維摩經義疏 1.29.1

1.29.1

「一時」。 如是謂所聞之法，我聞為能傳之人，一時以下證傳法可信。 《智度論》云「說時方人，令生信故。 」說若無時，則聞不可信，故須明時。 問：但應言時，何故稱一？ 答：一謂一部之經。 蓋是說一部經時，故云一時。 又是眾生心行可定之時，稱為一時。 又是機教符會無差異時，稱為一時。 此皆雖釋兩字，若合解者即目時為一，如云一日一歲，離於時別有一耶？ 「佛在」。 明說教之主也。 佛法有五人說：一佛自說、二弟子說、三諸天說、四仙人說、五化人說。 此經乃是淨名所說，不題淨名，非佛所說。 而題佛者，若標淨名，則不成經。 今欲成經，故題佛也。 又標佛者，明阿難親從佛聞，不從外道天魔邊聞，故標於佛。 梵音稱佛陀，此云覺者，一曰自覺，異彼凡夫； 二者覺他，簡非小道； 三者覺道窮極，簡非菩薩。 又天竺名佛以為天鼓，賊若應來，天鼓則鳴； 賊若去時，天鼓亦鳴。 天鼓鳴時，諸天心勇； 天鼓鳴時，修羅攝怖。 諸佛亦爾，眾生煩惱應來，佛說法令不來； 惑累將滅，佛說法令滅。 佛說法時，弟子心勇； 佛說法時，眾魔懾怖。 是故名佛為天鼓也。 所言在者，即是住也。 但住有二種：一者內住、二者外住。 內住有四：一者天住，謂住布施持戒； 二者梵住，住四無量心； 三者聖住，住空無相無作三昧； 四者佛住，住諸法實相。 外住亦四：一化處住，如釋伽牟尼住娑婆國土； 二異俗住，三世諸佛不住俗人舍，皆栖止伽藍； 三未捨壽分住，佛壽無窮，為魔王啟請而捨無量壽，唯留八十； 四者威儀住，謂行住坐臥皆名住也。 今內栖實相、外住菴薗，蓋是無住而住、住無所住，故云住也。 「毘耶離菴羅樹園」。 此明住處。 說若無所，則物不信受，故次明之。 處有二種：一者通處，即毘耶離城； 二者別處，謂菴羅樹園。 亦諠靜雙舉、道俗兼明。 然至人形無定方，寧有適處？ 但為生物信，故委具題之。 毘耶離者，毘云好稻，謂多出粳糧。 耶離翻為博嚴，即平博嚴淨。 但天竺小國即國為城，大國則城為國別稱。 毘耶離者，即小國也。 吉藏案《善見毘婆娑》「昔波羅捺王夫人懷任，忽生一片肉，形如赤槿葉。 夫人以器盛之，流於江水。 江水邊有一道士，依放牛入住，見器接之還家。 經半月，一片忽成二片。 又經半月，二片各生五胞。 却後半月，一片成女，女白銀色。 一片成男，男如黃金色。 道士念之，以慈力故兩手出乳養之。 道士因以二兒與牧牛人，語之云：『可以二兒為夫妻，覓平博地安處之。 』二兒年十六，牧牛人見平博地，縱闊一由旬，為起立宮舍，因合為夫婦，生一男一女。 如是十六迴生兒，牧牛人見其子多，更為開闊造舍，凡造十六宅。 如是三過，開闊此處，故自此地以為博嚴。 」菴羅樹薗者，什公云「似桃而非桃」，舊翻為捺，蓋失經旨。 有一女從菴羅樹生，容貌美麗，世所絕倫。 人欲見者，輸三金錢。 菴羅樹女捨薗，為佛立精舍，如祇陀之類，以施主標色也。 「與大比丘眾」。 此第六序同聞眾。 序同聞眾，凡有二義：一者大眾圍遶則佛德益尊，既尊其人則受其道。 二者為成信義。 若侍者獨聞，未足可信； 與眾共聽，則所傳為實。 總該大眾，凡有四人：一影嚮眾，在座默然。 二發教眾，即擊揚問道。 三當機眾，聞教領悟。 四結緣眾，未來遠益。 就序眾文，人科為二：初明眾集、次辨佛說經。 眾集又兩：前明聖眾、次辨凡眾。 聖眾之內，初明聲聞、後序菩薩。 問：何故先明聲聞、後序菩薩？ 答：凡論眾集，皆就顯示教門以為次第。 聲聞形備法義、心具智斷，以其兩勝，故初序之； 菩薩心雖會道而形無定方，故居其次； 凡夫心形俱劣，宜最居後。 但須此釋，不假餘通。 聲聞眾內，須科二文：初標其名、次唱其數。

"At one time": "Thus" refers to the teaching that was heard, "I have heard" designates the person capable of transmitting it, and from "at one time" onward corroborates that the transmitted teaching is trustworthy. The Da zhidu lun states: "Stating the time, place, and persons inspires faith." If no time were stated for the exposition, what was heard would not be worthy of trust; hence the time must be made clear. Question: It should suffice to say "at [the] time"; why is it called "one"? Answer: "One" refers to a single entire sūtra. Because it was the time when this single sūtra was taught, it is called "at one time." Furthermore, it is called "at one time" because it was the time when the mental dispositions of sentient beings could be determined. Furthermore, it is called "at one time" because it was the time when capacity and teaching converged without discrepancy. Although both words are explained in these ways, if they are understood together, "one" simply designates the time, just as one speaks of "one day" or "one year"—apart from the time, is there a separate "one"? "The Buddha was residing": This clarifies the lord of the teaching who expounded it. The Buddhadharma is spoken by five kinds of persons: first, spoken by the Buddha himself; second, spoken by disciples; third, spoken by devas; fourth, spoken by ṛṣis; fifth, spoken by apparitional beings. This sūtra was actually spoken by Jingming; why does the title not name Jingming, rather than being spoken by the Buddha? The Buddha is named because if it were labeled with Jingming, it would not constitute a sūtra. Now, in order to constitute a sūtra, it names the Buddha. Furthermore, naming the Buddha clarifies that Ānanda heard it directly from the Buddha, not from non-Buddhists or Māra; hence it names the Buddha. In Sanskrit one says buddha, translated here as "awakened one." First, it means self-awakened, distinguishing him from ordinary persons; second, awakening others, selecting him out from the lesser vehicle; third, the perfection of