金剛三昧經論 1.13

1.13

The commentary says: Below this is the second, specific prologue, which comprises four parts:
First, the comportment part;
Second, the sūtra-preaching part;
Third, the entering-samādhi part;
Fourth, the verse-recapitulation part.
The comportment part is as the sūtra says: "At that time, the Venerable One was surrounded by a great assembly."
The sūtra-preaching part is as the sūtra says: "for the great assembly he preached a Mahāyāna sūtra," and so forth. The stylistic structure of this sūtra resembles the prologue of the *Lotus Sūtra*, as that text states: "At that time, the World-Honoured One was surrounded by the fourfold assembly, and preached a Mahāyāna sūtra named *Immeasurable Meanings*." In the commentary on that sūtra, it designates this sūtra-name as an alternative title for the *Lotus Sūtra*. Its meaning was that because it was preached previously, it is called the prologue section. Looking now at the stylistic structure of this sūtra, these are all the narrator's introductory words; inferring from this, it must be an independent sūtra that was preached extensively beforehand. Having preached it, he entered samādhi; rising from samādhi, he then preached the *Vajrasamādhi-sūtra*. After stating the thesis of the sūtra, he then speaks the name of the sūtra; one should know that the title *The Single Taste, the Real*, etc., is the title of the extensive sūtra preached previously. Although the general purports of these two sūtras are identical, their textual forms differ. The one preached previously extensively expounded the Dharma gate for the benefit of that time; the one preached subsequently concisely condensed the Dharma gate for the benefit of the latter age. Therefore, it was preached extensively beforehand as the cause and condition for the concise sūtra.
This sūtra-preaching part has two textual aspects: first, introducing the sūtra's name; second, praising the sūtra's virtues. From "If someone hears" onward is the second part.