維摩經疏卷第三．第六 3.42

3.42

文四同前。第三釋中初總徵次別釋。釋中有三。一出昔日被呵之事。二維摩下明教呵相。三說是法下教呵利益。前中兩句。初明佛昔一時為諸比丘略說苦空。次明迦旃延為諸比丘敷演其義。言略說法要者。五句不多故名為略。初四俗諦。後一真諦。攝法周盡故名為要。又通攝有為無二法皆盡故稱為要。演有為作四非常。演無為作一寂滅。故云要也。又要略有四句。一名略義廣。名少義多說也。二名廣義略。名教多說義少也。三名義俱廣。名教多說義復多也。四名義俱略。名教說義並少也。如總相說苦諦不多解釋。即是名略。若具分別是名義得廣。一句既知下三可類今佛略說法要者。多是名義俱略也。我即於後敷演其義至寂滅義者。次明迦旃延為諸比丘敷演妙義。如來了法非常無常。眾生不解橫執為常。乃至妄執以為生滅。佛見此執不稱理故故即破遣。說五陰性法悉是無常。治彼眾生常見等倒。雖說無常。非謂正法是無常。其義何也。遣常情故說無常。非謂是無常。遣樂情故言苦。非謂是苦。遣有情故說空。非謂是空。遣我情故言無我。非謂是無我。遣相情故說寂滅。非謂是寂滅。迦旃延不達教旨。於佛說法之後皆以相說。便謂生滅是無常毀壞是苦。遣有得無是空滅我為無我。滅陰為寂滅。佛既略說於前。迦延敷演於後。取相分別乖佛教旨。故云於後敷演其義也。

The four structural divisions of the text are the same as before. In the third, the explanation, there is first a general interrogation, followed by specific explanations. In the explanation there are three parts: first, bringing forth the past incident of being rebuked; second, from "Vimalakīrti" onwards, clarifying the manner of instruction and rebuke; third, from "When this Dharma was taught" onwards, the benefit of the instruction and rebuke. In the first part there are two phrases: first, clarifying that the Buddha once briefly taught the essentials of the Dharma—suffering and emptiness—to the monks; second, clarifying that Kātyāyana elaborated upon their meaning for the monks. Regarding "briefly taught the essentials of the Dharma": the five phrases are not numerous, hence called "brief." The first four are conventional truth, and the last one is ultimate truth. Fully subsuming the Dharma, it is called "essential." Moreover, generally subsuming conditioned and unconditioned dharmas exhaustively, it is called "essential." Elaborating conditioned dharmas makes four impermanences; elaborating unconditioned dharmas makes one quiescence; hence it is called "essential." Furthermore, "brief and essential" has four propositions: 1. brief in name, broad in meaning, meaning few names and many meanings explained; 2. broad in name, brief in meaning, meaning many names and teachings explained, but few meanings; 3. both name and meaning broad, meaning many names and teachings explained, and the meanings also many; 4. both name and meaning brief, meaning the names, teachings, and meanings explained are all few. For example, speaking generally of the truth of suffering without much explanation is "brief in name"; if fully distinguishing it, this is called "meaning becoming broad." Once one phrase is understood, the lower three can be analogized. Now the Buddha's brief teaching of the essentials of the Dharma mostly belongs to "both name and meaning brief." "I then subsequently elaborated upon their meaning... up to the meaning of quiescence": next, clarifies Kātyāyana's elaborating upon the marvelous meanings for the monks. The Tathāgata understands that dharmas are neither eternal nor impermanent; sentient beings do not understand and arbitrarily grasp them as eternal, even falsely grasping them as arising and ceasing. The Buddha saw that this grasping did not accord with principle, and therefore refuted and dispatched it, teaching that the dharmas of the nature of the five aggregates are all impermanent, curing those sentient beings of the inverted views of permanence and the like. Although he taught impermanence, he did not mean that the true Dharma is impermanent. What is the meaning of this? To dispel the sentiment of permanence, he spoke of impermanence, not meaning that it is impermanent. To dispel the sentiment of pleasure, he spoke of suffering, not meaning that it is suffering. To dispel the sentiment of existence, he spoke of emptiness, not meaning that it is emptiness. To dispel the sentiment of self, he spoke of non-self, not meaning that it is non-self. To dispel the sentiment of characteristics, he spoke of quiescence, not meaning that it is quiescence. Kātyāyana did not comprehend the purport of the teaching; after the Buddha preached the Dharma, he explained them all in terms of characteristics, holding that arising and ceasing is impermanence, destruction is suffering, dispelling existence to obtain non-existence is emptiness, extinguishing the self is non-self, and extinguishing the aggregates is quiescence. Since the Buddha briefly spoke before, and Kātyāyana elaborated behind, grasping characteristics and making distinctions contrarily opposed the Buddha's purport; therefore it says, "subsequently elaborated upon their meaning."