淨名經關中釋抄 2.9.3

2.9.3

First, faculties are dull and obstacles are heavy: the power of their wholesome roots is faint, and they are weighed down by heavy karma; even when the medicine of the Dharma is administered to treat them, it cannot be diminished. Second, faculties are dull and obstacles are light: like the monk [Cūḍa]panthaka, who recited a single verse and attained the fruit of an arhat. Third, faculties are sharp and obstacles are heavy: like Aṅgulimāla, who killed people but upon seeing the Buddha attained awakening. Fourth, faculties are sharp and obstacles are light: like Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana, who upon hearing the two truths attained the Way; Kāśyapa's innate nature was naturally like this as well. Among these four types, the first, upon entering absorption, is not diminished; the second and third persons, by meeting the supreme condition of the Buddha, can have [their affliction] diminished, but without meeting the supreme condition it is not diminished. / As for why the fourth person, upon meeting [it], is entirely diminished and does not proceed to increase: this also explains increase and non-increase through the increase and non-increase of sentient beings' illnesses. It is like the four types of illness in worldly people: first, from contracting the illness it gradually increases, termed 'increase-increase'; second, initially heavy and later recovering, termed 'increase-diminution'; third, initially diminishing and later increasing, termed 'diminution-increase'; fourth, initially light and later diminishing, termed 'diminution-diminution'. In terms of this, the bodhisattva's deliverance of sentient beings likewise has four types. The first is 'increase-increase': like Sunaksatra, Devadatta, and their ilk, who broke the Dharma and destroyed the Saṅgha. The second is 'first increase and later diminution': like the class of Aṅguli[māla], whose initial deeds of killing and the like were extremely heavy, but who later went forth into the homeless life, heard the Dharma, and attained an extremely supreme awakening. The third is 'first diminution and later increase': as explained in the Treatise [Da zhidu lun], a monk cultivated and attained the fourth dhyāna, considering it to be the fourth fruit [of arhatship]; at the brink of death he saw his place of rebirth, slandered [the Dharma] claiming there is no nirvāṇa, and thereupon fell into hell; as well as those who go forth into the homeless life for the sake of the Dharma but later become attached to fame and profit, clinging to their teachers and slandering the Dharma—these are called 'diminution-increase'. The fourth is 'diminution-diminution': namely, holy persons such as Śāriputra and the others. / Regarding 'arising from ignorance there is craving': some masters explain that ignorance is wrong view, straying from principle; craving is greed and anger, straying from phenomena. These two delusions encompass all delusions; the numerous sicknesses of birth-and-death arise from this. It is also said that ignorance is the past cause, which leads to the arising of the present body; craving and views are the present causes, which lead to the arising of future bodies. Through this continuous succession of ignorance and craving, the twelve links of dependent origination revolve without end; hence it is said to arise from them. / Regarding 'explaining that the beginning of compassion need not be spoken of in terms of oneself': compassion with conditions arises from the initial resolve; the various forms of unconditioned compassion share the same essence with the bodies of all buddhas. This means that sentient beings' ignorance and craving share the same source with the Dharma-nature; great compassion without conditions joins into one essence with true thusness. When sentient beings initially turn their backs on the Dharma-nature, it is named ignorance and craving; when bodhisattvas reverse delusion and penetrate the nature, it is named great compassion. Therefore, speaking now in terms of the essence of compassion and not taking its designation from the initial resolve, it is stated thus. / Regarding the 'sixty-two views': they are called views because one generates views by turning one's back on principle. Concerning the number 'sixty-two', the 'Nirvāṇa Chapter' verse in the Treatise on the Middle [Mūlamadhyamakakārikā] says: / 'Existence, non-existence, and so on after cessation, / Having an end and so on, permanence and so on— / All these views rely on nirvāṇa, / The future, and the past.' / The commentary states: 'Existence, non-existence, and so on after cessation' refers to whether after the Tathāgata's cessation there is a Tathāgata, there is no Tathāgata, there both is and is not a Tathāgata, or there neither is nor is not a Tathāgata; these four views arise relying on nirvāṇa. The four views of the soul and the world having an end, being endless, and so on arise relying on the future world. The four views of the soul and the world being permanent, impermanent, and so on arise relying on the past world. These three times four—twelve views—when applied across the five aggregates, give rise to sixty views. The verse also says: '[What is identity, what is difference? / They are one fruit.]' The prose commentary