止觀輔行傳弘決 1.6

1.6

Answer: Having no other choice, I explain this origin, which has ten purposes in all: First, to make it known that there is a lineage transmission, not indulging one's own chest and opinions to contradict the teachers' minds. Second, for the sake of those who once had a lineage transmission but abandoned the foundation, following what they had not yet seen. Third, for the sake of later generations who, drifting along, give rise to deviant interpretations and lose their original reliance. Fourth, for the sake of those who have faith in the lineage and love study, but in other regions have no master from whom they can receive transmission. Fifth, for the sake of those who practice both doctrine and contemplation, fond of relying on the teaching, so that their practice and understanding may be complete. Sixth, to point out the crucial joints, extensive and concise, beginning and end, of the essential texts of the lineage. Seventh, to establish the masters' understanding so that it does not sink into oblivion, benefiting future generations. Eighth, to support one's own contemplation and understanding to prevent errors, making it easy to search and investigate. Ninth, to present the understanding one holds, fearing there may be confusion or forgetting, seeking excision and correction. Tenth, to accord with the Buddha's intention, activating the mind of great compassion to practice benefiting others. This work exists in three successive editions: The first edition in twenty fascicles and the second edition in ten fascicles were both titled "Perfect and Sudden" at the beginning, in order to distinguish them from the biased, the small, and the indeterminate. The second edition is the one that lists "humbly reflecting" at the beginning of the text. The intention of the title of the third edition is slightly different, as explained in full below. The opening line, "Calming and contemplation are luminous and tranquil," is what is currently inherited, namely the third edition. People of the time have traditionally transmitted it mostly taking the third to be the concise edition and calling the second edition the extensive edition. Looking at them on the surface, there seems to be extensive and concise, but when one investigates from beginning to end, the number of sheets is identical; one should take the third to be the re-edited edition, and there is no need to call it concise. When listening [to lectures], I used to consult and decide upon what I heard, and searched through sūtras and treatises, deliberating to supplement and assist—it was not that I followed my own whims to erroneously make an exposition. According with the exegesis of sūtras and treatises, all are divided into three sections; here, even the main exposition in the text itself is not yet complete, so it is evident there is indeed no third [section], the dissemination. Only the preface composed by Zhang'an before the opening of the chapters can serve as the preface section; from the opening of the chapters onward is the main exposition section. The old second edition combined the preface and the main text into ten chapters; thus, the beginning of the text says, "Humbly reflecting and recounting what was heard together make ten purports." The words "humbly reflecting" mean privately giving rise to thoughts. The preface has five purports: first, preliminary deliberation; second, ancestral transmission; third, distinguishing differences; fourth, citing proofs; fifth, indicating the place. The words "recounting what was heard" mean recording what was received. The main exposition also has five purports: first, opening the chapters; second, sequence of arising; third, distinction; fourth, critical evaluation; fifth, explanation. Because combining one's own preface and what was heard into ten sections seemed insecure in sense, the re-edited and settled [edition] eliminated this sequence, merely forming preface and main exposition. Furthermore, in the preface, there is only the initiation and so on, without verses of homage, because credit was deferred to the master, and it was merely a recorded account. If, with respect to the Great Master's text of the main exposition, we open it in principle into three sections, then the first six folds are taken as the preface section, the correct contemplation and its retribution are taken as the main text, and arousing the teaching to transform others is the dissemination section. Since the ultimate destination is the cessation of transformation and returning to quiescence, which is not subsumed under the three, in meaning it resembles dissemination. In the commentary, with respect to practice, it is still matched against the three trainings to form three sections; now, following that example to open it in principle into three, what objection could there be? For now, we rely on the former two sections as standard. In the opening preface, adding the recounting of the time, place, and other matters of what was heard makes the general preface; using the old matters of the ancestral transmission of persons and teachings makes the specific preface: this is precisely the real intent of the re-edited and settled edition. One must not again use preliminary deliberation and the other five as a sequence to divide the texts on the time, place, and so on of the re-edited edition. Therefore, the re-edited and settled edition turned the old "preliminary deliberation" into "perfect proof," which is why this is used below. The text on preliminary deliberation says: "Now relying on sūtras, I further clarify the perfect and sudden." The words "relying on sūtras" precisely correspond to citing proofs; having proven the perfect and sudden, one requests proof for the other two, immediately posing the question: "Regarding the other samādhis, we wish to hear sincere proofs." In the second edition, this question is missing. Therefore, the text on preliminary deliberation in the second edition says: "Briefly citing Buddhist sūtras, I roughly manifest the perfect intent." Thus we know that preliminary deliberation is not different from citing proofs, so the re-edited and settled edition omitted the name "preliminary deliberation" and turned it into citing proofs. If one were to match the names "preliminary deliberation" and so forth of the previous edition sequentially against the re-edited text itself, it would render phrases such as "calming and contemplation are luminous and tranquil" entirely superfluous. How much more so is matching preliminary deliberation against ancestral transmission profoundly inadmissible; for this reason, the sequence of the old chapters had to be abolished. The reason the general preface is now added to the re-edited and settled edition is to resemble the five matters of the councils that transmitted what was heard, such as the body of the teaching, and therefore it is not like the old where preliminary deliberation stood at the beginning. I have already explained the sequence of presence and absence between the new and the old. The reason the name was changed to "Mahā" has two meanings: first, to contrast with the Lesser Calming and Contemplation produced for his lay brother; second, to preserve the rich, comprehensive connotations of the Sanskrit sound. Hence the Dazhidulun states: "The word 'Mahā' contains three meanings, namely great, many, and superior." If one explains it according to the commentary on the four teachings for the stage of a bhikṣu, then that is not the present intent; using these three terms to explain the perfect threefold contemplation corresponds precisely to the purport of the title: "great" is the meaning of emptiness, "many" is the meaning of provisionality, and "superior" is the meaning of the middle. Therefore, it was changed to follow the name with comprehensive connotations, so as to entitle the work on the threefold contemplation in a single mind.