金剛般若波羅蜜經略疏 1.90

1.90

In this first text, there are broadly four parts: first, there are three phrases generally displaying the marks of faith; second, from 'Why is that, Subhūti' onwards, two phrases bringing forth the essence of faith; third, from 'World-Honoured One, if there is again a person' onwards, four phrases displaying the virtue of faith; fourth, from 'World-Honoured One, for me now to hear such' onwards, displaying the excellence of the virtue of faith. This text has four parts: first, adducing what is easy to display what is difficult, in order to establish the proposition; second, from 'If in a future age' onwards, directly displaying the excellence of faith; third, from 'Why is that' onwards, three phrases of question and answer displaying faith's freedom from marks; fourth, from 'The Buddha told Subhūti, so it is, so it is' onwards, concluding its rarity and describing the meaning of its faith. Therein are five phrases, which can be understood. Question: Why is it that since Subhūti attained the wisdom-eye he had not heard this sūtra? Answer: Because Subhūti's capacity was that of one receiving the Dharma, although he had attained the wisdom-eye of the Hīnayāna, he had not heard the great Dharma; turning his mind, he attained the great, hence he said 'rare'. 'Prajñāpāramitā is precisely not prajñāpāramitā' means that this dharma gate of wisdom is firm, solid, profound, and wondrous, not the pāramitā of conceptual discrimination of other persons. The text saying 'the true mark is precisely non-mark' refers to faith being pure and free from marks; furthermore, 'true mark, true mark' refers to the reality of non-mark. When the text says 'this person has no notion of a self, etc.', it demonstrates the unperverted mark of the grasped object; and saying 'the notion of a self is precisely non-mark' demonstrates the unperverted mark of the grasping realm. These two marks are the emptiness of self and emptiness of dharmas, because of the wisdom of non-self. When the text says 'not alarmed', it means not giving rise to fear in what is not a [proper] place [for fear]; 'not terrified' means not giving rise to a mind incapable of severing doubt; 'not afraid' means not being entirely fearful. When the text says 'what the Tathāgata preaches as the foremost pāramitā is precisely not the foremost', it is because this sūtra's dharma gate surpasses the other sūtras. This dharma gate is called the great cause, hence the Tathāgata preaches it as the foremost pāramitā. Furthermore, this dharma gate is called purity, and is preached in common by all Buddhas.