金剛經纂要刊定記 3.170

3.170

德長年老者，謂德高曰長，年多曰老也。唐譯下。證年老。魏譯下。證德長。智慧超倫即是德長義也。然以慧為命者，約喻顯法也。謂人身以命為本，佛法以慧為本，命盡則六根俱廢，慧喪則萬行不成云云。此約別義釋長老也。若通意者，但有德業便名長老，如云先生未必年老矣。

On "senior in virtue and aged in years": one lofty in virtue is called "senior," and one advanced in years is called "aged." On "the Tang translation": this substantiates agedness in years. On "the Wei translation": this substantiates seniority in virtue. Wisdom surpassing peers is precisely the meaning of seniority in virtue. Now, taking wisdom as life-breath uses a metaphor to reveal the Dharma: as the human body takes life-breath as its basis, the Buddha Dharma takes wisdom as its basis; when life-breath is exhausted, the six sense faculties are all defunct, and when wisdom is lost, the myriad practices come to nothing, and so on. This explains "elder" (sthavira / āyuṣmat) according to a specific meaning. If according to the general sense, anyone possessing virtue and deeds is called elder, just as calling someone "sir" does not necessarily mean they are aged in years.