the path of awakening, selecting him out from bodhisattvas. Furthermore, in India the Buddha is called a "celestial drum": when marauders are about to come, the celestial drum sounds; when marauders depart, the celestial drum also sounds. When the celestial drum sounds, the hearts of the devas take courage; when the celestial drum sounds, the asuras cower in terror. The Buddhas are likewise: when the afflictions of sentient beings are about to arise, the Buddha teaches the Dharma so that they do not arise; when the defilements of delusion are about to be extinguished, the Buddha teaches the Dharma so that they are extinguished. When the Buddha teaches the Dharma, his disciples take courage; when the Buddha teaches the Dharma, the hordes of Māra cower in terror. Therefore the Buddha is called a celestial drum. The word "residing" (zai) means dwelling (zhu). Yet there are two kinds of dwelling: first, inner dwelling; second, outer dwelling. Inner dwelling is of four kinds: first, heavenly dwelling, which means dwelling in giving and maintaining the precepts; second, brahma dwelling, dwelling in the four immeasurable minds; third, noble dwelling, dwelling in the samādhis of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness; fourth, Buddha dwelling, dwelling in the true reality of all phenomena. Outer dwelling is also of four kinds: first, dwelling in a conversion realm, as Śākyamuni resides in the Sahā realm; second, dwelling apart from the secular, for the Buddhas of the three periods do not reside in lay households, but all abide in saṅghārāmas; third, dwelling without yet relinquishing the lifespan allotment, for the Buddha's lifespan is limitless, yet upon the request of King Māra he relinquished his limitless lifespan, leaving only eighty years; fourth, dwelling in deportment, meaning that walking, standing, sitting, and reclining are all called dwelling. Here, internally abiding in true reality and externally dwelling in the Āmrapālī Grove is dwelling without dwelling, dwelling in nowhere to dwell; hence it is called "dwelling." "In the Āmrapālī Grove at Vaiśālī": This clarifies the dwelling place. If the exposition had no location, beings would not have faith and accept it; hence it is clarified next. Locations are of two kinds: first, the general location, namely the city of Vaiśālī; second, the specific location, namely the Āmrapālī Grove. It also presents both the bustling and the quiet, and clarifies both the sacred and the secular. However, when the consummate person's form has no fixed direction, how could he have a specific place? It is recorded in complete detail solely to generate faith in beings. Regarding Vaiśālī (Piye[li]): pi means good rice, referring to the abundance of non-glutinous grain. Yeli translates as wide and adorned, that is, level, expansive, adorned, and pure. In India, for small states the city is identical with the state, while for large states the city has a distinct name from the state. Vaiśālī is a small state. Jizang notes that the Samantapāsādikā states: "Formerly, the consort of the king of Vārāṇasī became pregnant and suddenly gave birth to a piece of flesh shaped like a red hibiscus leaf. The consort placed it in a vessel and set it adrift on the river. By the riverbank there was a religious mendicant who lived near a cow-herding settlement; seeing the vessel, he retrieved it and returned home. After half a month, the single piece suddenly became two pieces. After another half a month, the two pieces each developed five blisters. After