大般涅槃經集解 1.36

1.36

案寶亮曰：此經大致有四別。第一、從此訖老少二人譬，勸問也；第二、從多羅聚落迦葉以下，發問也；第三、從佛讚迦葉以下竟迦葉，答問也；第四、從憍陳如訖經，付囑流通也。所以第一通為勸問者，此經正以問答為宗。自雙樹以前所說半字皆不了義，欲令眾生有疑應問也。

Baoliang comments: In broad outline, this sūtra has four distinct parts: first, from this point through the parable of the two men, old and young, is the exhortation to question; second, from Kāśyapa of the Tāla settlement onward, is the raising of questions; third, from the Buddha's praise of Kāśyapa downward through the end of "Kāśyapa", is the answering of questions; and fourth, from Kauṇḍinya through the end of the sūtra, is the entrustment and dissemination. The reason why the first part is collectively taken as the exhortation to question is that this sūtra takes question and answer as its central tenet. What was spoken prior to the Twin Śāla Trees was all the half-word of inexplicit meaning; [the Buddha] wishes to cause sentient beings to ask questions if they have doubts.