The Weimojing wenshu『維摩経文疏』is a Zhiyi’s commentary on the text of Kumārajīva’s translation of the Vimalakīrti-nirdesa-sūtra (Weimojie suoshuo jing 維摩詰所說經).
Zhiyi 智顗(538-597) composed the commentary with twenty-five fascicles in his latest years at the request of Prince Guang of Jin. After Zhiyi died, his disciple Guanding 灌頂(561-632), the fourth patriarch of the Tiantai school, made up the commentary to twenty-eight fascicles. This Zhiyi’s commentary seemed to have been one of the most important works to research his latest doctrinal thought by the reason that the work had been dictated by himself. In spite of that, the commentary had not been studied so often because of its great amount. Since Zhanran 湛然(711-782) had distilled the Zhiyi’s Weimojing wenshu, and made the Weimo jing lue shou『維摩經略疏』with 10 fascicles, his concise commentary was generally available for study on the Weimojie suoshuo jing in Tiantai school. In the above circumstances, at the present, although Zhanran’s concise commentary is put in Taishō shinshū daizōkyō『大正新脩大蔵経』, Zhiyi’s is not in spite of its value.
Recently some new studies on Zhiyi’s commentary have been made in overall aspects, that is, from philological study to doctrinal thoughts one. Among them, Dr. Shunei Hirai’s study is notable in pointing that not only in the Guanding’s additional part of the Zhiyi’s commentary but also in the Zhiyi’s own dictation part, Guanding’s additions from Jizang’s 吉蔵(549- 623) works, were to be discovered in the existing text. Scrutinizing the citations from Jizang’s works, these citations on Zhiyi’s dictation part turned out to be trivial, in terms of his doctrinal thought. Therefore it can be safely said that Zhiyi’s commentary is as valuable as it thought to be. The author decided to make an annotated Japanese-translation of the Weimojing wenshu, which has not yet been made in Japan. The author used 『維摩経文疏』(Sūtra Number 338, vol. 18 of Shinsan Dainihon Zokuzōkyō 新纂大日本続蔵経as original. It comprises 90 volumes, including 2 catalogues, which has been published from 1975 to 1980 by Kokusho Kankōkai 国書刊行会, mainly edited by Dr. Kosho Kawamura 河村孝照. And this newly edited Chinese Buddhist canon features great easy-of-use, which is succeeded from Taishō shinshū daizōkyō 大正新脩大蔵経in its form. And now one has access to Electric-text version of Shinsan Dainihon Zokuzōkyō via web site of CBETA (Taiwan-based Chinese Buddhist Electronic Text Association 中華電子仏典協会.)
This installment contains merely a few paragraphs, i.e. from X.18.485a14 to X.18.488c9. I intend to continue publication of the annotated translation in the future issues.
