維摩經義記卷第四 4.70

4.70

Second, from "The Buddha said, 'Good son, the Dharma offering is the profound sūtras spoken by all Buddhas'" onward directly clarifies the substance of the Dharma offering. Within this, it is divided into two subsections. First, from "the profound sūtras spoken by all Buddhas" down to "because of protecting the Dharma, this is called the offering of Dharma" clarifies the Dharma offering by people of the two wisdoms of hearing and reflection. Second, from "There are those who, regarding all dharmas, practice according to what is taught" onward clarifies the superior Dharma offering by the person of the wisdom of cultivation. Within the first, concerning the two wisdoms of hearing and reflection, it is again divided into four senses. First sense: from "the profound sūtras spoken by all Buddhas" down to "gathered by the bodhisattva dharma-piṭaka" praises the profundity of the sūtra's principle. "The profound sūtras spoken by all Buddhas": because the sūtra's principle is abstruse, it is called "profound." "Difficult for all the world to believe and accept": because this principle is profound and far-reaching, ordinary persons cannot settle their minds in it, hence called "difficult to believe and accept." "Subtle, wondrous, and difficult to see": the substance transcending the crude is called "subtle"; the ultimate within the subtle is called "wondrous"; only Buddhas can know it, and non-sages cannot comprehend it, hence called "difficult to see." "Pure and undefiled": the substance having no dust or burden is called "pure"; that it cannot be stained is called "undefiled." "Not to be attained merely by discriminating thought": "merely" is a term for the solitary; it cannot be known directly by wisdom's discrimination alone, but requires the mutual assistance of merits and all practices to attain this principle. "Gathered by the bodhisattva dharma-piṭaka": because this sūtra clarifies the Mahāyāna principle, it is gathered by the bodhisattva dharma-piṭaka. Second sense: from "sealed by the dhāraṇī seal" down to "able to cause sentient beings to enter the Buddha's Dharma treasury" clarifies the sūtra coming to benefit people, so that people obtain the sūtra for use. "Sealed by the dhāraṇī seal": the signless dhāraṇī seals it; using the signless seal, it seals the practitioner's bosom. In the mundane world, holding a pass-seal allows one to travel across rivers and through border passes, everywhere without obstacle; this shows that the practitioner, grasping this understanding of the signless principle, is able to cross the rivers of defilements and travel the passes of birth and death without hindrance. "Reaching non-retrogression": this principle, in the end, never retrogresses. "Accomplishing the six perfections": it can cause the practitioner's six perfections to be complete. "Skilled in distinguishing meanings": it can cause the practitioner to distinguish the meanings of the myriad dharmas. "In accord with the dharmas of bodhi": this principle corresponds with bodhi. "Above all sūtras": precisely because this Dharma is profound, wondrous, and supreme, it causes the practitioner to accomplish the six perfections and distinguish all meanings. "Entering great loving-kindness and compassion": it can cause the practitioner to enter the practice of great loving-kindness and compassion. "Leaving behind the deeds of māras and all wrong views": it can cause the practitioner to change from evil to good, and turn away from error to correctness. The practitioner understands that non-nature is in accord with causes and conditions. "Without self, without sentient beings, without life": it causes the practitioner to attain the emptiness of nominal designation. "Empty, signless, wishless, unarisen": one attains the emptiness of actual dharmas. "Able to cause sentient beings to sit at the place of awakening and turn the wheel of Dharma": this clarifies that it causes the practitioner to cultivate the cause, attain the fruit, become a Buddha, and preach the Dharma. "Praised together by all gods, nāgas, and spirits": when the practitioner becomes a Buddha, all gods revere and praise him. "Able to cause sentient beings to enter the Buddha's Dharma treasury": it causes the practitioner to enter the Dharma treasury of the Buddha-fruit's merits. Third sense: from "Gathering all worthy ones and sages" down to "spoken by all Buddhas of the ten directions" clarifies that the three actions are expounded in common. "Gathering all the wisdom of worthy ones and sages" generally discusses the worthy ones and sages of the three vehicles. From "expounding the path traveled by all bodhisattvas" onward: although it clarifies the three vehicles, this one phrase "expounding the path traveled by bodhisattvas" clarifies that among the three, it alone is great, with self-cultivation and outward conversion. "Relying on the meaning of the true reality of all dharmas": the substance of self-cultivation contemplates and penetrates the true reality of the essential emptiness of all dharmas. "Clearly proclaiming impermanence, suffering, emptiness, non-self, and quiescence": this brings out the substance of true reality. From "able to rescue all sentient beings who break the precepts" onward clarifies outward conversion. "Able to rescue all sentient beings who break the precepts": being skilled in expedient means to deliver precept-breaking sentient beings. "Able to cause all māras, non-Buddhists, and those who cling to greed to be terrified": māras originally belong to birth and death and delight in the five desires; non-Buddhists cling to their own paths and imagine a spiritual self; ordinary persons cling greedily to material things and take them as truly existent. Hearing emptiness expounded, they generate terror. "Praised together by all Buddhas, worthy ones, and sages": having cultivated self-cultivation and outward conversion, one is praised by worthy ones and sages. "Turning away from the suffering of birth and death to attain nirvāṇa": this clarifies the practice of the two vehicles, being weary of and turning away from birth and death to seek the bliss of nirvāṇa. "Spoken by all Buddhas of the ten directions and three times": this is not spoken by Medicine King alone; rather, past, future, and present Buddhas all speak it together. Fourth sense: from "If one hears such sūtras as this" onward takes up the wisdoms of hearing and reflection to present the person of the Dharma offering.