維摩經略疏 1.13

1.13

問：何不依靈味？答：〈佛國〉為序，義不應然。何者？佛為法王道王，三千有所宣說，豈非正也。但寶積所請、佛所酬答，赴此機緣明佛國因果，時眾聞經獲大小益，豈折為序？又且淨名助佛闡揚，正是獎成佛教，豈可弟子助說為正、大師說者翻為序乎？

Question: Why not follow Lingwei? Answer: Taking the "Buddha-Land" [chapter] as the preface is not correct in principle. Why? The Buddha is the King of the Dharma and King of the Path; when he proclaims something in the trichiliocosm, how could that not be the main teaching? Moreover, what Ratnakūṭa requested and what the Buddha answered responded to this capacity and affinity by clarifying the causes and fruits of the buddha-land, and the assembly at that time heard the sūtra and obtained great and small benefits; how could it be relegated to the preface? Furthermore, Vimalakīrti's assisting the Buddha in propagation was precisely to support and fulfill the Buddha's teaching; how could the disciple's auxiliary exposition be the main teaching, while the Great Master's exposition is conversely the preface?