維摩經略疏 2.109

2.109

「譬如」下，二、譬。文為二：一開譬、二合譬。初為二：一開成譬、二開不成譬。初開成譬。「欲於空地造立宮室」者，譬能於空中見不空佛土，即成義也。四不可說故名為空，有因緣故說四因果名為不空。菩薩約四種苦集眾生，用四道滅，成四淨土。二、開不成譬者，「若於虛空終不成」也。譬於四不可說，不見四種四諦，四種佛土終不成也。

From "For example" downward is, second, the similes. The text has two parts: first, opening the similes; second, joining the similes. The first has two: first, opening the simile of success; second, opening the simile of failure.

First, opening the simile of success: "If one wishes to build a palace on empty ground" compares being able to see non-empty buddha-lands in emptiness, which is the meaning of success. Being the four inexpressibles, it is called empty; because there are causes and conditions, explaining the four causes and effects is called non-empty. In terms of the four kinds of living beings of suffering and origination, the bodhisattva employs the four paths and cessations to accomplish the four pure lands.

Second, opening the simile of failure: "If in empty space, it will ultimately not succeed." This compares not seeing the four kinds of four truths in the four inexpressibles, whereby the four kinds of buddha-lands will ultimately not succeed.