淨名經關中釋抄 1.4

1.4

第一釋名門中復有三意。初辯教起所由。次明翻譯帝代。後正釋經題。初教起所由有通有別。通明諸經者有三意。一為滿本願故一切諸佛行菩薩道。皆發四弘誓願。今為答初眾生無邊誓願度故說教也。故肇師云。結僧那於始心終大悲以赴難。如下文云。菩薩取於淨國者皆為饒益諸眾生故。又法華經云。我本立誓願欲令一切眾如我等無異。二為酬請主故。如法華經明。如來成道經三七日。梵王帝釋及四天王請佛轉法輪。問。梵王等請佛三轉十二行法輪。豈請轉大乘耶。答。大論明說般若。由是酬王請。故知亦請大也。又下經中天帝四王皆發誓弘經。豈非慶佛酬請故也。三為赴根緣故。但佛大慈悲根熟即化。何必要須請也。故文云眾人不請友而安之。菩薩尚爾。況如來耶。問。根緣多種。如何稱會。答。如來以四悉檀赴諸根緣故能會不失機。然大經明。生生等不可說。以因緣故亦可得說。因緣者即悉檀方便也。是生眾教之緣。是起眾行之因。將明此義三門分別。第一翻名解釋。第二辯其體相。第三明發起教行。初翻釋者。悉檀者。或云有翻。或云無翻。其意如釋經字中明。言有翻者。或云宗成。或云墨。或云印。或云實。或云成就究竟等。如是對翻非一。難可定存。此隨根說法離文字之宗印等也。南岳師云。此例如大涅槃經梵漢稱也。悉是隨音。檀是梵語。悉之言遍。檀翻為施。佛以此法遍施眾生故云也。第二辯相者。一世界。二各各為人。三對治。四第一義。大聖為破外道邪四悉檀故。說此正四悉檀。起一切大小乘教也。第一世界悉檀者。即是眾生五蘊十二入十八界一切諸法名相隔別不同故名世界。外人迷此世界。或計無因緣有世界。或計邪因緣有世界。大聖隨眾生所欲樂聞為說正因緣世界之法令眾生得世間正見。即是世間法施。二各各為人悉檀者。大聖觀人心而為說法。人心各各不同故於一事或聽不聽。如經所說。雜執業故雜生世間雜觸雜受。更有破群邪經說無人得觸無人得受。此意正為破執生信增長善根施諸善法。故名各各為人悉檀。三對治悉檀者。大智度論云。有法對治則有寶性故無有者。即是貪欲多者教修不淨觀。瞋恚多者教修慈心觀。愚癡多者教觀因緣觀也。佛說對治之法藥遍施眾生為斷其惡。故名對治悉檀也。第四第一義悉檀者。大智論云。明第一義有二種。一約不可說。二約可說。初不可說即是諸佛辟支佛阿羅漢真實法。故大論云。言論盡竟心行亦訖。又如大經說。諸行處名世界。說不行處名第一義。約可說者。如大論云。一切法實。一切不實。一切亦實。一切非實非不實。皆名諸法之實相。佛於如是等處處諸經說第一義悉檀相。此即是一家所明。四門入第一義竟。中論云。若為向道之人聞說四句即能悟入即是諸法實相。若人聞說四句心生取著皆是戲論。此即初隨樂欲。二隨便宜。三隨對治。四第一義故。寶積歎佛樂說辯云。佛以一音演說法。或有恐畏。或歡喜。或生厭離。或斷疑。斯則神力不共法。恐畏者。世界悉檀為說三界火宅故恐怖。歡喜者。為人悉檀發本善根得法喜也。或生厭離者。即是厭患煩惱興對治也。斷疑即第一義悉檀。初入見道見諦理分明故斷疑也。第三明起一切教行者。大論明四悉檀起十二部經八萬四千法藏即是世界悉檀。起八萬四千諸塵勞門。各各為人悉檀。起八萬四千三昧門諸陀羅尼門。對治悉檀。起八萬四千諸對治門對治八萬四千諸煩惱也。第一義悉檀起八萬四千諸法門。亦名八萬四千諸波羅蜜門。乃至大小乘經漸頓諸教通別二論聖說聖默皆因悉檀方便而建立。

Within the first section, explaining the title, there are again three points: first, discerning the reasons for the arising of the teaching; second, clarifying the era and imperial dynasty of its translation; third, properly explaining the title of the sūtra. First, regarding the reasons for the arising of the teaching, there are general and specific aspects. Clarifying it generally for all sūtras, there are three points. First, to fulfill their fundamental vows: when all buddhas practice the bodhisattva path, they all make the four great vows. Now, the teaching is spoken in order to fulfill the first vow: 'Sentient beings are boundless; I vow to deliver them.' Therefore Master Zhao says: 'He bound the armor [of resolution] at his initial aspiration, and culminated in great compassion to respond to distress.' As the text below says: 'That the bodhisattva takes a pure land is entirely for the sake of bringing benefit to sentient beings.' Furthermore, the Lotus Sūtra says: 'I originally made a vow, desiring to make all beings identical to me without distinction.' Second, to respond to the requests of patrons: as the Lotus Sūtra explains, when the Tathāgata attained the Way, after three periods of seven days had passed, Brahmā, Śakra, and the Four Heavenly Kings requested the Buddha to turn the wheel of the Dharma. Question: Brahmā and the others requested the Buddha to turn the wheel of the Dharma in three turnings and twelve aspects; how could they have requested the turning of the Mahāyāna? Answer: The Da zhidu lun explains that the preaching of prajñā was in response to the request of the kings; therefore we know they also requested the Mahāyāna. Furthermore, later in this sūtra the Heavenly Emperor and the Four Kings all make vows to propagate the sūtra; is this not out of rejoicing that the Buddha responded to their request? Third, to respond to faculties and conditions: the Buddha simply acts with great loving-kindness and compassion; as soon as faculties are mature, he transforms them—why must there necessarily be a request? Therefore the text says: 'He acts as a friend to beings without their asking, bringing them peace.' If a bodhisattva is like this, how much more so the Tathāgata! Question: There are many kinds of faculties and conditions; how are they matched and harmonized? Answer: The Tathāgata responds to all faculties and conditions by means of the four siddhāntas; therefore he can match them without missing the capacity [of any being]. Now, the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra explains that arising-arising and so on cannot be spoken, yet on account of causes and conditions, it can also be spoken. 