維摩經略疏 9.4

9.4

Question: Since this chapter does not explain its meaning in terms of causes and conditions, how can it take the three paths of causes and conditions to be the non-paths? Answer: All non-paths do not go beyond these three. Why so? The ten realms subsume everything; the nine are all non-paths, and only the Buddha dharma-realm is called the Buddha Path. This sūtra clarifies the inconceivable Buddha Path, and therefore the non-paths of the nine realms are all the Buddha Path. Among the paths of these nine realms, the six destinies are the conditioned twelve links of dependent origination, and the three vehicles are the unconditioned twelve links of dependent origination; that is, the paths of the two extremes, mundane and supramundane, each have three paths. Because they cannot enter the conventional from emptiness according to the general characteristic and accord with entering the path of inconceivable liberation, they are all not the Buddha Path. However, this chapter does not separately clarify that bodhisattvas are a non-path because there are bodhisattva paths of the four teachings; when the Separate and Round enter the Middle, that is itself the Buddha Path. Furthermore, expedience bodhisattvas all possess compassionate vows and swiftly accord with the Buddha Path, so they are not singled out as genuinely not the Buddha Path. If it were the Buddha Path, why would Vimalakīrti have rebuked the four bodhisattvas and their assembly of eight thousand? Furthermore, this chapter clarifies universally entering all paths to sever their causes and conditions; how could it not enter the bodhisattvas of the expedient teachings to sever their conditioned and unconditioned accumulation of conditions?