維摩經略疏 1.85

1.85

"In the Āmrapālī Tree Grove at Vaiśālī": this explains the place, which reveals the location where the sūtra was preached and assists in fostering faith. Now this has two parts: first, the general place, which is Vaiśālī; second, the specific place, which is the Āmrapālī Grove. The general place again has three points: First, in terms of worldly phenomena: here [Vaiśālī] is translated as "vast and adorned with purity" (guǎngbó yánjìng); because that land was broad and level, it was called vast, and because its cities and towns were magnificent, it was called adorned with purity. Another master translated it as "good rice" (hǎodào), because it produced fine nonglutinous rice that surpassed that of other countries. Some say it means "good road" (hǎodào), because the country had fine roads, level, flat, and straight. Others also say it means "fondness for the level path," because the people of that country took pleasure in the correct path, personally esteeming benevolence and righteousness without needing a sovereign ruler; five hundred elders jointly put the practices of the path into effect, and none among the people throughout the land failed to take refuge in virtue; thus it is called "fondness for the path." Second, explaining by correspondence to Dharma gates: it is correlated according to the translations mentioned above. "Vast and adorned with purity" refers to Śākyamuni's dharmakāya, which fundamentally abides in Quiescent Light; its nature is vast like empty space, and its merit and wisdom are devoid of all defilements, hence "adorned with purity." When its traces abide in the human realm, it relies on a land that is vast and adorned with purity. From this one knows that without the fundamental, there would be no way to manifest traces, and thus he abides in a pure and adorned land in the human realm; without the traces, there would be no way to reveal the fundamental, and so, taking Vaiśālī as the setting, he speaks of all buddha-lands being eternally quiescent like space, in order to reveal Vairocana's fundamentally quiescent original realm. As for "good rice": Śākyamuni fundamentally abides in the Great Parinirvāṇa and the liberation of the hundred phrases; thus the Lotus Sūtra says: "The hundred grains and seedlings all grow everywhere, and because of their growth the grain and fruit come to maturity." This refers to the marvelous fruit of the liberation of the hundred phrases being the "good rice." Manifesting traces to reveal the fundamental can be understood by analogy to the previous [explanation]. As for "good road": this signifies the great path of the perfection of wisdom from which the Buddha has come. Thus the Great [Nirvāṇa] Sūtra says: "It is like a narrow path that cannot accommodate two people walking abreast. Liberation is not like that; it accommodates much, which is true liberation." Now Śākyamuni abides in the great path of the inconceivable dharmadhātu, which is capable of containing much, hence called "good road." Manifesting traces to reveal the fundamental can be known by analogy to the previous [explanation]. As for "fondness for the level path": a path that is conceivable, cultivated with deliberate intention, is not called the good path; the inconceivable path, one's own practice of true cultivation wherein the principle becomes manifest effortlessly, transforms others like a lodestone attracting iron, without condition or thought—this is the path of innate goodness. Manifesting traces from the fundamental is why it is called the good path; revealing the fundamental through traces is why he abides in the human country of the good path to speak of "when the mind is pure, the buddha-land is pure." Third, in terms of the contemplation of mind: the threefold contemplation in a single mind can contemplate the nature of mind; one then knows that the nature of mind is like empty space, endowed with the two kinds of adornment—merit and wisdom—undefiled, unattached, and ultimately pure; thus, because the mind is pure, the buddha-land is pure. In terms of "good rice": if one contemplates the nature of mind, it is the root of the liberation of the hundred phrases, called "good rice." In terms of "good road": if one contemplates the Middle Way of conditioned arising, this is traveling the great straight path; because there are no obstacles, no hordes of māras or bandits can enter, and because this path is supreme, it is called the "good path." In terms of "fondness for the level path": if one contemplates biased truth, the nirvāṇa where suffering is exhausted, then one has no fondness for any path-dharmas. Now, contemplating the path of perfect truth, one takes fondness in all things, the mind never sated to the end of the future; hence it is called "fondness for the path."