維摩經疏卷第三．第六 3.6

3.6

第三釋中義別有二。一出昔日被呵之事。二時維摩下明得失教呵之相。呵去其失教修其德。前中所以者何一句總自徵責。佛令問疾者何若作世尊問意。汝是弟子我使汝問疾所以不去者何自徵問。下例皆有二意。憶念已下正出呵事。曾於林中宴坐樹下者。聲聞修定必託靜緣不知寂定離諸緣。故身子雖獲羅漢法執未亡。見有身意患身勞煩故欲隱形於林。見心動亂復欲藏心於定。以有身意取捨未融。所以被呵。良由未悟法空。見外六塵為能擾。執內六根為所擾。故託林取靜避於外塵。宴者默也。默坐樹下安心坐禪故云宴坐。第二教呵義中文分三節。一呵。二教。三詰。不必是坐為宴坐者此呵失也。失有六種下教文中翻成六德。以其身子樹下坐禪得身心相故隱身於林藏心於定。雖欲隱藏翻成顯現也。此未全非故云不必生云不言非。是但不必是不言非是者。二乘坐法乃可體。然但不必是者未是大乘真極坐法也。莊云。必是有所得住著坐也。身子見有散可辨見靜可欣。故今責云不必是坐為宴坐也。若約行辯舍利起不住行。以其此人捨俗歸林以為寂定。今教不住取捨。方為大定。

In the third section, explaining the textual meaning, there are two parts: first, setting forth the event of having been rebuked in the past; second, from 'At that time, Vimalakīrti' onward, explaining the aspects of gain and loss, instructional teaching, and rebuke—rebuking to remove his shortcomings and instructing him to cultivate his virtues. In the former part, the single phrase 'Why is this so?' is a general self-investigation and questioning. 'The Buddha told me to inquire about his illness—why?' If construed as the Bhagavat's intended question: 'You are a disciple; I dispatch you to inquire about the illness, so why do you not go?'—this is a self-directed inquiry. In the following examples there are always these two senses. From 'I recall' onward, the incident of the rebuke is properly set forth. 'Formerly in the forest, sitting in quiet contemplation beneath a tree': When a śrāvaka cultivates samādhi, he must rely on quiet conditions, unaware that serene samādhi is free from all conditions. Hence, although Śāriputra had attained arhatship, his grasping at dharmas had not yet been extinguished; seeing that there were body and mind, and suffering from the weariness and trouble of the body, he wished to conceal his form in the forest; seeing that the mind was turbulent and disordered, he further wished to hide his mind in samādhi. Because he took body and mind as existent and his taking and discarding were not yet integrated, he was rebuked. This was truly because he had not yet awakened to the dharma-nairātmya; he viewed the external six dusts as that which could disturb, and grasped the internal six sense faculties as that which was disturbed. Thus he relied on the forest to grasp quietude and avoid external dusts. 'Quiet' (yan) means silent. Silently sitting under a tree, settling the mind to sit in meditation, is therefore called 'sitting in quiet contemplation'. In the second part, on the meaning of instructional rebuke, the text is divided into three clauses: first, rebuke; second, instruction; third, interrogation. 'It is not necessarily this sitting that constitutes sitting in quiet contemplation': this rebukes his shortcoming. The shortcomings are of six kinds, which in the instructional text below are turned around to become six virtues. Because Śāriputra sat in meditation beneath a tree, grasping the characteristics of body and mind, he concealed his body in the forest and hid his mind in samādhi. Although he wished to conceal them, on the contrary this made them manifest. This was not completely wrong, so it says 'it is not necessarily'. [Daosheng] said: 'He did not say it is not so; he only said it is not necessarily so.' That he did not say it is not so: the two vehicles' method of sitting may indeed be an embodiment [of meditation]; yet that it is 'not necessarily so' means it is not yet the true, ultimate method of sitting of the Mahāyāna. Zhuang said: 'Necessarily so' refers to sitting with attachment to having attained something. Śāriputra saw that there was distraction that could be shunned and quietude that could be delighted in; hence he is now reproached: 'It is not necessarily this sitting that constitutes sitting in quiet contemplation.' If distinguished in terms of practice, Śāriputra gives rise to non-abiding practice: because this man abandoned worldly life and retired to the forest, taking it to be serene samādhi, he is now instructed not to abide in taking and discarding; only this constitutes great samādhi.