維摩經抄 1.4

1.4

The sūtra says: "Unasked by the multitude, he acts as their friend and brings them peace." The commentary says: Śrāvakas and ordinary people have meager compassion and subtle [i.e., weak] wisdom; they must await an earnest request before they preach the Dharma. The bodhisattva is not like this. Observing that sentient beings' conditions have converged and their faculties have matured, he serves as an unasked friend, capable of causing sentient beings to escape the perils of saṃsāra and giving them the peaceful security of nirvāṇa. It is like a reflection evenly cast upon clear water, or an affectionate mother rushing to her infant. The sūtra says: "Attaining the non-apprehension [of dharmas] and anutpattika-dharma-kṣānti." The commentary says: This explains the bodhisattva's realization of anutpattika-dharma-kṣānti. "Attaining" (dai) means reaching or arriving. "Arising" (qi) means coming into being. "Kṣānti" (ren) is patient understanding, and also carries the meaning of assent. This explains that when the bodhisattva's stage ascends to the eighth ground and reaches the state of non-apprehension and non-arising, he patiently understands and confirms that all dharmas are originally suchness, unarisen and unceasing, with no dharma to be apprehended. For this reason, being the ascetic Kṣāntivādin dismembered limb by limb, his mind remained unmoved; acting as the young ascetic [Megha] who received the prediction from Dīpaṃkara—both belong to this stage. The sūtra says: "Deeply entering into dependent origination, severing all erroneous views, with no remaining habit-energy regarding the two extremes of existence and non-existence." The commentary says: The great fundamental principle of the Buddha's Dharma is cause and condition. This text is present to distinguish it from the erroneous, deviating, nihilistic views of external paths (tīrthikas) that negate cause and effect. "Dependent origination" refers to the twelve links of dependent origination, as well as the ten causes, six causes, and four conditions; no causes or conditions whatsoever go beyond this gateway. If one penetrates the profound principle of causes and conditions in the Buddha's Dharma, that is called right view; hence it says "severing all erroneous views." As for the "two extremes of existence and non-existence": because causes and conditions lack an owner, they are not existent; because karmic consequences do not perish, they are not non-existent. Definitively clinging to either existence or non-existence is called extreme view. Therefore the text below states: "There is no self, no agent, and no experiencer, yet wholesome and unwholesome karma does not perish." The word "severing" in the sūtra extends to both erroneous views and the two extremes of existence [and non-existence]. This means departing from the two extremes of existence and non-existence and tallying with the Middle Way of neither existence nor non-existence; this is the bodhisattva's right view. Completely purified without remnant, it says "with no remaining habit-energy." "Habit" means habit-energy (vāsanā). The sūtra says: "Well knowing sentient beings' comings, goings, destinies, and mental actions." The commentary says: "Goings" refers to the past; "comings" refers to the future; and "mental actions" refers to the present. By the knowledge of past lives, the bodhisattva knows sentient beings' past matters; this is "well knowing their goings [births]". By the knowledge of birth and death, he knows sentient beings' future matters; this is "well knowing their comings". By the knowledge of others' minds, he knows what sentient beings' present minds are doing. Conditioned objects are mental factors; hence "mental actions" (caitta). "Destiny" (qu) is where one is directed; that is, knowing the destinations of matters across the three periods of time. The sūtra says: "Whatever they undertake is never in vain." The commentary says: Tang means hollow, and juan means discarded. In the bodhisattva's mental application, not a single thought is discarded. The sūtra says: "By the supernatural majesty of the Buddha, all the jeweled canopies merged into a single canopy that enveloped the entire trichiliocosm." The commentary says: This is merging the many into the one, and expanding the small into the large. As for merging the many into the one: merging the five hundred into a single canopy. Because true suchness and dharmatā are perfectly interpenetrating, without fixed nature and devoid of dual characteristics, they can merge the many into one and expand the small into large. The many is not definitively many: