大般涅槃經疏 1.3

1.3

吾佛大聖人，最後雙林會上，為末世比丘普及大地眾生明心見性而說是經也。備明戒檢、廣開常宗，《摩訶止觀》依之為扶律顯常，喻之以贖命重寶。故經云「此經若在，佛法則在；此經若滅，佛法則滅。」佛法命脈存亡繫焉。始於沮渠蒙遜，請曇無讖及猛法師兩度翻譯，共十三品，成四十軸，行之北方。至宋文帝勅嚴、觀二師，同謝康樂更共治定，開為二十五品，縮為三十六軸，行之江南。其間說聽領悟甚眾，著述申明亦多，如《僧傳》所載也。去聖逾遙神根轉鈍，吾祖章安尊者，約龍樹宗旨，用天台義門製疏科經，深符佛意。荊溪刪補，法道重明。自四明慈雲講唱孤山作記之後，寥寥絕聞。其故何哉？蓋由經文浩博、疏義淵微，加之科未入經，卒難尋討。師正刻志斯典，有年于茲，宋之壬申寓古源法師永清輪下為座首，遂倣法華光明體例，以疏科句分標經上。凡疏不牒者，起盡難定，而與諸友往復徵折，方丈主決，必歸於是。每夜集於猊峯軒下，經科疏記輪環讀之。預斯集者，大慈懷總、報慈大成、大雲居簡、壽星文勝、龍華清正、園華懷坦、天竺法杭。始於是秋之八月，終於明年之季春。無極東堂可度重加讐訂，白雲古山僧錄、道安鋟梓流通。願與後人，受持讀誦，如說而行。上不孤於佛祖，下不負於己靈。壽祝一人，功霑九有云。時至元歲在壬午聖制日序

Our Buddha, the Great Sage, at the final assembly under the Twin Trees, preached this sūtra for the sake of bhikṣus of the latter age and all sentient beings across the great earth, to clarify their minds and perceive their nature. It fully illuminates the discipline of the precepts and broadly reveals the doctrine of permanence; the Móhē zhǐguān relies upon it to uphold the vinaya and manifest permanence, comparing it to a priceless treasure that ransoms life. Therefore, the sūtra states: “If this sūtra exists, the Buddha-Dharma exists; if this sūtra perishes, the Buddha-Dharma perishes.” The very life-pulse and survival of the Buddha-Dharma are bound to it. It began with Jǔqú Měngxùn, who requested Dharmakṣema and Master Měng to translate it twice, comprising thirteen chapters in forty scrolls, which circulated in the north. Coming to Emperor Wén of the Sòng, he decreed Masters Yán and Guān, together with Xiè Kānglè, to revise and finalize it further, expanding it into twenty-five chapters and condensing it into thirty-six scrolls, which circulated south of the Yangzi. During that time, those who preached, heard, and attained awakening were exceedingly numerous, and writings clarifying it were also abundant, as recorded in the Biographies of Eminent Monks. As the distance from the Sage grew greater, people's spiritual faculties turned duller. Our ancestor, the Venerable Zhāng'ān, based on Nāgārjuna's fundamental tenet and using the Tiāntái doctrinal categories, authored a commentary and outlined the sūtra, profoundly tallying with the Buddha's intent. Jīngxī excised and supplemented it, causing the path of Dharma to shine forth anew. Since the lectures of Cíyún of Sìmíng and the subcommentary composed by Gūshān, it has been desolate and barely heard. What is the reason for this? It is because the sūtra text is vast and extensive, and the commentary’s meaning is profound and subtle; moreover, the outline was not integrated into the sūtra, making it difficult to search out in the end. Shīzhèng has dedicated his mind to this scripture for years up to the present. In the rénshēn year of the Sòng, while residing at the head seat under the assembly of Master Gǔyuán at Yǒngqīng, I subsequently modeled it on the formatting of the Lotus and Golden Light sūtras, using the outline sentences of the commentary to mark them distinctly above the sūtra text. In cases where the commentary did not cite the lemmas, their beginning and end were difficult to determine, so I engaged in repeated inquiries and debates with my companions; the abbot made the final determinations, ensuring that it necessarily arrived at what is correct. Every night we gathered under the eaves of Níguān Veranda, reading the sūtra, outline, commentary, and subcommentary in rotation. Those who participated in this gathering were Huáizǒng of Dàcí, Dàchéng of Bàocí, Jūjiǎn of Dàyún, Wénshèng of Shòuxīng, Qīngzhèng of Lónghuá, Huáitǎn of Yuánhuá, and Fǎháng of Tiānzhú. It began in the eighth month of that autumn and ended in the late spring of the following year. Kědù of Wújī Dōngtáng collated and proofread it again, and Monk-official Dào'ān of Báiyún Gǔshān carved the printing blocks for its distribution. I vow, together with future generations, to uphold, read, recite, and practice according to its teaching. Above, may it not betray the Buddhas and patriarchs; below, may it not fail one's own spiritual nature. Wishing long life to the Emperor, may its merit extend to all beings throughout the nine realms. Written on the day of the imperial calendar in the rénwǔ year of the Zhìyuán era.