維摩經疏卷第三．第六 3.39

3.39

"The Buddha told Pūrṇamaitrāyaṇīputra:" Pūrṇa is his personal name. Here it is translated as "Full River" (Manjiang). Thus the Fude jing states: In the city of Rājagṛha there was a Brahmin; husband and wife were extremely wealthy but had no children. The two went to the bank of the Pūrṇa River to sacrifice to and pray to Brahmā-rāja, begging for a child. They set out various fragrant flowers and chanted divine dhāraṇīs. At night the wife had a dream: she dreamed she saw a person holding a vessel filled with precious things, which was given to his wife. The wife placed it in front of her belly, and the vessel subsequently entered her belly. Having awoken, she recounted the dream. The wife's parents interpreted it for them, saying: "It must be that Brahmā-rāja is granting you a child. When born, he will surely be a precious vessel." She subsequently became pregnant because of this. After this child was born, he was intelligent, foremost in debate, and able to subdue non-Buddhists. After the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, he recited and chanted forth the Abhidharma Piṭaka. He took his name from the river, and was therefore called "Full River." His name was also taken from a vow. According to the Weicengyou yinyuan jing: Pūrṇa, with a mind of jealousy, later cut off worldly attachments, entered the mountains, and recited ninety kinds of scriptures. Having fulfilled twenty-one years, he returned to Rājagṛha, lit a fire on his head, strapped his belly with copper plates, and proclaimed: "I am an omniscient person!" Later the Buddha subdued him, and immediately spoke a verse: "If one has heard a little and exalts oneself to be arrogant toward others, / it is like a blind man holding a lamp: it illuminates others but does not enlighten himself." Through wisdom, before he even arose from throwing himself to the ground, he attained the fruit of an arhat. "Maitrāyaṇīputra": Maitrāyaṇī is the mother's name. In the non-Buddhist treatises of the four Vedas, there is a "Maitrī Chapter." His mother recited this one chapter, and took her name from what she recited. Here it is translated as "Benevolent Practice" (Cixing), and also as "Good Friend" (Kalyāṇamitra). "-nī" means "woman." Since many shared the same name, he was distinguished by referring to his mother. Pūrṇa was foremost in eloquence, but because he did not comprehend the capacities of beings, he was rebuked. In the Wugou [cheng] jing, he is called Mantcizi.