維摩經義疏 2.5.3

2.5.3

「大乘心是菩薩淨土，菩薩成佛時，大乘眾生來生其國」。 三心次第者，夫欲行大道要先直其心，心既正直然後入行，入行能深則普運一切普皆趣佛，名菩提心。 是為次第。 「布施是菩薩淨土，菩薩成佛時，一切能捨眾生來生其國」。 上標三心，此去備修眾行。 六度是菩薩要法，故建首明之。 外捨國財身命、內捨貪愛慳嫉，名一切能捨。 「持戒是菩薩淨土，菩薩成佛時，行十善道滿願眾生來生其國」。 十善名為舊戒，有佛無佛常有此法。 偏舉之，戒具則無願不滿，如天德瓶，故言滿願眾生來生其國。 「忍辱是菩薩淨土，菩薩成佛時，三十二相莊嚴眾生來生其國。 精進是菩薩淨土，菩薩成佛時，懃修一切功德眾生來生其國。 禪定是菩薩淨土，菩薩成佛時，攝心不亂眾生來生其國。 智慧是菩薩淨土，菩薩成佛時，正定眾生來生其國」。 得正智慧，決定法相，名正定。 正定聚者，依小乘，忍法已去，不退為凡夫； 依大乘，則六心已上不退，為二乘位正定聚也。 「四無量心是菩薩淨土，菩薩成佛時，成就慈悲喜捨眾生來生其國」。 良由內有四等，故能行六度，故次說之。 小乘四心，但緣欲色二界眾生，非真無量； 大乘四心，周被無際，名無量也。 「四攝法是菩薩淨土」。 四等是濟物之心、四攝為化緣之事，內外不同，故次說也。 所言四者，謂布施、愛語、利益、同事。 行此四法攝取眾生，令其住理，故名為攝。 布施與檀那異者，直捨財施人名為布施； 以施攝物，令其入道，目之攝。 「菩薩成佛時，解脫所攝眾生來生其國」。 解脫謂涅槃也。 菩薩因時以四攝攝眾生，所攝眾生後必得解脫果，故此眾生為解脫所攝，即是解脫住理為攝義。 又釋義言，菩薩既攝眾生，則眾生繫屬菩薩，故今明得解脫，為解脫攝取，非為繫屬於已故攝之也。 「方便是菩薩淨土，菩薩成佛時，於一切法方便無礙眾生來生其國」。 始自直心、終於四攝，必須方便，則不隨二乘、超於三有，故次明方便。 方便者，巧方便慧也。 積小德而獲大功，處有不乖寂、居無不失化，無為而為不為，方便無礙也。 「三十七品是菩薩淨土，菩薩成佛時，念處、正懃、神足、根、力、覺道眾生來生其國」。 三十七品為趣涅槃，以有方便能行道品，不證二乘地，故次說也。 三十七道品者，謂三四、二五、單七、隻八，合三十七也。 三四者，四念處、四正懃、四如意足。 二五，謂五根、五力。 單七，七覺。 隻八，正道。 稱道品者，道謂菩提、品為品類，此三十七皆是趣菩提行，而有品類不同。 別有大科，不具釋也。 「迴向心是菩薩淨土，菩薩成佛時，得一切具足功德國土」。 以有方便行於道品，既不墮二乘，復迴此善根向於佛道，故次明迴向。 又凡夫功德為向三有、小心作善為向二乘，此並招小報。 今迴此二善令向佛道，便得大果，故後文說迴向為大利也。 又迴向者，迴己善根向於眾生，故名迴向。 以獨善則福少、兼濟則利多也。 又迴己善根向於實相，故名迴向。 前三雖向佛向人，若取相分別，其報則少。 若一毫之善向於實相，實相是理，善解實理則福等虛空，故後三句但言國土、不語眾生者，為存略故也。 「說除八難是菩薩淨土，菩薩成佛時，國土無有三惡八難」。 修淨土凡有二行：一修善法，謂起淨土行； 二說除八難，明離惡法，謂捨穢土行。 自上已來初行已竟，此明第二行也。 八難者，三塗即三。 人間有四：一生盲聾，此是苦報； 二世智辨聰、邪見煩惱，此二正是難體； 三佛前後，此明時為難； 四北方，此以界為難。 五長壽天，亦以處為難。 則知八難具五道也。 「說除八難」者，依《成實論》，四輪治之：一住善處輪，治三塗、北欝及長壽天五難也。 二依善人輪，治佛前佛後難。 三自發正願輪，即正見心，治世智辨聰難。

“The Mahāyāna mind is the bodhisattva's pure land; when the bodhisattva attains Buddhahood, sentient beings of the Mahāyāna will come to be born in his land.” As for the sequence of the three minds: one who wishes to practice the Great Way must first make their mind upright; once the mind is upright, they then enter into practice; when entering practice can run deep, they universally transport everyone to proceed toward Buddhahood—this is called the bodhi-mind. This is their sequence. “Giving is the bodhisattva's pure land; when the bodhisattva attains Buddhahood, sentient beings capable of giving up everything will come to be born in his land.” Above, the three minds were marked out; from here onward, the myriad practices are fully cultivated. The six perfections are the essential dharmas of a bodhisattva, so they are placed first and clarified. Externally relinquishing country, wealth, body, and life, and internally relinquishing greed, affection, parsimony, and jealousy is called “capable of giving up everything.” “Precepts are the bodhisattva's pure land; when the bodhisattva attains Buddhahood, sentient beings whose practice of the path of the ten virtuous actions has fulfilled their wishes will come to be born in his land.” The ten virtuous actions are called the ancient precepts; whether a Buddha exists or not, this dharma is always present. Singling them out here: when precepts are complete, no wish remains unfulfilled, like the celestial wishing-vase; therefore it says “sentient beings whose wishes are fulfilled will come to be born in his land.” “Forbearance is the bodhisattva's pure land; when the bodhisattva attains Buddhahood, sentient beings adorned with the thirty-two marks will come to be born in his land. Vigour is the bodhisattva's pure land; when the bodhisattva attains Buddhahood, sentient beings who diligently cultivate all merits will come to be born in his land. Meditation is the bodhisattva's pure land; when the bodhisattva attains Buddhahood, sentient beings whose minds are collected and undistracted will come to be born in his land. Wisdom is the bodhisattva's pure land; when the bodhisattva attains Buddhahood, sentient beings of the rightly determined group will come to be born in his land.” Attaining correct wisdom and decisively ascertaining the characteristics of dharmas is called “right