淨名經關中釋抄 2.4.3

2.4.3

[The text] does not fully explain the reason. Regarding 'with a mind [subject to] arising and ceasing, expounding the teaching of the true mark': conditioned phenomena are shifted by the four marks; this is called arising and ceasing. Phenomena that arise and cease are produced from causes and conditions. That conditioned phenomena lack self-nature in their substance is called the true mark. Furthermore, the Lesser Vehicle, because of grasping at arising, has the four meanings of impermanence, suffering, emptiness, and non-self. Because of grasping at cessation, it has the meaning of quiescent extinction. The former four are revulsion; the latter one is rejoicing. Now the Great Vehicle awakens to non-arising and non-ceasing; therefore this is the meaning of the true mark. Yet Kātyāyana spoke of conditioned arising and impermanence, which was using the Lesser Vehicle's teaching of the true mark. Regarding 'impermanence is itself the true mark': permanence and impermanence being non-dual is itself the true mark. Speaking of permanence apart from permanence—the four meanings below arising and ceasing should be understood by analogy with this. Regarding 'the meaning of suffering is itself the true mark': the Viśeṣacintibrahma-paripṛcchā states, 'Knowing that suffering is unarisen is the noble truth of suffering.' The Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra states, 'Ordinary people have suffering but no truth; those of the two vehicles have suffering and have the truth; bodhisattvas understand suffering as without suffering.' Yet the ultimate truth is in all cases the meaning of the true mark. Because these five meanings of the Great and Lesser [Vehicles] are difficult to understand, [the master] briefly resorts to a metaphor: it is like a mother nursing an infant; seeing it cry unceasingly, she frightens it, saying, 'A ghost is coming!' When [the child] is under one year old, hearing of the ghost it is not frightened; this is an analogy for ordinary people hearing of the impermanence of the five aggregates and their minds not being revulsed. From two or three years old onward, hearing of the ghost it is immediately frightened; this is an analogy for the two vehicles hearing of impermanence and the like, and their minds feeling revulsion and seeking detachment. When it reaches the age of fifteen, hearing it said that a ghost is coming, it fully understands that ghosts originally do not exist, and it was merely provisional speech because the child was crying; this is an analogy for bodhisattvas fully understanding that the aggregates are unarisen, suffering and so forth are merely the Tathāgata's provisional names and skillful means to guide beings, and this is the true meaning. 'Aniruddha' in the Qin language means 'as desired' (ruyi); it also means 'without poverty', or 'non-extinction'. In the past he once offered a single meal to a pratyekabuddha, and for ninety-one kalpas he continuously received the retribution of having things as desired in the heavens; hence he is called 'As Desired'. Because he was constantly free from poverty and lack, he is called 'Without Poverty'. Because his roots of goodness were never extinguished, he is called 'Non-Extinction'. It is also said that because he entered a Buddhist stūpa and trimmed a lamp to provide light, for ninety-one kalpas his roots of goodness were never extinguished, and now he has obtained the retribution of the divine eye; hence he is called 'Non-Extinction'. Regarding 'the five superknowledges' and so forth: if a śrāvaka relies on the four dhyāna concentrations to give rise to superknowledges, having marks produced by merit, and sees and knows, why should the unconditioned of non-Buddhists and the like not have seeing? If a śrāvaka relies on wisdom to sever afflictions, this is called analytical cessation, the unconditioned, and there should be no seeing. The divine eye of the Great Vehicle sees form directly in the middle; it completely contemplates the three truths, jointly contemplating the provisional and the ultimate; being quiescent it yet illuminates, and so it does not have this difficulty, as is naturally clarified in the text below. The Great and Lesser [Vehicles] follow different paths and have this immense difference; yet some people distinguish the Great and Lesser in terms of quantity based on seeing near and far—is that not an error? Furthermore, because the Buddha's mind is never non-quiescent, its illumination leaves nothing unseen; wisdom is not separate from concentration, being quiescent it yet illuminates, and so its seeing is non-dual. 'Upāli' in the Qin language means 'head' (shangshou); it also means 'closely taking'. Because he originally served close to the eight Śākya princes, handling affairs and managing takings and givings, he is called 'close attendant' or 'closely taking'. 