[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [維摩經義疏](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1781) › 1.31 # 維摩經義疏 1.31 維摩經義疏 1.31 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [1.31](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1781.1.31) 「復有萬梵天王尸棄等，從餘四天下，來詣佛所而聽法」。自上已來明於聖眾，從此以後序凡眾。聖有二：一者聲聞、二者菩薩。凡眾亦二：初明幽眾、次序顯眾。梵翻為淨，謂色界初天。尸棄，譯為頂髻，又翻為火。吉藏謂頂有炎如火光，在頂如髻。義既兼兩，故譯人互翻。《法華經》云「三千大千世界主梵天王名尸棄」，則知但有一天。而言萬數者，從餘四天下來也。釋僧肇云「或從他方佛土來也。」「復有萬二千天帝亦從餘四天下來在會座」。梵為色界之主，釋是欲有之初。又梵為空住，釋是地居。又梵得那含，釋證初果。自勝之劣，以為次第。「并餘大威力諸天龍神夜叉乾闥婆阿修羅迦樓羅等悉來會座」。上序二天，今明八部。大威力者，除梵釋以外，取諸餘天也。龍有二種：一地住、二空住。龍是畜生，就道而言不及鬼神。次在天者，一果報勢力最大，故有五不思議，而龍力為一。二者梵王為千佛請主，龍王護千佛經藏。三龍興雲注雨、調適陰陽，於物有益，故次天也。神者，羅什云「受善惡雜報，似人天而非人天也。」夜叉，此云輕捷，又亦翻為貴人。凡有三種：一在居地、二空住、三在天上。佛初轉法輪，地夜叉唱告，空夜叉聞；空夜叉唱，天夜叉聞，如是展轉至於梵世。所以有此三品，初但施餘物，故不能飛行。次施牛車，故能遊空。有次修因轉勝，與天同住，守城池宮舍。乾闥婆，此云香陰，謂以香為食及身出香。是諸天樂神，住在香山。諸天心念須作樂者，其身異相，即飛上天而奏樂也。阿修羅，此云無酒神。凡有二說：一過去持不飲酒戒，感得此神。二現世採華釀海為酒，而遂不成酒，海變為苦醎，故稱無酒。《毘婆沙》翻為不端正，男醜而女妍也。迦樓羅，此云金翅鳥，亦翻為鳳皇。具有四生，食四生龍。卵生金翅但食卵生，胎生食二生龍，濕生者噉三生龍、不能食化生，化生鳥具能食四生龍也。緊那羅，翻為疑神，頭有一角，面似人。見者疑云：為人耶、為不人耶？故為疑神。亦是諸天樂神，與乾闥婆番次上下，而小劣於香陰也。摩睺羅伽，此云地龍，又大蟒蛇，亦云腹行。此八部並變為人形，來在座聽法也。「諸比丘比丘尼優婆塞優婆夷俱來會座」。上序幽眾，今明顯眾。比丘猶是乞士，尼翻為女，優婆塞云清信士人，優婆夷為清信女。尼夷雖異，同目女，但欲分道俗異，故譯經者兩出。 > "There were also ten thousand Brahma Heavenly Kings, Śikhi and others, who came from the other four continents to the Buddha's abode to listen to the Dharma." The preceding section explained the noble assembly; from here onward, the ordinary assembly is set forth. The noble ones are of two kinds: first, the śrāvakas; second, the bodhisattvas. The ordinary assembly is also of two kinds: first, explaining the invisible assembly; next, setting forth the visible assembly. "Brahma" is translated as pure, referring to the first heaven of the form realm. "Śikhi" is translated as topknot, and also translated as fire. Jizang holds: the crown of the head has flames like firelight, resting on the crown like a topknot. Since the meaning encompasses both, translators alternate between them. The Lotus Sūtra says, "The Brahma Heavenly King, lord of the trichiliocosm, is named Śikhi"; thus we know there is only one such heaven. Mentioning the number of ten thousand refers to those coming from the other four continents. The master Sengzhao said, "Or they come from Buddha lands of other directions." "There were also twelve thousand heavenly emperors who also came from the other four continents to be present in the assembly." Brahma is the lord of the form realm; Śakra is the foremost of desire realm existence. Furthermore, Brahma dwells in the sky; Śakra is a ground-dweller. Furthermore, Brahma has attained the state of non-returner (anāgāmin); Śakra has realized the first fruit \[of stream-entry\]. They are arranged in sequence from superior to inferior. "Together with other devas of great majesty, nāgas, spirits, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, and so forth, who all came to be present in the assembly." The above set forth the two classes of devas; now the eight classes are explained. Those "of great majesty" takes the remaining devas, excluding Brahma and Śakra. Nāgas are of two kinds: first, ground-dwelling; second, sky-dwelling. Nāgas are animals; considered in terms of their path of rebirth, they are not equal to ghosts and spirits. The reasons they are placed next to the devas are: first, the power of their karmic retribution is greatest; thus among the five inconceivables, the power of the nāga is one. Second, the Brahma King is the requester of the thousand Buddhas, and the nāga kings protect the scripture store of the thousand Buddhas. Third, nāgas raise clouds and pour down rain, harmonizing yin and yang and benefiting living things; hence they follow the devas. As for "spirits", Kumārajīva said, "They receive a mixed retribution of good and evil, resembling humans and devas