維摩經疏卷第三．第六 3.67

3.67

此下四句明佛惟以法性為身不墮諸數。以證如來畢竟無病。文中有三。第一告語令知。第二非思下正明四德。第三此身當有何病下明了知無病。初告語令知阿難諸如來身即是法身者。明佛化身即是法性之身。以化用法為體故。或可。化身性空即是法身也。第二正明四德。非思欲身者。法身不從思欲結業而生故非思欲身也。業繫既段自在無礙。即是我義。過三界者。生死報土無復諸苦。即是樂義。諸漏已盡更無垢染。即是淨義。不墮諸數者。佛身無為不墮生住滅等四相數中。即是常義。或可。不墮數者出過一切有為諸數。故無垢稱經云。是身無為離諸有為出過眾數也。莊云。不墮數者不墮眾生數也。遠云。非思欲身者離分段因。過三界者離分段果。諸漏盡者離變易因。不墮諸數離變易果（云云）如此之身當有何病者。第三結成無病。既具常樂四德。寧有病也。第三自障己屈。實懷慚恥者。阿難聞上佛身常而無病。自恥愚暗。終日侍佛不知佛常。妄見有病乃為乞乳。非謬何也。第四空聲導引者。阿難執應迷真。居士論真失應。今以平等空中出聲導之。和諧兩家不許偏執。就實以論勸彼阿難如居士言了佛無病。但為佛出五濁惡已下隨化。不違阿難乞乳。故須同病以止病也。五濁者。一命濁。二劫濁。三見濁。四煩惱濁。五眾生。下劫將末命等五法以成滓。故如油將盡名濁也。命濁者。謂短壽年十歲。以惡劫時命根為體。劫濁者。謂兵刃疾病飢饉劫起時以不相應法為體。或以內外有漏五陰為體。見濁者。三惡劫時五見為體。煩惱者。三惡劫時陰五見餘鈍央煩惱為體。眾生濁者。三惡劫時無有正念。眾生以第八識為體。或通取五陰為性。此五惟在欲界非上二界也。此五成時名為惡世。現行斯法度眾生者。如來一代行乞食法度脫眾生。依乳光經云。佛在世時毘耶離城樂樹下四眾圍繞共會說法。時佛中風。當須牛乳。毘耶離有梵志名摩耶利。為五百弟子作師。以慳悋故常持羅網覆其舍宅及以庭中。不令飛鳥侵食米穀。邪見不信。家有乳牛。惡抵踏人無敢近者。佛為度此梵志故示言。有疾須乳為治風故。遂遣阿難持鉢往乞至其門下。梵志見怒而問曰。汝何所須。阿難對曰。佛病須乳故來乞求。彼聞作念。可令自取使牛踏殺。即語阿難。若須攝取。阿難即往牛所。牛自開脚任其攝乳。時牛靜住不復敢動。時諸人眾咸生驚怪。爾時牛母而說偈言。

