爾時佛告文殊師利 汝行詣維摩詰問疾 文殊師利白佛言 世尊 彼上人者 難爲酬對 深達實相 善說法要 辯才無滯 智慧無礙 一切菩薩法式悉知 諸佛秘藏無不得入 降伏衆魔 遊戲神通 其慧方便 皆已得度 雖然 當承佛旨 詣彼問疾 於是衆中 諸菩薩大弟子 釋梵天王 皆作是念 今二大士 文殊師利維摩詰共語 必說妙法 即皆隨從 爾時文殊師利 問維摩詰言 居士是疾 何所因起 維摩詰言 從癡有愛 則我病生 以一切衆生病 是故我病 若一切衆生病滅 則我病滅
ěr shí fó gào wén shū shī lì rǔ xíng yì wéi mó jié wèn jí wén shū shī lì bái fó yán shì zūn bǐ shàng rén zhě nán wéi chóu duì shēn dá shí xiàng shàn shuō fǎ yào biàn cái wú zhì zhì huì wú ài yī qiē pú sà fǎ shì xī zhī zhū fó mì cáng wú bù dé rù xiáng fú zhòng mó yóu xì shén tōng qí huì fāng biàn jiē yǐ dé dù suī rán dāng chéng fó zhǐ yì bǐ wèn jí yú shì zhòng zhōng zhū pú sà dà dì zǐ shì fàn tiān wáng jiē zuò shì niàn jīn èr dà shì wén shū shī lì wéi mó jié gòng yǔ bì shuō miào fǎ jí jiē suí cóng ěr shí wén shū shī lì wèn wéi mó jié yán jū shì shì jí hé suǒ yīn qǐ wéi mó jié yán cóng chī yǒu ài zé wǒ bìng shēng yǐ yī qiē zhòng shēng bìng shì gù wǒ bìng ruò yī qiē zhòng shēng bìng miè zé wǒ bìng miè
Key Message
Vimalakīrti's illness is not his own — it is the illness of all beings. The bodhisattva's compassion, born of being one body with sentient beings, begins with knowing that their suffering is one's own.
▸The 'Chapter on Mañjuśrī Inquiring About Illness' (文殊師利問疾品) is one of the highlights of the entire Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa — the scene in which Mañjuśrī, symbol of wisdom, and Vimalakīrti, symbol of skillful means, finally meet face to face.
The 'Chapter on Mañjuśrī Inquiring About Illness' (文殊師利問疾品) is one of the highlights of the entire Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa — the scene in which Mañjuśrī, symbol of wisdom, and Vimalakīrti, symbol of skillful means, finally meet face to face. When Mañjuśrī asks Vimalakīrti, 'From what does your illness arise, householder?' Vimalakīrti replies: 'From delusion (癡) arises craving (愛), and from that my illness is born. Because all sentient beings are sick, therefore I am sick. If the illness of all sentient beings were to cease, my illness would cease.' This reply reveals that Vimalakīrti's illness arises from total empathy with the suffering of sentient beings — the compassion of shared body (同體大悲). Because self and sentient beings are not separate existences but one body (同體), when beings suffer, the bodhisattva suffers — this is the fundamental spirit of the Mahāyāna. This chapter also contains a profound dialogue on the teachings of emptiness and the reality of non-duality.