yet not being humans or devas." "Yakṣa" is here translated as light and swift, and also translated as noble person. There are three kinds in total: first, dwelling on the ground; second, dwelling in the sky; third, in the heavens. When the Buddha first turned the wheel of the Dharma, the earth yakṣas proclaimed it and the sky yakṣas heard; the sky yakṣas proclaimed it and the deva yakṣas heard; thus it was passed on in succession up to the Brahma world. The reason there are these three grades is that the first only gave other items as alms, hence cannot fly. The next gave ox-carts, hence can travel through the sky. The next cultivated causes of increasing superiority, dwelling together with the devas, guarding city walls, ponds, palaces, and residences. "Gandharva" is here translated as fragrance-aggregate, meaning they feed on fragrance and their bodies emit fragrance. They are music spirits of the devas, dwelling on Fragrant Mountain. When the devas mentally intend to make music, an unusual sign appears on their bodies, and they immediately fly up to heaven to perform music. "Asura" is here translated as non-wine spirit. There are two explanations in all: first, in the past they upheld the precept of not drinking wine, which induced \[rebirth as\] this spirit. Second, in the present world they gathered flowers to brew the ocean into wine, but it never became wine; the ocean turned bitter and salty, hence they are called non-wine. The Vibhāṣā translates it as not upright; the males are ugly while the females are beautiful. "Garuḍa" is here translated as gold-winged bird, and also translated as phoenix. Possessing all four modes of birth, they eat the nāgas of the four modes of birth. Egg-born gold-winged birds only eat egg-born \[nāgas\]; womb-born eat nāgas of two births; moisture-born devour nāgas of three births, but cannot eat the transformation-born; transformation-born birds are fully able to eat nāgas of all four births. "Kiṃnara" is translated as doubt-spirit; it has a single horn on its head, and its face resembles a human's. Those who see it doubt, saying: "Is it human, or not human?" Hence it is a doubt-spirit. They are also music spirits of the devas, alternating in rank with the gandharvas, but slightly inferior to the fragrance-aggregates. "Mahoraga" is here translated as earth nāga, also great python, and also belly-walker. These eight classes all transformed into human forms to come and sit in the assembly to listen to the Dharma. "All the bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās came together to be present in the assembly." The above set forth the invisible assembly; now the visible assembly is set forth. Bhikṣu is still mendicant; nī is translated as woman; upāsaka means pure faithful man; upāsikā is pure faithful woman. Although nī and ikā are different, they equally designate women; merely wishing to distinguish monastic from lay differences, the translators of the sūtra listed them both. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 1.30](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1781.1.30) - [Next: 1.32](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1781.1.32) - [Up: 1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1781.1) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1781~en-mt.1.31) — English, machine translation ## Linked texts (3) - [注維摩詰經](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1775.1.205) — Classical Chinese - [淨名經集解關中疏](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2777.1.106) — Classical Chinese - [維摩詰所說經](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.vimalakirtinirdesa*zh-kumarajiva.1.6) — Classical Chinese --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1781.1.31](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1781.1.31) · Pramāṇa