維摩經略疏 6.53

6.53

"Then Māra came to stand on one side" is, second, the māra coming disguised as Śakra. As for why he came disguised as Śakra: Śakra is a disciple of the Buddha who has already attained the noble path. Furthermore, he is the Buddha's dānapati, constantly coming to draw near. Since Jagatīṃdhara was a renunciant bodhisattva, seeing a dānapati come, he naturally had to comfort and greet him, which then became an obstruction and disturbance. Now, we explain the differences in knowing the māra across the four teachings. First, the Tripiṭaka bodhisattva has not himself separated from the afflictive māra and the skandha-māra; he merely relies on contemplative practice to perceive and subdue them, lodging in this to cultivate the path. If he attains supernormal powers, he knows the devaputra-māra through deliberate intention, but does not know without deliberate intention. If he knows through supernormal powers, he subdues him but cannot permanently eradicate him; [only] when arriving beneath the King of Trees does he first subdue the devaputra-māra, and after the māra retreats, through the thirty-four minds he cuts off the fetters, whereupon the four māras within the triple realm are all exhausted. Second, the Shared bodhisattva, on the stage of seeing, partially cuts off the view-afflictive māra; attains the fivefold dharmakāya to partially eliminate the skandha-māra; and upon reaching the sixth stage, without the active afflictions moistening karma, eliminates the skandha-māra and death-māra within the triple realm, though still relying on vows to sustain residual habits. Being reborn within the triple realm, he has skandhas and death; although having skandhas and death, they cannot destroy the path. Although on the seventh stage he attains supernormal powers and through deliberate intention can know and overcome the devaputra-māra, without deliberate intention he cannot know or overcome him; [only] upon arriving at the tree of awakening is it finally overcome ultimately: in a single thought-moment the habits are exhausted, vows no longer pull toward rebirth, and the four māras are permanently extinguished. Third, the Distinct Teaching explains that the ten abodes enter the biased true principle to eradicate the afflictive māra, the skandha-māra, and the death-māra; the ten practices attain supernormal powers, and also through deliberate intention can know the devaputra-māra, but without deliberate intention cannot know or subdue him. Upon reaching the first stage, he attains one body that is immeasurable bodies and becomes a buddha in a hundred realms; the habits within the triple realm are exhausted, and the skandha, death, and devaputra-māras are all overcome. Fourth, in the Perfect Teaching, the five grades of disciples completely subdue the four māras; if they enter the ten faiths, they can completely sever them, and without needing deliberate intention, they naturally perceive the māra's coming. This is a brief differentiation of overcoming the skandha-māra and the rest. If one considers overcoming the eight māras—permanence, impermanence, and so forth—the Tripiṭaka bodhisattva merely subdues four māras and only overcomes them at the tree of awakening. As for the stage of seeing of the Shared Teaching and the ten abodes of the Distinct Teaching, they eliminate the four [distortions] of permanence, bliss, and so forth; the practices and dedications have already subdued the four [māras] of impermanence and so forth; upon ascending to the stages, they partially overcome the four of impermanence and so forth: though the cause is impermanent, the fruit is permanent, fully as in the Great Sūtra where the Buddha answers the brahma-cārin. When reaching the buddha stage of the Distinct Teaching, the eight māras are all exhausted. The first abode of the Perfect Teaching completely overcomes the eight māras, and those within the triple realm are permanently exhausted. As for the four of impermanence and so forth beyond the triple realm, only up to the final mind are they ultimately exhausted.