大般涅槃經疏 1.3

1.3

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.