維摩經疏卷第三．第六 6.37

6.37

Fourth, regarding the bodhisattvas of Multitudinous Fragrances requesting the Dharma before returning to their land, and the Buddha preaching it for them, the text is divided into three sections: first, the request of Multitudinous Fragrances; second, the Tathāgata's answer; third, hearing the Dharma, paying homage, and departing. In the request there are two: first, it clarifies that the bodhisattvas of Multitudinous Fragrances recognize their own fault and seek repentance before the Buddha; second, "we pray you bestow a little Dharma" clarifies their direct request. "Giving rise to inferior notions" is their confession. "Reproaching themselves" refers to their mind discriminating pure and defiled. Upon first seeing the defiled land, they gave rise to inferior notions, thinking that Buddhas and bodhisattvas also had superior and inferior states; hearing of these buddha works, they reproached themselves. "Why is this? The upāya of all Buddhas is inconceivable" clarifies their own understanding: the wisdom of the Buddhas is equal, but merely in accordance with sentient beings, lands have superiority and inferiority. This clearly praises it. "We pray you bestow a little Dharma" downward clarifies their request for the Dharma; because they have a pure mind of faith in the teachings, they request the Dharma. Although in that [land] they do not rely on verbal teachings, they also wish to universally transform the ten directions; furthermore, they wish to show that having come from afar, they do not return empty-handed. "The Buddha told the bodhisattvas: 'The unobstructed Dharma gate...'"—this begins the second part, answering the request. In it there are three: first, generally raising it to encourage learning; second, from "What is meant by inexhaustible..." downward, specifying the terms and broadly explaining them; third, from "All noble beings..." downward, generally concluding to encourage them. In the first part there are three: first, briefly raising it to encourage cultivation; second, presenting the essence and characteristics of the two practices; third, concluding by attributing the Dharma to the person. "Exhausting the conditioned and abiding in the unconditioned" constitutes the obstructed people of the two vehicles. "Not exhausting and not abiding" constitutes the unobstructed practice of bodhisattvas. Conditioned dharmas have three characteristics, which are called "exhaustible"; the unconditioned is without characteristics, which is called "inexhaustible." "As when a bodhisattva does not exhaust the conditioned and does not abide in the unconditioned" concludes by attributing the Dharma to the person. Although exhausting the conditioned and abiding in the unconditioned are of one Dharma, when divided according to phenomena they become two. Exhausting the conditioned means there is no basis for accumulating merits; abiding in the unconditioned severs the ability to guide with compassion. Therefore, great beings do neither. Sengzhao says: "Although the conditioned is illusory, if one abandons it, the great enterprise cannot be achieved; although the unconditioned is real, if one abides in it, the mind of wisdom will not be bright. Therefore, because bodhisattvas do not exhaust the conditioned, there is no virtue they do not accomplish; because they do not abide in the unconditioned, there is no path they do not encompass. If one can enter birth and death, meeting things and mounting them, being pure amid purity without rejoicing, dwelling in defilement amid defilement without sorrow, responding to others and acting while self and other remain unconditioned—realizing this equal, inconceivable path of all Buddhas must emerge from the gate of exhaustible and inexhaustible." Those bodhisattvas heard that buddha works are equal and inconceivable, and therefore requested the Dharma; hence the Buddha, hearing this, showed them these two gates of the inconceivable and unobstructed path. "What is meant by not exhausting the conditioned?" is the second part, specifying the gates and explaining them. In this there are altogether sixty-four sentences, and the text is divided into three: first, there are forty-five sentences explaining not exhausting the conditioned; second, from "What is meant by not abiding in the unconditioned?" downward, there are fifteen sentences explaining not abiding in the unconditioned; third, from "Furthermore, possessing blessings and virtue..." downward, there are four sentences mutually explaining the reason for neither exhausting nor abiding. In the previous gate of not exhausting, there are three: first, stating the heading; second, from "not departing from great compassion" downward, the explanation; third, "this is called not exhausting the conditioned," the conclusion.