大方廣佛華嚴經疏 14.4

14.4

二釋名者，菩薩是人，問明是法。遮果表因，故云菩薩。問即是難，明即是答。然問有二種：一汎爾相問，梵云必理車；二者難問，謂以理徵詰，梵云鉢羅室囊，即今品意也。答亦有二：一但依問詶報曰答；二若俱為解釋旁兼異義、美言讚述令理顯煥曰明，即今品意也。明亦破闇，能除問者之疑闇故。今文殊九首互為明難、遞作碪椎，研覈教理以悟群生，故以名也。又長行明起於問，偈頌明解於問，故曰問明。不云答者，欲以明兼於問故。問有二義故得稱明：一問中徵責詰難理盡，使答者亡言，此至明之問也。二以問中進退詰理令現，使答者易釋，故以為明。又明即法明，以十菩薩問出十種法明，故曰問明。雖諸義不同，皆菩薩之問明，依主釋也。

Second, as for explaining the title: 'bodhisattva' is the person, and 'clarifying through inquiries' is the doctrine. It blocks the fruition and expresses the cause; hence it says 'bodhisattva.' 'Inquiry' (wen) is questioning (interrogation), and 'clarifying' (ming) is answering. However, there are two kinds of inquiry: 1. asking casually, called pṛcchā in Sanskrit; 2. challenging and questioning, that is, examining and interrogating on the basis of reason, called praśna in Sanskrit, which is the meaning in this chapter. There are also two kinds of answer: 1. merely responding in accordance with the inquiry is called answering; 2. both explaining and concurrently touching upon different meanings, using beautiful speech and praise to make the noumenon brightly manifest is called clarifying, which is the meaning in this chapter. 'Clarifying' also shatters darkness, because it can dispel the darkness of the questioner's doubt. Now, Mañjuśrī and the other nine leaders mutually clarify and question, taking turns as anvil and hammer, scrutinizing the teaching and noumenon to awaken the multitude of beings; hence it is named this. Furthermore, the prose portion clarifies that it arises from inquiry, and the verses clarify understanding of the inquiry; hence it is called 'clarifying through inquiries.' It does not say 'answering' because it seeks to encompass the inquiry within the clarification. Because inquiry has two meanings, it may be termed 'clarifying': 1. the interrogation and examination within the inquiry exhaust the principle, causing the respondent to be speechless—this is an inquiry of utmost clarity; 2. the scrutiny of principle through advancing and retreating within the inquiry makes it apparent, enabling the respondent to easily explain it; hence it is taken as 'clarifying.' Furthermore, 'clarifying' means 'clarity of Dharma' (dharmāloka); because the ten bodhisattvas' inquiries bring forth ten kinds of clarity of Dharma, it is called 'clarifying through inquiries.' Although the various meanings differ, all are the clarifying through inquiries of bodhisattvas; this is an appositional compound (tatpuruṣa) interpretation.