維摩經疏 1.16

1.16

第五總結。上列聖眾。下列凡眾。於中初先列其天眾。次列鬼神。後列人眾。鬼神是其天之輔從。次天以列天中。初先列其梵眾。次列帝釋。後列餘天。梵中初言萬梵天王列數辨眾。此皆應是初禪梵王。尸棄列名。此云頂髻蓋。乃是其編髮梵王。下言螺髮。應是其人。從餘天下辨其來處。此言稍略。若具應言從餘四天上下來也。詣佛所至聽法所作。就帝釋中復萬二千舉其數也。天帝辨眾帝猶主矣。刀利天主名為天帝。亦從餘天還彰來處。在會所至下列餘天。通言并餘大威力者。辨前兼後故說為并。謂欲界中餘天也。次列鬼神龍。是畜生。於中具有四生差別。有大神德能來聽法故今列之。夜叉是其輕健鬼也。乾闥婆者是天樂神。亦鬼道攝阿修羅者。人傳釋言。名不酒神。不知是非。或云劣天。依如毘曇。修羅唯鬼。依法念經。有鬼有畜。如彼羅睺阿修羅王是師子兒。體是畜生。依伽那經。有天鬼畜三種差別。修羅凡有五地之別。一在地上眾相山中。如地經說。勢力最下。二須彌山北大海之下二萬一千由旬有修羅王。名曰羅睺。統領無量阿修羅眾。三羅睺下復過二萬一千由旬有修羅王。名曰勇健。四勇健下復過二萬五千由旬有修羅王。名曰華鬘。五華鬘下復過二萬一千由旬修羅王。名毘摩質多之。領無量阿修羅眾。毘摩之母本從天生。故名劣天。劫初成時有諸天女來海中洗。水觸其身遂失精氣。流在水中成一宍卵。逕八千歲乃生一女。有九百九十九頭。頭有千眼。有九百九十九口。口有四爪。爪上出火猶如礔礰。二十四手。九百九十九脚。此女後時在海浮戲。水精入體生一宍卵。逕八千歲生毘摩質多。有九頭。頭有千眼。口中出火。有九百九十九手脚。唯有八其形四倍大於須彌。純食淤埿及與藕根。多與天諍。如法念說。迦樓羅者。是其鳥神。於中有其金翅之鳥。純食諸龍。有四生別。其化生者食四生龍。其胎生者食三生龍。除其化生。其卵生者食二生龍。除化除胎。其濕生者唯食濕生。此四天下有一化生如樓羅王。名曰正音。壽八千歲。日別噉食天龍王五百小龍。遶四天下周而復始次第食之。命欲終時諸龍吐毒不復能食。飢火所燒。聳翅直下至風輪際為風所吹。而復上來。往還七返無處停足。遂至金剛輪山頂上命終。以食諸龍身宍毒氣遂發猛火。其難陀龍王及跋難陀恐燒寶山遂降大雨。渧如車軸。以滅其火。身宍消散。唯有心在。大如人膝。純清流離。輪王得之用為珠寶。帝釋得之為髺中珠。緊那羅者。此名疑神。體是畜生。形狀似人。面極端正。頂有一角。人見生疑。不知為人為鬼為畜。故名疑神。此二是其天之樂神。摩睺羅伽是腹行神。世人相傳是奔神也。下列人眾。比丘如上。尼猶女也。憂婆塞者名為善宿。懷善宿德。亦云近住。近善而住。亦名清信士。優婆姨者。優婆如前。姨猶女也。上來第二列其徒眾。

