維摩義記 1.70

1.70

Next, the text is explained. In this chapter, ordinary beings asking after his illness is the occasion for clarifying the teaching of dharmas for ordinary people. There are three parts: first, because of the prior manifestation of illness, kings, ministers, brāhmaṇas, and others all went to ask after his illness; second, from "when they went" onward, he broadly expounded the Dharma for them because they asked after his illness; third, from "The elder Vimalakīrti preached the Dharma to all who came to ask after his illness" onward, he clarifies the benefits of the teaching. The first section can be understood. In the second section, the initial statement that "to those who went, he broadly expounded the Dharma" generally clarifies his expounding it for them. Below it is specifically revealed. Within the specific, there are two parts: first, he spoke of the faults of saṃsāra, causing them to generate disgust; second, he spoke of the virtues of the Buddha, causing them to generate joyful aspiration. The former disgust with saṃsāra protects against defiled practice; the latter generating of joyful aspiration protects against Hīnayāna practice. In the former teaching of disgust, he first specifically teaches them to contemplate the five faults of the body; below, "O virtuous ones, this should be loathed and renounced" summarizes and exhorts them to generate disgust. In the former specific teaching, he teaches contemplation of impermanence, suffering, emptiness, non-self, and impurity, which, combined with the subsequent Buddha body, make six dharmas. However, the expansion and contraction of dharma gates are indefinite. Generally, they can be standardized to one dharma, namely the single dharmadhātu. Or they can be divided into two: saṃsāra and nirvāṇa; beyond these two, there is no third dharma. Speaking in terms of persons, beyond ordinary beings and noble ones, there are no third persons. Or they can be divided into three, namely the three self-natures as explained in the Laṅkāvatāra: namely, dependent origination, self-nature, and consummation. Dependent origination and false conceptualization are saṃsāric dharmas; within saṃsāra, there are cognitive objects, but no substantial reality. Arising assembled from conditions is called dependent origination; the mind being empty and unreal is called false conceptualization. Consummation is nirvāṇa, because its nature is indestructible. Or they can be divided into four, namely the four dharma seals as explained in the Bodhisattvabhūmi: all conditioned formations are impermanent, all conditioned formations are suffering, all dharmas are non-self, and nirvāṇa is quiescence—these are the four. The first three are saṃsāra, and the latter one is nirvāṇa.