determination.” As for the rightly determined group (samyaktva-niyata-rāśi): according to the Hīnayāna, from the stage of the forbearance-dharmas onward, one does not regress into worldlings; according to the Mahāyāna, from the sixth mind onward, one does not regress into the station of the two vehicles—this is the rightly determined group. “The four immeasurable minds are the bodhisattva's pure land; when the bodhisattva attains Buddhahood, sentient beings who have accomplished loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity will come to be born in his land.” Because one possesses the four equals internally, one is able to practice the six perfections; hence they are explained next. The four minds in the Hīnayāna take as objects only sentient beings of the desire and form realms, so they are not truly immeasurable; the four minds in the Mahāyāna extend everywhere without limit, so they are called immeasurable. “The four means of embracing are the bodhisattva's pure land.” The four equals are the mind that rescues beings; the four means of embracing are the activities that convert those who have the karmic affinity. Internal and external being different, they are therefore explained next. What are called the four are: giving, kind words, beneficial action, and common cause. Practicing these four dharmas embraces sentient beings and causes them to abide in the principle; hence it is called “embracing.” As for the difference between giving here and dāna: simply relinquishing wealth to give to people is called giving; using giving to embrace beings and cause them to enter the path is designated as embracing. “When the bodhisattva attains Buddhahood, sentient beings embraced by liberation will come to be born in his land.” Liberation refers to nirvāṇa. When the bodhisattva is at the cause stage, he embraces sentient beings with the four means of embracing, and the sentient beings thus embraced will surely attain the fruit of liberation later; hence these sentient beings are embraced by liberation, which means that abiding in the principle of liberation constitutes the meaning of “embracing.” Another interpretation says: since the bodhisattva embraces sentient beings, the sentient beings are bound and subordinate to the bodhisattva; therefore it is clarified now that they attain liberation and are embraced by liberation, not embraced so as to be kept bound and subordinate to himself. “Expedient means are the bodhisattva's pure land; when the bodhisattva attains Buddhahood, sentient beings of unimpeded expedient means in all dharmas will come to be born in his land.” Beginning with the upright mind and ending with the four means of embracing, one must rely on expedient means so as not to follow the two vehicles and to transcend the three realms of existence; hence expedient means are clarified next. Expedient means refers to clever expedient wisdom. Accumulating small virtues yet reaping great merit, dwelling in existence without departing from quiescence, abiding in nothingness without losing transformative work, acting through non-action without making it a doing—this is unimpeded expedient means. “The thirty-seven factors are the bodhisattva's pure land; when the bodhisattva attains Buddhahood, sentient beings [cultivating] the stations of mindfulness, the correct exertions, the bases of psychic power, the faculties, the powers, and the limbs of awakening and the path will come to be born in his land.” The thirty-seven factors are for proceeding toward nirvāṇa; because one has expedient means, one can practice the factors of the path without realizing the stage of the two vehicles, which is why they are explained next. The thirty-seven factors of the path comprise three groups of four, two groups of five, an individual group of seven, and a single group of eight, totaling thirty-seven. The