金剛般若經贊述 1.52

1.52

言「食時」者，謂齋時也。此下一一皆有所表，故《無垢稱經》云，佛告阿難陀，諸佛凡所有威儀進止，無非佛事也。何故今云食時也？此顯食訖說經，日即正中，表其所說大乘無相理捨離空、有二邊執，故食時者，謂即說經差別時分也。此表欲說無相之教，先觀無相之理，如欲說《無量義經》，先入無量義處三昧，觀無量義處之理。佛以慧為命，無相為食，欲說無相之教，先以慧觀無相妙理，後方說之，故言食時也。

Regarding 'mealtime', it refers to the time for the midday meal. Below, each of these symbolizes something, as the *Vimalakīrtinirdeśa Sūtra* states: the Buddha told Ānanda that all the deportment and movements of the Buddhas are nothing other than Buddha-work. Why does it now say 'mealtime'? This shows that when the meal is finished and the sūtra is expounded, the sun is exactly at midday, symbolizing that the Mahāyāna principle of the signless that is expounded abandons attachment to the two extremes of emptiness and existence; hence 'mealtime' refers to the distinctive time for preaching the sūtra. This symbolizes that when about to preach the signless teaching, one first contemplates the signless principle, just as when about to preach the *Innumerable Meanings Sūtra*, [the Buddha] first entered the samādhi of the station of innumerable meanings and contemplated the principle of the station of innumerable meanings. The Buddha takes wisdom as life and the signless as food; wishing to preach the signless teaching, he first contemplates the wondrous signless principle with wisdom and only then expounds it; hence it says 'mealtime'.