大智度論 顧視品Dazhidulun — Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa · Looking Round
顧視品：般若中佛不可得而視行者如佛，佛顧念四眾、告誡帝釋，菩薩因緣故三寶出世（經＋論）
上一品〈散華品〉諸天化華滿空、散在佛與般若之上，這一品接著說諸天的另一番舉動——不再是散華，而是同聲讚歎。三千大千世界的諸天王、諸梵天王、伊賒那天及神仙并天女，一時「三反稱歎」：「快哉！快哉！」——歡喜到了極處，一句話要反覆三遍地說。他們讚的是慧命須菩提所說的般若，說這都是佛出世的恩力所演；並發下一句大願：若有菩薩行這般若而不遠離，「我輩視是人如佛」。何以敢把一個尚在修道的菩薩看同佛？因為般若之中，色乃至一切種智雖無一法可得，卻仍有三乘之教——聲聞、辟支佛、佛乘宛然分明。佛印可了他們，並重說一遍「視是人當如佛，以無所得故」，還自己引出一段本生為證：往昔在然燈佛時，於華嚴城內四衢道頭見佛聞法，當下便得不離六度、不離內空乃至十八不共法、大慈大悲諸行，也一無所得；然燈佛便為他授記，來世當作佛，號釋迦牟尼。論主在此點出「即是佛」的分際——這是「世界中語」，如太子雖未正位，終必為王；此菩薩已得無生忍、入菩薩位、見十方諸佛，故稱如佛，並非說他已成正覺。這是這一品的前半。接著，場面從諸天的讚歎，轉到佛的一個動作——這動作正是品名「顧視」之所繫。佛觀四眾和合：比丘、比丘尼、優婆塞、優婆夷，乃至色究竟諸天，都會坐一處；「普觀已」，佛才告訴帝釋（憍尸迦）。論主解這一「普觀」意味深長：佛遍觀會眾，是要讓每個人都自知蒙佛顧念，於是不敢自輕；不自輕，才堪任聽這甚深的法——正如國王一顧群下，群下便欣然自慶。佛的「顧視」，不是徒然的觀睹，而是一眼之中令全會自知被佛念在心上——這便是「顧視品」一名的來歷；而諸天先前的同聲三讚，則是所釋經題「三歎品」一名的來歷，一品兩名，各就一事而立，本版依本論底本作「顧視品」，兩名並存不判。佛顧視已，便告帝釋一長段護念之語：凡能聽受持、親近讀誦、乃至為他人說、正憶念這般若而不離一切智心的人，魔與魔天都不能得他的便。何以故？因為這人諦知色乃至一切種智皆空、無相、無作——空不能得空的便，乃至無作不能得無作的便，諸法自性本不可得，無一物可乘之而入，還有誰受惱害？論主就此廣開一段：魔本是自在天主，恃福德而懷邪見，把欲界眾生當作自己的子民，最恨佛菩薩度眾出離、空了他的境界，故稱佛菩薩為怨家；魔有四種——煩惱魔、五眾魔、死魔、自在天子魔——而般若之力能令四魔不得其便。要害只在一句：這人「善修諸法空，亦不著空」，不著空的人，魔從哪裡下手？正如身上無瘡便不受毒，又如火不能滅火、得水才滅，以其異相故。這人不但魔不得便，連人、非人也不得便（以善修慈悲喜捨故），且終不橫死（以常行布施、於眾生等心供給故）。佛又勸那些已發菩提心卻還沒聽過般若的諸天——五欲覆心、味著禪定而視東忘西的，如今都該來聽、來受持，因為般若是佛道之本。受持這般若的人，即使住在空舍、曠野、人間，也無所畏懼，一則善修十八空，二則般若威德所護。到了末一段，諸天再一次開口，這回不是讚歎，而是發願守護。三千大千世界四天王天乃至首陀婆諸天一齊白佛：這受持般若的善男子、善女人，我等常當守護！為什麼？「以菩薩因緣故」——正因世間有菩薩，才斷得了三惡道、天人的貧窮、種種災患疾病飢餓；才有十善道、四禪四無量四無色定、六波羅蜜乃至一切種智出於世間；才有剎利大姓、諸王轉輪聖王乃至色究竟天；才有須陀洹乃至阿羅漢、辟支佛；才有成就眾生、淨佛世界、諸佛出現、轉法輪、佛法僧三寶住世。佛一一印可，並把話推到極處：縱使三千大千世界滿中都是聲聞、辟支佛，多如竹葦稻麻叢林，供養他們的福德，也不如供養一位初發心而不離六度的菩薩。何以故？不是由聲聞、辟支佛的因緣才有菩薩與諸佛出世，反是由菩薩的因緣才有聲聞、辟支佛與諸佛出世。論主收此為「三事不如」：初心菩薩用一切智心行般若、常不離六波羅蜜等功德、由他之故能斷三惡道出生三乘，這三事都是二乘所無——二乘雖已證實際、堪為眾生福田，卻不能斷三惡道、出生三乘，故不如。至此，「視是人如佛」一語才顯出它的分量：般若是三世佛母，供養一位行般若的菩薩，就是供養佛。這一品，從諸天的三反稱歎起，到佛的一番顧視，再到諸天的守護與這一場二乘、菩薩的格量——說來說去只指著一件事：般若之中無一法可得，而三乘之教、佛之出世、菩薩之可貴，樣樣宛然不失；佛顧視受持般若的人而視之如佛，正因這人手上握著的，是能生三世諸佛的般若。至於本品只說「視是人如佛」而未及細解「如佛」何義，本論後文（卷五十八）自會補上：「如佛」者，是住不退、得無生法忍乃至十地的法性身菩薩；「次佛」者，是能說般若及其正義的肉身菩薩——前呼而後應，也是這部論一貫的讀法。顧視品的心，就在這一「顧」與這一「如」：佛以一念顧視全會而令人不自輕，行者以一念般若而堪佛顧視、堪稱如佛。
In the previous chapter, Scattering Flowers, the gods conjured flowers that filled the sky and scattered them over the Buddha and prajñā; this chapter goes on to tell of another act of the gods, no longer scattering flowers but praising with one voice. The heavenly kings, the Brahmā kings, the gods of Īśāna, together with the spirits, sages, and goddesses of the three-thousand great-thousand world, ‘praise three times over’ at one moment: ‘How splendid! How splendid!’, joy reaching such a pitch that one sentence has to be said three times. What they praise is the prajñā the venerable Subhūti has taught, saying that all of it is expounded by the gracious power of the Buddha's appearing in the world; and they make a great vow in one sentence: if there is a bodhisattva who practises this prajñā and does not depart from it, ‘we shall regard that person as a Buddha’. How dare they regard a bodhisattva still cultivating the path as the same as a Buddha? Because within prajñā, though not a single dharma from form up to omniscience of all kinds can be found, there is still the teaching of the three vehicles, the śrāvaka, the pratyekabuddha, and the Buddha vehicle, plainly distinct. The Buddha approves them, and restates ‘one should regard that person as a Buddha, because there is nothing to be attained’, and himself brings out a birth-story as proof: long ago, in the time of Dīpaṃkara Buddha, at a crossroads in the city of Flower Adornment he saw the Buddha and heard the dharma, and at that very moment attained non-departure from the six perfections, non-departure from inner emptiness up to the eighteen unshared dharmas, great kindness and great compassion, and all such practices, and attained nothing at all; and Dīpaṃkara Buddha then gave him the prediction that in a life to come he would become a Buddha named Śākyamuni. The treatise-author here marks the measure of ‘being a Buddha’: this is ‘worldly speech’, as a crown prince, though not yet enthroned, will surely be king in the end; this bodhisattva has attained the acceptance of non-arising, entered the bodhisattva position, and seen the buddhas of the ten directions, and so is called like a Buddha, not that he has already accomplished right awakening. This is the first half of the chapter. Next the scene turns from the praise of the gods to a single act of the Buddha, and this act is exactly what the chapter's name, ‘looking round’, is tied to. The Buddha contemplates the fourfold assembly gathered together, bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās, and on to the gods of the Akaniṣṭha heaven, all seated in one place; only ‘having looked round over all’ does the Buddha address Śakra, Kauśika. The treatise-author reads deep meaning in this ‘looking round over all’: the Buddha surveys the whole assembly so that each person may know for themselves that they are held in the Buddha's regard, and so dare not think lightly of themselves; not thinking lightly of oneself, one is fit to hear so deep a dharma, just as when a king glances once at his court, the court rejoices and congratulates itself. The Buddha's ‘looking round’ is no idle gazing; in a single glance it lets the whole assembly know they are kept in the Buddha's mind, and this is the origin of the name ‘the chapter on Looking Round’; while the gods' earlier threefold praise in one voice is the origin of the name of the sūtra chapter explained, ‘the chapter on Threefold Praise’: one chapter, two names, each established from one event; this edition follows the base text of this treatise in taking ‘Looking Round’, and the two names stand side by side without judgement. Having looked round, the Buddha addresses to Śakra a long passage of protective words: whoever can hear and receive, uphold, draw near to, read and recite, and on to teach to others and rightly bear in mind this prajñā without departing from the mind of omniscience, Māra and the gods of Māra cannot get the better of them. Why? Because this person knows truly that form up to omniscience of all kinds is empty, signless, and without action; emptiness cannot get the better of emptiness, and on to non-action cannot get the better of non-action; the self-nature of all dharmas is from the start unfindable, there is not one thing to be ridden upon and entered, and who then is left to suffer harm? The treatise-author opens this out at length: Māra is by origin the lord of the Sovereign heaven, who relies on his merit yet holds wrong views and treats the beings of the desire realm as his own subjects; he hates above all that the Buddha and bodhisattvas deliver beings out of his domain and empty it, and so he calls the Buddha and bodhisattvas his enemies. Māras are of four kinds, the Māra of afflictions, the Māra of the five aggregates, the Māra of death, and the Māra who is a son of the gods of the Sovereign heaven, and the power of prajñā can keep the four Māras from getting the better of one. The crux lies in a single sentence: this person ‘cultivates the emptiness of all dharmas well, and yet does not cling to emptiness’; one who does not cling to emptiness, where is Māra to lay a hand? Just as a body without a wound takes no poison, and as fire cannot put out fire but only water does, because of their differing marks. Not only can Māra not get the better of this person, but neither can humans or non-humans, because they cultivate kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity well; and they never die an untimely death, because they constantly practise giving and provide for beings with an even mind. The Buddha further urges those gods who have aroused the mind of awakening but have never yet heard prajñā, their minds covered by the five desires, savouring meditation, looking east and forgetting west, that they should now all come to hear, to receive and uphold it, because prajñā is the root of the Buddha path. One who receives and upholds this prajñā, even dwelling in an empty house, in the wilderness, or among people, has nothing to fear, first because they cultivate the eighteen emptinesses well, and second because the majestic virtue of prajñā protects them. At the last section the gods speak once more, this time not in praise but vowing to guard. The gods of the heavens of the Four Heavenly Kings and on to the Śuddhāvāsa gods of the three-thousand great-thousand world say to the Buddha together: this good man or good woman who receives and upholds prajñā, we shall constantly guard! Why? ‘Because of the bodhisattva as cause and condition’: it is precisely because there are bodhisattvas in the world that the three evil destinies, the poverty of gods and humans, and every kind of calamity, sickness, and famine can be cut off; that the ten wholesome paths, the four dhyānas, the four immeasurables, the four formless concentrations, the six perfections, and on to omniscience of all kinds appear in the world; that there are the great kṣatriya clans, kings and wheel-turning sage kings, and on to the Akaniṣṭha heaven; that there are srota-āpanna up to arhats and pratyekabuddhas; that there is the bringing of beings to maturity, the purifying of Buddha-worlds, the appearance of buddhas, the turning of the wheel of Dharma, and the abiding in the world of the three jewels, the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha. The Buddha approves each in turn, and pushes the matter to its limit: even if the three-thousand great-thousand world were full of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, as many as bamboo, reeds, rice, hemp, and forest thickets, the merit of making offerings to them would not equal the merit of making offerings to a single bodhisattva who has first aroused the mind and does not depart from the six perfections. Why? It is not by the cause and condition of the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas that bodhisattvas and buddhas appear in the world; on the contrary, it is by the cause and condition of the bodhisattva that śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and buddhas appear in the world. The treatise-author gathers this as ‘the three things in which they fall short’: the bodhisattva of the first arousing of the mind practises prajñā with the mind of omniscience, constantly does not depart from the six perfections and such merits, and by his cause and condition the three evil destinies can be cut off and the three vehicles brought forth; these three things are what the two vehicles lack; though the two vehicles have already realised the limit of reality and are fit to be fields of merit for beings, they cannot cut off the three evil destinies or bring forth the three vehicles, and so they fall short. Only here does the saying ‘regard that person as a Buddha’ show its full weight: prajñā is the mother of the buddhas of the three times, and to make offerings to a bodhisattva who practises prajñā is to make offerings to the Buddha. This chapter, from the gods' threefold praise, to the Buddha's looking round, to the gods' vow of guarding and this weighing of the two vehicles against the bodhisattva, over and over points to one thing only: within prajñā not a single dharma can be found, and yet the teaching of the three vehicles, the appearance of the Buddha, and the preciousness of the bodhisattva are each plainly present and not lost; the Buddha looks round on the one who receives and upholds prajñā and regards them as a Buddha, precisely because what that person holds in hand is the prajñā that can give birth to the buddhas of the three times. As for this chapter saying only ‘regard that person as a Buddha’ without explaining in detail what ‘as a Buddha’ means, the treatise's later text, in fascicle fifty-eight, will supply it of itself: ‘as a Buddha’ means the dharma-nature-body bodhisattva who abides in non-retrogression and has attained the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas up to the tenth ground; ‘next to a Buddha’ means the flesh-body bodhisattva who can teach prajñā and its right meaning; a call before and an answer after, which is also this treatise's consistent way of reading. The heart of the chapter on Looking Round lies in this one ‘look’ and this one ‘as’: the Buddha with a single thought looks round upon the whole assembly so that no one thinks lightly of themselves, and the practitioner with a single thought of prajñā is fit for the Buddha's regard and fit to be called as a Buddha.
卷56 〔T25 0457a02〕
大智度論釋顧視品第三十 聖者龍樹造 後秦龜茲國三藏鳩摩羅什譯 【經】 爾時，諸天王及諸天、諸梵王及諸梵天、伊賒那天及神仙并諸天女，同時三反稱歎：「快哉！快哉！慧命須菩提所說法，皆是佛出世間因緣恩力，演布是教。若有菩薩摩訶薩行是般若波羅蜜不遠離者，我輩視是人如佛。何以故？是般若波羅蜜中，雖無法可得，所謂色、受、想、行、識乃至一切種智，而有三乘之教——聲聞、辟支佛、佛乘。」 爾時，佛告諸天子：「如是！如是！諸天子！如汝所言，是般若波羅蜜中，雖無法可得，而有三乘之教，所謂聲聞、辟支佛、佛乘。諸天子！若有菩薩摩訶薩行是般若波羅蜜不遠離者，視是人當如佛，以無所得故。何以故？是般若波羅蜜中，廣說三乘之教，所謂聲聞、辟支佛、佛乘。檀波羅蜜中佛不可得，離檀波羅蜜佛亦不可得；乃至般若波羅蜜中佛不可得，離般若波羅蜜佛亦不可得。內空乃至無法有法空、四念處乃至十八不共法、一切種智亦如是。」 佛語諸天子：「菩薩摩訶薩若能學是一切法，所謂檀波羅蜜乃至一切種智，以是事故，當視是菩薩摩訶薩如佛。諸天子！我昔於然燈佛時，華嚴城內，四衢道頭，見佛聞法，即得不離檀波羅蜜行，不離尸羅波羅蜜、羼提波羅蜜、毘梨耶波羅蜜、禪波羅蜜、般若波羅蜜行；不離內〔T25 0457b〕空乃至無法有法空，四念處乃至八聖道分；不離四禪、四無量心、四無色定、一切三昧門、一切陀憐尼門；不離四無所畏、佛十力、四無礙智、十八不共法、大慈大悲及餘無量諸佛法行，亦無所得故。是時，然燈佛記我當來世過一阿僧祇劫當作佛，號釋迦牟尼多陀阿伽度、阿羅訶、三藐三佛陀、鞞侈遮羅那、脩伽度、路迦憊、無上士、調御丈夫、天人師、佛、世尊。」 爾時諸天子白佛言：「世尊！希有！是般若波羅蜜，能令諸菩薩摩訶薩得薩婆若，於色不取不捨故，於受、想、行、識不取不捨故，乃至一切種智不取不捨故。」 【論】 釋曰： 人以歡喜之至，則三反稱歎；是故諸天聞大德須菩提說般若波羅蜜，歡喜言：「快哉！快哉！」 「天王」者，四天處四天王，三十三天王釋提桓因，乃至諸梵天王；梵天已上更無有王。「諸天」，是欲界天。「諸梵」，是色界天。「伊賒那」，是大自在天王并其眷屬。「神仙」者，有二種：或天、或人。「天女」者，是天帝釋夫人舍脂等諸天女。 所以歎須菩提說深般若波羅蜜者，知其承佛神力故。若能行是般若波羅蜜，我等當視是人如佛。所以者何？尊重法故。 法者，所謂深般若波羅蜜。深法者，一切法雖畢竟空，而有三乘分別。所以者何？諸法若畢竟空，更不應修集三乘功德，則墮斷滅中；若修三乘功德，則是分別差降，不應是畢竟空。是般若波羅蜜，雖畢竟空而不墮斷滅，雖分別有三乘亦不生著心，於二事中不取定相。是事甚深微妙，〔T25 0457c〕故諸天大歡喜，歎言：「快哉！」 佛然其讚，更說甚深因緣：「從六波羅蜜乃至一切種智中佛不可得；離此，佛亦不可得；諸法和合因緣故有佛，無有自性。若菩薩能如是行者，當知是菩薩即是佛。」 「即是佛」者，是世界中語；如太子雖未正位，必當為王。 此中佛自引本事以為證；此菩薩已得無生忍，入菩薩位，見十方諸佛。 諸天聞佛廣明已所歎義，解心轉深，重復讚歎。以見一切法過罪故不取，有利益故不捨；又以一切法畢竟空、不生不滅故不取、不捨。 【經】 爾時，佛觀四眾和合——比丘、比丘尼、優婆塞、優婆夷，及諸菩薩摩訶薩，并四天王天乃至阿迦尼吒諸天，皆會坐。 普觀已，佛告釋提桓因：「憍尸迦！若菩薩摩訶薩、若比丘、若比丘尼、若優婆塞、若優婆夷、若諸天子、若諸天女，是般若波羅蜜，若聽、受持、親近、讀、誦、為他說、正憶念，不離薩婆若心，諸天子！是人，魔、若魔天不能得其便。何以故？是善男子、善女人諦了知色空，空不能得空便，無相不能得無相便，無作不能得無作便；諦了知受、想、行、識空，空不能得空便，乃至無作不能得無作便；乃至諦了知一切種智空，空不能得空便，乃至無作不能得無作便。何以故？是諸法自性不可得，無事可得便，誰受惱者？ 「復次，憍尸迦！是善男子、善女人，若人、非人不能得其便。何以故？是善男子、善女人，一切眾生中善修慈心、悲喜捨心，以無所得故。憍尸迦！是善男子、善女人終不橫死。何以故？是善男子、善女人〔T25 0458a〕行檀波羅蜜，於一切眾生等心供給故。 「復次，憍尸迦！三千大千世界，四天王天、三十三天、夜摩天、兜率陀天、化樂天、他化自在天，梵天、光音天、遍淨天、廣果天，是諸天中有發阿耨多羅三藐三菩提心者，未聞是般若波羅蜜，未受持、親近，是諸天子今應聞、受持、親近、讀、誦、正憶念，不離薩婆若心。 「復次，憍尸迦！諸善男子、善女人聞是般若波羅蜜，受持、親近、讀、誦、正憶念，不離薩婆若心，是諸善男子、善女人，若在空舍、若在曠野、若人住處，終不怖畏。何以故？是諸善男子、善女人明於內空，以無所得故；明於外空乃至無法有法空，以無所得故。」 【論】 問曰： 此中佛觀四部眾已，何以告釋提桓因？ 答曰： 餘品中多說般若波羅蜜體，今欲讚般若功德，故命釋提桓因；譬如先以好寶示人，然後讚寶所能。 復次，普觀者，欲令會中眾生各知佛顧念，則不自輕；不自輕故，堪任聽法，是以普觀。譬如王顧眄群下，群下則欣然自慶。說功德故，應以白衣證；白衣中釋提桓因為大。說般若者，以出家人為證；出家人中，是舍利弗、須菩提等為大。 問曰： 先言「釋」是字，「提婆因」是天主，今佛何以不言「釋」，乃命言「憍尸迦」？ 答曰： 昔摩伽陀國中，有婆羅門名摩伽，姓憍尸迦，有福德大智慧，知友三十三人共修福德，命終皆生須彌山頂第二天上，摩伽婆羅門為天主，三十二人為輔臣，以此三十三人故，名為三十三天。喚其本姓，故言憍尸〔T25 0458b〕迦；或言天主，或言千眼等。大人喚之，故稱其姓。 此中所說「般若波羅蜜」者，是十方諸佛所說語言名字、書寫經卷，宣傳顯示實相智慧。何以故？般若波羅蜜無諸觀語言相，而因語言、經卷能得此般若波羅蜜，是故以名字、經卷名為般若波羅蜜。此中略說佛意：若能聞、受持般若等，當得種種功德，後當廣說。 欲度眾生、為得佛道故，供養受學般若波羅蜜；是人，魔若魔天不能得便。 問曰： 何者是魔？何故惱菩薩？云何得便？ 答曰： 「魔」名自在天主。雖以福德因緣生彼，而懷諸邪見，以欲界眾生是己人民，雖復死生展轉，不離我界；若復上生色、無色界，還來屬我；若有得外道五通，亦未出我界，皆不以為憂。若佛及菩薩出世者，化度我民，拔生死根，入無餘涅槃，永不復還，空我境界，是故起恨讎嫉。又見欲界人皆往趣佛，不來歸己；失供養故，心生嫉妬，是以以佛、菩薩名為怨家。 是菩薩入法位，得法性生身，魔雖起惡不能壞敗；若未得阿鞞跋致者，魔則種種破壞。 若菩薩一心不惜身命，有方便求佛道者，十方諸佛及諸大菩薩皆共護持，以是因緣故，能成佛道。 若為菩薩而有懈怠，貪著世樂，不能專心勤求佛道，是則自欺，亦欺十方諸佛及諸菩薩。所以者何？自言「我為一切眾生故求佛道」，而行雜行，壞菩薩法；以是罪故，諸佛菩薩所不守護，魔得其便。 所以者何？一切聖人已入正位，一心行道，深樂涅槃；魔入邪〔T25 0458c〕位，愛著邪道；邪正相違，是故憎嫉正行，狂愚自高，喚佛沙門瞿曇，佛稱其實名為弊魔。以相違故，名為怨家。 如經說魔有四種：一者、煩惱魔，二者、五眾魔，三者、死魔，四者、自在天子魔。此中以般若力故，四魔不能得便：得諸法實相，煩惱斷，則壞煩惱魔，天魔亦不能得其便；入無餘涅槃故，則壞五眾魔及死魔。 云何為得便？魔及魔民來恐怖菩薩，如經中說：魔作龍身，種種異形可畏之象，夜來恐怖行者；或現上妙五欲，壞亂菩薩；或轉世間人心令作大供養，行者貪著供養故，則失道德；或轉人心令輕惱菩薩，或罵、或打、或傷、或害，行者遭苦，或生瞋恚憂愁。如是等，魔隨前人意所趣向，因而壞之，是名得便。如〈魔品〉中廣說。 問曰： 魔力甚大，肉身菩薩道力尚少，云何不得便？ 答曰： 如上說，為諸佛菩薩所護故。此中佛自說因緣：「是人善修諸法空，亦不著空；不著空者，云何當得便！」譬如無瘡則不受毒。無相、無作亦如是。 復次，一切法實觀，皆是空、無相、無作相；皆是空、無相、無作相故，則無得便，亦無受便者；是故空不應得空便，無相不應得無相便，無作不應得無作便，以一相故。如火不能滅火，得水則滅，以異相故。 問曰： 菩薩住三解脫門，則是受便處，與一切法相違故：空與有相違，無相與有相相違，無作與有作相違！ 答曰： 此經中佛自說：「三解脫門無有自性。」又先論議中說：於空、無相、無作中亦不著。是〔T25 0459a〕故雖住三解脫門，魔及魔民不得其便。 問曰： 餘處皆言「菩薩摩訶薩」，今何以言「善男子、善女人」？ 答曰： 先說實相智慧難受，以能受故，則是菩薩摩訶薩；今說供養、受持、讀、誦等，雜說故，得稱「善男子、善女人」。 復次，經中說女人有五礙：不得作釋提桓因、梵王、魔王、轉輪聖王、佛。聞是五礙不得作佛，女人心退，不能發意。或有說法者，不為女人說佛道。是故佛此間說「善男子、善女人」。女人可得作佛，非不轉女身也。五礙者，說一身事。善男子、善女人義，先已廣說。 「人不得便」者，人名若賊、若官、若怨等，欲惱亂菩薩，求索其便。 問曰： 先說不得便因緣，何以但說空？今說人不得便，但說四無量心？ 答曰： 有人言：先說魔若魔民，怨大故法亦大，故說空；怨小故法亦小，故說四無量心。 有人言：四無量心是菩薩常行，為集諸功德故；後以般若波羅蜜空相，令除邪見，不著眾生，亦不著法。是二法前後無在。 復次，上魔作恐怖事甚多，多不現本形，或現雷震、或作風雨、或作病痛等，是故說諸法空；令人來惡口罵詈、刀杖打斫，故用四無量心。 「不橫死」者，所謂無罪而死：或壽命未盡，錯投藥故，或不順藥法，或無看病人；或飢渴、寒熱等夭命，是名橫死。 菩薩從初發意來，於一切眾生中，常行檀波羅蜜：應病與藥，隨病所須，拯濟孤窮，隨其所乞皆給與之，於一切眾生中，悉皆平等，好心供養；亦行是般若波羅蜜。以是功德故〔T25 0459b〕不橫死。 是中略說三功德已，三千大千世界中，諸天發心，未聞般若波羅蜜者，先說善男子、善女人應聞、受持乃至正憶念，今說因緣。諸天有大功德，猶尚供養，何況於人？雖一切人天應聽般若，能發無上道心者，最應深心聽。所以者何？般若是佛道之本故。 問曰： 此天發心，何以不聞般若？ 答曰： 有人言：此天前世人中發意，今生天上，五欲覆心故不聞。 復次，諸天雖發無上道心，五情利，五欲妙，染著深故，視東忘西，不能求般若。色界諸天，雖先聞法發心，以味著禪定深故，不能求般若。是故說不聞者應聞、受持。 復次，先說「魔及魔民不能得其便」，是內因緣，所謂空三昧及四無量心；今更說「不得便」，是外因緣，所謂佛告諸天：「汝等供養受持般若，是善男子、善女人亦受持供養是般若；同事故，若魔來破，汝應守護！」 復次，受持般若者，若在空舍住、若在曠野、若在人間住。處空舍中，多諸鬼魅及以賊寇，眾惡易來，故初說。除人住處及以空舍，餘殘山澤樹林等，皆是曠野；少人行故，多諸虎、狼、師子、惡賊、鬼魅。人所住處不淨故，魔及鬼神尠來；諸難少故，是以後說。 行者於三處住，無所畏懼，以二因緣故：一者、善修十八空，二者、般若波羅蜜威德故。 【經】 爾時，三千大千世界中諸四天王天、三十三天、夜摩天、兜率陀天、化樂天、他化自在天乃至首陀婆諸天白佛言：「世尊！是善男子、善女人能受持般若波羅蜜，親近、讀、誦、正憶〔T25 0459c〕念，亦不離薩婆若心者，我等常當守護！何以故？世尊！以菩薩摩訶薩因緣故，斷三惡道，斷天人貧，斷諸災患、疾病、飢餓。以菩薩因緣故，便有十善道出世間，四禪、四無量心、四無色定，檀波羅蜜、尸羅波羅蜜、羼提波羅蜜、毘梨耶波羅蜜、禪波羅蜜、般若波羅蜜，內空乃至無法有法空，四念處乃至一切種智。以菩薩因緣故，世間便有生剎利大姓、婆羅門大姓、居士大家，諸王及轉輪聖王，四天王天乃至阿迦尼吒天。以菩薩因緣故，有須陀洹、須陀洹果，乃至阿羅漢、阿羅漢果，辟支佛、辟支佛道。以菩薩因緣故，有成就眾生、淨佛世界，便有諸佛出現於世，便有轉法輪，知有佛寶、法寶、比丘僧寶。世尊！以是因緣故，一切世間諸天及人、阿脩羅應守護是菩薩摩訶薩。」 佛語釋提桓因：「如是！如是！憍尸迦！以菩薩摩訶薩因緣故，斷三惡道乃至三寶出現於世。以是故，諸天及人、阿修羅常應守護、供養、恭敬、尊重、讚歎是菩薩摩訶薩。憍尸迦！供養、恭敬、尊重、讚歎是菩薩摩訶薩，即是供養我。以是故，是諸菩薩摩訶薩，諸天及人、阿修羅常應守護、供養、恭敬、尊重、讚歎。憍尸迦！若三千大千世界滿中聲聞、辟支佛，譬如竹𥯤、稻、麻、叢林，若有善男子、善女人供養、恭敬、尊重、讚歎，不如供養、恭敬、尊重、讚歎初發心菩薩摩訶薩不離六波羅蜜所得福德。何以故？不以聲聞、辟支佛因緣故有菩薩摩訶薩及諸佛出現於世，以有菩薩摩訶薩因緣故有聲聞、辟支佛、諸佛出現於世。以是故，憍尸迦！是諸〔T25 0460a〕菩薩摩訶薩，一切世間諸天及人、阿修羅常應守護、供養、恭敬、尊重、讚歎。」 【論】 釋曰： 爾時諸天白佛：「我等當守護是菩薩，與我等同事故；亦以求佛道者，能自捨身樂欲，使一切眾生得樂故。」 「因菩薩斷三惡道」者，菩薩雖未離欲，能遮眾生十不善故，斷三惡道及天人貧、諸災患等。 行十善故，開三善道門。或有菩薩見五欲過罪，能離欲得四禪；以本願故，起四無量心；欲離種種因緣身苦故，起四無色定。為佛道故，修六波羅蜜乃至一切種智。是法，亦自行，亦教人；以是福德道法，於眾生中展轉相教，常在世間。 今當說是諸善法果報：生剎利大姓乃至三寶出現於世；如先義中說。 今是菩薩結業生身，在因緣中，無有力勢，而能說是善法，令眾生修行，我等云何當不守護？譬如太子雖小，群臣百官無不奉承。 佛可諸天，述而成之。 「若供養菩薩，即是供養佛」者，般若是三世佛母；若為般若故供養菩薩，則為供養佛。 「不如供養恭敬初發意菩薩」者。 問曰： 二乘已證實際，是一切眾生福田，何以故不如初發意菩薩？ 答曰： 以三事故不如：一者、用薩婆若心行般若，二者、常不離六波羅蜜等諸功德，三者、由是菩薩斷三惡道、出生三乘。依二乘人，不能斷三惡道、出生三乘。
《大智度論》卷56 · T25n1509 0457a02–0460a27
The canonical text stands in Chinese only. This edition renders the essence, the plain reading, the exposition and the apparatus into English — never the sūtra itself. Switch to 漢讀本 or 並行雙語 above to read it.
