金剛般若經疏論纂要 1.6

1.6

Approaching the explanation of this sūtra, before entering into the text, the doctrinal divisions are set forth in advance and briefly divided into four sections: first, to discern the causes and conditions for the teaching's arising; second, to clarify the sūtra's central doctrine and essence; third, to distinguish the locations and assemblies; fourth, to interpret and penetrate the text and meaning. In the first section, there are two parts: first, a general discussion of the various teachings, namely responding to causes and responding to requests, revealing principle and delivering sentient beings. In terms of the Buddha's original intent, he appeared in the world solely for the sake of the one great causal matter, wishing to cause sentient beings to open the Buddha's vision and knowledge, and so forth. Second, distinctively revealing this sūtra through five [points]: first, to counteract the two graspings, at self and at dharmas. Due to these two graspings arise the two obscurations, afflictive and cognitive. Because the afflictive obscuration obstructs the mind, the mind is not liberated, creating karma, undergoing rebirth, and transmigrating through the five destinies. Because the cognitive obscuration obstructs wisdom, wisdom is not liberated, failing to understand one's own mind and failing to comprehend the nature and characteristics of dharmas; even if one escapes the three realms, one remains stuck in the two vehicles and cannot achieve Buddhahood, hence they are called obscurations. If the two graspings are removed, the two obscurations are consequently severed; it is to eliminate the two graspings that this sūtra was expounded. Second, to block and sever the two kinds of doubt: bīja and manifest activity. It blocks doubts whose bījas have not yet arisen, and severs doubts whose manifest activity has arisen; this refers to following up after answering questions in the sūtra, cutting off doubts point by point, through twenty-seven sections up to the end of the sūtra. Third, to transform and eradicate the two karmas, light and heavy: transforming heavy karma so that it is experienced lightly, and eradicating light karma so that it is not experienced at all. Fourth, to demonstrate the two causes, merit and wisdom. Before the Buddha attained correct awakening and expounded prajñā, because sentient beings lacked wondrous wisdom, their giving and so forth abode in characteristics and all became contaminated, or they became stuck in the two vehicles; thus he expounded prajñā, revealing wondrous wisdom as the cause of the dharmakāya and the five pāramitās as the cause of the nirmāṇakāya. If one lacks prajñā, then the five [practices], such as giving, are not pāramitās, and are not called causes of Buddhahood. Therefore, one must have both adornments of merit and wisdom to become the Honoured One with Two Feet. Fifth, to illuminate the two fruits, the true and the responsive. Before hearing prajñā, people only claimed that physical form is the Buddha, not knowing that the responsive and transformative are merely shadows of the true, and not seeing the true body and responsive body as they truly are; therefore this [sūtra] illuminates the two fruits so they may know they are realized through the preceding two causes.