維摩經略疏 5.131

5.131

問：三萬二千皆隣果，歎位與淨名不殊，何以頓爾皆被彈折？答：雖已略明其意眾多，今當更說。有言：此諸菩薩是實隣果，淨名是權隣果為勝也。有言：同是實隣果，如《仁王般若》云「十地有三生」，諸菩薩是始生、住生，淨名是終生，於諸菩薩為勝也。今當實判，諸菩薩與淨名皆有本迹同權同實，但是共來輔佛成熟眾生。四大士等沒實用權輔成權教，淨名、鴦掘沒權用實輔成實教。權者如砧、實者如槌，成眾生器。若論益物，權實俱益。若論扣擊，槌彈砧受俱不思議，共利眾生，尚非二乘諸小菩薩所知，豈是博地凡夫能知本迹高下。

Question: All thirty-two thousand border upon the fruit [of Buddhahood], and the praise of their ranks is no different from Vimalakīrti's; why are they suddenly all rebuked and broken? Answer: Although its manifold meanings have already been briefly explained, we shall now explain further. Some say: these bodhisattvas are real [bodhisattvas] bordering on the fruit, whereas Vimalakīrti is provisional [in] bordering on the fruit, and hence superior. Some say: they equally border upon the real fruit, but as the *Humane King Prajñā* says, "The ten stages have three births"—the other bodhisattvas are initial birth and abiding birth, whereas Vimalakīrti is final birth, and thus superior to the other bodhisattvas. Now to make a true judgment: the various bodhisattvas and Vimalakīrti all possess the original and the trace, sharing the provisional and sharing the real; they have simply come together to assist the Buddha in ripening sentient beings. The four great beings and the others conceal the real and employ the provisional to assist in accomplishing the provisional teachings; Vimalakīrti and Aṅgulimāla conceal the provisional and employ the real to assist in accomplishing the real teachings. The provisional is like an anvil and the real is like a hammer, together fashioning the vessels of sentient beings. If we speak of benefiting beings, both the provisional and the real bring benefit. If we speak of the striking, the hammer's rebuke and the anvil's reception are both inconceivable; they jointly benefit sentient beings, which is beyond what the two vehicles and lesser bodhisattvas can know, so how could ordinary mortals of the wide earth know the relative heights of their original [grounds] and traces?