維摩義記 4.41

4.41

In the text there are three parts: first, addressing the śrāvakas directly to encourage and bid them to eat; second, the śrāvakas of their own fruition think that the food is meager, and the emanation bodhisattva reveals that the food is inexhaustible; third, from "Thereupon the bowl of rice completely satiated the assembly" onward, the eaters find the food inexhaustible. In the first part, he first addresses Śāriputra and the others, encouraging them to eat. From "The perfume of great compassion" onward admonishes them to abandon a limited mindset. Food arising from compassion is called "the perfume of great compassion." Taking it as definitively little is called a "limited mindset." Using it in a manner not in accord with the Dharma is called "indigestible." Because this food is not ordinary, it is necessary to admonish in advance: "Do not let a limited mindset render it indigestible." In the second section, the text has two parts: first, exceptional śrāvakas think the rice is meager. "Exceptional" has two meanings: first, distinguished from the great, it is called exceptional; within the Mahāyāna Dharma, prior to the path of seeing, clarifying practice based on the teaching is called great śrāvakas; since these are not identical with that, they are called exceptional. Second, among the small, being distinguished from the great is called exceptional; distinguished from those great śrāvakas such as Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana, they are called exceptional. Yet each and every person in this great assembly should eat. Second, from "The emanation bodhisattva..." onward rebukes what they thought and explains that the food is inexhaustible. "Do not measure the Tathāgata's immeasurable merit and wisdom with a śrāvaka's small merit and small wisdom": "small merit" refers to the śrāvakas' adornment of merit being meager; "small wisdom" refers to the śrāvakas' adornment of wisdom being small; "immeasurable merit" refers to the Buddha's merit being vast; "immeasurable wisdom" refers to the Buddha's wisdom being vast. To measure the vast with the small is logically improper, hence he says "do not." From "The four seas may dry up" onward clarifies that the rice is inexhaustible, establishing that their thought was unfitting. "The four seas may dry up, but this rice will never be exhausted" uses worldly phenomena to clarify that the food is inexhaustible. "If all people ate morsels the size of Mount Sumeru even for an entire kalpa, it still would not be exhausted" uses worldly people to clarify that the food is inexhaustible. "All people eating" indicates the vastness of the people eating. "Morsels the size of Mount Sumeru" indicates the great quantity eaten. Each person having a Sumeru, "even for an entire kalpa," indicates the length of time eating. Even if it were like this, it still would not be exhausted. From "Wherefore?" onward explains it: first inquiring, "Why do I say that one bowl of rice is inexhaustible?" Below, he explains in reply: the leftovers of what is eaten by one of inexhaustible virtues can never be exhausted. "Inexhaustible morality" and so forth are the fivefold dharmakāya. "Endowed with merit" means being endowed with the remaining virtues. From "Thereupon the bowl of rice completely satiated the assembly" onward is the third section, explaining that the great assembly ate together without exhausting it. The three sections above together make up the first [part], clarifying that the food is inexhaustible. Below it clarifies that those who ate attained physical ease and joy, revealing the surpassing excellence of the food. Therein, first it clarifies the physical bliss of those who ate; next it illustrates this with similes; afterwards it clarifies that the bodies of all who ate emitted fragrance. Below it illustrates this with similes. This completes the fourth.