維摩經略疏 2.23

2.23

就發起序為二：一如來現身、二長者獻蓋。初為三：一佛說法、二譬顯、三合譬。初明「彼時佛與無量大眾」者，眾有四種：一、發起眾，如寶積、文殊、彌勒等更相發起者是也。二、影響眾，此土他方法身菩薩，迹為八部四眾等是也。三、當機眾，聞說得益，如五百八部四眾等，是皆戒乘俱急、戒緩乘急也。四、結緣眾，為作未來解悟由漸，即是戒急乘緩、戒乘俱緩八部四眾者是也。此四通攝一切眾也。「恭敬」者，明內善機發。「圍繞」者，如城四門通入見主，表四門機動隨佛教轉，得見真性解脫法身。「而為說法」者，昔光統師問長耳三藏云：「佛時與無量大眾說何等法？」答：「說《普集經》，即方等教攝。所以得為今經作序者，彼說正報因果，今說依報因果，由正有依故得為序。例如先說《無量義》，次說《法華》。」

Regarding the initiating preface, there are two parts: first, the Tathāgata manifesting his body; second, the elder offering the parasols. The first has three parts: first, the Buddha preaching the Dharma; second, illustrating by metaphor; third, applying the metaphor. First, regarding "At that time, the Buddha and a measureless great assembly": there are four kinds of assemblies: First, the initiating assembly, such as Ratnakūṭa, Mañjuśrī, and Maitreya, who mutually initiate [the teaching]. Second, the influencing assembly, namely the dharmakāya bodhisattvas of this land and other directions who trace their manifestations as the eight classes, the four assemblies, and so forth. Third, the targeted assembly, those who hear the preaching and gain benefit, such as the five hundred, the eight classes, and the four assemblies, all of whom were urgent in both vehicle and precepts, or lax in precepts and urgent in the vehicle. Fourth, the affinity-connecting assembly, who serve as a gradual basis for future awakening, namely those of the eight classes and four assemblies who were urgent in precepts but lax in the vehicle, or lax in both precepts and the vehicle. These four universally encompass all assemblies. "Reverently" clarifies the inner activation of good capacities. "Surrounded" is like entering through the four gates of a city to see the lord; it signifies that the capacities of the four gates are activated in accordance with the turning of the Buddha's teaching, enabling them to see the dharmakāya of true-nature liberation. Regarding "and preached the Dharma for them": in the past, Master Guāngtǒng asked the long-eared Tripiṭaka master: "What Dharma was the Buddha preaching at that time with the measureless great assembly?" He answered: "He preached the Pǔjí jīng, which is subsumed under the vaipulya teaching. The reason it can serve as a preface to the present sūtra is that that [sūtra] preached the cause and fruit of direct retribution, while this [sūtra] preaches the cause and fruit of dependent retribution. Because dependent exists by virtue of direct, it can serve as a preface. This is like first preaching the Immeasurable Meanings Sūtra and next preaching the Lotus Sūtra."