諸天同時三反稱歎：行般若不遠離者，視之如佛
那時，諸天王以及諸天、諸梵王以及諸梵天、伊賒那天以及神仙，還有諸位天女，同時三次反覆稱歎：『妙極了！妙極了！慧命須菩提（慧命，是對尊者的敬稱）所說的法，都是佛出現於世間的因緣恩力，才演說、宣布這樣的教法。若有菩薩摩訶薩修行這般若波羅蜜而不遠離的，我們就把這樣的人看作佛一般。為什麼呢？這般若波羅蜜當中，雖然沒有一法可得——也就是色、受、想、行、識乃至一切種智都不可得——卻仍有三乘的教法，也就是聲聞乘、辟支佛乘、佛乘。』
佛印可其言：視是菩薩如佛，以無所得故
那時，佛告訴諸天子：『正是這樣！正是這樣！諸天子！正如你們所說，這般若波羅蜜當中，雖然沒有一法可得，卻仍有三乘的教法，也就是聲聞乘、辟支佛乘、佛乘。諸天子！若有菩薩摩訶薩修行這般若波羅蜜而不遠離的，就該把這樣的人看作佛一般，因為無所得的緣故。為什麼呢？這般若波羅蜜當中，廣說三乘的教法，也就是聲聞乘、辟支佛乘、佛乘。布施的檀波羅蜜當中佛不可得，離開檀波羅蜜佛也不可得；乃至般若波羅蜜當中佛不可得，離開般若波羅蜜佛也不可得。內空乃至無法有法空、四念處乃至十八不共法、一切種智，也都是這樣。』
佛引然燈佛本生為證，具列當來十號
佛又告訴諸天子：『菩薩摩訶薩若能修學這一切法，也就是從檀波羅蜜乃至一切種智，因為這個緣故，就該把這位菩薩摩訶薩看作佛一般。諸天子！我往昔在然燈佛的時候，於華嚴城內、四通八達的十字街頭，見佛、聞法，當下就證得不離布施的檀波羅蜜之行，不離持戒的尸羅波羅蜜、忍辱的羼提波羅蜜、精進的毘梨耶波羅蜜、禪定的禪波羅蜜、智慧的般若波羅蜜之行；不離內空乃至無法有法空，不離四念處乃至八聖道分；不離四禪、四無量心、四無色定、一切三昧門、一切陀憐尼門（總持）；不離四無所畏、佛十力、四無礙智、十八不共法、大慈大悲，以及其餘無量諸佛之法的修行，也都是無所得的緣故。那時，然燈佛便為我授記：來世經過一阿僧祇劫（無數劫）當得作佛，名號釋迦牟尼——多陀阿伽度（如來）、阿羅訶（應供）、三藐三佛陀（正遍知）、鞞侈遮羅那（明行足）、脩伽度（善逝）、路迦憊（世間解）、無上士、調御丈夫、天人師、佛、世尊。』
諸天子讚歎：般若能令菩薩得薩婆若而不取不捨
那時，諸天子向佛稟白：『世尊！真是希有！這般若波羅蜜，能使諸位菩薩摩訶薩證得薩婆若（一切智），因為對色不取不捨的緣故，對受、想、行、識不取不捨的緣故，乃至對一切種智不取不捨的緣故。』
以下是論釋。
論主釋三反稱歎，並釋天王、諸天、諸梵、伊賒那、神仙、天女
論主釋道：人到了歡喜的極點，就會三次反覆地稱歎；因此諸天聽到大德須菩提宣說般若波羅蜜，歡喜地說：「快哉！快哉！」
「天王」，指的是住在四天王天的四位天王，三十三天的天王釋提桓因，乃至諸梵天王；梵天以上就再沒有天王了。「諸天」，指的是欲界的天。「諸梵」，指的是色界的天。「伊賒那」，指的是大自在天王以及其眷屬。「神仙」，有兩種：或是天、或是人。「天女」，指的是天帝釋的夫人舍脂等諸位天女。
歎意所在：知承佛神力、尊重法故視如佛
之所以稱歎須菩提能宣說甚深的般若波羅蜜，是因為知道他是承著佛的神力才能宣說的緣故。若有人能修行這般若波羅蜜，我們就該把這樣的人看作佛一般。為什麼呢？因為尊重法的緣故。
深法：畢竟空而有三乘分別，不墮斷滅、不生著心
所謂「法」，指的是甚深的般若波羅蜜。所謂「深法」，是說：一切法雖然畢竟是空，卻仍有三乘的分別。為什麼呢？諸法若是畢竟空，就不應再修集三乘的功德，否則便墮入斷滅之中；若要修集三乘的功德，那就是有分別、有差別高下，也就不該是畢竟空了。這般若波羅蜜，雖然畢竟空卻不墮入斷滅，雖然分別有三乘卻也不生執著之心，在這兩件事上都不取定相。這件事甚深微妙，所以諸天大為歡喜，讚歎說：「快哉！」
佛更說甚深因緣：諸法因緣故有佛，行者即是佛
佛認可他們的稱讚，又進一步宣說甚深的因緣：『從六波羅蜜乃至一切種智當中，佛不可得；離開這些，佛也不可得；諸法是眾緣和合才有佛，並沒有真實固定的自性。若菩薩能這樣修行，就該知道這位菩薩就是佛。』所謂「即是佛」，是世間所用的說法；就好比太子雖然還沒有正式即位，卻必定將要作王。這裡是佛自己引往昔本事來作證；這位菩薩已經證得無生忍，入了菩薩位，親見十方諸佛。諸天聽了佛廣為闡明自己先前所稱歎的義理，領解之心轉為深切，便再一次稱歎。因為見到一切法的過罪，所以不取；因為見到有利益，所以不捨；又因為一切法畢竟空、不生不滅，所以不取、也不捨。
以下回到經文：佛普觀四眾，告帝釋受持般若者魔不得便
那時，佛觀察四眾和合聚集——比丘、比丘尼、優婆塞、優婆夷（優婆塞、優婆夷，是在家的男女居士），以及諸位菩薩摩訶薩，還有四天王天乃至阿迦尼吒諸天（阿迦尼吒，是色界最上的色究竟天），都會集而坐。
佛普遍觀察過了，就告訴釋提桓因：『憍尸迦（帝釋的本姓）！若是菩薩摩訶薩、若是比丘、若是比丘尼、若是優婆塞、若是優婆夷、若是諸天子、若是諸天女，對這般若波羅蜜，能夠聽聞、受持、親近、讀、誦、為他人宣說、正確地憶念，而不離開一切智之心，諸天子！這樣的人，魔、或是魔天都不能得到他的可乘之機。為什麼呢？這善男子、善女人真實了知色是空，空就不能對空有可乘之機，無相不能對無相有可乘之機，無作不能對無作有可乘之機；真實了知受、想、行、識是空，空不能對空有可乘之機，乃至無作不能對無作有可乘之機；乃至真實了知一切種智是空，空不能對空有可乘之機，乃至無作不能對無作有可乘之機。為什麼呢？因為這一切法的自性本不可得，沒有一件事可以讓魔得便，那麼又有誰是被惱害的呢？』
人、非人不得便；受持般若者終不橫死
『再者，憍尸迦！這善男子、善女人，無論是人、還是非人，都不能得到他的可乘之機。為什麼呢？因為這善男子、善女人，在一切眾生當中善於修習慈心，以及悲、喜、捨之心，都是以無所得的緣故。憍尸迦！這善男子、善女人終究不會橫死（無罪而遭意外喪命）。為什麼呢？因為這善男子、善女人修行布施的檀波羅蜜，對一切眾生都以平等之心供給的緣故。』
諸天發心未聞般若者今應聞；三處住終不怖畏
『再者，憍尸迦！三千大千世界當中，四天王天、三十三天、夜摩天、兜率陀天、化樂天、他化自在天，以及梵天、光音天、遍淨天、廣果天，這些天當中，有已發起阿耨多羅三藐三菩提心（無上正等正覺之心）的，卻還沒有聽聞這般若波羅蜜，還沒有受持、親近，這些天子如今就應當聽聞、受持、親近、讀、誦、正確地憶念，而不離開一切智之心。』
『再者，憍尸迦！諸位善男子、善女人聽聞這般若波羅蜜，受持、親近、讀、誦、正確地憶念，不離開一切智之心，這些善男子、善女人，無論是在空屋當中、還是在曠野裡、還是在有人居住的處所，終究都不會怖畏。為什麼呢？因為這些善男子、善女人通達了內空，都是以無所得的緣故；通達了外空乃至無法有法空，也都是以無所得的緣故。』
以下是論釋。
論主釋：佛何以觀四眾已而告帝釋——欲讚般若功德
有人問：這裡佛觀察過四部大眾之後，為什麼卻告訴釋提桓因呢？論主回答：其餘各品當中多是宣說般若波羅蜜的體，如今要稱讚般若的功德，所以特地命告釋提桓因；就好比先把好寶物拿給人看，然後才稱讚這寶物的種種功能。
再者，所謂「普觀」，是要使法會當中的眾生各各知道佛在顧念自己，就不會自我輕賤；因為不自我輕賤的緣故，才堪能承受聽法，所以佛才普遍觀察。就好比君王回顧眷顧臣下，臣下就欣然自感慶幸。因為是宣說功德的緣故，就應當以在家白衣來作證；在家白衣當中，釋提桓因最為尊大。宣說般若的，則以出家人來作證；出家人當中，是舍利弗、須菩提等最為尊大。
何以稱憍尸迦不稱釋——帝釋本姓因緣
有人問：先前說「釋」是名字，「提婆因」是天主的意思，如今佛為什麼不稱「釋」，卻命告說「憍尸迦」呢？論主回答：往昔摩伽陀國當中，有一位婆羅門名叫摩伽，姓憍尸迦，有福德、有大智慧，他的知交好友三十三人一同修福德，命終之後都生到須彌山頂的第二層天上，摩伽婆羅門作了天主，其餘三十二人作輔佐的臣子，因為這三十三人的緣故，就名為三十三天。佛喚他的本姓，所以說「憍尸迦」；或是稱「天主」，或是稱「千眼」等等。尊貴的大人稱呼他，所以稱他的姓。
般若波羅蜜之義：語言經卷顯示實相智慧
這裡所說的「般若波羅蜜」，是指十方諸佛所說的語言名字、以及書寫的經卷，用來宣傳、顯示實相的智慧。為什麼呢？般若波羅蜜本身並沒有種種觀想、語言之相，然而憑藉語言、經卷才能證得這般若波羅蜜，因此就把名字、經卷也名為般若波羅蜜。這裡扼要地說明佛的用意：若能聽聞、受持般若等等，當能得到種種功德，後面將會廣為宣說。為了度脫眾生、為了證得佛道的緣故，而供養、受學般若波羅蜜；這樣的人，魔或魔天都不能得便。
何者是魔、何故為怨家、云何得便
有人問：什麼是魔？為什麼要惱害菩薩？又是怎樣得便的呢？論主回答：「魔」，指的是自在天的天主。魔雖然是憑福德因緣才生到那裡，卻懷著種種邪見，把欲界的眾生當作自己的人民，以為眾生雖然死了又生、輾轉流轉，都離不開我的境界；即使上生到色界、無色界，終究還要回來歸屬於我；即使有人得了外道的五種神通，也還沒有出離我的境界，這些都不以為憂。可是若有佛以及菩薩出現於世，度化我的人民，拔除他們生死的根本，使他們入無餘涅槃，永遠不再回來，空掉我的境界，因此魔便起了怨恨、仇讎、嫉妒之心。魔又見到欲界的人都前往歸趣於佛，不來歸附自己；因為失去供養的緣故，心生嫉妒，因此就把佛、菩薩當作怨家。
這位菩薩若已入法位，證得法性生身，魔雖然興起惡念也不能敗壞他；若還沒有證得阿鞞跋致（不退轉）的，魔就用種種方法來破壞。若菩薩能一心不惜身命、有善巧方便來求佛道的，十方諸佛以及諸位大菩薩都會共同護持，因為這個緣故，就能成就佛道。若身為菩薩卻有懈怠，貪著世間之樂，不能專心勤求佛道，這就是自欺，也是欺誑十方諸佛以及諸位菩薩。為什麼呢？自己說「我為一切眾生故求佛道」，卻行種種雜行，敗壞菩薩之法；因為這樣的罪，諸佛菩薩就不守護他，魔便得了他的可乘之機。為什麼呢？一切聖人都已入了正位，一心行道，深深樂於涅槃；魔卻入了邪位，愛著邪道；邪與正相違背，所以魔憎恨嫉妒正行，狂妄愚癡而自高自大，把佛喚作「沙門瞿曇」，佛則稱魔的真實名字為「弊魔」。因為彼此相違背的緣故，所以名為怨家。
魔有四種；般若力故四魔不得便；得便之相
如經中所說，魔有四種：第一是煩惱魔，第二是五眾魔（五蘊之魔），第三是死魔，第四是自在天子魔。這裡因為般若力量的緣故，四魔都不能得便：證得諸法實相，煩惱斷除，就摧壞了煩惱魔，天魔也不能得便；因為入了無餘涅槃的緣故，就摧壞了五眾魔以及死魔。
怎樣叫作得便呢？魔以及魔的部眾前來恐嚇菩薩，如經中所說：魔化作龍身，以及種種奇異可畏的形象，趁夜前來恐嚇修行人；或是現出上妙的五欲，來擾亂菩薩；或是轉變世間人的心，令他們大作供養，修行人因為貪著供養的緣故，就喪失了道德；或是轉變人心，令他們輕慢惱害菩薩，或罵、或打、或傷、或害，修行人遭受苦楚，就或許生起瞋恚、憂愁。像這樣種種，魔隨著眼前人心所趣向的方向，順勢而破壞他，這就叫作得便。就如〈魔品〉當中所廣說的。
肉身菩薩何以不得便——善修諸法空亦不著空
有人問：魔的力量很大，肉身菩薩的道力還很微少，怎麼會不被得便呢？論主回答：如同上面所說，是因為被諸佛菩薩護持的緣故。這裡是佛自己說出因緣：『這樣的人善於修習諸法空，卻也不執著於空；既然不執著於空，魔又怎麼能得便呢！』就好比身上沒有瘡口，就不會中毒。無相、無作也是這樣。
再者，如實觀察一切法，全都是空、無相、無作之相；正因為全都是空、無相、無作之相，所以就沒有能得便的、也沒有被得便的；因此空不應對空得便，無相不應對無相得便，無作不應對無作得便，因為是同一相的緣故。就好比火不能撲滅火，得了水才能撲滅，因為是相異之相的緣故。
住三解脫門何以不受魔便
有人問：菩薩安住在三解脫門，那就是被得便的地方了，因為它與一切法相違背：空與「有」相違，無相與「有相」相違，無作與「有作」相違啊！論主回答：這經中佛自己說：『三解脫門並沒有自性。』又在前面的論議當中說過：對於空、無相、無作也不執著。因此雖然安住在三解脫門，魔以及魔民仍然不能得便。
何以稱善男子善女人不稱菩薩摩訶薩——兼釋女人五礙
有人問：其餘地方都說「菩薩摩訶薩」，如今為什麼說「善男子、善女人」呢？論主回答：先前所說的是實相智慧難以領受，因為能領受，才是菩薩摩訶薩；如今所說的是供養、受持、讀、誦等等，是就種種雜行而說，所以得稱「善男子、善女人」。再者，經中說女人有五種障礙：不得作釋提桓因、不得作梵王、不得作魔王、不得作轉輪聖王、不得作佛。聽到這五種障礙、不得作佛，女人心裡就退怯，不能發起道意。或許有說法的人，不為女人宣說佛道。因此佛在這裡說「善男子、善女人」。女人是可以得作佛的，並不是不能轉去女身。所謂「五礙」，只是就同一身而說的事。善男子、善女人的義理，前面已經廣說過了。
人不得便；空與四無量心先後無定
所謂「人不得便」，這裡「人」，指的是像盜賊、像官府、像怨家等等，想要惱亂菩薩，尋求他的可乘之機。
有人問：先前說「不得便」的因緣，為什麼只說空？如今說「人不得便」，卻只說四無量心呢？論主回答：有人說：先前說的是魔或魔民，怨敵大所以對治之法也大，因此說空；怨敵小所以對治之法也小，因此說四無量心。也有人說：四無量心是菩薩經常修行的，為的是積集種種功德；然後再以般若波羅蜜的空相，令他除去邪見，不執著眾生，也不執著法。這兩種法先後並沒有一定。再者，前面所說的魔所作的恐怖之事很多，大多不現出本來的形貌，或現出雷震、或作風雨、或作病痛等等，因此說諸法空；至於令人前來惡口辱罵、以刀杖打砍的，就用四無量心。
不橫死之義：無罪而死，菩薩等心供給故不橫死
所謂「不橫死」，就是說無罪而死：或是壽命還沒有盡，卻因為錯投了藥，或是不遵順用藥的法度，或是沒有看護病人的人；或是因為飢渴、寒熱等等而夭折喪命，這就叫作橫死。菩薩從最初發心以來，在一切眾生當中，常常修行布施的檀波羅蜜：因應病情而給與藥，隨著病人所需，救濟孤苦貧窮的人，隨他們所乞求的都給與，在一切眾生當中，全都平等，以好心供養；也修行這般若波羅蜜。因為這樣的功德，所以不橫死。
諸天發心何以不聞般若——五欲覆心、味著禪定
這裡扼要地說完了三種功德，接著說三千大千世界當中，那些已發心、卻還沒有聽聞般若波羅蜜的諸天——先前說過善男子、善女人應當聽聞、受持乃至正確地憶念，如今說明其中的因緣。諸天有大功德，尚且還要供養，何況是人呢？雖然一切人、天都應當聽般若，但能發起無上道心的人，最應當以深心來聽。為什麼呢？因為般若是佛道的根本的緣故。
有人問：這些天既已發心，為什麼卻沒有聽聞般若呢？論主回答：有人說：這些天前世在人道中發起道意，如今生到天上，被五欲蒙蔽了心，所以聽不到。再者，諸天雖然發了無上道心，但五種情根銳利、五欲美妙，染著很深的緣故，看著東邊就忘了西邊，不能希求般若。色界的諸天，雖然先前聽法發了心，卻因為貪味、耽著禪定太深的緣故，也不能希求般若。因此才說：沒有聽聞的，就應當聽聞、受持。
內因緣與外因緣；三處住無所畏懼
再者，先前說的「魔及魔民不能得其便」，是就內在的因緣說，也就是空三昧以及四無量心；如今再說「不得便」，是就外在的因緣說，也就是佛告訴諸天：『你們供養、受持般若，這善男子、善女人也受持、供養這般若；因為與你們同事的緣故，若有魔前來破壞，你們就應當守護他！』再者，受持般若的人，或是住在空屋中、或是在曠野裡、或是在人間居住。住在空屋當中，有很多鬼魅以及盜賊寇匪，種種惡事容易到來，所以先說它。除了有人居住的處所以及空屋之外，其餘的山澤、樹林等等，都算是曠野；因為少有人行走的緣故，有很多虎、狼、獅子、惡賊、鬼魅。人所居住的處所因為不淨的緣故，魔以及鬼神很少前來；種種災難較少的緣故，所以放在後面說。修行人在這三種處所居住，都無所畏懼，是因為兩種因緣：第一是善於修習十八空，第二是般若波羅蜜威德的緣故。
以下回到經文：諸天發願守護，以菩薩因緣故三寶出世
那時，三千大千世界當中，諸位四天王天、三十三天、夜摩天、兜率陀天、化樂天、他化自在天，乃至首陀婆諸天（首陀婆，是色界的淨居天）向佛稟白：『世尊！這善男子、善女人能夠受持般若波羅蜜，親近、讀、誦、正確地憶念，也不離開一切智之心的，我們應當常常守護他！為什麼呢？世尊！因為有菩薩摩訶薩的緣故，才能斷除三惡道，斷除天、人的貧窮，斷除種種災患、疾病、飢餓。因為有菩薩的緣故，世間便有十善道出現，有四禪、四無量心、四無色定，有布施的檀波羅蜜、持戒的尸羅波羅蜜、忍辱的羼提波羅蜜、精進的毘梨耶波羅蜜、禪定的禪波羅蜜、智慧的般若波羅蜜，有內空乃至無法有法空，有四念處乃至一切種智。因為有菩薩的緣故，世間便有生在剎利大族（剎利，是王族）、婆羅門大族、居士大家的人，有諸王以及轉輪聖王，有四天王天乃至阿迦尼吒天。因為有菩薩的緣故，才有須陀洹、須陀洹果，乃至阿羅漢、阿羅漢果，辟支佛、辟支佛道。因為有菩薩的緣故，才有成就眾生、清淨佛世界之事，便有諸佛出現於世，便有轉法輪，才知道有佛寶、法寶、比丘僧寶。世尊！因為這樣的因緣，一切世間的諸天以及人、阿脩羅都應當守護這位菩薩摩訶薩。』
佛可其言：供養菩薩即是供養我；格量二乘
佛告訴釋提桓因：『正是這樣！正是這樣！憍尸迦！因為有菩薩摩訶薩的緣故，才能斷除三惡道，乃至三寶出現於世。因為這個緣故，諸天以及人、阿修羅都應當常常守護、供養、恭敬、尊重、讚歎這位菩薩摩訶薩。憍尸迦！供養、恭敬、尊重、讚歎這位菩薩摩訶薩，就是供養我。因為這個緣故，這些菩薩摩訶薩，諸天以及人、阿修羅都應當常常守護、供養、恭敬、尊重、讚歎。憍尸迦！假使三千大千世界當中充滿了聲聞、辟支佛，就像竹𥯤（叢生的竹）、稻、麻、叢林那樣繁密，若有善男子、善女人去供養、恭敬、尊重、讚歎他們，也比不上供養、恭敬、尊重、讚歎一位初發心、不離六波羅蜜的菩薩摩訶薩所得的福德。為什麼呢？並不是因為聲聞、辟支佛的緣故才有菩薩摩訶薩以及諸佛出現於世，而是因為有菩薩摩訶薩的緣故才有聲聞、辟支佛、諸佛出現於世。因為這個緣故，憍尸迦！這些菩薩摩訶薩，一切世間的諸天以及人、阿修羅都應當常常守護、供養、恭敬、尊重、讚歎。』
以下是論釋。
論主釋諸天守護之心：菩薩雖無力勢而能說善法
論主釋道：那時諸天向佛稟白：『我們應當守護這位菩薩，因為他與我們同事的緣故；也因為求佛道的人，能夠自己捨棄己身的安樂，使一切眾生得到安樂的緣故。』
所謂「因菩薩斷三惡道」，是說：菩薩雖然還沒有離欲，卻能遮止眾生的十種不善，所以能斷除三惡道以及天、人的貧窮、種種災患等等。因為推行十善的緣故，就開啟了三善道之門。有的菩薩見到五欲的過罪，能夠離欲而證得四禪；因為本願的緣故，生起四無量心；為了離開種種因緣所生的身苦，生起四無色定。為了佛道的緣故，修行六波羅蜜乃至一切種智。這些法，既自己修行，也教導他人；憑著這樣的福德道法，在眾生當中輾轉互相教導，常存於世間。如今應當說這些善法的果報：生在剎利大族乃至三寶出現於世；就如前面義理當中所說。如今這位菩薩是結業所感的生身，還處在因緣當中，並沒有大的力勢，卻能宣說這樣的善法，令眾生修行，我們怎麼可以不守護呢？就好比太子雖然年幼，群臣百官沒有不奉承他的。
供養菩薩即供養佛；初發意菩薩何以勝二乘——三事故
佛認可諸天所說，隨順而成就他們的意思。所謂「若供養菩薩，即是供養佛」，是因為般若是三世諸佛之母；若是為了般若的緣故而供養菩薩，就等於供養佛。所謂「不如供養、恭敬初發意菩薩」——
有人問：二乘已經證得實際（諸法的真實邊際），是一切眾生的福田，為什麼還不如初發意的菩薩呢？論主回答：因為三件事的緣故而不如：第一，菩薩用一切智之心來修行般若；第二，菩薩常常不離六波羅蜜等種種功德；第三，由於這位菩薩能斷除三惡道、出生三乘。若只依靠二乘人，是不能斷除三惡道、出生三乘的。
The Gods Praise Three Times Together: Whoever Practises Prajñā without Departing from It They Regard as a Buddha
At that time the heavenly kings and the gods, the Brahmā kings and the Brahmā gods, the Īśāna gods and the divine seers, together with the goddesses, all at once praised three times over: ‘Wonderful! Wonderful! The dharma spoken by the venerable Subhūti (‘wisdom-life’ is an honorific for a venerable one)—it is all by the gracious power of the causes and conditions of the Buddha's appearing in the world that such a teaching is expounded and proclaimed. If there is a bodhisattva-mahāsattva who practises this prajñāpāramitā (the perfection of wisdom) and does not depart from it, we regard such a person as a Buddha. Why? Within this prajñāpāramitā, although not a single dharma is findable—that is, form, feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness, and so on up to the omniscience of all kinds, are all unfindable—there are nevertheless the teachings of the three vehicles, namely the śrāvaka vehicle, the pratyekabuddha vehicle, and the Buddha vehicle.’
The Buddha Approves Their Words: This Bodhisattva Is Regarded as a Buddha, Because of Nothing to Be Attained
At that time the Buddha told the gods: ‘Just so! Just so! Gods! It is as you say: within this prajñāpāramitā, although not a single dharma is findable, there are nevertheless the teachings of the three vehicles, namely the śrāvaka vehicle, the pratyekabuddha vehicle, and the Buddha vehicle. Gods! If there is a bodhisattva-mahāsattva who practises this prajñāpāramitā and does not depart from it, such a person ought to be regarded as a Buddha, because of nothing to be attained. Why? Within this prajñāpāramitā the teachings of the three vehicles are extensively spoken, namely the śrāvaka vehicle, the pratyekabuddha vehicle, and the Buddha vehicle. Within dānapāramitā (the perfection of giving) the Buddha is unfindable, and apart from dānapāramitā the Buddha is also unfindable; and so on up to: within prajñāpāramitā the Buddha is unfindable, and apart from prajñāpāramitā the Buddha is also unfindable. Inner emptiness and so on up to the emptiness of non-existent and existent dharmas, the four foundations of mindfulness and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas, and the omniscience of all kinds—these too are all likewise.’
The Buddha Cites His Past Life under Dīpaṃkara Buddha as Proof, and Lists in Full the Ten Titles to Come
The Buddha further told the gods: ‘If a bodhisattva-mahāsattva is able to train in all these dharmas—that is, from dānapāramitā and so on up to the omniscience of all kinds—for this reason this bodhisattva-mahāsattva ought to be regarded as a Buddha. Gods! In the past, at the time of Dīpaṃkara Buddha, within the city of Flower Adornment, at a crossroads open in all four directions, I saw the Buddha and heard the Dharma, and at once attained the practice of not departing from dānapāramitā, which is giving; the practice of not departing from śīlapāramitā (the perfection of morality), which is keeping the precepts, from kṣāntipāramitā (the perfection of patience), which is forbearance, from vīryapāramitā (the perfection of vigour), which is diligence, from dhyānapāramitā (the perfection of meditation), which is meditative concentration, and from prajñāpāramitā, which is wisdom; not departing from inner emptiness and so on up to the emptiness of non-existent and existent dharmas; not departing from the four foundations of mindfulness and so on up to the eight limbs of the noble path; not departing from the four dhyānas, the four immeasurable minds, the four formless absorptions, all the gates of samādhi, and all the gates of dhāraṇī (total retention); not departing from the practice of the four fearlessnesses, the ten powers of the Buddha, the four unobstructed knowledges, the eighteen unshared dharmas, great loving-kindness and great compassion, and the rest of the immeasurable dharmas of all the buddhas—and all of it because of nothing to be attained. At that time Dīpaṃkara Buddha gave me the prediction: in a future age, after one asaṃkhyeya kalpa (countless kalpas), you will become a buddha named Śākyamuni—tathāgata (Thus-Come), arhat (Worthy of Offerings), samyaksaṃbuddha (Rightly and Universally Awakened), vidyācaraṇa (Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct), sugata (Well-Gone), lokavid (Knower of the World), Unsurpassed Knight, Tamer of Persons, Teacher of Gods and Humans, Buddha, World-Honored One.’
The gods Praise: Prajñā Enables the Bodhisattva to Attain Sarvajñā without Grasping and without Rejecting
At that time the gods said to the Buddha: ‘World-Honored One! It is truly rare! This prajñāpāramitā is able to make the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas attain sarvajñā (omniscience), because it neither grasps nor rejects form, because it neither grasps nor rejects feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness, and so on up to because it neither grasps nor rejects the omniscience of all kinds.’
What follows is the treatise's explanation.
The Treatise-Author Explains the Threefold Praise, and Explains the Heavenly Kings, the Gods, the Brahmās, Īśāna, the Divine Seers, and the Goddesses
The treatise-author explains: when a person's joy reaches its utmost, he praises three times over; therefore the gods, hearing the greatly virtuous Subhūti proclaim prajñāpāramitā, said with joy: 「快哉！快哉！」 tr. "Splendid! Splendid!"
「天王」 tr. "Heavenly kings" means the four heavenly kings who dwell in the heavens of the Four Heavenly Kings, Śakra Devānām Indra, king of the gods of the Heaven of the Thirty-three, and so on up to the Brahmā kings; above the Brahmā heavens there are no more heavenly kings. 「諸天」 tr. "The gods" means the gods of the desire realm. 「諸梵」 tr. "The Brahmās" means the gods of the form realm. 「伊賒那」 tr. "Īśāna" means the king of the Great Sovereign heaven together with his retinue. 「神仙」 tr. "Divine seers" are of two kinds: either gods or humans. 「天女」 tr. "Goddesses" means the goddesses such as Śacī, the consort of Śakra, lord of the gods.
Where the Praise Lies: Knowing That He Relies on the Buddha's Spiritual Power, and Out of Reverence for the Dharma, They Regard the Practitioner as a Buddha
The reason they praise Subhūti for being able to proclaim the profound prajñāpāramitā is that they know he is able to proclaim it by relying on the Buddha's spiritual power. If someone is able to practise this prajñāpāramitā, we ought to regard such a person as a Buddha. Why? Because of reverence for the Dharma.
The Profound Dharma: Ultimately Empty and Yet Having the Distinction of the Three Vehicles; Neither Falling into Annihilation nor Giving Rise to a Clinging Mind
What is called 「法」 tr. "the Dharma" means the profound prajñāpāramitā. What is called 「深法」 tr. "the profound Dharma" means: although all dharmas are ultimately empty, there is nevertheless the distinction of the three vehicles. Why? If dharmas were ultimate emptiness, one ought not to cultivate and gather the merits of the three vehicles any further—otherwise one falls into annihilation; if one is to cultivate and gather the merits of the three vehicles, then there is distinction, there is difference of high and low, and so it ought not to be ultimate emptiness. This prajñāpāramitā, although ultimately empty, does not fall into annihilation; although it distinguishes three vehicles, it does not give rise to a clinging mind; in both of these matters it does not grasp a fixed mark. This matter is profound and subtle, and so the gods rejoiced greatly and praised, saying: 「快哉！」 tr. "Splendid!"
The Buddha Further Speaks of Profound Causes and Conditions: Because of the Causes and Conditions of Dharmas There Is a Buddha; the Practitioner Is Precisely the Buddha
The Buddha approves their praise and further proclaims the profound causes and conditions: ‘Within the six perfections and so on up to the omniscience of all kinds, the Buddha is unfindable; apart from these, the Buddha is also unfindable; it is by the coming together of the many conditions of dharmas that there is a Buddha, and there is no truly fixed own-nature. If a bodhisattva is able to practise in this way, one should know that this bodhisattva is precisely the Buddha.’ What is called 「即是佛」 tr. "is precisely the Buddha" is a way of speaking used in the world; it is like a crown prince who, although he has not yet formally ascended the throne, is certainly going to become king. Here the Buddha himself cites a matter of his own past as proof: this bodhisattva had already attained the acceptance of non-arising, entered the bodhisattva position, and personally seen the buddhas of the ten directions. When the gods heard the Buddha broadly make clear the meaning they themselves had praised before, their understanding grew deeper, and so they praised once again. Because they see the faults of all dharmas, they do not grasp; because they see that there is benefit, they do not reject; and again, because all dharmas are ultimately empty, neither arising nor ceasing, they neither grasp nor reject.
