金剛般若波羅蜜經略疏 1.12

1.12

The introductory sūtra text has six clauses: first, 'Thus': the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa states that it means faithful compliance, compared to faith in the real dharma, compliant and respectfully held up. Second, 'have I heard'. Third, 'At one time': this has three meanings: first, the time of equality, meaning free from sinking, floating, or inversion; second, the time of correspondence, meaning now hearing, able to hear, and correctly hearing; third, the time of turning the wheel of the Dharma, meaning correctly speaking and correctly receiving. Fourth, 'the Buddha, the Bhagavat': this has many meanings, namely the fulfillment of body, speech, and mind, etc. Fifth, the dwelling place. Sixth, the assembly hearing together, distinguishing the capacities addressed and the reverberating assembly hearing together. Another explanation: the former two clauses are confined to attesting credibility; the latter four clauses also extend in meaning to the initiation. Question: Why is there no bodhisattva assembly? Answer: Prajñā is firm, extremely deep, and hard to comprehend; if the reverberating assembly and the capacities addressed included bodhisattvas, śrāvakas who have turned their minds and ordinary beings would be completely excluded from this; wishing to draw in those of lesser capacity, it is omitted and not mentioned.