[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [涅槃玄義發源機要](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1766) › 1.2 # 涅槃玄義發源機要 1.2 涅槃玄義發源機要 1.2 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [1.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1766.1.2) 夫涅槃無方、佛性無體，而菩薩見之謂之假、二乘見之謂之空、凡夫日用而不知，故如來之道鮮矣。古者能仁大覺，愍群機之未悟也，於是仰觀妙理、俯立嘉號，圓常之經於是乎作也。其體言見心，得兔忘蹄，不知紀極。洎乎去聖踰遠、人根漸鈍，故四依大士撰之以疏；童蒙之類又不能曉其旨，故人師申之以記，俾因記以了疏，因疏以知經，因經以識理，理斯達矣。孰為經乎？孰為疏乎？孰為記乎？混而為一則如來之道不遠而復。若乃考其功，則記為啟發之先也。故秉筆立言者，實難其人。甞試論之：夫欲開前疑、決後滯者，必在乎識也、學也、才也。匪識，胡以宗圓理、斷是非？匪學，胡以曉群言、通理論？匪才，則言之不文、行之不遠。三者備矣，始可與言筆削已矣。斯玄疏者，蓋章安法師用智者義趣、演龍猛宗旨，以申經意也。遂古作者莫之與京。圓不佞，識昧、學寡、才短，故非立言之人也。竊念斯文墜地，傳受道息，於是辯理解紛而筆記之，乃有《玄記》兩卷、《疏記》二十卷。文淺義迂，實無所取。意者，竢夫後世者有達如荊溪者，忿我之紕謬，秉洪筆敷麗藻而發揮之，俾斯經斯疏光大於時，導無窮之機入祕密藏者，豈不功由於我耶。夫經名者，題牓大理。經文者，剖析眾義。眾義由大理所出也，譬如觀發源必知其流多也，挹眾流必知其源一也。故玄之五義、疏之五門，大底申明於此旨，使大理眾義總別相涉無越三德爾。夫三德者，實諸佛之所證也、眾生之所具也，生佛不二同歸于心。若然者，則首題之總、品卷之別在我方寸，豈他物哉？甞撰疏記以指歸為名者，蓋令於別而識總也。今玄記以發源為號者，蓋令於總而識別也。此乃贊述疏主之微旨耳，豈古自我作哉。抑又此之《玄義》，皆用經語以成文章，具引則文煩、略之又義闕，繇是麁徵經文、聊輔大義，機要之名又在此也。吾宗達人且不以狂簡罪我。或有可觀無隱乎爾。時聖宋三葉天子在宥之十七載，大中祥符紀號之七年，歲次甲寅正月既望，錢塘沙門釋智圓字無外，於大慈山崇法寺方丈絕筆序云。 > Now, nirvāṇa has no spatial boundary, and Buddha-nature has no substantial essence; yet bodhisattvas view it and call it provisional, the two vehicles view it and call it empty, and ordinary people use it daily without knowing it. Thus the way of the Tathāgata is rare indeed. In ancient times Śākyamuni, the Great Awakened One, took pity on the unawakened capacities of the multitudes; thereupon, gazing up at the wonderful principle and looking down to establish auspicious titles, the sūtra of the perfect and eternal was thereupon produced. Its essence is to point to the mind through words; once the hare is caught, the snare is forgotten, knowing neither limit nor boundary. When the era of the sage receded ever farther and people's faculties grew gradually dull, the great beings of the four reliances composed commentaries on it; but the simple-minded were still unable to understand its purport, and so human teachers expounded it with subcommentaries, so that through the subcommentaries they might understand the commentaries, through the commentaries know the sūtra, and through the sūtra realize the principle—and thus the principle is penetrated. Which is the sūtra? Which is the commentary? Which is the subcommentary? Merged into one, the way of the Tathāgata returns before going far. If one examines their efficacy, then the subcommentary comes first in opening and inspiring. Therefore, among those who hold the brush and establish words, it is truly difficult to find the right person. I have once attempted to discuss this: whoever wishes to resolve past doubts and clear future blockages must surely depend on discernment, learning, and talent. Without discernment, how could one take the perfect principle as the source and decide right and wrong? Without learning, how could one comprehend diverse teachings and master the discourse of principles? Without talent, what is said will lack literary refinement and will not travel far. Only when these three are complete can one speak of editing with the brush. This profound commentary was composed by Dharma Master Zhang'an, who drew upon the purport of Zhizhe and expounded the cardinal tenets of Nāgārjuna to unfold the intention of the sūtra. Among ancient authors, none could rival him. I, Zhiyuan, am unaccomplished; my discernment is dim, my learning scanty, and my talent short; hence I am not one to establish words. Yet, privately reflecting that this text might fall into neglect and the path of transmission cease, I thereupon analyzed the principle, resolved perplexities, and recorded them with the brush, producing the Xuanji (Notes on the Profound Meaning) in two fascicles and the Shuji (Notes on the Commentary) in twenty fascicles. The text is shallow and the meaning roundabout, with truly nothing worth taking. My intention is to await a future person of penetration like Jingxi, who, offended by my errors, will wield a great brush, display elegant prose, and illuminate it—so that this sūtra and this commentary may shine brightly in their time, guiding infinite capacities to enter the secret treasury. Would that achievement not then originate from me? Now, the title of the sūtra displays the great principle. The text of the sūtra analyzes the manifold meanings. The manifold meanings arise from the great principle. For example, if one observes the tracing of the source, one will surely know that its streams are many; if one scoops up the many streams, one will surely know that their source is one. Therefore, the five meanings of the Profound Meaning and the five gates of the commentary generally elucidate this purport, causing the great principle and the manifold meanings, the general and the particular, to interpenetrate without going beyond the three virtues. These three virtues are truly what all buddhas have realized and what all sentient beings possess; sentient beings and buddhas are non-dual, returning together to the mind. If so, then the generality of the opening title and the particulars of the chapters and fascicles are within my own mind; how could they be external things? When I previously composed the subcommentary on the commentary, I named it Zhigui (Pointing to the Source) so that by means of the particular one might recognize the general. Now I title this subcommentary on the Profound Meaning Fayuan (Tracing the Source) so that by means of the general one might distinguish the particular. This merely praises and elaborates upon the subtle intention of the commentator; how could it be an ancient \[tradition\] initiated by myself? Moreover, this Profound Meaning everywhere uses the words of the sūtra to form its composition; quoting them fully would make the text cumbersome, while abbreviating them would leave the meaning deficient. For this reason, roughly citing the sūtra's text to briefly support the great meaning is why it is called "Essentials" (Jiyao). May the accomplished persons of our lineage not fault me for being brash and simple. If there is anything worthy of view, do not conceal it. At the time of the holy Song dynasty, in the seventeenth year of the third generation of the Son of Heaven's reign, the seventh year of the Dazhong Xiangfu reign era, the year yiyin, in the first month, just after the full moon \[1014 CE\], Śramaṇa Zhiyuan, courtesy name Wuwai, of Qiantang, finished writing this preface in the abbot's quarters of Chongfa Temple on Mount Daci. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 1.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1766.1.1) - [Next: 1.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1766.1.3) - [Up: 1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1766.1) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1766~en-mt.1.2) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1766.1.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1766.1.2) · Pramāṇa