維摩經義疏 1.13

1.13

釋首題門三。天竺經題在後，而初皆云「悉曇」。悉曇者，此云成就，亦名舌法。而迴後置初，譯經人之所立也。問：眾經何故首題名字？答：欲令因名知法，因法起行，得解脫果。又根欲不同、說教非一，若不別立名題，則諸部不分。為令眾部分別，故別立名題。又諸佛說法有略有闊，闊即一部之文、略即一經之題。攝闊為略，為受持故；開略為闊，為解義故。又攝闊為略，為利根人，若聞經名即解其義。如龍樹等入於海宮，但看經題，具鑒文理。開略為闊，為鈍根人，聞名未悟，尋文乃解。是故眾經首題名字。

Section three: Explanation of the opening title. In India, the title of a sūtra is at the end, while at the beginning it always says "siddham." Siddham is translated here as "accomplishment," and is also called "tongue method." Moving it from the end to place it at the beginning was established by the translators of the sūtras. Question: Why do the various sūtras have titles at their head? Answer: To enable one to know the Dharma through the name, to give rise to practice through the Dharma, and to attain the fruit of liberation. Furthermore, since faculties and inclinations differ and the preached teachings are not singular, if titles were not separately established, the various divisions could not be distinguished. To distinguish the various divisions, titles were separately established. Furthermore, the preaching of the Dharma by the Buddhas has the concise and the broad: the broad is the text of an entire work, and the concise is the title of a single sūtra. Gathering the broad into the concise is for the purpose of receiving and upholding; opening the concise into the broad is for the purpose of understanding the meaning. Furthermore, gathering the broad into the concise is for those of sharp faculties: if they hear the name of the sūtra, they immediately understand its meaning. Just as when Nāgārjuna and others entered the ocean palace, merely looking at the titles of the sūtras, they fully discerned the text and the principle. Opening the concise into the broad is for those of dull faculties: hearing the name, they are not yet awakened, and only upon examining the text do they understand. Therefore, the various sūtras have their names in opening titles.