維摩義記 3.23

3.23

前舍利弗念坐為由，第二維摩教正求法，自下第三維摩因念取坐燈王顯不思事。於中有五：一、問文殊何等佛土有好上妙師子之坐；二、文殊具答；三、維摩詰神力取坐；四、大眾同見；五、命眾俱坐。就初段中，「仁者遊於無量千萬阿僧祇國，何等佛土有好坐」者，為顯所取坐中勝也。「師子坐」者，人處不怯，名師子坐。亦可坐下有師子像，如蓮華坐。十方妙坐，維摩應知，何故須問？為使人文殊以實具答，就實以彰不思議力，為是須問。又欲使彼文殊彰遠，寄遠以顯不思議力，是以須問。

Previously, Śāriputra's thinking of a seat served as the occasion; second, Vimalakīrti taught how to genuinely seek the Dharma; from here below, third, Vimalakīrti, on the occasion of the thought, fetches seats from King Lamp [Meru-pradīpa-rāja] to manifest inconceivable matters. Herein there are five: first, asking Mañjuśrī in which Buddha-land there are excellent and supreme lion seats; second, Mañjuśrī's full reply; third, Vimalakīrti fetching the seats by spiritual power; fourth, the great assembly all seeing them; fifth, inviting the assembly to sit together. Within the first section, "Virtuous one, you have wandered through immeasurable thousands of myriads of koṭis of asaṃkhyeya lands; in which Buddha-land are there good seats?" is to display the supremacy among the seats to be fetched. "Lion seat" means that one who occupies it has no fear, hence it is called a lion seat. Alternatively, beneath the seat there is the image of a lion, like a lotus seat. Vimalakīrti ought to know the wonderful seats of the ten directions; why did he need to ask? In order to cause Mañjuśrī to reply fully according to reality, and relying on reality to reveal the inconceivable power—for this reason he needed to ask. Furthermore, he wished to make Mañjuśrī reveal the distance, using the distance to display the inconceivable power; therefore he needed to ask.