淨名經集解關中疏 2.21

2.21

"Vimalakīrti said: 'From ignorance there is craving, and thus my illness arose. Because all sentient beings are ill, therefore I am ill. If all sentient beings' illnesses are extinguished, then my illness will be extinguished'"—this is the second, the reply. First he answers both together, then after the two questions he answers the first question. The previous text had three parts: Dharma, metaphor, and application. The Dharma has the proposition and explanation. Sengzhao says: "Answering how long it has been: what illness does a bodhisattva have? It is out of pity for them that the illness arose. Sentient beings' illness takes ignorance and craving as its root; a bodhisattva's illness takes great compassion as its source. Indeed, sublime origins do not arise [of themselves]; this arises due to compassion. Therefore the arising of the compassionate illness emerges from ignorance and craving, yet ignorance and craving have no beginning, and none know their source. The duration of my illness shares the same root with them. This clarifies the beginning of compassion; one need not speak solely in terms of oneself." Daorong says: "Because sentient beings are ignorant, they have craving; because of craving, they have grasping; because of grasping, they have a body; having a body, they have illness. Because they are ill, my illness arose. Vimalakīrti having initially come long ago, we therefore know his compassion is not recent. 'When their illness is extinguished, then my illness will be extinguished' clarifies that the arising of the illness is not limited [to himself] but equals sentient beings. Newly trained bodhisattvas cannot long dwell in saṃsāra and take on illness for the sake of all; therefore it clarifies that the mahāsattva dwells extensively in illness: tracing back to the prior limit, it begins with generating the mind [for bodhi]; searching forward to the subsequent limit, it is extinguished together with sentient beings. When new trainees hear this, their narrow minds will broaden of themselves; thus merely speaking of the illness's arising and extinguishing makes great compassion self-evident."