維摩經略疏 7.26

7.26

"He further asked... 'sought within.'" This is the fifth round of question and answer. "He asked: 'Where should emptiness be sought?'" clarifies that since this principle of non-discriminative emptiness is subtle and profound, far transcending [the ordinary], where should a practitioner seek it when wishing to do so? Vimalakīrti then answers, "It should be sought within the sixty-two views." For example, if someone confuses south for north, they cannot abandon the north; in the end, they must return to the very north where they were confused to seek the south. When awakened, it is still at the confused north that they see the south. Now, when sentient beings are not awakened, bodhi is itself affliction; hence there are the afflictions of the sixty-two views. If awakened, affliction is itself bodhi: the very place of affliction conceived by the sixty-two views is itself the pure land of bodhi, true emptiness, and eternal silence. Now it is explained that although the sixty-two views are many, their root does not go beyond two views; from two emerge four, and applied across the aggregates of the three times, they become sixty-two. Thus the Lotus Sūtra says, "Whether existing or non-existing, etc., relying on these views, they fully possess the sixty-two." In ordinary beings and the four teachings, there are five kinds of the four views of existence and non-existence: First, the four views of ordinary beings produce the sixty-two, as explained earlier. Second, in the four gates of the Tripiṭaka [teaching], if one is not awakened and grasps, these are the four views; as the Dàzhìdù lùn explains, if one enters the Abhidharma, one falls into existence, and the Emptiness gate, the Piṭaka (Guṇalakṣaṇa) gate, etc., each fall into views. Third, in the four gates of the Shared teaching, if one has not attained the truth, clinging to these four propositions constitutes the four views; as the Dàzhìdù lùn says, "Prajñā is like a great mass of fire, not to be grasped on four sides"; the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā's Chapter on the Examination of Phenomena also has this explanation. Fourth, in the four gates of the Distinct teaching, as the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra uses the metaphor of milk for the four propositions of Buddha-nature, if one has not seen Buddha-nature, clinging to these four propositions constitutes the four views. Fifth, in the four gates of the Perfect teaching, if one has not seen the nature, clinging to these four propositions also becomes the four views. Hence the Viśeṣacintibrahma-paripṛcchā Sūtra says, "True words are false words that give rise to the view of words"; hence the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says, "Prior to this, all are called wrong views." Applying these four teachings across the aggregates of the three times and the two kinds of selflessness, each also produces sixty-two views. Someone said: The Mahāsaṃnipāta has this discrimination; I have not yet investigated the text. The reason for presenting these five kinds of sixty-two views is to substantiate Vimalakīrti's answer; hence it is said that it should be sought within the sixty-two views. If sought from the sixty-two views of ordinary beings and the four views of the Tripiṭaka and Shared teachings, one attains mere emptiness and sees the cohabitation [land] and the remainder [land]. If sought from the four views of the Distinct and Perfect teachings, etc., one attains the vision of the retribution land. If sought in the four views of the Perfect teaching, etc., reaching the pure dhyāna free from all views, one sees the Silent Light. Just as when confusing south for north, seeking from the place of confusion allows one to see the origin; now, wishing to seek the principle, seeking only within views allows one to attain non-discriminative emptiness and enter the Eternally Silent Light. Hence he answers, "It should be sought within the sixty-two views."