維摩義記 3.23

3.23

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.