維摩經略疏 2.23

2.23

Regarding the initiating preface, there are two parts: first, the Tathāgata manifesting his body; second, the elder offering the parasols. The first has three parts: first, the Buddha preaching the Dharma; second, illustrating by metaphor; third, applying the metaphor. First, regarding "At that time, the Buddha and a measureless great assembly": there are four kinds of assemblies: First, the initiating assembly, such as Ratnakūṭa, Mañjuśrī, and Maitreya, who mutually initiate [the teaching]. Second, the influencing assembly, namely the dharmakāya bodhisattvas of this land and other directions who trace their manifestations as the eight classes, the four assemblies, and so forth. Third, the targeted assembly, those who hear the preaching and gain benefit, such as the five hundred, the eight classes, and the four assemblies, all of whom were urgent in both vehicle and precepts, or lax in precepts and urgent in the vehicle. Fourth, the affinity-connecting assembly, who serve as a gradual basis for future awakening, namely those of the eight classes and four assemblies who were urgent in precepts but lax in the vehicle, or lax in both precepts and the vehicle. These four universally encompass all assemblies. "Reverently" clarifies the inner activation of good capacities. "Surrounded" is like entering through the four gates of a city to see the lord; it signifies that the capacities of the four gates are activated in accordance with the turning of the Buddha's teaching, enabling them to see the dharmakāya of true-nature liberation. Regarding "and preached the Dharma for them": in the past, Master Guāngtǒng asked the long-eared Tripiṭaka master: "What Dharma was the Buddha preaching at that time with the measureless great assembly?" He answered: "He preached the Pǔjí jīng, which is subsumed under the vaipulya teaching. The reason it can serve as a preface to the present sūtra is that that [sūtra] preached the cause and fruit of direct retribution, while this [sūtra] preaches the cause and fruit of dependent retribution. Because dependent exists by virtue of direct, it can serve as a preface. This is like first preaching the Immeasurable Meanings Sūtra and next preaching the Lotus Sūtra."