仁王護國般若經疏 1.23

1.23

「聞」者，阿難，佛得道夜生，侍佛二十餘年，未侍佛時應是不聞。《大論》云「阿難展轉聞，非是悉聞。」《報恩經》阿難乞四願，未聞之法願佛重說。《胎藏經》云「佛從金棺出金色臂，重為阿難現入胎出胎相，諸經因此皆得稱聞。」《法華》云「阿難得記，即時憶念過去佛法，令如現在前，故一切稱聞。」因緣釋也。若歡喜阿難，面如淨滿月，眼若青蓮華，親承佛旨如仰完器盛水瀉之異缾，一句無遺。此持聞聞法也。歡喜賢住學地，得空無相願，六根不漏，持聞不聞法也。典藏阿難多所含受，如雲持雨，此持不聞聞法也。阿難海是多聞士，自然能了常與無常等。若知如來常不說法，是名多聞。佛法大海水，流入阿難心，此持不聞不聞法也。此經具三教，即阿難一人以三德傳持也云云。

Regarding 'heard': Ānanda was born on the night the Buddha attained the Path and attended the Buddha for more than twenty years; during the time he did not attend the Buddha, he would presumably not have heard. The Dàzhìdù lùn says: 'Ānanda heard through indirect transmission, not hearing everything directly.' In the Sūtra on Repaying Kindness, Ānanda requested four vows, wishing the Buddha to preach again the teachings he had not heard. The Garbhakośa Sūtra says: 'From the golden coffin, the Buddha extended his golden arm and manifested again for Ānanda the signs of entering and emerging from the womb; because of this, all sūtras could be said to be heard [by him].' The Lotus Sūtra says: 'When Ānanda received his prediction, he immediately recollected the Buddha-Dharma of the past, making it appear as if right before his eyes; therefore, everything is termed "heard".' This is the explanation in terms of causes and conditions. If it is the Joyful Ānanda, whose face was like the pure full moon and whose eyes were like blue lotus blossoms, who personally received the Buddha's instructions as if one elevated a flawless vessel to hold water and poured it into another pitcher without a single phrase left out—this is maintaining the Dharma of hearing what was heard. The Joyful Worthy, abiding on the stage of learning, attains emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness, with his six faculties free of outflow—this is maintaining the Dharma of hearing what was not heard. The Treasury-Preserving Ānanda contains and receives much, like a cloud holding rain—this is maintaining the Dharma of not hearing what was heard. Ānanda-Ocean is a man of great learning who naturally can understand the eternal and the impermanent, and so forth. If one knows that the Tathāgata constantly preaches no Dharma, this is called great learning. The water of the great ocean of the Buddha-Dharma flowed into Ānanda's mind—this is maintaining the Dharma of not hearing what was not heard. This sūtra possesses the three teachings; that is, Ānanda, as one single person, transmits and maintains them through the three virtues, and so forth.