維摩義記 4.51

4.51

From here begins the main part. Therein, there are three sections: 1. Reiterating the previous events, causing the old assembly in the Āmrapālī grove to know them together; 2. From "There are buddha lands where the buddha's radiant light performs the buddha-work" downward, purifying the mental vessels of the assembly; 3. From "At that time, the bodhisattvas who had come from the Sarvagandhasugandhā world" downward, giving proper instruction through the Dharma. Within the first section, there are two parts: 1. Inquiring of Śāriputra about the supernatural wonders of Vimalakīrti that he witnessed, causing this assembly to know them; 2. From "Ānanda addressed [the Buddha]" downward, explaining the fragrant rice of Sugandhakūṭa fetched earlier, causing this assembly to know of it. In the former, the initial phrase "When the assembly had taken their seats" indicates the time of the inquiry. Below, he directly inquires of him, with two questions and two answers. "The Buddha said to Śāriputra, 'Did you see what this Great Being did?'" asks whether he saw it or not. Because Śāriputra previously went together with Mañjuśrī, Śāriputra had fully seen what Vimalakīrti manifested, hence he is now asked about it. "Indeed, I have seen it," Śāriputra answers accordingly. "What is your thought?" asks about its excellence or inferiority. "I beheld his actions as inconceivable..." and so forth is Śāriputra's explanatory reply. "Inconceivable" is a general praise revealing its supremacy. "Inconceivable to thought, unmeasurable by calculation" is a specific praise revealing its supremacy. "Inconceivable to thought" explains that it cannot be known by conceptual consciousness. Mind, thought, and consciousness are different perspectives. "Thought" means mental picturing and measuring; the ordinary person's mind and consciousness cannot mentally measure it, hence it is called "inconceivable to thought." "Unmeasurable by calculation" explains that it cannot be known by wisdom. The wisdom of the sages falls short of measuring it, hence it is called "unmeasurable by calculation." From here, the second part explains the previous fragrant rice to make this assembly know of it. The text has four distinct parts: 1. Ānanda wonders and asks, and the Tathāgata explains for him; 2. Śāriputra speaks of his own body's fragrance; Ānanda investigates and asks, and Śāriputra answers in detail; 3. Ānanda asks Vimalakīrti how long it takes for the food to be digested, and Vimalakīrti explains for him; 4. Ānanda praises it, and the Tathāgata confirms it. In the first part, Ānanda first asks in order to initiate [the dialogue]: "The fragrance smelled now has never existed from ancient times; what fragrance is this?" Below, the Buddha explains for him: "It is the fragrance from the pores of those bodhisattvas." In the second part, Śāriputra first speaks of his body's fragrance, Ānanda next asks where it comes from, and Śāriputra afterwards explains: "The elder Vimalakīrti fetched the leftover food of the Buddha from the Sarvagandhasugandhā realm; for those who ate it in his house, all their pores are fragrant like this, hence my body is fragrant." In the third part, there are two questions and answers. First, Ānanda asks, "How long does the fragrance remain?" Vimalakīrti answers next, "Until this food is digested." Ānanda asks again, "How long until it is digested?" Vimalakīrti answers below. Therein, he first answers in terms of the virtue of practice, and afterwards in terms of the virtue of severance. Regarding practice, he first discusses ordinary persons: "The power of this food is digested only after seven days." Ordinary persons' karmic capacity is slight, so it lasts only seven days. Next, regarding śrāvakas: "For those who have not entered the correct determination and eat this food, it is digested only after they have entered the correct determination" refers to the path of seeing and above. "For those who have entered the correct determination and eat this food, it is digested only after they attain liberation of mind" refers to the fruit of the arhat. Below, speaking in terms of the Great [Vehicle]: "If those who have not yet aroused the aspiration eat this food, it is digested only when they have aroused the aspiration" refers to the lineage and above, or it may be the first bhūmi and above. "For those who eat it having aroused the aspiration, they attain the endurance of the non-arising of dharmas" refers to the seventh bhūmi and above. "Attaining the endurance of the non-arising of dharmas, it is digested only when reaching one more birth to succession [to Buddhahood]" refers to the tenth bhūmi. In the tenth bhūmi, learning reaches its culmination; having crossed over this one life, one immediately attains bodhi, and is therefore called "one more birth to succession." The above explains the duration of digestion in terms of practice. Below, in terms of severance, there is first an analogy, followed by the application. "For example, there is a medicine called 'Supreme Flavor'..." and so forth establishes the analogy to manifest the food. "This food is likewise: it is digested only after extinguishing all defilements" explains that the food corresponds to the analogy.