淨名經集解關中疏 1.5

1.5

The Vimalakīrti Inconceivable Sūtra is indeed a designation of wondrous supremacy that exhausts subtlety and fathoms transformation. Its purport is profound and dark, beyond the measure of words and forms; its Way surpasses the three emptinesses, beyond what the two vehicles can discuss. It transcends the realm of enumerated categories and cuts off the domain of conceptual thought. Vast and boundless, doing nothing yet leaving nothing undone, it operates without anyone knowing why it is so; to be capable of being so is the inconceivable. Why so? The holy wisdom is without knowing, yet it illuminates the myriad varieties; the dharmakāya has no image, yet it responds simultaneously in distinct forms; the supreme rhythm is wordless, yet the dark scriptures spread far and wide; dark expedient means hold no premeditation, yet their movements coincide with circumstances. Thus it can universally rescue the myriad realms, open up beings to accomplish their tasks, and bring manifest benefit to the world, remaining in non-action with respect to itself. Yet the deluded, observing the resonant illumination, call it wisdom; seeing the responsive forms, they call it a bodily manifestation; beholding the dark scriptures, they call it words; and seeing changes and movements, they call it upāya. How could the culmination of the Way be comprehended in its spiritual domain through form, words, or expedient means and wisdom? Yet the multitude of beings have long slumbered, and without words they cannot be awakened; the Way does not operate alone—its propagation depends on people. For this reason, the Tathāgata summoned Mañjuśrī from another region and called upon Vimalakīrti from this land; they assembled in Vaiśālī to propagate this Way together. What this sūtra clarifies takes expedient means and wisdom as primary in integrating the myriad practices; takes the six perfections as the root in planting the foundations of virtue; takes loving-kindness and compassion as paramount in rescuing the ignorant and deluded; and speaks of non-duality when stating the ultimate principle. All of these varied teachings are the origin of the inconceivable. As for borrowing seats from the King of Lamps, requesting food from the Fragrant Land, taking the great trichiliocosm in hand, or containing the celestial phenomena within a room, these are the traces of the inconceivable. Yet the dark gateway is difficult to open, and holy responses are not all the same. Without the origin, there is no way to manifest traces; without traces, there is no way to reveal the origin. Though origin and traces are distinct, the inconceivable is one. Hence [the Buddha] commanded the attendant to designate this as the title. The Heavenly King of the Great Qin, with a spiritual capacity surpassing the world and a dark mind uniquely awakened, promotes supreme governance above the myriad affairs of state and spreads the transformative influence of the Way down through a thousand years. Whenever he perused this scripture, he considered it a dwelling place for his spirit; yet he regretted that the versions produced by Zhi Qian and Dharmarakṣa had principles obstructed by phrasing, and constantly feared that the profound tenets might be lost to translators. When the heavenly destiny of the North moves, its auspicious influence finds its place. In the eighth year of the Hongshi era (406 CE), the year being chunhuo, he commanded the Senior General the Duke of Changshan and the Right General the Marquis of Ancheng, together with one thousand two hundred śramaṇas of doctrinal study, to invite Master Kumārajīva at the Great Monastery of Chang'an to retranslate the authentic text. Kumārajīva, with a capacity surpassing the age, attuned his mind to the realm of truth: he completely mastered the central pivot and was also fluent in regional languages. At that time, holding the Indian text in hand, he translated and delivered it orally. Monastics and laity were devout and reverent, repeating every word three times, refining and searching meticulously, striving to preserve the holy intention. Its phrasing is concise yet thorough; its purport is subtle yet manifest. The profound and distant words became clear from this point onward. Given my dullness and shortcomings, I happened to be present in the audience at the time. Although my contemplation fell short of the profound, I roughly grasped the meaning of the text. I therefore followed what I heard to compose a commentary for it, briefly recording his faithful words, 'transmitting rather than creating', in the hope that future noble persons in different ages may hear the same.