維摩經疏卷第三．第六 3.66

3.66

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.