Returning Below to the Sūtra Text: The Buddha Looks Round on the Fourfold Assembly and Tells Śakra That Māra Cannot Gain an Opening against Those Who Receive and Uphold Prajñā
At that time the Buddha observed the fourfold assembly gathered together—bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās (upāsakas and upāsikās are the lay men and women householders)—together with the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, and the gods from the heavens of the Four Heavenly Kings up to Akaniṣṭha (Akaniṣṭha is the highest heaven of the form realm, the Heaven of the Ultimate of Form), all assembled and seated.
Having looked round over them all, the Buddha told Śakra Devānām Indra: ‘Kauśika (Śakra's original clan name)! Whether bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, whether bhikṣus, whether bhikṣuṇīs, whether upāsakas, whether upāsikās, whether the gods, whether goddesses—if they are able to hear this prajñāpāramitā, receive and uphold it, draw near to it, read it, recite it, proclaim it for others, and rightly bear it in mind, without departing from the mind of omniscience—the gods! Neither Māra nor Māra's gods can gain an opening against such people. Why? These good men and good women truly know that form is empty, and emptiness cannot gain an opening against emptiness; the signless cannot gain an opening against the signless; non-action cannot gain an opening against non-action. They truly know that feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness are empty; emptiness cannot gain an opening against emptiness, and so on up to: non-action cannot gain an opening against non-action. And so on up to: they truly know that the omniscience of all kinds is empty; emptiness cannot gain an opening against emptiness, and so on up to: non-action cannot gain an opening against non-action. Why? Because the own-nature of all these dharmas is from the first unfindable, there is not a single thing by which Māra could gain an opening—so who, then, is the one harmed?’
Neither Humans nor Non-humans Gain an Opening; Those Who Receive and Uphold Prajñā Never Die an Untimely Death
‘Again, Kauśika! Against these good men and good women neither humans nor non-humans can gain an opening. Why? Because these good men and good women, among all beings, well cultivate the mind of loving-kindness, together with the minds of compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity—all of it because of nothing to be attained. Kauśika! These good men and good women will never die an untimely death (to lose one's life by accident though without guilt). Why? Because these good men and good women practise dānapāramitā, which is giving, providing for all beings with an equal mind.’
Gods Who Have Aroused the Mind but Not Yet Heard Prajñā Ought Now to Hear It; Dwelling in the Three Places, They Are Never Afraid
‘Again, Kauśika! Within the three-thousand great-thousand world, in the heavens of the Four Heavenly Kings, the Heaven of the Thirty-three, the Yāma heaven, the Tuṣita heaven, the Heaven of Delight in Transformation, and the heaven of the gods Sovereign over Others' Transformations, as well as the Brahmā heaven, the Heaven of Light-Sound, the Heaven of Universal Purity, and the Heaven of Abundant Fruit—among these heavens there are those who have already aroused the mind of anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi (the mind of unsurpassed, right, and complete awakening), yet have not heard this prajñāpāramitā, have not received and upheld it or drawn near to it; these the gods ought now to hear it, receive and uphold it, draw near to it, read it, recite it, and rightly bear it in mind, without departing from the mind of omniscience.’
‘Again, Kauśika! Good men and good women who hear this prajñāpāramitā, receive and uphold it, draw near to it, read it, recite it, and rightly bear it in mind, not departing from the mind of omniscience—these good men and good women, whether in an empty house, or in the wilderness, or in a place where people dwell, will never be afraid. Why? Because these good men and good women have penetrated inner emptiness—all of it because of nothing to be attained; and have penetrated outer emptiness and so on up to the emptiness of non-existent and existent dharmas—these too all because of nothing to be attained.’
What follows is the treatise's explanation.
The Treatise-Author Explains: Why, Having Looked Round on the Fourfold Assembly, the Buddha Addresses Śakra—He Wishes to Praise the Merits of Prajñā
Someone asks: here, after the Buddha has observed the fourfold assembly, why does he address Śakra Devānām Indra? The treatise-author answers: in the other chapters it is mostly the substance of prajñāpāramitā that is proclaimed; now the merits of prajñā are to be praised, and so he specially addresses Śakra Devānām Indra; it is like first showing someone a fine treasure, and only then praising the treasure's many powers.
Again, what is called 「普觀」 tr. "looking round over them all" is meant to let each of the beings in the assembly know that the Buddha is mindful of him, so that he does not despise himself; because he does not despise himself, he is able to bear hearing the Dharma; therefore the Buddha looks round over them all. It is like a sovereign who turns his gaze in favour upon his ministers, and the ministers are gladdened and count themselves fortunate. Because it is merits that are being proclaimed, the white-robed laity ought to serve as witness; and among the white-robed laity Śakra Devānām Indra is the most honoured. For the proclaiming of prajñā, those who have gone forth serve as witness; among those who have gone forth, Śāriputra, Subhūti, and the like are the most honoured.
Why He Is Called Kauśika and Not Śakra—The Story of Śakra's Original Clan Name
Someone asks: earlier it was said that 「釋」 tr. "Śakra" is a name, and that 「提婆因」 tr. "Devānām Indra" means lord of the gods; why now does the Buddha not say 「釋」 tr. "Śakra", but address him as 「憍尸迦」 tr. "Kauśika"? The treatise-author answers: in the past, in the country of Magadha, there was a brahmin named Magha, of the clan Kauśika, who had merit and virtue and great wisdom; his thirty-three close friends together with him cultivated merit and virtue, and after their lives ended they were all born in the second heaven, on the summit of Mount Sumeru; the brahmin Magha became lord of the gods, and the other thirty-two became his assisting ministers; because of these thirty-three people, it is named the Heaven of the Thirty-three. The Buddha calls him by his original clan name, and so says 「憍尸迦」 tr. "Kauśika"; or he is called 「天主」 tr. "Lord of the Gods", or 「千眼」 tr. "Thousand-Eyed", and so on. When an honoured great one addresses him, he calls him by his clan name.
The Meaning of Prajñāpāramitā: Words and Scrolls Reveal the Wisdom of the Real Mark
The 「般若波羅蜜」 tr. "prajñāpāramitā" spoken of here means the words and names spoken by the buddhas of the ten directions, together with the written scrolls of the sūtra, by which the wisdom of the real mark is propagated and revealed. Why? Prajñāpāramitā itself has no marks of the various contemplations and imaginings or of words; yet it is by relying on words and scrolls that one can attain this prajñāpāramitā, and therefore the names and the scrolls too are named prajñāpāramitā. Here the Buddha's intent is briefly stated: if one is able to hear, receive, and uphold prajñā and so on, one will obtain all kinds of merits, which will be extensively spoken of later. For the sake of delivering beings and for the sake of attaining the Buddha path, one makes offerings to prajñāpāramitā and receives and trains in it; against such a person neither Māra nor Māra's gods can gain an opening.
Who Is Māra, Why He Is an Enemy, and How He Gains an Opening
Someone asks: what is Māra? Why does he want to harm bodhisattvas? And how does he gain an opening? The treatise-author answers: 「魔」 tr. "Māra" means the lord of the gods of the Sovereign heaven. Although Māra was born there by the causes and conditions of merit and virtue, he harbours all kinds of wrong views; he takes the beings of the desire realm to be his own people, and thinks: although beings die and are born again, passing on in turn, none of them leaves my domain; even if they are born upward into the form realm or the formless realm, in the end they must come back and belong to me; even if someone gains the five supernormal powers of the outside paths, he has not yet left my domain—none of this does he count as cause for worry. But if a buddha or bodhisattvas appear in the world, deliver my people, pull out the root of their birth and death, and make them enter nirvāṇa without remainder, never to return again, emptying my domain—therefore Māra gives rise to thoughts of resentment, enmity, and jealousy. Māra further sees the people of the desire realm all going to take refuge in the Buddha and not coming to attach themselves to him; because he loses offerings, his mind grows jealous, and therefore he takes the Buddha and the bodhisattvas to be his enemies.
If this bodhisattva has already entered the dharma-position and attained the body born of dharma-nature, then although Māra gives rise to evil thoughts he cannot ruin him; if he has not yet attained avaivartika (non-retrogressing), Māra uses all kinds of methods to destroy him. If a bodhisattva is able, single-mindedly and without sparing body or life, and with skilful means, to seek the Buddha path, the buddhas of the ten directions and the great bodhisattvas all protect him together, and for this reason he is able to accomplish the Buddha path. If one who is a bodhisattva is lazy, craves worldly pleasures, and cannot seek the Buddha path diligently and with a single mind, this is deceiving oneself, and also deceiving the buddhas of the ten directions and the bodhisattvas. Why? He himself says 「我為一切眾生故求佛道」 tr. "For the sake of all beings I seek the Buddha path", yet he carries out all kinds of mixed practices, ruining the dharma of the bodhisattva; because of such an offence the buddhas and bodhisattvas do not guard him, and Māra gains an opening against him. Why? All the noble ones have entered the right position, practise the path with a single mind, and deeply delight in nirvāṇa; Māra, however, has entered the wrong position and loves and clings to the wrong path; the wrong and the right run counter to each other, and so Māra hates and envies right practice; wild, deluded, and self-exalting, he calls the Buddha 「沙門瞿曇」 tr. "the śramaṇa Gautama", while the Buddha calls Māra by his real name, 「弊魔」 tr. "the wicked Māra". Because they run counter to each other, they are named enemies.
Māra Is of Four Kinds; by the Power of Prajñā the Four Māras Gain No Opening; the Marks of Gaining an Opening
As is said in the sūtras, Māra is of four kinds: first, the Māra of the afflictions; second, the Māra of the five aggregates (the Māra that is the five aggregates); third, the Māra of death; fourth, the Māra who is a son of the gods of the Sovereign heaven. Here, by the power of prajñā, none of the four Māras can gain an opening: attaining the real mark of all dharmas, the afflictions are cut off, and so the Māra of the afflictions is destroyed, and the heavenly Māra too cannot gain an opening; because one enters nirvāṇa without remainder, the Māra of the five aggregates and the Māra of death are destroyed.
What is called gaining an opening? Māra and Māra's hosts come to frighten the bodhisattva, as is said in the sūtras: Māra transforms himself into the body of a nāga, and into all kinds of strange and fearsome shapes, and comes by night to frighten the practitioner; or he displays the finest of the five desires to disturb the bodhisattva; or he turns the minds of worldly people, causing them to make great offerings, and the practitioner, because he craves and clings to offerings, loses the virtue of the path; or he turns people's minds, causing them to slight and harm the bodhisattva—to revile him, or beat him, or wound him, or injure him—and the practitioner, suffering pain, may perhaps give rise to anger or to grief. In all kinds of ways like these, Māra follows the direction in which the mind of the person before him is tending, and goes along with it to destroy him; this is called gaining an opening. It is just as is extensively said in the chapter on Māra.
Why Māra Gains No Opening against a Bodhisattva in a Body of Flesh—He Well Cultivates the Emptiness of Dharmas and Does Not Cling Even to Emptiness
Someone asks: Māra's power is very great, and the power of the path of a bodhisattva in a body of flesh is still very slight; how is it that Māra gains no opening? The treatise-author answers: as was said above, it is because he is protected by the buddhas and bodhisattvas. Here the Buddha himself speaks the causes and conditions: ‘Such a person well cultivates the emptiness of dharmas, and yet does not cling to emptiness; since he does not cling to emptiness, how could Māra gain an opening!’ It is like a body without a sore: it will not be poisoned. The signless and non-action are also like this.
Again, when all dharmas are observed as they truly are, all are of the mark of emptiness, signlessness, and non-action; precisely because all are of the mark of emptiness, signlessness, and non-action, there is no one who gains an opening and no one against whom an opening is gained; therefore emptiness ought not to gain an opening against emptiness, the signless ought not to gain an opening against the signless, and non-action ought not to gain an opening against non-action, because they are of the same mark. It is like fire, which cannot put out fire; only on obtaining water can it be put out, because they are of different marks.
Why One Who Abides in the Three Gates of Liberation Does Not Give Māra an Opening
Someone asks: when a bodhisattva abides in the three gates of liberation, that is precisely the place where an opening is gained against him, because they run counter to all dharmas: emptiness runs counter to 「有」 tr. "existence", the signless runs counter to 「有相」 tr. "having marks", and non-action runs counter to 「有作」 tr. "having action"! The treatise-author answers: in this sūtra the Buddha himself says: ‘The three gates of liberation have no own-nature.’ And in the earlier discussion it was said: one does not cling even to emptiness, signlessness, and non-action. Therefore, although one abides in the three gates of liberation, Māra and Māra's people still cannot gain an opening.
Why "Good Men and Good Women" Are Named and Not "Bodhisattva-Mahāsattvas"—Explaining Also the Five Obstructions of Women
Someone asks: everywhere else it says 「菩薩摩訶薩」 tr. "bodhisattva-mahāsattvas"; why does it now say 「善男子、善女人」 tr. "good men and good women"? The treatise-author answers: what was spoken earlier is the wisdom of the real mark, which is hard to receive; because they are able to receive it, they are bodhisattva-mahāsattvas; what is spoken now is making offerings, receiving and upholding, reading, reciting, and so on—it is spoken with regard to all kinds of mixed practices, and so they may be called 「善男子、善女人」 tr. "good men and good women". Again, the sūtras say that women have five obstructions: they cannot become Śakra Devānām Indra, cannot become a Brahmā king, cannot become a Māra king, cannot become a wheel-turning sage king, cannot become a buddha. Hearing of these five obstructions and that they cannot become a buddha, women's minds shrink back, and they cannot arouse the intention for the path. Or perhaps there are expounders of the Dharma who do not proclaim the Buddha path for women. Therefore the Buddha here says 「善男子、善女人」 tr. "good men and good women". Women can become buddhas; it is not that they cannot turn away from the female body. What is called the 「五礙」 tr. "five obstructions" is a matter spoken only with regard to one and the same body. The meaning of good men and good women has already been extensively spoken of above.
Humans Gain No Opening; There Is No Fixed Order between Emptiness and the Four Immeasurable Minds
What is called 「人不得便」 tr. "humans gain no opening"—here 「人」 tr. "humans" means such people as robbers, as officials, as enemies, and the like, who want to harass the bodhisattva and seek an opening against him.
Someone asks: earlier, in stating the causes and conditions of 「不得便」 tr. "gaining no opening", why was only emptiness spoken of? And now, in saying 「人不得便」 tr. "humans gain no opening", why are only the four immeasurable minds spoken of? The treatise-author answers: some say: what was spoken of earlier is Māra or Māra's people; the enemy is great, and so the remedy is also great, and therefore emptiness is spoken of; the enemy is small, and so the remedy is also small, and therefore the four immeasurable minds are spoken of. Others also say: the four immeasurable minds are what the bodhisattva constantly practises, in order to gather all kinds of merits; after that, by means of the mark of emptiness of prajñāpāramitā, he is made to remove wrong views, to cling neither to beings nor to dharmas. These two dharmas have no fixed order of before and after. Again, the frightening things that Māra, spoken of above, brings about are many; mostly he does not show his original form, but shows thunderclaps, or makes wind and rain, or makes sickness and pain, and so on; therefore the emptiness of dharmas is spoken of; as for causing people to come and revile with harsh speech and strike and cut with swords and staves, the four immeasurable minds are used.
The Meaning of Not Dying an Untimely Death: Dying without Guilt; Because the Bodhisattva Provides with an Equal Mind, He Does Not Die an Untimely Death
What is called 「不橫死」 tr. "not dying an untimely death"—that is, dying without guilt: whether, while one's lifespan is not yet exhausted, it is because the wrong medicine was given, or because the proper rules for taking medicine were not followed, or because there was no one to look after the sick; or whether one dies young because of hunger and thirst, cold and heat, and the like—this is called an untimely death. From his first arousing of the mind onward, the bodhisattva, among all beings, constantly practises dānapāramitā, which is giving: he gives medicine according to the illness, as the sick person needs; he relieves the orphaned, the suffering, and the poor, and gives whatever they beg for; among all beings he is entirely equal, and makes offerings with a good mind; he also practises this prajñāpāramitā. Because of such merits, he does not die an untimely death.
Why Gods Who Have Aroused the Mind Have Not Heard Prajñā—The Five Desires Cover the Mind; They Relish and Cling to Meditative Absorption
Here three kinds of merit have been briefly spoken of in full; next it speaks of the gods within the three-thousand great-thousand world who have aroused the mind yet have not heard prajñāpāramitā—earlier it was said that good men and good women ought to hear it, receive and uphold it, and so on up to rightly bear it in mind; now the causes and conditions of this are made clear. The gods have great merits and still must make offerings—how much more humans? Although all humans and gods ought to hear prajñā, those who are able to arouse the mind of the unsurpassed path ought most of all to hear it with a deep mind. Why? Because prajñā is the root of the Buddha path.
Someone asks: since these gods have already aroused the mind, why have they not heard prajñā? The treatise-author answers: some say: these gods in a former life aroused the intention for the path in the human destiny, and are now born in the heavens, where the five desires cover their minds, and so they do not hear it. Again, although the gods have aroused the mind of the unsurpassed path, their five sense-faculties are keen and the five desires are exquisite; because their defiled clinging is deep, looking east they forget the west, and they cannot aspire to prajñā. The gods of the form realm, although earlier they heard the Dharma and aroused the mind, because they relish and are absorbed in meditative absorption too deeply, likewise cannot aspire to prajñā. Therefore it is said: those who have not heard it ought to hear it, receive, and uphold it.
Inner Causes and Conditions and Outer Causes and Conditions; Dwelling in the Three Places without Fear
Again, what was said earlier—「魔及魔民不能得其便」 tr. "Māra and Māra's people cannot gain an opening against him"—is spoken with regard to inner causes and conditions, namely the samādhi of emptiness and the four immeasurable minds; now 「不得便」 tr. "gaining no opening" is spoken of again with regard to outer causes and conditions, namely the Buddha's telling the gods: ‘You make offerings to prajñā and receive and uphold it, and these good men and good women also receive and uphold prajñā and make offerings to it; because they share the same work with you, if Māra comes to destroy them, you ought to guard them!’ Again, those who receive and uphold prajñā may dwell in an empty house, or in the wilderness, or among human dwellings. Dwelling in an empty house, there are many ghosts and goblins as well as robbers and bandits, and all kinds of evil things readily come; therefore it is spoken of first. Apart from places where people dwell and empty houses, the rest—mountains and marshes, woods and forests, and the like—all count as wilderness; because few people travel there, there are many tigers, wolves, lions, evil bandits, ghosts, and goblins. Places where people dwell, because they are impure, Māra and ghosts and spirits seldom come to; because the various calamities there are fewer, they are spoken of last. The practitioner, dwelling in these three kinds of places, is without any fear, because of two causes and conditions: first, he well cultivates the eighteen emptinesses; second, because of the majestic virtue of prajñāpāramitā.
Returning Below to the Sūtra Text: The Gods Vow to Guard; Because of Bodhisattvas the Three Jewels Appear in the World
At that time, within the three-thousand great-thousand world, the gods of the heavens of the Four Heavenly Kings, of the Heaven of the Thirty-three, of the Yāma heaven, of the Tuṣita heaven, of the Heaven of Delight in Transformation, and the gods Sovereign over Others' Transformations, and so on up to the Śuddhāvāsa gods (Śuddhāvāsa is the Pure Abodes of the form realm), said to the Buddha: ‘World-Honored One! These good men and good women who are able to receive and uphold prajñāpāramitā, draw near to it, read it, recite it, and rightly bear it in mind, and also do not depart from the mind of omniscience—we ought constantly to guard them! Why? World-Honored One! Because there are bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, the three evil destinies can be cut off, the poverty of gods and humans can be cut off, and all kinds of calamities, sicknesses, and famines can be cut off. Because there are bodhisattvas, the ten wholesome paths appear in the world; there are the four dhyānas, the four immeasurable minds, and the four formless absorptions; there are dānapāramitā, which is giving, śīlapāramitā, which is keeping the precepts, kṣāntipāramitā, which is forbearance, vīryapāramitā, which is diligence, dhyānapāramitā, which is meditative concentration, and prajñāpāramitā, which is wisdom; there are inner emptiness and so on up to the emptiness of non-existent and existent dharmas; there are the four foundations of mindfulness and so on up to the omniscience of all kinds. Because there are bodhisattvas, there are in the world those born into great kṣatriya clans (kṣatriya is the royal caste), great brahmin clans, and great householder families; there are kings and wheel-turning sage kings; there are the heavens of the Four Heavenly Kings and so on up to the Akaniṣṭha heaven. Because there are bodhisattvas, there are the srota-āpanna and the fruit of the srota-āpanna, and so on up to the arhat and the fruit of the arhat, the pratyekabuddha and the path of the pratyekabuddha. Because there are bodhisattvas, there is the matter of bringing beings to maturity and purifying buddha-worlds; buddhas appear in the world; there is the turning of the Dharma wheel; and it is known that there are the Buddha jewel, the Dharma jewel, and the bhikṣu Saṅgha jewel. World-Honored One! Because of such causes and conditions, all the gods of the world, together with humans and asuras, ought to guard this bodhisattva-mahāsattva.’
The Buddha Approves Their Words: Making Offerings to a Bodhisattva Is Making Offerings to Me; a Weighing against the Two Vehicles
The Buddha told Śakra Devānām Indra: ‘Just so! Just so! Kauśika! Because there are bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, the three evil destinies can be cut off, and so on up to the three jewels appear in the world. For this reason gods, humans, and asuras ought constantly to guard, make offerings to, revere, honour, and praise this bodhisattva-mahāsattva. Kauśika! To make offerings to, revere, honour, and praise this bodhisattva-mahāsattva is to make offerings to me. For this reason these bodhisattva-mahāsattvas gods, humans, and asuras ought constantly to guard, make offerings to, revere, honour, and praise. Kauśika! Suppose the three-thousand great-thousand world were filled with śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, dense as thickets of bamboo (bamboo that grows in clumps), rice, hemp, and groves; if good men and good women were to make offerings to, revere, honour, and praise them, it would still not equal the merit gained by making offerings to, revering, honouring, and praising a single bodhisattva-mahāsattva who has first aroused the mind and does not depart from the six perfections. Why? It is not because of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas that bodhisattva-mahāsattvas and buddhas appear in the world; rather, it is because there are bodhisattva-mahāsattvas that śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and buddhas appear in the world. For this reason, Kauśika! these bodhisattva-mahāsattvas all the gods of the world, together with humans and asuras, ought constantly to guard, make offerings to, revere, honour, and praise.’
What follows is the treatise's explanation.
The Treatise-Author Explains the Gods' Mind to Guard: Though the Bodhisattva Has No Power or Might, He Is Able to Speak Wholesome Dharmas
The treatise-author explains: at that time the gods said to the Buddha: ‘We ought to guard this bodhisattva, because he shares the same work with us; and also because one who seeks the Buddha path is able himself to give up his own ease and make all beings attain ease.’
What is called 「因菩薩斷三惡道」 tr. "because of bodhisattvas the three evil destinies are cut off" means: although the bodhisattva has not yet become free of desire, he is able to restrain beings from the ten unwholesome deeds, and so he is able to cut off the three evil destinies, as well as the poverty of gods and humans, all kinds of calamities, and so on. Because he promotes the ten wholesome deeds, he opens the gates of the three good destinies. Some bodhisattvas, seeing the faults of the five desires, are able to become free of desire and attain the four dhyānas; because of their original vows, they give rise to the four immeasurable minds; in order to be free of the bodily suffering born of all kinds of causes and conditions, they give rise to the four formless absorptions. For the sake of the Buddha path, they practise the six perfections and so on up to the omniscience of all kinds. These dharmas they both practise themselves and teach to others; by such merit and dharmas of the path, they are passed on among beings, teaching one another in turn, and remain constantly in the world. Now the fruits of these wholesome dharmas ought to be spoken of: being born into great kṣatriya clans and so on up to the three jewels appearing in the world—as was said in the meaning above. Now this bodhisattva is a body born of life, brought about by fettered karma, still within causes and conditions, without great power or might, and yet he is able to proclaim such wholesome dharmas and cause beings to practise them—how could we not guard him? It is like a crown prince who, although young, is served by every one of the ministers and officials.
Making Offerings to a Bodhisattva Is Making Offerings to the Buddha; Why a Bodhisattva of First Arousing of Intent Surpasses the Two Vehicles—for Three Reasons
The Buddha approves what the gods said, going along with them and fulfilling their meaning. What is called 「若供養菩薩，即是供養佛」 tr. "if one makes offerings to a bodhisattva, this is making offerings to the Buddha" is because prajñā is the mother of the buddhas of the three times; if one makes offerings to a bodhisattva for the sake of prajñā, it is the same as making offerings to the Buddha. What is called 「不如供養、恭敬初發意菩薩」 tr. "it does not equal making offerings to and revering a bodhisattva of the first arousing of intent"—
Someone asks: those of the two vehicles have already realised the limit of reality (the true limit of all dharmas) and are a field of merit for all beings; why are they still not equal to a bodhisattva of the first arousing of intent? The treatise-author answers: they are not equal because of three matters: first, the bodhisattva practises prajñā with the mind of omniscience; second, the bodhisattva constantly does not depart from the six perfections and all kinds of other merits; third, because this bodhisattva is able to cut off the three evil destinies and bring forth the three vehicles. Relying only on people of the two vehicles, one cannot cut off the three evil destinies or bring forth the three vehicles.
顧視品：般若中佛不可得，何以視行般若者如佛
在問什麼
這一品的品名叫「顧視」——顧，是回顧、眷顧；視，是看待、看作。一品之中其實有兩重「顧視」交織：一重是諸天的顧視——他們聽須菩提說般若，歎道「若有菩薩摩訶薩行是般若波羅蜜不遠離者，我輩視是人如佛」，把修行般若的人看作佛一般；另一重是佛的顧視——經文中段「佛觀四眾和合」，遍觀比丘、比丘尼、優婆塞、優婆夷乃至諸天，「普觀已」才告誡帝釋，論主釋這一「普觀」正是「欲令會中眾生各知佛顧念，則不自輕」，還打了個比方「如王顧眄群下，群下則欣然自慶」。品名「顧視」，眼目正落在這兩重看待上。
底下壓著的第一個難處最尖銳：般若波羅蜜中一法不可得，連佛也不可得、離開諸法佛也不可得，那麼「視是人如佛」這句話還怎麼站得住？其次，般若明明畢竟空，卻又說「有三乘之教——聲聞、辟支佛、佛乘」，空與三乘分別如何並立而不墮斷滅、不生執著？再往下，佛既顧念四眾，何以偏偏告誡帝釋一人，說受持般若的人「魔、若魔天不能得其便」，這「不得便」又憑什麼？受持的人若在空舍、曠野、人間又何以「終不怖畏」？諸天既已發願守護，何以又說有些諸天發了心卻「未聞是般若」？最後，諸天更說「若供養菩薩，即是供養佛」，乃至滿三千大千世界的聲聞、辟支佛，供養他們還不如供養一位初發意菩薩——這「不如」又是從何說起？這一品要回答的，正是「佛不可得」與『視如佛』如何是一事，以及佛這一番顧念、守護、格量，落到菩薩身上是什麼分量。此外，經論之間還藏著不少須逐一交代的細目——三反稱歎的是哪些天眾，然燈本生具列的十號各是何義，「憍尸迦」這名字從何而來，「般若波羅蜜」四字何以能安在語言經卷之上，女人五礙與女人作佛如何並存，「不橫死」界定的是哪幾種死——都須一一說清，不可跳過。
逐段解明
第一，先看這一場稱歎是由哪些天眾發起的。經文開頭「諸天王及諸天、諸梵王及諸梵天、伊賒那天及神仙并諸天女，同時三反稱歎」，論主替這一串名目逐一訓釋，好教人知道會眾之廣。「天王」，是四天處的四天王、三十三天王釋提桓因，乃至於諸梵天王——但只到梵天為止，「梵天已上更無有王」，因為色界上二禪以上無所統攝，不立王號。「諸天」，指的是「欲界天」；「諸梵」，指的是「色界天」；「伊賒那」，是「大自在天王并其眷屬」。「神仙」一詞不可一概而論，論說「有二種：或天、或人」——或是天中的神仙，或是人中修得神通的仙人。「天女」，則是「天帝釋夫人舍脂等諸天女」。這一段看似只是點名，用意卻在顯歎般若者上自天王、下至天女，無不同聲，可見所歎之法之尊。至於「三反稱歎」——一連三遍讚歎「快哉！快哉！」——論主一句話點破緣由：「人以歡喜之至，則三反稱歎」，歡喜到極處，才會再三稱善，這是諸天聞深般若、喜不自勝的表相。
第二，看「視是人如佛」從哪裡生根。諸天所以歎須菩提，論主說是「知其承佛神力故」；而所以肯把行般若的人「視是人如佛」，只為一個「尊重法故」。理由是般若中雖無一法可得，「而有三乘之教」。佛隨即印可，並把這話說到底：「檀波羅蜜中佛不可得，離檀波羅蜜佛亦不可得」，乃至般若、內空、四念處、一切種智，一一都是佛不可得、離之亦不可得。論主替這句點出關竅——「諸法和合因緣故有佛，無有自性。若菩薩能如是行者，當知是菩薩即是佛」；而「即是佛」是「世界中語」，如太子雖未正位、必當為王。可見『視如佛』並不是說眼前這人已圓滿佛果，而是說他所行的正是成佛之因、其中無一法可執——因既決定，果自可期，所以看作佛。這一步先把「佛不可得」與『視如佛』一義接通：正因佛無自性、待緣而有，行般若無所得的人才「即是佛」。
第三，看「一切法雖畢竟空，而有三乘分別」如何不墮兩邊。論主釋「深法」一段最要緊：諸法若畢竟空便不應修集三乘功德，那要墮斷滅；若修三乘功德便是「分別差降」，那又不成畢竟空。般若的分寸就在：「雖畢竟空而不墮斷滅，雖分別有三乘亦不生著心，於二事中不取定相。」空，所以不著三乘之相；有三乘，所以不落斷滅之空。這正是諸天歎「快哉」、佛稱其甚深微妙之處。
第四，看然燈本生與佛所具列的十號。經初佛自陳一段本事：昔於然燈佛時，於「華嚴城內，四衢道頭」見佛聞法，即得不離六波羅蜜、內空乃至十八不共法、大慈大悲之行，「亦無所得故」，然燈佛便記其當來作佛。這是佛「自引本事以為證」，證的正是『行般若無所得即是成佛之因』這一句，論主說得明白：「此菩薩已得無生忍，入菩薩位，見十方諸佛。」授記之際具列的名號——「多陀阿伽度、阿羅訶、三藐三佛陀、鞞侈遮羅那、脩伽度、路迦憊、無上士、調御丈夫、天人師、佛、世尊」——正是諸佛共有的十種通號，此處不可含糊帶過，須依古德所傳一一會其義：「多陀阿伽度」即如來，乘如實道而來；「阿羅訶」即應供，堪受人天供養；「三藐三佛陀」即正遍知，於一切法無不正覺；「鞞侈遮羅那」即明行足，智明與德行俱圓；「脩伽度」即善逝，善入涅槃而不復退墮；「路迦憊」即世間解，徹了世間與出世間；下四號「無上士、調御丈夫、天人師」則顯其位無有過者、能調伏可度之機、為天人所師；末歸「佛、世尊」，覺者而為世所尊。列此十號，是要顯然燈授記之鄭重，也預告釋迦一佛之當成——與前「必當為王」之喻正相呼應。
第五，看諸天聽佛廣說之後的第二重讚歎。佛既廣明佛不可得、菩薩即是佛之義，「諸天聞佛廣明已所歎義，解心轉深，重復讚歎」——這一「解心轉深」四字要緊：頭一遍稱歎尚在歡喜，這一遍已是解悟加深而後再讚。他們白佛說，般若「能令諸菩薩摩訶薩得薩婆若」，關鍵在「於色不取不捨」，於受、想、行、識乃至一切種智皆不取不捨。何以不取又不捨？論主替這句補出兩重所以然：一是「以見一切法過罪故不取，有利益故不捨」——見諸法有過患、故不執取，見其於化度有利益、故不斷捨；二是「又以一切法畢竟空、不生不滅故不取、不捨」——就法性言，本來不生不滅，既無可取、亦無可捨。前者就用邊說，後者就理邊說，兩義合成「不取不捨」的圓全。
第六，看佛的顧視如何落到告誡帝釋，以及為何要分白衣、出家兩重作證。經中段換了場景：佛不再答諸天之問，而是主動「佛觀四眾和合」、「普觀已」，然後告釋提桓因。論主釋這一主動的普觀，不是閒筆：一是「欲讚般若功德，故命釋提桓因」，如「先以好寶示人，然後讚寶所能」——先示般若之體，再讚其功用；二是「欲令會中眾生各知佛顧念，則不自輕」，不自輕才「堪任聽法」。佛顧念眾生的這一眼，正是品名「顧視」的實義。至於為何獨命帝釋，論主又分作兩重證人：「說功德故，應以白衣證；白衣中釋提桓因為大」——讚在家修福之功德，當舉在家人為證，而帝釋是白衣中之上首；「說般若者，以出家人為證；出家人中，是舍利弗、須菩提等為大」——論般若深智，則以出家聖眾為證，而舍利弗、須菩提是出家中之上首。此處經文正說功德受持一邊，故命帝釋，這兩重證人之分不可漏。
第七，看佛何以不呼「釋」而呼「憍尸迦」。論主特設一問：既知「釋」是名、「提婆因」是天主之號，佛此處何以捨其字而喚其姓「憍尸迦」？答中引出一段本事：往昔摩伽陀國有一婆羅門名摩伽、姓憍尸迦，「有福德大智慧」，與「知友三十三人共修福德」，命終「皆生須彌山頂第二天上」，摩伽婆羅門作了天主、其餘三十二人為輔臣，「以此三十三人故，名為三十三天」。佛喚他「憍尸迦」，正是「喚其本姓」；他別號「或言天主，或言千眼」，而此處獨稱本姓，是因為「大人喚之，故稱其姓」——以尊者呼人，稱姓為敬。這一段訓詁，既解了名相之來歷，也順帶點出三十三天得名之由。
第八，看「般若波羅蜜」四字何以能安在語言經卷之上。論主釋此處所說的「般若波羅蜜」，指的是「十方諸佛所說語言名字、書寫經卷，宣傳顯示實相智慧」。這裡有一層須辨明的：般若智慧本身「無諸觀語言相」，本不是語言文字所能盡；然而「因語言、經卷能得此般若波羅蜜」——正靠著這些名字、經卷作橋樑，人才得以趣入真實的般若。所以「以名字、經卷名為般若波羅蜜」，是就能詮之教立所詮之名，是假名而非實體。明此，才不至於把讀誦經卷本身錯認作般若的究竟，也不至於因般若離言而輕看了經卷之用。
第九，看「魔」是什麼、為何惱菩薩、怎樣才叫「得便」。論主藉三問把魔事和盤托出。「魔」是「自在天主」，雖以福德生於彼處，卻「懷諸邪見」，把欲界眾生當作自己的人民，唯恐佛菩薩度盡眾生、「空我境界」，於是起恨結讎、把佛菩薩當怨家。魔有四種——「一者、煩惱魔，二者、五眾魔，三者、死魔，四者、自在天子魔」；仗般若之力，四魔皆不能得便：得諸法實相則煩惱斷、壞煩惱魔連天魔亦不能便，入無餘涅槃則壞五眾魔與死魔。至於「得便」之相，是魔及魔民來恐怖菩薩，或「魔作龍身，種種異形可畏之象，夜來恐怖行者」，或現上妙五欲來壞亂，或轉人心令作大供養使行者貪著失道，或轉人心令罵、打、傷、害使行者生瞋憂——「隨前人意所趣向，因而壞之，是名得便」，其詳「如〈魔品〉中廣說」。又須分別：菩薩若已入法位、得法性生身，魔雖起惡不能壞；若尚未得阿鞞跋致，魔則種種破壞；而懈怠貪樂、自欺欺佛者，「諸佛菩薩所不守護，魔得其便」——可見不得便與否，關鍵在自己修不修、著不著。
第十，看肉身菩薩道力尚少，何以魔仍不得便。論主又設一問：魔力甚大，肉身菩薩力猶未充，憑什麼不受其便？答分兩層。一者，如上所說，「為諸佛菩薩所護故」。二者，佛自說更深的因緣：此人「善修諸法空，亦不著空；不著空者，云何當得便」——譬如「無瘡則不受毒」，身上無瘡，毒便無隙可入；心中不著空，魔便無縫可乘。再者，一切法如實觀之，皆是空、無相、無作，同是「一相」，所以彼此不能相為便——「如火不能滅火，得水則滅，以異相故」：同相不相滅，異相乃相除；諸法既同一空相，便無一法能作壞另一法之便。這一義最要留心「亦不著空」四字：破了諸法卻暗棲於「空」，那個「空」就又成了瘡口。
第十一，看菩薩住三解脫門何以不反成受便之處。難者說：菩薩安住空、無相、無作三解脫門，豈不正與一切法相違——空與有相違、無相與有相相違、無作與有作相違，這相違處不正是受魔之便的破綻？論主答得乾脆：此經中佛已自說「三解脫門無有自性」，先前論議中也說過「於空、無相、無作中亦不著」。三解脫門本身既無自性、又不被執著，便不成一個與他法對峙的實體，「是故雖住三解脫門，魔及魔民不得其便」。
第十二，看除魔之外，還有『人非人不得便』與「終不橫死」兩重。經說受持般若者，「若人、非人不能得其便」，論主釋其所以在「一切眾生中善修慈心、悲喜捨心，以無所得故」——以四無量心普攝眾生、又不著所修，人與非人便無隙可惱。至於「不橫死」，須先界定什麼是橫死：論說橫死即「無罪而死」，如「壽命未盡，錯投藥故，或不順藥法，或無看病人；或飢渴、寒熱等夭命」——這些非分而終、本不當死而死的，才叫橫死。受持般若的菩薩何以不橫死？因他「從初發意來，於一切眾生中，常行檀波羅蜜」，應病與藥、拯濟孤窮、隨所乞而給，「於一切眾生等心供給」，以這一分平等布施的功德，故不遭橫死。可見不橫死不是許人一個長生不死之身，而是就其布施利生的因行說感應之果。
第十三，看「善男子、善女人」這稱呼何以取代「菩薩摩訶薩」，以及其中的女人五礙。論主設問：他處皆言「菩薩摩訶薩」，此處何以改言「善男子、善女人」？答：前面所說是「實相智慧難受，以能受故，則是菩薩摩訶薩」——那是就能荷擔深智說；如今所說是供養、受持、讀誦等「雜說故」，「得稱」「善男子、善女人」——這是就通行的修持功德說，門檻寬，故通稱善男女。緊接著論主點出改稱的另一層苦心，即女人五礙：「經中說女人有五礙：不得作釋提桓因、梵王、魔王、轉輪聖王、佛。」有些女人聽到「不得作佛」，便心生退屈、不肯發意；也有說法者索性不為女人講佛道。佛此處特說「善男子、善女人」並列，正是要接引女眾、不令退心。這一義決不可迴避，卻也要照論所說講清界限：五礙「說一身事」——是就現前這一女身而言，不得即以女身居此五位；而「女人可得作佛，非不轉女身也」——女人並非不能成佛，只是須轉去女身而後成，成佛之路對女眾並未關閉。一面是這一身的限量，一面是修行的通途，兩義並存，既不誇大、也不諱言。
第十四，看「人不得便」中的「人」何所指，以及先說空、後說四無量心的先後之辨。前既說魔不得便、人非人不得便，此處單提「人不得便」，論主釋「人」是「若賊、若官、若怨等」——盜賊、官府、怨家之類，想要惱亂菩薩、求其破綻。隨後論主自設一問：先說不得便時「但說空」，如今說人不得便卻「但說四無量心」，這先後、詳略是什麼道理？論主老實並錄兩種解說，不代定一是：「有人言」——先前對的是魔與魔民，「怨大故法亦大」，故用畢竟空這大法；如今對的是人，「怨小故法亦小」，故用四無量心這近法。又「有人言」——四無量心本是「菩薩常行」，為集諸功德，其後才以般若空相令除邪見、不著眾生亦不著法，故「是二法前後無在」，並無定序。論主更補一義：魔多不現本形，「或現雷震、或作風雨、或作病痛等」，這種無形之逼須以「諸法空」化之；至於「令人來惡口罵詈、刀杖打斫」，這種有情之惱則用四無量心受之。空對治無形之魔事，慈悲對治有情之惱害，各有所當。
第十五，看那些發了心卻「未聞般若」的諸天。經說三千大千世界中，四天王天乃至他化自在天、梵天乃至廣果天，有發無上菩提心而「未聞是般若波羅蜜」者，佛勸他們今應聞受、親近、讀誦、正憶念。論主先點出這番叮嚀的分量：「諸天有大功德，猶尚供養，何況於人」——連福德深厚的諸天都須聽受，何況人間；而「能發無上道心者，最應深心聽」，因為「般若是佛道之本」。隨即設問：這些天既已發心，何以反而不聞般若？論主答有兩路。一者「此天前世人中發意，今生天上，五欲覆心故不聞」——欲界諸天「五情利，五欲妙，染著深故，視東忘西，不能求般若」，被五欲蓋覆，顧此失彼，無心求法。二者色界諸天「雖先聞法發心，以味著禪定深故，不能求般若」——貪著禪定之味，也一樣礙了求般若的心。一個溺於五欲、一個溺於定味，看似天上勝於人間，於求般若一事反不如發心的人間眾生用心，這正是佛勸其應聞的緣故。
第十六，看「不得便」還可分內因緣、外因緣兩重。論主指出，前面說「魔及魔民不能得其便」，那是就「內因緣」說——所謂「空三昧及四無量心」，是行者自心所修、內在的護法；如今再說「不得便」，則是就「外因緣」說——佛告諸天：你們既供養受持般若，這些善男子、善女人也同樣受持供養般若，彼此「同事故」，「若魔來破，汝應守護」。一重是行者自修空與慈悲，從內裡使魔無隙；一重是佛付囑諸天，從外面加以守護。內外兩緣合看，護持才周。
第十七，看受持般若者「三處住」而終不怖畏，憑的是哪兩重因緣。論主把「處」分作三種：一是「空舍」，空屋之中「多諸鬼魅及以賊寇，眾惡易來」，故經先說；二是「曠野」，除人居與空舍之外，其餘「山澤樹林等，皆是曠野」，人跡稀少，「多諸虎、狼、師子、惡賊、鬼魅」；三是「人住處」，因人所居處「不淨故，魔及鬼神尠來」、諸難較少，故經後說。無論身在這三處中的哪一處，行者都「無所畏懼」，論主歸為「二因緣故：一者、善修十八空，二者、般若波羅蜜威德故」——一是內修十八空、心無所著，一是仗般若本身的威德加被。所以不怖畏，不是仗膽氣，而是空觀與法威兩重所致。
第十八，看諸天守護與其發願的緣由。經末三千大千世界諸天白佛，發願「常當守護」受持般若的人，並列出一長串「以菩薩因緣故」：斷三惡道、斷天人貧、斷諸災患疾病飢餓，乃至十善道、四禪、四無量心、六波羅蜜、四沙門果、辟支佛道，乃至成就眾生、淨佛世界、諸佛出世、轉法輪、三寶出現——世間種種善法與聖果，無不因菩薩而有。論主釋諸天守護之心，先明其發願之情：「我等當守護是菩薩，與我等同事故；亦以求佛道者，能自捨身樂欲，使一切眾生得樂故。」又替「因菩薩斷三惡道」等句補明所以：菩薩雖未離欲，卻能遮眾生行十不善，故斷三惡道及天人貧、諸災患；教人行十善，便「開三善道門」；乃至見五欲過罪而離欲得四禪、以本願起四無量心、為離身苦起四無色定、為佛道修六度乃至一切種智，「是法，亦自行，亦教人」，展轉相教，善法常在世間。最要緊的是收在一句：「今是菩薩結業生身，在因緣中，無有力勢，而能說是善法，令眾生修行，我等云何當不守護？」——如「太子雖小，群臣百官無不奉承」：菩薩雖是業報所感的凡身、看似無甚勢力，卻能開出這一切善法，諸天豈有不護之理。
第十九，看『供養菩薩即是供養佛』與格量二乘的收束。佛印可諸天之言，更進一層：「若供養菩薩，即是供養佛」——因「般若是三世佛母」，為般若之故供養菩薩，便等同供養佛。乃至滿三千大千世界如竹葦稻麻那樣多的聲聞、辟支佛，供養他們也「不如供養恭敬初發意菩薩」。難者要問：二乘已證實際、本是「一切眾生福田」，何以反不如一位初發心的菩薩？論主收在三事：「一者、用薩婆若心行般若，二者、常不離六波羅蜜等諸功德，三者、由是菩薩斷三惡道、出生三乘」——初心菩薩以一切智之心行般若、常不離六度、又能斷三惡道並出生三乘，而「依二乘人，不能斷三惡道、出生三乘」。可見這「不如」不在已證未證的果位高下，而在能不能荷擔紹隆佛種、出生三乘這一分。顧視如佛之義，於此格量處得其極致。
不要讀錯
不要把「視是人如佛」讀成這人當下已是圓滿佛。論說得明白：「即是佛」是「世界中語」，如太子必當為王——說的是因決定、果可期，是『行般若無所得即成佛之因』，不是說行者已具佛果。把「如佛」讀成『已成佛』，便錯認了「必當為王」與『已為王』的分際。
不要把『畢竟空而有三乘』讀成空可以不要三乘、或三乘就壞了空。論恰恰兩頭都堵：畢竟空而不修三乘功德是斷滅，修三乘功德而失畢竟空是分別差降；般若是「雖畢竟空而不墮斷滅，雖分別有三乘亦不生著心」。空與三乘不是二選一，是「於二事中不取定相」。
不要把『魔不得便』讀成有一場實實在在的攻防、修行人靠本事擋住了魔。論的落點是「善修諸法空，亦不著空」，是一切法同是一相故不相為便——不得便不是打贏了魔，而是根本無隙可入，如「無瘡則不受毒」。也不要把菩薩住三解脫門讀成『與有相違、正好受魔之便』；「三解脫門無有自性」、於空無相無作亦不著，所以住而不受便。
不要把「不橫死」讀成持般若便能保命長壽。論界定得清楚：橫死是「無罪而死」——錯投藥、不順藥法、無看病人、飢渴寒熱夭命之類；不橫死的所以然是菩薩「常行檀波羅蜜」、「於一切眾生等心供給」，是就其平等布施、拯濟孤窮的因行而說，不是許一個不死之身。
不要把女人五礙讀成佛法輕看女眾、或女人終究不能成佛。論兩義並存、缺一即偏：五礙「說一身事」，是就現前女身不得即居釋、梵、魔、轉輪王、佛這五位而言；而「女人可得作佛，非不轉女身也」——成佛之路對女眾並未關閉，只是須轉女身而後成。佛此處特說「善男子、善女人」，本意正在接引女眾、不令聞礙退心，讀者更不可反把它讀成貶抑。
不要把『供養菩薩勝於供養二乘』讀成輕慢聲聞、辟支佛。經明說二乘是「一切眾生福田」；所以「不如」，只在三事——薩婆若心、不離六度、能出生三乘。這是就荷擔佛種這一分格量，不是貶抑二乘所證之實際。
不要把那些「未聞般若」的諸天讀成天不如人、或天無心於道。論說得平允：這些天多是「前世人中發意」而生天的，只因「五欲覆心」或「味著禪定深」，一時顧不上求般若；佛正為此勸其應聞。所貴的是「深心聽」般若這一分用心，不在生處之高下。
修行作用
這一品可作一面『如何看待』的鏡子。「視是人如佛」提醒我們看人的眼光：見一個老實行般若、於法無所得的人，不因他形貌平凡而輕忽——他所行既是成佛之因，便當如佛想。反過來，佛顧視四眾、令眾生「各知佛顧念，則不自輕」，也提醒自己：修行路上最易生的病是自輕自賤，以為『我這樣的根器哪裡談得上般若』；記得佛的這一眼顧念，便「不自輕故，堪任聽法」。
面對『畢竟空而有三乘』，可校正兩種偏差：一是聽到「畢竟空」便覺得修布施持戒都成多事——那是墮斷滅；二是勤修功德卻暗暗坐實一個『我在修、有法可得』——那是生著心。學這一品「於二事中不取定相」：事上照修三乘功德，心上不取一法定相。
『魔不得便』給用功的人一個切近的提點：真正擋魔的不是神通本事，是「善修諸法空，亦不著空」。境界現前——無論是可畏的、可貪的、或令人瞋惱的——若心中無一法可執可著，便如「無瘡則不受毒」，無隙可乘。而「不著空」尤須留意：破了諸法卻暗暗棲在一個「空」上，恰恰又給魔留了瘡口。論分魔事為無形、有情兩類的對治也可借用：遇雷震風雨病痛一類無端之逼，以「諸法空」安心；遇罵詈打斫一類有情之惱，以慈悲喜捨受之。
再看那些溺於五欲、味著禪定而「未聞般若」的諸天，正是一面自照的鏡子：處境再優越，若被欲樂或定境黏住，一樣會「視東忘西」而錯過般若。反用其意——愈是順境、愈是定中有味，愈當提起「深心聽」般若的這一分警覺，莫讓現前的樂受蓋了求道的本心。
最後，『初發意菩薩勝滿界二乘』不是叫人自高，而是提醒發心的分量：一念用薩婆若心行般若、不離六度、荷擔出生三乘的初心，其福德已非小可。守護這一念初心，不使它在懈怠貪樂中自欺、又欺誑諸佛，便是這一品給發心人的叮嚀。
承衍
這一品的骨幹，是一條由「顧視」串起的線：諸天以「視是人如佛」起，佛以顧念普觀承，終於諸天守護、格量二乘。兩句引擎貫穿始終——一句是「諸法和合因緣故有佛，無有自性」，管「佛不可得」的徹底；一句是「雖畢竟空而不墮斷滅，雖分別有三乘亦不生著心」，管『視如佛、有三乘』的宛然。正因佛無自性、待緣而有，行般若無所得的人才「即是佛」；正因空而不斷，三乘之教與魔不得便、諸天守護才一一立得起來。
本品「視是人如佛」一句，經文當處並未細分「如佛」究竟是何等地位；這一義，論主留到後文自釋——於後卷辨此語時，判「如佛」指住不退轉、得無生法忍乃至十地的法性身，判次佛指能宣說般若及其正義的肉身菩薩。以彼釋此，可知本品『視如佛』不是浮泛的推崇，而有其確切的位次可指，只是此處尚以「必當為王」一喻總說，未及展開。
至於品名，本品在本論底本題作「顧視品」，而所釋的《大品般若》同品或題作『三歎品』——一取佛「顧視」四眾之義，一取諸天「三反稱歎」之事，兩皆本品所有，古來傳譯稱謂互見參差；這只是名目的出入，並錄以備參，不判其孰是。把這些讀法帶回本品，最值得留住的並不是一張品名對照表，而是「顧視」二字的用法：諸天顧視行者如佛、佛顧念四眾令不自輕，一上一下兩重看待之間，正見般若『佛不可得而視如佛、畢竟空而不廢三乘』的分寸。
Looking Round: Within Prajñā the Buddha Is Unfindable—Why, Then, Regard the One Who Practises Prajñā as a Buddha?
What Is Being Asked
This chapter’s name is 「顧視」 tr. "looking round"—its first element means looking back, regarding with care; its second means looking upon, regarding as. Within the one chapter there are in fact two layers of 「顧視」 tr. "looking round" woven together. One layer is the gods’ looking: hearing Subhūti speak of prajñā, they exclaim, 「若有菩薩摩訶薩行是般若波羅蜜不遠離者，我輩視是人如佛」 tr. "If there is a bodhisattva-mahāsattva who practises this prajñāpāramitā and does not depart from it, we regard this person as a Buddha," taking the one who practises prajñā to be like the Buddha. The other layer is the Buddha’s looking: in the middle part of the sūtra text, 「佛觀四眾和合」 tr. "the Buddha looked upon the fourfold assembly gathered together," looking all over the bhikṣus, the bhikṣuṇīs, the upāsakas, the upāsikās, and so on up to the gods, and only 「普觀已」 tr. "having looked round everywhere" did he admonish Śakra; the treatise-author explains this 「普觀」 tr. "looking round everywhere" as precisely 「欲令會中眾生各知佛顧念，則不自輕」 tr. "wishing to let the beings in the assembly each know that the Buddha regards them with care, so that they do not belittle themselves," and also draws a comparison: 「如王顧眄群下，群下則欣然自慶」 tr. "as when a king looks round upon his subjects, and the subjects then gladly congratulate themselves." The chapter’s name, 「顧視」 tr. "looking round," has its eye set exactly on these two layers of regarding.
The first difficulty pressing underneath is the sharpest: within prajñāpāramitā not one dharma is findable—even the Buddha is unfindable, and apart from all dharmas the Buddha is also unfindable—so how can the words 「視是人如佛」 tr. "we regard this person as a Buddha" still stand? Next, prajñā is plainly ultimate emptiness, and yet it is also said that 「有三乘之教——聲聞、辟支佛、佛乘」 tr. "there is the teaching of the three vehicles—the śrāvaka, the pratyekabuddha, and the Buddha vehicle"; how can emptiness and the distinction of the three vehicles stand together without falling into annihilation and without giving rise to clinging? Further on, since the Buddha regards the fourfold assembly with care, why does he single out Śakra alone to admonish, saying that of the one who receives and upholds prajñā 「魔、若魔天不能得其便」 tr. "Māra, or the gods of Māra, cannot get the advantage of him"—and on what does this 「不得便」 tr. "cannot get the advantage" rest? If the one who receives and upholds it is in an empty house, in the wilderness, or among people, why is it that he 「終不怖畏」 tr. "is never afraid"? Since the gods have already vowed to guard him, why is it further said that some gods have aroused the mind yet 「未聞是般若」 tr. "have not yet heard this prajñā"? Finally, the gods go on to say 「若供養菩薩，即是供養佛」 tr. "if one makes offerings to a bodhisattva, that is making offerings to the Buddha," and even making offerings to śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas filling the three-thousand great-thousand world is not as good as making offerings to one bodhisattva who has first aroused intent—from where does this 「不如」 tr. "is not equal to" come? What this chapter sets out to answer is exactly how 「佛不可得」 tr. "the Buddha is unfindable" and ‘regarding him as a Buddha’ are one matter, and what weight this looking with care, this guarding, and this measuring by the Buddha carry when they come to rest on the bodhisattva. Besides this, between sūtra and treatise there are also not a few particulars hidden that must be accounted for one by one—which assemblies of gods it is that praise three times over, what each of the ten epithets listed in the jātaka of Dīpaṃkara means, where the name 「憍尸迦」 tr. "Kauśika" comes from, how the words 「般若波羅蜜」 tr. "prajñāpāramitā" can be set upon spoken words and scrolls, how the five obstructions of women and women becoming buddhas stand together, and which kinds of death 「不橫死」 tr. "does not die an untimely death" defines—all of these must be made clear one by one, and cannot be skipped over.
Passage by Passage
First, look at which assemblies of gods set this praise in motion. At the opening of the sūtra text, 「諸天王及諸天、諸梵王及諸梵天、伊賒那天及神仙并諸天女，同時三反稱歎」 tr. "the kings of the gods and the gods, the Brahmā kings and the Brahmā gods, the Īśāna gods and the spirit-sages, together with the goddesses, at the same time praised three times over"; the treatise-author glosses this string of names one by one, so that one may know how wide the assembly was. 「天王」 tr. "The kings of the gods" are the Four Heavenly Kings of the heaven of the Four Kings, Śakra Devānām Indra, king of the Thirty-three, and so on up to the Brahmā kings—but only as far as the Brahmā heaven: 「梵天已上更無有王」 tr. "above the Brahmā heaven there are no further kings," because from the second dhyāna upward in the form realm there is nothing to govern, and no title of king is established. 「諸天」 tr. "The gods" refers to 「欲界天」 tr. "the gods of the desire realm"; 「諸梵」 tr. "the Brahmā gods" refers to 「色界天」 tr. "the gods of the form realm"; 「伊賒那」 tr. "Īśāna" is 「大自在天王并其眷屬」 tr. "the king of the Great Sovereign Heaven together with his retinue." The term 「神仙」 tr. "spirit-sages" cannot be taken all in one way; the treatise says there are 「有二種：或天、或人」 tr. "two kinds: either gods or humans"—either spirit-sages among the gods, or sages among humans who have cultivated and gained supernormal powers. 「天女」 tr. "The goddesses" are 「天帝釋夫人舍脂等諸天女」 tr. "Śacī, the consort of Śakra, lord of the gods, and the other goddesses." This passage looks like no more than a roll-call, but its intent lies in showing that those who praise prajñā, from the kings of the gods above down to the goddesses below, all speak with one voice, so that one can see how honoured the dharma they praise is. As for 「三反稱歎」 tr. "praised three times over"—praising three times in a row, 「快哉！快哉！」 tr. "Excellent! Excellent!"—the treatise-author lays bare the reason in a single sentence: 「人以歡喜之至，則三反稱歎」 tr. "when people reach the height of joy, they praise three times over"; only when joy reaches its utmost does one call it good again and again, and this is the outward sign of the gods hearing the deep prajñā and being unable to contain their joy.
Second, look at where 「視是人如佛」 tr. "we regard this person as a Buddha" takes root. The reason the gods praise Subhūti, the treatise-author says, is that they 「知其承佛神力故」 tr. "know that he relies on the Buddha’s spiritual power"; and the reason they are willing to say of the one who practises prajñā, 「視是人如佛」 tr. "we regard this person as a Buddha," is solely 「尊重法故」 tr. "out of honouring the Dharma." The ground is that although within prajñā not one dharma is findable, 「而有三乘之教」 tr. "yet there is the teaching of the three vehicles." The Buddha at once confirms this and carries the words through to the end: 「檀波羅蜜中佛不可得，離檀波羅蜜佛亦不可得」 tr. "within dānapāramitā the Buddha is unfindable, and apart from dānapāramitā the Buddha is also unfindable," and so on through prajñā, inner emptiness, the four foundations of mindfulness, and the omniscience of all kinds—in each, the Buddha is unfindable, and apart from it he is also unfindable. The treatise-author points out the crux of this sentence—「諸法和合因緣故有佛，無有自性。若菩薩能如是行者，當知是菩薩即是佛」 tr. "Because of the coming together of causes and conditions of all dharmas there is a Buddha; he has no own-nature. If a bodhisattva is able to practise in this way, know that this bodhisattva is the Buddha"; and 「即是佛」 tr. "is the Buddha" is 「世界中語」 tr. "worldly speech," as a crown prince, though not yet enthroned, will surely become king. It can be seen that ‘regarding him as a Buddha’ does not say that the person before one has already fulfilled the fruit of buddhahood, but that what he practises is precisely the cause of becoming a buddha, and within it not one dharma can be clung to—the cause being settled, the fruit can be expected, and so he is regarded as a Buddha. This step first joins 「佛不可得」 tr. "the Buddha is unfindable" and ‘regarding him as a Buddha’ into one meaning: precisely because the Buddha has no own-nature and exists in dependence on conditions, the one who practises prajñā with nothing to be attained 「即是佛」 tr. "is the Buddha."
Third, look at how 「一切法雖畢竟空，而有三乘分別」 tr. "although all dharmas are ultimately empty, yet there is the distinction of the three vehicles" does not fall to either side. The treatise-author’s explanation of the passage on the 「深法」 tr. "deep dharma" is the most important: if all dharmas are ultimately empty, then one should not cultivate and gather the merits of the three vehicles, and that falls into annihilation; if one cultivates the merits of the three vehicles, that is 「分別差降」 tr. "distinguishing grades and ranks," and then it is not ultimate emptiness. The measure of prajñā lies just here: 「雖畢竟空而不墮斷滅，雖分別有三乘亦不生著心，於二事中不取定相。」 tr. "Though ultimately empty, it does not fall into annihilation; though it distinguishes three vehicles, it does not give rise to a clinging mind; in the two matters it does not grasp a fixed mark." Because it is empty, it does not cling to the marks of the three vehicles; because there are three vehicles, it does not fall into the emptiness of annihilation. This is exactly where the gods exclaim 「快哉」 tr. "Excellent" and the Buddha declares it deep and subtle.
Fourth, look at the jātaka of Dīpaṃkara and the ten epithets the Buddha lists in full. At the opening of the sūtra the Buddha himself recounts a past event: formerly, in the time of Dīpaṃkara Buddha, 「華嚴城內，四衢道頭」 tr. "within the city of Flower Adornment, at the head of the crossroads," he saw the Buddha and heard the Dharma, and at once attained a practice not apart from the six perfections, inner emptiness and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas, great kindness and great compassion, 「亦無所得故」 tr. "and also because there was nothing to be attained," and Dīpaṃkara Buddha then predicted that he would become a buddha in the future. This is the Buddha 「自引本事以為證」 tr. "himself citing a past event as evidence," and what it proves is precisely the sentence ‘practising prajñā with nothing to be attained is the cause of becoming a buddha’; the treatise-author says it plainly: 「此菩薩已得無生忍，入菩薩位，見十方諸佛。」 tr. "This bodhisattva had already attained the acceptance of non-arising, entered the bodhisattva position, and seen the buddhas of the ten directions." The names listed in full at the moment of prediction—「多陀阿伽度、阿羅訶、三藐三佛陀、鞞侈遮羅那、脩伽度、路迦憊、無上士、調御丈夫、天人師、佛、世尊」 tr. "tathāgata, arhat, samyaksaṃbuddha, vidyācaraṇa, sugata, lokavid, the unsurpassed one, the tamer of persons, the teacher of gods and humans, the Buddha, the World-Honored One"—are exactly the ten common epithets shared by all buddhas; they cannot be passed over vaguely here, and their meanings must be drawn out one by one according to what the ancient masters handed down. 「多陀阿伽度」 tr. "Tathāgata" is the Tathāgata, the one who comes riding the path of reality as it is; 「阿羅訶」 tr. "Arhat" is the one worthy of offerings, fit to receive the offerings of humans and gods; 「三藐三佛陀」 tr. "Samyaksaṃbuddha" is the rightly and universally knowing one, rightly awakened to all dharmas without exception; 「鞞侈遮羅那」 tr. "Vidyācaraṇa" is the one complete in clarity and conduct, whose clarity of knowledge and virtuous conduct are both perfect; 「脩伽度」 tr. "Sugata" is the well-gone, who has gone well into nirvāṇa and does not fall back again; 「路迦憊」 tr. "Lokavid" is the knower of the world, who thoroughly understands the world and what transcends the world; the next four epithets, 「無上士、調御丈夫、天人師」 tr. "the unsurpassed one, the tamer of persons, the teacher of gods and humans," show that none surpasses his rank, that he is able to tame and subdue those capable of being liberated, and that he is the teacher of gods and humans; and last comes 「佛、世尊」 tr. "the Buddha, the World-Honored One," the awakened one who is honoured by the world. Listing these ten epithets serves to show the solemnity of Dīpaṃkara’s prediction, and also foretells that Śākyamuni is to become the one Buddha—exactly echoing the earlier simile 「必當為王」 tr. "will surely become king."
Fifth, look at the second layer of praise, after the gods have heard the Buddha’s broad exposition. Once the Buddha has broadly made clear the meaning that the Buddha is unfindable and the bodhisattva is the Buddha, 「諸天聞佛廣明已所歎義，解心轉深，重復讚歎」 tr. "the gods, hearing the Buddha broadly clarify the meaning they had praised, their understanding growing deeper, praised again"—these words, 「解心轉深」 tr. "their understanding growing deeper," are important: the first praising was still in joy, while this time they praise again after their understanding has deepened. They say to the Buddha that prajñā 「能令諸菩薩摩訶薩得薩婆若」 tr. "is able to cause the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas to attain sarvajñā," and the key lies in 「於色不取不捨」 tr. "neither grasping nor relinquishing form," and likewise neither grasping nor relinquishing feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness, and so on up to the omniscience of all kinds. Why neither grasp nor relinquish? The treatise-author supplies two layers of reason for this sentence. One is 「以見一切法過罪故不取，有利益故不捨」 tr. "because one sees the faults of all dharmas, one does not grasp; because they bring benefit, one does not relinquish"—seeing that dharmas have faults, one does not cling to and grasp them; seeing that they are of benefit in transforming and liberating others, one does not cut them off and relinquish them. The other is 「又以一切法畢竟空、不生不滅故不取、不捨」 tr. "further, because all dharmas are ultimately empty, not arising and not ceasing, one does not grasp and does not relinquish"—in terms of dharma-nature, they are originally not arising and not ceasing, so there is neither anything to grasp nor anything to relinquish. The former is said from the side of function, the latter from the side of principle, and the two meanings together make the completeness of 「不取不捨」 tr. "neither grasping nor relinquishing."
Sixth, look at how the Buddha’s looking round comes to rest in admonishing Śakra, and why testimony is divided into two layers, the white-robed and those who have left the household life. In the middle part the sūtra changes scene: the Buddha no longer answers the gods’ question, but of his own accord 「佛觀四眾和合」 tr. "the Buddha looked upon the fourfold assembly gathered together," and 「普觀已」 tr. "having looked round everywhere," he then addressed Śakra Devānām Indra. The treatise-author explains that this unprompted looking round everywhere is no idle stroke. One reason is 「欲讚般若功德，故命釋提桓因」 tr. "wishing to praise the merit of prajñā, he therefore called on Śakra Devānām Indra," as 「先以好寶示人，然後讚寶所能」 tr. "one first shows a fine jewel to people, and then praises what the jewel can do"—first showing the substance of prajñā, then praising its function. The other reason is 「欲令會中眾生各知佛顧念，則不自輕」 tr. "wishing to let the beings in the assembly each know that the Buddha regards them with care, so that they do not belittle themselves," and only when they do not belittle themselves are they 「堪任聽法」 tr. "fit to hear the Dharma." This one glance of the Buddha’s care for beings is the real meaning of the chapter’s name, 「顧視」 tr. "looking round." As for why he calls on Śakra alone, the treatise-author further distinguishes two layers of witness: 「說功德故，應以白衣證；白衣中釋提桓因為大」 tr. "because merit is being spoken of, the white-robed should serve as witness; among the white-robed, Śakra Devānām Indra is the greatest"—in praising the merit of cultivating blessings at home, one should put forward a householder as witness, and Śakra is the foremost among the white-robed; 「說般若者，以出家人為證；出家人中，是舍利弗、須菩提等為大」 tr. "when prajñā is spoken of, those who have left the household life serve as witness; among those who have left the household life, Śāriputra, Subhūti, and the like are the greatest"—in discussing the deep knowledge of prajñā, the noble assembly of those who have left the household life serves as witness, and Śāriputra and Subhūti are the foremost among them. Here the sūtra text is speaking precisely of the side of merit and of receiving and upholding, and so it calls on Śakra; this division of the two layers of witness must not be left out.
Seventh, look at why the Buddha does not call him 「釋」 tr. "Śakra" but calls him 「憍尸迦」 tr. "Kauśika." The treatise-author deliberately sets up a question: since it is known that 「釋」 tr. "Śakra" is his name and 「提婆因」 tr. "Devānām Indra" is the title of the lord of the gods, why does the Buddha here set aside his name and call him by his clan name, 「憍尸迦」 tr. "Kauśika"? The answer brings out a past event: long ago in the country of Magadha there was a brahmin named Magha, of the Kauśika clan, who 「有福德大智慧」 tr. "had merit and great wisdom," and with 「知友三十三人共修福德」 tr. "thirty-three friends cultivated merit together"; at the end of their lives they 「皆生須彌山頂第二天上」 tr. "were all born in the second heaven on the summit of Mount Sumeru"; the brahmin Magha became the lord of the gods, and the other thirty-two became his ministers—「以此三十三人故，名為三十三天」 tr. "because of these thirty-three persons, they are called the gods of the Heaven of the Thirty-three." The Buddha’s calling him 「憍尸迦」 tr. "Kauśika" is exactly 「喚其本姓」 tr. "calling him by his original clan name"; his other names are 「或言天主，或言千眼」 tr. "sometimes ‘lord of the gods,’ sometimes ‘thousand-eyed,’" yet here the original clan name alone is used, because 「大人喚之，故稱其姓」 tr. "a great person is calling him, and therefore uses his clan name"—when one of standing addresses another, using the clan name is a mark of respect. This piece of glossing both explains the origin of the name and, along the way, shows how the Heaven of the Thirty-three got its name.
Eighth, look at how the words 「般若波羅蜜」 tr. "prajñāpāramitā" can be set upon spoken words and scrolls. The treatise-author explains that the 「般若波羅蜜」 tr. "prajñāpāramitā" spoken of here refers to 「十方諸佛所說語言名字、書寫經卷，宣傳顯示實相智慧」 tr. "the spoken words and names uttered by the buddhas of the ten directions and the written scrolls, which proclaim, transmit, and reveal the wisdom of the real mark." There is one layer here that must be discerned: the wisdom of prajñā itself 「無諸觀語言相」 tr. "has no mark of contemplations or of spoken words," and is from the start not something words and letters can exhaust; yet 「因語言、經卷能得此般若波羅蜜」 tr. "through spoken words and scrolls one is able to attain this prajñāpāramitā"—it is precisely by these names and scrolls serving as a bridge that people are able to enter true prajñā. Therefore 「以名字、經卷名為般若波羅蜜」 tr. "names and scrolls are called prajñāpāramitā": the name of what is expressed is set upon the teaching that expresses it; it is a provisional name and not a real entity. Only when this is clear will one neither mistake reading and reciting the scrolls themselves for the ultimate of prajñā, nor, because prajñā is apart from words, think lightly of the use of the scrolls.
Ninth, look at what 「魔」 tr. "Māra" is, why he troubles bodhisattvas, and what it is that counts as 「得便」 tr. "getting the advantage." Through three questions the treatise-author lays out the deeds of Māra in full. 「魔」 tr. "Māra" is 「自在天主」 tr. "the lord of the Sovereign Heaven"; though born there by merit, he 「懷諸邪見」 tr. "harbours all kinds of wrong views," takes the beings of the desire realm to be his own people, and fears only that the buddhas and bodhisattvas will liberate all beings and 「空我境界」 tr. "empty my domain," and so he conceives hatred, binds himself in enmity, and treats the buddhas and bodhisattvas as his foes. There are four kinds of Māra—「一者、煩惱魔，二者、五眾魔，三者、死魔，四者、自在天子魔」 tr. "first, the Māra of afflictions; second, the Māra of the five aggregates; third, the Māra of death; fourth, the Māra who is a son of the gods of the Sovereign Heaven"; relying on the power of prajñā, none of the four Māras can get the advantage: attaining the real mark of all dharmas, afflictions are cut off, and destroying the Māra of afflictions, even the heavenly Māra cannot get the advantage; entering nirvāṇa without remainder destroys the Māra of the five aggregates and the Māra of death. As for the marks of 「得便」 tr. "getting the advantage," it is Māra and Māra’s people coming to terrify the bodhisattva: either 「魔作龍身，種種異形可畏之象，夜來恐怖行者」 tr. "Māra takes the body of a nāga, with all kinds of strange shapes and fearsome forms, and comes by night to terrify the practitioner"; or he displays the finest objects of the five desires to ruin and confuse him; or he turns people’s minds to make great offerings, so that the practitioner grows greedy and attached and loses the path; or he turns people’s minds to revile, beat, wound, and harm him, so that the practitioner gives rise to anger and sorrow—「隨前人意所趣向，因而壞之，是名得便」 tr. "following wherever the other person’s mind inclines, he ruins him by that means; this is called getting the advantage," and the details are 「如〈魔品〉中廣說」 tr. "as expounded at length in the chapter on Māra." A further distinction must be made: if the bodhisattva has already entered the dharma-position and attained the body born of dharma-nature, then although Māra works evil he cannot ruin him; if he has not yet attained avaivartika, Māra ruins him in all kinds of ways; and those who are lax, greedy for pleasure, deceiving themselves and deceiving the Buddha are 「諸佛菩薩所不守護，魔得其便」 tr. "not guarded by the buddhas and bodhisattvas, and Māra gets the advantage of them"—it can be seen that whether or not the advantage is got turns on whether one oneself cultivates or not, clings or not.
Tenth, look at why Māra still cannot get the advantage of a bodhisattva of the flesh body, whose power of the path is still slight. The treatise-author again sets up a question: Māra’s power is very great, and the flesh-body bodhisattva’s power is not yet full—on what ground is he not taken advantage of? The answer has two layers. One, as said above, is 「為諸佛菩薩所護故」 tr. "because he is guarded by the buddhas and bodhisattvas." The other is a deeper cause the Buddha himself tells of: this person 「善修諸法空，亦不著空；不著空者，云何當得便」 tr. "skilfully cultivates the emptiness of all dharmas and also does not cling to emptiness; of one who does not cling to emptiness, how could the advantage be got?"—just as 「無瘡則不受毒」 tr. "where there is no wound, poison is not received": when the body has no wound, poison has no gap through which to enter; when the mind does not cling to emptiness, Māra has no crack to exploit. Further, all dharmas, contemplated as they really are, are empty, signless, and non-action, and are alike of 「一相」 tr. "a single mark," so they cannot take advantage of one another—「如火不能滅火，得水則滅，以異相故」 tr. "as fire cannot extinguish fire, but is extinguished on meeting water, because their marks differ": what shares a mark does not destroy one another, and only what differs in mark removes the other; since all dharmas share the one mark of emptiness, there is no dharma that can take advantage of another to destroy it. In this meaning the four words 「亦不著空」 tr. "also does not cling to emptiness" deserve the closest attention: to have broken through all dharmas and yet secretly lodge in 「空」 tr. "emptiness"—that 「空」 tr. "emptiness" in turn becomes an open wound.
Eleventh, look at why the bodhisattva’s abiding in the three gates of liberation does not instead become a place where the advantage is got. The objector says: when a bodhisattva abides securely in the three gates of liberation—emptiness, signlessness, and non-action—is he not precisely at odds with all dharmas? Emptiness is at odds with existence, the signless with having marks, non-action with action—is this point of opposition not exactly the flaw through which Māra gets the advantage? The treatise-author answers crisply: in this sūtra the Buddha has already said himself that 「三解脫門無有自性」 tr. "the three gates of liberation have no own-nature," and in the earlier discussions it was also said that one is 「於空、無相、無作中亦不著」 tr. "also not clinging within emptiness, the signless, and non-action." Since the three gates of liberation themselves have no own-nature and are not clung to, they do not become an entity standing in opposition to other dharmas; 「是故雖住三解脫門，魔及魔民不得其便」 tr. "therefore, although he abides in the three gates of liberation, Māra and Māra’s people cannot get the advantage of him."
Twelfth, look at the two further layers beyond Māra: ‘humans and non-humans cannot get the advantage’ and 「終不橫死」 tr. "never dies an untimely death." The sūtra says that of the one who receives and upholds prajñā, 「若人、非人不能得其便」 tr. "neither humans nor non-humans can get the advantage of him," and the treatise-author explains the reason as lying in his 「一切眾生中善修慈心、悲喜捨心，以無所得故」 tr. "skilfully cultivating, toward all beings, the mind of kindness and the minds of compassion, joy, and equanimity, because there is nothing to be attained"—embracing all beings with the four immeasurable minds, and yet not clinging to what is cultivated, humans and non-humans have no gap through which to trouble him. As for 「不橫死」 tr. "does not die an untimely death," one must first define what an untimely death is: the treatise says an untimely death is 「無罪而死」 tr. "dying without fault," as when 「壽命未盡，錯投藥故，或不順藥法，或無看病人；或飢渴、寒熱等夭命」 tr. "the life-span is not yet exhausted, but because the wrong medicine is given, or the method of the medicine is not followed, or there is no one to tend the sick; or through hunger and thirst, cold and heat, and the like, life is cut short"—only these endings that are out of due course, dying when one ought not yet to die, are called untimely death. Why does the bodhisattva who receives and upholds prajñā not die an untimely death? Because 「從初發意來，於一切眾生中，常行檀波羅蜜」 tr. "from the first arousing of intent onward, toward all beings, he has constantly practised dānapāramitā," giving medicine according to the illness, rescuing the orphaned and the poor, giving whatever is asked for, 「於一切眾生等心供給」 tr. "providing for all beings with an equal mind"; by the merit of this equal giving he does not meet an untimely death. It can be seen that not dying an untimely death does not grant a person a body that lives long and never dies; it speaks of the fruit that responds to his causal practice of giving and benefiting beings.
Thirteenth, look at why the address 「善男子、善女人」 tr. "good men and good women" takes the place of 「菩薩摩訶薩」 tr. "bodhisattva-mahāsattva," and at the five obstructions of women within it. The treatise-author sets up a question: elsewhere it always says 「菩薩摩訶薩」 tr. "bodhisattva-mahāsattva," so why here does it change to 「善男子、善女人」 tr. "good men and good women"? Answer: what was said before was that 「實相智慧難受，以能受故，則是菩薩摩訶薩」 tr. "the wisdom of the real mark is hard to receive; because one is able to receive it, one is then a bodhisattva-mahāsattva"—that is said with respect to being able to bear the deep knowledge; what is said now concerns making offerings, receiving and upholding, reading and reciting, and so on, and 「雜說故」 tr. "because it is spoken of in a mixed way," they 「得稱」 tr. "may be called" 「善男子、善女人」 tr. "good men and good women"—this is said with respect to the merit of commonly practised cultivation, whose threshold is wide, and so good men and women are named in general. Right after this the treatise-author points out a further layer of care in the change of address, namely the five obstructions of women: 「經中說女人有五礙：不得作釋提桓因、梵王、魔王、轉輪聖王、佛。」 tr. "The sūtras say that women have five obstructions: they cannot become Śakra Devānām Indra, a Brahmā king, a Māra king, a wheel-turning sage king, or a buddha." Some women, hearing 「不得作佛」 tr. "cannot become a buddha," grow discouraged and are unwilling to arouse intent; there are also teachers of the Dharma who simply do not expound the Buddha path to women. The Buddha here deliberately speaks of 「善男子、善女人」 tr. "good men and good women" side by side precisely to draw women in and not let them fall back in mind. This meaning must never be evaded, yet its boundary must also be stated clearly as the treatise states it: the five obstructions 「說一身事」 tr. "speak of the matter of one body"—they are said with respect to this present woman’s body, which cannot, as a woman’s body, occupy these five positions; and 「女人可得作佛，非不轉女身也」 tr. "a woman can become a buddha—not without transforming the woman’s body": it is not that women cannot become buddhas, only that they do so after transforming the woman’s body, and the road to buddhahood is not closed to women. On one side is the limit of this one body, on the other the open road of practice; the two meanings stand together, neither exaggerated nor concealed.
Fourteenth, look, in 「人不得便」 tr. "humans cannot get the advantage," at what the 「人」 tr. "humans" refers to, and at the discernment of the order of speaking first of emptiness and afterward of the four immeasurable minds. Having already said that Māra cannot get the advantage and that humans and non-humans cannot get the advantage, here 「人不得便」 tr. "humans cannot get the advantage" is raised on its own, and the treatise-author explains 「人」 tr. "humans" as 「若賊、若官、若怨等」 tr. "thieves, officials, enemies, and the like"—robbers, the authorities, foes, and their kind, who wish to trouble the bodhisattva and seek his weak point. Then the treatise-author poses a question to himself: earlier, when not getting the advantage was spoken of, 「但說空」 tr. "only emptiness was spoken of"; now, in speaking of humans not getting the advantage, 「但說四無量心」 tr. "only the four immeasurable minds are spoken of"—what is the reason for this order, and for what is detailed and what is brief? The treatise-author faithfully records two explanations side by side, without settling on one as right: 「有人言」 tr. "some say"—earlier it was facing Māra and Māra’s people, and 「怨大故法亦大」 tr. "because the foe is great, the dharma is also great," so the great dharma of ultimate emptiness is used; now it is facing humans, and 「怨小故法亦小」 tr. "because the foe is small, the dharma is also small," so the near dharma of the four immeasurable minds is used. Again 「有人言」 tr. "some say"—the four immeasurable minds are originally the 「菩薩常行」 tr. "constant practice of the bodhisattva," for gathering all merits, and only afterward does the mark of emptiness of prajñā cause wrong views to be removed, so that one clings neither to beings nor to dharmas; hence 「是二法前後無在」 tr. "these two dharmas have no fixed before and after," and there is no set order. The treatise-author further adds a meaning: Māra mostly does not appear in his own form, but 「或現雷震、或作風雨、或作病痛等」 tr. "either manifests thunder, or makes wind and rain, or makes sickness and pain, and the like"; this formless pressure must be dissolved by 「諸法空」 tr. "the emptiness of all dharmas"; whereas 「令人來惡口罵詈、刀杖打斫」 tr. "causing people to come and revile with harsh words, and strike and slash with knives and staves"—this trouble from sentient beings is borne with the four immeasurable minds. Emptiness counters the formless deeds of Māra, kindness and compassion counter the harms of sentient beings; each has its proper place.
Fifteenth, look at those gods who have aroused the mind and yet 「未聞般若」 tr. "have not yet heard prajñā." The sūtra says that in the three-thousand great-thousand world, from the heavens of the Four Heavenly Kings up to the gods Sovereign over Others’ Transformations, and from the Brahmā heaven up to the Heaven of Abundant Fruit, there are those who have aroused the mind of unsurpassed awakening and yet 「未聞是般若波羅蜜」 tr. "have not yet heard this prajñāpāramitā," and the Buddha urges them now to hear and receive it, draw near to it, read and recite it, and rightly bear it in mind. The treatise-author first points out the weight of this exhortation: 「諸天有大功德，猶尚供養，何況於人」 tr. "the gods have great merit and yet still make offerings—how much more so humans"—even the gods, deep in merit, must hear and receive it, how much more those among humans; and 「能發無上道心者，最應深心聽」 tr. "those who are able to arouse the mind of the unsurpassed path should most of all listen with a profound mind," because 「般若是佛道之本」 tr. "prajñā is the root of the Buddha path." He then poses a question: since these gods have already aroused the mind, why do they on the contrary not hear prajñā? The treatise-author answers along two roads. One is 「此天前世人中發意，今生天上，五欲覆心故不聞」 tr. "these gods aroused intent among humans in a former life and are now born in the heavens; because the five desires cover their minds, they do not hear"—the gods of the desire realm, 「五情利，五欲妙，染著深故，視東忘西，不能求般若」 tr. "their five faculties sharp, their five desires exquisite, because their defiled attachment is deep, look east and forget the west, and cannot seek prajñā," covered over by the five desires, attending to this and losing that, with no mind to seek the Dharma. The other is that the gods of the form realm, 「雖先聞法發心，以味著禪定深故，不能求般若」 tr. "though they earlier heard the Dharma and aroused the mind, because their relish for and attachment to meditative absorption are deep, cannot seek prajñā"—greedy for the taste of absorption, they too have the mind that seeks prajñā obstructed. One is sunk in the five desires, the other sunk in the taste of absorption; it seems that the heavens surpass the human world, yet in the one matter of seeking prajñā they fall short of the beings in the human world who have aroused the mind in the care they take, and this is exactly why the Buddha urges them that they should hear it.
Sixteenth, look at how 「不得便」 tr. "cannot get the advantage" can further be divided into two layers, inner causes and conditions and outer causes and conditions. The treatise-author points out that what was said earlier, 「魔及魔民不能得其便」 tr. "Māra and Māra’s people cannot get the advantage of him," was said with respect to 「內因緣」 tr. "inner causes and conditions"—namely 「空三昧及四無量心」 tr. "the emptiness samādhi and the four immeasurable minds," the inner protection of the Dharma that the practitioner cultivates in his own mind; now, in speaking again of 「不得便」 tr. "cannot get the advantage," it is said with respect to 「外因緣」 tr. "outer causes and conditions"—the Buddha tells the gods: you make offerings to and receive and uphold prajñā, and these good men and good women likewise receive and uphold it and make offerings to prajñā; 「同事故」 tr. "because you share the same work," 「若魔來破，汝應守護」 tr. "if Māra comes to break them, you should guard them." One layer is the practitioner himself cultivating emptiness and compassion, leaving Māra no gap from within; the other layer is the Buddha entrusting the gods, adding protection from without. Only when the two conditions, inner and outer, are seen together is the protection complete.
Seventeenth, look at the two layers of causes and conditions on which the one who receives and upholds prajñā, 「三處住」 tr. "dwelling in three places," relies so as never to be afraid. The treatise-author divides 「處」 tr. "places" into three kinds. The first is 「空舍」 tr. "empty houses": within an empty house there are 「多諸鬼魅及以賊寇，眾惡易來」 tr. "many ghosts and goblins as well as thieves and bandits, and all kinds of evil come easily," and so the sūtra speaks of it first. The second is 「曠野」 tr. "the wilderness": apart from where people dwell and from empty houses, all the rest—「山澤樹林等，皆是曠野」 tr. "mountains, marshes, forests, and the like, are all wilderness"—where human traces are few, and there are 「多諸虎、狼、師子、惡賊、鬼魅」 tr. "many tigers, wolves, lions, vicious bandits, ghosts, and goblins." The third is 「人住處」 tr. "places where people dwell": because where people live is 「不淨故，魔及鬼神尠來」 tr. "impure, Māra and ghosts and spirits seldom come," and the difficulties are fewer, and so the sūtra speaks of it last. Whichever of these three places he is in, the practitioner is 「無所畏懼」 tr. "without fear," and the treatise-author traces this to 「二因緣故：一者、善修十八空，二者、般若波羅蜜威德故」 tr. "two causes and conditions: first, skilfully cultivating the eighteen emptinesses; second, the majestic power of prajñāpāramitā"—one is inwardly cultivating the eighteen emptinesses, the mind clinging to nothing; the other is relying on the majestic power of prajñā itself bestowed upon him. So not being afraid does not rest on courage; it comes from the two layers of the contemplation of emptiness and the majesty of the Dharma.
Eighteenth, look at the gods’ guarding and the reasons for their vow. At the end of the sūtra the gods of the three-thousand great-thousand world say to the Buddha, vowing that they 「常當守護」 tr. "will always guard" the one who receives and upholds prajñā, and list a long string of things that come about 「以菩薩因緣故」 tr. "by reason of the bodhisattva": the cutting off of the three evil destinies, the cutting off of the poverty of gods and humans, the cutting off of all calamities, diseases, and famines, and so on up to the ten wholesome paths, the four meditations, the four immeasurable minds, the six perfections, the four fruits of the śramaṇa, the path of the pratyekabuddha, and so on up to bringing beings to maturity, purifying buddha-worlds, the appearance of buddhas in the world, the turning of the Dharma wheel, and the appearance of the Three Jewels—every kind of wholesome dharma and noble fruit in the world, without exception, exists because of the bodhisattva. In explaining the gods’ mind of guarding, the treatise-author first makes clear the feeling behind their vow: 「我等當守護是菩薩，與我等同事故；亦以求佛道者，能自捨身樂欲，使一切眾生得樂故。」 tr. "We should guard this bodhisattva, because he shares the same work with us; and also because one who seeks the Buddha path is able to give up his own bodily pleasures and desires so as to cause all beings to attain happiness." He also supplies the reason for such phrases as 「因菩薩斷三惡道」 tr. "because of the bodhisattva the three evil destinies are cut off": although the bodhisattva is not yet free of desire, he is able to keep beings from practising the ten unwholesome deeds, and so the three evil destinies, the poverty of gods and humans, and all calamities are cut off; by teaching people to practise the ten wholesome deeds, he thereby 「開三善道門」 tr. "opens the gates of the three good destinies"; and so on—seeing the faults of the five desires, he becomes free of desire and attains the four meditations; by his original vow he gives rise to the four immeasurable minds; to be free of bodily suffering he gives rise to the four formless absorptions; for the Buddha path he cultivates the six perfections and so on up to the omniscience of all kinds—「是法，亦自行，亦教人」 tr. "these dharmas he both practises himself and teaches to others," and as teaching passes on from one to another, wholesome dharmas remain constantly in the world. The most important thing is gathered into a single sentence: 「今是菩薩結業生身，在因緣中，無有力勢，而能說是善法，令眾生修行，我等云何當不守護？」 tr. "Now this bodhisattva has a body born of fetters and karma, lies within causes and conditions, and has no power or might, and yet he is able to speak these wholesome dharmas and cause beings to cultivate them—how could we not guard him?"—just as 「太子雖小，群臣百官無不奉承」 tr. "though the crown prince is small, among the ministers and the hundred officials there is none who does not serve him": although the bodhisattva is an ordinary body brought about by karmic result and seems to have no power to speak of, he is able to open up all these wholesome dharmas—how could the gods have any reason not to guard him?
Nineteenth, look at ‘making offerings to a bodhisattva is making offerings to the Buddha’ and the concluding measure against the two vehicles. The Buddha confirms the gods’ words and goes a step further: 「若供養菩薩，即是供養佛」 tr. "if one makes offerings to a bodhisattva, that is making offerings to the Buddha"—because 「般若是三世佛母」 tr. "prajñā is the mother of the buddhas of the three times," making offerings to a bodhisattva for the sake of prajñā is the same as making offerings to the Buddha. And so on: even making offerings to śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas filling the three-thousand great-thousand world as thick as bamboo, reeds, rice, and hemp is 「不如供養恭敬初發意菩薩」 tr. "not equal to making offerings to and revering a bodhisattva who has first aroused intent." The objector will ask: those of the two vehicles have already realised the limit of reality and are originally 「一切眾生福田」 tr. "the field of merit of all beings"—why are they, on the contrary, not equal to one bodhisattva who has first aroused the mind? The treatise-author gathers it into three matters: 「一者、用薩婆若心行般若，二者、常不離六波羅蜜等諸功德，三者、由是菩薩斷三惡道、出生三乘」 tr. "first, he practises prajñā with the mind of sarvajñā; second, he is never apart from the six perfections and the other merits; third, because of this bodhisattva the three evil destinies are cut off and the three vehicles are brought forth"—the bodhisattva of the first mind practises prajñā with the mind of omniscience, is never apart from the six perfections, and is also able to cut off the three evil destinies and bring forth the three vehicles, whereas 「依二乘人，不能斷三惡道、出生三乘」 tr. "relying on the people of the two vehicles, one cannot cut off the three evil destinies or bring forth the three vehicles." It can be seen that this 「不如」 tr. "is not equal to" does not lie in the height of the fruit-stage, realised or not yet realised, but in this one portion: whether one can bear and carry on the seed of buddhahood and bring forth the three vehicles. The meaning of looking round upon him as a Buddha reaches its utmost at this point of measuring.
Do Not Misread
Do not read 「視是人如佛」 tr. "we regard this person as a Buddha" as saying that this person is right now an already perfected buddha. The treatise says it plainly: 「即是佛」 tr. "is the Buddha" is 「世界中語」 tr. "worldly speech," as a crown prince will surely become king—what it speaks of is that the cause is settled and the fruit can be expected, that this is ‘practising prajñā with nothing to be attained is the cause of becoming a buddha,’ not that the practitioner already possesses the fruit of buddhahood. To read 「如佛」 tr. "as a Buddha" as ‘already a buddha’ is to mistake the boundary between 「必當為王」 tr. "will surely become king" and ‘already being king.’
Do not read ‘ultimately empty and yet there are three vehicles’ as meaning that emptiness can do without the three vehicles, or that the three vehicles spoil emptiness. The treatise blocks both ends exactly: ultimate emptiness without cultivating the merits of the three vehicles is annihilation; cultivating the merits of the three vehicles while losing ultimate emptiness is distinguishing grades and ranks; prajñā is 「雖畢竟空而不墮斷滅，雖分別有三乘亦不生著心」 tr. "though ultimately empty, it does not fall into annihilation; though it distinguishes three vehicles, it does not give rise to a clinging mind." Emptiness and the three vehicles are not a choice of one out of two; it is 「於二事中不取定相」 tr. "in the two matters not grasping a fixed mark."
Do not read ‘Māra cannot get the advantage’ as a real battle of attack and defence in which the practitioner holds Māra off by his own abilities. Where the treatise lands is 「善修諸法空，亦不著空」 tr. "skilfully cultivating the emptiness of all dharmas and also not clinging to emptiness"—it is that all dharmas are alike of a single mark and so do not take advantage of one another; not getting the advantage is not having defeated Māra, but there being no gap to enter at all, as 「無瘡則不受毒」 tr. "where there is no wound, poison is not received." Nor should the bodhisattva’s abiding in the three gates of liberation be read as ‘at odds with existence, and just right for Māra to get the advantage’; 「三解脫門無有自性」 tr. "the three gates of liberation have no own-nature," and one does not cling even to emptiness, the signless, and non-action, so one abides in them and is not taken advantage of.
Do not read 「不橫死」 tr. "does not die an untimely death" as meaning that upholding prajñā preserves one’s life and gives long years. The treatise defines it clearly: an untimely death is 「無罪而死」 tr. "dying without fault"—being given the wrong medicine, not following the method of the medicine, having no one to tend the sick, having life cut short by hunger and thirst, cold and heat, and the like; the reason for not dying an untimely death is that the bodhisattva 「常行檀波羅蜜」 tr. "constantly practises dānapāramitā," 「於一切眾生等心供給」 tr. "providing for all beings with an equal mind"; it is said with respect to his causal practice of equal giving and of rescuing the orphaned and the poor, and does not grant a body that does not die.
Do not read the five obstructions of women as meaning that the Buddhadharma thinks lightly of women, or that women can in the end never become buddhas. The treatise lets two meanings stand together, and lacking either one it becomes lopsided: the five obstructions 「說一身事」 tr. "speak of the matter of one body," said with respect to the present woman’s body, which cannot as such occupy the five positions of Śakra, Brahmā, the Māra king, the wheel-turning king, and a buddha; and 「女人可得作佛，非不轉女身也」 tr. "a woman can become a buddha—not without transforming the woman’s body": the road to buddhahood is not closed to women, only it is completed after transforming the woman’s body. The Buddha’s deliberately saying 「善男子、善女人」 tr. "good men and good women" here has its original intent precisely in drawing women in and not letting them fall back in mind on hearing of the obstructions; still less may the reader turn it around and read it as disparagement.
Do not read ‘making offerings to a bodhisattva surpasses making offerings to the two vehicles’ as slighting the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas. The sūtra says clearly that those of the two vehicles are 「一切眾生福田」 tr. "the field of merit of all beings"; the 「不如」 tr. "is not equal to" lies only in three matters—the mind of sarvajñā, not being apart from the six perfections, and being able to bring forth the three vehicles. This is a measure with respect to the one portion of bearing the seed of buddhahood, not a disparagement of the limit of reality that the two vehicles have realised.
Do not read those gods who 「未聞般若」 tr. "have not yet heard prajñā" as meaning that gods are inferior to humans, or that gods have no mind for the path. The treatise speaks evenly: these gods were mostly those who 「前世人中發意」 tr. "aroused intent among humans in a former life" and were born in the heavens, and only because of 「五欲覆心」 tr. "the five desires covering their minds" or 「味著禪定深」 tr. "deep relish for and attachment to meditative absorption" have they for a time been unable to attend to seeking prajñā; it is precisely for this that the Buddha urges them that they should hear it. What is to be valued is this portion of care, to 「深心聽」 tr. "listen with a profound mind" to prajñā, not the height of the place where one is born.
Bearing on Practice
This chapter can serve as a mirror for ‘how to regard.’ 「視是人如佛」 tr. "We regard this person as a Buddha" reminds us of the eye with which we look at people: seeing someone who honestly practises prajñā and has nothing to be attained in dharmas, do not neglect him because his appearance is ordinary—since what he practises is the cause of becoming a buddha, one should think of him as a Buddha. Conversely, the Buddha’s looking round upon the fourfold assembly, letting beings 「各知佛顧念，則不自輕」 tr. "each know that the Buddha regards them with care, so that they do not belittle themselves," reminds us ourselves as well: the illness most easily born on the road of practice is belittling and demeaning oneself, thinking ‘how could someone of my capacity talk of prajñā’; remember this one glance of the Buddha’s care, and then 「不自輕故，堪任聽法」 tr. "because one does not belittle oneself, one is fit to hear the Dharma."
Facing ‘ultimately empty and yet there are three vehicles,’ one can correct two deviations. One is feeling, on hearing 「畢竟空」 tr. "ultimate emptiness," that cultivating giving and keeping the precepts have all become superfluous—that is falling into annihilation. The other is diligently cultivating merit while secretly making real an ‘I am cultivating, there is a dharma to be attained’—that is giving rise to a clinging mind. Learn this chapter’s 「於二事中不取定相」 tr. "in the two matters not grasping a fixed mark": in practice, cultivate the merits of the three vehicles all the same; in the mind, do not grasp a fixed mark of a single dharma.
‘Māra cannot get the advantage’ gives those who apply themselves a close-at-hand pointer: what truly holds Māra off is not supernormal abilities but 「善修諸法空，亦不著空」 tr. "skilfully cultivating the emptiness of all dharmas and also not clinging to emptiness." When a state appears before one—whether fearsome, alluring, or provoking anger—if in the mind there is not one dharma to grasp or cling to, it is as 「無瘡則不受毒」 tr. "where there is no wound, poison is not received," and there is no gap to exploit. And 「不著空」 tr. "not clinging to emptiness" especially needs attention: to have broken through all dharmas and yet secretly lodge in an 「空」 tr. "emptiness" is exactly to leave Māra an open wound once more. The treatise’s way of countering the deeds of Māra by dividing them into the formless and those from sentient beings can also be borrowed: meeting groundless pressure of the kind of thunder, wind and rain, sickness and pain, settle the mind with 「諸法空」 tr. "the emptiness of all dharmas"; meeting troubles from sentient beings of the kind of reviling and striking and slashing, bear them with kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity.
Look again at those gods who, sunk in the five desires or relishing and attached to meditative absorption, 「未聞般若」 tr. "have not yet heard prajñā": they are exactly a mirror in which to see oneself. However superior one’s circumstances, if one is stuck to pleasures of desire or to states of absorption, one will likewise 「視東忘西」 tr. "look east and forget the west" and miss prajñā. Use its meaning in reverse—the more favourable the circumstances, the more there is relish within absorption, the more one should raise this portion of alertness to 「深心聽」 tr. "listen with a profound mind" to prajñā, and not let present pleasant feeling cover over the original mind that seeks the path.
Finally, ‘the bodhisattva who has first aroused intent surpasses the two vehicles filling the world’ is not meant to make one exalt oneself, but to remind one of the weight of arousing the mind: the first mind that in a single thought practises prajñā with the mind of sarvajñā, is not apart from the six perfections, and bears the bringing forth of the three vehicles—its merit is already no small thing. To guard this one thought of the first mind, not letting it, amid laxity and greed for pleasure, deceive itself and also deceive the buddhas—this is the chapter’s counsel to those who arouse the mind.
Further Resonances
The backbone of this chapter is a single thread strung together by 「顧視」 tr. "looking round": the gods begin with 「視是人如佛」 tr. "we regard this person as a Buddha," the Buddha takes it up with his caring look round everywhere, and it ends with the gods’ guarding and the measure against the two vehicles. Two sentences serve as engines running through from beginning to end—one is 「諸法和合因緣故有佛，無有自性」 tr. "because of the coming together of causes and conditions of all dharmas there is a Buddha; he has no own-nature," which governs the thoroughness of 「佛不可得」 tr. "the Buddha is unfindable"; the other is 「雖畢竟空而不墮斷滅，雖分別有三乘亦不生著心」 tr. "though ultimately empty, it does not fall into annihilation; though it distinguishes three vehicles, it does not give rise to a clinging mind," which governs the vivid presence of ‘regarding him as a Buddha, and there being three vehicles.’ Precisely because the Buddha has no own-nature and exists in dependence on conditions, the one who practises prajñā with nothing to be attained 「即是佛」 tr. "is the Buddha"; precisely because emptiness is not annihilation, the teaching of the three vehicles, Māra’s not getting the advantage, and the gods’ guarding can each be established one by one.
As for this chapter’s sentence 「視是人如佛」 tr. "we regard this person as a Buddha," the sūtra text at this point does not itself distinguish in detail what rank 「如佛」 tr. "as a Buddha" is; this meaning the treatise-author leaves to explain himself in a later text—when, in a later fascicle, he examines these words, he judges 「如佛」 tr. "as a Buddha" to refer to the dharma-nature body that abides in non-retrogression, has attained the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas, and so on up to the ten grounds, and judges the one next to the Buddha to refer to the bodhisattva of the flesh body who is able to proclaim prajñā and its right meaning. Taking that to explain this, one can know that this chapter’s ‘regarding him as a Buddha’ is not vague praise but has a definite rank to which it points; only here it is still spoken of in general by the single simile 「必當為王」 tr. "will surely become king," and not yet unfolded.
As for the chapter’s name, in this treatise’s base text this chapter is titled 「顧視品」 tr. "the chapter Looking Round," while the same chapter of the Larger Sūtra that it explains is in some places titled ‘Three Praises’—one takes the meaning of the Buddha’s 「顧視」 tr. "looking round" upon the fourfold assembly, the other takes the event of the gods’ 「三反稱歎」 tr. "praising three times over"; both belong to this chapter, and from of old the designations in transmission and translation have been seen to differ; this is only a divergence of names, recorded side by side for reference, without judging which is right. Bringing these readings back to this chapter, what is most worth keeping is not a table of chapter names but the use of the two words 「顧視」 tr. "looking round": the gods looking round upon the practitioner as a Buddha, the Buddha looking with care upon the fourfold assembly so that they do not belittle themselves—between these two layers of regarding, one from below and one from above, one sees exactly the measure of prajñā: ‘the Buddha is unfindable, and yet one regards him as a Buddha; ultimately empty, and yet the three vehicles are not set aside.’
考據Apparatus
一、科判
本品在《大智度論》釋《大品般若》之次第中屬〈釋餘品〉一段，繫卷五十六，卷端題「大智度論釋顧視品第三十」〔T25 0457a02〕，總釋《大品般若》所對之品。前品〈散華品第二十九〉獨居卷五十五，本品則與次品〈滅諍亂品第三十一〉同繫卷五十六：品身正文終於「依二乘人，不能斷三惡道、出生三乘。」〔T25 0460a26〕，品三十一隨起於〔T25 0460a27〕（同卷）——本品與卷同起而不與卷同訖，異於前品之品卷一致。工作粗界〔0457a02–0460a27〕自卷首格式行至次品〈滅諍亂品〉起題之前，品身 mulu 則繫〔T25 0457a06〕，兩者精度層級不同，並存誌之（品與所在卷同起時，品界收在卷首開卷行，卷首署名格式行歸入本品）。
品內結構三【經】三【論】交替，全品作一單元讀之，不拆。經①〔0457a02–0457b12〕諸天三反稱歎、視人如佛、佛引然燈本事發端；論①〔0457b13–0457c11〕釋之。經②〔0457c12–0458a13〕佛觀四眾、普觀告帝釋、明魔不得便；論②〔0458a14–0459b25〕以問答八番廣釋，為全品最大之段。經③〔0459b26–0460a02〕諸天誓守護、佛可而廣申二乘不如初心菩薩之格量；論③〔0460a03–0460a26〕釋之收品。前品四經四論，本品減為三經三論，而論②一段問答之密、經②護念諸法之縷、經③格量之層，皆不減。
品內宏觀：經①諸天王、諸梵天王、伊賒那天及神仙并天女同時三反稱歎「快哉！快哉！」，讚慧命須菩提所說般若皆佛出世恩力，宣稱行般若不遠離者「視是人如佛」——般若中色乃至一切種智雖無法可得，而有三乘之教（聲聞、辟支佛、佛乘）；佛可其言，重申「視是人當如佛，以無所得故」，復自引本事：昔於然燈佛時華嚴城內四衢道頭見佛聞法，即得不離六度、內空乃至十八不共法等行，然燈佛記其當來作佛而具列十號；諸天復白佛歎般若能令菩薩得薩婆若、於色乃至一切種智不取不捨。論①釋三反稱歎之義，逐釋天王、諸天、諸梵、伊賒那、神仙、天女之名，明歎意在尊重法、深法者畢竟空而有三乘分別，佛然其讚而更說佛不可得、菩薩即是佛（太子未正位必當為王之喻）。經②佛觀四眾和合、普觀已告釋提桓因（憍尸迦）：聽受持親近讀誦正憶念般若不離薩婆若心者，魔、若魔天不能得便（諦知色乃至一切種智皆空無相無作，法自性不可得故），若人非人亦不得便（善修慈悲喜捨故），終不橫死（行檀等心供給故），未聞般若之諸天今應聞持，受持者在空舍曠野人間終不怖畏。論②以問答八番廣釋（何以命帝釋、何以稱憍尸迦、何者是魔、云何不得便、住三解脫門何以不受便、何以稱善男子善女人、何以先說空後說四無量心、諸天何以不聞般若），並釋般若名字經卷之義、魔四種、女人五礙、橫死、三處住諸目。經③三千大千世界四天王天乃至首陀婆諸天誓當守護，列舉「以菩薩因緣故」斷三惡道、有十善道乃至三寶出現於世；佛可其言，並廣申滿三千大千世界聲聞辟支佛之供養，不如供養初發心菩薩之福德——以由菩薩因緣乃有聲聞辟支佛諸佛出現故。論③釋諸天守護之緣、菩薩結業生身而群臣奉承之喻、供養菩薩即供養佛、二乘不如初發意菩薩之三事。
說者之結構，本品自具一型，通品以諸天、帝釋與佛之直接酬對為軸——經①諸天發起稱歎，佛應之而廣說（然燈本事、佛不可得義），諸天復白佛讚歎；經③諸天發願守護，佛可而廣申格量。二段皆諸天發起、佛為回應而廣之主體。惟經②獨為佛主動：佛觀四眾和合，普觀已而告釋提桓因，歷明魔不得便、不橫死、諸天發心受持諸義，一往單向誡勸，無諸天先問。須菩提於本品退為經①論①所歎「說深般若」之人〔論①「所以歎須菩提說深般若波羅蜜者，知其承佛神力故」〕，不復為經文問答之一方——異於前品〈散華品〉以釋提桓因問、須菩提答為軸。論①②③皆論主釋曰之體，論②問答八番最密（另論③問答一番），是本品說者之相，據實標，不慣性繫佛，不慣性繫須菩提。至若論主標「佛自說」者，各有其處：論①「此中佛自引本事以為證」〔T25 0457c06〕指經①然燈本生；論②「此中佛自說因緣」〔T25 0458c17〕指經②「善修諸法空、亦不著空」故不受便一義——皆論主指經文為佛自說，非敘事別立佛語。
二、術語考
顧視·普觀·佛顧念。 本品品名之所繫。經②佛之顧視四眾——「爾時，佛觀四眾和合」〔T25 0457c12〕，「普觀已，佛告釋提桓因」〔T25 0457c14〕；論②釋此普觀之意——「普觀者，欲令會中眾生各知佛顧念，則不自輕」〔T25 0458a17〕，復以世喻明之：「譬如王顧眄群下，群下則欣然自慶」〔T25 0458a19〕。佛之顧視非徒觀睹，乃令會眾自知蒙佛顧念而堪任聽法，是「顧視」一名之義所在。
視是人如佛·即是佛。 經①諸天之歎——「若有菩薩摩訶薩行是般若波羅蜜不遠離者，我輩視是人如佛」〔T25 0457a09〕，佛可之，論①申其故——「若能行是般若波羅蜜，我等當視是人如佛。所以者何？尊重法故」〔T25 0457b21〕。至於「即是佛」之語，論①辨其分際——「當知是菩薩即是佛」〔T25 0457c04〕，而「即是佛」者，「是世界中語；如太子雖未正位，必當為王」〔T25 0457c05〕——就世間語稱之為佛，非謂已成正覺，如太子未正位而必當為王。此菩薩「已得無生忍，入菩薩位，見十方諸佛」〔T25 0457c07〕。
三乘之教——聲聞、辟支佛、佛乘。 本品之骨句，全品三見（經①）。般若中雖色乃至一切種智無法可得，而不墮斷滅，仍有三乘之教——「是般若波羅蜜中，廣說三乘之教，所謂聲聞、辟支佛、佛乘」〔T25 0457a18〕。論①釋其所以——「一切法雖畢竟空，而有三乘分別」〔T25 0457b23〕：畢竟空而不礙三乘之立，三乘立而不失畢竟空。此「聲聞、辟支佛、佛乘」之構式，本論與所釋經於「乘」字之綴否有系統性之異，詳第四目兩側對勘發現一。
然燈本生·十號音寫。 經①佛自引本事為證——「我昔於然燈佛時，華嚴城內，四衢道頭，見佛聞法」〔T25 0457a26〕，即得不離六度、內空乃至十八不共法諸行，然燈佛遂記其當來作佛，具列十號——「號釋迦牟尼多陀阿伽度、阿羅訶、三藐三佛陀、鞞侈遮羅那、脩伽度、路迦憊」〔T25 0457b06〕乃至無上士、調御丈夫、天人師、佛、世尊。十號中之音寫，古德有釋：吉藏疏「云毗侈遮羅，明行足也。脩伽度，善逝也。路伽憊，世間解也」〔X24 0265b22〕——「鞞侈遮羅那」即明行足，「脩伽度」即善逝，「路迦憊」即世間解。其音寫用字，本論作「鞞」，所釋經作「毘」，吉藏作「毗」，三傳各異，詳第四目發現三。
憍尸迦·釋提桓因。 經②以下佛皆呼帝釋為「憍尸迦」。論②釋其何以不稱「釋」而稱「憍尸迦」——昔摩伽陀國婆羅門名摩伽、姓憍尸迦，與知友三十二人共修福德，命終生須彌山頂為天主，以此三十三人故名三十三天，「喚其本姓，故言憍尸迦」〔T25 0458a29〕；大人喚之，故稱其本姓，非稱其字「釋」。
魔·魔四種。 論②釋魔之義——「魔」名自在天主，雖福德生彼而懷邪見，以欲界眾生為己民，恐佛菩薩度眾空其境界，故起恨嫉、稱佛菩薩為怨家。魔有四種——「如經說魔有四種：一者、煩惱魔，二者、五眾魔，三者、死魔，四者、自在天子魔」〔T25 0458c03〕；以般若力故四魔不能得便：得諸法實相則煩惱斷、壞煩惱魔及天魔，入無餘涅槃則壞五眾魔及死魔。
般若波羅蜜（名字經卷）。 論②釋此中所說「般若波羅蜜」之所指——「是十方諸佛所說語言名字、書寫經卷，宣傳顯示實相智慧」〔T25 0458b02〕：般若本無語言相，而因語言、經卷能得此般若，是故以名字、經卷名為般若波羅蜜——此就能詮之名字經卷立般若之名。
女人五礙。 論②釋何以稱「善男子、善女人」而不稱「菩薩摩訶薩」，中及女人五礙——「經中說女人有五礙：不得作釋提桓因、梵王、魔王、轉輪聖王、佛」〔T25 0459a05〕；為免女人聞五礙心退不發意故此間說善男子善女人，然「女人可得作佛，非不轉女身」〔T25 0459a09〕，五礙者但說一身之事。
三、譬喻與故事
《大智度論》以譬喻著稱，本品之喻散在三論，率以世間王事、疾病、水火顯般若說法之德與不受魔便之相。
好寶示人然後讚寶喻。 論②釋佛何以觀四眾已乃命帝釋讚般若功德——「餘品中多說般若波羅蜜體，今欲讚般若功德，故命釋提桓因；譬如先以好寶示人，然後讚寶所能」〔T25 0458a15〕——先示般若之體，如先示好寶，然後讚其功能。
王顧眄群下喻。 論②釋佛普觀之意——「譬如王顧眄群下，群下則欣然自慶」〔T25 0458a19〕——王一顧其臣，臣即欣然自慶；佛一普觀會眾，眾即自知蒙顧念而不自輕、堪任聽法。此喻正釋「顧視」之名，為本品喻中之樞。
魔作龍身種種異形喻。 論②釋魔「得便」之相狀——「魔作龍身，種種異形可畏之象，夜來恐怖行者」〔T25 0458c09〕——或現可畏之形夜來恐怖、或現上妙五欲壞亂、或轉人心令供養貪著或輕惱罵打，隨前人意所趣向而壞之，是名得便。
無瘡不受毒喻。 論②釋善修諸法空、亦不著空者何以魔不得便——「是人善修諸法空，亦不著空；不著空者，云何當得便！」〔T25 0458c18〕——底本引至此收，論主續以喻申之：無瘡則不受毒——身無瘡則毒無所入，心不著空則魔無所便。
火不滅火異相喻。 論②釋空、無相、無作何以不自相受便——「如火不能滅火，得水則滅，以異相故」〔T25 0458c24〕——一切法實觀皆空無相無作，一相故無得便者，如火不滅火而水滅之，以異相故。
二太子喻。 本品兩用太子為喻，各顯一義。論①以「太子雖未正位，必當為王」明「即是佛」乃世界中語——「如太子雖未正位，必當為王」〔T25 0457c05〕；論③以「太子雖小，群臣百官奉承」明菩薩結業生身雖無力勢而諸天守護——「譬如太子雖小，群臣百官無不奉承」〔T25 0460a17〕。前喻明「當為」之必然，後喻明「奉承」之所以，同取太子而所顯異。
然燈本生。 經①佛自引然燈授記之本事為證——昔於然燈佛時華嚴城內四衢道頭見佛聞法，即得不離六波羅蜜、內空乃至十八不共法、大慈大悲諸行，亦無所得故，然燈佛遂記其過一阿僧祇劫當作佛號釋迦牟尼。此本生一段，非徒述往事，乃證「行般若不遠離者即是佛」之義——菩薩已得無生忍、入菩薩位、見十方諸佛，故如佛。後世古德均正即引此授記情節為「方便得授記」之經證，詳第六目。
四、所釋經文
品名兩造：顧視／三歎（並錄不判）。 本論與所釋經，於本品品名各名其名，是本品第一須辨之事。本論此品題作「大智度論釋顧視品第三十」〔T25 0457a02〕，品身 mulu 作「顧視品」〔T25 0457a06〕；所釋經後秦鳩摩羅什譯《摩訶般若波羅蜜經》此品則題作「三歎品第三十」〔T08 0279b24〕。二名各有其源：「顧視」取經②佛顧視四眾、普觀顧念之義，「三歎」取經①諸天同時三反稱歎之事，皆本品經文所具，各據一端而立名。兩本之內，復各有異名之跡：本論自身校勘於品題下並陳六本異讀——大正底本作「顧視品」，宮本作「第三十品三歎品」，宋、元、明三本作「三歎品第三十」〔校記見第八目〕，即本論傳世諸本中除大正底本外，餘多讀「三歎品」；所釋經自身則於品題下夾註「丹本作顧視品」，其丹本異名正與本論大正底本正題「顧視品」逐字相同。兩本品名互為對方之異名，此般若一品名之兩傳，據實並存。本版品名從本論底本作「顧視品」（本版品名主軸為本論，非所釋經）；所釋經側之「三歎品」逐字保留於對讀敘述，不逕改，並錄不判，不代定一名之正。
品次離軌（承前品既定之跡）。 所釋經此品之 mulu 屬性標序作三十一而顯文題「三歎品」（顯文品次三十），屬性較顯文多算一位——延續品二十七〈問住品〉以來所釋經電子藏本之既定現象（標序＝顯文加一），非本品新起。本論此品 mulu 屬性標序作三十對顯文「顧視品」（品次三十），編號自洽，無此離軌；下品〈滅諍亂品〉本論 mulu 屬性標序作三十一對顯文品次三十一，亦無離軌——此屬所釋經電子藏本單方之結構性現象，本論一側未見，據實誌錄，不判其成因。
全量牒經對讀。 本論三段【經】文（經①②③合併，剝【經】/【論】標籤後之連續漢字流）與所釋經全品〈三歎品〉逐字對校，本論側二千餘字、所釋經側二千餘字，逐字契合率屬般若諸品對讀之常態；所釋經此品無【論】層，全品皆〈經〉文，逐字對應本論三段所牒之經。逐段皆屬全引（逐字對應原文，僅標點體例、字序、單字增減之翻譯體差），無節引大幅刪削。其差異可分二類：一者純標點慣例差，所釋經編輯層頓號密度較疏，尤見列舉句之連書，屬編輯層慣例互異，非文字異文；二者系統性異寫及單見措辭差，除品名「顧視／三歎」外，別有義理攸關之兩側對勘五事及對照組諸例，如次。
系統性異寫（跨本重現）。 本論「檀波羅蜜」「禪波羅蜜」（略譯），所釋經多作「檀那波羅蜜」「禪那波羅蜜」（音譯全式，補「那」尾），此「檀那／檀」「禪那／禪」之系統性異寫，與前諸品所誌吻合，本品再添例；本論「華嚴城內」〔T25 0457a26〕，所釋經作「花嚴城」，此「華／花」之異亦屬跨品重現。三者皆並錄不判。
兩側對勘五發現。 本品所釋經對讀中，義理或音寫攸關而具兩本互證者五事，其信度層級各異，據實分列。
發現一（信度最廣·三疊互證）：「聲聞、辟支佛、佛」＋「乘」構式。「三乘之教——聲聞、辟支佛、佛乘」之句，本品經①三見〔0457a13／0457a15–16／0457a19〕，本論底本三詞唯末「佛乘」帶「乘」。所釋經三見皆作「所謂聲聞乘、辟支佛乘、佛乘」〔T08 0279c03〕，三詞並綴「乘」。反查本論自身校勘：此句初見之三處校記——「聲」大正作單「聲」而元、明、聖、石作「所謂聲」，「聞」大正作單「聞」而聖、石作「聞乘」，「佛」大正作單「佛」而聖、石作「佛乘」；此句再見、三見之校記，傳本縮為聖、石乃至僅石本，然方向一致。即本論傳世〔元〕〔明〕〔聖〕〔石〕諸本，於此三詞已呈與所釋經相同之「所謂……乘……乘……乘」構式傾向。此句三疊、兩本互證，為本品所釋經對讀信度最廣之材料，並錄不判。
發現二：「陀憐尼」／「陀羅尼」。本論經①作「一切陀憐尼門」〔T25 0457b03〕，本論自身校勘於此有二記——「陀」大正作「陀」而聖本作「他」，「憐」大正作「憐」而宋、元、明、宮、聖、石六本作「羅」〔校記見第八目〕，即本論傳世除大正底本外之六本皆讀「陀羅尼」；所釋經該處讀「一切陀羅尼門」〔T08 0279c24〕，其自身無異讀。本論底本「陀憐尼」為六本共同否定之孤讀，並錄不判。
發現三（反轉型·所釋經自身傳本與本論一致）：「鞞」／「毘」（明行足音寫）。本論底本讀「鞞侈遮羅那」〔T25 0457b07〕，本論自身於此處無傳本分歧（純漢諸本皆讀「鞞」，控制項）。所釋經底本讀「毘侈遮羅那」〔T08 0279c28〕，然所釋經自身於此有校記——「毘」大正作「毘」而宋、元、明、宮、聖五本作「鞞」〔校記見第八目〕，即所釋經傳世除大正底本外之五本皆讀「鞞」，與本論全系一致。此為本品兩側對勘最鮮明之一例：非本論自身分歧與所釋經吻合（如發現一、二），而是所釋經自身之非底本傳本群與本論全系一致，唯所釋經底本一讀獨異。合古德吉藏音寫作「毗」，則此音「鞞（本論）／毘（所釋經底本）／鞞（所釋經五本）／毗（吉藏）」四傳並存，並錄不判。
發現四：「諸」（善男子善女人）之有無。本論經②作「是諸善男子、善女人明於內空」〔T25 0458a11〕，本論自身校記——「諸」大正有而宋、元、明、宮四本無〔校記見第八目〕，即本論此四本讀「是善男子、善女人明於內空」，與所釋經該處（無「諸」）一致，所釋經自身無分歧。並錄不判。
發現五（與前品〈散華品〉同組詞跨品重現）：「世界」／「國土」。本論經③作「有成就眾生、淨佛世界」〔T25 0459c12〕，本論自身校記——「世界」大正作「世界」而元、明、石三本作「國土」〔校記見第八目〕，即本論此三本讀「淨佛國土」；所釋經該處讀「成就眾生、淨佛國土」〔T08 0280b23〕。本論元、明、石與所釋經相合，是本論一側有內部傳本佐證之雙向互證，與前品〈散華品〉「淨佛世界／國土」屬同一詞組之跨品重現（前品該處本論亦元、明、石作「國土」）。並錄不判。
對照組核對（負向對照）。 上五發現之外，本論→所釋經另有「脩／修」「迦／伽」（十號音寫用字）及「檀／檀那」「禪／禪那」諸差，逐一回查本論自身校勘，皆無內部傳本佐證之記錄——即此諸差純屬兩本各自譯例慣性之別，無本論傳本異讀之內證，與上五發現之有內證者相對。據以誌方法之克制，非逢異必挑。
五、般若義眼
本品之眼，在一「畢竟空而有三乘」與一「顧視如佛」——般若中無法可得而三乘之教宛然，佛顧視受持之人而視之如佛；諸天稱歎、佛之普觀、諸天守護，皆為引出此空有不二、人法相稱之相。其義可約為五重。
其一，畢竟空而有三乘之分別。諸天歎般若、視人如佛，論①即釋其深法所在——「一切法雖畢竟空，而有三乘分別」〔T25 0457b23〕：諸法若畢竟空則不應修集三乘功德（墮斷滅），若修三乘功德則似非畢竟空（分別差降），而般若「雖畢竟空而不墮斷滅，雖分別有三乘亦不生著心，於二事中不取定相」〔T25 0457b27〕——空不礙有、有不失空，是本品甚深微妙之處，亦諸天所以三反稱歎之由。
其二，視是人如佛（尊重法故）。諸天「視是人如佛」〔T25 0457a10〕，論①釋其故在「尊重法故」〔T25 0457b22〕——所尊之法即深般若。至「當知是菩薩即是佛」〔T25 0457c04〕一語，論辨「即是佛」者是世界中語，如太子未正位必當為王，非謂已成正覺；此菩薩已得無生忍、入菩薩位、見十方諸佛，故就「當為」而稱如佛。佛之顧視此人，正緣其行深般若不遠離。
其三，佛不可得而諸法和合有佛。經①佛廣說——檀波羅蜜乃至般若波羅蜜中佛不可得，離之佛亦不可得；論①收之——「諸法和合因緣故有佛，無有自性」〔T25 0457c03〕：佛非於六度中可得、亦非離六度可得，因緣和合故假名為佛而無自性——般若中無法可得之義，於「佛」一名亦不例外。
其四，諸法自性不可得故魔不得便。經②明受持般若者魔不得便，其本在「是諸法自性不可得，無事可得便，誰受惱者」〔T25 0457c24〕——諦知色乃至一切種智皆空、無相、無作，空不能得空便，乃至無作不能得無作便。論②申之——「是人善修諸法空，亦不著空」〔T25 0458c18〕故魔無所便，如無瘡不受毒、如火不滅火以異相故。不受魔便者，非別有禦魔之力，即此諸法空、自性不可得之一義。
其五，格量：二乘不如初發意菩薩。經③佛申滿三千大千世界聲聞辟支佛之供養，不如供養初發心菩薩之福德——以不由聲聞辟支佛因緣有菩薩諸佛出現，反由菩薩因緣有聲聞辟支佛諸佛出現故。論③收其三事——「以三事故不如：一者、用薩婆若心行般若，二者、常不離六波羅蜜等諸功德，三者、由是菩薩斷三惡道、出生三乘」〔T25 0460a23〕：二乘雖已證實際、為眾生福田，而不能斷三惡道、出生三乘，故不如初心菩薩。顧視如佛之義，於此格量處得其極——般若是三世佛母，供養行般若之菩薩即是供養佛。
六、諸家異釋
《大智度論》本無逐文全疏之傳統，古德引釋率屬據實偏倚。本品古德覆讀有二型：釋所釋經之吉藏疏存完整專章，品名之釋、科判之目與本品經論逐一相應；釋論之慧影疏斷層不覆本卷。此外別有均正引本品然燈授記為經證，及書目類品名兩見之著錄。此目誌錄其所疏所引與本品之對應，不判各家詮釋高下。
吉藏《大品經義疏》（X24n0451）。 於本品〈三歎品第三十〉之逐文疏，起〔X24 0265b05〕，迄〔X24 0266b02〕（次品〈滅諍品第三十一〉起前），覆本品三經三論全篇。其可誌者十一。其一，品題總科——「此是第二、諸天大眾得悟解稱歎，為法供養歡喜之」〔X24 0265b06〕，以「其同時反稱歎，故以目品」釋品名（吉藏所據所釋經題「三歎品」，故以「同時反稱歎」目品）。其二，三分科判——「初、諸天歡喜稱歎；二、述；三、領解重歎」〔X24 0265b07〕——對應經①諸天稱歎、佛述、諸天重領解三節。其三，與前品之對比——「上天主歎善吉，歎能說之人及歎般若所說之法，今諸天歎佛，歎佛恩中及歎行般若人則始絕，何論歎事周遍？故兩品不同也」〔X24 0265b14〕——辨本品之歎與前品之歎不同。其四，燃燈證義——「次引燃燈證者，昔悟無生故，般若理前萬行法成」〔X24 0265b18〕——對應經①燃燈本生段。其五，重領解——「爾時諸天子下，第三、重領解，更明不斷不常中道正觀義」〔X24 0265b21〕——對應經①末諸天不取不捨之讚。其六，十號音寫——「云毗侈遮羅，明行足也。脩伽度，善逝也。路伽憊，世間解也」〔X24 0265b22〕——與經①十號音寫相值，吉藏自用「毗」「脩」「伽」，詳第四目發現三。其七，三周三根之結點——「爾時佛歎四眾下三十四品，明若妙義間為三，此是第二大段，前三十品三周為三根人明般若體已竟」〔X24 0265b24〕——吉藏以本品（第三十品）為《大品》「三周三根人明般若體」之總結點。其八，隨喜九品之總科——「二、從此去其隨喜九品經歎般若所生功德」〔X24 0265c02〕——點明本品以下九品為歎般若功德之段，並駁「開善釋金剛般若」以此為流通義之說。其九，五果九品架構——「九品為二：第一、八品半明受持乃至正憶念般若故，所得功德格量顯稱歎勸脩」〔X24 0265c22〕——本品屬第一周說般若之五果格量。其十，諸天守護果——「爾時三千大千下，第五、諸天守護果」〔X24 0266a20〕——就文明果唯五、就文則六（魔不得便、人不得便、不橫死、觀諸天發心受持、住處安、諸天守護），對應論②諸目。其十一，二乘菩薩三義格量——「若三千大千下，第六、明格量。格量，行般若人也。正舉二乘，格量菩薩三義智勝二乘：一、應薩婆若心行；二、菩提不離六波羅蜜功；三、由菩薩智斷三惡道出生三乘也」〔X24 0266a23〕——吉藏三義之次序與論③末段「三事不如」逐字對應。
均正《大乘四論玄義》（X46n0784）。 唐三論宗均正法師（吉藏後學一系）於卷九論方便授記義，引本品然燈授記為經證——「而不得授記。於值燃燈佛，方得授記。大品經、三歎品亦然也」〔X46 0629b22〕——以本品經①「昔於然燈佛時……然燈佛記我當來世……」之授記情節，證「值佛方得授記」之義。均正用「三歎品」名（沿所釋經品名之慣例），為獨立於吉藏一疏之第二位古德對本品之具名徵引。
慧影《大智度論疏》（X46n0791）。 為釋本論之唯一古疏，僅殘卷存世，現存諸卷為卷一、六、十四、十五、十七、二十一、二十四；卷十七訖釋論卷四十五、卷二十一起釋論卷五十九，本品所繫之論卷五十六正落於此二卷之間之缺口內，慧影疏現存諸卷完全未覆本品。全庫回搜「顧視品」「三歎品」「陀憐尼」「然燈佛時」等本品獨有詞串，於本品段落皆零命中——慧影疏殘卷不覆本品，延續前諸品所誌之結論，據實誌錄。
書目類著錄（品名兩見·誌錄供參）。 唐玄逸《大唐開元釋教廣品歷章》（A097n1267）著錄本品作「摩訶般若波羅蜜經顧視品第二十九」〔A097n1267 0812b11〕，用「顧視品」名而品次作「第二十九」（較本論、所釋經之「第三十」少一階，屬該經錄全帙品次計數基準之差，未查其成因，據實誌字面）。宋惟白《大藏經綱目指要錄》（C056n1159）於同一部書內兩用品名——卷二「三歎品 諸天云。快哉快哉。快說是法」〔C056n1159 0139a10〕用「三歎品」名，卷五「釋般若中顧視品學般若人視之如佛」〔C056n1159 0185c08〕用「顧視品」名——同書兩見兩用，為品名兩造流通之佐證。
近代著述（依例排除）。 別有近代釋印順《華雨集》引及「三歎品」，依例排除，僅誌其存，不採為古德權威、不引入義理徵引。
七、互讀與承衍
本品之義脈，前後相承者有三，皆此目所誌，不代定讀。
其一，論內自指與品品相貫。論屢用互見之法——論②「如〈魔品〉中廣說」〔T25 0458c15〕（魔得便相狀之詳，指向前之〈魔品〉）、論②「善男子、善女人義，先已廣說」〔T25 0459a11〕、論③「如先義中說」〔T25 0460a14〕（諸善法果報之詳，指前釋）——皆本論品品相貫、互見成義之明證。
其二，「如佛／次佛」義之本論後卷自釋（承衍高信度）。本品經①「我輩視是人如佛」〔T25 0457a10〕、論①「我等當視是人如佛」〔T25 0457b22〕兩處「如佛」之語，本品未展開「如佛」之確切義涵。此義本論後卷自釋：卷五十八——「我等視是人如佛、若次佛」，「如佛」者「法性身，住阿鞞跋致，得無生法忍，乃至十地」〔T25 0471b02〕，「次佛」者「肉身菩薩能說般若波羅蜜及其正義」〔T25 0471b04〕；卷五十九復回指——「如佛、若次佛義，如先說」〔T25 0481a28〕。本品「視是人如佛」一語之確義，論後文自釋其為「如佛（法性身菩薩）、次佛（肉身能說般若之菩薩）」二品，是本論前呼後應、後文自釋前文之承衍，義疏層可據此明本品此語之的解出於本論卷五十八。
其三，然燈授記與三周結點之古德承引。本品經①然燈授記一段，後世古德均正承引為「方便得授記」之經證（第六目）；吉藏以本品為《大品》「三周三根人明般若體」之總結點、隨喜九品之開端（第六目），二者皆就本品在《大品》結構中之位而立言，屬古德一家之科判承衍，本目誌其迹，不代定其為經文自證之結構斷言。
八、校本與版本說明
本品底本為《大智度論》卷五十六〔T25 0457a02–0460a27〕；所釋經校本為《摩訶般若波羅蜜經》〈三歎品〉〔T08 0279b24–0280c14〕；古德疏校本為吉藏《大品經義疏》（X24n0451，覆本品〔X24 0265b05–0266b02〕），慧影《大智度論疏》（X46n0791）殘卷不覆本品，別有均正《大乘四論玄義》（X46n0784）卷九一處然燈授記之徵引。異讀校記依大正校勘，涉大正底本與宋、元、明、宮、聖、石（石山寺本）諸本之異。
品題複合校記（六本異名·兩造之底據）。 品首二條校記，並陳品題／卷次計數之六本異文。其一〔T25 0457a02〕，卷端題——「大智度論釋顧視品第三十（卷五十六）【大】｜大智度經論卷第五十六釋等廿九品註第卅品【聖】｜摩訶般若波羅蜜經三反稱嘆品廿九，五十八【石】」——聖本卷端題句以「廿九品」（經品）與「第卅品」（論註品）並陳，石本題「三反稱嘆品廿九」，字面上諸本卷端題記本身即以不同計數指同一分界。其二〔T25 0457a02〕，品題——「顧視品第三十【大】｜第三十品三歎品【宮】｜三歎品第三十【宋】【元】【明】」——大正底本作「顧視品」，宮本作「第三十品三歎品」，宋、元、明三本作「三歎品第三十」。此二條即品名兩造（顧視／三歎）於本論一側之底據，並用於第四目品名之判；聖本卷端題句以「廿九」「第卅」並陳一事，僅如實誌其存，不據以推斷其與所釋經品次離軌之因果（誠實層）。
品次離軌之分別。 本論傳世諸本卷端／品題之品次計數，有作「第三十」、有以「廿九」「第卅」並陳（見上聖石諸本）；所釋經電子藏本 mulu 屬性標序較顯文多一位（標序三十一對顯文三十）——前者為本論諸寫本內部計數之分歧，後者為單一電子藏本內編列與所題不同步，性質不同，據實分別誌，不宜混為一談。
義理或音寫攸關五處，異讀專列（並錄不判）。 其一，「聲聞、辟支佛、佛乘」疊句構式——「聲【大】｜所謂聲【元】【明】【聖】【石】」、「聞【大】｜聞乘【聖】【石】」、「佛【大】｜佛乘【聖】【石】」（並繫〔0457a13〕〔0457a15〕〔0457a16〕〔0457a19〕諸處），本論元明聖石諸本呈與所釋經同構式（第四目發現一）。其二，「陀憐尼」——「陀【大】｜他【聖】」、「憐【大】｜羅【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】【石】」〔0457b03〕，本論六本讀「陀羅尼」，與所釋經合（發現二）。其三，「諸」之有無——「諸【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】」〔0458a11〕，本論四本無「諸」，與所釋經合（發現四）。其四，「世界／國土」——「世界【大】｜國土【元】【明】【石】」〔0459c12〕，本論三本作「國土」，與所釋經「淨佛國土」合（發現五）。其五，「鞞／毘」（明行足音寫）——本論底本「鞞」於此處無本論內部校記，其兩本互證繫於所釋經一側之校記「毘【大】｜鞞【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】」（發現三，證見所釋經校本），本論一側為控制項，據實分別誌。
校勘總帳（一百零四條全量對帳·底本原樣）。 下依工作底本檔末原樣傳錄，異本讀法並列保存，正文仍從現行底本讀法：
- 〔T25 0457a02〕大智度論釋顧視品第三十（卷五十六）【大】｜大智度經論卷第五十六釋等廿九品註第卅品【聖】｜摩訶般若波羅蜜經三反稱嘆品廿九，五十八【石】
- 〔T25 0457a02〕顧視品第三十【大】｜第三十品三歎品【宮】｜三歎品第三十【宋】【元】【明】
- 〔T25 0457a06〕【經】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0457a09〕布【大】｜出【石】
- 〔T25 0457a13〕聲【大】｜所謂聲【元】【明】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0457a13〕聞【大】｜聞乘【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0457a13〕佛【大】｜佛乘【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0457a15〕聞【大】｜聞乘【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0457a16〕佛【大】｜佛乘【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0457a16〕有【大】｜〔－〕【宮】
- 〔T25 0457a19〕聞【大】｜聞乘【石】
- 〔T25 0457a19〕佛【大】｜佛乘【石】
- 〔T25 0457a24〕學【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0457a24〕法【大】｜諸法【元】【明】【石】
- 〔T25 0457a24〕謂【大】｜諸【聖】
- 〔T25 0457a27〕頭【大】｜中【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0457b02〕三【大】｜三種三【聖】
- 〔T25 0457b03〕陀【大】｜他【聖】
- 〔T25 0457b03〕憐【大】｜羅【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0457b05〕故【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0457b08〕士【大】｜〔－〕【宮】
- 〔T25 0457b08〕丈夫【大】｜〔－〕【宮】
- 〔T25 0457b08〕佛、世尊【大】｜〔－〕【宮】
- 〔T25 0457b13〕【論】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0457b15〕四天【大】｜天四【宋】【宮】｜天【聖】
- 〔T25 0457b16〕已【大】｜以【石】
- 〔T25 0457b21〕承【大】｜衣【聖】
- 〔T25 0457b29〕二【大】｜三【石】
- 〔T25 0457c07〕已【大】｜以【石】
- 〔T25 0457c08〕歎【大】｜讚【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0457c12〕【經】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0457c13〕天【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0457c15〕若【大】｜〔－〕【宮】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0457c15〕若【大】｜〔－〕【石】
- 〔T25 0457c17〕是【大】｜於是【元】【明】
- 〔T25 0457c24〕法【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0457c26〕若人、非【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0458a03〕樂（K14n0549_p1059b11）（T25n1509_p0347c08）【CB】【麗-CB】｜槃【大】｜樂【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0458a05〕般【大】｜槃【石】
- 〔T25 0458a10〕曠【大】｜廣【石】
- 〔T25 0458a11〕諸【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0458a14〕【論】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0458a14〕已【大】｜以【明】
- 〔T25 0458a17〕欲【大】｜故【聖】
- 〔T25 0458a19〕眄【大】｜明【聖】
- 〔T25 0458a20〕欣【大】｜仰【聖】
- 〔T25 0458a22〕中【大】｜中大【石】
- 〔T25 0458a23〕是【大】｜提【宋】
- 〔T25 0458a23〕婆【大】｜桓【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0458b04〕般【大】｜槃【石】
- 〔T25 0458b07〕後【大】｜復【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0458b17〕嫉【大】｜疾【石】
- 〔T25 0458b18〕歸【大】｜師【宮】
- 〔T25 0458b18〕嫉妬【大】｜妬嫉【石】
- 〔T25 0458b19〕名【大】｜〔－〕【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0458c01〕愛【大】｜受【宮】
- 〔T25 0458c03〕故【大】｜〔－〕【宮】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0458c07〕壞【大】｜懷【聖】
- 〔T25 0458c08〕民【大】｜人【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0458c10〕象【大】｜像【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0458c14〕前【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0458c16〕少【大】｜小【聖】
- 〔T25 0458c19〕瘡【大】｜創【石】
- 〔T25 0459a05〕雜【大】｜離【宋】
- 〔T25 0459a05〕得稱【大】｜攝得【宋】【元】【明】【宮】｜稱得【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0459a13〕說【大】｜說魔【宋】【元】【明】
- 〔T25 0459a13〕但【大】｜恒【聖】
- 〔T25 0459a20〕多【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0459a21〕諸【大】｜〔－〕【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0459a22〕令【大】｜今【宋】【元】【宮】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0459a22〕杖【大】｜仗【聖】
- 〔T25 0459a22〕打【大】｜〔－〕【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0459a22〕斫【大】｜破【石】
- 〔T25 0459a23〕量【大】｜礙【宋】
- 〔T25 0459a24〕順【大】｜慎【石】
- 〔T25 0459a25〕飢【大】｜饑【明】
- 〔T25 0459a28〕乞【大】｜乏【石】
- 〔T25 0459a28〕給【大】｜繼【聖】
- 〔T25 0459b13〕民【大】｜天【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0459b25〕威【大】｜咸【聖】
- 〔T25 0459b26〕【經】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0459c01〕亦【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0459c03〕天人【大】｜人天【石】
- 〔T25 0459c05〕羅【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0459c12〕世界【大】｜國土【元】【明】【石】
- 〔T25 0459c13〕知【大】｜智【聖】
- 〔T25 0459c13〕有【大】｜是【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0459c16〕因【大】｜因言【石】
- 〔T25 0459c23〕𥯤【大】｜𨗨【聖】
- 〔T25 0459c26〕所【大】｜不【聖】
- 〔T25 0460a03〕【論】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0460a04〕以【大】｜〔－〕【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0460a06〕遮【大】｜癈【聖】
- 〔T25 0460a07〕貧【大】｜貧窮【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0460a08〕過罪【大】｜罪過【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0460a10〕欲【大】｜破【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0460a10〕離【大】｜〔－〕【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0460a16〕云何當【大】｜當云何【元】【明】【石】
- 〔T25 0460a18〕承【大】｜敬【石】
- 〔T25 0460a20〕故【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】
- 〔T25 0460a21〕已【大】｜以【石】
- 〔T25 0460a22〕如【大】｜知【宮】
- 〔T25 0460a23〕如【大】｜知【宮】
- 〔T25 0460a24〕般若【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
以上一百零四條，與工作底本檔末之數全然機械相合。義理或音寫攸關之五處（疊句諸條、〔0457b03〕「陀憐尼」、〔0458a11〕「諸」、〔0459c12〕「世界」，及所釋經一側之「鞞／毘」）已於上文專列，並與所釋經雙向對校（第四目）；餘條異本讀法並列保存，正文從現行底本讀法，並錄不判。
I. Structural Placement
Within the sequence in which the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa comments on the Larger Sūtra, this chapter belongs to the section of the Commentary on the Remaining Chapters and falls in Fascicle 56. The fascicle-head title reads 「大智度論釋顧視品第三十」 tr. "Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa, Commentary on the Chapter on Looking Round, the Thirtieth"〔T25 0457a02〕, and it comments on the whole of the corresponding chapter of the Larger Sūtra. The preceding chapter, "Scattering Flowers", Chapter 29, occupies Fascicle 55 on its own, whereas this chapter shares Fascicle 56 with the next chapter, "Quelling Strife", Chapter 31: the main text of this chapter ends at 「依二乘人，不能斷三惡道、出生三乘。」 tr. "through the persons of the two vehicles, the three evil paths cannot be cut off, nor the three vehicles brought forth."〔T25 0460a26〕, and Chapter 31 begins immediately at〔T25 0460a27〕 (in the same fascicle)—this chapter begins with the fascicle but does not end with it, unlike the preceding chapter, in which chapter and fascicle coincide. The working rough boundary〔0457a02–0460a27〕 runs from the format line at the head of the fascicle to just before the title of the next chapter, "Quelling Strife", while the mulu (table-of-contents) marker of the chapter body is fixed at〔T25 0457a06〕; the two differ in their level of precision and are both recorded (when a chapter begins together with its fascicle, the chapter boundary is taken at the opening line of the fascicle head, and the signature format line at the fascicle head is assigned to this chapter).
Within the chapter, Sūtra and Treatise alternate three times, and the whole chapter is read as a single unit, not split. Sūtra ①〔0457a02–0457b12〕: the gods praise three times over and regard the person as a Buddha, and the Buddha cites the past event of Dīpaṃkara to open the matter; Treatise ①〔0457b13–0457c11〕 explains it. Sūtra ②〔0457c12–0458a13〕: the Buddha looks upon the fourfold assembly, looks round everywhere and addresses Śakra, and makes clear that Māra cannot find an opening; Treatise ②〔0458a14–0459b25〕 explains it at length in eight rounds of question and answer, the largest section of the whole chapter. Sūtra ③〔0459b26–0460a02〕: the gods vow to guard and protect, and the Buddha assents and further sets out the weighing by which the two vehicles are not equal to the bodhisattva of the first arousing of the mind; Treatise ③〔0460a03–0460a26〕 explains it and closes the chapter. The preceding chapter had four Sūtra and four Treatise sections; this chapter is reduced to three of each, yet the density of question and answer in Treatise ②, the strands of the teachings on protection in Sūtra ②, and the layers of weighing in Sūtra ③ are none of them reduced.
The overall view within the chapter: in Sūtra ①, the heavenly kings, the Brahmā kings, the Īśāna gods, together with divine seers and heavenly maidens, at the same time praise three times over, 「快哉！快哉！」 tr. "Excellent! Excellent!", extolling that the prajñā spoken by the venerable Subhūti is all due to the grace and power of the Buddha's appearance in the world, and declaring of one who practises prajñā without departing from it that they 「視是人如佛」 tr. "regard this person as a Buddha"—in prajñā, though from form up to omniscience of all kinds there is no dharma to be found, there is the teaching of the three vehicles (the śrāvaka, the pratyekabuddha, and the Buddha vehicle); the Buddha assents to their words and restates 「視是人當如佛，以無所得故」 tr. "this person should be regarded as a Buddha, because of nothing to be attained", and further cites a past event himself: formerly, at the time of Dīpaṃkara Buddha, at the crossroads within the City of Flower Adornment, he saw the Buddha and heard the Dharma, and at once attained practices not departing from the six perfections, from inner emptiness up to the eighteen unshared dharmas, and so on; Dīpaṃkara Buddha predicted that he would become a Buddha in the future and listed the ten epithets in full; the gods again address the Buddha, praising prajñā as able to make the bodhisattva attain sarvajñā, neither taking up nor rejecting anything from form up to omniscience of all kinds. Treatise ① explains the meaning of the threefold praise, explains in turn the names heavenly kings, gods, Brahmās, Īśāna, divine seers, and heavenly maidens, and makes clear that the intent of the praise lies in revering the Dharma, that the deep Dharma is ultimate emptiness and yet there is the distinction of the three vehicles, and that the Buddha approves their praise and says further that the Buddha is unfindable and that the bodhisattva is the Buddha (the simile of the crown prince who, though not yet enthroned, will certainly become king). In Sūtra ② the Buddha looks upon the fourfold assembly gathered together and, having looked round everywhere, addresses Śakra Devānām Indra (Kauśika): for one who listens to, receives and upholds, draws near to, reads and recites, and rightly bears in mind prajñā without departing from the mind of sarvajñā, Māra and Māra's gods cannot find an opening (because he truly knows that form up to omniscience of all kinds is all empty, signless, and without action, since the own-nature of dharmas is unfindable), nor can humans or non-humans find an opening (because he has well cultivated kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity), and he never dies an untimely death (because he practises giving and supplies all with an equal mind); the gods who have not yet heard prajñā should now hear and uphold it, and one who receives and upholds it is never afraid, whether in an empty house, in the wilderness, or among people. Treatise ② explains at length in eight rounds of question and answer (why Śakra is addressed; why he is called Kauśika; what Māra is; how Māra does not find an opening; why one who abides in the three gates of liberation does not suffer an opening; why the terms good man and good woman are used; why emptiness is spoken of first and the four immeasurable minds afterwards; why the gods have not heard prajñā), and also explains the items of the meaning of prajñā as names and scrolls, the four kinds of Māra, the five obstructions of women, untimely death, and the three places of dwelling. In Sūtra ③ the gods of the three-thousand great-thousand world, from the heavens of the Four Heavenly Kings up to the Śuddhāvāsa gods, vow to guard and protect, listing that 「以菩薩因緣故」 tr. "by reason of the bodhisattva" the three evil paths are cut off, the ten wholesome paths exist, and so on up to the Three Jewels appearing in the world; the Buddha assents to their words and further sets out that making offerings to śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas filling the three-thousand great-thousand world does not equal the merit of making offerings to a bodhisattva of the first arousing of the mind—because it is by reason of the bodhisattva that śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and Buddhas appear. Treatise ③ explains the conditions for the gods' protection, the simile of the bodhisattva's body born of fetters and karma being served by the ministers, that making offerings to the bodhisattva is making offerings to the Buddha, and the three matters in which the two vehicles are not equal to the bodhisattva of the first arousing of intent.
As to the structure of speakers, this chapter has a pattern of its own: throughout, the axis is the direct exchange between the gods, Śakra, and the Buddha—in Sūtra ① the gods initiate the praise, the Buddha responds and speaks at length (the past event of Dīpaṃkara, the meaning of the Buddha's unfindability), and the gods again address the Buddha in praise; in Sūtra ③ the gods make a vow to protect, and the Buddha assents and further sets out the weighing. In both sections the gods initiate, and the Buddha is the principal who responds and expands. Sūtra ② alone is at the Buddha's own initiative: the Buddha looks upon the fourfold assembly gathered together and, having looked round everywhere, addresses Śakra Devānām Indra, making clear in turn the meanings that Māra cannot find an opening, that there is no untimely death, and that the gods should arouse the mind to receive and uphold—a one-directional admonition and exhortation throughout, with no prior question from the gods. In this chapter Subhūti recedes to being the person praised in Sūtra ① and Treatise ① as one who 「說深般若」 tr. "speaks the deep prajñā" (Treatise ①: 「所以歎須菩提說深般若波羅蜜者，知其承佛神力故」 tr. "the reason they praise Subhūti for speaking the deep prajñāpāramitā is that they know he relies on the Buddha's spiritual power"), and is no longer a party to the questions and answers of the sūtra text—unlike the preceding chapter, "Scattering Flowers", whose axis was Śakra Devānām Indra asking and Subhūti answering. Treatises ①②③ are all in the form of the treatise-author's explanation; Treatise ② with its eight rounds of question and answer is the densest (with a further single round of question and answer in Treatise ③). This is the speaker profile of the chapter, based on the actual markings of the source text: it is not attributed by habit to the Buddha, nor by habit to Subhūti. As for the places where the treatise-author marks 「佛自說」 tr. "the Buddha himself says", each has its own location: Treatise ①'s 「此中佛自引本事以為證」 tr. "here the Buddha himself cites a past event as proof"〔T25 0457c06〕 points to the Dīpaṃkara birth-story in Sūtra ①; Treatise ②'s 「此中佛自說因緣」 tr. "here the Buddha himself states the causes and conditions"〔T25 0458c17〕 points to the one meaning in Sūtra ② of not suffering an opening because one 「善修諸法空、亦不著空」 tr. "well cultivates the emptiness of dharmas, and yet does not cling to emptiness"—in each case the treatise-author is pointing to the sūtra text as the Buddha's own speech, not setting up separate words of the Buddha in the narrative.
II. Terms Examined
Looking round · looking round everywhere · the Buddha's regard. What the chapter name is bound to. The Buddha's looking round upon the fourfold assembly in Sūtra ②—「爾時，佛觀四眾和合」 tr. "At that time the Buddha looked upon the fourfold assembly gathered together"〔T25 0457c12〕, 「普觀已，佛告釋提桓因」 tr. "having looked round everywhere, the Buddha addressed Śakra Devānām Indra"〔T25 0457c14〕; Treatise ② explains the intent of this looking round everywhere—「普觀者，欲令會中眾生各知佛顧念，則不自輕」 tr. "he looks round everywhere because he wishes the beings in the assembly each to know that the Buddha regards them with care, so that they do not think lightly of themselves"〔T25 0458a17〕, and further makes it clear by a worldly simile: 「譬如王顧眄群下，群下則欣然自慶」 tr. "just as when a king casts his glance upon his subjects, the subjects rejoice and congratulate themselves"〔T25 0458a19〕. The Buddha's looking round is not mere looking: it makes the assembly know for themselves that they have received the Buddha's regard and are fit to hear the Dharma; this is where the meaning of the name 「顧視」 tr. "looking round" lies.
Regarding this person as a Buddha · is the Buddha. The gods' praise in Sūtra ①—「若有菩薩摩訶薩行是般若波羅蜜不遠離者，我輩視是人如佛」 tr. "if there is a bodhisattva-mahāsattva who practises this prajñāpāramitā without departing from it, we regard this person as a Buddha"〔T25 0457a09〕; the Buddha assents, and Treatise ① sets out the reason—「若能行是般若波羅蜜，我等當視是人如佛。所以者何？尊重法故」 tr. "if one can practise this prajñāpāramitā, we should regard this person as a Buddha. Why? Because of revering the Dharma"〔T25 0457b21〕. As for the words 「即是佛」 tr. "is the Buddha", Treatise ① distinguishes their bounds—「當知是菩薩即是佛」 tr. "know that this bodhisattva is the Buddha"〔T25 0457c04〕, and 「即是佛」 tr. "is the Buddha" 「是世界中語；如太子雖未正位，必當為王」 tr. "is a manner of speaking in the world; just as a crown prince, though not yet enthroned, will certainly become king"〔T25 0457c05〕—he is called the Buddha in worldly speech, which does not mean that he has already attained right awakening, just as the crown prince not yet enthroned will certainly become king. This bodhisattva 「已得無生忍，入菩薩位，見十方諸佛」 tr. "has already attained the acceptance of non-arising, entered the bodhisattva's position, and sees the Buddhas of the ten directions"〔T25 0457c07〕.
The teaching of the three vehicles—the śrāvaka, the pratyekabuddha, and the Buddha vehicle. The key sentence of this chapter, appearing three times in the whole chapter (Sūtra ①). In prajñā, though from form up to omniscience of all kinds there is no dharma to be found, one does not fall into annihilation, and there is still the teaching of the three vehicles—「是般若波羅蜜中，廣說三乘之教，所謂聲聞、辟支佛、佛乘」 tr. "in this prajñāpāramitā the teaching of the three vehicles is broadly spoken, namely the śrāvaka, the pratyekabuddha, and the Buddha vehicle"〔T25 0457a18〕. Treatise ① explains why—「一切法雖畢竟空，而有三乘分別」 tr. "though all dharmas are ultimately empty, there is yet the distinction of the three vehicles"〔T25 0457b23〕: ultimate emptiness does not obstruct the establishing of the three vehicles, and the establishing of the three vehicles does not lose ultimate emptiness. On this construction, 「聲聞、辟支佛、佛乘」 tr. "the śrāvaka, the pratyekabuddha, and the Buddha vehicle", this treatise and the sūtra explained differ systematically in whether the character 「乘」 tr. "vehicle" is attached; see Section IV, the first finding of the two-sided collation.
The Dīpaṃkara birth-story · the transliterations of the ten epithets. In Sūtra ① the Buddha himself cites a past event as proof—「我昔於然燈佛時，華嚴城內，四衢道頭，見佛聞法」 tr. "formerly, at the time of Dīpaṃkara Buddha, at the head of the crossroads within the City of Flower Adornment, I saw the Buddha and heard the Dharma"〔T25 0457a26〕, and at once attained the practices not departing from the six perfections, from inner emptiness up to the eighteen unshared dharmas, and so on; Dīpaṃkara Buddha then predicted that he would become a Buddha in the future, listing the ten epithets in full—「號釋迦牟尼多陀阿伽度、阿羅訶、三藐三佛陀、鞞侈遮羅那、脩伽度、路迦憊」 tr. "named Śākyamuni, tathāgata, arhat, samyaksaṃbuddha, vidyācaraṇa, sugata, lokavid"〔T25 0457b06〕, up to unsurpassed one, tamer of persons, teacher of gods and humans, Buddha, World-Honored One. The ancient masters have glossed the transliterations among the ten epithets: Jizang's commentary says 「云毗侈遮羅，明行足也。脩伽度，善逝也。路伽憊，世間解也」 tr. "it says vidyācara: this is ‘perfect in clarity and conduct’. Sugata: this is ‘well-gone’. Lokavid: this is ‘knower of the world’"〔X24 0265b22〕—「鞞侈遮羅那」 tr. "vidyācaraṇa" is ‘perfect in clarity and conduct’, 「脩伽度」 tr. "sugata" is ‘well-gone’, and 「路迦憊」 tr. "lokavid" is ‘knower of the world’. In the characters used for the transliteration, this treatise writes 「鞞」 tr. "pi (leather-radical graph)", the sūtra explained writes 「毘」 tr. "pi (variant graph)", and Jizang writes 「毗」 tr. "pi (standard graph)": the three transmissions each differ; see Section IV, the third finding.
Kauśika · Śakra Devānām Indra. From Sūtra ② onward the Buddha always addresses Śakra as 「憍尸迦」 tr. "Kauśika". Treatise ② explains why he is called not 「釋」 tr. "Śakra" but 「憍尸迦」 tr. "Kauśika"—formerly, in the land of Magadha, there was a brahmin named Magha, of the clan Kauśika, who together with thirty-two friends cultivated merit, and on dying was born on the summit of Mount Sumeru as lord of the gods; because of these thirty-three persons it is named the Heaven of the Thirty-three; 「喚其本姓，故言憍尸迦」 tr. "he is called by his original clan name, hence ‘Kauśika’"〔T25 0458a29〕; since it is a great person who calls him, he is called by his original clan name, not by his personal name 「釋」 tr. "Śakra".
Māra · the four kinds of Māra. Treatise ② explains the meaning of Māra—「魔」 tr. "Māra" is the name of the lord of the Sovereign heaven, who, though born there by merit, harbours wrong views, takes the beings of the desire realm as his own people, and, fearing that the Buddhas and bodhisattvas will liberate beings and empty his domain, gives rise to resentment and jealousy and calls the Buddhas and bodhisattvas his enemies. Māra is of four kinds—「如經說魔有四種：一者、煩惱魔，二者、五眾魔，三者、死魔，四者、自在天子魔」 tr. "as a sūtra says, Māra is of four kinds: first, the Māra of the afflictions; second, the Māra of the five aggregates; third, the Māra of death; fourth, the Māra who is a son of the gods of the Sovereign heaven"〔T25 0458c03〕; by the power of prajñā the four Māras cannot find an opening: when one attains the real mark of all dharmas, the afflictions are cut off, and the Māra of the afflictions and the heavenly Māra are destroyed; when one enters nirvāṇa without remainder, the Māra of the five aggregates and the Māra of death are destroyed.
Prajñāpāramitā (names and scrolls). Treatise ② explains what the 「般若波羅蜜」 tr. "prajñāpāramitā" spoken of here refers to—「是十方諸佛所說語言名字、書寫經卷，宣傳顯示實相智慧」 tr. "it is the words and names spoken by the Buddhas of the ten directions, and the written scrolls, which proclaim, transmit, and reveal the wisdom of the real mark"〔T25 0458b02〕: prajñā in itself has no mark of language, yet through language and scrolls one can attain this prajñā; therefore names and scrolls are called prajñāpāramitā—here the name of prajñā is established on the names and scrolls that express it.
The five obstructions of women. Treatise ② explains why the terms 「善男子、善女人」 tr. "good man and good woman" are used and not 「菩薩摩訶薩」 tr. "bodhisattva-mahāsattva", and in doing so touches on the five obstructions of women—「經中說女人有五礙：不得作釋提桓因、梵王、魔王、轉輪聖王、佛」 tr. "a sūtra says that women have five obstructions: they cannot become Śakra Devānām Indra, the Brahmā king, the Māra king, a wheel-turning sage king, or a Buddha"〔T25 0459a05〕; so that women, hearing of the five obstructions, do not retreat in mind and fail to arouse the intention, good man and good woman are spoken of here; yet 「女人可得作佛，非不轉女身」 tr. "a woman can become a Buddha, but not without turning from the woman's body"〔T25 0459a09〕—the five obstructions speak only of the matters of a single body.
III. Similes and Stories
The Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa is renowned for its similes; the similes of this chapter are scattered through the three Treatise sections, mostly using worldly matters of kings, illness, water, and fire to show the virtue of prajñā's teaching and the mark of not suffering Māra's opening.
The simile of first showing a person a fine jewel and then praising the jewel. Treatise ② explains why the Buddha, having looked upon the fourfold assembly, then addresses Śakra to praise the merit of prajñā—「餘品中多說般若波羅蜜體，今欲讚般若功德，故命釋提桓因；譬如先以好寶示人，然後讚寶所能」 tr. "in the other chapters the substance of prajñāpāramitā is mostly spoken of; now he wishes to praise the merit of prajñā, and therefore addresses Śakra Devānām Indra; just as one first shows a person a fine jewel, and afterwards praises what the jewel can do"〔T25 0458a15〕—first showing the substance of prajñā is like first showing the fine jewel, and afterwards its powers are praised.
The simile of the king casting his glance upon his subjects. Treatise ② explains the intent of the Buddha's looking round everywhere—「譬如王顧眄群下，群下則欣然自慶」 tr. "just as when a king casts his glance upon his subjects, the subjects rejoice and congratulate themselves"〔T25 0458a19〕—once the king glances at his ministers, the ministers rejoice and congratulate themselves; once the Buddha looks round everywhere upon the assembly, the assembly knows for itself that it has received his regard, does not think lightly of itself, and is fit to hear the Dharma. This simile directly explains the name 「顧視」 tr. "looking round" and is the pivot among the similes of this chapter.
The simile of Māra taking the body of a nāga and various strange forms. Treatise ② explains the appearance of Māra's 「得便」 tr. "finding an opening"—「魔作龍身，種種異形可畏之象，夜來恐怖行者」 tr. "Māra takes the body of a nāga, and various strange and fearsome forms, and comes by night to terrify the practitioner"〔T25 0458c09〕—he either manifests fearsome forms and comes by night to terrify, or manifests the finest objects of the five desires to disrupt, or turns people's minds so that they make offerings to him with greed and attachment, or slight, vex, revile, and strike him, destroying the practitioner according to where his mind inclines; this is called finding an opening.
