維摩經疏卷第三．第六 6.71

6.71

自下第二彰法功能。天中有三。一令眾生坐於道場成等正覺為多人敬。二能令下依法起勝行為聖所讚。三背生死下令人發心得涅槃樂。前中令坐道場者有其二義。一真。二應。若就應。釋菩提樹下坐金剛座得成佛道名坐道場。轉法輪者。應身為生諸經法受與前人令證不退名轉法輪也。若約真辯。菩薩三無數劫具修萬行。至十地終心金剛三昧親生佛德。名曰道場。依之得果故稱為坐。若其通取。一切萬行能生佛德悉名道場。如上光嚴章辯也。菩薩既成佛已。後得智中為生說法。故云轉法輪也。諸天龍讚嘆者。以成佛道故為眾敬嘆。嘆其法勝非嘆其人。准後應知。第二能令起勝行中。初起自行。說眾菩薩已下明利他行。自利行中令入佛法藏者。此明教行一切眾生依教生解。若不因深經不能令眾生入佛法藏也。肇云。未有捨背深經而能入佛法藏也。攝眾賢聖一切智惠者。成就證行也。賢者善也。即是三賢十解十行十迴向三十心也。聖者正也。正二空名聖。即是十聖始從極喜至法雲地也。三賢證加行。十聖雙證正體後得二慧。此等賢聖智慧深經能攝也。利他中光明能說救已下彰說有蓋。前中說眾菩薩道者。能說行法菩薩所行其道無方。八萬眾行皆陳深經也。依諸實相乃至苦空義者。明說理法也。實相二空真如依實相辯說五法。實相非苦非樂。遣樂情故名苦非謂有苦。乃至遣有情故名寂滅。非謂有寂滅。就說益中文分為二。一令生捨邪歸正除障之益。二諸佛下為聖攝受稱嘆之益。救毀禁者。謂破四禁犯五逆罪小乘之法所不能救。能救之者其唯大乘方等經也。若聽深經即知罪逆性空。已解空故即出罪逆也。諸魔外道貪著怖畏者。聞經無相則違本心故怖畏也。二賢聖稱嘆者。非佛賢聖不能深悟其理。悟其□深。所以稱嘆也。自下第三令生發心中。背生死苦示涅槃樂者。自非深經即不能厭其生死會涅槃之樂也。十方三世諸佛說者。總結前來所說之法。今昔雖異覺道不殊。萬法同歸理無二徹。故究竟大悲經云。聖聖言說異。意旨悉皆同。文字即解脫。大小理處同。嘆美深經盡於此也。上來第一總明法體竟。

