維摩經疏卷第三．第六 3.66

3.66

就下第二教呵相中文開四節。初句略呵。二如來身下顯佛真身金剛不壞。三默往下重明呵相。四當知阿難如來乘下重明佛身體常不墮諸數。前略呵中。止止莫作是語者。執應迷真所傷之甚重言呵責故云止止也。如來身金剛體者。第二顯佛真身。佛身無為物不能壞如金剛也。惡盡善滿。何有病也。又云。金剛之體明佛體堅難壞也。事同金剛。諸惡已斷眾善普會。彰佛德滿。眾惡已斷斷德圓滿。是攝律儀戒也。眾善普會行德具足。是攝善法戒饒蓋眾生戒也。此明所有何病何惱彰其所無。當有何疾內無疾苦。當有何惱外無衰損也。默往已下第三重呵。就中有三。一呵心其言。二行矣已下呵去其身。三可密去下雙呵形言。欲令永息無常之念。前中有三。一遣默往。二呵誡不聽謗佛。三以理教示。默往阿難是初遣也。口病言是以須默。身遠乞所為是須往。諺云。阿難小智不了佛身真常無待。妄言有疾。違失處深。故須默往。自此已後不得更言佛無常也。勿謗已下第二呵也。如來無病而言有病。是則為謗。又垢執實無亦為謗佛。莫使異人聞者。異學精返難與理親脫。聞斯語謂佛實病即輕佛也。無令大威德諸天者。五淨居天名世界頂。十住菩薩多生是處也。若聞此言則知人者不達如來方便之意於汝而生劣想。他方菩薩知佛無病復輕汝矣。轉輪王下第三以理正教。轉輪聖王以少福故尚得無病。舉劣況勝。豈況如來無量福德普勝三界而有病也。辯勝過劣。第二呵去其身。於中有二。初呵令去身。二明須去所以。行矣阿難者。速捨此去名為行矣。佛為世師。舉世共尊。說病他譏。彼此同著。故云勿使我等受斯恥也。外道聞等者。明可去所由。外道梵志舉毀謗人。佛法之外別立道理。名為外道。心外別求。理外妄計。生心動念。名為外道。法外求淨名梵志。若聞此語。明謗所由。當作是念何名為師者。明輕謗心。自疾不能救而能救諸疾者。明出謗語也。第三雙呵中可密者止其言。速去者摧其身。不密他聞不速他見。故須密速。勿使人聞。或可。速密去者。摧其身勿使人聞。止其言也。第四重明佛身性常成其無病。何須重明者。前雖明佛是金剛身。惡盡善滿猶濫生身無常。

In the following second [part], the manner of teaching and rebuking, the text opens into four sections: the first sentence is a brief rebuke; second, from "the Tathāgata's body" onward reveals that the Buddha's true body is diamond-like and indestructible; third, from "go quietly" onward re-clarifies the manner of rebuking; fourth, from "You should know, Ānanda, that the Tathāgata rides upon" onward re-clarifies that the Buddha's body is eternal and does not fall within enumerations. In the first, the brief rebuke: "Stop, stop! Do not speak such words": clinging to the responsive [body] and being confused about the true [body] causes severe harm, so he rebuked him with repeated words, saying "Stop, stop!" "The Tathāgata's body has a diamond-like substance": second, revealing the Buddha's true body. The Buddha's body is unconditioned, and nothing can destroy it, like diamond. When evil is exhausted and good is complete, how could there be sickness? It is also said: the diamond-like substance clarifies that the Buddha's substance is solid and hard to destroy; in phenomenon it is identical to diamond. With all evils already severed and all goods universally assembled, this reveals the perfection of the Buddha's virtues: all evils severed is the perfection of the virtue of severance, which is the discipline of restraining conduct (saṃvara-śīla); all goods universally assembled is the fulfillment of the virtue of practice, which is the discipline of gathering wholesome dharmas (kuśaladharma-saṃgrāhaka-śīla) and the discipline of benefiting sentient beings (sattvārthakriyā-śīla). This clarifies what he possesses; "what sickness, what distress could there be?" reveals what he lacks. "What illness could there be?" means internally there is no suffering of disease; "what distress could there be?" means externally there is no decline or impairment. From "go quietly" onward is the third [section], repeated rebuke. Within this there are three [aspects]: first, rebuking the words of his mind; second, from "go away" onward, rebuking his body into departing; third, from "depart in secret" onward, rebuking both his form and his words, wishing to make him extinguish forever the notion of impermanence. In the first part, there are three: first, dispatching him to go quietly; second, admonishing and forbidding him to slander the Buddha; third, instructing him with principle. "Go quietly, Ānanda" is the first, the dispatching. Because the mouth spoke of sickness, he must be silent; because the body must go far from the place of begging, he must go. An old saying goes: Ānanda's small wisdom did not comprehend that the Buddha's body is truly eternal and unconditioned; falsely speaking of illness was a profound transgression, so he had to go quietly; from this point onward, he must never again speak of the Buddha as impermanent. From "do not slander" onward is the second, the rebuke: to say the Tathāgata has illness when he has none is indeed slander; furthermore, clinging defiledly to a real absence is also slandering the Buddha. "Do not let people of other traditions hear it": the essence of other teachings diverges [from truth] and is hard to bring close to principle; if they were to hear these words, they would think the Buddha is truly sick and would then despise the Buddha. "Do not let the devas of great majesty and virtue [hear it]": the five Śuddhāvāsa heavens are called the peak of the world; tenth-stage bodhisattvas are mostly born in this place. If they were to hear these words, they would know that this person does not comprehend the Tathāgata's intended meaning of skillful means, and would form an inferior conception of you; when bodhisattvas of other directions know the Buddha has no illness, they too would despise you. From "wheel-turning king" onward is the third, correct instruction through principle. A wheel-turning holy king, through small merit, can still remain free of illness; raising the inferior illuminates the superior: how much more so could the Tathāgata, whose immeasurable merit and virtue universally surpass the three realms, have illness? This explains the superiority [of the Buddha] over the inferior. Second, rebuking his body into departing. Herein are two: first, rebuking him to cause his body to leave; second, explaining the reason he must leave. "Go away, Ānanda": swiftly abandoning this place and leaving is called "going away". The Buddha is the teacher of the world, revered by the entire world; speaking of illness invites ridicule from others, and both [you and the Buddha] would suffer blame; hence it says, "Do not cause us to suffer this shame." "If non-Buddhists hear this" and so forth: clarifying the reason he should leave. Non-Buddhists and brāhmaṇas are people who bring slander. Those who establish doctrines outside the Buddha's Dharma are called non-Buddhists (tīrthikas); seeking outside the mind, falsely calculating outside principle, and generating thoughts and stirrings of the mind are called non-Buddhists. Seeking purity outside the Dharma is called a brāhmaṇa. "If they hear these words": clarifies the source of slander. "They will think: 'How can he be called a teacher?'": clarifies their mind of contempt and slander. "'When he cannot cure his own illness, how can he cure the illnesses of all others?'": clarifies the utterance of slandering words. In the third, rebuking both, "in secret" stops his words; "swiftly leave" drives his body away. If not secret, others will hear; if not swift, others will see; therefore it must be secret and swift, "do not let people hear it". Alternatively: swiftly and secretly departing drives his body away so that people do not hear him, stopping his words. Fourth, re-clarifying that the Buddha's body is eternal by nature, establishing that he has no illness. Why is a re-clarification necessary? Although it was previously clarified that the Buddha has a diamond-like body, and that evils are exhausted and good is complete, it might still be conflated with the impermanence of the physical birth body.