維摩經抄 1.16

1.16

The sūtra says: "From what cause did this illness arise?" This asks about the cause of the illness. The sūtra says: "Because there is ignorance and craving, my illness arises." Commentary: This is Vimalakīrti's answer. In discussing the causes of illness, there are two kinds: first, the illness of ordinary persons, which takes ignorance and craving as its cause; second, the illness of bodhisattvas, which takes great compassion as its basis. Now, as for ordinary persons' illness taking ignorance and craving as its cause: it is non-understanding; non-understanding entails reception; reception entails defiled attachment; because of defiled attachment they enter saṃsāra; and within saṃsāra what illness could fail to arise? Therefore it says: "my illness arises." Although the word "my" refers to Vimalakīrti, in meaning it refers to sentient beings. As for taking great compassion as its cause: the bodhisattva's compassionate mind does not avoid saṃsāra, does not avoid suffering and affliction—this is nominally called "ignorance." Constantly following sentient beings and not daring to abandon them is nominally called "craving." Manifesting the same suffering as ordinary persons is called "illness." Suffering arising from compassion is called "arises." As for the words "how long has it arisen?": this asks about near or distant [duration]. This character *ru* (如) is mostly an auxiliary particle, just as in "riding on a bird speckled (*banru* 斑如), weeping tears flowing (*lian* 漣)" (it may also be that *ru* is a word of uncertainty, meaning "has its arising been long?"). The sūtra says: "The buddha-lands of all the buddhas are also entirely empty." Commentary: Using the superior to illustrate the inferior, it therefore has the word "also": not only is the small room empty, but the buddha-lands of all the buddhas are also entirely empty. Question: How are buddha-lands empty? Answer: There are two kinds of lands. First, the true land of dharmatā: it takes tathatā and dharmatā as its essence; it has no form, no characteristics, and no spatial location. Second, the provisional land with characteristics: it takes the four dusts—such as blue ponds, lotuses, golden sand, and jeweled ground—as its essence; it has forms and characteristics, and it has locations with distinctions in the ten directions. The true land is originally empty in its dharmatā; the land with characteristics has causes and conditions without an owner, and for this reason is empty. The sūtra says: "By means of what are they empty?" Commentary: This questions the preceding again: the true land is serene and clear, and the land with characteristics is fully manifest—how then are they empty? The sūtra says: "They are empty through emptiness." Commentary: This is the answer. The upper character "emptiness" is the wisdom capable of contemplating emptiness; the lower character "emptiness" is the objective realm of emptiness that is contemplated. Ordinary persons and those of the small vehicle have not yet attained the wisdom of emptiness; the realms outside their minds all become real existents to them; they do not know that external realms arise from the deluded mind, and on the contrary give rise to fear within them, just as an ass upon seeing its own reflection in the water gives rise to fright. Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas transform consciousness into wisdom; wisdom is non-conceptual, fully knowing that the myriad realms outside the mind are all empty. "By means of" means to use: that is, using their wisdom capable of contemplating emptiness to make that contemplated realm empty. Wisdom is empty and the realm is empty; therefore it says "empty through emptiness." It can also mean that both subject and object are empty, hence it says "empty through emptiness." The sūtra says: "For what purpose does emptiness need to be made empty?" Commentary: This questions the preceding again: the essence of phenomena is of itself empty; why is it necessary to contemplate it with the wisdom of emptiness before it becomes empty? The sūtra says: "It is empty because of non-conceptuality." Commentary: This is the answer. Although the essence of phenomena is empty, the deluded mind's conceptualization does not recognize emptiness; one must rely on the wisdom of emptiness to cut off its conceptualization before one first sees emptiness. This means: when there is conceptualization there is existence; when there is non-conceptuality there is emptiness. "Because of" (*gu* 故) has the sense of a reason: because there is non-conceptuality, phenomena first become empty. The subsequent phrases are connected in meaning. The sixty-two views are conceptualized and falsely exist, yet the nature of the views is originally empty; therefore it says: "seek within the sixty-two views." Liberation and saṃsāra both arise from the mind; therefore it says: "liberation is sought within mental activity"; a single thought of the original mind is at once liberation. The sūtra says: "Teaching that the body is impermanent without teaching weariness and revulsion toward the body." Commentary: From "teaching that the body..." downward explains consoling words. Bodhisattvas of initial aspiration, ordinary persons, and those of the small vehicle who have not yet understood that the nature of impermanence is empty are constantly pressed by impermanence, deeply give rise to weariness and fear, quickly seek quiescence and extinction, and do not save sentient beings. Bodhisattvas fully know that the nature of impermanence is empty, saying that giving away bodies and lives [as numerous as] the sands of the Ganges is not difficult; therefore they go out of life and enter death, following bodily forms in the six destinies to broadly save sentient beings, not rejoicing in quiescence and extinction. The following are all on this model. The sūtra says: "Teaching repentance of past transgressions without teaching entering into the