維摩經義疏 5.3.4

5.3.4

Having understood that good can be produced and evil can be extinguished, he wishes to abandon both in order to seek the fundamental source, and therefore traces back to its root. "He replied: 'The body is the root.'" Because of the body of the five aggregates, good and non-good arise; therefore, it is the root of good and non-good. "He asked again: 'What is the root of the body?' He replied: 'Desire and craving are the root.'" Because of craving and clinging in previous lives, one consequently receives a body. Although all the entanglements are fully relied upon, when asking about karma moistening rebirth, craving is the principal; therefore, he specifically names desire and craving. "He asked again: 'What is the root of desire and craving?' He replied: 'False discrimination is the root.'" Phenomena have no fixed characteristics; due to false discrimination, one considers them good or bad. Once beauty and ugliness take form, desire and craving then arise. "He asked again: 'What is the root of false discrimination?' He replied: 'Inverted thought is the root.'" Phenomena are fundamentally non-existent, but inverted thought takes them to be existent. Once taking them to be existent, one then discerns their beauty and ugliness. Thus, the deluded mind internally turns into inversion, and subsequently falsely discriminates external matters. "He asked again: 'What is the root of inverted thought?' He replied: 'Non-abiding is the root.'" Considering non-existence to be existence is called inverted; hence, non-existence is the root of considering it existent. Non-existence is precisely non-abiding. "He asked again: 'What is the root of non-abiding?' He replied: 'Non-abiding has no root.'" Considering non-existence to be existence, non-existence is therefore the root of existence. Yet non-existence is having no existence whatsoever; therefore, it has no root. Question: Existence arises from non-existence, so non-existence is the root of existence. Non-existence is able to give rise to existence, so why does it have no root? Answer: Existence and non-existence depend upon one another; through this relation they become roots. But now, pointing out existence, existence has distinctions, so it has a root; non-existence has no differing characteristics, so non-existence has no root of existence. Question: Because of neither-existence-nor-non-existence, existence and non-existence exist; this then would be an effective root for existence. Why is there no root? Answer: Since the present text speaks of "non-abiding", it cuts off the four propositions and banishes the hundred negations; words are severed and thoughts exhausted, which is precisely the true reality of all phenomena, serving as the root of all phenomena. And this true reality has no further root. Question: Since it transcends the four propositions, why call it "non-abiding"? Answer: Not knowing how to designate it, it is forcedly named "non-abiding". In contrast to existent phenomena having a root, it is also forcedly named "having no root". Speaking from the principle, one cannot say it is non-existent or not non-existent, nor can one say it has a root or has no root. "'Mañjuśrī! From the root of non-abiding, all phenomena are established.'" Because of non-abiding, thoughts are inverted; because thoughts are inverted, there is discrimination; because of discrimination, there is desire and craving; because of desire and craving, there is the body. Once there is a body, good and evil are both displayed; when good and evil are displayed, the myriad phenomena thus arise. If one thoroughly comprehends their root, then all the branches can be eliminated. "At that time, in Vimalakīrti's room, there was a devī." This is the second section, where the Devī and Śāriputra next debate regarding sentient beings. The purpose of this section's arrival has five points: First, up to this point, the text primarily clarified the various practices; now it reveals that because practice is perfected, there are unfathomable, wonderful functions, which is the Devī. Second, to substantiate the previous observation of sentient beings as empty, she therefore manifests in a divine form to discuss the phenomenon of neither male nor female. Third, from the "Chapter on Upāya" up to the previous section, the text only manifested the primary principle of Jingming's spiritual powers and wisdom; now it next manifests the circumstantial reward of the room possessing the eight unprecedented qualities. Fourth, it is intended to assist Jingming in praising the Great Path and humbling the śrāvakas, causing the assembly at that time to abandon the small and venerate the great. Fifth, previously it manifested that Jingming himself abides in the inconceivable; now it wishes to manifest that his retinue abides in the inconceivable. As for the text, it has three parts: first, she manifests her body and scatters flowers, initiating the debate; second, she directly exchanges words and debates principles with Śāriputra; third, after the debate is finished, the traces of the Devī are wiped away. Master Shí says: "The Devī is the spirit of the householder's dwelling. Wherever there is a dwelling, there is necessarily a spirit; dwellings may be refined or coarse, and spirits superior or inferior. Now, this is a room possessing the eight unprecedented qualities, so a dharmakāya bodhisattva serves as the spirit. As for being named a 'deva' (female: devī), foreign countries hold spirits in high esteem and therefore call them devas." "Seeing the great beings and hearing the Dharma preached, she then manifested her body, and immediately scattered heavenly flowers over the bodhisattvas and great disciples." Now, for the perfected person, concealment and manifestation have their reasons; previously, she remained concealed because the room was empty, while now she manifests to discuss the Path; acting or remaining hidden invariably benefits living beings. Scattering flowers has two meanings: first, out of reverence for the Dharma and respect for persons, reverently offering gifts; second, to cleverly initiate the debate, she therefore scatters heavenly flowers. Jingming takes emptiness as skill-in-means, while the Devī takes existence as wonderful function; therefore, one empties the room while the other scatters flowers, one is a man while the other is a woman. When examining the nature of gods, humans, males, and females, how could they be merely what gods and humans can be? It is truly because, being neither human nor god, she can be god and can be human. Emptiness and existence are also like this. "When the flowers reached the bodhisattvas, they immediately fell off; when they reached the great disciples, they stuck to them and would not go. All the disciples used their spiritual powers to remove the flowers, but could not make them go." Now, depending on whether the mind has defilement or is free from defilement, external flowers therefore stick or do not stick. Since the śrāvakas cannot remove their internal defilement, how could they dispel external flowers? Now, wishing to express the superiority and inferiority of the Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna, the flowers visibly fall or do not fall. "At that time, the Devī asked Śāriputra: 'Why do you remove the flowers?' He replied: 'These flowers are not in accord with the Dharma; therefore I remove them.'" This is the second part: directly exchanging words in debate. Previously, with bodily karma she rained flowers, and thus made an inquiry by means of flowers; when he used spiritual powers to dispel them but they did not fall, this served as an exchange by means of mental karma—that is one round of debate. The former was the flexing and extending of body and mind; now is the direct verbal engagement. The text has seven themes: first, taking flowers to discuss what is in accord with the Dharma and what is not in accord with the Dharma; second, discussing length of time; third, discussing realization and attainment; fourth, discussing aspiration and pursuit; fifth, discussing male and female; sixth, discussing dying and being reborn; seventh, discussing bodhi. This is the first section. For flowers and fragrance to cling to the body is not the dharma of a recluse (śramaṇa). Therefore, he removes them. Another explanation: The proper behavior of flowers scattered on the body is that they should fall, but now they do not fall; this is not the proper behavior of flowers. "The Devī said: 'Do not say that these flowers are not in accord with the Dharma. Why is that? These flowers are without discrimination; you, virtuous sir, yourself produce discriminating thoughts. If one who has gone forth into the Buddha-Dharma has discrimination, that is not in accord with the Dharma; if one is without discrimination, that is in accord with the Dharma. Look at the bodhisattvas to whom the flowers do not cling: it is because they have cut off all discriminating thoughts.'" Flowers fundamentally have no mind, and therefore have no discrimination; since they have no discrimination, they have never been in accord with the Dharma or not in accord with the Dharma. You, virtuous sir, possess a mind, and therefore produce discriminating thoughts yourself. If one ceases discriminating thoughts, one accords with the true reality of phenomena, which is called being in accord with the Dharma. "'Just as when a person is afraid, non-humans take advantage of him;'