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Global Lamrim II

Lecture No. 0285

Lamrim Volume 1:  P37LL10 ~ P38-L3

Tape No: NA

Date: 23 May 2022

Topic: Heard the teachings on the Great Detailed Explanation from Guru Dharmaraksita for twelve years

The Great Detailed Explanation [Maha-vibhasa] is the primary commentary of the Sarvāstivāda School; the full name is Abhidharma Mahavibhasa Sastra. It has one hundred thousand stanzas, mainly elaborating the essence of the root, the path, and the effect acknowledged by the Sarvāstivāda School. As Rinpoche said, there were various versions regarding the time of completion and the author of this commentary. Besides, the Chinese version and Tibetan version are different from each other. The Chinese version of this Great Detailed Explanation was essentially based on what was documented in the Great Tang Dynasty Record of the Western Regions. Four hundred years after Buddha went into his nirvana, there were various schools and sects established. It was in a state of divergent doctrines, hence King Kaniska convened Venerable Parsva, where Vasumitra Bodhisattva and Venerable Parsva along with four hundred ninety nine arhats held the fourth Buddhist Council, and they composed several commentaries. Among them were Upadeśa, Vinaya-vibhasa, and Abhidharma-vibhasa. This is one version. [00:59]

However, according to the account of the Great Detailed Explanation, this commentary was not composed under the reign of King Kaniska. The commentary was available after the time of  King Kaniska. Obviously, there was a time discrepancy here. However, nowadays, many Chinese and Japanese scholars believed that this commentary was completed after the King Kaniska and before Nagarjuna Bodhisattva was born,  it was sometime between 150 to 200 CE. This is based on the account in the Chinese lineage. [01:28]

As for the Tibetan version, there were three different assertions, all were related with King Ashoka. The first one was under the reign of  King Ashoka, at the Mingyou monastery of the Vindhya Mountain, India…. Are you listening? One assertion: it was composed by Venerable Upagupta and his five hundred arhats. The 2nd assertion was also at this Ming-you monastery, but it was Venerable Yasas presided the assembly with five hundred arhats. The 3rd assertion was based on Venerable Kaydrubjey’s Mantra Synopsis, Sarvāstivāda School agreed that the Great Detailed Explanation was composed by both sages and lay scholars, whereas the Sutraantika School conceded that it was composed by Panditas, before achieving their state of sagehood. [02:15]

So who was this “Jin-hu”? He was the 4th generation of Patriarchs. He was Upagupta around the 3rd centuries BC, also known as “Jin-yin”. Based on the Ashoka Biography, translated by the Tripitaka Practitioner An-fa-chin [266~316 CE] of the Western Jin dynasty of China, it was documented when this Venerable Upagupta was born in the kingdom of Mahura as the 3rd son to the Gupta elder; later, Upagupta was under the guidance of Venerable Shanavasa and received ordination. He attained arhatship soon after. Upagupta was extraordinarily brave; he ever tamed Mara and made Mara protect the sangha community. He guided his disciples with his supernatural power. Whenever one of his disciples achieved arhatship, Upagupta would toss a 4-inch-long stick away and to where? He would toss the stick into a cave; which was about 36 feet long and 24 feet wide – the measurement must have been recorded accurately. Later, when the cave was filled up with sticks, he passed the Dharma-vein to the 5th Patriarch, Venerable Dhitika, and then went into his nirvana. He had guided many living beings to study the teaching, so Buddha prophesized Upagupta would become Short-of-good-appearance Buddha, which means although this great master did not have Buddha’s great appearance, his Dharma Works of guiding living beings were no difference from those of Buddha’s. [03:42]

In the Ashoka Biography, it also states that King Ashoka regarded Venerable Upagupta as his teacher. However, according to the Taranatha’s History of Buddhism in India, Venerable Upagupta passed away before Ashoka was enthroned as the king. Hence, when King Ashoka promulgated Buddha’s teaching, the Patriarch he encountered was the 7th generation Patriarch Sudarshana. [04:10]

Then, when Master Atisha was studying the Great Detailed Explanation, who was his guiding guru? It was Dharmaraksita, right? The name was translated as Dharma-armor; we addressed him as the Protector of Dharma. This teacher was one of the principal teachers of Master Atisha, during the 10th century. This great guru was endowed with very sublime qualities of generosity. Once he helped a patient to consult and seek diagnosis from a doctor, who said one of the ingredients in the prescription required the flesh and blood from a living person – nowadays no one would give such prescription. Back then, this guru gave away his own blood and flesh as this medicine. However, the pain was overly excruciating that he passed out. While in coma, he saw a being in a white robe praising him, and blessed his wound by hands; thus the cut on his body was healed right away. When he came around, he found the wound was healed, his body was intact. These were all the inconceivable happenings when Bodhisattvas are performing perfection of generosity, and this is documented in the sutras as well. When we think of a being dressed in a white robe, whom would we think of? Wow! Wouldn’t that be Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva? It was said that this being in a white robe was the manifestation of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva. Guru Dharmaraksita was a Bodhisattva from the Sarvāstivāda School and later advanced to Madhyamaka School, and he composed the Wheel of Sharp Weapons for the mind training. Master Atisha followed such a guru for twelve years, hearing the teaching on the Great Detailed Explanation. [05:44]

