金剛般若疏 1.19

1.19

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.'