'Head' is said because at the time he first went forth together with the eight Śākya princes, the Tathāgata delivered him first, making him the senior elder. Regarding 'conduct according to the vinaya', there are two kinds: first, originally not transgressing; second, when transgressing, being able to repent. This is Upāli's vinaya conduct. Now Vimalakīrti takes the original purity of the true nature of the dharmakāya, the deluded fundamental wisdom regaining awakening, as vinaya conduct. Therefore the sūtra states, 'Only the Buddha alone abides in the precepts; all other persons are called defilers of the precepts.' Furthermore, the lower text states, 'This is complete fulfillment,' clarifying that the Dharma-nature śīla of this sūtra completely fulfills the myriad practices in a single mind—how could it be said to be fulfilled merely by the two hundred and fifty [precepts]? Regarding 'redoubling': the Lesser Vehicle's method of repentance requires seeing the accumulation of offenses deeply and giving rise to a heavy mind of repentance, and so forth, calling it extinction. Therefore both Guanzhong and Tiantai state: turning against the real and falsely transgressing is like the defilement of offense; with sincere resolve repenting and fearing is again called redoubling. Now I offer an explanation: the self-nature of offense is neither arisen nor destroyed. Formerly the two persons committed offenses; [where there is] non-arising they saw arising, which is called the initial transgression. Now Upāli has them repent; [where there is] non-destruction he speaks of destruction, which is called redoubling. If offenses originally do not arise, now in repenting there is also no destruction; that is to eliminate destruction. The Samantabhadra Contemplation Sūtra states: 'If one wishes to repent, one should seek the true mark.' The true mark is precisely awakening to the fact that offenses and the mind are both non-extinguished. Calling this upholding the vinaya—is it not marvelous? The 'ninth liberation' is the severing of afflictions of cultivation. Each of the nine stages has nine unhindered paths and nine liberations. Now in the stage of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, the ninth liberation obtains the mind upholding the stage of no-more-learning. How much more so is the mind-nature of sentient beings originally pure! If delusive thoughts are like defilement, since they are delusive thoughts, seeing defilement makes it clear that defilement is not defilement; grasping at a self and being inverted is also like this. It is just like diseased eyes seeing flowers [in the sky]; when the disease is cured, one immediately knows that the substance of the flowers was originally non-existent. Therefore Master Sengzhao said, 'Being a monk and [seeking] truth clarifies that the real is not the truth.' Regarding 'arising and ceasing without abiding': an offense cannot be accomplished in a single thought. If accumulated thoughts accomplish an offense, then the thoughts themselves arise and cease without abiding for a kṣaṇa; how could it be an offense? Furthermore, if thoughts are not accumulated, then a single thought has no cause; if thoughts abide and accumulate, they are not conditioned phenomena. Furthermore, even if a single thought accomplishes it by itself, the offense does not abide for a kṣaṇa; how could it be repented and then extinguished? Regarding 'this is called upholding the vinaya': this Dharma-nature śīla is the self-nature of the dharmakāya; the bodhisattva mahāsattvas uphold it in this way. 'Rāhula' here is translated as 'obstacle' (fuzhang); this also signifies being foremost in esoteric conduct. Regarding 'relinquishing the position of a wheel-turning king': when a wheel-turning king governs the world, the entire country practices the ten virtues; how could one abandon the myriad virtues to value merely solitary virtue? Regarding 'the benefits of the merit of going forth': some say it refers to the benefits of shaving the hair. As the Great Compassion Sūtra states: 'As long as one is of the nature of a śramaṇa, a śramaṇa of defiled conduct, in the form of a śramaṇa, wearing the kāṣāya, under Maitreya Buddha and even down to Rocana Buddha, one will enter nirvāṇa without remainder.' Tiantai says that Rāhula expounds the benefits of the ten knowledges, the three clearances, and so forth obtained through the four fruits. Regarding 'without benefit and without merit': upon humble reflection, going forth has roughly three distinctions: first, abandoning attachments, desires, and family is called going forth; second, severing view and cultivation [afflictions] to exit the prison of the triple realm is called going forth; third, deeply awakening to the Great Vehicle, where birth-and-death and nirvāṇa are neither bound nor liberated, contaminated and uncontaminated are neither defiled nor pure, without taking or relinquishing, without attainment or realization, fully understanding that the Dharma realm is like an illusion, and awakening to the true nature's lack of dependence—this is called the ultimate true going forth of the Great Vehicle. Therefore the sūtra states, 'Because there is nothing to be attained, one attains anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi.' This is the Great Being Vimalakīrti's going forth without benefit and without merit. How could Rāhula's abandoning the faults of the triple realm and obtaining the merit of nirvāṇa be called the true going forth? Regarding 'provisional name':