大乘四法經論廣釋開決記 1.1.1

1.1.1

依何而住。 世尊在世自調惡人滅度之後云何共住。 如來在日。 佛自說經。 滅度之後。 一切經首。 當置何言。 令有情信。 世尊告曰。 我涅槃後。 以戒為師。 斷一切惡。 生一切善。 設我在世無異。 此故依四念處。 專心而住。 觀身不淨。 觀受是苦。 觀心無常。 觀法無我。 而除四倒。 既出生死。 得成聖道。 是故常應依之而住。 諸惡比丘梵壇治之。 但莫與語白當調伏。 一切經首當置如是我聞等語。 則眾生信。 因迦葉請。 而置此文。 即是此中起因由也　言明所以者。 略有四義。 一為除疑。 二令起信。 三為簡邪。 四為顯正。 言除疑省。 雜事律云。 於結集時。 阿難昇座。 以法威為形忽如佛。 眾起三疑。 一疑大悲從涅槃起。 二疑別佛從他方來。 三疑阿難轉身成佛。 說如是等三疑併斷。 言生信者。 智度論云。 說時方人。 令生信故。 佛法大海。 信為能入。 又是道元功得母故。 救拔眾生出生死。 □須舉信手。 授於教手。 序生信手。 正宗教手。 兩手相接。 出淤埿故。 如人有手。 至山取寶。 若無手者。 空無所得。 有信心人。 入法得證。 若無信者。 雖解無益。 是故經初令生淨信。 言簡邪者。 但無如是六句經文。 當知皆是外道教收。 如有外道一切教初皆必安置阿漚二字。 阿表於無。 漚表於有。 言其教旨不離有無。 今置六句為簡於彼故。 智度云。 一切經首。 當置何言。 簡異外道。 言顯正者。 真實論云。 三寶最吉祥故。 我經初說佛為佛寶。 我聞阿難及苾芻菩薩名為僧寶。 如是一時舍衛國等所說時處皆為法寶。 以茲四義。 置如是等。 立所以竟。 釋正文者。 唯智度論分六成就。 一信。 二聞。 三時。 四主。 五處。 六眾。 言初信成就者。 經曰如是。 舉所聞法。 令有情信。 名信成就。 今捨諸說以三義釋。 初以二字各別訓釋。 次乃總申二字之意。 後帶我聞以解如是。 初言別釋者。 自古多解。 大意不離教理行果。 故今依此四義釋之。 教能顯理。 □如文不求義稱是。 理順教顯為如。 義不差文稱是。 依教起行為如。 順理三相為是。 依□得果為如。 稱果於因為是。 次言總申者。 顯說此經離四種過故言如是。 一離自說佛所說法正如是故。 二離老異文義決定皆如是。 故□□不信。 若有信者。 言如是故。 四離非法。 若正法者。 稱如是。 故後言帶我聞釋如是者。 依佛地論及諸釋意。 如是總言依四義轉。 一依問答顯離自說傳聞過失。 謂結集時眾成問言。 □當所說昔定聞邪故。 即答言如是我聞。 二依譬喻顯離增□共分過失　謂。 當所說如是文句如我昔聞齊此當說定無有異。 三依許可顯有自在堪能功德。 眾咸請言。 如汝所聞。 當如是說。 便許彼言。 如是當說如我所聞。 四依教說顯起恭敬信受功德。 謂吉結集諸時眾言如是。 當聽如我所聞應正聞。 以如理修行。 二言聞成就者。 經曰我聞。 舉能聞人。 顯自親聞者。 聞成就。 謂傳法者。 自指身言如是法。 我自親聞。 我謂諸蘊和合假者有主宰因故稱為我。 聞謂耳根發識聽聲。 意隨耳識而取於聲所發名等。 薰習在識。 聚集顯現。 總說名聞。 廢別就總。 故名我聞問。 何須如是廢別就總答。 顯藉眾緣故。 謂聞法時要具心緣。 若一一陳遂成繁廣。 但舉其一義。 則不周顯。 假具緣言我聞矣。 若爾何不言無我聞。 答。 除怖畏心。 恐諸外道等聞無我聲。 既言無我。 誰聞誰學。 怖畏佛法。 不背入故。 更有問答。 如餘處明。 三言時成就者。 經曰一時。 顯所聞法。 善合時宜。 無非時失。 時成就也謂明說此一部經時。 於一時聞在某家說。 則此顯說一部經時。 餘時復說無量經故。

[Ānanda asked:] “Depending on what should we dwell? While the Bhagavat is in the world, he himself tames evil people; after your parinirvāṇa, how should we dwell together? While the Tathāgata was here, the Buddha himself expounded the sūtras; after your parinirvāṇa, what words should be placed at the head of all sūtras to cause sentient beings to believe?” The Bhagavat told him: “After my nirvāṇa, take the precepts as your teacher to cut off all evil and engender all good; it will be no different from my being in the world. For this reason, depend on the four applications of mindfulness and dwell single-mindedly: contemplate the body as impure, contemplate feelings as suffering, contemplate the mind as impermanent, and contemplate phenomena as without self, thereby eliminating the four inversions. Having emerged from birth and death, one is able to achieve the noble path. Therefore, you should constantly dwell depending on them. As for evil monks, punish them with the brahmadaṇḍa: merely do not speak with them, and they will naturally be subdued. At the head of all sūtras, you should place words such as ‘evaṃ mayā śrutam’; then sentient beings will believe.” Because of Kāśyapa’s request, these words were placed [there]; this is the origin and reason here. Regarding clarifying the rationale: briefly, there are four points. First, to eliminate doubt. Second, to generate faith. Third, to exclude the heterodox. Fourth, to manifest the correct. Regarding eliminating doubt: the Vinayakṣudrakavastu states that at the time of the council, Ānanda ascended the seat, and due to the majesty of the Dharma his appearance suddenly seemed like the Buddha. The assembly gave rise to three doubts: first, they doubted that the Great Compassionate One had arisen from nirvāṇa; second, they doubted that another Buddha had come from another direction; third, they doubted that Ānanda had transformed his body and become a Buddha. When he said “evaṃ” and the rest, the three doubts were all severed. Regarding generating faith: the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says that stating the