維摩經義疏 4.10.4

4.10.4

Although they know selflessness, they do not discard teaching and guiding because sentient beings are empty. Although they understand the body to be empty, they do not seize upon the ultimate emptiness of nirvāṇa. Thus they can abide peacefully in saṃsāra and share the same illness as all living beings. Therefore, consoling them causes them to recognize what should be practiced and what should not be practiced. [The sūtra says:] "Speak of repenting past transgressions, but do not speak of entering the past." Above, bodhisattva practice was explained for those of sharp faculties; now Dharma is expounded further for those of dull faculties who have not yet awakened. Furthermore, above the eight inversions were refuted, explaining consolation with respect to the gate of abandoning afflictions; now consolation is explained with respect to the gate of abandoning karma. Present illness necessarily stems from past transgressions, and thus one causes them to repent; hence it says "speak of repenting past transgressions." Since it says there are past transgressions, it seems as though karma possesses an inherent fault that comes from the future into the present and from the present enters the past; therefore, it is now explained that it does not enter the past. 'Not entering the past' means that transgressions are inherently empty in their fundamental nature, so there is no transgression that can pass away and enter [the past]. [The sūtra says:] "Use one's own illness to empathize with their illness." Above, consolation was explained with respect to the gate of afflictions and karma; now consolation is explained with respect to the gate of suffering retribution, causing them to extend from themselves to feel compassion for other beings: If my present slight illness brings such pain and suffering, how much more so for the living beings in the evil destinies who undergo immeasurable suffering? Furthermore, even though I possess wisdom, I am still beset by the suffering of illness, so how much more so for those who have not attained it? Extending from oneself to empathize with others is the great being's mind of universal rescue; therefore, hearing this teaching, one does not cling to life nor fear death, but should cultivate oneself and transform others. [The sūtra says:] "One should recognize the suffering of countless kalpas in past lives, and should resolve to benefit all sentient beings." For countless kalpas one has undergone immeasurable suffering; now suffering for but a moment, how is it worthy of causing sorrow? One should only strive against illness to save them from their suffering. [The sūtra says:] "Recall the merits cultivated." According to the custom in foreign countries, the meritorious karmas performed from birth to death are recorded one by one, and when one is about to die, another person is made to recount them so that, relying on merit, one's mind feels neither worry nor fear. [The sūtra says:] "Mindful of pure livelihood." One reflects for oneself that from birth to death one has constantly practiced right livelihood and will surely reach a good destiny, so what is there to worry about? Furthermore, one must not engage in various wrongful deeds to preserve life merely to cure the body's illness. [The sūtra says:] "Do not give rise to worry or distress." The ill often worry, and worrying often produces distress; hence it explains that useless sorrow is of no benefit and merely brings about distress unnecessarily. [The sūtra says:] "Constantly arouse vigor." Illness tends toward indolence, so one is encouraged to be vigorous; even if the body perishes and life ends, the intention will not abandon it. [The sūtra says:] "One should act as a physician king to treat all diseases." Above, consolation was explained with respect to the gate of practice; now consolation is explained with respect to the gate of vows, causing them, on account of illness, to make vast vows to act as a physician king to treat all physical and mental diseases. [The sūtra says:] "A bodhisattva should console an ill bodhisattva in this way, causing them to rejoice." This concludes the summary. [The sūtra says:] "Mañjuśrī said: 'Householder, how should an ill bodhisattva subdue their mind?'" This is the second [section], explaining subduing [the mind]. Having skillful consolation on the outside and good subduing on the inside, one can traverse saṃsāra and share the same illness as all living beings, experiencing all bitter hardships without considering them suffering. This is precisely Jingming's intention in manifesting illness. First comes the question, next the reply. Regarding 'subduing': the mind is like a galloping horse that is difficult to restrain, so one uses skillful means to first tame and then subdue it. Now, about to explain the method of subduing, he therefore asks about it first. [The sūtra says:] "Vimalakīrti said: 'An ill bodhisattva should think: Now this illness of mine is entirely produced from