淨名玄論 7.10

7.10

要具五事，嘉集方名為會，一有處所、二有時節、三有化主、四有徒眾、五說教門。五事和集，眾生悟道，故名為會。如《四百觀論》云「真法及說者，聽者難得故，如是則生死，非有邊無邊。」論中略明三種：一有真法、二有說者、三有聽人。具此三緣，故有輪不得無際；闕斯一事，則生死非是有邊。今廣明五事則為五階。化處不同，前已略說，淨土義中當廣明之。言化時者，此經凡有通別二時者。言通時者，舊云：淨名是佛成道第三十年所說。又云：二十六年說也。所言別時者，就此四會，有二種不同：一時事先後、二集法次第。時事先後者，第一方丈初會、第二菴園次會、第三方丈再集、第四菴園重會。問：何以知然？答：五百長者與淨名為法城等侶，問道參無時不集。而寶積已至，淨名近而不來者，當知有疾。以其疾故，國內近眾皆來問之，因以身疾略為說法，故無數千人皆發道心，即〈方便品〉。故知先有毘耶初會也。但初集之時，人天眾小、利益未多，猶未足暢其神慧、稱現疾之懷。但佛與淨名既同為化物，故兩心相鑒。居士既託疾毘耶，如來菴園說法，為之集眾，故遣使問疾。聲聞菩薩皆敘不堪，方有菴園會耳。次命文殊令往激揚，廣宣妙法，故有方丈再集。但化事既周，還來佛所，如來印讚，使談妙法，故有菴園重集。以時事推之，必如此也。二集法次第者，夫欲結集成經，必須先明如是我聞一時佛所住處與大眾俱。若發軫即序淨名時事，便不得成經。《勝鬘》之例，事亦如是。故先明菴園會也。菴園集既竟，將發遣使問疾之端，故進序方丈初會，歎淨名之德，生時眾尊仰之誠，敘其有疾，發如來慰問由致，故次有方便一品毘耶會也。餘之二集，同上釋之。

Five conditions must be fulfilled for an auspicious gathering to be called an assembly: first, having a location; second, having a time; third, having a teaching master; fourth, having an assembly of followers; fifth, preaching the gate of doctrine. When the five conditions harmonize and beings awaken to the Way, it is therefore called an assembly. As the Catuhśataka-ṭīkā says: 'Because the true Dharma, the speaker, and the listeners are difficult to obtain, saṃsāra is neither with an end nor without an end.' The treatise briefly clarifies three kinds: first, having the true Dharma; second, having a speaker; third, having listeners. Having these three conditions, cyclic existence cannot be endless; lacking a single one of these conditions, saṃsāra does not have an end. Now, explaining the five conditions in full makes five stages. The different places of conversion were briefly discussed above, and will be explained in detail in the section on the pure land. Regarding the time of conversion, this sūtra has both a general time and specific times. As for the general time, ancient scholars said: Vimalakīrti was preached in the thirtieth year after the Buddha's attainment of enlightenment. It is also said: preached in the twenty-sixth year. As for specific times, concerning these four assemblies, there are two differences: first, the chronological sequence of events; second, the order of compiling the Dharma. Regarding the chronological sequence of events: first, the initial assembly in the ten-foot-square room; second, the subsequent assembly at Āmrapālī's garden; third, the reassembly in the ten-foot-square room; fourth, the reconvened assembly at Āmrapālī's garden. Question: How is this known? Answer: The five hundred elders were companions of Vimalakīrti in the fortress of the Dharma; when inquiring about the Way and paying visits, they gathered without fail. Yet when Ratnarāśi had arrived, Vimalakīrti, being close by, did not come; one must know he was ill. Because of his illness, all the nearby multitude within the country came to inquire after him, whereupon he briefly preached the Dharma based on bodily illness, causing countless thousands of people to give rise to the aspiration for enlightenment—which is the Upāya Chapter. Therefore, we know that the first assembly in Vaiśālī took place first. However, at the time of the first gathering, the assembly of humans and gods was small and the benefits were not yet extensive, not yet sufficient to express his divine wisdom or fulfill the purpose of manifesting illness. But since the Buddha and Vimalakīrti shared the goal of converting beings, their two minds perceived one another. Once the householder feigned illness in Vaiśālī, the Tathāgata preached the Dharma at Āmrapālī's garden to gather the multitude for him, and therefore dispatched envoys to inquire about his illness. Only after the śrāvakas and bodhisattvas all recounted their inadequacy was there the assembly at Āmrapālī's garden. Next, he commissioned Mañjuśrī to go and prompt the exchange, widely proclaiming the wonderful Dharma, hence there was the reassembly in the ten-foot-square room. But when the work of conversion was complete, they returned to the Buddha's place, and the Tathāgata confirmed and praised them, causing them to discuss the wonderful Dharma; hence there was the reconvened gathering at Āmrapālī's garden. Deducing from chronological events, it must be like this. Second, regarding the order of compiling the Dharma: to compile a sūtra, one must first clarify 'Thus have I heard: at one time the Buddha resided in such a place with the great assembly.' If at the outset one introduced the events of Vimalakīrti, the sūtra could not be formed. The precedent of the Śrīmālā[devī-sūtra] is also like this. Therefore, the assembly at Āmrapālī's garden is clarified first. After the assembly at Āmrapālī's garden was concluded, about to initiate the dispatching of messengers to inquire about the illness, it then further introduced the initial assembly in the ten-foot-square room, praising Vimalakīrti's virtues to arouse the sincere reverence of the assembly at that time, and recounting his illness to give rise to the reason for the Tathāgata's condolence inquiry; hence next there is the single Upāya chapter, the Vaiśālī assembly. The remaining two gatherings are explained in the same way as above.