time, place, and person causes them to generate faith, because the great ocean of the Buddha's Dharma can be entered by faith, and moreover it is the source of the path and the mother of merits. In rescuing and pulling sentient beings out of birth and death, one must raise the hand of faith to receive the hand of the teaching; the preface generates the hand of faith, and the main body is the hand of the teaching. The two hands meet to bring them out of the mud. Just as a person with hands goes to a mountain to take jewels, but one without hands comes back empty-handed with nothing gained, so a person with faithful mind enters the Dharma and attains realization, whereas without faith, although having understanding, it is of no benefit. Therefore, at the beginning of the sūtras, pure faith is engendered. Regarding excluding the heterodox: where the sūtra text lacks these six phrases, one should know that all of them belong to the teachings of the heterodox. For example, some heterodox schools necessarily place the two syllables ‘a’ and ‘uṃ’ at the beginning of all their teachings. ‘A’ represents non-existence, and ‘uṃ’ represents existence; this indicates that the purport of their teachings does not depart from existence and non-existence. Now, these six phrases are placed to distinguish from them. Thus the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: “What words should be placed at the head of all sūtras to distinguish them from the heterodox?” Regarding manifesting the correct: the Tattvasiddhi says that because the Three Jewels are the most auspicious, at the beginning of our sūtras the Buddha is spoken of as the Buddha Jewel; “mayā śrutam,” Ānanda, and the bhikṣus and bodhisattvas are named the Saṅgha Jewel; and “evaṃ,” “ekasmin samaye,” the country of Śrāvastī, and so forth, as the time and place spoken of, are all the Dharma Jewel. On account of these four reasons, “evaṃ” and the rest were placed. Establishing the rationale is concluded. Regarding explaining the main text: only the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa divides it into the six fulfillments: first, faith; second, hearing; third, time; fourth, host; fifth, place; sixth, assembly. As for the first, the fulfillment of faith: the sūtra says “evaṃ” (thus); it adduces the Dharma that was heard to cause sentient beings to believe, so it is named the fulfillment of faith. Now, setting aside various explanations, it is explained with three meanings: first, glossing and explaining the two characters separately; next, generally expressing the meaning of the two characters; finally, taking “mayā śrutam” along with it to explain “evaṃ”. First, as for explaining separately: since antiquity there have been many explanations, the main purport of which does not depart from teaching, principle, practice, and fruit. Therefore, now relying on these four meanings, it is explained: teaching can manifest principle, […] as the text, not seeking meaning, is called “is” (śi); principle conforms to the teaching being manifested as “thus” (ru); meaning does not deviate from the text is called “is” (śi); giving rise to practice based on teaching is “thus” (ru); conforming to the three marks of principle is “is” (śi); relying on […] attaining the fruit is “thus” (ru); matching the fruit to the cause is “is” (śi). Next, as for generally expressing [their meaning]: it reveals that the exposition of this sūtra is free from four kinds of faults, and therefore says “evaṃ”. First, it is free from [the fault of] speaking of oneself, because the Dharma taught by the Buddha is precisely thus. Second, it is free from [the