八識規矩補註 1.2

1.2

《八識頌》凡八章，文略而義深，乃集施頌體製兼以韻。故知義彼而文從此，擴充之則唯識理事無遺矣。昔天親慮末學心力減而不永，遂撮《瑜伽》之文述三十頌，精擇而從略，欲人之易入，目曰《唯識三十論》。後護法諸師各出所見以造釋論，而累帙積軸不勝其廣，是乃欲易而反難。由是諸師又各摭辭理精粹者束為十卷，曰《成唯識》，暨奘三藏至自西域輒翻此論。其《八識頌》實出於斯。然而理一而言有廣略者，皆因人而已。蓋人之所得者，或自略，或自廣，或由略以至廣，由廣反乎略，雖所入不一，而所得未嘗不一也。既得之，則廣亦可略，亦可廣略，兼以之兼，不以之，是皆無適而不可，豈學者之事乎？茲為學者言之，且欲從略而入，此《八識頌》不得不作。頌既出，則語略而義深，此又不得不加之以註。為註之人不書其名，往往皆抄錄之本，故不無三豕之訛。今但義缺字訛者，補而正之以自備觀覽，不虞龍華金碧峯圓通常無塵聞予輟筆，過舍索稿，板行之。吁！大法垂秋，孰不泥於聲利？能存是心，庶不負諸大士之心也。

The Bashi song consists of eight stanzas in all. Its wording is concise yet its meaning profound, as it compiles and sets forth a poetic versification together with rhyme. Hence one knows that the meaning originates from elsewhere while the wording follows this format, and if one amplifies it, none of the principles and phenomena of vijñaptimātra are left unexhausted. Formerly, Vasubandhu, concerned that the mental capacity of later students was diminishing and lacked perseverance, thereupon extracted the text of the Yogācārabhūmi and composed the thirty verses, carefully selecting and adopting brevity, wishing to make it easy for people to enter; it was entitled the Triṃśikā-vijñaptimātratā. Later, masters such as Dharmapāla each put forward their own views to compose commentaries, yet with accumulated volumes and piled-up scrolls their expanse was boundless—this was wishing for ease but conversely resulting in difficulty. Thereupon, the various masters again each gathered the essence of words and principles, condensing them into ten fascicles entitled the Cheng weishi lun; when Tripitaka Master Xuanzang returned from the Western Regions, he translated this treatise. The Bashi song truly stems from this. Nevertheless, that the principle is one while the words have expansion and brevity is entirely due to people. Indeed, what people attain may come from brevity, or from expansion, or from brevity leading to expansion, or from expansion returning to brevity; although what they enter through is not one, what they attain has never failed to be one. Once it is attained, then expansion is acceptable, brevity is also acceptable, both expansion and brevity, using them together, or not using them—all of these are acceptable wherever one turns; how could this be solely the concern of students? Now, speaking for students, furthermore wishing to enter via brevity, these Bashi song could not but be composed. Once the verses were produced, their phrasing was concise and their meaning profound, so one could not but add notes to them. Those who wrote notes did not sign their names, and these were often manuscript copies, so they were not without errors such as mistaking 'three pigs' for characters of similar shape. Now, only where the meaning was lacking or characters erroneous, I have supplemented and corrected them to prepare them for my own reading and contemplation. Unexpectedly, Monk Wuchen of Yuantong at Jinbi Peak in Longhua heard that I had laid down my brush, came to my lodging to ask for the draft, and carved blocks to circulate it. Alas! As the Great Dharma is in its autumn, who is not mired in reputation and gain? To be able to preserve such a mind will hopefully not fail the intentions of the great beings.