藥師經疏 1.72

1.72

經。其人至法王之前　二使者追魂。閻摩者唐本云琰魔。宋本名閻羅。音有輕重。此云靜息。以靜息罪人令後過不起前過易滅故名靜息。如將罪人至彼王前恐其拒諱。更增忘語罪無由息。便以神力化作罪人。本昔為罪處所相狀令其即伏。由伏罪故不起拒諱忘語之罪靜息後過令不滋蔓故名靜息。又以正法勸諸罪人。令於前罪生重慚愧罪得易滅故稱法主。是鬼趣攝在於地下五百踰繕那別有住處。廣如瑜伽俱舍論說。諸鬼本處。琰魔王國於此贍部洲下過五百踰繕那有琰魔王國。從廣量等。從此展轉散居餘處。或有端嚴具大威德受諸富樂如自在天。或有飢羸顏貌醜陋。如是等類廣說。如經引其神識置於閻摩法王之前者。若有患人決定便死。則受鬼身容可閻王別遣兒為使而引取之。如未定死。則不受鬼身。何有鬼身得引生人之識。不可人之識在別鬼身中。若不在鬼使身中識心既不孤遊。云何引得至閻摩王前。當知此是藥師如來。及經之威力。令彼患人第六意識見分之上起此三種解行。相分一為閻摩王。二為王使。三為己身。為自神識所依隨使而行至閻王前。其實神識未曾離身。若是本識隨行捨處。則成死屍不可說離身。若是六七等識。依本識故而得現起。若離本識無種子故。無由得生。是故八識俱無離身孤行之理。如人夢中師僧父母遣使來喚。夢見己身。隨使而行達至師僧或父母前。當知師僧或復父母。使人己身皆是第六意識是分之上現此三種相分。似有去來實無去來。所以然者。以一切心及心所取境之時。非如燈明舒光照物。但如明鏡遠照影現鏡中如人在地遠見日月此亦如是。藥師如來及經威力。令彼患人見。如此相似有往來實無往來故。涅槃經第九卷云。若有聞是大涅槃經言。我不用發菩提心誹謗正法。是人夢中見羅剎像。心中怖懅羅剎語言。咄善男子。汝今若不發菩提心當斷汝命。是人惶怖。覺已即發菩提之心。是人命終。若在三惡及在人天續復憶念菩提之心。以是義故。是大涅槃威神力故。能令未發菩提心者作菩提因。

Sūtra: 'That person... before King Yama, the King of Dharma.' Part 2: Emissaries pursuing the spirit. 'Yama' (閻摩) is given as 'Yanmo' (琰魔) in the Tang version and 'Yanluo' (閻羅) in the Song version, differing in the lightness and heaviness of pronunciation; here translated as 'Still and Pacifying' (靜息). Because he pacifies sinners, causing future faults not to arise and past faults to be easily eradicated, he is called 'Still and Pacifying.' For example, when leading a sinner before that King, fearing that the person will deny and conceal it, thereby further increasing the sin of lying and having no way to cease, [the King] uses supernatural power to transform and manifest the sinner's original places and forms of sinning in the past, causing him to submit at once. Because he submits to his sin, the sin of denying, concealing, and lying does not arise, thus pacifying future faults and preventing them from proliferating; hence he is called 'Still and Pacifying.' Furthermore, using the correct Dharma, he admonishes the sinners, causing them to generate deep shame and remorse regarding their past sins so that the sins may be easily eradicated; hence he is called 'Lord of Dharma.' He belongs to the realm of ghosts, five hundred yojanas beneath the earth, having a distinct dwelling place, as explained in detail in the Yogācārabhūmi and Abhidharmakośa-bhāṣya. The original realm of ghosts, the kingdom of King Yama, is five hundred yojanas below this Jambudvīpa, where there is the kingdom of King Yama, with its extent and measurements. From there, they spread out and reside in other places. Some are dignified and upright, possessing great majesty and virtue, enjoying various riches and pleasures like the Parinirmita-vaśavartin devas; some are starved, emaciated, and ugly in appearance. Such categories are broadly explained as in the sūtras. Regarding 'leading their vijñāna and placing it before Yama, King of Dharma': if a sick person is definitely about to die, they would then assume the body of a ghost, and it would be plausible for King Yama to dispatch a demon messenger to lead and take them away. But if they are not yet destined to die, they do not assume the body of a ghost; how could a ghost-body lead the consciousness of a living person? It cannot be that the person's consciousness is inside another ghost's body. If it is not within the body of the ghost-messenger, and consciousness cannot travel alone, how can it be led to King Yama? One should know that this is the majestic power of Bhaiṣajyaguru Tathāgata and the sūtra, causing these three kinds of conceptual activities to arise upon the darśana-bhāga of that sick person's sixth mano-vijñāna: the nimitta-bhāga [appears] first as King Yama, second as the King's messenger, and third as one's own body. Serving as the support for one's own vijñāna, it follows the messenger and travels before King Yama. In reality, the vijñāna has never left the body. If it were the mūla-vijñāna that accompanied them and abandoned its locus, then the body would become a corpse; it cannot be said to leave the body. If it were the sixth or seventh consciousnesses, they arise in manifestation relying on the mūla-vijñāna; if separated from the mūla-vijñāna, having no seeds, they have no way to arise. Therefore, there is no principle by which any of the eight consciousnesses could leave the body and travel alone. It is like when a person dreams that a master, monk, or parents dispatch a messenger to summon them, and in the dream they see their own body following the messenger and arriving before the master, monk, or parents. One should know that the master, monk, parents, messenger, and one's own body are all manifestations of these three kinds of nimitta-bhāga upon the darśana-bhāga of the sixth mano-vijñāna; it seems as though there is coming and going, but in reality there is no coming and going. Why is this? Because when all minds and mental factors take objects, it is not like a lamp spreading light to illuminate things, but rather like a clear mirror reflecting from afar, with images appearing in the mirror, or like a person on the ground seeing the sun and moon from afar. This is also like that. The majestic power of Bhaiṣajyaguru Tathāgata and the sūtra causes that sick person to see such resemblances: there seems to be coming and going, but in reality there is no coming and going. Therefore, the ninth fascicle of the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says: 'If anyone hears this Great Nirvāṇa Sūtra and says, "I have no need to give rise to the bodhi-mind," slandering the correct Dharma, this person in a dream sees the form of a rākṣasa and is terrified at heart. The rākṣasa speaks, saying: "Hey, kulaputra! If you do not give rise to the bodhi-mind now, I shall cut off your life!" This person is terrified, and upon awakening immediately gives rise to the bodhi-mind. When this person's life ends, whether in the three bad destinies or among humans and devas, they continually recollect the bodhi-mind. For this reason, through the majestic spiritual power of the Great Nirvāṇa, it can cause those who have not given rise to the bodhi-mind to establish a cause for bodhi.'