the bodhisattvas perceive it as one canopy. The one is not definitively one: ordinary people and followers of the small vehicle perceive it as five hundred. Although merged into one, the five hundred are vividly present; though the five hundred are vividly present, they are naturally just one. It is like the ten-foot-square room: when Mañjuśrī and the others entered, it was spacious enough to accommodate the worlds of the ten directions. Ordinary people and followers of the small vehicle could not fathom it; they only saw a ten-foot square. It does not decrease for the ordinary and small, nor does it increase for Mañjuśrī. Does not the perfectly interpenetrating dharmatā lie in this? The principles in the passages below are all identical to this. The principle of expanding the small into the large should be understood by analogy. Furthermore, this can symbolize the two gateways of emptiness and existence: the many symbolizes existence, and the one symbolizes emptiness. Emptiness is not definitively empty: expanding one into many. Existence is not definitively existent: merging many into one. Existence is not separate from emptiness: precisely within the five hundred, one is seen. Existence is not separate from emptiness: precisely within the five hundred, one is seen. Emptiness is not separate from existence: without leaving the one, the many are seen. The essential import of the Vimalakīrti Sūtra is like this from beginning to end. The sūtra says: "Skillful at discerning the marks of all dharmas, yet unmoved in the paramārtha." The commentary says: The eighty-four thousand [dharmas] are called the marks of all dharmas. The true suchness of the two emptinesses is called the paramārtha. These two lines have three gateways: first, the gateway of emptiness and existence; second, the gateway of quiescence and function; third, the gateway of self and other. As for the first gateway: discerning the marks of dharmas is existence; remaining unmoved in the supreme is emptiness. Preaching without being moved, existence does not obstruct emptiness. Remaining unmoved while preaching, emptiness does not obstruct existence. This differs from the ordinary and small vehicles, where emptiness cannot be existence, and existence cannot be emptiness. As for the second gateway: discerning the marks of dharmas is function; remaining unmoved in the paramārtha is quiescence. Quiescent yet constantly functioning, although unmoved, one preaches the Dharma. Functioning yet constantly quiescent, although preaching the Dharma, one is unmoved. Ordinary people move without quiescence; the small vehicle is quiescent without movement. As for the third gateway: for one's own benefit, one realizes and remains unmoved; for the benefit of others, one preaches without clinging. Preaching neither existence nor non-existence—the meaning is also the same as this. Departing from the two extremes of existence and non-existence, one treads the Middle Way. The sūtra says: "First seated at the tree of awakening, by power he subdued the māras, attained the amṛta of extinction, and achieved the path of awakening." The commentary says: The "tree of awakening" is also called the Bodhi Tree. Under this tree, the Buddha attained the fruit of bodhi; hence it is called the Bodhi Tree. Achieving buddhahood under the tree, it is called the Buddha Tree. "Subdued the māras" means conquering the four māras. The fruit of bodhi buddhahood moistens and enriches body and mind, permanently dispelling burning defilements; hence it is called amṛta. The great cessation of saṃsāra is called "extinction." Awakening is the Buddha; it is called "achieved." The sūtra says: "With neither mind, intention, nor feeling and formation, he thoroughly subdued all the tīrthikas." The commentary says: Accumulating is called mind (citta); deliberating is called intention (manas); receiving is called feeling (vedanā); constructing is called formation (saṃskāra). When realizing the fruit of buddhahood, one is unmoving in suchness. These all cease, and hence are called "non-existent." With this wondrous principle, he subdued all the tīrthikas; how could it be said that he subdued them by physical force? The sūtra says: "Unmoved by praise or blame, like Mount Sumeru." The commentary says: Praising the Buddha's equanimity, unmoved by the eight winds, like Mount Sumeru. The eight winds are: 1. gain, 2. loss, 3. blame, 4. praise, 5. eulogy, 6. ridicule, 7. suffering, 8. pleasure. These eight phenomena agitate the human mind, just as the worldly eight winds blow and move all things. In the sūtra, two are raised to subsume the remaining six.