出三藏記集 8.47

8.47

此經以毘摩詰所說為名者。尊其人重其法也。五百應真之所稱述。一切菩薩之所嘆伏。文殊師利對揚之所明答。普現色身之要言。皆其說也。借座於燈王。致飯於香積。接大眾於右掌。內妙樂於忍界。阿難之所絕塵。皆其不可思議也。高挌邁于十地。故彌勒屈之而虛己。崇墉超於學境。故文殊已還。並未有𨶳其庭者。法言恢廓。指玄門以忘期觀品夷照。總化本以冥想。落落焉。聲法鼓於維耶。而十方世界無不悟其希音。恢恢焉。感諸佛於一室。而恒沙正覺無不應其虛求。予始發心啟曚。於此諷詠研求以為喉衿。稟玄指於先匠。亦復未識其絕往之通塞也。既蒙究摩羅法師正玄文摘幽指。始悟前譯之傷本。謬文之乖趣耳。至如以不來相為辱來。不見相為相見。未緣法為始神。緣合法為止心。諸如此比。無品不有。無章不爾。然後知邊情險詖難可以參契真言廁懷玄悟矣。自慧風東扇法言流詠已來。雖曰講肆格義迂而乖本六家偏而不即性空之宗。以今驗之。最得其實然鑪冶之功微恨不盡。當是無法可尋。非尋之不得也。何以知之。此土先出諸經。於識神性空明言處少存神之文其處甚多。中百二論文未及此。又無通鑒誰與正之。先匠所以輟章遐慨思決言於彌勒者。良在此也。自提婆已前。天竺義學之僧並無來者。於今始聞宏宗高唱敢豫悕味之流。無不竭其聰而住其心。然領受之用易存。憶識之功難掌。自非般若朗其聞慧。總持銘其思府。焉能使機過而不遺。神會而不昧者哉。故因紙墨以記其文外之言。借眾聽以集其成事之說。煩而不簡者遺其事也。質而不麗者重其意也。其指微而婉。其辭博而晦。自非筆受胡可勝哉。是以即於講次疏以為記。冀通方之賢不咎其煩而不要也。

This sūtra is named after what Vimalakīrti expounded because of honoring the person and esteeming the Dharma. It was praised and related by five hundred arhats, admired and submitted to by all bodhisattvas, and clearly answered in dialogue with Mañjuśrī; the essential words on universally manifesting physical bodies are all his exposition. Borrowing seats from the King of Lamps, bringing food from the land of Accumulated Fragrance, receiving the great assembly in his right palm, and placing the realm of Abhirati inside the Sahā world—matters beyond the reach of Ānanda—are all his inconceivabilities. His exalted standard surpassed the ten bhūmis, and therefore Maitreya yielded to him and humbled himself; his towering walls exceeded the realm of learners, and therefore from Mañjuśrī on down, none had entered his courtyard. His Dharma words are expansive, pointing to the arcane gate and forgetting expectations; his observation of phenomena was impartial and illuminating, gathering the root of transformation in dark contemplation. Magnificently, the drum of Dharma was sounded in Vaiśālī, and in the worlds of the ten directions there were none who did not awaken to its rare sound. Broadly, he moved the Buddhas into a single room, and the right-awakened ones numerous as the sands of the Ganges all responded to his empty request. When I first generated the mind [for awakening] to open my ignorance, I chanted and investigated this [text], regarding it as throat and collar. Receiving the arcane purport from former masters, I still did not understand where its boundless [meaning] was open or blocked. Having received Dharma Master Kumārajīva's rectification of the arcane text and extraction of the concealed purport, I first realized the injuries to the root in previous translations and the divergence of intent in erroneous phrasing. As for taking 'not-coming characteristic' as 'disgracing to come,' 'not-seeing characteristic' as 'meeting each other,' 'phenomena not yet conditioned' as 'initial spirit,' and 'phenomena coming together by conditions' as 'stopping the mind'—instances such as these existed in every chapter, and no section was without them. Only then did I know that biased sentiments and perverse views can hardly be in accord with the true words or take part in arcane enlightenment. Ever since the wind of wisdom blew eastward and the Dharma words flowed and were chanted, although lecture seats were held, the 'concept-matching' (geyi) was roundabout and diverged from the root, and the six schools were biased and failed to align with the doctrine of the emptiness of nature. Testing them today, this [translation] attains the ultimate reality; yet regarding the work of smelting and refinement, one slightly regrets it is not exhaustive. This must be because there was no [further] teaching to pursue, not that it could not be attained through pursuit. How is this known? In the scriptures previously produced in this land, there are few places that clearly speak of the consciousness-spirit being empty of nature, whereas texts preserving the spirit are very numerous. The two treatises of the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā and the Śataśāstra had not yet reached here, and there was no comprehensive insight; who was there to rectify it? This is precisely why former masters stopped their pens, sighed deeply from afar, and longed to decide the words with Maitreya! Prior to Deva, none of the scholarly monks of Tianzhu had arrived. Now, hearing for the first time the grand singing of the great doctrine, those who dare to participate in seeking its flavor exhaust their intellects and fix their minds. Yet the function of receiving and comprehending is easily retained, while the power of memory and retention is difficult to command. Unless prajñā illuminates one's wisdom of hearing, and dhāraṇī inscribes one's storehouse of contemplation, how could one cause opportunities not to be lost as they pass, and the spirit to be attuned without dimming? Therefore, using paper and ink, I recorded the words beyond the text; relying on the many listeners, I gathered the explanations of completed affairs. What is cumbersome rather than concise was due to omitting none of the affairs; what is plain rather than ornate was due to giving weight to the meaning. Its purport is subtle and graceful; its phrasing is broad and deep. Were it not for a scribal recorder, how could it be sustained? Thus, following the lectures, I composed a commentary as a record, hoping that worthy persons of broad understanding will not blame it for being cumbersome and unconcise.