維摩經疏卷第三．第六 6.67

6.67

In the third [major division], demonstrating superiority by comparison, the text distinctly has four parts: first, extensively citing the matter of making offerings to the Buddha; second, asking the Heavenly Emperor in return whether this person's offerings can be called many or not; third, the Heavenly Emperor directly answering that they are extremely many and measureless; fourth, taking the benefits obtained and contrasting them with upholding the sūtra to show that the [former] merit does not measure up. The first part is divided into two: first, explaining offerings made in person; second, explaining offerings made when not in person. In the first there are three points: first, presenting the Dharma explanation to show their multitude; second, from "Just like sugar cane" onward, illustrating by means of metaphors; third, "men or women directly initiating offerings" brings forth the persons making the offerings. "For a kalpa or..." clarifies the duration of the offering. Below, the marks of offering are distinguished: revering and honoring are offerings of mental action; praising is of vocal action; presenting all that brings comfort is an offering of bodily action. In the second part, explaining offerings made when not in person, "down to after the Buddha's parinirvāṇa" clarifies the time of offering. The phrase "each complete-body śarīra" distinguishes the objects. Śarīra is a Sanskrit sound, translated here as "body of marks" (or relic). For all Buddhas there may be complete-body śarīras, whose bodily form is as it originally was; or there may be divided-body śarīras, as when Ānanda entered parinirvāṇa his body was divided into four portions, and so forth; or there may be broken-body śarīras, as when Śākyamuni entered parinirvāṇa his bodily bones were cremated and broken like mustard seeds. Because making offerings to a complete-body śarīra is the most supreme, it is cited specifically. "Or for a kalpa" clarifies the duration of the offering. The above concludes the first part, presenting the matter of making offerings to the Buddha. From here on, the second part asks the Heavenly Emperor in return whether that person's planting of merit is much or not. Third, the Heavenly Emperor directly answers according to reason. Fourth, the Buddha takes the benefits obtained and contrasts them with upholding the sūtra to show that the [former] merit does not measure up. Therein, he first clarifies that hearing this scripture, believing, understanding, receiving, upholding, reading, reciting, and practicing it yields more merit than the former offerings. The explanation follows from "Why is this?", first raising the question and then explaining: "The bodhi of all Buddhas is entirely born from this" clarifies that the true virtues of a Buddha arise from the sūtra; the marks of bodhi cannot be measured, and for this reason the merit is immeasurable. By relying on the true virtues of a Buddha to show the supremacy of the sūtra, he explains that the merit is vast, and cannot be equaled by those material offerings.