The Sutra Spoken by Vimalakirti, Middle Volume

天曰：「如舍利弗還為凡夫，我乃當成阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。」

The heavenly maiden said: "When Sariputra becomes an ordinary person again, then I will attain unsurpassed perfect awakening."

舍利弗言：「我作凡夫，無有是處。」

Sariputra said: "For me to become an ordinary person is not possible."

天曰：「我得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，亦無是處。所以者何？菩提無住處，是故無有得者。」

The heavenly maiden said: "For me to attain unsurpassed perfect awakening is also not possible. Why? Bodhi has no place to abide, so there is no one who attains it."

舍利弗言：「今諸佛得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，已得、當得如恆河沙，皆謂何乎？」

Sariputra said: "Now the Buddhas who have attained, are attaining and will attain unsurpassed perfect awakening are as many as the sands of the Ganges; what is meant by all this?"

天曰：「皆以世俗文字數故，說有三世，非謂菩提有去、來、今。」

The heavenly maiden said: "It is all because of the counting by worldly words that three times are spoken of, not that bodhi has past, future and present."

天曰：「舍利弗！汝得阿羅漢道耶？」

The heavenly maiden said: "Sariputra! Have you attained the path of an arhat?"

曰：「無所得故而得。」

(Sariputra) said: "I attained it because there is nothing to attain."

天曰：「諸佛、菩薩亦復如是，無所得故而得。」

The heavenly maiden said: "The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are also like this; they attain because there is nothing to attain."

爾時維摩詰語舍利弗：「是天女已曾供養九十二億佛，已能遊戲菩薩神通，所願具足，得無生忍，住不退轉；以本願故，隨意能現，教化眾生。」

Then Vimalakirti said to Sariputra: "This heavenly maiden has already made offerings to ninety-two billion Buddhas, and is already able to play with the Bodhisattva's spiritual powers, her vows are fulfilled, she has attained the acceptance of non-arising and abides in non-retrogression; because of her original vow, she can manifest at will and teach beings."

爾時文殊師利問維摩詰言：「菩薩云何通達佛道？」

At that time Manjusri asked Vimalakirti: "How does a Bodhisattva penetrate the Buddha path?"

維摩詰言：「若菩薩行於非道，是為通達佛道。」

Vimalakirti said: "If a Bodhisattva walks in what is not the path, that is penetrating the Buddha path."

又問：「云何菩薩行於非道？」

He asked further: "How does a Bodhisattva walk in what is not the path?"

答曰：「若菩薩行五無間，而無惱恚；至於地獄，無諸罪垢；至於畜生，無有無明、憍慢等過；至於餓鬼，而具足功德；行色、無色界道，不以為勝。示行貪欲，離諸染著；示行瞋恚，於諸眾生無有恚閡；示行愚痴，而以智慧調伏其心；示行慳貪，而捨內外所有，不惜身命；示行毀禁，而安住淨戒，乃至小罪猶懷大懼；示行瞋恚，而常慈忍；示行懈怠，而懃修功德；示行亂意，而常念定；示行愚痴，而通達世間、出世間慧；示行諂偽，而善方便隨諸經義；示行憍慢，而於眾生猶如橋梁；示行諸煩惱，而心常清淨；示入於魔，而順佛智慧，不隨他教；示入聲聞，而為眾生說未聞法；示入辟支佛，而成就大悲，教化眾生；示入貧窮，而有寶手，功德無盡；示入形殘，而具諸相好，以自莊嚴；示入下賤，而生佛種姓中，具諸功德；示入羸劣醜陋，而得那羅延身，一切眾生之所樂見；示入老病，而永斷病根，超越死畏；示有資生，而恆觀無常，實無所貪；示有妻妾采女，而常遠離五欲淤泥；現於訥鈍，而成就辯才，總持無失；示入邪濟，而以正濟度諸眾生；現遍入諸道，而斷其因緣；現於涅槃，而不斷生死。文殊師利！菩薩能如是行於非道，是為通達佛道。」

He answered: "If a Bodhisattva commits the five heinous crimes without anger or resentment; goes to hell without any stain of sin; goes to the animal realm without the faults of ignorance and pride; goes to the realm of hungry ghosts and yet is complete in merit; walks the paths of the form and formless realms without considering them superior. He shows himself practicing greed but is free from all attachment; shows himself practicing anger but has no anger or obstruction toward any being; shows himself practicing delusion but tames his mind with wisdom; shows himself practicing miserliness but gives away all he has, inside and out, without sparing his life; shows himself breaking precepts but abides in the pure precepts, and even fears a small sin with great dread; shows himself practicing anger but is always loving and patient; shows himself practicing laziness but diligently cultivates merit; shows himself practicing a scattered mind but always keeps mindfulness in concentration; shows himself practicing delusion but penetrates worldly and transcendent wisdom; shows himself practicing flattery and falsehood but is skilled in skillful means and follows the meaning of the sutras; shows himself practicing pride but is like a bridge to beings; shows himself practicing afflictions but his mind is always pure; shows himself entering the ranks of Mara but follows the Buddha's wisdom and does not follow others' teachings; shows himself entering the sravakas but teaches beings what they have not heard; shows himself entering the pratyekabuddhas but fulfills great compassion and teaches beings; shows himself entering poverty but has jeweled hands with inexhaustible merit; shows himself entering a crippled form but has all the marks and signs and adorns himself with them; shows himself entering lowly birth but is born in the Buddha's lineage and has all merits; shows himself entering weakness and ugliness but has the body of Narayana, which all beings delight to see; shows himself entering old age and sickness but has forever cut off the root of illness and transcended the fear of death; shows himself having possessions but always contemplates impermanence and truly has no greed; shows himself having wives, concubines and maidens but always stays far from the mire of the five desires; appears slow of speech but has accomplished eloquence and holds dharani without loss; shows himself entering wrong means of salvation but delivers beings by right means; appears to enter all the paths but cuts off their causes and conditions; appears in nirvana but does not cut off birth and death. Manjusri! A Bodhisattva who can walk in what is not the path in this way is penetrating the Buddha path."

於是維摩詰問文殊師利：「何等為如來種？」

Then Vimalakirti asked Manjusri: "What are the seeds of the Tathagata?"

文殊師利言：「有身為種，無明有愛為種，貪恚痴為種，四顛倒為種，五蓋為種，六入為種，七識處為種，八邪法為種，九惱處為種，十不善道為種：以要言之，六十二見及一切煩惱，皆是佛種。」

Manjusri said: "Having a body is a seed, ignorance and craving for existence are seeds, greed, anger and delusion are seeds, the four inversions are seeds, the five hindrances are seeds, the six sense bases are seeds, the seven stations of consciousness are seeds, the eight wrong dharmas are seeds, the nine places of vexation are seeds, the ten unwholesome paths are seeds: in short, the sixty-two views and all afflictions are all seeds of Buddhahood."

曰：「何謂也？」

(Vimalakirti) said: "What does that mean?"

答曰：「若見無為入正位者，不能復發阿耨多羅三藐三菩提心。譬如高原陸地不生蓮華，卑濕淤泥乃生此華；如是見無為法入正位者，終不復能生於佛法，煩惱泥中，乃有眾生起佛法耳！又如殖種於空，終不得生，糞壤之地，乃能滋茂；如是入無為正位者，不生佛法，起於我見如須彌山，猶能發於阿耨多羅三藐三菩提心，生佛法矣！是故，當知一切煩惱為如來種。譬如不下巨海，不能得無價寶珠；如是不入煩惱大海，則不能得一切智寶。」

He answered: "One who sees the unconditioned and enters the fixed position of nirvana can no longer give rise to the mind of unsurpassed perfect awakening. It is like high dry land, which does not grow lotuses; only low, damp mud grows this flower; in the same way, one who sees the unconditioned dharma and enters the fixed position can in the end no longer be born in the Buddha Dharma; only among beings in the mud of afflictions does the Buddha Dharma arise! It is also like planting seeds in the sky, which can never grow, while only dung-rich soil makes them flourish; in the same way, one who enters the fixed position of the unconditioned does not give rise to the Buddha Dharma; even if one's view of self were as great as Mount Sumeru, one could still arouse the mind of unsurpassed perfect awakening and give rise to the Buddha Dharma! Therefore, you should know that all afflictions are the seeds of the Tathagata. It is like how, without going down into the great sea, one cannot obtain priceless pearls; in the same way, without entering the great sea of afflictions, one cannot obtain the jewel of all-knowledge."

爾時大迦葉歎言：「善哉，善哉！文殊師利！快說此語。誠如所言，塵勞之疇為如來種；我等今者，不復堪任發阿耨多羅三藐三菩提心，乃至五無間罪，猶能發意生於佛法，而今我等永不能發。譬如根敗之士，其於五欲不能復利；如是聲聞諸結斷者，於佛法中無所復益，永不志願。是故，文殊師利！凡夫於佛法有返復，而聲聞無也。所以者何？凡夫聞佛法，能起無上道心，不斷三寶；正使聲聞終身聞佛法、力、無畏等，永不能發無上道意。」

Then Mahakasyapa praised, saying: "Excellent, excellent! Manjusri! How satisfying are your words. Truly as you say, the multitudes of toil and dust are the seeds of the Tathagata; we now are no longer capable of arousing the mind of unsurpassed perfect awakening, while even those who commit the five heinous crimes can still arouse the aspiration and be born in the Buddha Dharma, but we can never arouse it. It is like one whose roots are ruined, who can no longer gain benefit from the five desires; in the same way, sravakas whose fetters have been cut off gain nothing further in the Buddha Dharma and never aspire to it. Therefore, Manjusri! Ordinary people can turn back and forth in the Buddha Dharma, but sravakas cannot. Why? When ordinary people hear the Buddha Dharma, they can give rise to the mind of the unsurpassed path and do not cut off the Three Jewels; even if a sravaka hears the Buddha's Dharma, powers and fearlessness all his life, he can never give rise to the aspiration for the unsurpassed path."

爾時會中有菩薩，名普現色身，問維摩詰言：「居士！父母妻子、親戚眷屬、吏民知識，悉為是誰？奴婢僮僕、象馬車乘，皆何所在？」

At that time a Bodhisattva in the assembly named Universal Manifestation of Forms asked Vimalakirti: "Layman! Who are your parents, wife and children, relatives and kin, officials, people and friends? Where are your servants, elephants, horses and carriages?"

於是維摩詰以偈答曰：

Then Vimalakirti answered in verse:

「智度菩薩母，方便以為父，

"Prajna is the mother of Bodhisattvas, skillful means is the father,

一切眾導師，無不由是生。

all the teachers of the multitudes, none is not born from these.

法喜以為妻，慈悲心為女，

The joy of the Dharma is the wife, the mind of compassion is the daughter,

善心誠實男，畢竟空寂舍。

the good and sincere mind is the son, ultimate emptiness and stillness is the home.

弟子眾塵勞，隨意之所轉，

The disciples are the many toils and dusts, turning as one pleases,

道品善知識，由是成正覺。

the factors of the path are the good friends, through whom right awakening is accomplished.

諸度法等侶，四攝為伎女，

The paramitas are the companions, the four means of embracing are the singing girls,

歌詠誦法言，以此為音樂。

singing and reciting the words of the Dharma, taking this as music.

總持之園苑，無漏法林樹，

Dharani is the garden, the undefiled dharmas are the trees of the grove,

覺意淨妙華，解脫智慧果。

the factors of awakening are the pure and wonderful flowers, liberation and wisdom are the fruit.

八解之浴池，定水湛然滿，

The eight liberations are the bathing pool, the water of concentration is full and still,

布以七淨華，浴此無垢人。

strewn with the seven pure flowers, to bathe those without defilement.

象馬五通馳，大乘以為車，

Elephants and horses gallop with the five spiritual powers, the Great Vehicle is the carriage,

調御以一心，遊於八正路。

driven by a single mind, roaming the eightfold right road.

相具以嚴容，眾好飾其姿，

The marks are complete and adorn the appearance, the many fine signs ornament the figure,

慚愧之上服，深心為華鬘。

a sense of shame is the finest garment, the deep mind is the garland of flowers.

富有七財寶，教授以滋息，

Rich in the seven treasures, teaching them to multiply,

如所說修行，迴向為大利。

practicing as taught, and dedicating it as great benefit.

四禪為床座，從於淨命生，

The four dhyanas are the seat, arising from pure livelihood,

多聞增智慧，以為自覺音。

much learning increases wisdom, and this is the voice of self-awakening.

甘露法之食，解脫味為漿，

The Dharma of sweet dew is food, the taste of liberation is drink,

淨心以澡浴，戒品為塗香。

a pure mind is the bathing, the classes of precepts are the incense.

摧滅煩惱賊，勇健無能踰，

Crushing the bandits of affliction, so courageous that none can surpass him,

降伏四種魔，勝幡建道場。

subduing the four kinds of Mara, raising the banner of victory at the place of the Way.

雖知無起滅，示彼故有生，

Although he knows there is no arising or ceasing, to show it to others he takes birth,

悉現諸國土，如日無不見。

fully appearing in all lands, like the sun, not unseen anywhere.

供養於十方，無量億如來，

Making offerings in the ten directions to immeasurable millions of Tathagatas,

諸佛及己身，無有分別想。

he has no thought of distinction between the Buddhas and himself.

雖知諸佛國，及與眾生空，

Although he knows the Buddha lands and beings to be empty,

而常修淨土，教化於群生。

he constantly cultivates pure lands and teaches the multitudes of beings.

諸有眾生類，形聲及威儀，

All kinds of beings, their forms, voices and deportment,

無畏力菩薩，一時能盡現。

the Bodhisattva of fearless power can manifest all at once.

覺知眾魔事，而示隨其行，

Aware of the works of the many maras, he shows himself following their conduct,

以善方便智，隨意皆能現。

with the wisdom of good skillful means, he can manifest at will.

或示老病死，成就諸群生，

Or he shows old age, sickness and death, bringing the multitudes of beings to maturity,

了知如幻化，通達無有礙；

knowing them to be like illusions, and penetrating them without obstruction;

或現劫盡燒，天地皆洞然，

or he shows the burning at the end of a kalpa, heaven and earth all blazing,

眾人有常想，照令知無常。

and for people who hold to permanence, he illuminates so that they know impermanence.

無數億眾生，俱來請菩薩，

Countless millions of beings come together to invite the Bodhisattva,