維摩經略疏 2.149

2.149

From "At that time" onward is the second [section], in which Śāriputra gives rise to doubt. The text has two parts: first, the reason for the arising of the doubt; second, the doubtful thought itself. First, clarifying the reason: it is due to receiving the Buddha's awe-inspiring spiritual power that he gives rise to doubt. As for the Tathāgata's spiritual power aiding Śāriputra: although this sūtra contrasts the Small with the Great, since Śāriputra is foremost in wisdom among the Small Vehicle and is bowed to and respected by all the śrāvakas, if he suddenly conceives a doubtful thought, all the śrāvakas will likewise give rise to doubt together: in the Great Vehicle's vaipulya [teachings] there are inconceivable, secret matters—namely, that within an impure land there is a pure land. Śāriputra was not yet able to raise a question that matched the assembly's capacity; he had to rely on the Buddha's power to meet the minds of beings, hence it says "receiving the Buddha's awe-inspiring spiritual power." According to the intent of the Lotus Sūtra, tracing the origin and revealing the traces shows that all the śrāvakas inwardly conceal [the truth] and outwardly manifest [delusion]; how could it be that he was truly unable to match beings' capacity and [merely] gave rise to doubt? "Having this... up to ...like this": Second, directly clarifying the doubtful thought: he doubts the Buddha's reply to Ratnakūṭa that when the mind is pure, the land is pure; clinging to the former Tripiṭaka [teachings], he therefore gives rise to doubt. Bodhisattvas practice for three asaṃkhyeya kalpas and achieve buddhahood equally; how can it now be said that when a bodhisattva's mind is pure, the buddha-land is pure? Śākyamuni alone has no pure land; it must be that when he was a bodhisattva, his mind was not pure. If it was not pure, how could he attain buddhahood? If he attained buddhahood through a pure mind, then because his mind was pure, his buddha-land should also be pure; how could his buddha-land be impure and evil? Doubting back and forth like this, yet not daring to ask: perhaps he felt humble, or feared breaching deportment, or knew that the Tathāgata's suspended mirror [of omniscience] would naturally know the proper time, and therefore he had not yet asked.