[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) › 5.3.7 # 維摩經義疏 5.3.7 維摩經義疏 5.3.7 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [5.3.7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1781.5.3.7) 就文為三：一明本身論義、二轉身論義、三復身論義。 初問意者，既見其無礙之辨，而受有礙之身，是故問云：既有無礙之辨，必不應受有礙之身。 何不轉耶？ 「天曰：我從十二年求女人相了不可得，當何所轉？ 譬如幻師化作幻女，若有人問：何以不轉女身？ 是人為正問不？ 舍利弗言：不也。 幻無定相，當何所轉？ 天曰：一切諸法亦復如是，無有定相，云何乃問不轉女身」。 依十二年者，若未入十二住位則見男女，今菩薩從初住至十二住，不見有女，故無有轉。 十二住者，地前有二住，謂種性住，即習種性、性種性也； 二解行住，道種性也； 次十地即為十住。 若止淨名室來凡十二年者，十二年既常聞大乘，悟無男女，故無所轉也。 「即時天女以神通力變舍利弗令如天女，天女自化身如舍利弗，而問言：何以不轉女身」。 此第二轉身論義。 上雖言如幻，今證成其事也。 男女不如幻則有定相，應不可轉。 以可轉故，則無定相，故當知如幻。 二者上云天女有無礙之辨，云何受有礙之身？ 故今明辨既無礙，身亦如是。 身口無礙，由無礙之心，是故菩薩三業無礙； 聲聞反之，故三業並礙。 「舍利弗以天女像而答言：我今不知何轉而變為女身」。 竟自非女，不知何所轉？ 雖實非女，而女相宛然。 故變為女像也，不不知何轉，明無女可轉； 而變為女，故非無有轉。 又不知何轉，明非有； 而變為女，辨非無。 肇公云「吾不知所以轉而為此身，如之何？ 」「天曰：舍利弗若能轉此女身，則一切女人亦當能轉」。 此述身子不知何轉之言也。 不知何轉，明實非女義。 身子非女故無所轉者，一切女人亦實非女，亦不能轉也。 「如舍利弗非女而現女身，一切女人亦復如是，雖現女身而非女也。 是故佛說一切諸法非男非女」。 此述身子而變為女像之言，雖復無女而女像宛然，一切女亦然也。 問：天女神力轉非女為女。 一切女人本皆是女，何名非女為女？ 答：業煩惱幻力轉變實相，故非女為女。 「即時天女還攝神力，舍利弗身還復如故。 天問舍利弗：女身色相今何所在？ 舍利弗言：女身色相無在無不在。 天曰：一切諸法亦復如是，無在無不在。 夫無在無不在者，佛所說也」。 此第三復身論義。 今不見女相故無在，向有女相故無不在。 又向有女相故無今之不在，今無女相故無向所在。 即幻化無定義也。 諸法亦然者，以真諦故非在、世諦故無不在，無在故非有、無不在故非無，即中道義。 又前變為女，令知非女則為女，即非有有義。 今捨女身，令知女為非女，謂非無無義。 一切諸法皆無，類如此也。 又前變為女，本來非女，名本來不有。 今反為非女，故本來非無。 本來非有故無在，本來非無故無不在，諸法亦爾。 「舍利弗問天：汝於此沒，當生何處」。 此第六論沒生義。 問意云：見天女三業無礙則是淨因，則必捨女質。 但未知定生何處，是故問之。 又既知現相之無在，又問當生之所在也。 「天曰：佛化所生，吾如彼生」。 此生身相既如幻化，沒此生彼豈當有實？ 故三世皆如化也。 「舍利弗曰：佛化所生，非沒生也。 天曰：眾生猶然，無沒生也」。 上明無生而生，生因幻化； 今明幻生無生故，非沒生也。 又前明天女幻生，令類眾生亦爾。 「舍利弗問天：汝久如當得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提」。 此第七論得菩提久近。 前云佛化所生，吾猶彼生，便謂天女不久得佛。 又恒聞女成佛遲，故復疑久近。 而接前文者，身相不實，故生可如幻化； 菩提真道，必應有實，故問久如當成。 「天曰：如舍利弗還為凡夫，我乃當成阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。 舍利弗言：我作凡夫，無有是處。 天曰：我得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提亦無是處。 所以者何？ 菩提無住處，是故無有得者」。 菩提之道言忘慮絕，自無住處，誰得之耶？ > Regarding the text, there are three \[sections\]: first, clarifying the debate on her original body; second, the debate on the transformed bodies; third, the debate on the restoration of the bodies. The intention of the initial question is that, having seen her unobstructed eloquence while she still possesses an obstructed body, he therefore asks: 'Since you possess unobstructed eloquence, you certainly should not have an obstructed body. Why do you not transform it?' \[The sūtra says:\] 'The Devī said: "For twelve years I have sought the characteristics of womanhood, yet they are completely unobtainable; what then should I transform? Just as an illusionist conjures an illusory woman, if someone asks: 'Why do you not transform your female body?' would this person be asking a correct question?" Śāriputra said: "No. Illusions have no fixed characteristics; what then could be transformed?" The Devī said: "All phenomena are likewise without fixed characteristics; why then do you ask why I do not transform my female body?"' Relying on 'twelve years': if one has not yet entered the stages of the twelve abodes, one perceives male and female; now, from the first abode to the twelfth abode, the bodhisattva does not perceive any woman, and therefore there is nothing to transform. As for the twelve abodes: before the bhūmis there are two abodes, namely the abode of seed-nature—that is, the acquired seed-nature and the essential seed-nature—and second, the abode of understanding and practice, which is the path-seed-nature; next, the ten stages (daśabhūmi) constitute the ten abodes. Alternatively, if she has dwelled in Jingming's room for a total of twelve years: having constantly heard the Mahāyāna for twelve years, she has awakened to the absence of male and female, and thus there is nothing to transform. \[The sūtra says:\] 'Immediately the Devī, using her supernormal powers, transformed Śāriputra to look like the Devī, and the Devī herself transformed her body to look like Śāriputra, and asked: "Why do you not transform your female body?"' This is the second \[section\], the debate on the transformed bodies. Although she previously spoke of being like an illusion, she now provides realization and