四分律刪繁補闕行事鈔 1.60

1.60

Fifth: the intent behind definitively harmonizing text and meaning. In principle, truth fundamentally transcends names; thus names are established to indicate its ultimate aim. Names become evident in accordance with affairs; thus confronting affairs, these texts are fully provided. Yet examining this Vinaya Piṭaka, words and affairs are both comprehensive; it is only because the passage of time is so vast that the original voice and form can no longer be retrieved; practices have shifted with the times, and affairs are largely broken and incomplete; furthermore, the five masters gathered them with differing viewpoints; moreover, translations lost the intended meaning, arbitrarily giving rise to fabrications; and through copying errors and omissions, corruptions have been transmitted down through generations. Therefore, when it comes to investigating them, perplexing doubts are indeed numerous. Now, we comprehensively synthesize them to illuminate the overarching perspective.