維摩經疏 1.17

1.17

Next below is the second, explaining the cultivation of great wisdom. Above, cultivating lesser wisdom eradicated the hindrance of afflictions; below, cultivating great wisdom eradicates the hindrance to the knowable. When the two hindrances do not arise, this is true subduing. Furthermore, above, cultivating lesser wisdom eliminated fragmentary saṃsāra; below, cultivating great wisdom eliminates transformational saṃsāra. When the two deaths do not arise, this is the true curing of illness. Furthermore, above, cultivating lesser wisdom is the realization of the contemplation of the emptiness of persons prior to the stages; below, cultivating great wisdom is the realization of the contemplation of the emptiness of dharmas on the first bhūmi. By revealing the two kinds of emptiness, there is ultimate subduing. Within the cultivation of great wisdom, the text has two parts: first, adducing the hindrance; next, clearly revealing eradication. "Having attained this impartiality, there is no other illness remaining, but only the illness of emptiness": this adduces the hindrance. Bodhisattvas prior to the stages, within provisional teachings, attain with respect to all dharmas that they exist because of the harmony of conditions, and are empty because they lack intrinsic nature; they do not see any distinction between saṃsāra and nirvāṇa, hence it says "having attained this impartiality." Taking only emptiness as object, they no longer attach to existence; the illness of existence being forever forgotten, it therefore says "there is no other illness remaining." This dharma of emptiness was spoken to destroy the illness of existence; although the illness of existence has been removed, grasping at emptiness is not relinquished; because emptiness is not relinquished, emptiness turns back into an illness, hence it says "there only is the illness of emptiness." Question: Is only the mind that takes emptiness as its object the illness, or is the objective sphere of emptiness that is taken as object also the illness? Answer: The two interpretations are not the same. If following the explanation of the Southern Path masters, both the mind of emptiness and the objective sphere of emptiness are illnesses. Why is this so? The objective sphere is transformed by the mind; the objective sphere is not separate from the mind; since the mind is an illness, the objective sphere is also an illness. When eradicating, if one only eradicates the mind, the objective sphere will naturally not arise. If following the explanation of the Northern Path masters, the mind taking emptiness as its object is an illness, but the objective sphere of emptiness is not an illness. Why is this so? How could the true dharma of the objective sphere of emptiness be an illness? The mind, taking the objective sphere as object, improperly gives rise to attachment, so the mind is an illness. Therefore, when eradicating, one only eradicates the mind and does not eradicate the objective sphere. Although there are two traditions, we now follow the former meaning. Above concludes the adducing of the hindrance. In principle, at the end of this Dedication stage when about to enter the first bhūmi, there are many hindrances: namely, the active defilements and latencies of the three kinds of craving, their actual occurrences and habits, of the afflictions of views within the triple realm, as well as the outflows and karma of the initial ground of ignorance beyond the triple realm, and so forth. Here the text is abbreviated and does not fully [elaborate]. Now, the "illness of emptiness" is the uncontaminated karma of the mind taking emptiness as its object. "The illness of emptiness is also empty": this clearly reveals overturning the hindrance to manifest eradication. Originally, emptiness was spoken of for the sake of that illness of existence; since the illness of existence has been dispelled, emptiness must also be eliminated. Hence the treatise says: "The Great Sage taught the dharma of emptiness / In order to abandon all views; / If someone is attached to emptiness, / The buddhas cannot convert them." Therefore it says, "The illness of emptiness is also empty." Above concludes the explanation of cultivating great wisdom, which is the stage of cultivating great wisdom all the way from the first bhūmi up to the vajra[-like concentration]. Yet now, because of formulating the method with respect to the difficult stage, it also provisionally speaks of the mind of the first bhūmi. Taken together, it is called the conclusion of the first, cultivating wisdom.