起信論疏筆削記 1.4

1.4

初、論疏題目，二：初標題目者，以題是一部大綱，不得不預知悉，故須略解題中五字，可對天台五重玄義。天台凡解經題皆約五義：今言大者，體也；乘者，宗也；起信，用也；論者，教也。一論所詮唯體、宗、用，五字合故，是即名也。

First, the title of the treatise and its commentary, in two [points]: First, as to indicating the title: because the title is the general outline of the entire work, one cannot but know it beforehand; therefore, one must briefly explain the five characters in the title, which can correspond to the fivefold profound meaning of Tiantai. Whenever Tiantai explains the title of a sūtra, it is based on five meanings: here, to say 'Mahā' (great) is the essence; 'yāna' (vehicle) is the central theme; 'śraddhotpāda' (awakening of faith) is the function; and 'śāstra' (treatise) is the teaching. What the treatise as a whole expresses is solely the essence, the central theme, and the function; by combining these five characters, this is then the name.