fault of] discrepancy, because the words and meanings are definitively all thus. Third, [free from the fault of] unbelief: if there are those who have faith, it says “thus”. Fourth, it is free from [the fault of] non-Dharma: if it is the correct Dharma, it is called “thus”. Finally, as for explaining “evaṃ” while taking “mayā śrutam” along with it: according to the Buddhabhūmy-upadeśa and various explanations, the general phrase “evaṃ” operates based on four meanings. First, based on question and answer, it reveals freedom from the fault of speaking of oneself or mere hearsay; that is, at the time of the council, the assembly all asked: “[Did you] definitely hear in the past what is to be spoken?” Therefore, he answered, saying: “Evaṃ mayā śrutam (thus have I heard).” Second, based on analogy, it reveals freedom from the fault of adding or subtracting […]: that is, such phrases to be spoken are just as I heard in the past; up to this extent they will be spoken, definitely without difference. Third, based on consent, it reveals the virtue of having sovereignty and competence: the assembly all requested, saying: “As you have heard, you should speak thus.” He then gave consent to them, saying: “Thus I will speak, just as I have heard.” Fourth, based on instructional preaching, it reveals the virtue of giving rise to reverent faith and acceptance: that is, at the time of the council, he said to the assembly: “Thus you should listen, just as I have heard; you should hear correctly so as to practice according to the principle.” Second, as for the fulfillment of hearing: the sūtra says “mayā śrutam” (have I heard); it adduces the person capable of hearing to reveal that one personally heard it oneself—this is the fulfillment of hearing. That is, the transmitter of the Dharma points to himself, saying: “Such Dharma, I personally heard it myself.” “I” refers to the provisional entity composed of the aggregates, which is called “I” because of the cause of being a master and controller. “Heard” means that the ear faculty gives rise to consciousness and listens to sound; the mental consciousness follows the ear consciousness and apprehends the names and so forth produced by the sound; perfumed into consciousness, they accumulate and appear, which is generally called “hearing.” Setting aside the particular to adopt the general, it is therefore named “I heard.” Question: Why is it necessary to set aside the particular and adopt the general in this way? Answer: It reveals reliance on a multitude of conditions. That is, when hearing the Dharma, mental conditions must be complete. If one were to set them out one by one, it would become overly diffuse; yet if one merely adduced one aspect, it would not be fully manifested. Using the provisionally complete conditions, one says “I heard.” If so, why not say “non-self heard”? Answer: To remove a fearful mind, fearing that various heterodox thinkers and others, hearing the sound of “non-self,” would think: “Since it says non-self, who hears and who learns?” and would fear the Buddha's Dharma and turn away rather than enter. There are further questions and answers, as clarified elsewhere. Third, as for the fulfillment of time: the sūtra says “ekasmin samaye” (at one time); it reveals that the Dharma heard is well-matched to the appropriate time and free from the fault of untimeliness—this is the fulfillment of time. That is, clarifying the time this one sūtra was expounded, it was heard at one time as spoken at a certain house; thus this reveals the time of expounding this one sūtra, because at other times innumerable sūtras were expounded again.