The four sentences below explain that the Buddha has only dharmatā as his body and does not fall into any worldly categories, thereby proving that the Tathāgata is ultimately free from illness. Within this passage there are three parts: first, addressing him to make him understand; second, starting from 'not a body of desire,' properly clarifying the four virtues; third, starting from 'how could this body have illness,' clarifying the clear understanding of illnesslessness. First, addressing him to make him understand: 'Ānanda, the bodies of the Tathāgatas are dharmakāya' explains that the Buddha's nirmāṇakāya is itself the body of dharmatā, because it takes the functions of the transformative Dharma as its substance. Alternatively, the empty nature of the nirmāṇakāya is itself the dharmakāya. Second, properly clarifying the four virtues: 'not a body of desire' means that because the dharmakāya is not born from the conditioned karma of desire, it is not a body of desire. With the bond of karma severed, there is self-mastery and non-obstruction, which is the meaning of the [virtue of] Self. 'Transcending the three realms' means that in the fruition land of birth-and-death there are no longer any sufferings, which is the meaning of the [virtue of] Bliss. 'All defilements have been eradicated' without any further taint, which is the meaning of the [virtue of] Purity. 'Does not fall into any categories' means that the Buddha's body is asaṃskṛta and does not fall into the categories of the four marks—arising, abiding, decaying, and ceasing—which is the meaning of the [virtue of] Permanence. Alternatively, not falling into categories means surpassing all conditioned categories; thus the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa Sūtra says: 'This body is asaṃskṛta, detached from all conditioned states, and surpasses all categories.' Master Zhuang says: 'Not falling into categories means not falling into the category of sentient beings.' Master Yuan says: 'Not a body of desire means being free from the causes of delimited transmigration; transcending the three realms means being free from the fruits of delimited transmigration; all defilements eradicated means being free from the causes of transformational transmigration; not falling into categories means being free from the fruits of transformational transmigration,' and so forth. 'How could such a body have illness?'—this third [part] concludes that it is free from illness. Since it already possesses the four virtues of permanence and bliss, how could it have illness? Third, revealing his own deficiency: 'truly feeling shame.' Ānanda, having heard the above about the Buddha's body being permanent and free from illness, felt ashamed of his own foolish ignorance—having served the Buddha all day without knowing the Buddha's permanence, and falsely seeing illness and thereby begging for milk. What was it if not an error? Fourth, the guiding voice from empty space: Ānanda clung to the response-body and was confused about the true, while the householder discussed the true and neglected the response-body. Now, by means of an impartial voice issuing from empty space, it guides them, harmonizing both sides and not allowing one-sided clinging. Discussing the reality of the matter: it advises Ānanda, as the householder said, to understand that the Buddha has no illness; but because the Buddha appeared in the five defilements and evil [world], as stated below, he accords with transformation without disobeying Ānanda's begging for milk. Therefore, it was necessary to manifest illness in order to put an end to illness. The five defilements are: first, the defilement of life span; second, the defilement of the kalpa; third, the defilement of views; fourth, the defilement of afflictions; fifth, [the defilement of] sentient beings. When the degraded kalpa nears its end, the five dharmas including life span form dregs; hence, like oil on the verge of exhaustion, it is called 'defilement.' The defilement of life span refers to a short life of ten years, with the life-faculty during an evil kalpa as its essence. The defilement of the kalpa refers to the time when the kalpas of weapons, epidemics, and famine arise, with the non-concomitant dharmas as its essence, or taking the internal and external defiled five aggregates as its essence. The defilement of views takes the five views during the three evil kalpas as its essence. The defilement of afflictions takes the remaining dull and heavy afflictions beyond the five views of the aggregates during the three evil kalpas as its essence. The defilement of sentient beings refers to the lack of right mindfulness during the three evil kalpas, taking the eighth consciousness as its essence, or generally taking the five aggregates as its nature. These five exist only in the desire realm, not in the upper two realms. When these five are fulfilled, it is called an evil world. 'Currently practicing this dharma to deliver sentient beings': the Tathāgata throughout his life practiced the dharma of begging for food to deliver sentient beings. According to the Sūtra on the Light of Milk, when the Buddha was in the world, he was gathered beneath a grove of joy in the city of Vaiśālī, surrounded by the fourfold assembly, preaching the Dharma. At that time the Buddha had a wind affliction and required cow's milk. In Vaiśālī there was a brahmacārin named Mayūri, who was a teacher to five hundred disciples. Out of stinginess, he always covered his residence and courtyard with nets to prevent flying birds from encroaching upon and eating his grains; he held wrong views and lacked faith. His household had a milk cow that would viciously gore and trample people, so that no one dared approach it. In order to deliver this brahmacārin, the Buddha manifested the statement that he had an illness and needed milk to treat the wind affliction. He then sent Ānanda holding a bowl to go beg, arriving at his gate. The brahmacārin saw him, became angry, and asked, 'What do you need?' Ānanda replied, 'The Buddha is ill and needs milk; therefore I have come to beg for it.' Hearing this, the man thought: 'I can let him take it himself, so the cow will trample him to death.' He then said to Ānanda, 'If you need it, draw it yourself.' Ānanda went to the cow. The cow voluntarily opened its legs and allowed him to draw the milk, standing still and no longer daring to move. At that time, all the people were astonished. Then the mother cow spoke a verse: