The Family of the Tathāgatas
如來族
7.1Then, the crown prince Mañjuśrī asked the Licchavi Vimalakīrti, “Noble sir, how does the bodhisattva follow the way to attain the qualities of the Buddha?”
7.1那時，王子文殊菩薩問離車維摩詰說：「善男子，菩薩怎樣才能隨順菩提之道而成就佛陀的諸般功德呢？」
Vimalakīrti replied, “Mañjuśrī, when the bodhisattva follows the wrong way, he follows the way to attain the qualities of the Buddha.”
維摩詰回答說：「文殊菩薩，當菩薩行於邪道時，他就是在行走於證得佛陀品質的道路上。」
7.2Mañjuśrī continued, “How does the bodhisattva follow the wrong way?”
7.2文殊菩薩繼續問道：「菩薩如何走上錯誤的道路呢？」
Vimalakīrti replied, “Even should he enact the five deadly sins, he feels no malice, violence, or hate. Even should he go into the hells, he remains free of all taint of afflictions. Even should he go into the states of the animals, he remains free of darkness and ignorance. When he goes into the states of the asuras, he remains free of pride, conceit, and arrogance. When he goes into the realm of the lord of death, he accumulates the stores of merit and wisdom. When he goes into the states of motionlessness and immateriality, he does not dissolve therein.
維摩詰回答說：「即使他去造作五無間罪，他也不會生起惡意、暴力或仇恨。即使他墮入地獄，他仍然遠離一切煩惱的污染。即使他進入畜生道，他仍然遠離黑暗和無明。當他進入阿修羅道時，他仍然遠離傲慢、自大和驕傲。當他進入死王的領域時，他積累福德和般若波羅蜜的資糧。當他進入無想天和無色界時，他不會在那裡消融。」
7.3“He may follow the ways of desire, yet he stays free of attachment to the enjoyments of desire. He may follow the ways of hatred, yet he feels no anger toward any living being. He may follow the ways of folly, yet he is ever conscious with the wisdom of firm understanding.
7.3「他可能隨順欲望的道路，然而他對欲樂的享受保持自在無執著。他可能隨順仇恨的道路，然而他對任何生命都不生起瞋怒。他可能隨順愚癡的道路，然而他始終以堅定理解的般若保持清明的覺知。」
7.4“He may follow the ways of avarice, yet he gives away all internal and external things without regard even for his own life. He may follow the ways of immorality, yet, seeing the horror of even the slightest transgressions, he lives by the ascetic practices and austerities. He may follow the ways of wickedness and anger, [F.214.b] yet he remains utterly free of malice and lives by love. He may follow the ways of laziness, yet his efforts are uninterrupted as he strives in the cultivation of roots of virtue. He may follow the ways of sensuous distraction, yet, naturally concentrated, his contemplation is not dissipated. He may follow the ways of false wisdom, yet, having reached the transcendence of wisdom, he is expert in all mundane and transcendental sciences.
7.4「他可能追隨貪婪的方式，卻將內外一切無條件地施捨，甚至不顧自己的生命。他可能追隨不持戒的方式，卻能看清即使最微小的過失也帶來的恐怖，因此依照苦行者的修行和苦行生活。他可能追隨邪惡和忿怒的方式，卻保持完全沒有惡意，並以慈愛而活。他可能追隨懶散的方式，卻精進不斷地努力培養善根。他可能追隨感官散亂的方式，卻自然而然地專注，禪定不散。他可能追隨虛假智慧的方式，卻已達到般若波羅蜜，對所有世間和出世間的學問都能精通。」
7.5“He may show the ways of sophistry and contention, yet he is always conscious of ultimate meanings and has perfected the use of liberative arts. He may show the ways of pride, yet he serves as a bridge and a ladder for all people. He may show the ways of the passions, yet he is utterly dispassionate and naturally pure. He may follow the ways of the māras, yet he does not really accept their authority in regard to his knowledge of the qualities of the Buddha. He may follow the ways of the disciples, yet he lets living beings hear the teaching they have not heard before. He may follow the ways of the solitary sages, yet he is inspired with great compassion in order to develop all living beings.
7.5「他可能表現詭辯和爭論的方式，卻始終領悟涅槃的真義，並完善了運用方便的能力。他可能表現驕傲的方式，卻成為所有人的橋樑和階梯。他可能表現煩惱的方式，卻完全超越煩惱並自然純淨。他可能遵循魔的方式，卻對於自己對佛陀功德的認識絕不真正接受魔的權威。他可能遵循聲聞的方式，卻讓眾生聽聞他們從未聽過的教法。他可能遵循緣覺的方式，卻以大悲心激勵自己，為了發展教化所有眾生。」
7.6“He may follow the ways of the poor, yet he holds in his hand a jewel of inexhaustible wealth. He may follow the ways of cripples, yet he is beautiful and well adorned with the auspicious signs and marks. He may follow the ways of those of lowly birth, yet, through his accumulation of the stores of merit and wisdom, he is born in the family of the tathāgatas. He may follow the ways of the weak, the ugly, and the wretched, yet he is beautiful to look upon, and his body is like that of Nārāyaṇa.
7.6「他可能示現貧窮的樣子，但手中卻握著取之不盡的財寶。他可能示現殘疾的樣子，但卻光彩照人，具足相好莊嚴。他可能示現低賤出身的樣子，但因為累積了福德和智慧的資糧，他出生於如來族中。他可能示現軟弱、醜陋和可憐的樣子，但他卻容貌美好，身體如同那羅延一般。」
7.7“He may manifest to living beings the ways of the sick and the unhappy, yet he has entirely conquered and transcended the fear of death.
7.7「他可以向眾生顯現生病和不幸的樣態，卻已經完全克服和超越了對死亡的恐懼。」
“He may follow the ways of the rich, [F.215.a] yet he is without acquisitiveness and often reflects upon the notion of impermanence. He may show himself engaged in dancing with harem girls, yet he cleaves to solitude, having crossed the swamp of desire.
「他可能示現富人的行為，卻沒有貪著心，常常思念無常之理。他可能示現與後宮女子共舞，卻依樂於獨處，已經越過欲望的泥沼。
7.8“He follows the ways of the dumb and the incoherent, yet, having acquired the power of retention, he is adorned with a varied eloquence.
7.8"他隨順啞巴和言語不清者的方式，然而他已獲得持法的力量，以各種辯才相好莊嚴。
“He follows the ways of the outsiders without ever becoming an outsider. He follows the ways of all the world, yet he reverses all states of existence. He follows the way of liberation without ever abandoning the progress of the world.
「他跟隨外道的方式，但從不成為外道。他跟隨世間的一切方式，卻超越了所有存在的狀態。他跟隨解脫的道路，卻從不放棄對世間的利益。」
“Mañjuśrī, thus does the bodhisattva follow the wrong ways, thereby following the way to the qualities of the Buddha.”
「文殊菩薩，菩薩就是這樣追隨錯誤的道路，從而追隨通往佛陀品質的道路。」
7.9Then, the Licchavi Vimalakīrti asked the crown prince Mañjuśrī, “Mañjuśrī, what is the ‘family of the tathāgatas’?”
7.9於是離車維摩詰問王子文殊菩薩說：「文殊菩薩，什麼是『如來族』？」
Mañjuśrī replied, “Noble sir, the family of the tathāgatas consists of all basic egoism; of ignorance and the thirst for existence; of lust, hate, and folly; of the four misapprehensions; of the five obscurations; of the six sense-media; of the seven abodes of consciousness; of the eight perverse paths; of the nine causes of irritation; and of the paths of the ten sins. Such is the family of the tathāgatas. In short, noble sir, the sixty-two kinds of convictions constitute the family of the tathāgatas!”
文殊菩薩回答說：「尊者啊，如來族由所有基本的我執組成；由無明和有愛組成；由貪、嗔、癡組成；由四顛倒組成；由五蓋組成；由六處組成；由七識住組成；由八邪道組成；由九惱事組成；以及由十惡道組成。這就是如來族。簡單說，尊者啊，六十二種見解構成了如來族！」
7.10Vimalakīrti : Mañjuśrī, with what in mind do you say so?
7.10維摩詰：文殊菩薩，你是基於什麼而這樣說的？
Mañjuśrī : Noble sir, one who stays in the fixed determination of the vision of the uncreated is not capable of conceiving the spirit of unexcelled perfect enlightenment. However, one who lives among created things, in the mines of passions, without seeing any truth, is indeed capable of conceiving the spirit of unexcelled perfect enlightenment.
文殊菩薩：尊者，住於無為之見的堅定決心的人，是不能發起無上圓滿菩提心的。然而，那些生活在被造化的事物中，在煩惱的礦藏裡，卻看不到任何諦的人，反而確實能夠發起無上圓滿菩提心。
7.11Noble sir, flowers like the blue lotus, the red lotus, the white lotus, the water lily, [F.215.b] and the moon lily do not grow on the dry ground in the wilderness, but do grow in the swamps and mud banks. Just so, the buddha-qualities do not grow in living beings certainly destined for the uncreated but do grow in those living beings who are like swamps and mud banks of passions. Likewise, just as seeds do not grow in the sky but do grow in the earth, so the buddha-qualities do not grow in those determined for the absolute but do grow in those who, after having produced a Sumeru-like mountain of egoistic views, conceive the spirit of enlightenment, from which all the buddha-qualities then arise.
