維摩經疏 1.10

1.10

From here below, [Mañjuśrī] seeks out the locus of that emptiness. When he "further asked: 'Where should emptiness be sought?'" he asks: "In what place should this principle be sought and realized?" When [Vimalakīrti] "answered: 'It should be sought among the sixty-two views'", [the explanation is that] the sixty-two views confuse the real, and therefore arise. By pursuing those [views] which are capable of confusing, one finds that which they confuse; hence one seeks its emptiness among the views. Furthermore, the very substance of the sixty-two views is emptiness, because it is by not departing from the real and delusion that the real is discerned. The rest can be understood by analogy with this. When [Vimalakīrti said,] "Furthermore, [in regards to] what the benevolent one asked: 'Why are there no attendants?'", this answers the previous second question about the absence of attendants. Because it is far removed from the question, he repeats and brings it forward again. Below, he clarifies the words of the answer: "All the māras and all the non-Buddhists are my attendants." This is a direct answer. From here below, [the text] raises a question and explains it. "Why is that?" is a question. The attendants of a bodhisattva ought to be great young prince devas; why then does he say that māras and non-Buddhists are his attendants? Below, he clarifies the explanation: "Māras delight in saṃsāra, yet the bodhisattva does not abandon saṃsāra. Non-Buddhists delight in all views, yet the bodhisattva remains unperturbed among all views." There are two meanings in the explanation. The first meaning: As for the principle of attendants, they wait upon and nourish teachers and monks to make the teacher's physical body healthy and comfortable—this is the meaning. The reason why the bodhisattva's dharmakāya is healthy and thriving is precisely due to these heavenly māras and all the non-Buddhists. Truly it is because the bodhisattva generates great compassion and benevolence to transform these māras and non-Buddhists, causing them to sever evil and practice good. The bodhisattva's practice of great compassion is thereby completed, and because great compassion is completed, the dharmakāya is at ease and peaceful. Therefore he says that all the māras and all the non-Buddhists are his attendants. The second meaning: As for attendants, following after the teacher and monks without departing is the meaning. Now these māras and non-Buddhists are constantly taken as objects and transformed by the bodhisattva's great compassionate and benevolent mind, without ever separating from each other; therefore they are spoken of as attendants. Question: The bodhisattva's great compassion takes as its object all sentient beings of the six destinies; why does he speak only of heavenly māras and non-Buddhists? Answer: There are two meanings in the explanation. The first meaning: As the Nirvāṇa Sūtra says, for instance, a householder raises seven sons, and among the seven sons, one son falls ill. Although the householder is not unequal toward his sons, his mind leans especially toward pitying the sick one. The bodhisattva is like this: benevolently minding sentient beings equally like his sons, his great compassion is especially directed toward those who commit many transgressions. None commit more transgressions than these two; therefore they are spoken of as attendants. The second meaning: Now, speaking of māras and non-Buddhists, it does not only refer to those specific heavenly māras and specific non-Buddhists, but addresses all sentient beings generally. If all ordinary persons are subsumed according to their delusions, there are none beyond two kinds: first, attachment; second, views. Those with abundant delusions of attachment are subsumed under heavenly māras; those with abundant delusions of views are subsumed under non-Buddhists. Therefore, speaking of these heavenly māras and non-Buddhists subsumes all those sentient beings without exception. Hence this text says, "Māras delight in saṃsāra, non-Buddhists delight in all views"; it should be based on this meaning. "Not abandoning" means not abandoning saṃsāra and constantly following [them] to teach and transform. "Unperturbed" means the compassionate mind is firm, hence he says "unperturbed". The preceding two exchanges of questions and answers reveal that on which Vimalakīrti's great compassion relies, and also jointly clarify real wisdom and skillful means.