仁王般若經疏 1.16

1.16

問：阿難是佛得道夜半生，年二十五始來事佛。佛自成道所說甚多，其人並不在坐，而悉稱我聞者，其義如何？答：《報恩經》第六卷具述阿難乞諸願「所未聞經願佛重說」，故皆是親承也。《釋論》第二，阿難自說偈云「佛初說法時，爾時我不見，如是展轉聞，佛在波羅捺，佛為五比丘，初開甘露門，說四真諦法。」此謂佛重說，名展轉聞也。《菩薩處胎經》云「佛在雙林已入金棺，起授金手問阿難：『自我前來為諸菩薩說大乘方等經，汝悉知不？』對曰：『唯佛乃知。』又問：『我昔昇忉利天為母說法，汝知不？』答曰：『不知。』又問：『我處在龍宮為諸龍說法，汝知不？』答曰：『不知。』又問：『我昔處胎轉妙法輪，汝知不？』答曰：『不知。』如是問竟，佛告阿難：『汝今諦聽，我當為汝一一解說。』如來口密一時併授，阿難得佛覺三昧，一時併領。」阿難得佛覺三昧，出《舍利弗問經》「阿難修悟不忘禪，宿習總持，得佛覺三昧也。」若依《金剛仙論》，明三種阿難：一大乘阿難，即阿難海，持大乘法藏；二中乘阿難，即阿難陀婆羅，持中乘法藏；三小乘阿難，即名阿難賢，持小乘法藏。今此經理玄相寂、因圓果滿，廣大如法界、究竟如虛空，故云阿難海稱我聞也。

Question: Ānanda was born at midnight on the night the Buddha attained the path, and came to serve the Buddha only when he was twenty-five years old. What the Buddha expounded since his attainment of the path was very extensive; Ānanda was not present for any of it, yet he says of all of it, 'have I heard'—what is the meaning of this? Answer: Fascicle six of the Bao'en jing fully relates that Ānanda made several vows: 'May the Buddha repeat for me the sūtras I have not yet heard'; therefore, all were received personally. In the second fascicle of the Commentary, Ānanda speaks a verse himself: 'When the Buddha first expounded the Dharma, / at that time I did not see it; / thus hearing it indirectly: / the Buddha in Vārāṇasī, / for the sake of the five monks, / first opened the gate of ambrosia, / expounding the Dharma of the four true truths.' This refers to the Buddha repeating it, which is called 'hearing indirectly.' The Pusa chutai jing states: 'When the Buddha in the Twin Trees had already entered the golden coffin, he arose, extended his golden hand, and asked Ānanda: "From my beginning onward, I have expounded the Mahāyāna Vaipulya sūtras for the bodhisattvas; do you know them all or not?" Ānanda replied: "Only the Buddha knows." The Buddha again asked: "Formerly I ascended to the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven to expound the Dharma for my mother; do you know it or not?" Ānanda answered: "I do not know." The Buddha again asked: "When I dwelt in the dragon palace expounding the Dharma for the dragons; do you know it or not?" Ānanda answered: "I do not know." The Buddha again asked: "Formerly when I dwelt in the womb turning the wondrous wheel of the Dharma; do you know it or not?" Ānanda answered: "I do not know." Having questioned him thus, the Buddha told Ānanda: "Listen attentively now, and I shall explain them to you one by one." The Tathāgata's oral secret was transmitted all at once, and Ānanda attained the samādhi of awakening to the Buddha, grasping everything all at once.' Ānanda's attainment of the samādhi of awakening to the Buddha comes from the Śāriputraparipṛcchā-sūtra: 'Ānanda cultivated the dhyāna of realizing without forgetting, had long practiced dhāraṇī, and attained the samādhi of awakening to the Buddha.' If one relies on the Jin'gangxian lun, it clarifies three kinds of Ānanda: first, the Mahāyāna Ānanda, who is Ānandasāgara, upholding the Mahāyāna treasury of the Dharma; second, the Middle Vehicle Ānanda, who is Ānandabhadra, upholding the Middle Vehicle treasury of the Dharma; third, the Hīnayāna Ānanda, who is named Ānandabhadra [the Worthy], upholding the Hīnayāna treasury of the Dharma. Now the principle of this sūtra is profound and its marks quiescent, its causes complete and its fruits full, vast as the dharmadhātu and ultimate as empty space; therefore it was Ānandasāgara who stated 'have I heard.'