past." Commentary: If a transgression had a substantial essence, once extinguished it would enter into the past; but since the nature of transgressions is originally empty, what thing could be called the past? The sūtra says: "Furthermore, the arising of this illness is entirely due to attachment to a self." Commentary: Grasping the body as having a self, the self is the master of the body; since the body has a master, it receives the suffering of illness. Self-emptiness conforms to phenomena: within phenomena there is no master, so who is ill? Therefore it says: "One should give rise to the notion of phenomena." Merely emptying the self, one attains the principle of the emptiness of persons and in result becomes an arhat; that which is empty of phenomena attains the emptiness of phenomena, and through the principle of emptiness one becomes a bodhisattva. For this reason the sūtra says: "This notion of phenomena is also an inversion." The sūtra says: "Self and nirvāṇa—both of these are empty. They are empty merely by virtue of names." Commentary: The substance of the self is originally empty; conventionally establishing the name "self," one follows the name and regards it as existent. Nirvāṇa is empty in its nature; because language is cut off and it is free from names, one conventionally names it "nirvāṇa" to guide sentient beings. The sūtra says: "There is only the illness of emptiness; the illness of emptiness is also empty." Commentary: Grasping existence becomes an illness; using emptiness breaks existence; if one fixates on grasping emptiness, emptiness is also an illness. Only when both existence and emptiness are dispelled is there true concentration. The sūtra says: "Internal views and external views." Commentary: Seeing the mind outside of objects is called an internal view; seeing objects outside of the mind is called an external view. The sūtra says: "The bodhisattva cuts off adventitious defilements and gives rise to great compassion." Commentary: Giving rise to craving upon compassion is called adventitious defilement. Residing on top of compassion is called "adventitious"; defiling true compassion is called "defilement." Giving rise to a compassionate mind to broadly save sentient beings, yet not understanding that sentient beings are empty and seeing them as salvageable, is called "craving-views." The sūtra says: "Greedy attachment to the savor of dhyāna is the bondage of a bodhisattva." Commentary: The eight worldly dhyānas are pliant and delightful; ordinary persons indulge in them, hence it is called "the savor of dhyāna." The sūtra says: "Wisdom without skillful means is bondage; wisdom with skillful means is liberation." Commentary: Supramundane true wisdom is called "wisdom"; worldly conventional wisdom is called "skillful means." Having the true but lacking the conventional lacks the gateway of skillful means; having no skillful means, encountering anything causes obstruction, which is called "bondage." Having the conventional but lacking the true, encountering anything causes defiled attachment, which also constitutes bondage. When the true and the conventional assist each other, and compassion and wisdom are harmoniously unified, only then is there no bondage. The sūtra says: "The body is not separate from illness, and illness is not separate from the body; this illness and this body are neither new nor old." Commentary: The body exists because of illness, hence it says "the body is not separate from illness." Illness arises from the body, hence it says "illness is not separate from the body." Different names for a single entity, hence it says "is this illness, is this body." Existing since beginningless time, hence it is called "neither new." Arising continuously thought after thought, hence it is called "nor old." The sūtra says: "Abiding in saṃsāra without engaging in defiled actions; abiding in nirvāṇa without perpetual extinction." Commentary: Abiding in saṃsāra without being defiled is distinct from ordinary persons; abiding in nirvāṇa without extinction is distinct from the two vehicles. Ordinary persons give rise to defilements and stagnate in saṃsāra without emerging; the two vehicles abide in extinction, reducing the body to ashes and annihilating consciousness to sleep forever. When a bodhisattva awakens to this, it becomes the great practice. The sūtra says: "It is not the practice of ordinary persons, nor is it the practice of worthy and noble ones; it is the bodhisattva practice." Commentary: Ordinary persons create transgressions and bring suffering upon themselves; the two vehicles pursue self-benefit and abandon sentient beings; therefore both are not it. The sūtra says: "Though delighting in detachment, they do not rely on the exhaustion of body and mind." Commentary: The two vehicles take reducing the body to ashes and annihilating the mind—both being permanently exhausted—to be detachment; therefore neither is it. The sūtra says: "Though practicing within the three realms, they do not destroy the dharmatā." Commentary: Though wandering within the deluded realms of the three realms, they do not lose the dharmatā of tathatā. The sūtra says: "Though practicing the four immeasurables, they do not greedily attach to being born in the Brahmā world." Commentary: The four immeasurables are loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. They practice them for the benefit of sentient beings; they do not give rise to them seeking retribution. The Brahmā world is the world of the Great Brahmā King of the first dhyāna of the form realm; by cultivating the mind of loving-kindness and so forth, one attains rebirth in that heaven, with a lifespan of sixty kalpas. The sūtra says: "Though practicing dhyāna concentration, they do not take birth in accordance with dhyāna." Commentary: Calming the mind in serenity, they practice undefiled dhyāna concentration, transcending the three realms and not taking birth in accordance with dhyāna.