金剛般若疏 1.21

1.21

「我聞」者，此第二、明能聞之人。我者，所以阿難自稱我者，一、欲證親從佛邊聞故，非是傳聞。所以者何？我今親從如來聞，是故稱我。二者、欲顯阿難過去世願行成就，是故稱我。阿難無量劫來修習多聞，本願力故得陀羅尼，一經於耳永無漏失，曾不再問，譬如寫水置之異器。故《法華》云「我與阿難於空王佛所同時發心，而我好精進，遂致作佛。阿難常樂多聞，故持我法藏。」又如經云「釋迦本昔為迦葉佛作沙彌，師日日限誦經千言，兼為師乞食，恐誦經不上，一心憂懼。阿難于時為長者，在路見之憂色，便問所以，故具答上事。長者仍語沙彌：『日日給食，令得安心誦經，莫復憂惱。』長者發願言：『若沙彌成佛，我當為法藏第一弟子。』」以顯宿願滿足，故稱為我。三者、以自在故，所以稱我。如《大經》云「阿難具足多聞智慧。一切眾生不能一時具領佛語；設能具領，無陀羅尼力，不能憶而不忘；雖有憶而不忘，亦不能具三慧。」於聞法中不能自在，不名為我。我者，是自在義。今阿難能一時具領佛語，亦能永持不忘。四者、具足發生三慧，於聞法中而得自在，是故稱我。問曰：佛法無我，何故稱我？答：《中論》云「諸法實相中，非我非無我，欲引導眾生，故假名說我。」是故無過。「聞」者，所以稱聞，亦具數義：一者、欲顯所聞人德。阿難所聞，不從外道，及佛弟子、仙人、化人及諸天聞，今所聞者從一切智人邊聞。二者、欲顯所聞法最勝。明佛法名句味巧妙，義理深淨。若外道法，但有語言，無有實義；若聞佛法，名為正聞。三者、所顯理最勝。佛法正道圓滿具足，無有顛倒，如理而說，名為正說；如理而聞，名為正聞。四者、行最勝，故名正聞。依正教修行，即是行中最勝，故名為正聞。五者、修行得正果，故為正聞。正果者，所謂大般涅槃。問：為用神聞？為用識聞？為用根聞？為和合聞？若用神聞，何故神用耳聞，不用眼聞？若用識聞，亦如是難。若用根聞，無有識時，空根應聞；若一一不能聞者，和合亦不能聞。以如是義，悉無有聞。答曰：今言聞者，是因緣聞。因緣聞者，是不聞聞，聞而無所聞。是以經云「其說法者，無說無示；其聽法者，無聞無得。」如來說無所說，阿難聞無所聞，如此說聽，乃可相成。

"I have heard": this is the second, clarifying the person who was able to hear. Regarding "I": the reasons why Ānanda refers to himself as "I" are, first, he wished to verify that he heard it personally from the Buddha, not through hearsay. Why is this? "I now personally heard it from the Tathāgata"; therefore he says "I." Second, he wished to reveal that Ānanda's vows and practices in past lives had been fulfilled; therefore he says "I." Ānanda practiced much-hearing for immeasurable kalpas, and through the power of his original vow he obtained dhāraṇī: once passing through his ears, it was never lost, and he never asked a second time, just like pouring water from one vessel into another. Thus the Lotus Sūtra says: 'Ānanda and I aroused the mind [for bodhi] at the same time in the presence of the Buddha Empty King; but I was fond of vigor and consequently attained Buddhahood, whereas Ānanda constantly rejoiced in much-hearing, and therefore he upholds my treasury of the Dharma.' Furthermore, as a sūtra says: 'Formerly, in the past, Śākyamuni was a novice under Kāśyapa Buddha. His master set a daily limit for him to recite one thousand words of scripture, and in addition he had to beg for food for his master. Fearing that he could not keep up with the recitation of the scripture, his mind was distressed and fearful. At that time, Ānanda was an elder. Seeing his distressed countenance on the road, he asked the reason, and [the novice] answered fully as above. The elder then said to the novice: "I will provide you with food daily, so that your mind may be at peace to recite the scripture, and you need no longer be worried." The elder made a vow, saying: "If this novice accomplishes Buddhahood, I shall be the foremost disciple of the Dharma treasury."' To reveal that his past vow was fulfilled, he therefore says 'I.' Third, because of mastery (svatantra), he therefore says 'I.' As the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says: 'Ānanda is complete in much-hearing and wisdom. All sentient beings are incapable of fully comprehending the Buddha's words at one time; even if they can fully comprehend them, without the power of dhāraṇī they cannot remember them without forgetting; even if they can remember them without forgetting, they cannot be complete in the three types of wisdom.' Not having mastery with regard to hearing the Dharma, one is not named 'I.' 'I' has the meaning of mastery. Now Ānanda was able to fully comprehend the Buddha's words at one time, and he was also able to hold them forever without forgetting. Fourth, being fully endowed with and giving rise to the three wisdoms, he obtained mastery in hearing the Dharma; therefore he says 'I.' Question: 'The Buddha-Dharma has no self; why does he say "I"?' Answer: The Mūlamadhyamakakārikā says: 'In the dharmatā of all dharmas, there is neither self nor non-self; wishing to guide sentient beings, it speaks of "I" by nominal designation.' Therefore there is no fault.

Regarding 'heard': the reasons why he says 'heard' also comprise several meanings: First, he wished to reveal the virtue of the person heard from: what Ānanda heard was not from non-Buddhists, disciples of the Buddha, ṛṣis, illusory beings, or the devas; what he has now heard was heard directly from the omniscient person. Second, he wished to reveal that the Dharma heard is supreme, clarifying that the words, phrases, and syllables of the Buddha-Dharma are subtle and wonderful, and their principles are profound and pure. If it were non-Buddhist teachings, there would only be language without true meaning; when hearing the Buddha-Dharma, it is called correct hearing. Third, the principle revealed is supreme: the correct path of the Buddha-Dharma is complete and perfect, without distortion; teaching in accordance with the principle is called correct teaching, and hearing in accordance with the principle is called correct hearing. Fourth, the practice is supreme; hence it is called correct hearing: cultivating practice in reliance on the correct teaching is the most supreme among practices; hence it is called correct hearing. Fifth, cultivating practice to attain the correct fruit; hence it is correct hearing: the correct fruit is so-called great parinirvāṇa. Question: Does one hear using the soul (ātman/jīva)? Does one hear using consciousness? Does one hear using the sense faculty? Or does one hear through their combination? If one hears using the soul, why does the soul hear using the ear and not using the eye? If one hears using consciousness, the same objection applies. If one hears using the sense faculty, when there is no consciousness, the bare faculty ought to hear. If each individually cannot hear, then in combination they also cannot hear. By such reasoning, there is no hearing at all. Answer: What is now called 'hearing' is hearing through causes and conditions. Hearing through causes and conditions is the hearing of non-hearing, hearing yet with nothing heard. Therefore the sūtra says: 'He who teaches the Dharma has nothing taught and nothing shown; he who listens to the Dharma has nothing heard and nothing attained.' The Tathāgata teaches with nothing taught, and Ānanda hears with nothing heard; only such teaching and listening can complement each other.