唯識二十論述記 1.3

1.3

However, the basic text of this treatise is rich in principle yet concise in phrasing, and in the Western Regions there are more than several dozen commentaries upon it. Originally, there was the master Gopa, a disciple of Vasubandhu; at the very end, there was the Bodhisattva Dharmapāla. That which was composed by Dharmapāla, titled Commentary Guiding to Vijñapti-mātra, was treasured in India as a jewel of diction and meaning, so much so that even heterodox traditions savored, investigated, and discussed it. My master, not considering me crude and ignorant, commanded me to expound its purport; receiving his instructions as he translated, I compiled this Commentary. Whenever we reached points where the meaning was knotted and complex, or phrasing where the tenets were stated and unfolded, the essential meanings were noted and explained to serve as instruction, while awaiting another time when we might translate the commentary itself. But his labors fell short as his conversion work reached its end; before it could be realized, he passed away, so that the profound source met with obstruction without being laid open, and the subtle spirit remained in darkness and was obscured forever. One may truly say that a city-swapping jade is easy to entrust, but the Dharma-treasure is difficult to attain; the superficial glosses and rough phrasing have ended here.