three groups of four are the four stations of mindfulness, the four correct exertions, and the four bases of psychic power. The two groups of five refer to the five faculties and the five powers. The individual seven is the seven limbs of awakening. The single eight is the [eightfold] correct path. Being called “factors of the path”: “path” means bodhi, and “factor” means category; these thirty-seven are all practices directed toward bodhi, yet there are distinct categories among them. There is a separate extensive outline, so they are not explained in full here. “The mind of dedication is the bodhisattva's pure land; when the bodhisattva attains Buddhahood, he will obtain a land endowed with all merits.” Having expedient means to practice the factors of the path, one neither falls into the two vehicles and furthermore dedicates these roots of goodness toward the Buddha path; therefore dedication is clarified next. Furthermore, the merit of worldlings is directed toward the three realms of existence, and the virtue created by those of small mind is directed toward the two vehicles; these both incur small retributions. Now, dedicating these two kinds of goodness toward the Buddha path immediately secures the great fruit; hence the later text says that dedication brings great benefit. Furthermore, dedication means turning one's own roots of goodness toward sentient beings; hence it is called dedication. For solitary goodness yields little merit, whereas universal aid brings abundant benefit. Furthermore, dedication means turning one's own roots of goodness toward the true mark; hence it is called dedication. Although the previous dedications toward the Buddha and toward people bring benefit, if one grasps at characteristics and makes distinctions, their retribution is meager. If even a hair's breadth of goodness is directed toward the true mark, the true mark being the ultimate principle, once one thoroughly understands the true principle, one's merit will be equal to space. Hence the final three lines mention only the land and not sentient beings, which was done for the sake of brevity. “Teaching the removal of the eight difficulties is the bodhisattva's pure land; when the bodhisattva attains Buddhahood, his land will be free of the three evil paths and the eight difficulties.” Cultivating a pure land comprises two practices in all: first, cultivating wholesome dharmas, which refers to giving rise to pure land practices; second, teaching the removal of the eight difficulties, which clarifies leaving behind unwholesome dharmas, referring to the practice of abandoning defiled lands. Up to this point, the first practice is complete; this clarifies the second practice. As for the eight difficulties: the three destinies are three. In the human realm there are four: first, being born blind and deaf, which is a painful retribution; second, worldly intellect and dialectical eloquence, along with afflicted wrong views—these two are the actual substance of the difficulty; third, before or after a Buddha, which clarifies time as the difficulty; fourth, the northern region [Uttarakuru], which takes realm as the difficulty. Fifth, the long-lived heavens, which also take place as the difficulty. Thus we know that the eight difficulties encompass all five destinies. “Teaching the removal of the eight difficulties”: according to the *Tattvasiddhi-śāstra*, the four wheels remedy them: first, the wheel of dwelling in an auspicious place, which remedies the five difficulties of the three destinies, northern Uttarakuru, and the long-lived heavens; second, the wheel of relying on good persons, which remedies the difficulty of being born before or after a Buddha; third, the wheel of generating correct vows oneself—namely, the mind of right view—which remedies the difficulty of worldly intellect and dialectical eloquence.