維摩經疏卷第三．第六 6.40

6.40

From here on, nineteen phrases explain the cultivation of superior practices. In the text there are two parts: first, two phrases establish the topical headings; below, seventeen phrases explain the cultivation of superior practices. First, “facing innumerable kalpas of birth-and-death with a courageous mind”: birth-and-death is long and vast, and suffering and affliction are boundless, which is called “innumerable kalpas”; without a courageous mind, how could one dwell for long in birth-and-death to transform sentient beings? Alternatively: birth-and-death is boundless; without a courageous mind, how could one transcend birth-and-death? As for “hearing of the Buddha's boundless virtues with untiring resolve”: the Buddha possesses all virtues, which is called “boundless virtues”; not generating laxity or retreat because they are difficult to attain, one resolutely strives to seek them, forever free of weariness. These two phrases conclude the establishment of the topical headings.