another half a month, one piece became a girl, white silver in color; one piece became a boy, yellow gold in color. The mendicant took pity on them, and through the power of compassion milk flowed from both his hands to nourish them. The mendicant then gave the two children to the cowherd, saying to him: 'You may make these two children husband and wife; find a level and expansive piece of land to settle them.' When the two children were sixteen years old, the cowherd found a level and expansive tract of land, one yojana across, and erected a palace and quarters for them, whereupon they were joined as husband and wife and gave birth to a boy and a girl. In this manner they gave birth to children sixteen times. Seeing that their offspring were numerous, the cowherd cleared more space and built dwellings, making sixteen compounds in all. In this way, this place was expanded three times, and hence from this land it was considered 'wide and adorned' (Vaiśālī)." Regarding the Āmrapālī Grove: Master [Kumāra]jīva said it "resembles a peach yet is not a peach"; the older translation was nai, which fails to capture the sūtra's meaning. A woman was born from an āmra tree, whose beauty was peerless in the world. Anyone wishing to see her had to pay three gold coins. The Āmrapālī woman gave up her grove and erected a monastery for the Buddha, like Jeta and his kind, designating the place by the donor. "Together with a great assembly of monks": This is the sixth [item of the] preface, the assembly that heard [the teaching] together. The preface on the assembly hearing together has two meanings: first, when a great assembly surrounds him, the Buddha's virtue is all the more venerated, and once the person is venerated, his path is accepted. Second, it establishes trustworthiness. If the attendant alone heard it, it would not suffice for belief; hearing it together with an assembly, what is transmitted is authentic. The great assembly as a whole comprises four kinds of participants: first, the reflecting assembly, who sit in silence; second, the teaching-inspiring assembly, who stimulate the dialogue and ask about the path; third, the targeted assembly, who hear the teaching and grasp it; fourth, the connection-forming assembly, who receive distant benefit in the future. Regarding the text on the preface's assembly, commentators divide it into two: first, clarifying the gathering of the assembly; second, distinguishing the Buddha's expounding of the sūtra. The gathering of the assembly also has two parts: first, clarifying the noble assembly; next, distinguishing the ordinary assembly. Within the noble assembly, it first clarifies the śrāvakas and afterwards introduces the bodhisattvas. Question: Why are the śrāvakas clarified first and the bodhisattvas introduced afterwards? Answer: In discussing the gathering of the assembly, the sequence is always arranged to display the gateway of the teaching. In physical form the śrāvakas are fully endowed with the Dharma's external signs, and in mind they possess both wisdom and severance; because they are superior in both, they are introduced first. Although the bodhisattva's mind conforms to the path, their physical form has no fixed direction; hence they rank next. Ordinary persons are inferior in both mind and form, so they should be placed last. This explanation alone is required, without resorting to other interpretations. Within the assembly of śrāvakas, two passages must be demarcated: first, declaring their title; next, announcing their number.