維摩經疏卷第三．第六 3.46

3.46

Second, the text teaching and rebuking opens into six divisions: first, rebuking the characteristics of what Aniruddha sees; second, from 'I was silent...' down, Aniruddha being rebuked feels shame and is silent; third, those Brahmās praise Vimalakīrti and ask about the true divine eye; fourth, from 'Vimalakīrti...' down, he explains it for them; fifth, from 'Thereupon...' down, the Brahmā retinues hear the Dharma and generate the mind [of awakening]; sixth, they pay homage and withdraw. In the previous rebuke, the text inherently has three parts: first, positing the question; second, characteristics; third, from 'Supposing...' down, presenting him with two difficulties. People of non-Buddhist paths cultivate and attain the five superknowledges; because of conceptual discrimination, these possess conditioned characteristics. If the realm you now see has the characteristics of form, then it is identical to non-Buddhists; how could it be called internal? If it is without conditioned characteristics, then it is unconditioned; within the unconditioned Dharma there is no characteristic of seeing; how can you again speak of seeing the three thousand? Conjoined difficulties such as these are indeed difficult to resolve; hence, in the second part below, Aniruddha hears them, has no answer, and remains silent. In the third part, the Brahmās' praise and inquiry can be understood. In the fourth part, Vimalakīrti explains for them that there is the Buddha, the Bhagavat, who has attained the true divine eye without dual characteristics. Master Zhuang says: 'The empty mind is constantly serene; although it pervades all conditions, it lacks dual characteristics and does not perceive any distinguishing characteristics of subject and object.' Thus the Viśeṣacintibrahma-paripṛcchā Sūtra states: 'He fully sees the realms of the ten directions and all varieties of living beings, yet regarding eye and form he never generates dual characteristics. All the Dharmas taught by the Buddhas he is able to hear and receive, yet regarding ear and sound he likewise does not generate dual characteristics.' It also says: 'The divine eye of the two vehicles does not see while in samādhi, but sees upon emerging from samādhi; although seeing the world, they grasp at characteristics and discriminate, unable to directly see that seeing is non-seeing. The Tathāgata's divine eye has samādhi and wisdom in balance without impeding illumination and function; although seeing world systems, he does not discriminate. Why is this? Because he realizes the emptiness of the nature of form, seeing that there is nothing to be seen; hence there is no distinction of dual characteristics.'