維摩經略疏 6.36

6.36

'I then paid homage to him' is, second, explaining Prabhāvyūha's paying respect. The reason he paid homage was that Prabhāvyūha manifested dwelling in a lower trace, deeply recognized the Great Being's lofty virtue benefiting living beings without bounds, and therefore paid homage to him. 'And asked, "Where has the layman come from?"' is, third, asking where he came from. Not having fathomed the place from which he came, he therefore posed the question. 'He answered me, "I come from the bodhimaṇḍa,"' is, fourth, the reply. The Great Being did not actually come from the place where the Buddha attained awakening; wishing to explain the meaning of the true bodhimaṇḍa of the initial mind of the Perfect Teaching and break through the bodhimaṇḍas explained by the various partial teachings and by the perfect's phenomenal traces, he replied that he came from the bodhimaṇḍa. 'I asked, "What is the bodhimaṇḍa?"' is, fifth, asking the reason again. Prabhāvyūha was bewildered by this answer. The bodhimaṇḍa was originally the place where the Buddha attained awakening, just as a worldly threshing floor is where grain is threshed and the husk is removed to reveal the rice. The bodhisattva is also like this: having eradicated mental delusions to reveal true reality, the place where he attains awakening is called the bodhimaṇḍa. Categorized according to teachings: in the Tripiṭaka Teaching, beneath the bodhi tree grass serves as the seat, where delusions and habits are both exhausted; the place of attaining buddhahood is called the bodhimaṇḍa. In the Shared Teaching, beneath the bodhi tree heavenly robes serve as the seat, where delusions and habits are both exhausted; the place of attaining buddhahood is called the bodhimaṇḍa. In the Distinct Teaching, beneath the bodhi tree the seven jewels serve as the seat; where Rocana Buddha exhausts delusions beyond the realm, the place where he first attains correct awakening is the bodhimaṇḍa of quiescent extinction. In the Perfect Teaching, empty space and a lotus flower serve as the seat; where ignorance throughout the dharma-realm is eternally exhausted, the place where buddhahood is first attained is likewise the bodhimaṇḍa of quiescent extinction. Sitting on grass to attain buddhahood appears in the Śrāvaka sūtras. Heavenly robes, the seven jewels, and empty space with a lotus flower appear in the Suvikrāntavikrāmi-paripṛcchā. According to their capacities and responses, beings perceive these four bodhimaṇḍas: lesser capacities perceive the small; because bodhisattvas of the three Mahāyāna teachings perceive them, the appearances of the three bodhimaṇḍas of attaining buddhahood differ. Prabhāvyūha did not see the Great Being coming from such places—how could he suddenly answer that he came from the bodhimaṇḍa? Therefore he asked again.