve. The first, departing from conceit, is the abode without conceit within the fifth [abode], 'gaining supremacy in cultivating the path,' which severs the fifth doubt concerning noble beings' attainment and preaching, causing one to cultivate the true, supreme practice free from conceit. Having previously generated the resolve to encompass sentient beings universally, next being able to cultivate and extensively give rise to all practices, and later seeking the fruit of buddhahood and longing for the physical and Dharma bodies, out of this there arises the conceit of gaining supremacy. Already harboring haughtiness, the obstacle is already deep; further deluded about the unconditioned mark, one turns around to generate doubtful thoughts: 'If it is said that noble beings attain through the unconditioned, and that the unconditioned Dharma is without grasping and without preaching, why then are all [those of] the four fruits able to know for themselves: "I have attained that fruit," and preach according to their realization? If there is no grasping and no preaching, why is it necessary to cultivate?' Because of conceit, though cultivating, they do not advance; because of doubt, they further do not wish to cultivate. Now, intending to sever the mind of doubt and conceit and cause them to cultivate the supreme practice free from conceit, it is stated that the wisdom and virtue of the lesser fruits are exceedingly subtle, yet even at the time of realization they are without grasping and without preaching; how much less should you bodhisattvas harbor a conceited mind and, on the contrary, doubt that noble beings have attainment and preaching! Since there are these two intentions behind this text, the two treatises each take up one of them: Asaṅga, in terms of eliminating the obstacle, calls it 'the abode of departing from conceit'; Vasubandhu, with respect to severing doubtful feelings, calls it 'severing [doubt about] noble beings' attainment and preaching.' The text is divided into two: first, questions and answers on the four fruits, intending to clarify departing from conceit; later, the venerable Subhūti adduces himself as proof. The initial questions and answers on the four fruits are divided into four: each of the four texts contains four [parts]—the question, the answer, the demand, and the explanation. The meaning of what is asked is: at the very moment of realizing the fruit, would [one] possibly generate this thought: 'Can I realize stream-entry and so forth, or not?' The meaning of the answer is that at the very moment of realizing the fruit, one does not generate this thought. The meaning of the demand is: why is it that one does not generate the thought of realization? The meaning of what is explained is: in Sanskrit it is srotāpanna, which is translated here as 'entering the stream' or 'joining the stream.' Being able to eradicate the afflictions of view and realize the unconditioned, one attains the first fruit; because one joins the class of noble beings, it is called 'joining the stream.' Having realized the unconditioned, one is free from all marks: internally one does not see any mark of entering the stream, and externally one does not receive the spheres of the six sense-objects. Because both interior and exterior are eliminated, and grasping and grasped are also departed from, at the very moment of realization one does not generate this thought. A sakṛdāgāmin is called a once-returner: namely, having severed six grades of the afflictions of cultivation in the desire realm and realized the unconditioned, one achieves the second fruit; because of the lower three grades, that noble being goes once to heaven and comes once to the human realm in the desire realm, and then enters parinirvāṇa, which is called 'once returning.' An anāgāmin is translated here as 'non-returning' or 'never-returning': namely, having completely severed all nine grades of afflictions in the desire realm and realized the unconditioned, one achieves the third fruit; born into the upper two realms, one then enters parinirvāṇa and never again returns to be born in the desire realm; therefore, this fruit is called 'non-returning' and so forth. An arhat is translated here as 'non-arising': namely, having completely severed the afflictions of view and cultivation in the three realms and realized the unconditioned, one achieves the fourth fruit; no longer receiving birth in the three realms, the fourth fruit is called 'non-arising.' This text has two [aspects]: direct explanation conforming to the above, and implicitly highlighting by contrast what preceded. 'Truly there is no phenomenon called an arhat' is the direct explanation: although one attains the noble fruit called arhat and so forth, at the very moment of realization one is free from all marks, and truly does not have thoughts such as 'non-arising'; therefore, it says 'truly there is no phenomenon' and so forth. In the section on the anāgāmin, it should have said 'yet truly there is no non-returning'; merely saying 'yet truly there is no returning' lacks the character 'non' (bu)—this was an error by the translator, not the intention of the sūtra. It is strictly through non-attainment that one realizes the unconditioned; therefore, one comes to be named an arhat and so forth. 'World-Honoured One...' and so on is highlighting by contrast: if at the very moment of realization one had the thought 'I have attained,' one would be identical to an ordinary person who has not yet realized the true, clinging to the self-view and so forth; how could one be called a noble being? Since there are no such views of self, person, and so on, upon attaining the fruit one does not generate this thought. Here in the case of the arhat, there is a text highlighting by contrast, which also implicitly applies to the previous three fruits. This is spoken with respect to the time of entering contemplation and directly realizing; when emerging from contemplation, persons of the first three fruits still have innate self-views that are not yet exhausted, and persons of the fourth fruit still retain views of phenomena; since there are statements such as 'My rebirths have been exhausted,' they must also form the understanding 'I have attained the fruit.' Here, speaking with respect to direct realization, they do not generate this thought. Therefore, Vasubandhu's treatise verses this meaning, saying: