目次Contents

卷首Front matter

卷首心要Essence
緒論Introduction
讀法How to read
凡例Conventions
譯者Translator
釋餘品 · 八十九品Remaining Chapters · Eighty-Nine Chapters

大智度論Dazhidulun — Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśaDazhidulun — Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa

卷三十五至卷一百釋〈報應品第二〉至〈囑累品第九十〉八十九品，本版稱「釋餘品」Fascicles 35–100, which comment on the eighty-nine chapters from Chapter 2, Recompense, to Chapter 90, Entrustment, form the Commentary on the Remaining Chapters

T1509 · 龍樹造鳩摩羅什譯

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卷首心要Essence

一部釋論，怎樣把「一切法空」說到底，又不讓人把空握成另一個東西？

《大智度論》是龍樹釋《摩訶般若波羅蜜經》之論。它不另立綱要，而是牒經一段、釋經一段，全書就在一問一答裡走下去。慧遠讀出了它的體：「輒寄之賓主。假自疑以起對。名曰問論」〔T55n2145 0075c16〕。問的是聽經人心裡會起的疑，答的是論主依經而作的解；「有人言」「復次」把古來諸說一句不少地錄下，然後才下自己的一句。所以讀這部論，第一件事不是找結論，而是看清誰在問、誰在答、哪一句是牒經、哪一句是論主自語、哪一句只是並錄他家而未許可。

它的宗旨，慧遠也一語道破：「以無當為實無照為宗」〔T55n2145 0075c18〕。無當，是不把任何一法當成可以安立的實體；無照，是連能觀的智慧也不執為實有。般若所以能生諸佛、能示世間相，正因為它於色受想行識不示生滅、不示垢淨、不示增減——空不是把法打壞，而是照見法本來如此。全論從〈報應品〉諸天奉鉢而不見菩薩、不見般若起，一路到〈囑累品〉付法阿難，反覆只做這一件事：每一個名相、每一種功德、每一階聖位，先舉出來，再以畢竟空收回去，收回去之後仍教人行六度、教人度眾生。畢竟空與方便，是這部論的兩隻腳。

它到我們手上的樣子，也寫在譯場的記錄裡。僧叡說「梵文委曲，皆如初品」〔T25n1509 0057b22〕，又說「三分除二，得此百卷」〔T25n1509 0057b10〕；出論後記則云：「論初品三十四卷。解釋一品。是全論其本二品已下法師略之取其要」〔T55n2145 0075b15〕。所以卷一至三十四釋初品之詳，是全譯；卷三十五以下八十九品之略，是羅什取其要而譯。本版所稱「釋初品」與「釋餘品」兩軌，即由此分；卷首以下先成的是釋餘品。

但這部論不是為了讓人多知道幾個名相。它處處把功德說到最大——書寫、供養、為人演說般若，勝過滿閻浮提的舍利、勝過教一切眾生行十善——然後立刻說：以無所得故。功德不是換來的東西，是心不取相時自然現前的樣子。

讀這部論，可以先問自己三件事：我讀經時，把哪一句握成了實有？我以為的「空」，是不是又成了一塊可以站立的地？若空亦復空，我還肯不肯照樣布施、照樣持戒、照樣坐下來修？

How does an expository treatise carry 「一切法空」 tr. “all dharmas are empty” all the way through, and yet not let anyone grasp emptiness as one more thing?

The Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa is Nāgārjuna’s treatise explaining the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra. It sets up no separate outline of its own; it cites the sūtra text one passage at a time and explains it one passage at a time, and the whole book moves forward in question and answer. Huiyuan read out its form: 「輒寄之賓主。假自疑以起對。名曰問論」 tr. “it is always lodged in guest and host; it borrows self-raised doubts to call forth replies; it is called a treatise of questions”〔T55n2145 0075c16〕. What is asked is the doubt that would arise in the mind of one hearing the sūtra; what is answered is the explanation the treatise-author makes in accordance with the sūtra; 「有人言」 tr. “someone says” and 「復次」 tr. “further” set down the views handed down from of old without dropping a sentence, and only then does he put down a sentence of his own. So in reading this treatise the first thing is not to look for conclusions but to see clearly who is asking and who is answering, which sentence cites the sūtra text, which is the treatise-author speaking for himself, and which only records another school’s view alongside without endorsing it.

Its tenet, too, Huiyuan states in a single phrase: 「以無當為實無照為宗」 tr. “it takes no-fixing as reality and no-illuminating as its tenet”〔T55n2145 0075c18〕. No-fixing means not taking any single dharma to be an entity that can be established; no-illuminating means not grasping even the wisdom that observes as really existent. Prajñā can give birth to the buddhas and can show the marks of the world precisely because, with regard to form, feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness, it shows no arising or ceasing, shows no stain or purity, shows no increase or decrease—emptiness is not the smashing of dharmas but the seeing that dharmas have always been so. The whole treatise, from “Chapter 2: Recompense,” where the gods offer bowls and yet see no bodhisattva and see no prajñā, all the way to “Chapter 90: Entrustment,” where the Dharma is handed on to Ānanda, does only this one thing, over and over: every name and mark, every kind of merit, every rank of the noble stages is first raised up and then gathered back by ultimate emptiness, and once it has been gathered back, people are still taught to practise the six perfections and taught to bring beings across. Ultimate emptiness and skilful means are the two feet of this treatise.

The shape in which it has reached our hands is also written in the records of the translation assembly. Sengrui says 「梵文委曲，皆如初品」 tr. “the Sanskrit text is detailed and thorough throughout, just like the First Chapter”〔T25n1509 0057b22〕, and also 「三分除二，得此百卷」 tr. “of three parts two were removed, and we obtained these hundred fascicles”〔T25n1509 0057b10〕; and the record made after the treatise was issued says: 「論初品三十四卷。解釋一品。是全論其本二品已下法師略之取其要」 tr. “The treatise’s First Chapter, thirty-four fascicles, explains one chapter, and is the whole treatise in its original form; from the second chapter onward the Dharma master abridged it, taking its essentials”〔T55n2145 0075b15〕. So the detailed commentary on the First Chapter in fascicles one to thirty-four is a complete translation; the abridged commentary on the eighty-nine chapters from fascicle thirty-five onward is Kumārajīva’s translation of its essentials. The two tracks this edition calls 「釋初品」 tr. “Commentary on the First Chapter” and 「釋餘品」 tr. “Commentary on the Remaining Chapters” are divided on this basis; what has been completed first, after this front matter, is the Commentary on the Remaining Chapters.

But this treatise does not exist so that people may know a few more names and marks. Everywhere it speaks of merit at its very greatest—writing out prajñā, making offerings to it, and expounding it for others surpasses relics filling Jambudvīpa, surpasses teaching all beings to practise the ten wholesome paths—and then at once it says: with nothing to be attained. Merit is not something obtained in exchange; it is what appears of itself when the mind does not grasp at marks.

In reading this treatise, one may first ask oneself three things. Which sentence of the sūtra have I grasped as really existent while reading? Has the 「空」 tr. “emptiness” I take it to be become yet another patch of ground to stand on? If emptiness too is empty, am I still willing to give just the same, keep the precepts just the same, and sit down and practise just the same?

緒論Introduction

一、本論與本版底本

《大智度論》逐品牒《摩訶般若波羅蜜經》之文而廣釋之，經一段、論一段交替而下。與本論直接相關的漢傳藏本如下：

藏經號	題名與責任者	卷	本版角色
T25n1509	龍樹菩薩造 · 後秦鳩摩羅什譯《大智度論》	一百卷	本版唯一底本
T08n0223	後秦鳩摩羅什譯《摩訶般若波羅蜜經》	二十七卷九十品	所釋經；經論對讀之主軸
X46n0791	慧影《大智度論疏》	殘	本論之疏；有覆蓋則錄
X24n0451	吉藏《大品經義疏》	—	釋所釋經之疏；有覆蓋則錄
X46n0784	均正《大乘四論玄義》	—	徵引本論之古德書；有則錄

本版以 T25n1509 為唯一底本。本論唯此一譯，無可對勘之異譯；所釋經即是與論同出一譯場之本，本版稱之為「所釋經」。

論首題署「龍樹菩薩造」〔T25n1509 0057c08〕；各卷卷端多作「聖者龍樹造」「後秦龜茲國三藏鳩摩羅什譯」（如卷三十五〔T25n1509 0314b23〕），亦有作「聖者龍樹菩薩造」者，本版原典層逐卷照錄，不代統一。品題主軸從本論底本，如〈報應品第二〉至〈囑累品第九十〉；所釋經之異名只在考據並錄。

二、造論與譯出

造論之人，譯場當時即以龍樹為言。慧遠傳記姚興送論之書：「此既龍樹所作，又是方等旨歸，宜為一序，以申作者之意。」〔T50n2059 0360a25〕僧叡序亦述龍樹「憲章智典作茲釋論」〔T25n1509 0057a18〕。《龍樹菩薩傳》二本皆題羅什所譯，一作「姚秦三藏鳩摩羅什譯」〔T50n2047a 0184a18〕，一作「姚秦三藏法師鳩摩羅什譯」〔T50n2047b 0185b12〕，二本異「法師」二字，並錄。

譯出之年地，以出論後所記最為直接：「四年夏於逍遙園中西門閤上。為姚天王出釋論。七年十二月二十七日乃訖。」〔T55n2145 0075b11〕同記計其字數，「并此釋論一百五十萬言」〔T55n2145 0075b14〕。

本論非全譯。同記云：「論初品三十四卷。解釋一品。是全論其本二品已下法師略之取其要。」〔T55n2145 0075b15〕僧叡序所言相合：「論之略本有十萬偈，偈有三十二字，并三百二十萬言」〔T25n1509 0057b08〕，「三分除二，得此百卷」〔T25n1509 0057b10〕；又云「梵文委曲，皆如初品」〔T25n1509 0057b22〕，「法師以秦人好簡故，裁而略之。若備譯其文，將近千有餘卷」〔T25n1509 0057b22〕。慧遠抄序則說「故約本以為百卷。計所遺落殆過參倍。」〔T55n2145 0076b01〕諸記所計之數不一，本版並錄不判。

論出之後，慧遠嫌其繁廣而抄之：「遠常謂《大智論》文句繁廣，初學難尋，乃抄其要文，撰為二十卷。」〔T50n2059 0360b05〕其書今佚，唯序存於《出三藏記集》。

經錄之著錄，《出三藏記集》作「大智論百卷於逍遙園譯出或分為七十卷」〔T55n2145 0011a16〕；《開元錄》作「大智度論一百卷或云大智度經論亦云摩訶般若釋論或七十卷或一百一十卷弘始四年夏於逍遙園出七年十二月二十七日訖見二秦錄及僧祐錄」〔T55n2154 0513a04–0513a05〕。百卷、七十卷、一百一十卷三說，並錄不判。

三、本論在漢傳的名目

本論在古德筆下有數名，本版只錄其所見：

「摩訶般若波羅蜜經釋論」：僧叡序之題〔T25n1509 0057a03〕。
「釋論」：出論後記「為姚天王出釋論」〔T55n2145 0075b11〕；《高僧傳》羅什傳所列譯籍亦作《釋論》〔T50n2059 0332b17〕。
「大智論」：《出三藏記集》著錄〔T55n2145 0011a16〕；慧遠抄序之題「大智論抄序第二十一」〔T55n2145 0075b19〕。
「大智釋論」：《出三藏記集》所收僧叡序之題「大智釋論序第十九」〔T55n2145 0074c11〕。
「大智度經論」「摩訶般若釋論」：《開元錄》夾注之異名〔T55n2154 0513a04〕。

慧遠抄本另有異名，《開元錄》夾注作「亦云大智論要略亦云釋論要抄」〔T55n2154 0515c09–0515c10〕。

四、所釋經對讀

俱舍一類之論，有二譯可以對勘；本論則羅什獨傳，無異譯可對。本論之對勘，改在經與論之間：論中【經】段所牒之文，與羅什所譯《摩訶般若波羅蜜經》T08n0223 逐段對讀。出論後記言「其中兼出經本」〔T55n2145 0075b13〕，僧叡序言「經本既定，乃出此釋論」〔T25n1509 0057b08〕——經與論出於同一譯場。

故本版考據第四目名為「所釋經文」，不名「異譯對勘」。牒經之全引、節引如實標明；二本之異文，兩造校勘皆查，並錄不判。放光、光讚與玄奘所譯第二會，只作譯名對照之旁參，不作主軸。

五、古德疏之實況

本論無傳世之逐文全疏。可倚之古德文字如下：

僧叡序與出論後記：譯場第一手之記。
慧遠抄序：抄本已佚，序存。
慧影《大智度論疏》X46n0791：殘本，有覆蓋之品則錄。
吉藏《大品經義疏》X24n0451：所釋者為經，其釋文常可與本論對照。
均正《大乘四論玄義》X46n0784，及智顗、湛然諸書之徵引：有引則錄名錄文。

考據第六目「諸家異釋」依此據實而錄：有則錄，無則據實標闕，不湊補。例如報應品，釋所釋經之吉藏疏適在其全佚之卷，唯釋論之慧影疏獨存一卷完整覆蓋，考據即如實分記，不判各家詮釋高下。

六、本版型制與現況

本論一百卷分為兩軌。卷一至卷三十四釋〈初品〉，本版稱「釋初品」，依論自列之釋論節分節，另成一軌，尚在整理，未經印可。卷三十五至卷一百釋其餘八十九品（〈報應品第二〉至〈囑累品第九十〉），本版稱「釋餘品」。

釋餘品每品具五層：原典存古漢語並帶頁錨；白話順文逐字；義疏開義；考據依八目呈證；心要作短入口。篇幅較大之三十二品拆為子單元，另具品級「總說」與「承衍」二篇。釋餘品八十九品之中文五層皆已建竣，經譯者通讀印可（品二至四十七，二〇二六年九月十七日；品四十八至九十，二〇二六年九月二十四日）；英文鏡譯五百零八檔亦已建竣，經譯者印可（二〇二六年十月二日）。

引用時應以實際藏經號與頁欄行回查原文。

I. The Treatise and the Base Text of This Edition

The Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa cites the text of the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra chapter by chapter and explains it at length, a passage of sūtra and a passage of treatise alternating as it goes. The Chinese canonical witnesses directly bearing on this treatise are these:

Canon no.	Title and responsibility	Fascicles	Role in this edition
T25n1509	Composed by the Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna · translated by Kumārajīva of the Later Qin, 《大智度論》	100 fascicles	Sole base text of this edition
T08n0223	Translated by Kumārajīva of the Later Qin, 《摩訶般若波羅蜜經》	27 fascicles, 90 chapters	The sūtra commented on; the main axis for reading sūtra and treatise together
X46n0791	Huiying, 《大智度論疏》	Fragmentary	The commentary on this treatise; recorded where it gives coverage
X24n0451	Jizang, 《大品經義疏》	—	A commentary explaining the sūtra commented on; recorded where it gives coverage
X46n0784	Junzheng, 《大乘四論玄義》	—	A work of an ancient master citing this treatise; recorded where it does

This edition takes T25n1509 as its sole base text. This treatise exists in this one translation alone, with no alternate translation to collate against; the sūtra commented on is the version issued by the same translation assembly as the treatise, and this edition calls it 「所釋經」 tr. “the sūtra commented on.”

The title statement at the head of the treatise reads 「龍樹菩薩造」 tr. “composed by the Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna”〔T25n1509 0057c08〕; at the heads of the individual fascicles it mostly reads 「聖者龍樹造」 tr. “composed by the noble Nāgārjuna” and 「後秦龜茲國三藏鳩摩羅什譯」 tr. “translated by Kumārajīva, Tripiṭaka master of Kucha, in the Later Qin” (as in Fascicle 35〔T25n1509 0314b23〕), and some read 「聖者龍樹菩薩造」 tr. “composed by the noble Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna”; the Source-Text layer of this edition records them fascicle by fascicle as they stand and does not regularise them. Chapter titles follow the base text of this treatise as the main axis, as in “Chapter 2: Recompense” through “Chapter 90: Entrustment”; alternative names in the sūtra commented on are recorded alongside only in the Apparatus.

II. The Composition of the Treatise and Its Translation

As for who composed the treatise, the translation assembly spoke of Nāgārjuna at the very time. The biography of Huiyuan records the letter with which Yao Xing sent him the treatise: 「此既龍樹所作，又是方等旨歸，宜為一序，以申作者之意。」 tr. “Since this is the work of Nāgārjuna, and is moreover the tenor and destination of the Vaipulya teachings, it is fitting that a preface be written for it, to set forth the author’s intent.”〔T50n2059 0360a25〕 Sengrui’s Preface likewise states that Nāgārjuna 「憲章智典作茲釋論」 tr. “took the scriptures of wisdom as his statute and composed this Expository Treatise”〔T25n1509 0057a18〕. The two versions of the Life of the Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna are both inscribed as translated by Kumārajīva, one reading 「姚秦三藏鳩摩羅什譯」 tr. “translated by Kumārajīva, Tripiṭaka master, of the Yao Qin”〔T50n2047a 0184a18〕, the other 「姚秦三藏法師鳩摩羅什譯」 tr. “translated by Kumārajīva, Tripiṭaka Dharma master, of the Yao Qin”〔T50n2047b 0185b12〕; the two versions differ by the two characters 「法師」 tr. “Dharma master,” and both are recorded.

For the year and place of the translation, the most direct witness is what was recorded after the treatise was issued: 「四年夏於逍遙園中西門閤上。為姚天王出釋論。七年十二月二十七日乃訖。」 tr. “In the summer of the fourth year, in the tower above the western gate within the Xiaoyao Garden, the Expository Treatise was issued for the Heavenly King Yao. It was finished only on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of the seventh year.”〔T55n2145 0075b11〕 The same record reckons its number of words: 「并此釋論一百五十萬言」 tr. “together with this Expository Treatise, one million five hundred thousand words”〔T55n2145 0075b14〕.

This treatise is not a complete translation. The same record says: 「論初品三十四卷。解釋一品。是全論其本二品已下法師略之取其要。」 tr. “The treatise’s First Chapter, thirty-four fascicles, explains one chapter, and is the whole treatise in its original form; from the second chapter onward the Dharma master abridged it, taking its essentials.”〔T55n2145 0075b15〕 What Sengrui’s Preface says agrees with this: 「論之略本有十萬偈，偈有三十二字，并三百二十萬言」 tr. “the abridged text of the treatise has a hundred thousand verses, each verse having thirty-two syllables, making three million two hundred thousand words”〔T25n1509 0057b08〕, and 「三分除二，得此百卷」 tr. “of three parts two were removed, and we obtained these hundred fascicles”〔T25n1509 0057b10〕; it also says 「梵文委曲，皆如初品」 tr. “the Sanskrit text is detailed and thorough throughout, just like the First Chapter”〔T25n1509 0057b22〕, and 「法師以秦人好簡故，裁而略之。若備譯其文，將近千有餘卷」 tr. “because the people of Qin like brevity, the Dharma master cut it down and abridged it. Had its text been translated in full, it would have come to nearly a thousand fascicles and more”〔T25n1509 0057b22〕. Huiyuan’s Preface to the Abridgement says 「故約本以為百卷。計所遺落殆過參倍。」 tr. “Therefore the original was condensed into a hundred fascicles. Reckoning what was left out, it comes to probably more than three times as much.”〔T55n2145 0076b01〕 The figures reckoned in the several records do not agree; this edition records them side by side without judging.

After the treatise was issued, Huiyuan found it prolix and wide and made an abridgement of it: 「遠常謂《大智論》文句繁廣，初學難尋，乃抄其要文，撰為二十卷。」 tr. “Huiyuan often said that the wording of the Treatise on Great Wisdom was prolix and wide, hard for beginners to follow, and so he abridged its essential passages and compiled them into twenty fascicles.”〔T50n2059 0360b05〕 That work is now lost; only its preface survives, in the Collection of Records on the Issuing of the Tripiṭaka.

As for the entries in the catalogues, the Collection of Records on the Issuing of the Tripiṭaka has 「大智論百卷於逍遙園譯出或分為七十卷」 tr. “Treatise on Great Wisdom, one hundred fascicles, translated at the Xiaoyao Garden; or divided into seventy fascicles”〔T55n2145 0011a16〕; the Kaiyuan Catalogue has 「大智度論一百卷或云大智度經論亦云摩訶般若釋論或七十卷或一百一十卷弘始四年夏於逍遙園出七年十二月二十七日訖見二秦錄及僧祐錄」 tr. “Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa, one hundred fascicles; or called Great Wisdom-Crossing Sūtra-Treatise, also called Expository Treatise on the Mahāprajñā; or seventy fascicles, or one hundred and ten fascicles; issued at the Xiaoyao Garden in the summer of the fourth year of Hongshi, finished on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of the seventh year; see the Catalogue of the Two Qin and Sengyou’s Catalogue”〔T55n2154 0513a04–0513a05〕. The three accounts—one hundred fascicles, seventy fascicles, and one hundred and ten fascicles—are recorded side by side without judging.

III. The Names of the Treatise in the Chinese Transmission

Under the brushes of the ancient masters this treatise bears several names; this edition records only those actually found:

「摩訶般若波羅蜜經釋論」 tr. “Expository Treatise on the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra”: the title of Sengrui’s Preface〔T25n1509 0057a03〕.
「釋論」 tr. “Expository Treatise”: the record after the treatise was issued, 「為姚天王出釋論」 tr. “the Expository Treatise was issued for the Heavenly King Yao”〔T55n2145 0075b11〕; the list of translated works in the biography of Kumārajīva in the Biographies of Eminent Monks likewise has the Expository Treatise〔T50n2059 0332b17〕.
「大智論」 tr. “Treatise on Great Wisdom”: the entry in the Collection of Records on the Issuing of the Tripiṭaka〔T55n2145 0011a16〕; the title of Huiyuan’s Preface to the Abridgement, 「大智論抄序第二十一」 tr. “Preface to the Abridgement of the Treatise on Great Wisdom, the Twenty-first”〔T55n2145 0075b19〕.
「大智釋論」 tr. “Great Wisdom Expository Treatise”: the title of Sengrui’s Preface as included in the Collection of Records on the Issuing of the Tripiṭaka, 「大智釋論序第十九」 tr. “Preface to the Great Wisdom Expository Treatise, the Nineteenth”〔T55n2145 0074c11〕.
「大智度經論」 tr. “Great Wisdom-Crossing Sūtra-Treatise” and 「摩訶般若釋論」 tr. “Expository Treatise on the Mahāprajñā”: variant names in the interlinear note of the Kaiyuan Catalogue〔T55n2154 0513a04〕.

Huiyuan’s abridgement has further variant names of its own; the interlinear note of the Kaiyuan Catalogue reads 「亦云大智論要略亦云釋論要抄」 tr. “also called Essentials of the Treatise on Great Wisdom, also called Essential Abridgement of the Expository Treatise”〔T55n2154 0515c09–0515c10〕.

IV. Reading against the Sūtra Commented On

Treatises of the Kośa kind have two translations that can be collated against each other; this treatise was transmitted by Kumārajīva alone and has no alternate translation to collate. Collation for this treatise is moved instead to the space between sūtra and treatise: the text cited in the 【經】 passages of the treatise is read passage by passage against the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra, T08n0223, translated by Kumārajīva. The record after the treatise was issued says 「其中兼出經本」 tr. “among these, the text of the sūtra was also issued”〔T55n2145 0075b13〕, and Sengrui’s Preface says 「經本既定，乃出此釋論」 tr. “once the text of the sūtra had been settled, they then brought out this Expository Treatise”〔T25n1509 0057b08〕—sūtra and treatise came out of one and the same translation assembly.

Hence the fourth heading of this edition’s Apparatus is named 「所釋經文」 tr. “The Sūtra Passage Explained,” not 「異譯對勘」 tr. “collation with the alternate translation.” Full and partial citations of the sūtra text are marked as they are; for the variant readings between the two texts, the collation notes of both sides are checked, and the readings are recorded side by side without judging. The Emission of Light Prajñāpāramitā, the Praise of Light Prajñāpāramitā, and the second assembly translated by Xuanzang serve only as side references for comparing rendered names, not as the main axis.

V. The Actual State of the Ancient Commentaries

This treatise has no surviving complete line-by-line commentary. The writings of the ancient masters that can be relied on are these:

Sengrui’s Preface and the record made after the treatise was issued: first-hand records of the translation assembly.
Huiyuan’s Preface to the Abridgement: the abridgement is lost; the preface survives.
Huiying’s Commentary, X46n0791: a fragmentary text; recorded for the chapters it covers.
Jizang’s Commentary on the Larger Sūtra, X24n0451: what it explains is the sūtra, and its explanations can often be read against this treatise.
Junzheng’s Profound Meaning of the Four Mahāyāna Treatises, X46n0784, and the citations in the works of Zhiyi and Zhanran: where there is a citation, the name and the text are recorded.

The sixth heading of the Apparatus, 「諸家異釋」 tr. “Divergent Readings of the Masters,” records on this factual basis: where there is something it is recorded; where there is nothing the absence is marked as it stands, and nothing is padded in. For example, in “Chapter 2: Recompense,” Jizang’s commentary, which explains the sūtra commented on, happens to fall in a fascicle that is wholly lost, while Huiying’s commentary, which explains the treatise, alone survives with one fascicle of complete coverage; the Apparatus records the two separately as the facts stand and does not judge the relative merit of the masters’ interpretations.

VI. The Form and the Present State of This Edition

The hundred fascicles of this treatise are divided into two tracks. Fascicles one to thirty-four explain the First Chapter; this edition calls them 「釋初品」 tr. “Commentary on the First Chapter.” They are divided according to the sections of commentary the treatise itself lists and form a separate track, which is still being prepared and has not received the translator’s approval. Fascicles thirty-five to one hundred explain the remaining eighty-nine chapters (“Chapter 2: Recompense” to “Chapter 90: Entrustment”); this edition calls them 「釋餘品」 tr. “Commentary on the Remaining Chapters.”

Each chapter of the Commentary on the Remaining Chapters has five layers: the Source-Text preserves the classical Chinese with page-anchors; the Vernacular follows the text word for word; the Exposition opens the meaning; the Apparatus presents evidence under eight headings; the Heart-Essence offers a short point of entry. The thirty-two longer chapters are divided into sub-units and have in addition, at chapter level, two pieces: a 「總說」 tr. “Overview” and a 「承衍」 tr. “Further Resonances.” The five Chinese layers of all eighty-nine chapters of the Commentary on the Remaining Chapters are complete and have been read through and approved by the translator (Chapters 2 to 47 on 17 September 2026; Chapters 48 to 90 on 24 September 2026); the English mirror, in five hundred and eight files, is likewise complete and approved by the translator (2 October 2026).

When citing, check the original by its actual canon number and page-column-line.

讀法How to read

一、先選入口

本版不要求所有人從報應品第一字讀到囑累品最後一字。可以依目的選路：

初次相遇：先讀本卷首心要，再選一品的心要與白話，最後回到原典。
連續通讀：依品次讀原典與白話；一品讀完，再看義疏如何開義。
證據回查：由原典進考據，查科判、術語、譬喻、所釋經文、諸家異釋與校本；義疏中的古德之釋也應能回到考據之證。
只想讀骨架：先讀各品心要，再挑一條主題讀路走完。

二、經與論怎樣相待

本論是釋經之論。每品之中，【經】段先出，牒所釋經之文；【論】段隨後，論主逐句而釋。本版於原典層保留【經】【論】之標，讀者隨時可知眼前一段是經文還是論文。

因此讀本論有一個隨時可用的定位法：先看這一段論在釋哪一句經。經是所釋，論是能釋；經段之中說者有佛、須菩提、舍利弗、帝釋等，論段之中則是論主設問自答。論文常以「問曰」起疑，以「答曰」作解，又以「復次」另開一義。讀一場往復時，先分清誰問誰答，再讀其義。

篇幅較大之三十二品拆為子單元。這些品先有一篇「總說」，導讀全品之脈絡；各子單元依次讀過之後，品末有一篇「承衍」，列出可以對讀的座標。拆品之考據與心要仍以全品為一，不隨子單元而分。

三、五條主題讀路

以下讀路只依品題之次聚合，不代作義理之判；每條所列之品，可依次讀其心要與白話。

大乘之名與其所乘

〈摩訶薩品第十三〉〈斷見品第十四〉〈大莊嚴品第十五〉〈乘乘品第十六〉〈無縛無脫品第十七〉〈摩訶衍品第十八〉〈四念處品第十九〉〈發趣品第二十〉〈出到品第二十一〉〈勝出品第二十二〉〈含受品第二十三〉〈會宗品第二十四〉。此組諸品，品題即是所問：何謂摩訶薩，何謂摩訶衍，從何處發趣，至何處出到。

校量功德與受持

〈寶塔校量品第三十二〉〈述誠品第三十三〉〈勸受持品第三十四〉〈梵志品第三十五〉〈阿難稱譽品第三十六〉〈校量舍利品第三十七〉〈挍量法施品第三十八〉〈隨喜迴向品第三十九〉。此組品題多涉校量、受持、法施與迴向。〈挍量法施品〉之「挍」字依底本品題，與〈校量舍利品〉不相併。

信謗與魔事

〈照明品第四十〉〈信謗品第四十一〉〈歎淨品第四十二〉〈無作實相品第四十三〉〈諸波羅蜜品第四十四〉〈歎信行品第四十五〉〈魔事品第四十六〉〈兩不和合品第四十七〉。此組品題涉信、謗、淨與魔事，宜連讀。

般若為佛母

〈佛母品第四十八〉〈問相品第四十九〉〈大事起品第五十〉〈譬喻品第五十一〉〈善知識品第五十二〉〈趣一切智品第五十三〉〈大如品第五十四〉。佛母品以母人有子之喻開篇，此組諸品皆可由此一喻入。

不退轉之相與方便

〈阿毘跋致品第五十五〉〈轉不轉品第五十六〉〈燈炷品第五十七〉〈夢中入三昧品第五十八〉〈恒伽提婆品第五十九〉〈學空不證品第六十〉〈夢中不證品第六十一〉，其後〈無盡方便品第六十七〉〈六度相攝品第六十八〉〈大方便品第六十九〉。前組問菩薩不退之相，後組問方便。

最後〈薩陀波崙品第八十八〉〈曇無竭品第八十九〉〈囑累品第九十〉收全論。

四、怎樣使用五層

層	最適合回答的問題
原典	本論實際怎樣說？這一句的頁錨在哪裡？這一段是【經】還是【論】？
白話	這一段連續說了甚麼？這一場往復是誰問誰答？
義疏	這一段的義理怎樣展開？論主之問答怎樣一句一句讀懂？
考據	所釋經原文如何？術語、譬喻何所出？古德怎樣釋？異讀有何證據？
心要	這一品最值得帶走的是甚麼？

白話不代判義，義疏不改寫原典，考據不代古德裁決，心要也不代替完整論文。若一個讀法無法回到原典或明確歸屬的古德文字，應把它視為本版的解說，而不是論中逐字所說。

五、讀本論的兩個提醒

留意論中之多聲。 本論一段之中，常有「有人言」述他說，有「復次」另開一義，有「問曰」代人起疑。這些聲音不全是論主之定說；論主於某處明判，於某處只並列眾說。判與不判之別，是讀本論要緊之處，本版於各層皆守此界。

古德之判不等於論文自說。 吉藏、慧影、智顗諸師引本論而釋之，其釋出於古德，論文自身未必作此釋。例如十無品，吉藏以「上廣門略觀，今略門廣觀」對觀前後諸品，判本品以一無生門開十種觀為略門廣觀——此對觀出於吉藏自立之架構，論文自身未作此比。本版把這一類判釋歸入考據與義疏之承衍，並明標誰之所釋，不下灌入白話或原典。

六、引用時的最短原則

引用本版，至少保留『品次＋品名＋單元＋層名』；引用論、經或古德逐字語句，再加藏經號與實際頁欄行。只寫『《大智度論》說』不足以分辨論主之文、論中所牒之經文，或論中所述之「有人言」。

I. Choose an Entry Point First

This edition does not require everyone to read from the first word of “Chapter 2: Recompense” to the last word of “Chapter 90: Entrustment.” Choose a route according to purpose:

A first encounter — first read this Opening Heart-Essence, then choose one chapter and read its Heart-Essence and Vernacular, and finally return to the Source-Text.
Continuous reading — read the Source-Text and Vernacular in chapter order; when one chapter is finished, see how the Exposition opens its meaning.
Checking evidence — move from the Source-Text into the Apparatus to check the structural placement, terms, similes, the sūtra passage explained, the divergent readings of the masters, and the witnesses; an ancient master’s explanation used in the Exposition should also be traceable back to the evidence in the Apparatus.
Only the framework — read the Heart-Essence of each chapter first, then pick one thematic route and follow it through to its end.

II. How Sūtra and Treatise Stand to Each Other

This treatise is a treatise that explains a sūtra. Within each chapter the 【經】 passage comes first, citing the text of the sūtra commented on—the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra that the treatise comments on, T08n0223; the 【論】 passage follows, in which the treatise-author explains it sentence by sentence. This edition keeps the 【經】【論】 markers in the Source-Text layer, so that the reader always knows whether the passage at hand is sūtra text or treatise text.

There is therefore one method of orientation always available in reading this treatise: first see which sentence of the sūtra this passage of the treatise is explaining. The sūtra is what is explained; the treatise is what explains. Within the sūtra passages the speakers are the Buddha, Subhūti, Śāriputra, Śakra, and others; within the treatise passages it is the treatise-author raising questions and answering them himself. The treatise often raises a doubt with 「問曰」 tr. “Question:”, gives the explanation with 「答曰」 tr. “Answer:”, and opens a further meaning with 「復次」 tr. “further.” In reading an exchange, first be clear who asks and who answers, and then read its meaning.

The thirty-two longer chapters are divided into sub-units. Each of these chapters first has a 「總說」 tr. “Overview,” introducing the course of the whole chapter; after the sub-units have been read in order, at the end of the chapter there is a 「承衍」 tr. “Further Resonances,” listing coordinates that can be read alongside. The Apparatus and Heart-Essence of a divided chapter still treat the whole chapter as one and are not split by sub-unit.

III. Five Thematic Routes

The routes below are grouped only by the order of the chapter titles and make no doctrinal judgement on the treatise’s behalf; for the chapters listed in each route, read their Heart-Essence and Vernacular in order.

The Name of the Great Vehicle and What It Carries

“Chapter 13: Mahāsattva,” “Chapter 14: Cutting Off Views,” “Chapter 15: The Great Adornment,” “Chapter 16: Riding the Vehicle,” “Chapter 17: Neither Bound nor Freed,” “Chapter 18: Mahāyāna,” “Chapter 19: The Four Foundations of Mindfulness,” “Chapter 20: Setting Out,” “Chapter 21: Going Forth and Arriving,” “Chapter 22: Surpassing,” “Chapter 23: Containing and Receiving,” “Chapter 24: Converging on the Tenet.” In the chapters of this group, the chapter title is itself the question asked: what a mahāsattva is, what the Mahāyāna is, from where one sets out, and where one goes forth and arrives.

Weighing Merit, and Receiving and Upholding

“Chapter 32: Weighing the Jewelled Stūpa,” “Chapter 33: Declaring the Truth,” “Chapter 34: Exhortation to Receive and Uphold,” “Chapter 35: The Brahmin Ascetic,” “Chapter 36: Ānanda’s Praise,” “Chapter 37: Weighing the Relics,” “Chapter 38: Weighing the Gift of Dharma,” “Chapter 39: Rejoicing and Dedication.” The chapter titles of this group mostly concern weighing, receiving and upholding, the gift of Dharma, and dedication. The character 「挍」 tr. “weigh” in “Chapter 38: Weighing the Gift of Dharma” follows the chapter title of the base text and is not merged with the form in “Chapter 37: Weighing the Relics.”

Faith and Slander, and the Deeds of Māra

“Chapter 40: Illumination,” “Chapter 41: Faith and Slander,” “Chapter 42: Praise of Purity,” “Chapter 43: The Uncontrived Real Mark,” “Chapter 44: The Perfections,” “Chapter 45: Praise of Practising in Faith,” “Chapter 46: The Deeds of Māra,” “Chapter 47: The Two Discords.” The chapter titles of this group concern faith, slander, purity, and the deeds of Māra, and are best read in succession.

Prajñā as the Mother of the Buddhas

“Chapter 48: The Mother of the Buddhas,” “Chapter 49: Asking about Marks,” “Chapter 50: The Great Matter Arises,” “Chapter 51: Parables,” “Chapter 52: The Good Friend,” “Chapter 53: Tending toward Omniscience,” “Chapter 54: The Great Suchness.” “Chapter 48: The Mother of the Buddhas” opens with the simile of a mother who has sons, and all the chapters of this group can be entered through this one simile.

The Marks of Non-retrogression, and Skilful Means

“Chapter 55: Avaivartika,” “Chapter 56: Turning and Not Turning,” “Chapter 57: The Lamp-wick,” “Chapter 58: Entering Samādhi in a Dream,” “Chapter 59: Gaṅgadevī,” “Chapter 60: Training in Emptiness without Realising It,” “Chapter 61: Not Realising It in a Dream,” and after them “Chapter 67: Inexhaustible Skilful Means,” “Chapter 68: The Six Perfections Contain One Another,” “Chapter 69: The Great Skilful Means.” The first group asks about the marks of the bodhisattva’s non-retrogression; the latter group asks about skilful means.

Finally, “Chapter 88: Sadāprarudita,” “Chapter 89: Dharmodgata,” and “Chapter 90: Entrustment” bring the whole treatise to its close.

IV. How to Use the Five Layers

Layer	The question it is best fitted to answer
Source-Text	What does the treatise actually say? Where is the page-anchor of this sentence? Is this passage 【經】 or 【論】?
Vernacular	What does this passage say continuously? In this exchange, who asks and who answers?
Exposition	How does the meaning of this passage unfold? How are the treatise-author’s questions and answers to be understood sentence by sentence?
Apparatus	What is the original text of the sūtra commented on? Where do the terms and similes come from? How did the ancient masters explain it? What evidence is there for variant readings?
Heart-Essence	What is most worth carrying away from this chapter?

The Vernacular does not adjudicate the meaning on the treatise’s behalf; the Exposition does not rewrite the Source-Text; the Apparatus does not decide for the ancient masters; and the Heart-Essence does not replace the complete text of the treatise. If a reading cannot be returned to the Source-Text or to a clearly attributed passage of an ancient master, it should be regarded as this edition’s explanation and not as what the treatise says word for word.

V. Two Cautions for Reading This Treatise

Attend to the many voices in the treatise. Within a single passage of this treatise there is often 「有人言」 tr. “someone says,” reporting another view; 「復次」 tr. “further,” opening another meaning; and 「問曰」 tr. “Question:”, raising a doubt on someone’s behalf. These voices are not all the treatise-author’s settled view; in some places he judges explicitly, in others he only sets the various views side by side. The difference between judging and not judging is an essential point in reading this treatise, and this edition keeps that boundary in every layer.

An ancient master’s judgement is not the treatise speaking for itself. Jizang, Huiying, Zhiyi, and other masters cite this treatise and explain it; their explanations come from the ancient masters, and the treatise-text itself does not necessarily explain it so. For example, in “Chapter 25: The Ten Non-existents,” Jizang contrasts the chapters before and after with 「上廣門略觀，今略門廣觀」 tr. “above was the broad gate with brief contemplation; now it is the brief gate with broad contemplation,” judging that this chapter, opening ten kinds of contemplation from the single gate of non-arising, is the brief gate with broad contemplation—this contrast comes from a framework Jizang set up himself, and the treatise-text itself makes no such comparison. This edition places judgements of this kind in the Apparatus and in the Further Resonances of the Exposition, marks clearly whose explanation each is, and does not pour them down into the Vernacular or the Source-Text.

VI. The Shortest Principle for Citation

When citing this edition, retain at least ‘chapter number + chapter title + unit + layer name’; when citing the treatise, the sūtra, or an ancient master word for word, add the canon number and the actual page-column-line. To write only ‘the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa says’ is not enough to distinguish the treatise-author’s own text, the sūtra text cited in the treatise, or the 「有人言」 tr. “someone says” reported in the treatise.

凡例Conventions

一、底本與所釋經

唯一底本：龍樹菩薩造、後秦鳩摩羅什譯《大智度論》T25n1509，一百卷。本論羅什獨傳，無異譯，故無選底之裁。
所釋經：後秦鳩摩羅什譯《摩訶般若波羅蜜經》T08n0223。論中所牒之經文與此本逐字對讀，是本版對勘之主軸，代異譯之位。
旁參：《放光般若經》T08n0221、《光讚經》T08n0222 與玄奘所譯第二會，只作譯名對照之旁參，不作主軸。

二、單元切分

釋初品依論自列之『釋論第幾』節分節，另成一軌。
品名主軸從本論底本，不從所釋經。本論與所釋經之品名字形相異者，於考據記作『本論作某，所釋經作某』，版面從本論底本，並錄不判。
釋餘品每品原則上作一單元。一品純漢逾七千五百字者拆為子單元，依經論交替之自然中點分之；跨卷者依卷界，單卷者依經論之界；各子單元宜在七千五百字以內。
拆為子單元之品，品級另具考據（八目涵蓋全品）、心要、總說與承衍。

三、五層分工

原典逐字保存 T1509 漢文，並帶卷題、品題與頁錨。
白話逐字覆蓋，不增新義，不夾梵語，法數之列舉不塌縮；不夾藏經號、注家名與羅馬字。
義疏先由論文開義，依原文次序逐段解明，不壓成撮要；每一單元固定四節：在問什麼、逐段解明、不要讀錯、修行作用，末節名為「承衍」。正文可引古德之釋以說清論義，須明言誰之所釋；古德之判釋、諸疏互異之解，一律入「承衍」。
考據依論之八目呈證（見下第五條），只錄經、論與古德之逐字，純漢，不加按語；逐目有則錄，無則據實標闕。
心要作初讀入口，極簡，不引藏經號，不代替完整論文與證據。

原典只存古漢語；其餘四層各具中文與英文。英文鏡譯不另造原典，所有漢文權威仍回到原典層。

四、無異譯之裁

本論無異譯，亦無逐文全疏。非存在之源不設空目：諸家異釋一目據實偏倚僧叡序、慧遠抄序、論內自釋與後世徵引，不虛列。
本論無部派系內反破之見證，考據不設系內對辯一目。

五、考據八目

考據依固定次第呈證：一、科判；二、術語考；三、譬喻與故事；四、所釋經文；五、般若義眼；六、諸家異釋；七、互讀與承衍；八、校本與版本說明。
所釋經文一目，核論中牒經為全引或節引。
藏經號一律作全書號之形：本論 T25n1509，所釋經 T08n0223，放光 T08n0221，光讚 T08n0222，《出三藏記集》T55n2145，《龍樹菩薩傳》T50n2047。

六、校勘之錄法

校本依大正校勘所列：大正底本【大】，對【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】【聖乙】【石】（石山寺本）諸本；CBETA 依《高麗藏》回改之處以【CB】【麗-CB】標之，並錄大正原印。
正文從大正底本之讀，諸本異讀全錄，不默採他本。
凡義理所繫之異讀，全品一律全量揭露，不只揭品題一處。
所釋經對讀之異文，本論與所釋經兩造之校勘皆查。
凡『全系一致』『唯某本獨有』一類之斷言，須將該處所有校本逐條引全。
本論側與所釋經側之品名字形，各依其本，分兩造錄之，不相統一。

七、引文與義理

中文「」內為逐字徵引，標點依所引之本，內層引號照原；『』為本版今語之提挈與撮意，不冒充原文；行內夾注作〔……〕。
「」內不插本版之注。
□ 為底本原缺之字，照存。
底本自身以內層「」標示新釋之術語者，照存，非本版所加。
頁錨繫於引句首字之前最近之行標，以引文首字所在之行為準。
跨書之頁錨須帶全書號，如 T25n1509，不只寫冊號。
同一句在不同段落重引，各處頁錨各自回查。
經段之說者（佛、須菩提、舍利弗、帝釋等）與論段之問答主（論主自問自答、「有人言」、「答曰」）必須分清，不相混。
義疏末節名為「承衍」，誌其相承而不代為定讀。
古德之徵引有則錄名錄文，誌錄不判；空有、中觀唯識之宗諍亦誌錄不判。
他經之注引本論處，引文落於本論之品與卷；逐字核對未竟者，讀者面作『俟其逐字核存』。

八、梵語與羅馬字

本論梵本不存，其源即羅什之漢譯。梵語名相唯依古德之音寫——羅什之譯名，慧琳音義有則繫之；近代之重構不補。
羅馬字只作發音之助，不作依據。
權威引文唯經與古德；近代學者、近代梵文校訂本與二手研究，一字不引。
考據諸家異釋一目遇近代之作，依例不歸古德。

九、版本與題署

中文各層以『釋慧鏡 · 指月 · 大智度論 · 釋餘品 · 品名 · 單元 · 層名 · 2026 夏』題署（單卷之品無單元段；總說一篇不題署）。
標點一律全形，標題與題署同。
讀者面稱佛菩薩一律稱名，不用示部之第三人稱代詞，不用引文區塊；白話與心要不夾藏經號，義疏承衍之外不具注家之名。
釋餘品八十九品之中文五層與英文鏡譯皆已建竣，經譯者印可（中文二〇二六年九月，英文二〇二六年十月）；釋初品另軌尚在整理，未印可。引用時以品名、單元與底本頁錨共同定位。

I. Base Text and the Sūtra Commented On

Sole base text — 《大智度論》, composed by the Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna and translated by Kumārajīva of the Later Qin, T25n1509, in one hundred fascicles. This treatise was transmitted by Kumārajīva alone and has no alternate translation, so no decision on the choice of a base text arises.
The sūtra commented on — 《摩訶般若波羅蜜經》, translated by Kumārajīva of the Later Qin, T08n0223: the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra that the treatise comments on. The sūtra text cited in the treatise is read word for word against this version; this is the main axis of collation in this edition, standing in the place of an alternate translation.
Side references — the Emission of Light Prajñāpāramitā, T08n0221, the Praise of Light Prajñāpāramitā, T08n0222, and the second assembly translated by Xuanzang serve only as side references for comparing rendered names, not as the main axis.

II. Division into Units

The Commentary on the First Chapter is divided according to the treatise’s own divisions, ‘Expository Treatise, section so-and-so,’ and forms a separate track.
Chapter names follow the base text of this treatise as the main axis, not the sūtra commented on. Where the written form of a chapter name differs between this treatise and the sūtra commented on, the Apparatus records it as ‘this treatise has such-and-such, the sūtra commented on has such-and-such’; the page follows the base text of this treatise, and both are recorded side by side without judging.
As a rule, each chapter of the Commentary on the Remaining Chapters forms one unit. A chapter whose pure Chinese exceeds seven thousand five hundred characters is divided into sub-units at the natural midpoints of the alternation of sūtra and treatise: a chapter that spans fascicles is divided at the fascicle boundaries, a chapter within a single fascicle at the boundaries between sūtra and treatise; each sub-unit should be within seven thousand five hundred characters.
A chapter divided into sub-units has in addition, at chapter level, an Apparatus (its eight headings covering the whole chapter), a Heart-Essence, an Overview, and a Further Resonances.

III. The Division of Labour among the Five Layers

The Source-Text preserves the Chinese of T1509 word for word, with fascicle titles, chapter titles, and page-anchors.
The Vernacular covers the text word for word, adds no new meaning, carries no Sanskrit, and does not collapse enumerations of doctrinal numbers; it carries no canon numbers, no names of commentators, and no romanisation.
The Exposition first opens the meaning from the treatise-text, explaining passage by passage in the order of the original, without compressing it into a summary; every unit has four fixed sections—What Is Being Asked, Passage by Passage, Do Not Misread, Bearing on Practice—and its closing section is named 「承衍」 tr. “Further Resonances.” The body may cite an ancient master’s explanation to make the treatise’s meaning clear, but must state whose explanation it is; the ancient masters’ judgements, and the interpretations in which the commentaries differ from one another, all go into the 「承衍」 tr. “Further Resonances.”
The Apparatus presents evidence under the treatise’s eight headings (see section V below), recording only the verbatim words of sūtra, treatise, and ancient masters, in pure Chinese, without added remarks; under each heading what there is is recorded, and where there is nothing the absence is marked as it stands.
The Heart-Essence serves as a doorway for a first reading; it is extremely brief, cites no canon numbers, and does not replace the complete treatise or its evidence.

The Source-Text preserves classical Chinese alone; each of the other four layers exists in both Chinese and English. The English mirror creates no separate Source-Text, and all authority for the Chinese returns to the Source-Text layer.

IV. Where There Is No Alternate Translation

This treatise has no alternate translation, nor any complete line-by-line commentary. No empty heading is set up for a source that does not exist: the heading on the divergent readings of the masters leans, as the facts require, on Sengrui’s Preface, Huiyuan’s Preface to the Abridgement, the treatise’s own explanations, and later citations, and lists nothing that is not there.
This treatise has no witness of refutation from within a school system, so the Apparatus sets up no heading for debate within the system.

V. The Eight Headings of the Apparatus

The Apparatus presents evidence in a fixed order: I. Structural Placement; II. Terms Examined; III. Similes and Stories; IV. The Sūtra Passage Explained; V. The Prajñā Eye; VI. Divergent Readings of the Masters; VII. Cross-reading and Further Resonances; VIII. Witnesses and Editions.
The heading on the sūtra passage explained checks whether each citation of the sūtra in the treatise is full or partial.
Canon numbers are always written in the form of the full work number: this treatise T25n1509, the sūtra commented on T08n0223, the Emission of Light T08n0221, the Praise of Light T08n0222, the Collection of Records on the Issuing of the Tripiṭaka T55n2145, the Life of the Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna T50n2047.

VI. How Collation Is Recorded

The collation witnesses follow those listed in the Taishō collation notes: the Taishō base text 【大】, against the witnesses 【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】【聖乙】【石】 (the Ishiyama-dera manuscript); where CBETA has emended back according to the Korean Canon, the place is marked 【CB】【麗-CB】, and the original Taishō printing is recorded alongside.
The main text follows the reading of the Taishō base text; the variant readings of all witnesses are recorded in full, and no other witness is silently adopted.
Every variant reading on which doctrine depends is disclosed in full throughout the whole chapter, not only at the one place in the chapter title.
For the variant readings found in reading against the sūtra commented on, the collation notes of both sides, this treatise and the sūtra commented on, are checked.
Any assertion of the kind ‘consistent throughout the whole line of witnesses’ or ‘found in such-and-such witness alone’ must cite in full, item by item, every collation witness for that place.
The written forms of chapter names on the side of this treatise and on the side of the sūtra commented on each follow their own text and are recorded as two sides, not regularised to each other.

VII. Quotation and Doctrine

Chinese within 「」 is a verbatim quotation, its punctuation following the text quoted and its inner quotation marks as in the original; 『』 marks this edition’s present-day formulations and condensations and does not pass for the original wording; an inline note within a line is written 〔……〕.
No note of this edition is inserted within 「」.
□ is a character missing in the base text itself and is preserved as it stands.
Where the base text itself uses inner 「」 to mark a term it is newly explaining, they are preserved; they are not added by this edition.
A page-anchor is fastened to the nearest line marker preceding the first character of the quoted sentence, the line on which the first character of the quotation stands being the standard.
A page-anchor into another work must carry the full work number, such as T25n1509, not the volume number alone.
When the same sentence is quoted again in different passages, the page-anchor in each place is checked back separately.
The speakers of the sūtra passages (the Buddha, Subhūti, Śāriputra, Śakra, and others) and the askers and answerers of the treatise passages (the treatise-author asking and answering himself, 「有人言」 tr. “someone says,” 「答曰」 tr. “Answer:”) must be kept distinct and not confused.
The closing section of the Exposition is named 「承衍」 tr. “Further Resonances”; it records what is carried on and does not settle a reading on anyone’s behalf.
Where an ancient master cites the treatise, the name and the text are recorded, recorded without judging; the sectarian disputes over emptiness and existence, and between the Middle-Way and Consciousness-Only schools, are likewise recorded without judging.
Where a note in another sūtra’s commentary cites this treatise, the quotation is located in the chapter and fascicle of this treatise; where verbatim checking is not yet complete, the reader’s surface writes ‘awaiting verbatim confirmation.’

VIII. Sanskrit and Romanisation

No Sanskrit text of this treatise survives; its source is Kumārajīva’s Chinese translation itself. Sanskrit names and terms follow only the phonetic transcriptions of the ancient masters—Kumārajīva’s rendered names, tied to Huilin’s Sounds and Meanings of All the Scriptures where it has them; modern reconstructions are not supplied.
Romanisation serves only as an aid to pronunciation and not as a basis of evidence.
Authoritative quotation is taken only from the sūtras and the ancient masters; modern scholars, modern Sanskrit critical editions, and secondary studies are not cited by a single word.
When the heading on the divergent readings of the masters meets a modern work, it is by rule not counted among the ancient masters.

IX. Edition and Signature

The Chinese layers are signed ‘釋慧鏡 · 指月 · 大智度論 · 釋餘品 · chapter title · unit · layer name · 2026 夏’ (a chapter in a single fascicle has no unit segment; the Overview alone carries no signature).
Punctuation is full-width throughout, in headings and signatures alike.
On the reader’s surface, buddhas and bodhisattvas are always referred to by name, without a reverential third-person pronoun, and without block quotations; the Vernacular and the Heart-Essence carry no canon numbers, and outside the Further Resonances of the Exposition no commentator’s name appears.
The five Chinese layers and the English mirror of all eighty-nine chapters of the Commentary on the Remaining Chapters are complete and have been approved by the translator (the Chinese in September 2026, the English in October 2026); the Commentary on the First Chapter, a separate track, is still being prepared and has not been approved. When citing, locate a passage by chapter title, unit, and the page-anchor of the base text together.

譯者Translator

造論者——龍樹

本版底本為《大智度論》T25n1509。論首題署「龍樹菩薩造」；各卷卷端之題署不一，多作「聖者龍樹造」，亦有作「聖者龍樹菩薩造」者，本版原典層逐卷照錄，不代統一。造論之來歷，漢傳有羅什所譯《龍樹菩薩傳》二本（T50n2047a、T50n2047b）與僧叡、慧遠二序可稽；慧遠序言其人「以般若經為靈府妙門宗一之道。三乘十二部由之而出。故尤重焉」〔T55n2145 0075c12〕。造論之真偽與撰時，古今有議，本版不裁，唯錄漢傳見證之所在。

根本漢譯者——鳩摩羅什

論首題署「後秦龜茲國三藏法師鳩摩羅什奉　詔譯」（「奉　詔譯」擡頭敬詔）；各卷卷端多作「後秦龜茲國三藏鳩摩羅什譯」。譯年譯地有出論後記為第一手：「四年夏於逍遙園中西門閤上。為姚天王出釋論。七年十二月二十七日乃訖」〔T55n2145 0075b11〕；《開元釋教錄》著錄同之：「弘始四年夏於逍遙園出七年十二月二十七日訖」〔T55n2154 0513a04〕。

此譯為略譯，僧叡序明言：「論之略本有十萬偈，偈有三十二字，并三百二十萬言」〔T25n1509 0057b08〕，「三分除二，得此百卷」〔T25n1509 0057b10〕；「梵文委曲，皆如初品」，「法師以秦人好簡故，裁而略之。若備譯其文，將近千有餘卷」〔T25n1509 0057b22〕。出論後記亦云：「論初品三十四卷。解釋一品。是全論其本二品已下法師略之取其要」〔T55n2145 0075b15〕。故初品之釋為全譯，二品以下為節譯——本版之「釋初品」與「釋餘品」兩軌，即依此而分。羅什百卷本是本版切分與引用的根：原典層逐字保存此漢譯；白話、義疏、心要與英文鏡譯也以它的句義、品次與專名為起點。

所釋經之譯者——亦鳩摩羅什

本論所釋之《摩訶般若波羅蜜經》T08n0223，題署亦「後秦龜茲國三藏鳩摩羅什譯」。經與論同出一手，本版考據以所釋經之對讀代異譯之對勘：論中牒經之文與經本逐段對讀，兩側異讀並錄不判，不以經改論，亦不以論改經。

序者——僧叡；抄者——慧遠

僧叡預於什譯，「什所翻經，叡並參正」〔T50n2059 0364b02〕，述論首之序，記譯場、記略譯之由，是譯場第一手見證。慧遠「常謂大智論文句繁廣，初學難尋，乃抄其要文，撰為二十卷」〔T50n2059 0360b05〕；抄本已佚，唯〈大智論抄序〉存於《出三藏記集》，其判本論之體「輒寄之賓主。假自疑以起對。名曰問論」〔T55n2145 0075c16〕，本版引為讀法之綱。二序皆錄其言，不代之作判。

古德義疏責任者

本論無傳世逐文全疏。慧影《大智度論疏》X46n0791 殘存，有覆蓋之品，本版錄之並標其為殘本；吉藏《大品經義疏》X24n0451 釋所釋經，於經論相涉之處引之；均正《大乘四論玄義》X46n0784 與天台智顗、湛然諸書之徵引，有引則錄其名、其處、其逐字，不通引。這些作者是注釋者與徵引者，不與造論者或譯者混稱。

本版譯注者——釋慧鏡

本版白話、義疏、考據、心要及英文鏡譯由釋慧鏡（Shi Huijing）譯注。

編纂次第是：先守羅什原典，逐段以所釋經對讀，取僧叡、慧遠二序定譯史與體裁，以慧影殘疏、吉藏、均正與天台之徵引為考據之鏡，並以經錄與僧傳定譯年。所有今譯用字、英文句法、層次分工與文本史表述，均由本版譯注者負責；古德之語必明標歸屬，不借古德權威遮蔽本版的編輯責任。

Author of the Treatise — Nāgārjuna

The base text of this edition is the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa, T25n1509. The title statement at the head of the treatise reads 「龍樹菩薩造」 tr. “composed by the Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna”; the title statements at the heads of the individual fascicles are not uniform, mostly reading 「聖者龍樹造」 tr. “composed by the noble Nāgārjuna,” while some read 「聖者龍樹菩薩造」 tr. “composed by the noble Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna”; the Source-Text layer of this edition records them fascicle by fascicle as they stand and does not regularise them. For the origins of the treatise’s composition, the Chinese transmission has the two versions of the Life of the Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna translated by Kumārajīva (T50n2047a, T50n2047b) and the two prefaces of Sengrui and Huiyuan to consult; Huiyuan’s Preface says of the man that he 「以般若經為靈府妙門宗一之道。三乘十二部由之而出。故尤重焉」 tr. “took the Prajñā sūtras as the wondrous gate of the spirit’s treasury, the way that unifies the tenet. The three vehicles and the twelve divisions of scripture come forth from them. Therefore he valued them above all”〔T55n2145 0075c12〕. The authenticity of the treatise’s authorship and the time of its composition have been debated from ancient times to the present; this edition does not adjudicate, and records only where the Chinese witnesses stand.

Translator of the Base Chinese Text — Kumārajīva

The title statement at the head of the treatise reads 「後秦龜茲國三藏法師鳩摩羅什奉　詔譯」 tr. “translated at imperial command by Kumārajīva, Tripiṭaka Dharma master of Kucha, in the Later Qin” (the phrase 「奉　詔譯」 tr. “translated at imperial command” raising the word of the imperial command in respect); the heads of the individual fascicles mostly read 「後秦龜茲國三藏鳩摩羅什譯」 tr. “translated by Kumārajīva, Tripiṭaka master of Kucha, in the Later Qin.” For the year and place of translation, the record made after the treatise was issued is first-hand: 「四年夏於逍遙園中西門閤上。為姚天王出釋論。七年十二月二十七日乃訖」 tr. “In the summer of the fourth year, in the tower above the western gate within the Xiaoyao Garden, the Expository Treatise was issued for the Heavenly King Yao. It was finished only on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of the seventh year”〔T55n2145 0075b11〕; the Kaiyuan Catalogue of the Buddhist Teaching records the same: 「弘始四年夏於逍遙園出七年十二月二十七日訖」 tr. “issued at the Xiaoyao Garden in the summer of the fourth year of Hongshi, finished on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of the seventh year”〔T55n2154 0513a04〕.

This translation is an abridged one, as Sengrui’s Preface states plainly: 「論之略本有十萬偈，偈有三十二字，并三百二十萬言」 tr. “the abridged text of the treatise has a hundred thousand verses, each verse having thirty-two syllables, making three million two hundred thousand words”〔T25n1509 0057b08〕, 「三分除二，得此百卷」 tr. “of three parts two were removed, and we obtained these hundred fascicles”〔T25n1509 0057b10〕; 「梵文委曲，皆如初品」 tr. “the Sanskrit text is detailed and thorough throughout, just like the First Chapter,” 「法師以秦人好簡故，裁而略之。若備譯其文，將近千有餘卷」 tr. “because the people of Qin like brevity, the Dharma master cut it down and abridged it. Had its text been translated in full, it would have come to nearly a thousand fascicles and more”〔T25n1509 0057b22〕. The record made after the treatise was issued also says: 「論初品三十四卷。解釋一品。是全論其本二品已下法師略之取其要」 tr. “The treatise’s First Chapter, thirty-four fascicles, explains one chapter, and is the whole treatise in its original form; from the second chapter onward the Dharma master abridged it, taking its essentials”〔T55n2145 0075b15〕. Hence the commentary on the First Chapter is a complete translation, and from the second chapter onward it is an abridged translation—this edition’s two tracks, 「釋初品」 tr. “Commentary on the First Chapter” and 「釋餘品」 tr. “Commentary on the Remaining Chapters,” are divided on this basis. Kumārajīva’s hundred-fascicle text is the root of this edition’s division and citation: the Source-Text layer preserves this Chinese translation word for word; the Vernacular, the Exposition, the Heart-Essence, and the English mirror likewise take its sense, its chapter order, and its proper names as their starting point.

Translator of the Sūtra Commented On — Kumārajīva Again

The Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra that this treatise comments on, T08n0223, is likewise signed 「後秦龜茲國三藏鳩摩羅什譯」 tr. “translated by Kumārajīva, Tripiṭaka master of Kucha, in the Later Qin.” Sūtra and treatise come from one and the same hand, and the Apparatus of this edition puts reading against the sūtra commented on in the place of collation with an alternate translation: the sūtra text cited in the treatise is read passage by passage against the sūtra text, the variant readings on both sides are recorded side by side without judging, and neither is the treatise altered by the sūtra nor the sūtra by the treatise.

Writer of the Preface — Sengrui; Abridger — Huiyuan

Sengrui took part in Kumārajīva’s translating—「什所翻經，叡並參正」 tr. “of the scriptures Kumārajīva translated, Sengrui took part in correcting them all”〔T50n2059 0364b02〕—and wrote the preface at the head of the treatise, recording the translation assembly and the reasons for the abridged translation; it is the first-hand witness of the translation assembly. Huiyuan 「常謂大智論文句繁廣，初學難尋，乃抄其要文，撰為二十卷」 tr. “often said that the wording of the Treatise on Great Wisdom was prolix and wide, hard for beginners to follow, and so he abridged its essential passages and compiled them into twenty fascicles”〔T50n2059 0360b05〕; the abridgement is lost, and only his Preface to the Abridgement survives, in the Collection of Records on the Issuing of the Tripiṭaka. Its judgement on the form of this treatise, 「輒寄之賓主。假自疑以起對。名曰問論」 tr. “it is always lodged in guest and host; it borrows self-raised doubts to call forth replies; it is called a treatise of questions”〔T55n2145 0075c16〕, is taken by this edition as the guiding line for how to read. The words of both prefaces are recorded, and no judgement is composed on their behalf.

Those Responsible for the Ancient Commentaries

This treatise has no surviving complete line-by-line commentary. Huiying’s Commentary, X46n0791, survives in fragments; for the chapters it covers, this edition records it and marks it as a fragmentary text. Jizang’s Commentary on the Larger Sūtra, X24n0451, explains the sūtra commented on, and is cited where sūtra and treatise bear on each other. For Junzheng’s Profound Meaning of the Four Mahāyāna Treatises, X46n0784, and the citations in the works of Zhiyi and Zhanran of Tiantai, where there is a citation its name, its place, and its verbatim words are recorded, and nothing is cited wholesale. These authors are commentators and citers, and are not conflated with the author of the treatise or with the translator.

Translator and Annotator of the Present Edition — Shi Huijing

The Vernacular, Exposition, Apparatus, Heart-Essence, and English mirror of this edition are translated and annotated by Shi Huijing (釋慧鏡).

The editorial order is this: first keep to Kumārajīva’s Source-Text, reading it passage by passage against the sūtra commented on; take the two prefaces of Sengrui and Huiyuan to settle the history of the translation and the literary form of the treatise; use Huiying’s fragmentary commentary and the citations of Jizang, Junzheng, and the Tiantai masters as the mirror of the Apparatus; and settle the years of translation from the catalogues and the monastic biographies. All present-day wording, English syntax, division of layers, and statements of textual history are the responsibility of the translator and annotator of this edition; every word of an ancient master is expressly attributed, and the authority of the ancients is not borrowed to conceal this edition’s own editorial responsibility.

讀法導引 · 五條主題讀路Reading guide · Five Thematic Routes

大乘之名與其所乘The Name of the Great Vehicle and What It Carries · 摩訶薩品Mahāsattva
校量功德與受持Weighing Merit, and Receiving and Upholding · 寶塔校量品Weighing the Jewelled Stūpa
信謗與魔事Faith and Slander, and the Deeds of Māra · 照明品第四十Illumination (Chapter 40)
般若為佛母Prajñā as the Mother of the Buddhas · 佛母品The Mother of the Buddhas
不退轉之相與方便The Marks of Non-retrogression, and Skilful Means · 阿毘跋致品Avaivartika