金剛般若疏 1.19

1.19

第十、正釋文。「如是我聞」。通序有六事如是者：第一、明所聞之法。問曰：佛是一切智人，無師自悟，不從他聞，何故言如是我聞？若言如是我聞，即從他聞，非一切智人也。答曰：已如前釋，此非佛自稱如是我聞，乃是勅於侍者令稱我聞。復次，此是阿難等大弟子，自稱如是我聞，如集法藏中說：阿難登高座，大迦葉問曰：「何處最初說法？」阿難合掌向涅槃方，答大迦葉云：「如是我聞，佛初在鹿苑，為五比丘說法。」是故非佛自稱。真諦三藏述婆藪釋云「阿難將誦出法藏，登無畏座，變身如佛，三十二相、八十種好。是時，大眾生三種疑：一、謂釋迦雖復前滅，今還重出，為我說法；二、謂釋迦已滅，此是他方佛來；三、謂釋迦雖滅，阿難既為佛弟子，今遂成佛，代於佛處。為有此三疑，是以阿難即便釋疑，云：『如是我聞』，明如來如是已滅，我從佛邊聞，非上三事也。」

Tenth, the direct explanation of the text.

"Thus have I heard."

In the general introduction there are six items. Regarding "Thus" (evam):

First, it clarifies the Dharma that was heard. Question: "The Buddha is the omniscient person, who awakened on his own without a teacher and did not hear it from another. Why does it say 'Thus have I heard'? If it says 'Thus have I heard,' then it was heard from another, and he is not the omniscient person." Answer: As already explained earlier, this is not the Buddha referring to himself as 'Thus have I heard'; rather, it was an instruction to his attendant ordering him to say 'I have heard.' Furthermore, this is great disciples such as Ānanda referring to themselves as 'Thus have I heard.' As stated in the Compilation of the Dharma Pitaka: Ānanda mounted the high seat, and Mahākāśyapa asked, 'Where was the Dharma first taught?' Ānanda joined his palms facing the direction of nirvāṇa and answered Mahākāśyapa, saying, 'Thus have I heard: when the Buddha was first in Mṛgadāva, he taught the Dharma for the five bhikṣus.' Therefore, it is not the Buddha referring to himself. Tripiṭaka Master Paramārtha related Vasubandhu's explanation, saying: 'When Ānanda was about to recite the Dharma Piṭaka, he mounted the fearless lion seat, and his body transformed to be like the Buddha's, with the thirty-two marks and eighty secondary signs. At that time, the great assembly gave rise to three kinds of doubt: first, they thought that although Śākyamuni had previously passed into extinction, he had now returned again to teach the Dharma for our sake; second, they thought that Śākyamuni had already passed into extinction, and this was a Buddha who had come from another realm; third, they thought that although Śākyamuni had passed into extinction, Ānanda, having been the Buddha's disciple, had now accomplished Buddhahood and taken the Buddha's place. Because there were these three doubts, Ānanda immediately resolved their doubts, saying, "Thus have I heard," clarifying that the Tathāgata has thus already passed into extinction and that I heard this directly from the Buddha, not that any of the above three matters occurred.'