維摩經略疏 6.139

6.139

「唯置一床以疾而臥」，二、明欲顯三德解脫。床表真性，疾表方便，臥表實慧。此亦有二：成前、生後。成前，即是扶成佛說三解脫之法身也。何者？淨名為成如來說不思議解脫，故前呵諸弟子菩薩，次及託疾為諸凡夫。又欲重顯往昔彈呵，成不思議解脫之教，故無疾現疾。今文殊受旨入室問疾，事須現疾表相，以開往復之端，因此得論權實二疾，即如來所說及淨名彈呵，扶成之說悉皆顯了。生後者，即生室內六品、出室二品。何者？現疾有表，故致文殊問權實疾，則生此品。次淨名廣說生後五品，還菴羅林為成不思議解脫之教，即生〈菩薩行〉、〈見阿閦佛〉二品，故名生後也。至後帖文，其義自顯。所以唯置一床表真性者，《法華》明諸法空為座，空即真性解脫。疾表大悲方便，同疾即方便解脫。臥表實慧，即真報疾。臥是休息身安之相，實慧若與真性相應，則諸行休息心安不動。智斷圓滿即實慧解脫，故《大經》云「誰得安穩眠，所謂慈悲者。」常修不放逸，視眾生如一子，以諸佛無緣慈悲拔一切苦，非放逸行。言得安穩眠者，如磁石吸鐵，無緣無念即安穩眠。如人自有不病臥寢、自有有病眠寢。實慧亦爾，若眾生無病，即法身實慧無因緣之疾。若有機眾生有病，即實慧法身大悲應之。若淨名同居穢土現此疾者，淨土亦然，乃至有餘果報亦爾。

“Leaving only a single couch, he lay down on account of illness” is second, clarifying the intention to reveal the liberations of the three virtues. The couch signifies true nature; the illness signifies expedients; lying down signifies real wisdom. This also has two aspects: fulfilling what came before, and generating what follows. Fulfilling what came before means supporting and fulfilling the dharmakāya of the three liberations taught by the Buddha. How so? To fulfill the Tathāgata's teaching of the inconceivable liberation, Vimalakīrti previously rebuked the disciples and bodhisattvas, and next feigned illness for the sake of ordinary people. Wishing also to re-manifest the past rebukes and fulfill the teaching of the inconceivable liberation, though free of illness he manifested illness. Now that Mañjuśrī has received the decree and entered the room to inquire after the illness, it is necessary to manifest the sign of illness to initiate the exchange; through this, they are able to discuss both provisional and real illness, so that the teachings of the Tathāgata and the rebukes of Vimalakīrti that support and fulfill them are completely illuminated. Generating what follows means generating the six chapters inside the room and the two chapters outside the room. How so? Because manifesting illness has significance, it prompts Mañjuśrī to inquire about provisional and real illness, which generates this chapter. Next, Vimalakīrti's extensive teaching generates the following five chapters; returning to the Āmrapālī Grove to fulfill the teaching of inconceivable liberation generates the two chapters, “Bodhisattva Practice” and “Seeing Akṣobhya Buddha”; hence it is called generating what follows. When we come to the text below, its meaning will become evident of itself. As for why leaving only a single couch signifies true nature: the Lotus Sūtra explains that the emptiness of all phenomena is the seat; emptiness is the liberation of true nature. Illness signifies great compassion and expedients; sharing the illness is the liberation of expedients. Lying down signifies real wisdom, which is the illness of true retribution. Lying down is the appearance of bodily ease in resting; when real wisdom accords with true nature, all practices rest and the mind is at ease and unmoving. When wisdom and severance are complete, this is the liberation of real wisdom; thus the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says: “Who attains peaceful sleep? It is the one with compassion.” Constantly cultivating heedfulness, regarding sentient beings like an only child, using the unconditioned compassion of all buddhas to pull out all suffering—this is not heedless practice. Speaking of attaining peaceful sleep: like a lodestone attracting iron, unconditioned and free of thought, this is peaceful sleep. Just as a person may rest and sleep without illness, or rest and sleep with illness, real wisdom is also like this: if sentient beings are free of illness, the real wisdom of the dharmakāya is free from the illness of conditions. If receptive sentient beings have illness, the dharmakāya of real wisdom responds with great compassion. If Vimalakīrti manifested this illness in the shared-residence impure land, it is likewise so in the pure land, and even so in the remaining residue and fruition-retribution lands.