維摩經略疏 8.87

8.87

From "Śāriputra" onward is the sixth major section of the chapter: Śāriputra asks how long it will be before she attains bodhi, which brings to light the attainment of the Way according to the Round Teaching. The text has two parts: first, Śāriputra asks about the length of time to attain the Way in terms of the Tripiṭaka and Shared teachings, and the goddess answers in terms of the inconceivable true truth; second, Śāriputra asks in terms of the conceivable conventional truth, and the goddess again answers in terms of the inconceivable true truth. In the first part, the intention behind Śāriputra's initial question is: "Since you are working to benefit living beings, when will you enter the bodhimaṇḍa and attain the Way through the eight aspects?" Next, the goddess answers. She turns the question back upon him with two meanings: first, if Śāriputra were to revert to being an ordinary person, only then would she attain bodhi. If one has awakened to the true unarisen, how could there be any principle of becoming an ordinary person? Having attained the Way of the round and true, she has already eliminated separate afflictions; how could she now conform to attaining the Way through the eight aspects of the Tripiṭaka and Shared teachings? Therefore she says: "My attainment of bodhi would also be an impossibility." If Śāriputra, having seen the conceivable truth, could once again become an ordinary person, only then would my entry into the inconceivable truth constitute the eight aspects. Just as this is impossible for you, how could it be so for me? However, an arhat can manifest as an ordinary person, but is not truly an ordinary person. The dharmakāya's attainment of the Way is likewise not through eight aspects; only when living beings are to be saved through the eight aspects does it manifest attainment of the Way through the eight aspects. An arhat truly does not become an ordinary person again, and my attainment of the unarisen truly possesses no eight aspects. This explains both sides by counter-analogy. Next, Śāriputra replies, "It is impossible for me to become an ordinary person." The goddess immediately counters, "My attaining bodhi is likewise impossible." The reason she presents this counter-analogy is that if Śāriputra is asking about the dharmakāya's ultimate attainment of the Way, even the ten abodes cannot discern its beginning; only a buddha together with a buddha can exhaustively fathom it. Even if the goddess were to answer Śāriputra regarding how long it would be, just as the Lotus Sūtra explains the prince's practice of causes in the attainment of the Way under Mahābhijñājñānābhibhū, how could Śāriputra understand these eight aspects? Merely by attaining the unarisen, one is already capable of manifesting as a buddha through the eight aspects in accordance with conditions; why must he pose such a question? Next, the goddess herself explains, saying: "Because bodhi has no abiding place, there is nothing to be attained." This means that the dharmakāya contemplates the inconceivable true truth as empty and without spatial location; the buddhas cannot practice it and cannot reach it, and therefore it is said that there is no one who attains it.