維摩經略疏 5.40

5.40

From "Why?" down: second, explaining the reason for his incompetence. The text has two parts: first, the Brahmā king's coming to ask; second, Aniruddha's answer. As for the first part: the lord of the world governs the trichiliocosm, and having attained the divine eye as a karmic retribution, he also sees the trichiliocosm. In terms of retributive divine eye, none equals the Brahmā king. The king and his retinue, hearing that Aniruddha was foremost in the divine eye among the śrāvakas, wished to know their relative superiority and inferiority, and so came to ask. From "I then [answered]" down to "an āmalaka fruit": second, Aniruddha's answer. Among the divine eyes attained by the other śrāvakas, none can see the trichiliocosm. Therefore the Dàzhìdù lùn says: "The divine eye of a great arhat sees only a small chiliocosm; a great pratyekabuddha sees a hundred buddha-worlds; and the buddhas, the Tathāgatas, see all buddha-lands." Aniruddha alone saw the trichiliocosm because he specifically cultivated the mental-reckoning number [method], making him foremost in the divine eye among the śrāvakas. At first glance, what he saw seemed the same as the Brahmā king's; since he had no function surpassing him, he did not evoke [the king's] reverence and admiration. How could he cause them to arouse the aspiration [for awakening]? Consequently he was rebuked by the Great Being. This is the reason for his incompetence.