讲次 | 0285 (2020-12-21 ~ 2020-12-23)

标题 | 于法铠师前，十二年中听受《大毗婆沙》

《广论》段落 | P4-L2 ~ P4-L4 此后乃至三十一岁……正法中枢要处者。

入门段落 | 第1册 P108-L5 ~ P109-LL1 学习上下部内明经咒之理......并且已经出版了。

备注 | 四家合注《白话校注集》第1册 P121-LL4注释⑨ ~ P123-L5注释⑪完 达摩惹喀大......阿罗汉为耶舍尊者。

(更新日期: 2022年5月23日)

00:00

《大毘婆沙论》是一切有部的主要论典，全名就是《阿毘达磨大毘婆沙论》，有十万颂，主要阐述一切有部所承许的根道果的内涵。成书的时间和作者，就像仁波切讲的，有很多说法，汉传的和藏传还不一样。我们汉传对于《大毘婆沙论》的这个说法，主要是依据《大唐西域记》里边的记载。说是在佛陀灭度后四百年，那个时候部派林立、学说不一的状态下，就由迦腻色迦王向胁尊者祈请之后，世友菩萨还有胁尊者等四百九十九位罗汉举行了第四次结集，然后著述了几部论，其中有《邬波第铄论》、《毘奈耶毘婆沙论》及《阿毘达磨毘婆沙论》。这是一种说法。00:59

但在《大毘婆沙论》里边记载说：这个论不是在迦腻色迦王那个时代集的，这个论问世是在迦腻色迦王之后，所以时间上是有参差的。现今很多的中、日的学者都认为这个书成书于迦腻色迦王之后，是在龙树菩萨出世之前，大概在公元 150 年到 200 年之间。这是汉传的说法。01:28

那么藏传的说法分三种，这都跟阿育王有关系。第一种就是在阿育王的时期，于印度宾陀山名优寺，有在听吗？由优波毱多尊者带领五百罗汉弟子集结著作而成，这是一种说法。第二种说法，还是在名优寺，但作者为主持第二次集结阿罗汉的耶舍尊者等五百罗汉，这是第二种说法。第三种是依据克主杰大师所著的《密续总纲》里边说，一切有部承许《大毘婆沙论》是集凡圣二众之力著作而成，经部宗则承许为未登圣位的班智达所撰。02:15

那么“近护”是谁呢？就是第四代付法藏师，约公元前三世纪，就是优波毱多，也叫近隐。西晋三藏安法钦译的《阿育王传》中有这样的记载，说这位尊者出生在摩突罗国，为毱多长者的第三个儿子，后来受商那和修度化出家，不久就证得了阿罗汉的果位。他非常地神勇，曾调伏魔王，令其守护僧伽，并且以神通教化弟子。凡是有一个人成就了阿罗汉，他就掷一个四寸的木条，丢在什么地方呢？丢在一个洞穴里，那个洞穴大概是长三十六尺、宽二十四尺，应该这是有精确记载的。后来当木条塞满洞穴的时候，他就把法脉付予了第五代的付法藏师提多迦尊者，然后他就示现涅槃了。他一生度了很多很多的众生，因此佛授记名为无相好佛，意思是说这位了不起的祖师，他除了没有佛的相好，但他度生的事业与佛没有差别。03:42

这里边又说《阿育王传》提到阿育王是以优波毱多尊者为师，但是在《多罗那他印度佛教史》中记载，优波毱多尊者大约在阿育王没有登基前就已经示寂了，所以当阿育王在护持教法的时候，他碰到的是第七代的付法藏师——大善见。04:10

那么，阿底峡尊者学《大毘婆沙论》的时候，是跟哪一位上师学的呀？达摩惹喀大，对吧！也可以义译为法铠，法铠上师。这位上师是阿底峡尊者主要的上师之一，约 10 世纪。这位大善知识具有非常殊胜的布施的功德，曾经帮一位病人向医生问诊，然后这个医生说需要以活人的血肉作药——现在没有人开这种药了——那个时候，这位上师就布施了自身的血肉，然因过于疼痛而昏厥。昏迷中就见一位白衣人前来赞叹，并且用手加持他，然后伤口立刻就痊愈了，醒来之后就发现身体完好如初。这都是不可思议的菩萨在布施的时候会发生的事情，在佛经里写的也是这样。我们看到白衣人马上会想到谁呀？哇！是不是观世音菩萨？这里边说相传白衣人即是观世音菩萨的化身。这位善知识最初是一切有部的菩萨，后来就进入中观派，著有《修心利器之轮》。阿底峡尊者就是跟这样的一位上师，十二年中听受《大毘婆沙论》。05:44