confirmation of the matter. If male and female were not like illusions, they would have fixed characteristics and should not be transformable. Because they can be transformed, they have no fixed characteristics; thus one should know they are like illusions. Second, previously it was said that the Devī has unobstructed eloquence, so why does she bear an obstructed body? Therefore she now clarifies that just as her eloquence is unobstructed, her body is likewise. The non-obstruction of body and speech stems from a mind free of obstruction; hence the three karmic modes of a bodhisattva are unobstructed. The śrāvakas are the reverse, so their three karmic modes are all obstructed. \[The sūtra says:\] 'Śāriputra, bearing the form of the Devī, replied, saying: "I now do not know how I have transformed into a female body."' In the end he is fundamentally not a woman, so what was transformed? Although in reality he is not a woman, the appearance of a woman is clearly evident. Thus he was changed into a female form. 'I do not know how it transformed' clarifies that there is no woman to be transformed; yet having transformed into a woman, it is not that there is no transformation. Furthermore, 'I do not know how it transformed' clarifies non-existence; yet having transformed into a woman demonstrates non-emptiness. Master Zhao says: '"I do not know by what means I transformed into this body; how can this be?"' \[The sūtra says:\] 'The Devī said: "If Śāriputra can transform this female body, then all women should also be able to transform."' This explains Śāriputra's statement that he did not know how it transformed. Not knowing how it transformed clarifies the principle that in reality she is not a woman. Since Śāriputra is not a woman and therefore has nothing to transform, all women are also in reality not women, and likewise cannot transform. \[The sūtra says:\] '"Just as Śāriputra is not a woman but manifests a female body, all women are likewise: although they manifest female bodies, they are not women. Therefore the Buddha taught that all phenomena are neither male nor female."' This explains Śāriputra's transformation into a female form: although there is fundamentally no woman, the female form is vividly present; all women are also like this. Question: The Devī's supernormal power transformed what was not a woman into a woman. All women are fundamentally women; why call it transforming what is not a woman into a woman? Answer: The illusory power of karma and afflictions transforms the true mark \[of phenomena\]; hence it is making what is not a woman into a woman. \[The sūtra says:\] 'Immediately the Devī withdrew her supernormal power, and Śāriputra's body was restored as before. The Devī asked Śāriputra: "Where are the form and characteristics of the female body now?" Śāriputra said: "The form and characteristics of the female body are neither present nor absent." The Devī said: "All phenomena are likewise, neither present nor absent. That which is neither present nor absent is what the Buddha taught."' This is the third \[section\], the debate on the restoration of the bodies. Because the female characteristics are not seen now, they are not present; because female characteristics existed just before, they are not absent. Furthermore, because female characteristics existed just before, they are not absent now; because there are no female characteristics now, they were not present just before. This is the principle of illusory transformations having no fixed nature. 