'Causes and conditions' refers to the skillful means of the siddhāntas. They are the conditions that give rise to the multitude of teachings, and the causes that initiate the multitude of practices. In order to clarify this meaning, it is divided into three sections: first, translating the term and explaining it; second, discerning its essence and characteristics; third, clarifying how it gives rise to teaching and practice. First, regarding the translation and explanation: concerning 'siddhānta', some say it has a translation, while others say it is untranslated. Its meaning is as clarified in the explanation of the character 'sūtra'. Among those who say it has a translation, some say it means 'purport achieved', some say 'ink', some say 'seal', some say 'real', and some say 'accomplishment and culmination', and so on. Such opposing translations are not single; it is difficult to settle definitively. These [terms] refer to preaching the Dharma according to faculties, the purport and seal that transcend letters, and so on. Master Nanyue says: this is analogous to the Sanskrit-Chinese compound titles in the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra. 'Xi' (悉) accords with phonetic sound, while 'tan' (檀) is the Indic term. 'Xi' means universal, and 'tan' (dāna) is translated as giving. It is so called because the Buddha takes this Dharma and gives it universally to sentient beings. Second, regarding discerning the characteristics: first, worldly; second, individual; third, therapeutic; fourth, ultimate-meaning. The Great Sage spoke these four correct siddhāntas to refute the four false siddhāntas of the non-Buddhists, thereby giving rise to all the teachings of the Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna. First, the worldly siddhānta: this refers to sentient beings' five aggregates, twelve sense bases, and eighteen elements, in which all dharmas are distinguished and differentiated in name and mark, and are not the same; hence it is called 'worldly'. Non-Buddhists are confused about this world: some imagine that the world exists without causes and conditions, while some imagine that the world exists through false causes and conditions. The Great Sage, adapting to what sentient beings desire and delight to hear, preaches the worldly Dharma of correct causes and conditions for them, causing sentient beings to attain worldly right view. This is the giving of worldly Dharma. Second, the individual siddhānta: the Great Sage observes the minds of people and preaches the Dharma for them. Because people's minds are individually different, regarding a single matter he may permit or not permit it. As a sūtra says: 'Because of variegated karmic grasping, they are variegately born into the world, experiencing variegated contact and variegated feeling.' There is another sūtra, the Po qunxie jing, which says: 'No person attains contact; no person attains feeling.' This intention is precisely to break attachments, generate faith, increase good roots, and bestow all wholesome dharmas; therefore it is called the individual siddhānta. Third, the therapeutic siddhānta: the Da zhidu lun says: 'Because there is a Dharma antidote, there is the precious nature; therefore it is not non-existent.' This means: for those with