維摩經略疏 10.60

10.60

此文為二：初、從此品明天帝護法，格出月蓋法之供養，明護持之利，深顯弘經之德重。二、從〈囑累品〉去，明大聖慇懃付囑鄭重，當令季像必得宣通。就前為二：一天帝稱歎弘經、二如來述成其意。初為三：一歎法、二歎人、三發誓。今言天帝欲護持大典修習勝門，有持此經志存覆育，即是以法供養法身。如《釋論》云「迦毘羅生身生處，摩伽陀是法身生處，為報恩故多在二國說法。二國之中為報法身，多在摩伽陀國說法。」護持即是法供養也。復次天帝共梵王同請說法，如來受請觀機，知不堪大乘仍開小教。小教既興，次應說大。今此不思議解脫，猶是酬其昔請。《釋論》云「說般若猶是酬梵王天帝之請。」天帝既蒙酬請，歡喜護持。若作是言：天主得阿那含，不應流通大教者，此是三藏中謂為那含。《華嚴》說天主住十不可思議法門，豈不堪弘通此法？復為天主，率化群下最為風靡。就歎法中，先歎不思議解脫之用，次歎實相之法。非法無以成人，非人無以顯法，故須雙歎。「百千經」者，即是初教《阿含》等經。《阿含》中亦授彌勒之記，何妨對文殊說法。復次通教別教之中，未曾聞此圓教法門具足之道，體用難思，昔所未聞。

This text has two parts: First, from this chapter, it clarifies the Heavenly Lord's protecting the Dharma, setting it against Candracattra's offering of the Dharma, clarifying the benefits of upholding it, and deeply revealing the weight of the virtue of propagating the sūtra. Second, from the 'Chapter on Entrustment' onward, it clarifies the Great Sage's earnest and attentive entrustment, ensuring that it must be proclaimed and spread in the final age of the semblance [Dharma]. Within the former, there are two parts: first, the Heavenly Lord's praise of propagating the sūtra; second, the Tathāgata's confirming and endorsing his intention. The first has three parts: first, praising the Dharma; second, praising the person; third, making a vow. Now it is said that the Heavenly Lord, wishing to protect and uphold the great scripture and cultivate the supreme gate, upholds this sūtra with the intent to cover and nurture [beings], which is precisely to offer the Dharma to the dharmakāya. As the Dàzhìdù lùn states: 'Kapila is the birthplace of the birth body, and Magadha is the birthplace of the dharmakāya. To repay the debt of gratitude, [the Buddha] mostly taught the Dharma in these two countries. Between the two countries, to repay the dharmakāya, he mostly taught the Dharma in Magadha.' Protecting and upholding it is precisely the offering of the Dharma. Furthermore, the Heavenly Lord and the Brahmā King together requested the teaching of the Dharma; the Tathāgata accepted the request, observed their capacity, and knowing they were not ready for the Mahāyāna, he still opened the lesser teaching. Since the lesser teaching had flourished, next he ought to explain the Mahāyāna. Now this inconceivable liberation is still the repayment of that former request. The Dàzhìdù lùn states: 'Teaching prajñā is still to repay the request of the Brahmā King and the Heavenly Lord.' Since the Heavenly Lord has received the fulfillment of his request, he rejoices and protects it. If one says: 'The Heavenly Lord attained the stage of an anāgāmin and should not disseminate the great teaching,' this is what is said to be an anāgāmin in the Tripiṭaka. The Avataṃsaka states that the Heavenly Lord abides in ten inconceivable Dharma gates—how could he be incapable of propagating this Dharma? Moreover, being the Heavenly Lord, his leading and transforming the multitudes below spreads like the wind bending the grass. Within praising the Dharma, first he praises the function of inconceivable liberation, and next he praises the Dharma of true reality. Without the Dharma, there is no way to accomplish the person; without the person, there is no way to reveal the Dharma; therefore, both must be praised. 'Hundreds of thousands of sūtras' refers to the sūtras of the initial teaching, the Āgamas, and so forth. In the Āgamas, the prophecy of Maitreya was also conferred; what is there to prevent teaching the Dharma to Mañjuśrī? Furthermore, within the Shared Teaching and the Distinct Teaching, they had never heard this complete path of the Perfect Teaching's Dharma gate; its essence and function are difficult to conceive, unheard of in the past.