'All phenomena are likewise' means that in terms of ultimate truth they are not present, and in terms of conventional truth they are not absent; being not present, they are not existent; being not absent, they are not non-existent—this is the principle of the Middle Way. Furthermore, previously transforming into a woman caused him to know that what is not a woman becomes a woman, which is the meaning of non-existence being existence. Now discarding the female body causes him to know that a woman is not a woman, which is the meaning of non-emptiness being emptiness. All phenomena without exception are of this sort. Furthermore, previously transforming into a woman was originally not being a woman, which is called originally non-existent. Now returning to not being a woman, it is therefore originally not non-existent. Being originally non-existent, it is not present; being originally not non-existent, it is not absent; all phenomena are also like this. \[The sūtra says:\] 'Śāriputra asked the Devī: "When you pass away here, where will you be born?"' This is the sixth \[section\], discussing the meaning of passing away and being born. The intention of the question is: seeing that the Devī's three karmic modes are unobstructed, this is a pure cause, so she must certainly cast off her female constitution. However, not knowing where she will definitely be born, he therefore asks. Moreover, having understood that the manifest characteristics are neither present nor absent, he now asks about where she will be born in the future. \[The sūtra says:\] 'The Devī said: "Where the Buddha's conjurations are born, I am born like that."' Since the bodily characteristics of this life are like an illusory conjuration, when she passes away here and is born there, how could it be real? Therefore the three times are all like conjurations. \[The sūtra says:\] 'Śāriputra said: "The conjurations of the Buddha are not things that pass away and are born." The Devī said: "Sentient beings are just the same: they neither pass away nor are born."' Previously it was explained that there is birth without birth, and that birth is caused by illusory conjuration; now it is explained that because illusory birth is unborn, there is no passing away or being born. Furthermore, previously it was explained that the Devī's birth is illusory, causing one to understand that sentient beings are also like this. \[The sūtra says:\] 'Śāriputra asked the Devī: "How long will it be before you attain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi?"' This is the seventh \[section\], discussing the duration of attaining bodhi. Because she previously said, 'Where the Buddha's conjurations are born, I am born like that,' he thought the Devī would attain Buddhahood before long. Moreover, having constantly heard that women attain Buddhahood slowly, he again doubted the duration. Connecting with the preceding text: since bodily characteristics are not real, birth can be like an illusory conjuration; but the true path of bodhi must certainly be real, so he asks after how long she will achieve it. \[The sūtra says:\] 'The Devī said: "When Śāriputra returns to being an ordinary person, only then will I attain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi." Śāriputra said: "It is impossible for me to become an ordinary person." The Devī said: "It is also impossible for me to attain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi. Why is that? Bodhi has no place of abiding; therefore no one attains it."' The path of bodhi is beyond words and cuts off thought; since it fundamentally has no place of abiding, who could attain it? > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 5.3.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1781.5.3.6) - [Next: 5.3.8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1781.5.3.8) - [Up: 5.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1781.5.3) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1781~en-mt.5.3.7) — English, machine translation ## Linked texts (4) - [注維摩詰經](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1775.6.321) — Classical Chinese - [淨名經集解關中疏](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2777.2.161) — Classical Chinese - [說無垢稱經](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.vimalakirtinirdesa*zh-xuanzang.4.75) — Classical Chinese - [維摩詰所說經](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.vimalakirtinirdesa*zh-kumarajiva.2.121) — Classical Chinese --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1781.5.3.7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1781.5.3.7) · Pramāṇa