explains: 'What is the body being identical to the soul (this is the meaning of identity, which is the annihilationist view); what is the body being different from the soul (this is the meaning of difference, which is [the eternalist view]).' Adding to these sixty views these fundamental two views of annihilation and permanence makes sixty-two views. The 'Mother of Buddhas Chapter' in the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā Sūtra states: 'Holding that the soul and the world are permanent is real and true, and everything else is false speech, up to the soul and the world having an end or being endless'—holding fast to such views is called the sixty-two views. / Question: Why is freedom from the sixty-two views itself the liberation of all buddhas? / Answer: The verse in the Treatise states: / 'The actual limit of nirvāṇa / And the limit of the worldly realm— / Between these two limits, / There is not the slightest difference.' / The Treatise also says in verse: / 'All dharmas cannot be apprehended, / Extinguishing all conceptual proliferations; / With no person and no place, / The Buddha also expounded nothing.' / That is to say, the equality of the two limits and freedom from all conceptual proliferations is named the liberation of the Dharma-Buddha. / 'All māras and non-Buddhists are my attendants': māras are attached to the delusion of craving; non-Buddhists cling to the delusion of views. The provisional teaching explains that craving is turned into dhyāna-concentration, and destroying views is turned into wisdom; these concentrations and insights conform to the truth, so it is said that there are attendants. Now, in the perfect and wondrous teaching, one awakens to the fact that attachment to craving is itself liberation, and understands that wrong views are themselves right views. Since bondage and liberation are equal, and the wrong and the right are non-dual, therefore there are no attendants. / Regarding 'consoling and admonishing', etc.: fearing that newly practicing bodhisattvas might dread birth-and-death and fall back from great compassion, he consoles them. If one awakens to conditioned things being impermanent, suffering, and so forth, one will not covet the world. Since one does not covet the world and is not attached to the world, one can broadly accumulate merit and wisdom. Once merit and wisdom are accumulated, naturally birth-and-death cannot become a misfortune. If one can be fearless of birth-and-death, the practice of great compassion is accomplished. Furthermore, if there were karmic guilt, birth-and-death would be feared; if one is able in a single thought to generate the bodhisattva mind and in a single thought rejoice in the Mahāyāna, all sins will naturally be extinguished—what fear could there be? Therefore, the Ratnakūṭa Sūtra says: 'Generating the bodhisattva mind in a single thought extinguishes all sins.' The Nirvāṇa [Sūtra] says: 'Hearing the two words "ever-abiding", one does not fall into evil destinies.' The Lotus Sūtra says: 'Hearing the sūtra with pure faith, one is constantly born before the Buddha.' Furthermore, pitying their receiving a body not bound by one's own karma, there is no burden. Moreover, having undergone birth uselessly for long kalpas in past lives, previously unable [to benefit oneself], now one can respond to sentient beings; what misfortune could there be? Moreover, when the compassionate mind cherishes sentient beings, merit increases boundlessly; with accumulated merit and supreme retribution, what could there be to fear? Furthermore, since principle is naturally so, one is at peace and without anxiety; being without anxiety is called advancing on the Way. Advancing on the Way means acting as a king of physicians. When the fruit is achieved, one can universally rescue all classes of beings. Such is what is hoped for. Therefore, it is said that the Buddha provisionally expounded the aggregates, realms, and bases, etc. Now one knows that within dharmas such as the aggregates there is truly no self. Having eliminated the view of self, one attains the fruits of the two vehicles. Although the two vehicles have eliminated the view of self, they do not understand that the Tathāgata provisionally expounded the aggregates and realms, and they cling to these as real; this is called attachment to dharmas. Therefore, the Buddha next expounded for them in the Mahāyāna that the aggregates and realms are dependently arisen and lack self-nature in their arising, causing them to awaken to the contemplation of dharmas as unborn and unceasing. Thus, the three dharmas of the aggregates and bases are all attachments to self; the three provisionalities—formation by causes, continuity, and relativity—all break attachment to dharmas. The illness of emptiness also empties the previous two illnesses of self and dharmas. Clinging to dharmas as definitely existent is an illness; awakening to dharmas as fundamentally illusory eliminates the illness. Now, this third illness of clinging to emptiness is abandoning existence to cling to non-existence, taking words to constitute an illness. If one awakens to words being provisional, the illness naturally resolves. Therefore, [Seng]zhao said: 'For the time being, eliminate it by means of the traces of words.'