萬松老人評唱天童覺和尚頌古從容庵錄 3.98

3.98

The Master said: In Sanskrit, Vimalakīrti; here this is translated as Stainless Fame, and also called Pure Name. His wife was named Jinji, his son Shansi, his daughter Yueshang. A monk asked Venerable Yunju Jian, "Vimalakīrti was the Tathāgata Golden Grain; why then did he participate in Śākyamuni's assembly to listen to the Dharma?" Yunju said, "He did not contend over self and other." In the expanded version of the Vimalakīrti Sūtra, thirty-two thousand bodhisattvas each speak on the Dharma-gate of non-duality; now there are only thirty-two bodhisattvas. At the very end, Mañjuśrī had no ground to stand an awl, and Vimalakīrti had not even an awl. Baofu Zhan said, "Mañjuśrī was also like covering his ears to steal a bell, exhausting his strength at Wujiang. Vimalakīrti's single silence did not leave the gate of transformation." Wansong says: For people to leave behind right and wrong is difficult. He also said, "Great and small Vimalakīrti, sat upon once by Mañjuśrī, to this day cannot stand up." Wansong says: If he wants to stand up, what difficulty is there? A slap of the hand! Langya Jue said, "Mañjuśrī's praising him as good in this way is also divination by ladles listening to empty sounds. Vimalakīrti remained silent; all of you people must not bore tortoise-shells and crack tiles." Wansong says: He made up not a little. Only Xuedou, where Mañjuśrī finished questioning, did not say he remained silent for a long while sitting upon his seat, but said directly, "What did Vimalakīrti say?" and further said, "I have checked and broken through!" Wansong says: Not knowing how to act as a ghost, he appeared in broad daylight. Tianyi Huai's verse says: 'Vimalakīrti was not silent and did not pause for a long while; / Sitting on his seat in deliberation became a fault. / Even now in all quarters when presenting this matter, / They still say: "After a long while..."' A monk once asked a master, "In the records it often says 'after a long while' (liangjiu); what sort of person is Liangjiu?" The master replied, "Liangjiu is the younger brother of Liang Ba." Those who passed it down took it as a joke. Tianyi's last two lines are exceedingly precipitous; he says: 'Cold light emerges from the scabbard of the hair-severing blade; / Non-Buddhists and celestial Māras all have their heads cut off.' Wansong says: Secretly passing the divine blade, they do not feel the itch or pain. Baiyun Duan's verse says: 'One, two, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand; / Bending fingers to search the text, the count cannot be settled. / For a time left before the dark window; / Tomorrow I will calculate again with you.' Wansong says: What leisure time is there? Tiantong's verse on Mazu's 'Zang's head is white, Hai's head is black' says at the end: 'Dignified, sitting and cutting off the path of the tongue; / He must laugh at the old awl of Vaiśālī.' Today Vimalakīrti arrives; paying no heed to praise to his face, the verse says: