維摩詰所說經Weimo — The Vimalakīrti Sūtra
全經第一個大問，是菩薩如何得佛國土清淨。佛陀沒有先說珍寶與地貌，祂先說：「眾生之類是菩薩佛土。」〔T14 0538a〕佛國從一開始便就眾生、教化、行願與心說；直心、深心、菩提心、六度、四無量、四攝與十善，都是取土之行。
維摩詰也沒有站在眾生之外。他住毘耶離，行於居家、政事、學堂、婬舍與酒肆，又以方便現疾。文殊師利問病因，他答：「以一切眾生病，是故我病」〔T14 0544b〕。病由大悲而起，空室因此仍留一床；觀身空寂，也不能叫病者厭身、樂滅、棄捨眾生。
卷中把這條路推到不二。三十一位菩薩從生滅、我我所、垢淨、善不善、有為無為、生死涅槃等二分處各說入門。文殊師利說：「於一切法無言無說，無示無識，離諸問答」〔T14 0551c〕。再問維摩詰時，只見「時維摩詰默然無言」〔T14 0551c〕。默然沒有廢去前面的三十一答；它讓言說走到邊界，不再把不二另立成一物。
然而，全經也沒有停在默然。香飯能作佛事，文字能作佛事，寂默也能作佛事；佛土有淨穢之別，菩薩卻不以淨土為貪高、不以穢土為憂沒。佛把行門收在兩句：「不盡有為，不住無為。」〔T14 0554b〕不盡有為，故不離大慈、不捨大悲；不住無為，故修空而不以空為證，觀寂滅而不永滅。
末二品再把法交回聞者與行者。法供養包括聞深經、信解、受持、讀誦、為眾生解說、守護正法，也包括如說修行與隨順緣起。佛總結：「以法供養於諸供養為上為最，第一無比。」〔T14 0557a〕繼而付囑彌勒、諸菩薩、四天王與阿難，使經在佛滅後仍有人手得、憶念、讀誦與廣說。
所以，《維摩詰所說經》的心要不只在一句默然。它從眾生是佛土開始，以大悲入病，以般若鬆開二取，以方便不捨有為，再以受持、解說與如說修行延續法門。讀到最後，大眾聞佛所說，皆大歡喜；經把不二重新交回眾生所在之處。
The first great question of the sūtra asks how a bodhisattva purifies a buddha-land. The Buddha does not begin with jewels or terrain. He first says, 「眾生之類是菩薩佛土」—“the kinds of sentient beings are the bodhisattva's buddha-land”〔T14 0538a〕. From the beginning, a buddha-land is spoken through beings, teaching, vows, conduct, and mind. Straightforward mind, profound resolve, the mind of awakening, the six perfections, the four immeasurables, the four means of gathering, and the ten wholesome courses are all practices by which a land is taken up.
Vimalakīrti does not stand outside sentient beings. He dwells in Vaiśālī, moves through homes, government, schools, brothels, and wine-shops, and manifests illness through skillful means. When Mañjuśrī asks its cause, he replies, 「以一切眾生病，是故我病」—“because all sentient beings are ill, therefore I am ill”〔T14 0544b〕. The illness arises from great compassion. The empty room therefore still contains one bed. To contemplate the body as empty and quiescent cannot mean teaching the sick to despise the body, delight in extinction, or abandon beings.
The middle fascicle carries this path into nonduality. Thirty-one bodhisattvas enter through pairs such as arising and ceasing, self and what belongs to self, defilement and purity, wholesome and unwholesome, conditioned and unconditioned, saṃsāra and nirvāṇa. Mañjuśrī says, 「於一切法無言無說，無示無識，離諸問答」—“with regard to all dharmas, there is no speech, no saying, no showing, no cognition; one is apart from all questions and answers”〔T14 0551c〕. When he turns the question to Vimalakīrti, the text gives only: 「時維摩詰默然無言」—“at that time Vimalakīrti remained silent and spoke no words”〔T14 0551c〕. The silence does not discard the thirty-one answers. It lets speech reach its boundary without installing nonduality as one more thing.
Yet the sūtra does not stop at silence. Fragrant rice can perform buddha-work; words can perform buddha-work; silent quiescence can also perform buddha-work. Buddha-lands differ as pure and impure, but the bodhisattva neither becomes proud and grasping before a pure land nor sinks in grief before an impure one. The Buddha gathers the practice into two clauses: 「不盡有為，不住無為」—“not exhausting the conditioned, not abiding in the unconditioned”〔T14 0554b〕. Not exhausting the conditioned means not leaving great loving-kindness or abandoning great compassion. Not abiding in the unconditioned means training in emptiness without appropriating emptiness as realization and contemplating quiescence without entering permanent extinction.
The final two chapters return the Dharma to hearers and practitioners. The offering of Dharma includes hearing a profound scripture, trusting and understanding it, receiving and retaining it, reciting it, explaining it for beings, and protecting the true Dharma; it also includes practicing as taught and following dependent arising. The Buddha concludes, 「以法供養於諸供養為上為最，第一無比」—“among all offerings, the offering of Dharma is highest and supreme, first and without equal”〔T14 0557a〕. He then entrusts the scripture to Maitreya, the bodhisattvas, the Four Great Kings, and Ānanda so that after his passing there will still be people who receive it in their hands, remember it, recite it, and teach it widely.
The essence of The Vimalakīrti Sūtra therefore does not rest in silence alone. It begins with sentient beings as buddha-land, enters illness through compassion, releases dual grasping through prajñā, refuses to abandon the conditioned through skillful means, and extends the Dharma through receiving, explaining, and practicing as taught. At the close the whole assembly hears the Buddha's words and rejoices. Nonduality is returned to the very place where sentient beings live.
一、經典身分
本編底本為《維摩詰所說經》T14n0475，卷端題署「姚秦三藏鳩摩羅什譯」〔T14 0537a〕。全經三卷十四品，正文由〔T14 0537a02〕至〔T14 0557b26〕。十四品恰成全帙正文脊，沒有另置品外讀者單元。
品一卷端另有夾注「一名不可思議解脫上卷」〔T14 0537a〕。本編保存其傳本層位，不把它改寫成另一個主經題。末品佛說本經名為《維摩詰所說》，亦名《不可思議解脫法門》〔T14 0557b〕；兩名依經文並存。
二、三卷十四品
| 卷 | 品次 | 對話與行路 |
|---|---|---|
| 卷上 | 一至四 | 佛國與淨土行；維摩詰以方便住城現疾；十位弟子與四位菩薩各述昔日對話。 |
| 卷中 | 五至九 | 文殊問疾；不可思議解脫；觀眾生與天女問答；行於非道；入不二法門。 |
| 卷下 | 十至十四 | 香飯與眾香國；菩薩不盡有為、不住無為；見妙喜與無動如來；法供養；付囑流通。 |
本經以對話推進。問答者包括佛、維摩詰、文殊師利、舍利弗、阿難、諸大弟子、諸菩薩、天女與眾香世界菩薩。神變、譬喻與辯難不是可抽離的裝飾；它們都在特定問答中承擔經義。
三、三漢譯
本編以羅什 T475 為文字底本，並讀兩部十四品異譯：
- 吳支謙譯 T14n0474《佛說維摩詰經》，二卷十四品；
- 唐玄奘譯 T14n0476《說無垢稱經》，六卷十四品。
三本品次大體並行，品名、人物譯名、段落詳略與個別高潮卻不全相同。例如羅什本的維摩詰，玄奘本作無垢稱；文殊師利在玄奘本作妙吉祥。第九品支謙本未見維摩默然段。故本編只在逐段實文與頁欄已核之處作對讀，不以同序號替代逐句證明，也不把一譯的字詞靜默寫入另一譯。
四、兩部古疏之鏡
義疏以兩部古疏作主鏡。T38n1775《注維摩詰經》隨羅什本品脊，並保存什曰、肇曰、生曰等不同署名；每一引文依實際注者分錄。T38n1782《說無垢稱經疏》為窺基依玄奘本所作，使用無垢稱、妙吉祥、有情等玄奘詞系。
兩鏡並列，不以一鏡裁另一鏡高下。義疏先講 T475 本品經義，再於末節分別傳錄什門之讀與慈恩之讀；羅什經句照 T475，窺基牒經照 T476，不跨本默轉。
五、分層讀本
每品具原典、白話、考據、義疏、心要五層。原典逐字保存 T475；白話順文轉述；考據列三譯、古疏、術語、譬喻、承衍與校本；義疏據已列證據開講；心要提供短篇入口。原典只存一份漢文，其餘四層各具漢、英姊妹本。
這套分層讓讀者可以同時保留三件事：羅什本自身的經句次第、異譯與古疏之間可核的差別，以及一部經從佛土、大悲、不二走向菩薩行與付囑的連續讀路。
1. Identity of the scripture
The base text of this edition is T14n0475《維摩詰所說經》, whose fascicle byline reads 「姚秦三藏鳩摩羅什譯」—“translated by the Tripiṭaka master Kumārajīva under the Yao Qin”〔T14 0537a〕. The work consists of three fascicles and fourteen chapters, extending from〔T14 0537a02〕through〔T14 0557b26〕. The fourteen chapters form the complete canonical reading spine; no separate extra-canonical reader unit is inserted.
An inline note beside the opening title says 「一名不可思議解脫上卷」—“also called Inconceivable Liberation, upper fascicle”〔T14 0537a〕. Its transmitted level is preserved rather than rewritten as a second principal title. In the final chapter the Buddha says that the scripture is called 《維摩詰所說》 and also 《不可思議解脫法門》〔T14 0557b〕. Both names remain where the sūtra places them.
2. Three fascicles and fourteen chapters
| Fascicle | Chapters | Dialogue and path |
|---|---|---|
| One | 1–4 | Buddha-lands and the conduct that purifies them; Vimalakīrti's skillful dwelling in the city and manifested illness; the remembered encounters of ten disciples and four bodhisattvas. |
| Two | 5–9 | Mañjuśrī's inquiry into illness; inconceivable liberation; contemplating sentient beings and the goddess's dialogue; practicing the way of the Buddha amid what is not the way; entering the Dharma-gate of nonduality. |
| Three | 10–14 | Fragrant rice and the Land of Many Fragrances; not exhausting the conditioned and not abiding in the unconditioned; seeing Wondrous Joy and the Tathāgata Unmoved; the offering of Dharma; entrustment and circulation. |
The sūtra advances through dialogue. Its speakers include the Buddha, Vimalakīrti, Mañjuśrī, Śāriputra, Ānanda, the great disciples, bodhisattvas, the goddess, and bodhisattvas from the Land of Many Fragrances. Miracles, similes, and challenges are not detachable ornaments. Each bears a specific function within a particular exchange.
3. Three Chinese translations
Kumārajīva's T475 controls the wording of this edition. Two other fourteen-chapter Chinese translations are read beside it:
- T14n0474《佛說維摩詰經》, translated by Zhi Qian, two fascicles and fourteen chapters;
- T14n0476《說無垢稱經》, translated by Xuanzang, six fascicles and fourteen chapters.
The three chapter sequences broadly correspond, but titles, personal names, amplitude, and the presence of individual passages do not always agree. Kumārajīva's Vimalakīrti is Stainless Renown in Xuanzang; Mañjuśrī is Wondrous Auspiciousness. Zhi Qian's ninth chapter does not contain Vimalakīrti's climactic silence. Comparison is therefore made only where actual wording and coordinates establish it. Shared ordinal number never substitutes for passage-level proof, and the wording of one translation is never silently written into another.
4. Two ancient commentarial mirrors
Exposition uses two ancient commentaries as principal mirrors. T38n1775《注維摩詰經》 follows the chapter spine of Kumārajīva and preserves comments individually marked Kumārajīva says, Sengzhao says, and Daosheng says. Each quotation is attributed to the commentator actually named. Kuiji's T38n1782《說無垢稱經疏》 comments on Xuanzang and therefore uses the terminology of Stainless Renown, Wondrous Auspiciousness, and sentient beings as 有情.
The two mirrors are transmitted side by side without ranking one over the other. Exposition first explains the T475 chapter itself, then gives separate closing sections for the Kumārajīva-line reading and Kuiji's Faxiang reading. A quotation of Kumārajīva's scripture follows T475; a lemma in Kuiji follows T476. Neither recension is silently converted into the other.
5. The layered reader
Each chapter has Source Text, Vernacular, Apparatus, Exposition, and Essence layers. Source Text preserves T475 verbatim. Vernacular follows its sequence in contemporary prose. Apparatus documents the three translations, ancient commentaries, terms, similes, reception, and variants. Exposition develops only what that evidence supports. Essence offers a short entry into the chapter. There is one shared Han Source Text; the other four layers have Chinese and English sisters.
This structure allows three things to remain visible at once: the order of Kumārajīva's own discourse, the verifiable differences among translations and ancient commentaries, and the continuous path of one sūtra from buddha-land and compassion through nonduality to bodhisattva conduct and entrustment.
讀法How to read
一、先選讀層
初讀可循『原典→白話→心要』：先見羅什原文，再順讀今語，最後用短篇收束本品問題。若希望理解多輪問答如何彼此承接，加讀義疏；若要核對異譯、注家、術語與頁欄，回到考據。
白話與義疏不可合併。白話只順原典轉述，不替經文補上注家判釋；義疏則須先有考據證據，才把經句、異譯與古德之讀開成連續說明。
二、按三卷讀一條路
| 卷 | 建議入口 | 讀路 |
|---|---|---|
| 卷上 | 佛國品至菩薩品 | 先看佛國如何從眾生與行起，再看維摩詰如何在城市、病中與各種行持裡顯方便。 |
| 卷中 | 文殊師利問疾品至入不二法門品 | 從病與空室進入不可思議、觀眾生、佛道與不二；注意每一問如何把空與不捨眾生同時留下。 |
| 卷下 | 香積佛品至囑累品 | 看香飯、佛事、妙喜、法供養與付囑如何把默然重新落到菩薩行與流通。 |
若只選一品入門，第五品適合讀問疾與大悲，第九品適合讀不二言說的層層收束，第十一品適合讀不盡有為、不住無為的行門。
三、保留問答雙方
本經常以追問推進。弟子與菩薩的「不任」不是單純敗北名單；它保存了每個人原先所行之法，以及維摩詰如何在同一行中鬆開住著。天女與舍利弗、文殊與維摩詰、阿難與佛的問答也都不能只摘最後一句。
讀到成對語時，宜把兩端與後續行願一起保留：空與大悲、無所得與如說行、生死與涅槃、有為與無為、言說與默然。『不二』不是把差別混成一團，而是不再把兩端執成固定自體。
四、神變依經文限制讀
小室容高座、須彌入芥子、四海入毛孔、世界置於掌中、香飯無盡、妙喜移入娑婆，都有經文自己的限制語。大者本相如故，小者不增，眾生不覺或不受擾，世界也不迫隘。讀者宜保留這些限制，不把神變只改寫成心理象徵，也不另造經文未說的物理細節。
譬喻同樣各守所在問答。水中月與鏡中像在觀眾生處，日光除冥在菩薩來穢土處，無盡燈在天女回魔宮處，法藥在菩薩行與法供養處；不能因意象相似便合成一個泛義。
五、分清三譯與雙鏡
羅什本是讀者正文。支謙本與玄奘本用於對讀，不是修訂底本的工具。維摩詰／無垢稱、文殊師利／妙吉祥、眾生／有情等各守所屬譯本；英文導航題也只服務檢索。
讀義疏時，先讀經義正文，再讀末節兩鏡。T1775 的什、肇、生依羅什本措辭；窺基 T1782 依玄奘本措辭。兩路都可照見經義，卻不被本編壓成同一套語言或唯一判決。
1. Choose the layer first
A first reading may follow Source Text → Vernacular → Essence: encounter Kumārajīva's words, read the complete contemporary rendering, then close with the chapter's short landing text. Add Exposition when you want to see how the turns of dialogue connect. Return to Apparatus when you need to verify a parallel translation, commentator, term, or Taishō coordinate.
Vernacular and Exposition must remain distinct. Vernacular follows the source without inserting a commentator's interpretation. Exposition may open the discourse into continuous explanation only after Apparatus has established the evidence.
2. Read one path across three fascicles
| Fascicle | Suggested span | Reading path |
|---|---|---|
| One | Buddha-Lands through The Bodhisattvas | Begin with the way a buddha-land arises through beings and conduct, then watch Vimalakīrti disclose skillful means within city life, illness, and established practices. |
| Two | Mañjuśrī Inquires about the Illness through Entering the Dharma-Gate of Nonduality | Move from illness and the empty room into inconceivability, contemplation of beings, the Buddha-way, and nonduality. Notice how every question retains both emptiness and non-abandonment. |
| Three | Buddha Fragrance-Accumulation through Entrustment | See how fragrant rice, buddha-work, Wondrous Joy, the offering of Dharma, and entrustment return silence to bodhisattva conduct and transmission. |
For a single-chapter entry, Chapter Five centers illness and compassion, Chapter Nine gathers the progressive limits of speech about nonduality, and Chapter Eleven articulates the paired discipline of not exhausting the conditioned and not abiding in the unconditioned.
3. Preserve both sides of the dialogue
The disciples' and bodhisattvas' declarations that they are unable to visit are not merely a list of defeats. Each preserves a practice already underway and shows how Vimalakīrti releases fixation within that practice. The goddess and Śāriputra, Mañjuśrī and Vimalakīrti, Ānanda and the Buddha likewise cannot be reduced to the final sentence of their exchange.
When paired language appears, retain both poles and the practice that follows: emptiness and great compassion, non-attainment and practice as taught, saṃsāra and nirvāṇa, conditioned and unconditioned, speech and silence. Nonduality does not mix differences into an undifferentiated mass; it releases the grasping that treats the two poles as fixed self-natures.
4. Read miracles under the sūtra's own limits
The small room contains immense seats, Mount Sumeru enters a mustard seed, the four oceans enter a pore, a world is placed on a palm, fragrant rice does not run out, and Wondrous Joy is brought into Sahā. Each account carries its own limits. The great remains as it was, the small does not expand, beings are unaware or unharmed, and the world is not constricted. These limits should not be erased by reducing the events to psychological symbols or by adding physical details the sūtra never states.
Similes likewise remain with their exchanges. The moon in water and the face in a mirror belong to contemplation of beings; sunlight dispelling darkness belongs to the bodhisattva's coming into an impure land; the inexhaustible lamp belongs to the goddesses' return to Māra's palace; Dharma-medicine belongs to bodhisattva conduct and the offering of Dharma. Similar imagery does not license a single generic meaning.
5. Keep the three translations and two mirrors distinct
Kumārajīva is the reader text. Zhi Qian and Xuanzang supply comparison, not corrections to the base. Vimalakīrti and Stainless Renown, Mañjuśrī and Wondrous Auspiciousness, sentient beings and 有情 remain attached to their respective translations. English chapter titles are navigation labels only.
In Exposition, read the chapter explanation before the two closing mirrors. T1775's comments by Kumārajīva, Sengzhao, and Daosheng follow Kumārajīva's wording. Kuiji's T1782 follows Xuanzang's wording. Both can illuminate the discourse without being compressed into one vocabulary or one verdict.
凡例Conventions
一、五層體例
全經十四品，每品分原典、白話、考據、義疏、心要五層。原典逐字保存 T475；白話順文轉述；考據列可核典據；義疏據典據開講；心要以短文提挈入口。原典共用一份漢文，其餘四層各具漢、英姊妹本。
二、底本與品界
底本為姚秦鳩摩羅什譯 T14n0475，三卷十四品。卷題、譯者題署與品題依傳本保存。十四品各作一個讀者單元；品一夾注『一名不可思議解脫上卷』保留為傳本夾注，不升作另一主題或第十五單元。
三、引號
- 「」：只用於經、古德與藏內傳本中可逐字覆核的文字。
- 『』：用於本編提問、提挈、節名說明與今語撮述。
- “ ”：英文譯讀與普通英文引語。
省略原文中段，以〔……〕明示；撮意改寫不得置於「」內。英文檔若保留漢文「」引文，同段須附英文讀法。
四、頁錨與藏經號
頁錨作〔T14 PPPPx〕或〔T14 PPPPx–y〕，如〔T14 0551c〕。T14 表《大正新脩大藏經》第十四冊，四位數為頁，末字 a、b、c 為欄。原典層另以〔T14 PPPPxNN〕標行首；每次換頁只落一枚錨，錨置段首或偈行首，不插在句中。
五、三譯對讀
- 底本：T14n0475《維摩詰所說經》，鳩摩羅什譯。
- 古譯：T14n0474《佛說維摩詰經》，支謙譯。
- 後譯：T14n0476《說無垢稱經》，玄奘譯。
『對讀』表示所列段落有實文與頁欄足以互相參看，不表示三本逐句全同。品序只作尋路；每一差異、缺段或增段都須由本品實文坐實。異譯人名與術語各守本欄，不靜默合併。
六、雙鏡並錄
T38n1775《注維摩詰經》隨 T475，引用時分別標明什曰、肇曰或生曰；不得把全書意見統繫僧肇。T38n1782《說無垢稱經疏》由窺基依 T476 疏解。義疏先講 T475 本品經義，末節再分錄什門與慈恩兩鏡；兩路並列，不判高下，不跨本換寫經句。
七、校勘與異讀
原典保存 T475 底文。大正藏校記所列異讀在考據〈校本定位〉中誌錄，不以異讀靜默改寫正文。夾注、卷題、品題、正文與後附校勘各守傳本層位，不互相冒充。
八、術語與羅馬字
本品 T475 用法有先位。英文依詞彙表維持不二、不可思議解脫、無所得、不盡有為與不住無為等核心語的範圍。羅馬字採 IAST，只作發音與身分輔助；須有古傳音寫或既定漢傳對應可繫，不用現代梵文校本重建羅什經句、品題或異譯人名。
九、徵引原則
讀者面只以經與古德為據：底本、異譯、古注、古疏及藏內可核的承衍文字。古來異說按作者、典名、頁欄與逐字引文並錄；本編不代作論諍裁判。近現代學者與現代梵文校訂本不作底文或義理權威。
十、語言、導航與題署
漢文正文使用全形標點；佛之第三人稱用祂。英文品名是依漢品題所作的導航標籤，不是梵文章題的復原。每檔末行統一題署：
釋慧鏡 · 指月 · 維摩詰所說經 · 檔名義 · 2026 夏
1. Five layers
Each of the fourteen chapters has Source Text, Vernacular, Apparatus, Exposition, and Essence layers. Source Text preserves T475 verbatim. Vernacular follows the discourse. Apparatus records verifiable evidence. Exposition develops that evidence into continuous explanation. Essence supplies a short entry. Source Text is one shared Han file; the other four layers have Chinese and English sisters.
2. Base text and chapter boundaries
The base is Kumārajīva's T14n0475, three fascicles and fourteen chapters. Fascicle headings, translator byline, chapter titles, and prose retain their transmitted levels. The opening note 『一名不可思議解脫上卷』 remains an inline note; it does not become a second principal title or a fifteenth unit.
3. Quotation marks
- 「」 enclose Chinese wording that is verbatim and checkable in scripture, an ancient master, or another canonical witness.
- “ ” enclose an English rendering or ordinary English quotation.
- 『』 in Chinese files mark editorial questions, labels, or paraphrases rather than source quotation.
An omission inside a source quotation is shown as〔……〕. Paraphrase is never placed in 「」. When an English file retains a Han quotation, an English reading appears in the same paragraph.
4. Taishō anchors
Anchors take the form〔T14 PPPPx〕or〔T14 PPPPx–y〕, for example〔T14 0551c〕. T14 identifies volume 14 of the Taishō Revised Tripiṭaka; the four digits give the page and a, b, or c the column. Source Text additionally uses paragraph-head anchors of the form〔T14 PPPPxNN〕. One anchor marks each page turn and is placed at a paragraph or verse-line head, never inside a sentence.
5. Comparing three translations
- Base: T14n0475《維摩詰所說經》, translated by Kumārajīva.
- Early translation: T14n0474《佛說維摩詰經》, translated by Zhi Qian.
- Later translation: T14n0476《說無垢稱經》, translated by Xuanzang.
“Parallel” means that an actual passage and coordinates support the stated comparison. It does not assert word-for-word identity among the three translations. Chapter number is a finding aid only. Every difference, absence, or addition is established from the passage itself. Names and terms remain attached to their own recension.
6. Recording two mirrors
T38n1775《注維摩詰經》 follows T475. Its comments are attributed individually to Kumārajīva, Sengzhao, or Daosheng according to the labels 什曰, 肇曰, and 生曰; the whole work is never flattened into “Sengzhao says.” Kuiji's T38n1782《說無垢稱經疏》 comments on T476. Exposition first explains the T475 chapter, then records the two mirrors separately without ranking them or moving a scriptural lemma across recensions.
7. Variants
Source Text preserves the T475 base reading. Variants in the Taishō apparatus are recorded in the Textual Position section and are never silently substituted. Inline notes, fascicle headings, chapter titles, prose, and back-matter apparatus remain distinct textual levels.
8. Terminology and romanization
Usage in the relevant T475 chapter has first authority. English follows the Glossary, especially for nonduality, inconceivable liberation, non-attainment, and the paired formula not exhausting the conditioned and not abiding in the unconditioned. IAST assists pronunciation and identity only where an ancient transliteration or established transmitted correspondence provides an anchor. It is not used to reconstruct Kumārajīva's sentences, chapter titles, or names from a modern Sanskrit text.
9. Citation authority
Reader files cite scripture and ancient masters: the base, parallel translations, ancient commentaries, and demonstrable canonical reception. Ancient disagreement is recorded by author, work, coordinate, and exact wording rather than adjudicated by the edition. Modern scholars and modern Sanskrit critical editions do not serve as authority for the Chinese base wording or doctrinal claims.
10. Language, navigation, and attribution
Chinese prose uses full-width punctuation and the pronoun 祂 for a buddha. English uses ordinary personal pronouns rather than capitalized divine pronouns. English chapter titles are navigation labels based on the transmitted Han titles, not recoveries of Sanskrit chapter titles. Every file ends with:
Shi Huijing · 指月 · The Vimalakīrti Sūtra · File Role · Summer 2026
譯者Translator
鳩摩羅什 · T475 譯者
本編底本卷端題署「姚秦三藏鳩摩羅什譯」〔T14 0537a〕。鳩摩羅什是 T475 的根本譯者；全編原典、品題、人物名與正文詞系均依羅什本保存。
本編不以支謙本、玄奘本或推定原文倒改 T475。異譯只在實際段落已對定時並列，使讀者看見譯名、詳略與結構差異。
支謙與玄奘 · 對讀本譯者
支謙譯 T474《佛說維摩詰經》，二卷十四品，是本編的古譯對讀本。玄奘譯 T476《說無垢稱經》，六卷十四品，是後譯對讀本，也是窺基《說無垢稱經疏》所依經本。
三本各守自身題署與詞系。T475 的維摩詰、文殊師利、眾生，不因對讀而靜默改作 T476 的無垢稱、妙吉祥、有情；英文亦按所屬見證分辨。
什、肇、生與窺基 · 兩路古注
T38n1775《注維摩詰經》傳為僧肇所撰，正文保存什曰、肇曰、生曰等署名。本編逐條依署名歸屬鳩摩羅什、僧肇或道生，不把三家注全稱為僧肇說。
唐窺基 T38n1782《說無垢稱經疏》依玄奘 T476 疏解。其牒經、人名與術語保持玄奘本形態。義疏把什門之讀與慈恩之讀置於兩個清楚分欄，並錄而不判高下。
釋慧鏡 · 本編譯注
本編譯注者為釋慧鏡。原典層保存鳩摩羅什譯文；白話層轉述句義；考據層列底本、異譯與古德實文；義疏層先講經義，再傳錄兩鏡；心要層提供短篇入口。英文姊妹本依同一漢文底本與分層體例，不另立一套經義。
『譯注』指本編讀者層的翻譯、整理與註釋，不取代鳩摩羅什的根本譯者身分，也不把古注家的判釋寫成經文自說。
Kumārajīva · translator of T475
The base-text byline reads 「姚秦三藏鳩摩羅什譯」—“translated by the Tripiṭaka master Kumārajīva under the Yao Qin”〔T14 0537a〕. Kumārajīva is the root translator of T475. Source Text, chapter titles, personal names, and the reader text preserve the wording of his recension.
This edition does not use Zhi Qian, Xuanzang, or a conjectured source to rewrite T475. A parallel translation is placed beside the base only after the relevant passage has been identified, allowing differences in name, amplitude, and structure to remain visible.
Zhi Qian and Xuanzang · translators of comparison texts
Zhi Qian translated T474《佛說維摩詰經》, two fascicles and fourteen chapters, the early comparison text used here. Xuanzang translated T476《說無垢稱經》, six fascicles and fourteen chapters, the later comparison text and the scripture on which Kuiji's commentary is based.
Each translation keeps its own title and vocabulary. T475's Vimalakīrti, Mañjuśrī, and 眾生 are not silently replaced by T476's Stainless Renown, Wondrous Auspiciousness, and 有情. The English sisters preserve the same witness boundary.
Kumārajīva, Sengzhao, Daosheng, and Kuiji · two commentarial lines
The canonical header of T38n1775《注維摩詰經》 attributes the work to Sengzhao, while its running text preserves comments distinctly marked 什曰, 肇曰, and 生曰. This edition attributes each passage to Kumārajīva, Sengzhao, or Daosheng as actually marked rather than presenting all three as Sengzhao's voice.
Kuiji's T38n1782《說無垢稱經疏》 comments on Xuanzang's T476 and preserves Xuanzang's scriptural lemmata, names, and terminology. Exposition presents the Kumārajīva-line reading and Kuiji's Faxiang reading in two clearly separated sections, side by side without ranking them.
Shi Huijing · translation and annotation in this edition
Shi Huijing is the translator and annotator of the present layered edition. Source Text preserves Kumārajīva. Vernacular recasts the discourse in sequence. Apparatus records the base, parallels, and ancient evidence. Exposition first explains the scripture and then transmits the two mirrors. Essence offers a short entry. The English sisters follow the same Han base and layer distinctions and do not establish an independent doctrine in English.
“Translation and annotation” names the work of these reader layers. It neither displaces Kumārajīva as root translator nor turns an ancient commentator's interpretation into the sūtra's own speech.
書目Bibliography
本書目只列本編實際使用的漢傳藏內文獻。T475 控制底本文字；異譯與古疏只在所引段落承擔相應證據，不因列入書目而升格為共同底本。
一、底本與異譯
- 鳩摩羅什譯：《維摩詰所說經》，T14n0475，三卷十四品，正文〔0537a02–0557b26〕。本編原典與品界所據。
- 支謙譯：《佛說維摩詰經》，T14n0474，二卷十四品。古譯對讀；各品以實際共文、差異與頁欄為限。
- 玄奘譯：《說無垢稱經》，T14n0476，六卷十四品。後譯對讀，也是窺基 T1782 所依經本。
三本同傳十四品，不表示逐句全同。品名、人名、數量、詳略與有無段落各依傳本保存。
二、兩部主疏
- 《注維摩詰經》，T38n1775，十卷十四品，藏本題僧肇撰。正文保存什曰、肇曰、生曰等不同署名；本編逐條依實際注者分錄。
- 窺基：《說無垢稱經疏》，T38n1782，六卷十四品。依玄奘 T476 品脊、牒文與詞系疏解。
T1775 隨羅什本，T1782 隨玄奘本。兩部古疏在義疏末節並列傳錄，不互相改寫，也不被合成一個假定共同注釋。
三、校勘旁證
- 智顗說、湛然略：《維摩經略疏》，T38n1778。只在第七、九品已列出的校勘字形處作旁證。
- 智圓述：《維摩經略疏垂裕記》，T38n1779。只在第七品已列出的校勘字形處作旁證。
這兩部文獻不構成全帙第三主鏡；本編只在確有實引的校勘列中使用。
四、使用原則
異譯用來對讀實文，古疏用來傳錄古德之讀，校勘旁證用來顯示特定字形。三種證據不互相代位。引文保留作者、典名、藏經號與頁欄；無實文可核者不列。現代梵文校訂本與近現代學者不作羅什底文或義理權威。
This bibliography contains only Chinese canonical works actually used by the edition. T475 controls the base wording. Parallel translations and ancient commentaries bear only the particular evidence cited from them; inclusion here does not make them a common base text.
1. Base text and parallel translations
- Kumārajīva, trans. T14n0475《維摩詰所說經》, three fascicles and fourteen chapters, body〔0537a02–0557b26〕. Base for Source Text and chapter boundaries.
- Zhi Qian, trans. T14n0474《佛說維摩詰經》, two fascicles and fourteen chapters. Early comparison translation, used only for demonstrated shared passages, differences, and coordinates.
- Xuanzang, trans. T14n0476《說無垢稱經》, six fascicles and fourteen chapters. Later comparison translation and the scripture underlying Kuiji's T1782 commentary.
All three transmit fourteen chapters, but this does not establish word-for-word identity. Titles, names, numbers, amplitude, and the presence of passages remain attached to their recensions.
2. Two principal commentaries
- T38n1775《注維摩詰經》, ten fascicles and fourteen chapters, attributed in the canonical header to Sengzhao. The running text preserves comments marked separately as Kumārajīva, Sengzhao, and Daosheng; this edition attributes each passage accordingly.
- Kuiji, T38n1782《說無垢稱經疏》, six fascicles and fourteen chapters. A commentary on the chapter spine, lemmata, and terminology of Xuanzang's T476.
T1775 follows Kumārajīva; T1782 follows Xuanzang. Exposition transmits the two ancient mirrors side by side without rewriting one through the other or merging them into a hypothetical single commentary.
3. Occasional textual witnesses
- Zhiyi, teaching; Zhanran, abridgment: T38n1778《維摩經略疏》. Used only for the documented variant forms in Chapters Seven and Nine.
- Zhiyuan, T38n1779《維摩經略疏垂裕記》. Used only for the documented variant form in Chapter Seven.
These works do not become a third running mirror for the whole sūtra. They are cited only in the textual rows where their wording is actually used.
4. Use of these sources
Parallel translations establish textual comparison, ancient commentaries transmit ancient readings, and occasional witnesses document particular variants. These roles are not interchangeable. Quotations retain author, work, canonical number, and coordinate; no source is listed without actual use. Modern Sanskrit critical editions and modern scholars do not serve as authority for Kumārajīva's Chinese base wording or doctrinal claims.
索引Indices
一、三卷十四品
英文顯題只作導航。頁欄是每一 T475 品的完整讀者單元起訖。
| 卷 | 品 | 漢題 | 英文導航題 | T14 起訖 | 連結 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 01 | 佛國品 | Buddha-Lands | 0537a02–0539a06 | 讀本 |
| 1 | 02 | 方便品 | Skillful Means | 0539a07–0539c13 | 讀本 |
| 1 | 03 | 弟子品 | The Disciples | 0539c14–0542a25 | 讀本 |
| 1 | 04 | 菩薩品 | The Bodhisattvas | 0542a26–0544a19 | 讀本 |
| 2 | 05 | 文殊師利問疾品 | Mañjuśrī Inquires about the Illness | 0544a21–0546a02 | 讀本 |
| 2 | 06 | 不思議品 | Inconceivability | 0546a03–0547a27 | 讀本 |
| 2 | 07 | 觀眾生品 | Contemplating Sentient Beings | 0547a28–0548c27 | 讀本 |
| 2 | 08 | 佛道品 | The Way of the Buddha | 0548c28–0550b27 | 讀本 |
| 2 | 09 | 入不二法門品 | Entering the Dharma-Gate of Nonduality | 0550b28–0551c27 | 讀本 |
| 3 | 10 | 香積佛品 | Buddha Fragrance-Accumulation | 0552a02–0553b10 | 讀本 |
| 3 | 11 | 菩薩行品 | The Conduct of the Bodhisattva | 0553b11–0554c26 | 讀本 |
| 3 | 12 | 見阿閦佛品 | Seeing Akṣobhya Buddha | 0554c27–0555c29 | 讀本 |
| 3 | 13 | 法供養品 | The Offering of Dharma | 0556a01–0557a05 | 讀本 |
| 3 | 14 | 囑累品 | Entrustment | 0557a06–0557b26 | 讀本 |
二、五部主見證座標
| 角色 | 典籍 | 譯者／作者 | 卷品 | 品一起點 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 古譯 | T14n0474《佛說維摩詰經》 | 支謙譯 | 二卷十四品 | 0519a08 |
| 底本 | T14n0475《維摩詰所說經》 | 鳩摩羅什譯 | 三卷十四品 | 0537a06 |
| 後譯 | T14n0476《說無垢稱經》 | 玄奘譯 | 六卷十四品 | 0557c06 |
| 什門主疏 | T38n1775《注維摩詰經》 | 藏本題僧肇撰；什、肇、生分署 | 十卷十四品 | 0328a10 |
| 慈恩主疏 | T38n1782《說無垢稱經疏》 | 窺基撰 | 六卷十四品 | 0993a06 |
各品具體對讀座標見本品考據。五本雖都傳十四品，序號只供尋路，不證逐段等同。
三、主題與譬喻索引
| 主題／譬喻 | 主要品次 | 經中作用 |
|---|---|---|
| 眾生是菩薩佛土 | 一 | 淨土由眾生、行與心展開。 |
| 十身喻與現疾 | 二 | 觀身無常不堅，轉向佛身與發菩提心。 |
| 無盡燈 | 四 | 在魔宮仍開導眾生，明終不盡。 |
| 空室、病床與醫王 | 五 | 身空與大悲同時成立。 |
| 須彌入芥子、四海入毛孔 | 六 | 不可思議解脫而本相如故、眾生無所嬈。 |
| 水中月、鏡中像與天華 | 七 | 觀眾生不可得而慈行不止。 |
| 淤泥蓮華、糞壤殖種、巨海寶珠 | 八 | 行於非道而生佛種、成利生行。 |
| 三十一答與維摩默然 | 九 | 從成對語、離問答到不立一說。 |
| 香飯與有限之心 | 十 | 如來福慧不可由小量稱量，飯食亦成佛事。 |
| 法藥與盡無盡法門 | 十一 | 不盡有為、不住無為相資而行。 |
| 日光除冥與妙喜移土 | 十二 | 菩薩不與闇合而為除闇來，所見轉成所行。 |
| 七寶塔與法供養 | 十三 | 財供不廢，聞持解說與如說修行更上。 |
| 經卷、城邑與百由旬護持 | 十四 | 付囑落在未來受持、廣說與守護。 |
1. Three fascicles and fourteen chapters
English display titles are navigation only. Each Taishō span gives the complete reader extent of one T475 chapter.
| Fascicle | Chapter | Han title | English navigation title | T14 span | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 01 | 佛國品 | Buddha-Lands | 0537a02–0539a06 | Reader |
| 1 | 02 | 方便品 | Skillful Means | 0539a07–0539c13 | Reader |
| 1 | 03 | 弟子品 | The Disciples | 0539c14–0542a25 | Reader |
| 1 | 04 | 菩薩品 | The Bodhisattvas | 0542a26–0544a19 | Reader |
| 2 | 05 | 文殊師利問疾品 | Mañjuśrī Inquires about the Illness | 0544a21–0546a02 | Reader |
| 2 | 06 | 不思議品 | Inconceivability | 0546a03–0547a27 | Reader |
| 2 | 07 | 觀眾生品 | Contemplating Sentient Beings | 0547a28–0548c27 | Reader |
| 2 | 08 | 佛道品 | The Way of the Buddha | 0548c28–0550b27 | Reader |
| 2 | 09 | 入不二法門品 | Entering the Dharma-Gate of Nonduality | 0550b28–0551c27 | Reader |
| 3 | 10 | 香積佛品 | Buddha Fragrance-Accumulation | 0552a02–0553b10 | Reader |
| 3 | 11 | 菩薩行品 | The Conduct of the Bodhisattva | 0553b11–0554c26 | Reader |
| 3 | 12 | 見阿閦佛品 | Seeing Akṣobhya Buddha | 0554c27–0555c29 | Reader |
| 3 | 13 | 法供養品 | The Offering of Dharma | 0556a01–0557a05 | Reader |
| 3 | 14 | 囑累品 | Entrustment | 0557a06–0557b26 | Reader |
2. Coordinates of the five principal witnesses
| Role | Work | Translator or author | Fascicles and chapters | Chapter One begins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early translation | T14n0474《佛說維摩詰經》 | Zhi Qian | two fascicles, fourteen chapters | 0519a08 |
| Base | T14n0475《維摩詰所說經》 | Kumārajīva | three fascicles, fourteen chapters | 0537a06 |
| Later translation | T14n0476《說無垢稱經》 | Xuanzang | six fascicles, fourteen chapters | 0557c06 |
| Kumārajīva-line commentary | T38n1775《注維摩詰經》 | attributed to Sengzhao; Kumārajīva, Sengzhao, and Daosheng marked separately | ten fascicles, fourteen chapters | 0328a10 |
| Faxiang commentary | T38n1782《說無垢稱經疏》 | Kuiji | six fascicles, fourteen chapters | 0993a06 |
Passage-level coordinates appear in each chapter's Apparatus. Although all five works transmit fourteen chapters, ordinal number is only a finding aid and does not establish passage identity.
3. Index of themes and similes
| Theme or simile | Principal chapter | Function in the sūtra |
|---|---|---|
| Sentient beings as the bodhisattva's buddha-land | 1 | Purification unfolds through beings, conduct, and mind. |
| Ten similes of the body and manifested illness | 2 | The impermanent body turns the hearer toward buddha-body and the mind of awakening. |
| The inexhaustible lamp | 4 | The goddesses return to Māra's palace while continuing to awaken beings. |
| Empty room, sickbed, and king of physicians | 5 | Emptiness of the body and great compassion remain together. |
| Sumeru in a mustard seed and oceans in a pore | 6 | Inconceivable liberation leaves things as they were and beings unharmed. |
| Moon in water, face in a mirror, and celestial flowers | 7 | Beings cannot be apprehended, yet compassionate activity does not cease. |
| Lotus in mud, seed in dung, jewel in the ocean | 8 | The bodhisattva enters what is not the way without losing the Buddha-way. |
| Thirty-one answers and Vimalakīrti's silence | 9 | Paired terms lead through the limit of questions and answers without installing a final proposition. |
| Fragrant rice and the limited mind | 10 | The Tathāgata's merit and wisdom cannot be measured by a śrāvaka's small measure; food becomes buddha-work. |
| Dharma-medicine and the finite-infinite gate | 11 | Not exhausting the conditioned and not abiding in the unconditioned sustain one another. |
| Sunlight dispelling darkness and Wondrous Joy | 12 | The bodhisattva enters an impure land without joining its darkness; vision becomes practice. |
| Seven-jeweled stūpas and the offering of Dharma | 13 | Material offering is honored, while hearing, explaining, and practice as taught go further. |
| Scripture scrolls, settlements, and protection for one hundred yojanas | 14 | Entrustment becomes future receiving, teaching, and protection. |
題署Colophon
本編
書名：《維摩詰所說經》五層譯注
底本：姚秦三藏鳩摩羅什譯，T14n0475，三卷十四品
異譯對讀：支謙 T14n0474；玄奘 T14n0476
古疏主鏡：T38n1775《注維摩詰經》；窺基 T38n1782《說無垢稱經疏》
譯注：釋慧鏡
平台：指月
編成：2026 年夏
每品分原典、白話、考據、義疏、心要五層。原典共用一份漢文；其餘四層各具漢、英姊妹本。原典保存鳩摩羅什譯文，異譯各守自身詞系，兩部古疏分鏡傳錄。
引用格式
引用原典：
鳩摩羅什譯：《維摩詰所說經》，第九〈入不二法門品〉，T14n0475，0550b28–0551c27。
引用本編：
釋慧鏡譯注：《維摩詰所說經》五層譯注，第九〈入不二法門品〉，所引層名，指月，2026。
引用古疏：
注者：《注維摩詰經》或《說無垢稱經疏》，T38n1775 或 T38n1782，實際頁欄；轉引自釋慧鏡譯注《維摩詰所說經》相應品考據。
引用時應保留品名、層名與實際藏經頁欄。英文導航題只便於檢索，不代替傳本漢品題；T1775 引文須標明什、肇、生的實際注者。
授權
本編譯注採 CC BY-NC-SA 4.0。T475 漢文底本依漢傳藏本逐字保存；本編非重譯以取代鳩摩羅什譯本，而是以分層方式協助讀者順文、查證、研讀與流通。
釋慧鏡 · 指月 · 維摩詰所說經 · 題署 · 2026 夏
This edition
Title: A Five-Layer Edition of The Vimalakīrti Sūtra
Base text: T14n0475, translated by the Tripiṭaka master Kumārajīva under the Yao Qin; three fascicles and fourteen chapters
Parallel translations: Zhi Qian's T14n0474; Xuanzang's T14n0476
Principal ancient commentaries: T38n1775《注維摩詰經》; Kuiji's T38n1782《說無垢稱經疏》
Translation and annotation: Shi Huijing
Platform: 指月
Completed: Summer 2026
Each chapter has Source Text, Vernacular, Apparatus, Exposition, and Essence layers. Source Text is one shared Han file; the other four layers have Chinese and English sisters. Source Text preserves Kumārajīva, parallel translations retain their own terminology, and the two principal commentaries are transmitted in separate mirrors.
Citation forms
For the source text:
Kumārajīva, trans., The Vimalakīrti Sūtra, Chapter 9, 〈入不二法門品〉, T14n0475, 0550b28–0551c27.
For this edition:
Shi Huijing, trans. and annot., A Five-Layer Edition of The Vimalakīrti Sūtra, Chapter 9, 〈入不二法門品〉, named layer, 指月, 2026.
For an ancient commentary:
Named commentator, T38n1775《注維摩詰經》 or Kuiji, T38n1782《說無垢稱經疏》, actual Taishō coordinate; cited through the corresponding Apparatus chapter in Shi Huijing's edition.
Citations should retain the chapter title, layer, and actual canonical coordinate. English navigation titles do not replace transmitted Han chapter titles. A T1775 citation should identify Kumārajīva, Sengzhao, or Daosheng as the passage itself does.
License
The translation and annotation are licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. The T475 Han base is preserved verbatim from the Chinese canonical witness. This layered reader does not retranslate the sūtra in order to displace Kumārajīva; it assists continuous reading, verification, study, and transmission.
Shi Huijing · 指月 · The Vimalakīrti Sūtra · Colophon · Summer 2026
- 01佛國品第一Chapter 01 “Buddha-Lands”〔T14 0537a03〕
- 02方便品第二Chapter 02 “Skillful Means”〔T14 0539a07〕
- 03弟子品第三Chapter 03 “The Disciples”〔T14 0539c14〕
- 04菩薩品第四Chapter 04 “The Bodhisattvas”〔T14 0542a26〕
- 05文殊師利問疾品第五Chapter 05 “Mañjuśrī Inquires about the Illness”〔T14 0544a22〕
- 06不思議品第六Chapter 06 “Inconceivability”〔T14 0546a03〕
- 07觀眾生品第七Chapter 07 “Contemplating Sentient Beings”〔T14 0547a28〕
- 08佛道品第八Chapter 08 “The Way of the Buddha”〔T14 0548c28〕
- 09入不二法門品第九Chapter 09 “Entering the Dharma-Gate of Nonduality”〔T14 0550b28〕
- 10香積佛品第十Chapter 10 “Buddha Fragrance-Accumulation”〔T14 0552a03〕
- 11菩薩行品第十一Chapter 11 “The Conduct of the Bodhisattva”〔T14 0553b11〕
- 12見阿閦佛品第十二Chapter 12 “Seeing Akṣobhya Buddha”〔T14 0554c27〕
- 13法供養品第十三Chapter 13 “The Offering of Dharma”〔T14 0556a01〕
- 14囑累品第十四Chapter 14 “Entrustment”〔T14 0557a06〕