四分律行事鈔資持記 1.24

1.24

次明撰集，別斥中，初科，上二字傷歎。前下，敘其虛費；上二句總示所出。遺記者，通目疏鈔，如第十門具列者是。下二句別列非相。言止論者，貫下兩句。謂撰疏者但相廢立，作鈔者唯逞難問，更無他意故也。如義鈔兩疏時或引之是也。問：此中既斥，彼那引之？答：此明行事，故須奪破；彼演義章，不妨引用。又古文極繁，彼唯摘要取其少分以辨是非，所以義鈔題云拾毘尼義是也。至下，斥其失宗。行事訓蒙，毘尼宗體；於茲既失，餘不足言。今鈔首題，即彰此意。高超遠古，深契佛心；紐絕扶顛，誠在於此。是以諸篇演布，唯存行事為宗；隨處提撕，專以訓蒙為意；咨爾來學，勿負祖恩。言世事者，謂是世中合行之事，非世俗之事也。準下撰述一十六師，今云百無一者，汎舉至多，以明至少，猶不可得，言都無所取也。

Next, clarifying the compilations and specifically censuring them, in the first section, the first two words express lamentation and grief. From 'the former' downward narrates their futile waste; the upper two lines summarize what they produced. 'Bequeathed records' is a general term for commentaries and manuals, as fully listed in the tenth section. The lower two lines specifically list their flawed marks. The phrase 'merely discussing' runs through both lower lines. It means that those who compiled commentaries merely engaged in abolishing or establishing against each other, and those who made manuals only showed off challenging queries, having no other purpose. For instance, the Meaning Manual or the two commentaries sometimes cite them. Question: Since they are censured here, why are they cited there? Answer: Here it clarifies practical transactions, so they must be dismantled and refuted; there it explicates conceptual meanings, so there is no harm in citing them. Moreover, ancient texts were extremely prolix; there he merely abstracted the essentials and took a small portion to distinguish right from wrong, which is why the Meaning Manual is titled 'Gleanings of the Meaning of the Vinaya'. From 'down to' downward censures their loss of the school's core principle. Practical transactions and instructing the ignorant are the essential substance of the Vinaya; since these have been lost here, the rest is not worth discussing. The opening title of the present manual reveals precisely this intention. Transcending antiquity from afar, it profoundly accords with the Buddha's mind; re-binding what was broken and upholding what was toppled truly resides in this! Therefore, the unfolding of the various chapters only maintains practical transactions as the core principle; providing reminders at every juncture, it is exclusively intended to instruct the ignorant; oh you future students, do not betray the Patriarchal Master's kindness! As for 'worldly matters' (shishi), this refers to matters that ought to be carried out in the world, not mundane secular affairs. Based on the sixteen masters of compilations below, here saying 'not one in a hundred' broadly cites a great number to clarify that even the slightest amount was unobtainable, meaning there was nothing to be taken from them at all.