淨名玄論 2.5

2.5

When the noble ones expound sūtras, there are two kinds: first, directly expounding without separately establishing a title, as in the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā and others, where within the ninety chapters there is neither an attendant asking for the title nor the Tathāgata answering with the title. This is truly because throughout the entire work the clarification of prajñā is obvious, so one immediately knows it is a prajñā sūtra, without needing to establish a title separately. Second, expounding the sūtra and also establishing its name, as when it says, 'This sūtra is named the Mahāparinirvāṇa,' which is truly because the meaning of the title was not yet apparent and therefore needed to be separately established. This is the pair of establishing a title and not establishing a title. Within self-establishment of a title, there are again two kinds: first, the Buddha establishes it himself, as when it says, 'For the sake of the śrāvakas, expound this Mahāyāna sūtra named Saddharmapuṇḍarīka'; second, waiting for a question before establishing it, as when in the Vajracchedikā-prajñāpāramitā he waited for Subhūti to ask for the name before the Tathāgata answered. This is called the pair of self and other. Within the Buddha establishing it himself, there are again two kinds: first, establishing it in the introductory chapter, like the Suvarṇaprabhāsa and its kind; second, establishing it only upon reaching the main discourse, as is the case with most sūtras. This is the pair of introduction and main discourse. Within establishing the title upon waiting for a question, there are again two kinds: first, before the exposition of the sūtra is finished, establishing the name following any single meaning expounded, as in the shorter Prajñāpāramitā and so forth; second, establishing the name only upon the completion of the sūtra's exposition, which is the case with this sūtra. This is called the pair of earlier and later. Regarding establishing the title at the completion of expounding the sūtra, there are again two kinds: first, establishing only a single name, as is the case with most sūtras; second, establishing multiple names, which is the case with the Vimalakīrti and others, hence it says, 'One name is the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa, and the second is the Dharma Gate of Inconceivable Liberation.' This is the pair of one and many. Although sūtras are numerous, the reasons for establishing their names may be briefly explained through ten meanings. Question: Why is there no establishment of a title in the text of the entire Avataṃsaka? Answer: This sūtra originally had one hundred thousand verses, but its transmission and translation are not yet complete, so the establishment of the title should be at the end. When I arrived in Chang'an, I met Dharma Master Sengtan, who had returned from Khotan and had seen the Biography of Nāgārjuna there, which stated: 'The Avataṃsaka has three recensions in all: the large recension has verses as numerous as the dust motes of a trichiliocosm and chapters as numerous as the dust motes of a four-continent world; the middle recension has 498,800 verses and 1,200 chapters; both of these recensions are in the dragon palace, and Nāgārjuna did not chant them out. He only chanted out the short recension of 100,000 verses and 36 chapters.' In this land, there are only 36,000 verses and 34 chapters; hence we know that the title and enumeration of the Avataṃsaka lie in the subsequent parts. Bodhiruci said: 'Six hundred years after the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, Nāgārjuna brought it forth from the ocean palace.'