7.11尊者，就像藍蓮花、紅蓮花、白蓮花、睡美蓮和月蓮這些花朵不生長在荒野的乾地上，而是生長在沼澤和泥岸，同樣地，佛陀的品質不在確定趣向無為的有情身上生長，卻在那些如同煩惱沼澤和泥岸的有情身上生長。同理，正如種子不在天空中生長而在土地中生長，佛陀的品質不在確定趣向絕對真理的有情身上生長，卻在那些堆積起須彌山般巨大的我見之後，生起菩提心的有情身上生長，所有的佛陀品質由此而生。
7.12Noble sir, through these considerations one can understand that all passions constitute the family of the tathāgatas. Just as, noble sir, without going out into the great ocean, it is impossible to find precious, priceless pearls, so likewise, without going into the ocean of passions, it is impossible to obtain the mind of omniscience.
7.12尊者啊，藉由這些敬重，人們可以體悟到所有的煩惱構成了如來族。尊者啊，正如不進入大海就不可能找到寶貴、無價的珍珠一樣，同樣地，不進入煩惱的海洋就不可能獲得一切種智的意。
7.13Then, the elder Mahākāśyapa applauded the crown prince Mañjuśrī: “Good! Good, Mañjuśrī! This is indeed well spoken! This is right! The passions do indeed constitute the family of the tathāgatas. How can such as we, the disciples, conceive the spirit of enlightenment, or become fully enlightened in regard to the qualities of the Buddha? Only those guilty of the five deadly sins can conceive the spirit of enlightenment and can attain buddhahood, which is the full accomplishment of the qualities of the Buddha!
7.13那時，長老摩訶迦葉稱讚王子文殊菩薩說：「好的！很好啊，文殊菩薩！這確實說得很好！這是正確的！煩惱確實構成了如來族。像我們這樣的聲聞，怎麼能夠發起菩提心，或者對佛陀的功德而得到究竟的菩提呢？只有那些犯了五無間罪的人才能夠發起菩提心，才能夠成就佛道，那就是佛陀功德的圓滿成就！
7.14“Just as the five desire objects have no impression or effect on those bereft of faculties, in the same way all the qualities of the Buddha have no impression or effect on the disciples, who have abandoned all adherences. Thus, the disciples can never appreciate those qualities.
7.14「就像五欲境對於沒有感官能力的人沒有任何印象或作用一樣，同樣地，佛陀的一切功德對於已經放棄一切執著的聲聞也沒有任何印象或作用。因此，聲聞永遠無法領悟到那些功德。」
7.15“Therefore, Mañjuśrī, the ordinary individual is grateful to the Tathāgata, but the disciples are not grateful. Why? [F.216.a] Ordinary individuals, upon learning of the virtues of the Buddha, conceive the spirit of unexcelled perfect enlightenment, in order to ensure the uninterrupted continuity of the heritage of the Three Jewels; but the disciples, although they may hear of the qualities, powers, and fearlessnesses of the Buddha until the end of their days, are not capable of conceiving the spirit of unexcelled perfect enlightenment.”
7.15「因此，文殊菩薩，普通人對如來心懷感恩，但聲聞弟子卻不感恩。為什麼呢？普通人聽聞佛陀的功德後，就能發起無上圓滿菩提心，以此確保三寶傳承的不斷延續；但聲聞弟子，雖然直到生命終了都聽聞佛陀的品質、威力和無畏，卻無法發起無上圓滿菩提心。」
7.16Thereupon, the bodhisattva Sarvarūpasaṃdarśana, who was present in that assembly, addressed the Licchavi Vimalakīrti: “Householder, where are your father and mother, your children, your wife, your servants, your maids, your laborers, and your attendants? Where are your friends, your relatives, and your kinsmen? Where are your servants, your horses, your elephants, your chariots, your bodyguards, and your bearers?”
7.16於是菩薩薩婆若波桑陀羅舍那，在那次集會中，向離車維摩詰提問：「居士，你的父親和母親在哪裡？你的兒女、妻子、僕人、婢女、勞工和侍從在哪裡？你的朋友、親戚和血親在哪裡？你的隨從、馬匹、象隻、車駕、衛隊和抬轎人在哪裡？」
Thus addressed, the Licchavi Vimalakīrti spoke the following verses to the bodhisattva Sarvarūpasaṃdarśana:
維摩詰離車聽到這些問題，對菩薩薩婆若菩薩散陀舍那說了以下的偈頌：