大般涅槃經義記 2.75

2.75

下列請辭，三門分別，一定問多少。昔來相傳，云此偈中三十六問。準法驗答，此中具有四十二問。人復所以言三十六，說共聖行乃至歲星合為一問，眾生大依兩足妙藥，今欲問陰，而我無智不以為問，是故但云三十六矣。彼共聖行乃至歲星四種譬喻，下皆別答，何得為一？若以此等共一，云何便為一問？初偈之中，云何得壽、金剛不壞亦應為一，彼得分二，此別何疑？眾生大依兩足妙藥，今欲問陰，此等下文皆有別答，何為非問？多少如此。

Next, the words of the request are set forth, distinguished through three portals. First, determining the number of questions. Past traditions have said that in these verses there are thirty-six questions. Checking against the Dharma and verifying from the answers, there are actually forty-two questions here. The reason people also said thirty-six is that they combined the passage from sharing the noble practice up to the morning star into a single question, and took "the great refuge of sentient beings," "the two-footed one," "the wonderful medicine," and "now wishing to ask about the aggregates, yet I lack wisdom" as not being questions; therefore they merely said thirty-six. Those four similes, from sharing the noble practice up to the morning star, are all answered separately below; how could they be made into one? If these are together made one, how could that be just a single question? In the first verse, how one attains longevity and the unbreakable vajra body should also be one; if that can be divided into two, what doubt can there be regarding this division? "The great refuge of sentient beings," "the two-footed one," "the wonderful medicine," and "now wishing to ask about the aggregates"—all of these have separate answers in the text below; why would they not be questions? The number is thus.