the false conceptualizations, inversions, and afflictions of previous lives; there is no real dharma, so who is it that experiences the illness?'" This is the second, the reply. In the text there are three parts: first, explaining subduing through one's own practice and transforming others; second, explaining the gains and losses in subduing through one's own practice and transforming others; third, explaining that neither subduing nor non-subduing is truly called subduing. The first text again has three parts: first, subduing in one's own practice, which is real wisdom; second, subduing in transforming others, which is called skillful wisdom; third, jointly explaining subduing through one's own practice and transforming others, which is jointly explaining the two wisdoms. The first text has three parts: first, emptiness of sentient beings; second, emptiness of all dharmas; third, that the illness of emptiness is also empty. One uses these three gates to tame the mind and subdue it. In the first text there are four phrases: first, using the future to illustrate the origin. Since there is suffering now, one traces the suffering: suffering is due to illness, illness is due to the body, and the body is due to false conceptualization. Since false conceptualization is unreal, the body is also unreal. Since the body is unreal, how could the suffering be real? [The sūtra says:] "Why is this? Because the four great elements combine, it is provisionally called a 'body'; the four great elements have no master, and the body also has no self." This is the second phrase, using the root to illustrate the branch. Previously, selflessness was deduced with respect to separate lifetimes; now, selflessness is deduced with respect to the present lifetime. Furthermore, previously it was with respect to the cause of the body; now the four great elements are the conditions of the body, so both are without self. One only sees the four great elements and does not see a single master; if there were a master, there ought to be a self, but in reality it is not so, and thus we know there is no master. The four great elements are the root of the body; since the root has no master, how could the body, being its branch, have a self? [The sūtra says:] "Furthermore, the arising of this illness is entirely due to grasping at a self; therefore, one should not give rise to grasping at a self." This is the third phrase, revealing its fault. In general terms, the arising of illness has two [causes]: first, due to grasping at a self in past lives, one fully produced fettering karma, and the karmic retribution of that fettering karma is presently experienced as suffering; second, due to grasping at a self in the present, the mind is distressed, and when the mind is distressed, the illness increases. [The sūtra says:] "Having known the root of illness, one immediately removes the notion of a self and the notion of sentient beings." The fourth phrase concludes by eliminating the self. Master Kumārajīva says: "That root of illness is what is called the self." Master Sengzhao says: "The root of the self is the aforementioned false conceptualization. Because of false conceptualization, one sees a self and sentient beings; if one awakens to false conceptualization being an inversion, then there is neither self nor sentient beings." [The sūtra says:] "One should give rise to the notion of dharmas." From above onward, selflessness was deduced repeatedly; from this passage onward, provisional dharmas are used to refute the self. Although it is an illness with respect to emptiness, it is medicine with respect to the self, so dharmas are borrowed to remove the self. [The sūtra says:] "One should think: 'It is merely that various dharmas combine to form this body; when arising, it is only dharmas arising; when perishing, it is only dharmas perishing.'" This explains the notion of dharmas. The various dharmas of the five aggregates provisionally assemble to form the body; when arising, it is only the various dharmas arising together; when perishing, it is only the various dharmas perishing together; there is no separate true ruler that governs their arising and perishing. Having eliminated the notion of a self, one only sees the various dharmas of dependent origination; hence it is called the 'notion of dharmas.' [The sūtra says:] "Furthermore, these dharmas do not know one another; when arising, they do not say 'I arise,' and when perishing, they do not say 'I perish.'" The previous phrase explained that there are only dharmas; this phrase clarifies that they are not produced by a person. Because various dharmas exist when conditions combine and separate when conditions disperse, and their gathering and dispersion have no prior agreement, dharmas do not know one another. [The sūtra says:] "In order to eliminate the notion of dharmas, that ill bodhisattva should think: 'This notion of dharmas is also an inversion. An inversion is a great calamity; I should abandon it.'"