Fifth is the general conclusion. Above, the assembly of noble ones was listed; below, the assembly of ordinary beings is listed. Therein, first the assembly of devas is listed; next the ghosts and spirits are listed; and finally the assembly of humans is listed. The ghosts and spirits are attendants and retinues of the devas, so they are listed after the devas. Among the devas, first the Brahmā assembly is listed; next Śakra is listed; and finally the remaining devas are listed. Among the Brahmā [gods], the opening words 'ten thousand Brahmā kings' list the count and distinguish the assembly. These should all be the Brahmā kings of the first dhyāna. 'Śikhin' lists the name, which here is translated as 'Crest of Hair' [uṣṇīṣa / cūḍā], meaning the Brahmā king with braided hair. The reference below to 'conch-shell-like hair' must be this person. 'From the other worlds of the four quarters' explains the place from which they came. This phrasing is somewhat abridged; stated in full, it should say that they came down from the heavens of the other four quarters. 'Approached where the Buddha was' describes their arrival; 'to listen to the Dharma' describes what they came to do. Regarding Śakra, 'further, twelve thousand' raises their number. 'Sovereigns of the devas' distinguishes the assembly; 'sovereign' means lord. The lord of the Trāyastriṃśa heaven is named Sovereign of the Devas. 'Also from the other heavens' likewise reveals their place of origin. 'Arrived at the assembly' describes where they came. Below, the remaining devas are listed. The collective statement 'together with the other beings of great power and might' explains what came before and includes what follows, and is thus spoken of as 'together with', meaning the remaining devas in the desire realm. Next the ghosts and spirits are listed. The nāgas are animals; among them all four modes of birth are present. Having great divine power, they are able to come and hear the Dharma, and are thus listed here now. Yakṣas are swift and nimble ghosts. Gandharvas are the gods of heavenly music, who also belong to the realm of ghosts. As for asuras, it is traditionally explained by people as meaning 'gods who do not drink liquor', but it is unknown whether this is correct. Some also say they are 'inferior gods'. According to the Abhidharma, asuras are purely ghosts. According to the Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna-sūtra, there are both ghosts and animals; for instance, that asura king Rāhu is the child of a lion, and his nature is that of an animal. According to the *Gana-sūtra, there are three distinct kinds: devas, ghosts, and animals. Asuras are divided into five realms altogether. The first is on the earth within the Mount of Many Forms, as the Daśabhūmika-sūtra explains, where their strength is the lowest. The second is twenty-one thousand yojanas beneath the great ocean north of Mount Meru, where there is an asura king named Rāhu who commands countless assemblies of asuras. The third is twenty-one thousand yojanas further below Rāhu, where there is an asura king named Brave and Strong. The fourth is twenty-five thousand yojanas further below Brave and Strong, where there is an asura king named Flower Garland. The fifth is twenty-one thousand yojanas further below Flower Garland, where there is an asura king named Vemacitrin who commands countless assemblies of asuras. The mother of Vemacitrin was originally born from the devas, hence they are called 'inferior gods'. At the beginning of the kalpa when it first formed, several heavenly maidens came to bathe in the sea. The water touched their bodies, and they subsequently discharged essence, which drifted in the water and became a fleshy egg. After eight thousand years had elapsed, it gave birth to a daughter who had nine hundred and ninety-nine heads, each head having a thousand eyes; nine hundred and ninety-nine mouths, each mouth having four claws from which fire issued like lightning; twenty-four arms; and nine hundred and ninety-nine legs. Later, when this woman was floating and playing in the sea, the essence of the water entered her body and gave birth to a fleshy egg. After eight thousand years had elapsed, it gave birth to Vemacitrin, who had nine heads, each head having a thousand eyes; fire issued from his mouths; and he had nine hundred and ninety-nine arms and only eight legs. His form was four times larger than Mount Meru. He ate only silt, mud, and lotus roots, and often fought with the devas, as the Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna[-sūtra] explains. Garuḍas are bird deities; among them are the golden-winged birds who eat only nāgas. They have the distinction of the four modes of birth: those born by transformation eat nāgas of all four modes of birth; those born from a womb eat nāgas of three modes of birth, excluding those born by transformation; those born from an egg eat nāgas of two modes of birth, excluding those born by transformation and from a womb; and those born of moisture eat only those born of moisture. In these four continents there is a transformation-born garuḍa king named Right Sound, whose lifespan is eight thousand years. Each day he consumes five hundred small nāgas of the heavenly nāga kings, circling the four continents, beginning again after each cycle to eat them in order. When his life is about to end, the nāgas spit poison so that he can no longer eat. Scorched by the fire of hunger, he spreads his wings and plunges straight down to the edge of the wind-wheel, where he is blown by the wind and rises back up again. He goes back and forth seven times with nowhere to rest his feet, until he finally reaches the summit of the Cakravāḍa Mountains and dies. Because he ate the flesh of the nāgas, the toxic vapours ignite into a fierce blaze. The nāga king Nanda and Upananda, fearing it would burn the jewelled mountains, cause a great rain to fall in drops as thick as axle trees to extinguish the fire. His body and flesh dissolve and disperse, leaving only his heart intact, which is as large as a human knee and made of pure, clear vaiḍūrya. When a cakravartin obtains it, he uses it as a jewel; when Śakra obtains it, it becomes the jewel in his topknot. Kinnaras are named 'doubt-gods'. Their bodies are animals, but their shapes resemble humans. Their faces are exceedingly handsome, and on top of their heads is a single horn. When people see them, doubt arises, not knowing whether they are human, ghost, or animal; thus they are named 'doubt-gods'. These two are gods of heavenly music. Mahoragas are gods that crawl on their bellies; it is traditionally said among worldly people that they are galloping spirits. Below, the human assembly is listed. Bhikṣus are as explained above; bhikṣuṇīs are the women. Upāsakas are called 'those who dwell in goodness', possessing the virtue of good dwelling; they are also called 'those who abide near', abiding near goodness; they are also called 'pure and faithful men'. Upāsikās: 'upā' is as before, and 'sikā' refers to women. The above constitutes the second section listing the retinue.