維摩經義記卷第四 4.16

4.16

The second subsection, from 'The garden of dhāraṇī' down to 'Washing with a pure mind, the limbs of the precepts are the fragrant ointment,' consists of seven verses explaining that material goods for sustenance are different [from the worldly]. As for 'The garden of dhāraṇī': a garden originally fences in trees and fruit to keep them from being lost; this illustrates that dhāraṇī retains sounds and characteristics of dharmas without loss. As for 'The forest trees of the undefiled Dharma': seeing the truth is undefiled; just as trees with deep roots are difficult to uproot and their branches and foliage flourish, so the undefiled is profound, solid, and difficult to overturn, and the branches of the myriad goods flourish in purity, just like trees. Another explanation: trees can block out sunlight and thus provide shade; this illustrates that the substance of the undefiled can block out the sunlight of wrong views and kleśas, obtaining the cool, wonderful bliss of nirvāṇa. As for 'The pure and wondrous flowers of the factors of enlightenment, the fruit of liberation and wisdom': flowers originally grow from trees and are able to yield fruit; with the undefiled vision of truth as the tree, it can produce the flowers of contemplating the seven factors of enlightenment and obtain the fruit of liberation through the knowledge of the exhaustion [of defilements] and the knowledge of non-arising. As for 'The bath pond of the eight liberations, overflowing and full with the water of samādhi': the eight liberations turn away from and abandon lower evils, just like a bath pond removes dirt. Now, if one wishes to cultivate the contemplation of the eight liberations, one must allow the mind to roam in the water of samādhi; if cultivation of samādhi is complete, then the pond of the eight liberations is full, hence it says 'overflowing and full with the water of samādhi.' As for 'Spread with the flowers of the seven purities, bathing this undefiled person': these seven purities are purity of precepts, purity of mind, purity of view, purity of overcoming doubt, purity of path and non-path, purity of conduct, and purity of knowledge and vision of the cessation of conduct; these are called the seven purities. Flowers originally carry the meaning of fragrance, freshness, and purity; this illustrates that the seven purities are replete with the fragrance of morality and concentration and the fresh purity of wisdom, just like flowers. Arhats and dharmakāya mahāsattvas let their minds roam in this principle; therefore it says 'bathing this undefiled person.' Another explanation: flowers originally emerge from water and adorn the trees; these seven purities arise from samādhi and adorn samādhi. As for 'Galloping with the five superknowledges as elephants and horses': the bodhisattva uses the five superknowledges to fly swiftly from place to place to carry out conversion, just like galloping elephants and horses. As for 'Taking the Mahāyāna as the carriage': the Mahāyāna has the sense of carrying and transporting, like a carriage. As for 'Taming and driving with a unified mind, roaming upon the eightfold correct path': although the eightfold correct path is flat and level, without the carriage of the Mahāyāna being steered and driven, it might veer off the track. A 'unified mind' means the mind of equanimity (upekṣā). The mind has three aspects: first, arousal; second, restraint; third, equanimity. If the mind is excessively aroused, one should cultivate samādhi; if the mind is excessively sunken, one should cultivate vigor; if movement and stillness are harmoniously adjusted, leaving it to advance leisurely in moderation, this is called equanimity. With equanimity, things are balanced, just like a skilled driver: when the ox is slow he whips it, and when it is swift he checks it; when slowness and swiftness are appropriate, it travels the level road smoothly without obstacle. As for 'Fully adorning the appearance, the secondary signs embellishing the posture': adorning the appearance with the thirty-two marks of a great man, and brightening the posture and countenance with the eighty secondary signs. As for 'The supreme clothing of shame and conscience': worldly supreme clothing has the function of covering and shielding; this illustrates that the bodhisattva uses the dharma of his own shame and conscience as supreme clothing to cover the shameful baseness of shamelessness and lack of conscience. As for 'Taking the profound mind as a flower garland': people of the world use flower garlands as head ornaments; this illustrates that the practice of the profound mind is paramount, just like a garland. Another explanation: people of the world thread diverse flowers on a cord to make a head ornament; this illustrates that the bodhisattva uses the understanding of the profound mind to string together all practices, ultimately completing the head adornment of wisdom. As for 'Richly possessing the seven treasures of wealth': faith, precepts, hearing, wisdom, giving, shame, and conscience are called the seven treasures. Worldly people consider having an abundance of the seven treasures as wealth; the mahāsattva accumulates these seven dharmas as wealth. As for 'Teaching to yield interest': one uses the seven treasures to teach and transform others, and those people in turn transform others; conversion transmitted from one to another—how is this not yielding interest? As for 'Practicing as taught and dedicating it brings great profit': being able to practice what is preached and dedicating the goodness cultivated to jointly achieve the unsurpassed Path, the merit comes back to oneself, which is like great profit. As for 'The four dhyānas are the couch and seat, arising from pure livelihood': a couch and seat are for sleeping, reclining, and resting the body; the four dhyānas mean peace and stillness, identical in sense to a couch and seat. Another explanation: couches and seats in the world avoid poisonous stings and low dampness; this illustrates that the bodhisattva cultivates the four dhyānas to eliminate the troubles of the low and defiled lower stages. Now, to make a couch or seat, one must wield ax and adze before it can be completed; similarly, if one does not cultivate pure livelihood as the cause, there is no way dhyāna concentration can be attained, hence it says 'arising from pure livelihood.' As for 'Much hearing increases wisdom, serving as the sound of awakening oneself': foreign kings sleep too much, so they play the sounds of strings and bamboo flutes into their ears to awaken them; this illustrates that if the bodhisattva reclines on the couch of dhyāna concentration too deeply, he uses extensive hearing to increase wisdom, dispelling the stupor and sleep of ignorance. As for 'The food of the amṛta-dharma, the flavor of liberation as the drink': food sustains the body and nourishes life; drink quenches thirst. The undefiled amṛta in accordance with reality sustains the dharmakāya and nourishes the life of wisdom; liberation removes the thirst of craving in saṃsāra. As for 'Washing with a pure mind, the limbs of the precepts are the fragrant ointment': because the mind is pure, maintaining the precepts removes defilements, just as bathing removes dirt and impurity. When people of the world finish bathing, fearing that raw wind will enter the body, they apply fragrant ointment; the precepts guard against what is illicit and can block evil dharmas, just like fragrant ointment.