維摩經略疏 6.107

6.107

二、明文殊堪為問疾人者，上命五百及諸菩薩，各述被彈皆辭不堪。今文殊獨堪承佛聖旨者，略出五意：一位高、二垂迹、三顯圓、四愜眾情、五隨物機。一位高者，文殊與諸菩薩雖同居等覺，不無高下。故《瓔珞》云「住等覺位入重玄門，經無量劫倒修凡事。」文殊修行積久、智德高勝，位等淨名，故堪為問疾人也。此亦一往也。二、垂迹者，諸菩薩多是實位補處，但文殊本地是龍種如來、今迹居補處，與淨名本迹義齊，故堪問疾人也。又一往明耳。三、顯圓者，菩薩本迹豈可定測，但諸菩薩多示弘方便，故悉為所彈。文殊多示弘圓教，與淨名事同，故堪為問疾人也。

Second, explaining that Mañjuśrī is competent to be the person inquiring after the illness: above, when the five hundred and the various bodhisattvas were commissioned, each recounted being rebuked and declined as incompetent. Now, regarding Mañjuśrī alone being competent to receive the Buddha's holy command, five reasons are briefly presented: first, his position is high; second, his manifested trace; third, his revealing the perfect [teaching]; fourth, his suiting the sentiments of the assembly; fifth, his according with the capacities of beings. Regarding the first, his position being high: although Mañjuśrī and the various bodhisattvas equally abide at equal awakening, there is not an absence of higher and lower. Hence the Yingluo jing says: "Abiding at the stage of equal awakening, one enters the gate of profound mystery, passing through immeasurable eons in reverse cultivation of ordinary affairs." Mañjuśrī's practice has accumulated for long, his wisdom and virtue are high and superior, and his stage equals Vimalakīrti's; therefore he is competent to be the person inquiring after the illness. This is also stated provisionally. Second, his manifested trace: the various bodhisattvas are mostly at the actual stage of [boddhisattvas of] one lifetime remaining, but Mañjuśrī's original ground is the Tathāgata Dragon Species, and now his trace resides in [the bodhisattva of] one lifetime remaining; his original and trace meanings are equal to Vimalakīrti's, so he is competent to be the person inquiring after the illness. Again, this is stated provisionally. Third, revealing the perfect [teaching]: how could the original and trace of a bodhisattva be definitively fathomed? But the various bodhisattvas mostly manifest the promotion of expedients, and therefore were all rebuked by him. Mañjuśrī mostly manifests the promotion of the perfect teaching, his activity being identical to Vimalakīrti's; therefore he is competent to be the person inquiring after the illness.