淨名玄論 7.5

7.5

The former interpreters of Jiangnan divided the sūtra into three based on being inside or outside the room. The initial four chapters, preached outside the room, are termed the introductory section; the middle six chapters, preached inside the room, are termed the main body of the sūtra; the concluding four chapters, returning outside the room, are termed the dissemination section. The reason for this is that Vimalakīrti feigned illness in his ten-foot-square room, intending and awaiting an exchange. The preceding four chapters merely recount the Tathāgata preaching the Dharma, recounting virtues, and commissioning people to inquire about the illness; hence they are called the introduction. The middle six chapters, beginning the discourse on the wonderful Dharma inside the room, are designated as the main teaching. The concluding four chapters, the benefit to beings having been accomplished, return to the Buddha's place to seal and confirm the sūtra; hence they are called dissemination.