金剛般若經疏 1.7

1.7

建立所以者。立如是等自有四意。一為除疑。二為生信。三為簡邪。四為顯正。言除疑者。真諦引微細律阿難昇座眾有三疑。一佛大悲從涅槃起。二更有佛從他方來。三疑阿難轉身成佛為眾說法。說如是等三疑併斷。二生信者。智度論云。說時方人令生信故。信為能入智度故。問。信何功能最初令生。答。夫信體者心淨為性。如水清珠能清。濁水與一切善而為根本故。華嚴云。信為道無功德母。且如發心趣向三乘有善法欲信為欲依初今生於大乘位聖胎三十以信為首。五根五力及七聖財。皆信為初入聖。即證四不壞信。信三寶故。能越惡道。由信戒故離貧賤因。故論亦說有信現觀。婆沙論說。學佛法者。如大龍象。以信為手。以捨為牙。以念為頸。以慧為頭。於兩肩擔集善法。象所飲噉以鼻為手故。學法者最初令生。又拔眾生出生死埿。須舉信手。後陳正宗為佛教手。序令生信為眾生手。兩手相接出淤埿故。智度論云。如人有手。至於寶山隨意所取。若其無手空無所得。有信心人。入佛法寶能證道果。若無信心。雖解文義空無所得。是故經初令生淨信。三簡邪者。外道教初皆置阿漚二字云。梵王有七十二字以訓。於世眾生轉薄。梵王瞋怒吞噉佉字。唯此二字在口兩角。阿表於無。漚表於有。置彼教初。今置六句為簡於彼故。智論云。一切經首當置信何言簡異外道。四顯正者。三寶最吉祥故。我經初說佛為佛寶。我聞比丘為眾僧寶。如是一時及處為法寶。法寶三者。一所說法。二說時。三說處故。

As for the rationale for its establishment, establishing 'Thus' and so forth inherently has four purposes: 1. To remove doubt. 2. To generate faith. 3. To exclude heterodoxy. 4. To manifest orthodoxy. As for removing doubt: Paramārtha cites the *Sūkṣma Vinaya* that when Ānanda mounted the seat, the assembly had three doubts: first, that the Buddha, out of great compassion, had risen from nirvāṇa; second, that another Buddha had come from another realm; third, that Ānanda had transformed his body, attained Buddhahood, and was expounding the Dharma for the assembly. By speaking 'Thus have I heard' and so forth, all three doubts were cut off at once. Second, to generate faith: the *Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa* says that stating the time, place, and person causes faith to arise, because faith enables entry into the perfection of wisdom. Question: What function does faith have that it should be caused to arise first? Answer: The essence of faith has pure mind as its nature; like a water-clearing jewel, it can clear turbid water, and it serves as the root of all goods. Thus the *Avataṃsaka Sūtra* says: 'Faith is the mother of the path and the origin of virtues.' Moreover, when generating the aspiration to proceed toward the three vehicles, there is the desire for wholesome dharmas, and faith is the basis of this desire; now, generating it first in the Mahāyāna stages, among the thirty stages of the holy embryo, faith is the foremost. The five faculties, the five powers, and the seven noble treasures all have faith at their head. Upon entering the noble state, one realizes the four kinds of indestructible faith. Because of faith in the Three Jewels, one can transcend evil destinies; because of faith in the precepts, one leaves behind the causes of poverty and lowliness. Therefore, the treatise also speaks of the clear realization of faith (śraddhābhisamaya). The *Mahāvibhāṣā-śāstra* says that a learner of the Buddha's Dharma is like a great dragon-elephant, with faith as its trunk, relinquishment as its tusks, mindfulness as its neck, and wisdom as its head, bearing and gathering wholesome dharmas on its two shoulders; an elephant drinks and eats using its trunk as a hand, so a learner of the Dharma must first give rise to faith. Furthermore, to pull sentient beings out of the mud of birth and death, one must raise the hand of faith: the subsequent presentation of the main body is the hand of the Buddha's teaching; the preface causing faith to arise is the hand of sentient beings; when the two hands join, one emerges from the mire. The *Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa* says: 'It is like a person who has hands; upon reaching a mountain of jewels, he takes whatever he wishes. If he has no hands, he attains nothing empty-handed.' A person with faithful mind, entering the jewel of the Buddha's Dharma, can realize the fruit of the path; without a faithful mind, though understanding words and meanings, he attains nothing empty-handed. Therefore, at the beginning of a sūtra, pure faith is caused to arise. Third, to exclude heterodoxy: at the beginning of the teachings of outsiders, the two syllables *A* and *Oṃ* are always placed, saying that Brahmā had seventy-two syllables to instruct the world; when sentient beings deteriorated, Brahmā grew enraged and swallowed the syllable *kṣa*, leaving only these two syllables at the two corners of his mouth: *A* expresses non-existence, and *Oṃ* expresses existence; these are placed at the beginning of their teachings. Now, placing the six phrases excludes them. Thus the *Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa* says: 'What words of faith should be placed at the head of all sūtras to distinguish them from outsiders?' Fourth, to manifest orthodoxy: because the Three Jewels are the most auspicious. At the beginning of our sūtras, the Buddha spoken of is the Buddha Jewel; 'I heard' and the monks are the Saṅgha Jewel; 'Thus', 'at one time', and the place are the Dharma Jewel. The Dharma Jewel consists of three: first, the Dharma spoken; second, the time of speaking; third, the place of speaking.