維摩經略疏 7.38

7.38

From "Speaking of repenting..." to "...past", the second [part] clarifies consoling so as to cause contemplation of entering emptiness from causal provisionality. The cause is the truth of arising: fetters and karma are together the causes of suffering. The two vehicles, for the sake of nirvāṇa, merely hasten to sever fetters and do not repent of past offenses. It was because of Śāriputra's offenses that he did not see the pure land; the intent lies here. The bodhisattva penetrates the nature of afflictions and does not hurriedly sever fetters to hastily seize nirvāṇa, but takes repentance as primary to purify all meritorious qualities; hence Śikhi saw the purity, and the intent lies here. This directly clarifies contemplating the entrance into emptiness from causal provisionality. If one only contemplates entering emptiness from resultant provisionality, it is not that one does not depart from the afflictions of the four entrenchments, yet past offenses are not eliminated, which obstructs the Dharma-gates and the meritorious qualities of converting others. Bodhisattvas, in order to deliver sentient beings, must eradicate offenses; if there are no resentful adversaries, [sentient beings] can then receive conversion. Therefore the bodhisattva precepts take killing as the first, while the śrāvaka precepts take non-chaste conduct as the first; the intent lies here. Now clarifying that the bodhisattva practices entering emptiness from provisionality to repent of past offenses, it is therefore said: "Speaking of repenting past offenses." If according to the Abhidharma, it explains offenses as existing in the three times, moving from the future to the present and entering the past, with the cord of acquisition binding them to the practitioner. If according to the Satyasiddhi-śāstra, it explains the two times as lacking offenses, which merely exist in the present following the mind. Now the bodhisattva contemplates repentance of the unarisen: there are not even the three times, how much less offenses entering the past or being in the present! It is only through past inverted views that various offenses were falsely created. If one knows that one's own mind is inherently empty and that offenses and blessings have no owner, when repenting in this manner, "All offenses are like frost and dew, which the sun of wisdom can melt away." Embodying the provisional to enter emptiness shatters past false creations; hence it says "speaking of repenting past offenses"; because the three times are empty, [they] do not enter the past.