淨名玄論 7.12

7.12

此經四會，凡五人共說。方丈初集，淨名自說。菴園次會，如來所說。毘耶重集，凡四人說：一淨名說、二文殊說、三天女說、四諸菩薩說。菴園再集，佛與淨名二人共說。問：五百聲聞、八千菩薩，皆述淨名之言，何故不名說耶？答：皆是述淨名昔日之言，非彼自說。若明今昔二說者，二品經明淨名昔說、十二品經敘維摩今說。問：〈弟子〉、〈菩薩〉二品，為屬初會、為屬後會？為是正經、為是序說？答：宜兩望之。既是菴園述之，則屬前會；為問疾由致，便屬後集。述淨名昔說，故是正經；為發問疾之端，亦得為序。問，佛何故不直遣文殊激揚，而復命聲聞菩薩？答：略明五義。一顯如來大悲平等，故並命之。二欲歎淨名之德，令時眾尊人重法。三顯文殊道高，令一切隨從。四顯不思議解脫甚深，聲聞菩薩不能測度，眾各述淨名昔說，以利今日之緣。五明修行次第，〈方便品〉破凡夫、〈弟子品〉破聲聞、〈菩薩品〉破菩薩，從淺至深以為次第，然後同入無礙法門，共證不思議解脫也。問：淨名、彌勒位同受職，何故彌勒受屈、淨名能呵？答：可具三義。一云：十地菩薩，智無不通、應無不普，豈有夫會人天受屈無垢？唯相與化物、故得失適緣耳。二者雖同是十地，而十地之中自有三位，謂入住滿、或可彌勒十地大士、淨名金剛心人。三者彌勒位居等覺，當來之尊；淨名為妙覺地，是已成之佛。問：既五人共說，何故獨稱淨名經耶？答：餘人說少、淨名說多，以少從多，稱淨名經也。又如來菴園說法，為之集眾，遣使問疾，廣說法門，則成其說也。又初會合蓋現土、按地變淨，略開不思議之端。菴園重會，印定歎述，方得成經，使後代信受。故初會皆開其宗，後集印其說，始終皆成為淨名經，故獨標維摩說也。問：初會既為開其宗、後集印其說，何故非序及流通耶？答：初以正說開正說，故初非序；後集印成而復命廣說妙，故非流通。又兩望之義，前意已明也。

In the four assemblies of this sūtra, five persons in all speak. In the initial gathering in the ten-foot square room, Vimalakīrti speaks himself. In the next assembly in the Āmrapālī grove, it is spoken by the Tathāgata. In the repeated gathering at Vaiśālī, four persons in all speak: first, Vimalakīrti speaks; second, Mañjuśrī speaks; third, the devī speaks; fourth, the various bodhisattvas speak. In the repeated assembly in the Āmrapālī grove, the Buddha and Vimalakīrti speak together. Question: The five hundred śrāvakas and eight thousand bodhisattvas all relate Vimalakīrti's words; why are they not called speakers? Answer: They all relate Vimalakīrti's past words; they are not their own speaking. If one clarifies the two speeches of past and present: two chapters of the sūtra clarify Vimalakīrti's past speech, and twelve chapters of the sūtra recount Vimalakīrti's present speech. Question: Do the two chapters, "Disciples" and "Bodhisattvas", belong to the initial assembly or to the later assembly? Are they the main text or the introductory discourse? Answer: One should view them from both perspectives. Since they are recounted in the Āmrapālī grove, they belong to the prior assembly; as the occasion for inquiring after his illness, they belong to the later gathering. Relaying Vimalakīrti's past speech, they are therefore the main text; as originating the inquiry into his illness, they may also serve as the introduction. Question: Why did the Buddha not directly dispatch Mañjuśrī to challenge him, but instead also commanded the śrāvakas and bodhisattvas? Answer: Five meanings are briefly clarified: First, to demonstrate the Tathāgata's great compassion and impartiality, he therefore commanded them all. Second, wishing to praise Vimalakīrti's virtue, to cause the congregation of that time to venerate the person and esteem the Dharma. Third, to demonstrate the sublimity of Mañjuśrī's path, causing everyone to follow along. Fourth, to demonstrate that the inconceivable liberation is exceedingly profound, beyond the fathom of śrāvakas and bodhisattvas; each recounted Vimalakīrti's past words to benefit the conditions of the present day. Fifth, to clarify the stages of cultivation: the "Upāya Chapter" refutes ordinary beings, the "Disciples Chapter" refutes śrāvakas, and the "Bodhisattvas Chapter" refutes bodhisattvas; taking from shallow to deep as the sequence, thereafter they together enter the unimpeded Dharma gate and jointly realize the inconceivable liberation. Question: Vimalakīrti and Maitreya are of equal rank in having received office; why did Maitreya suffer humiliation and Vimalakīrti was able to rebuke him? Answer: It may possess three meanings: One says: A bodhisattva of the tenth bhūmi has no cognition that does not penetrate and no response that is not universal; how could it be that in meeting gods and humans he suffered humiliation from Vimalakīrti? It is solely that together they transformed beings, so apparent advantage and loss accommodated conditions. Second, although they are both of the tenth bhūmi, within the tenth bhūmi there are naturally three positions: namely, entering, abiding, and full; or perhaps Maitreya was a great being of the tenth bhūmi, while Vimalakīrti was a person of the adamantine mind. Third, Maitreya's rank resides in equal enlightenment (samyak-saṃbodhi), the honoured one of the future; Vimalakīrti was at the stage of wondrous enlightenment, an already accomplished Buddha. Question: Since five persons spoke together, why is it solely called the Vimalakīrti Sūtra? Answer: The others spoke little and Vimalakīrti spoke much; following the majority over the minority, it is called the Vimalakīrti Sūtra. Furthermore, when the Tathāgata taught the Dharma in the Āmrapālī grove, he gathered the multitude for him, dispatched messengers to inquire about the illness, and expounded the Dharma gates extensively, thereby completing his exposition. Moreover, the first assembly's canopy-joining manifesting the lands and the pressing of the earth to transform it pure briefly opened the inception of the inconceivable. In the repeated assembly at the Āmrapālī grove, the certification and praise brought the sūtra to completion, causing later generations to faithfully accept it. Thus the first assembly opened its principle and the later gathering certified its exposition; from beginning to end, they all formed the Vimalakīrti Sūtra, hence it is exclusively designated as Vimalakīrti's exposition. Question: Since the first assembly opened its principle and the later gathering certified its exposition, why are they not the introduction and the dissemination? Answer: At first, the proper exposition opened the proper exposition, so the beginning is not an introduction; the later gathering certified and completed it, yet also commanded the extensive preaching of the wondrous, so it is not dissemination. Furthermore, as for the meaning of looking at it from both sides, the previous intent has already clarified this.