維摩經義記卷第四 4.47

4.47

“Bodhisattvas who enter this door”: from here onward is the fifth section. It explicitly speaks to Ānanda while rebuking the bodhisattvas from above. “Bodhisattvas who enter this door”: if indeed buddha-works are diverse, “if they behold all pure and fine buddha-lands, they do not take delight in them, nor are they greedy, nor do they hold themselves high”: since buddha-works are diverse, although they behold the pure and fine, joy does not arise in their minds, nor is there greedy attachment, nor do they consider them superior. “If they behold the impure, they also do not feel joy or sorrow, and are without obstruction or sinking”: having seen the pure and marvelous above without giving rise to joy, they therefore do not grieve when beholding defilement. Since there was no greed regarding the pure above, now toward the defiled they do not give rise to anger and obstruction. Since they did not regard the pure as superior, toward the defiled they do not give rise to a feeling of inferiority or sinking. “They simply give rise to joy and reverence toward the Buddhas, producing the thought of what has never been before.” “The merit of the Tathāgatas is equal; in order to convert sentient beings, they manifest diverse buddha-lands”: this clarifies that the Path of all Buddhas is identical, without superiority or inferiority; it merely shows differences according to what sentient beings ought to see. From “Ānanda, do you see the Buddha-lands” onward, metaphors are adduced to clarify the true and the responsive. “There are several grounds”: this clarifies that lands vary and thus have measurable quantities, by which it exemplifies that the response-bodies of the Tathāgata have their differences. “Several” is an alternate name for quantifiable amount. “Yet empty space has no severalness”: this clarifies that empty space is vastly open and transcends quantity, by which it exemplifies that the Tathāgata’s wisdom is equal, devoid of distinctions of high and low. “Just as form-bodies have severalness”: the metaphor matches “the grounds have severalness” above. “Their unhindered wisdom”: matches “empty space” above. From “the majestic marks of the Buddhas’ form-bodies” onward, it clarifies that their merits are equal and entirely without difference. “Therefore, they are called Samyak-”: below, it shows that the ten [epithets] are equivalent; it briefly adduces three. Samyaksambuddha: correct and universal knower, correct awakening. Tathāgata: ‘Thus Come’. Buddha: the Awakened One. From “Ānanda, if I were to expound the meaning of these three phrases at length, you could not fully receive it even with a kalpa of life” onward, it clarifies that fully expounding three phrases is already difficult to exhaust, how much more so the immeasurable merits! The bodhisattvas from above gave rise to inferior thoughts toward the Tathāgata of this land, the bodhisattvas, and Vimalakīrti—all three places. Therefore, now he speaks together to Ānanda to rebuke the small practices of those from above, clarifying that all Buddhas cannot be fathomed; therefore, one should not give rise to inferior thoughts. From “Stop, Ānanda!” onward, the discourse shifts to bodhisattvas, clarifying that bodhisattvas cannot be measured or fathomed. The conditioned and characterized four oceans can still be measured and fathomed; the merits of bodhisattvas cannot be measured. From “Ānanda, set aside the bodhisattvas” onward, the text turns again to speak of Vimalakīrti. It clarifies that because the bodhisattva’s practice from beginning to end is naturally difficult to fathom, the benefit [conferred by] Vimalakīrti at one time cannot be known by the two vehicles even in hundreds of thousands of kalpas. Because Vimalakīrti’s body resided among the white-robed (laity), they gave rise to inferior thoughts. Now it clarifies that the power of Vimalakīrti’s supernormal transformations at one single time cannot be exhausted by persons of the two vehicles in hundreds of thousands of myriads of kalpas; how could it be conceivable?