much lust, he teaches the contemplation of impurity; for those with much anger, he teaches the contemplation of loving-kindness; for those with much delusion, he teaches the contemplation of causes and conditions. The Buddha preaches the medicinal Dharma of antidotes and bestows it universally upon sentient beings to cut off their evil; therefore it is called the therapeutic siddhānta. Fourth, the ultimate-meaning siddhānta: the Da zhidu lun says that there are two kinds in clarifying the ultimate meaning: first, in terms of what cannot be spoken; second, in terms of what can be spoken. First, what cannot be spoken refers to the real Dharma of all buddhas, pratyekabuddhas, and arhats. Thus the Da zhidu lun says: 'Discourse comes to an end, and the operation of the mind also ceases.' Furthermore, as the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says: 'The realm where activities operate is called the world; where activities do not operate is called the ultimate meaning.' In terms of what can be spoken, as the Da zhidu lun says: 'All dharmas are real; all are unreal; all are both real and unreal; all are neither real nor unreal—all are called the true mark of all dharmas.' In various sūtras in such places, the Buddha preaches the characteristics of the ultimate-meaning siddhānta. This concludes what our tradition clarifies: entering the ultimate meaning through the four gates. The Mūlamadhyamakakārikā says: 'If a person inclined toward the Way hears the four propositions spoken and is able to awaken and enter, this is the true mark of all dharmas. If a person hears the four propositions spoken and gives rise to grasping and attachment in their mind, all of it is conceptual proliferation.' This corresponds to: first, according to desires; second, according to suitability; third, according to therapy; fourth, according to the ultimate meaning. Therefore, when Ratnakūṭa praises the Buddha's eloquence of delightful speech, he says: 'The Buddha expounds the Dharma with a single voice: / Some feel fear, / Some rejoice, / Some give rise to revulsion, / Or cut off doubt. / These are the spiritual powers and unshared dharmas.' 'Fear' means that through the worldly siddhānta, because he preaches on the burning house of the triple world, they are terrified. 'Rejoice' means that through the individual siddhānta, their fundamental good roots are aroused and they attain the joy of the Dharma. 'Give rise to revulsion' refers to being weary and repulsed by the afflictions, which initiates the therapeutic [antidote]. 'Cutting off doubt' is the ultimate-meaning siddhānta: initially entering the path of seeing, they see the principle of the truths clearly and distinctly, and therefore cut off doubt. Third, clarifying how it gives rise to all teachings and practices: the Da zhidu lun explains that the four siddhāntas give rise to the twelve divisions of scriptures and eighty-four thousand Dharma treasuries, which is the worldly siddhānta. They give rise to the eighty-four thousand gates of defilements; the individual siddhānta gives rise to the eighty-four thousand samādhi gates and dhāraṇī gates; the therapeutic siddhānta gives rise to the eighty-four thousand therapeutic gates to cure the eighty-four thousand afflictions; the ultimate-meaning siddhānta gives rise to the eighty-four thousand Dharma gates, also called the eighty-four thousand pāramitā gates. Even up to the scriptures of the Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna, the gradual and sudden teachings, the general and specific treatises, and noble speech and noble silence—all are established based on the skillful means of the siddhāntas.