Next, the second part reveals the functions of the Dharma. Within this there are three points: First, causing sentient beings to sit at the bodhimaṇḍa, achieve equal and complete enlightenment, and be venerated by many people. Second, from "able to cause..." onward, generating superior practices according to the Dharma and being praised by the noble ones. Third, from "turning away from birth and death..." onward, causing people to generate the aspiration [for enlightenment] and obtain the bliss of nirvāṇa.
In the first, "causing them to sit at the bodhimaṇḍa" has two meanings: first, ultimate; second, responsive. If explained in terms of the responsive, sitting on the vajra seat under the bodhi tree and attaining the realization of the Buddha way is called sitting at the bodhimaṇḍa. "Turning the wheel of Dharma": the responsive body preaches and confers all sūtra dharmas to others, causing them to realize non-retrogression, which is called turning the wheel of Dharma. If distinguished in terms of the ultimate, the bodhisattva for three incalculable eons completely cultivates the myriad practices; reaching the diamond-like samādhi at the final mind of the tenth ground, they directly generate the Buddha's virtues, which is called the bodhimaṇḍa. Because they obtain the fruit based upon it, it is called "sitting." If taken generally, all the myriad practices that can generate the Buddha's virtues are called the bodhimaṇḍa, as distinguished above in the section on Prabhāvyūha. Once the bodhisattva has become a Buddha, in the wisdom acquired after [realization] (pṛṣṭhalabdha-jñāna) they preach the Dharma for sentient beings; hence it is called "turning the wheel of Dharma." "Praised by all devas and nāgas": because they have accomplished the Buddha way, they are venerated and praised by the assembly. It praises the superiority of the Dharma, not the person, as should be understood from what follows.
In the second part, being able to generate superior practices, first it generates one's own practice; from "expounding the path of all bodhisattvas" onward, it clarifies practices that benefit others. In the practice of self-benefit, "causing them to enter the treasury of the Buddha's Dharma": this clarifies teaching and practice; all sentient beings generate understanding based on the teaching. If not for the profound sūtras, one could not cause sentient beings to enter the treasury of the Buddha's Dharma. [Seng]zhao says: "There has never been anyone who turned their back on the profound sūtras and was yet able to enter the treasury of the Buddha's Dharma." "Gathering all the wisdom of the worthy and noble ones": accomplishing the practice of realization. The "worthy" are the good, which refers to the thirty minds of the three stages of worthiness: the ten understandings, the ten practices, and the ten dedications. The "noble" are the correct; being correct in the two kinds of emptiness is called noble, which refers to the ten noble stages beginning from the Ground of Extreme Joy up to the Dharma Cloud Ground. The three worthies realize the preparatory [stage] (prayogika), while the ten nobles simultaneously realize the two wisdoms of the fundamental (mūla) and the acquired (pṛṣṭhalabdha). The profound sūtras are able to gather the wisdom of these worthy and noble ones.
In benefiting others, "light, able to preach, saving..." and so forth reveals that the preaching has immense benefit. Therein, "expounding the path of all bodhisattvas" means being able to preach the Dharma of practice; the paths traversed by bodhisattvas have no fixed direction. The eighty-thousand manifold practices are all set forth in the profound sūtras. "Relying on all dharmatā... down to the meanings of suffering and emptiness" clarifies preaching the Dharma of principle. Dharmatā is the tathatā of the two kinds of emptiness; relying on dharmatā, five dharmas are explained. Dharmatā is neither suffering nor pleasure; because it dispels feelings of pleasure, it is called suffering, not that there is [real] suffering. Down to: because it dispels feelings of existence, it is called quiescence, not that there is [real] quiescence.
Regarding the benefits of preaching, the text is divided into two: first, the benefit of causing sentient beings to abandon the heterodox, return to the correct, and eliminate hindrances; second, from "all Buddhas..." onward, the benefit of being gathered in and praised by the noble ones. "Saving those who have broken the prohibitions": this refers to breaking the four grave prohibitions and committing the five heinous sins, which the Hīnayāna Dharma cannot save. That which can save them is solely the Mahāyāna vaipulya sūtras. If one hears the profound sūtras, one immediately knows that the nature of sins and rebellions is empty. Having understood emptiness, one immediately transcends sins and rebellions. "All Māras and non-Buddhists who are greedy and attached are terrified": when they hear that the sūtras are signless, it goes against their original minds, and so they are terrified. Second, "praised by the worthy and noble ones": none other than Buddhas, worthy ones, and noble ones can profoundly awaken to this principle; because they awaken to its […] depth, they praise it.
Next, in the third part, causing sentient beings to generate the aspiration: "turning one's back on the suffering of birth and death and revealing the bliss of nirvāṇa" means that unless it is the profound sūtras, one cannot become weary of birth and death and unite with the bliss of nirvāṇa. "Spoken by the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three periods of time" summarizes the teachings previously explained. Although present and past differ, the path of enlightenment is not distinct. The ten thousand dharmas return to the same [source], and the principle has no two paths. Therefore, the *Atyantānumahākaruṇā Sūtra* says: "The words spoken by noble after noble may differ, / Yet their intent and meaning are all identical. / Letters are themselves liberation; / For the great and small, the place of principle is identical." Praising the profound sūtras concludes here. The above is the completion of the first general clarification of the Dharma's essence.