The simile of no wound, no poison taken in. Treatise ② explains why Māra cannot find an opening in one who well cultivates the emptiness of dharmas and yet does not cling to emptiness—「是人善修諸法空，亦不著空；不著空者，云何當得便！」 tr. "this person well cultivates the emptiness of dharmas, and yet does not cling to emptiness; how could an opening be found in one who does not cling to emptiness!"〔T25 0458c18〕—the base text's quotation ends here, and the treatise-author continues with a simile: with no wound, no poison is taken in—if the body has no wound, the poison has nowhere to enter; if the mind does not cling to emptiness, Māra has no opening.
The simile of fire not extinguishing fire, because of different marks. Treatise ② explains why emptiness, signlessness, and non-action do not give one another an opening—「如火不能滅火，得水則滅，以異相故」 tr. "as fire cannot extinguish fire, but is extinguished on meeting water, because their marks differ"〔T25 0458c24〕—when all dharmas are truly contemplated they are all empty, signless, and without action; because they are of a single mark, there is nothing that finds an opening, as fire does not extinguish fire while water extinguishes it, because their marks differ.
The two similes of the crown prince. This chapter uses the crown prince as a simile twice, each showing one meaning. Treatise ① uses 「太子雖未正位，必當為王」 tr. "a crown prince, though not yet enthroned, will certainly become king" to make clear that 「即是佛」 tr. "is the Buddha" is a manner of speaking in the world—「如太子雖未正位，必當為王」 tr. "just as a crown prince, though not yet enthroned, will certainly become king"〔T25 0457c05〕; Treatise ③ uses 「太子雖小，群臣百官奉承」 tr. "a crown prince, though young, is served by the ministers and all the officials" to make clear that, though the bodhisattva's body born of fetters and karma lacks power and might, the gods guard and protect him—「譬如太子雖小，群臣百官無不奉承」 tr. "just as a crown prince, though young, is served by every one of the ministers and officials"〔T25 0460a17〕. The former simile makes clear the certainty of 「當為」 tr. "will become", the latter makes clear the reason for 「奉承」 tr. "being served"; both take the crown prince, but what they show differs.
The Dīpaṃkara birth-story. In Sūtra ① the Buddha himself cites the past event of Dīpaṃkara's prediction as proof—formerly, at the time of Dīpaṃkara Buddha, at the crossroads within the City of Flower Adornment, he saw the Buddha and heard the Dharma, and at once attained the practices not departing from the six perfections, from inner emptiness up to the eighteen unshared dharmas, great kindness, and great compassion, and also because of nothing to be attained, Dīpaṃkara Buddha then predicted that after one asaṃkhyeya kalpa he would become a Buddha named Śākyamuni. This birth-story is not merely a narration of past events; it proves the meaning that 「行般若不遠離者即是佛」 tr. "one who practises prajñā without departing from it is the Buddha"—the bodhisattva has already attained the acceptance of non-arising, entered the bodhisattva's position, and sees the Buddhas of the ten directions, and so is like the Buddha. The later ancient master Junzheng cites this episode of prediction as scriptural proof of 「方便得授記」 tr. "receiving the prediction through skilful means"; details in Section VI.
IV. The Sūtra Passage Explained
Two chapter names: Looking Round / Three Praises (recorded side by side without judgement). This treatise and the sūtra explained each give this chapter its own name; this is the first matter of the chapter that needs to be sorted out. This treatise titles the chapter 「大智度論釋顧視品第三十」 tr. "Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa, Commentary on the Chapter on Looking Round, the Thirtieth"〔T25 0457a02〕, and the mulu of the chapter body reads 「顧視品」 tr. "Chapter on Looking Round"〔T25 0457a06〕; the sūtra explained, the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra translated by Kumārajīva of the Later Qin, titles this chapter 「三歎品第三十」 tr. "Chapter on the Three Praises, the Thirtieth"〔T08 0279b24〕. The two names each have their source: 「顧視」 tr. "looking round" takes the meaning of the Buddha's looking round upon the fourfold assembly and his regard in looking round everywhere in Sūtra ②; 「三歎」 tr. "three praises" takes the event of the gods praising three times over at the same time in Sūtra ①; both are contained in the sūtra text of this chapter, and each establishes the name on one aspect. Within each of the two texts there are further traces of variant names: this treatise's own collation notes, under the chapter title, set out the variant readings of six texts together—the Taishō base text reads 「顧視品」 tr. "Chapter on Looking Round", the Palace edition reads 「第三十品三歎品」 tr. "Thirtieth Chapter, Chapter on the Three Praises", and the three editions Song, Yuan, and Ming read 「三歎品第三十」 tr. "Chapter on the Three Praises, the Thirtieth" (collation notes in Section VIII)—that is, among the transmitted texts of this treatise, apart from the Taishō base text, most read 「三歎品」 tr. "Chapter on the Three Praises"; the sūtra explained itself carries under its chapter title an interlinear note, 「丹本作顧視品」 tr. "the Khitan edition reads ‘Chapter on Looking Round’", and this Khitan variant name is word for word identical with the proper title 「顧視品」 tr. "Chapter on Looking Round" of this treatise's Taishō base text. The chapter names of the two texts are each other's variant names: two transmissions of the name of one prajñā chapter, preserved side by side as they are. In this edition the chapter name follows this treatise's base text, 「顧視品」 tr. "Chapter on Looking Round" (the main axis for the chapter names of this edition is this treatise, not the sūtra explained); on the side of the sūtra explained, 「三歎品」 tr. "Chapter on the Three Praises" is kept word for word in the comparative narrative and is not altered; recorded side by side without judgement, with no decision made on anyone's behalf as to which single name is correct.
Chapter-number misalignment (continuing a pattern established in the preceding chapters). In the sūtra explained, the ordinal in the mulu attribute for this chapter is thirty-one, while the displayed title is 「三歎品」 tr. "Chapter on the Three Praises" (displayed chapter number thirty): the attribute counts one place more than the displayed text—a continuation of the established phenomenon in the electronic canon text of the sūtra explained since Chapter 27, "Asking about Abiding" (ordinal = displayed number plus one), not something newly arising in this chapter. In this treatise the mulu attribute ordinal for this chapter is thirty, matching the displayed 「顧視品」 tr. "Chapter on Looking Round" (chapter thirty): the numbering is self-consistent, with no such misalignment; for the next chapter, "Quelling Strife", this treatise's mulu attribute ordinal is thirty-one, matching the displayed chapter number thirty-one, likewise without misalignment—this is a structural phenomenon on the side of the electronic canon text of the sūtra explained alone, not seen on this treatise's side; it is recorded as it is, without judging its cause.
Full comparative reading of the cited sūtra. The three Sūtra sections of this treatise (Sūtra ①②③ combined, as the continuous stream of Chinese characters left after stripping the Sūtra and Treatise markers) were collated word for word against the whole of the sūtra explained's chapter "Three Praises": over two thousand characters on this treatise's side and over two thousand on the side of the sūtra explained, the rate of word-for-word agreement lying within the normal range for comparative readings of the prajñā chapters; the sūtra explained has no Treatise layer for this chapter, the whole chapter being sūtra text, corresponding word for word to the sūtra cited in this treatise's three sections. Every section is a full citation (corresponding word for word to the original, with only differences of translation style in punctuation conventions, word order, and the addition or omission of single characters), with no abridged citation or large-scale deletion. The differences fall into two classes: first, pure differences of punctuation convention—the editorial layer of the sūtra explained uses enumeration commas more sparingly, especially visible where list sentences are run together; these are differences of editorial convention, not textual variants; second, systematic variant writings and isolated differences of wording: apart from the chapter name 「顧視／三歎」 tr. "Looking Round / Three Praises", there are the five matters of the two-sided collation that bear on doctrine, together with the examples of the comparison group, as follows.
Systematic variant writings (recurring across texts). This treatise's 「檀波羅蜜」 tr. "the perfection of giving" and 「禪波羅蜜」 tr. "the perfection of meditation" (abbreviated transcription) appear in the sūtra explained mostly as 「檀那波羅蜜」 tr. "the perfection of giving (dāna)" and 「禪那波羅蜜」 tr. "the perfection of meditation (dhyāna)" (the full transcription, adding the final 「那」 tr. "na"); this systematic variant writing, 「檀那／檀」 tr. "dāna / dān" and 「禪那／禪」 tr. "dhyāna / dhyān", agrees with what was recorded in the preceding chapters, and this chapter adds further examples; this treatise's 「華嚴城內」 tr. "within the City of Flower Adornment"〔T25 0457a26〕 appears in the sūtra explained as 「花嚴城」 tr. "City of Flower Adornment (with the plain graph for flower)", and this difference, 「華／花」 tr. "flower (ornate graph) / flower (plain graph)", likewise recurs across chapters. All three are recorded side by side without judgement.
Five findings of the two-sided collation. In the comparative reading of this chapter with the sūtra explained, there are five matters that bear on doctrine or transliteration and have mutual evidence from both texts; their levels of reliability differ, and they are listed separately as they are.
First finding (the broadest reliability · threefold mutual evidence): the construction 「聲聞、辟支佛、佛」 tr. "śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, Buddha" + 「乘」 tr. "vehicle". The sentence 「三乘之教——聲聞、辟支佛、佛乘」 tr. "the teaching of the three vehicles—the śrāvaka, the pratyekabuddha, and the Buddha vehicle" appears three times in Sūtra ① of this chapter〔0457a13／0457a15–16／0457a19〕; in this treatise's base text, of the three terms only the last, 「佛乘」 tr. "Buddha vehicle", carries 「乘」 tr. "vehicle". In all three appearances the sūtra explained reads 「所謂聲聞乘、辟支佛乘、佛乘」 tr. "namely the śrāvaka vehicle, the pratyekabuddha vehicle, and the Buddha vehicle"〔T08 0279c03〕, all three terms attaching 「乘」 tr. "vehicle". Checking back against this treatise's own collation notes: at the first appearance of this sentence there are three collation notes—for 「聲」 tr. "śrā-", the Taishō has 「聲」 tr. "śrā-" alone while the Yuan, Ming, Shōgozō, and Ishiyama read 「所謂聲」 tr. "namely śrā-"; for 「聞」 tr. "-vaka", the Taishō has 「聞」 tr. "-vaka" alone while the Shōgozō and Ishiyama read 「聞乘」 tr. "-vaka vehicle"; for 「佛」 tr. "-buddha", the Taishō has 「佛」 tr. "-buddha" alone while the Shōgozō and Ishiyama read 「佛乘」 tr. "-buddha vehicle"; in the collation notes at the second and third appearances of the sentence, the transmitted texts narrow to the Shōgozō and Ishiyama, or even to the Ishiyama alone, but the direction is consistent. That is, the Yuan, Ming, Shōgozō, and Ishiyama texts among the transmitted texts of this treatise already show, for these three terms, a tendency toward the same construction as the sūtra explained, 「所謂……乘……乘……乘」 tr. "namely … vehicle … vehicle … vehicle". This sentence, occurring three times with mutual evidence from both texts, is the material of broadest reliability in this chapter's comparative reading with the sūtra explained; recorded side by side without judgement.
Second finding: 「陀憐尼」 tr. "dhāraṇī (written with lian)" / 「陀羅尼」 tr. "dhāraṇī". This treatise's Sūtra ① reads 「一切陀憐尼門」 tr. "all the dhāraṇī gates (written with lian)"〔T25 0457b03〕; this treatise's own collation notes have two records here—for 「陀」 tr. "dhā-", the Taishō reads 「陀」 tr. "dhā-" while the Shōgozō reads 「他」 tr. "ta-"; for 「憐」 tr. "lian", the Taishō reads 「憐」 tr. "lian" while the six texts Song, Yuan, Ming, Palace, Shōgozō, and Ishiyama read 「羅」 tr. "ra" (collation notes in Section VIII)—that is, all six transmitted texts of this treatise other than the Taishō base text read 「陀羅尼」 tr. "dhāraṇī"; the sūtra explained reads at that place 「一切陀羅尼門」 tr. "all the dhāraṇī gates"〔T08 0279c24〕, with no variant of its own. The base text's 「陀憐尼」 tr. "dhāraṇī (written with lian)" is an isolated reading that the six texts in common do not share; recorded side by side without judgement.
Third finding (inverted type · the transmitted texts of the sūtra explained itself agree with this treatise): 「鞞」 tr. "pi (leather-radical graph)" / 「毘」 tr. "pi (variant graph)" (the transliteration of ‘perfect in clarity and conduct’). This treatise's base text reads 「鞞侈遮羅那」 tr. "vidyācaraṇa"〔T25 0457b07〕, and this treatise itself has no divergence among its transmitted texts at this place (all the Chinese texts read 「鞞」 tr. "pi (leather-radical graph)"; a control item). The base text of the sūtra explained reads 「毘侈遮羅那」 tr. "vidyācaraṇa (with the variant graph)"〔T08 0279c28〕, but the sūtra explained itself has a collation note here—for 「毘」 tr. "pi (variant graph)", the Taishō reads 「毘」 tr. "pi (variant graph)" while the five texts Song, Yuan, Ming, Palace, and Shōgozō read 「鞞」 tr. "pi (leather-radical graph)" (collation notes in Section VIII)—that is, all five transmitted texts of the sūtra explained other than the Taishō base text read 「鞞」 tr. "pi (leather-radical graph)", agreeing with the whole lineage of this treatise. This is the most striking example of the two-sided collation in this chapter: it is not that a divergence within this treatise agrees with the sūtra explained (as in the first and second findings), but that the group of non-base transmitted texts of the sūtra explained itself agrees with the whole lineage of this treatise, only the base text of the sūtra explained standing alone in its reading. Taking together the ancient master Jizang's transliteration with 「毗」 tr. "pi (standard graph)", four transmissions of this sound stand side by side—「鞞（本論）／毘（所釋經底本）／鞞（所釋經五本）／毗（吉藏）」 tr. "pi, leather-radical graph (this treatise) / pi, variant graph (base text of the sūtra explained) / pi, leather-radical graph (five texts of the sūtra explained) / pi, standard graph (Jizang)"; recorded side by side without judgement.
Fourth finding: the presence or absence of 「諸」 tr. "all (plural marker)" (with good men and good women). This treatise's Sūtra ② reads 「是諸善男子、善女人明於內空」 tr. "all these good men and good women are clear about inner emptiness"〔T25 0458a11〕; this treatise's own collation note—the Taishō has 「諸」 tr. "all (plural marker)" while the four editions Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace lack it (collation notes in Section VIII)—that is, these four texts of this treatise read 「是善男子、善女人明於內空」 tr. "these good men and good women are clear about inner emptiness", agreeing with the sūtra explained at that place (without 「諸」 tr. "all (plural marker)"); the sūtra explained itself has no divergence. Recorded side by side without judgement.
Fifth finding (a cross-chapter recurrence of the same word-pair as in the preceding chapter, "Scattering Flowers"): 「世界」 tr. "world" / 「國土」 tr. "land". This treatise's Sūtra ③ reads 「有成就眾生、淨佛世界」 tr. "there is the bringing of beings to maturity and the purifying of Buddha-worlds"〔T25 0459c12〕; this treatise's own collation note—for 「世界」 tr. "world", the Taishō reads 「世界」 tr. "world" while the three texts Yuan, Ming, and Ishiyama read 「國土」 tr. "land" (collation notes in Section VIII)—that is, these three texts of this treatise read 「淨佛國土」 tr. "purifying Buddha-lands"; the sūtra explained reads at that place 「成就眾生、淨佛國土」 tr. "bringing beings to maturity and purifying Buddha-lands"〔T08 0280b23〕. The Yuan, Ming, and Ishiyama texts of this treatise agree with the sūtra explained: this is two-way mutual evidence with internal support from the transmitted texts on this treatise's side, and a cross-chapter recurrence of the same word-group as 「淨佛世界／國土」 tr. "purifying Buddha-worlds / Buddha-lands" in the preceding chapter, "Scattering Flowers" (at that place in the preceding chapter, this treatise's Yuan, Ming, and Ishiyama texts likewise read 「國土」 tr. "land"). Recorded side by side without judgement.
Control group check (negative comparison). Beyond the five findings above, between this treatise and the sūtra explained there are also the differences 「脩／修」 tr. "xiu / xiu (two graphs)" and 「迦／伽」 tr. "ka / ga" (characters used in the transliterations of the ten epithets), and 「檀／檀那」 tr. "dān / dāna" and 「禪／禪那」 tr. "dhyān / dhyāna"; checked back one by one against this treatise's own collation notes, none has any record of internal support from the transmitted texts—that is, these differences are purely differences in the respective translation habits of the two texts, with no internal evidence from variant readings among this treatise's transmitted texts, in contrast to the five findings above, which do have internal evidence. This is recorded to show the restraint of the method, which does not pick at every difference it meets.
V. The Prajñā Eye
The eye of this chapter lies in 「畢竟空而有三乘」 tr. "ultimate emptiness, and yet three vehicles" and in 「顧視如佛」 tr. "looking round upon one as a Buddha"—in prajñā there is no dharma to be found, and yet the teaching of the three vehicles is clearly present; the Buddha looks round upon the person who receives and upholds it and regards him as a Buddha; the gods' praise, the Buddha's looking round everywhere, and the gods' protection all serve to bring out this mark of the non-duality of emptiness and existence and of the matching of person and Dharma. Its meaning can be summarised in five layers.
First, ultimate emptiness, and yet the distinction of the three vehicles. The gods praise prajñā and regard the person as a Buddha, and Treatise ① explains where the deep Dharma lies—「一切法雖畢竟空，而有三乘分別」 tr. "though all dharmas are ultimately empty, there is yet the distinction of the three vehicles"〔T25 0457b23〕: if all dharmas were ultimately empty, one ought not to cultivate and accumulate the merits of the three vehicles (falling into annihilation); if one cultivates the merits of the three vehicles, it would seem not to be ultimate emptiness (distinctions of degree); yet prajñā 「雖畢竟空而不墮斷滅，雖分別有三乘亦不生著心，於二事中不取定相」 tr. "though ultimately empty, does not fall into annihilation; though it distinguishes three vehicles, it does not give rise to a clinging mind; in the two matters it does not grasp a fixed mark"〔T25 0457b27〕—emptiness does not obstruct existence, and existence does not lose emptiness; this is the profound and subtle point of this chapter, and the reason why the gods praised three times over.
Second, regarding this person as a Buddha (because of revering the Dharma). The gods 「視是人如佛」 tr. "regard this person as a Buddha"〔T25 0457a10〕, and Treatise ① explains that the reason lies in 「尊重法故」 tr. "because of revering the Dharma"〔T25 0457b22〕—the Dharma revered is the deep prajñā. As to the phrase 「當知是菩薩即是佛」 tr. "know that this bodhisattva is the Buddha"〔T25 0457c04〕, the treatise distinguishes that 「即是佛」 tr. "is the Buddha" is a manner of speaking in the world, as the crown prince not yet enthroned will certainly become king, and does not mean that he has already attained right awakening; this bodhisattva has already attained the acceptance of non-arising, entered the bodhisattva's position, and sees the Buddhas of the ten directions, and so, on the ground of 「當為」 tr. "will become", he is called like the Buddha. The Buddha looks round upon this person precisely because he practises the deep prajñā without departing from it.
Third, the Buddha is unfindable, and yet by the coming together of dharmas there is a Buddha. In Sūtra ① the Buddha speaks at length—within the perfection of giving up to the perfection of prajñā the Buddha is unfindable, and apart from them the Buddha is also unfindable; Treatise ① gathers it up—「諸法和合因緣故有佛，無有自性」 tr. "because of the causes and conditions of the coming together of dharmas there is a Buddha, without any own-nature"〔T25 0457c03〕: the Buddha is neither to be found within the six perfections nor to be found apart from the six perfections; because of the coming together of causes and conditions he is provisionally named the Buddha and has no own-nature—the meaning that in prajñā no dharma is to be found admits no exception even for the name 「佛」 tr. "Buddha".
Fourth, because the own-nature of dharmas is unfindable, Māra cannot find an opening. Sūtra ② makes clear that Māra cannot find an opening in one who receives and upholds prajñā, and its root lies in 「是諸法自性不可得，無事可得便，誰受惱者」 tr. "the own-nature of these dharmas is unfindable; there is nothing in which an opening can be found; who is it that suffers vexation?"〔T25 0457c24〕—truly knowing that form up to omniscience of all kinds is all empty, signless, and without action: emptiness cannot find an opening in emptiness, up to non-action cannot find an opening in non-action. Treatise ② extends it—「是人善修諸法空，亦不著空」 tr. "this person well cultivates the emptiness of dharmas, and yet does not cling to emptiness"〔T25 0458c18〕, and so Māra has no opening, as with no wound no poison is taken in, as fire does not extinguish fire because their marks differ. Not suffering Māra's opening is not a separate power of warding off Māra; it is simply this one meaning, the emptiness of dharmas and the unfindability of own-nature.
Fifth, the weighing: the two vehicles are not equal to the bodhisattva of the first arousing of intent. In Sūtra ③ the Buddha sets out that making offerings to śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas filling the three-thousand great-thousand world does not equal the merit of making offerings to a bodhisattva of the first arousing of the mind—because it is not by reason of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas that bodhisattvas and Buddhas appear, but on the contrary by reason of bodhisattvas that śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and Buddhas appear. Treatise ③ gathers up its three matters—「以三事故不如：一者、用薩婆若心行般若，二者、常不離六波羅蜜等諸功德，三者、由是菩薩斷三惡道、出生三乘」 tr. "they are not equal because of three matters: first, he practises prajñā with the mind of sarvajñā; second, he never departs from the six perfections and the other merits; third, it is through this bodhisattva that the three evil paths are cut off and the three vehicles brought forth"〔T25 0460a23〕: though the two vehicles have already realised the limit of reality and are fields of merit for beings, they cannot cut off the three evil paths or bring forth the three vehicles, and so they are not equal to the bodhisattva of the first arousing of the mind. The meaning of looking round upon one as a Buddha reaches its culmination in this weighing—prajñā is the mother of the Buddhas of the three times, and making offerings to the bodhisattva who practises prajñā is making offerings to the Buddha.
VI. Divergent Readings of the Masters
The Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa has no tradition of a complete line-by-line commentary; the ancient masters' citations and explanations lean wherever the material happens to fall. The ancient masters' rereading of this chapter is of two types: Jizang's commentary, which explains the sūtra being explained, preserves a complete dedicated section, whose explanation of the chapter name and whose items of structural division correspond one by one to the sūtra and treatise of this chapter; Huiying's commentary, which explains the treatise, is broken off and does not cover this fascicle. Besides these, Junzheng cites this chapter's prediction by Dīpaṃkara as scriptural proof, and there are records of the chapter name in two forms in bibliographical works. This section records the correspondence between what each commented on or cited and this chapter, and does not judge the relative merit of the interpretations.
Jizang's Commentary on the Larger Sūtra (X24n0451). Its line-by-line commentary on this chapter, "Chapter on the Three Praises, the Thirtieth", begins at〔X24 0265b05〕 and ends at〔X24 0266b02〕 (before the start of the next chapter, "Chapter on Strife, the Thirty-first"), covering the whole of this chapter's three Sūtra and three Treatise sections. Eleven points are worth recording. First, the overall division under the chapter title—「此是第二、諸天大眾得悟解稱歎，為法供養歡喜之」 tr. "This is the second: the great assembly of gods attains understanding and praises, making offering to the Dharma and rejoicing in it"〔X24 0265b06〕, explaining the chapter name by 「其同時反稱歎，故以目品」 tr. "because they praised together at one time, over and over, this is used to name the chapter" (the sūtra title Jizang relied on was 「三歎品」 tr. "Chapter on the Three Praises", and so he names the chapter by 「同時反稱歎」 tr. "praising together at one time, over and over"). Second, the threefold structural division—「初、諸天歡喜稱歎；二、述；三、領解重歎」 tr. "first, the gods rejoice and praise; second, the confirmation; third, they receive the understanding and praise again"〔X24 0265b07〕—corresponding to the three segments of Sūtra ①: the gods' praise, the Buddha's confirmation, and the gods' renewed reception of the understanding. Third, the contrast with the preceding chapter—「上天主歎善吉，歎能說之人及歎般若所說之法，今諸天歎佛，歎佛恩中及歎行般若人則始絕，何論歎事周遍？故兩品不同也」 tr. "Above, the lord of the gods praised Good Auspice, praising the person able to speak and praising the Dharma spoken in prajñā; now the gods praise the Buddha, and only with praise within the Buddha's grace and praise of the person who practises prajñā is the praise first brought to completion—how could the matter of praise be called all-encompassing before? Therefore the two chapters are not the same"〔X24 0265b14〕—distinguishing the praise in this chapter from the praise in the preceding chapter. Fourth, the proof by Dīpaṃkara—「次引燃燈證者，昔悟無生故，般若理前萬行法成」 tr. "Next, citing Dīpaṃkara as proof: because he formerly awakened to non-arising, before the principle of prajñā the dharmas of the myriad practices are accomplished"〔X24 0265b18〕—corresponding to the Dīpaṃkara birth-story section of Sūtra ①. Fifth, the renewed reception of understanding—「爾時諸天子下，第三、重領解，更明不斷不常中道正觀義」 tr. "From ‘at that time the gods’ onward is the third, the renewed reception of understanding, further making clear the meaning of the right contemplation of the middle way, neither annihilation nor permanence"〔X24 0265b21〕—corresponding to the gods' praise of neither taking up nor rejecting at the end of Sūtra ①. Sixth, the transliterations of the ten epithets—「云毗侈遮羅，明行足也。脩伽度，善逝也。路伽憊，世間解也」 tr. "it says vidyācara: this is ‘perfect in clarity and conduct’. Sugata: this is ‘well-gone’. Lokavid: this is ‘knower of the world’"〔X24 0265b22〕—matching the transliterations of the ten epithets in Sūtra ①; Jizang himself uses 「毗」 tr. "pi (standard graph)", 「脩」 tr. "xiu (variant graph)", and 「伽」 tr. "ga"; see Section IV, the third finding. Seventh, the concluding point of the three rounds for three faculties—「爾時佛歎四眾下三十四品，明若妙義間為三，此是第二大段，前三十品三周為三根人明般若體已竟」 tr. "From ‘at that time the Buddha praised the fourfold assembly’ onward, thirty-four chapters make clear the wondrous meaning, divided into three; this is the second great section; the preceding thirty chapters, in three rounds for people of three faculties, have finished making clear the substance of prajñā"〔X24 0265b24〕—Jizang takes this chapter (the thirtieth) as the concluding point of the Larger Sūtra's 「三周三根人明般若體」 tr. "making clear the substance of prajñā in three rounds for people of three faculties". Eighth, the overall division of the nine chapters on rejoicing—「二、從此去其隨喜九品經歎般若所生功德」 tr. "Second, from here on, the sūtra of its nine chapters on rejoicing praises the merit to which prajñā gives rise"〔X24 0265c02〕—pointing out that the nine chapters from this one on are the section praising the merit of prajñā, and rebutting the view of 「開善釋金剛般若」 tr. "Kaishan's explanation of the Diamond Prajñā" that takes this as the meaning of circulation. Ninth, the framework of the five fruits and the nine chapters—「九品為二：第一、八品半明受持乃至正憶念般若故，所得功德格量顯稱歎勸脩」 tr. "The nine chapters form two: first, eight and a half chapters make clear the merit obtained through receiving and upholding, up to rightly bearing in mind, prajñā, weighing it to show praise and to exhort cultivation"〔X24 0265c22〕—this chapter belongs to the weighing of the five fruits of prajñā spoken of in the first round. Tenth, the fruit of the gods' protection—「爾時三千大千下，第五、諸天守護果」 tr. "From ‘at that time the three-thousand great-thousand’ onward is the fifth, the fruit of the gods' protection"〔X24 0266a20〕—in clarifying the fruits there are only five, yet going by the text there are six (Māra finds no opening, humans find no opening, no untimely death, seeing the gods arouse the mind to receive and uphold, the safety of the dwelling place, the gods' protection), corresponding to the items of Treatise ②. Eleventh, the weighing of the two vehicles against the bodhisattva in three meanings—「若三千大千下，第六、明格量。格量，行般若人也。正舉二乘，格量菩薩三義智勝二乘：一、應薩婆若心行；二、菩提不離六波羅蜜功；三、由菩薩智斷三惡道出生三乘也」 tr. "From ‘if the three-thousand great-thousand’ onward is the sixth, making clear the weighing. The weighing concerns the person who practises prajñā. It properly takes up the two vehicles and weighs the bodhisattva, whose wisdom surpasses the two vehicles in three meanings: first, he practises in accord with the mind of sarvajñā; second, [he aims at] awakening without departing from the work of the six perfections; third, through the bodhisattva's wisdom the three evil paths are cut off and the three vehicles brought forth"〔X24 0266a23〕—the order of Jizang's three meanings corresponds word for word to the 「三事不如」 tr. "not equal in three matters" at the end of Treatise ③.
Junzheng's Profound Meaning of the Four Mahāyāna Treatises (X46n0784). The Tang master Junzheng of the Three Treatise school (of a line of Jizang's later followers), discussing in Fascicle 9 the meaning of prediction by skilful means, cites this chapter's prediction by Dīpaṃkara as scriptural proof—「而不得授記。於值燃燈佛，方得授記。大品經、三歎品亦然也」 tr. "and yet he did not receive a prediction. Only on meeting Dīpaṃkara Buddha did he receive the prediction. The Larger Sūtra's Chapter on the Three Praises is also so"〔X46 0629b22〕—using the prediction episode of this chapter's Sūtra ①, 「昔於然燈佛時……然燈佛記我當來世……」 tr. "formerly, at the time of Dīpaṃkara Buddha … Dīpaṃkara Buddha predicted that in a future age I …", to prove the meaning 「值佛方得授記」 tr. "only on meeting a Buddha does one receive the prediction". Junzheng uses the name 「三歎品」 tr. "Chapter on the Three Praises" (following the practice of the sūtra explained's chapter name); this is the second ancient master, independent of Jizang's commentary, to cite this chapter by name.
Huiying's Commentary (X46n0791). It is the only ancient commentary explaining this treatise, and survives only in fragmentary fascicles; the surviving fascicles are 1, 6, 14, 15, 17, 21, and 24; Fascicle 17 ends at the treatise's Fascicle 45, and Fascicle 21 begins at the treatise's Fascicle 59; Fascicle 56 of the treatise, to which this chapter belongs, falls exactly within the gap between these two fascicles, and the surviving fascicles of Huiying's commentary do not cover this chapter at all. A search back through the whole corpus for word-strings unique to this chapter, such as 「顧視品」 tr. "Chapter on Looking Round", 「三歎品」 tr. "Chapter on the Three Praises", 「陀憐尼」 tr. "dhāraṇī (written with lian)", and 「然燈佛時」 tr. "at the time of Dīpaṃkara Buddha", yields zero hits for the passages of this chapter—the fragmentary fascicles of Huiying's commentary do not cover this chapter, continuing the conclusion recorded for the preceding chapters; recorded as it is.
Bibliographical records (the chapter name in two forms · recorded for reference). The Tang monk Xuanyi's Extended Chapter Register of the Buddhist Teaching of the Kaiyuan Era of the Great Tang (A097n1267) records this chapter as 「摩訶般若波羅蜜經顧視品第二十九」 tr. "Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra, Chapter on Looking Round, the Twenty-ninth"〔A097n1267 0812b11〕, using the name 「顧視品」 tr. "Chapter on Looking Round" but numbering it 「第二十九」 tr. "the twenty-ninth" (one step fewer than the 「第三十」 tr. "the thirtieth" of this treatise and the sūtra explained—a difference in the counting basis of that catalogue's chapter numbering for the whole work; its cause has not been investigated, and the literal wording is recorded as it is). The Song monk Weibai's Essentials of the Outline of the Great Canon (C056n1159) uses both chapter names within the same work—in Fascicle 2, 「三歎品 諸天云。快哉快哉。快說是法」 tr. "Chapter on the Three Praises: the gods said, Excellent, excellent; excellently is this Dharma spoken"〔C056n1159 0139a10〕 uses the name 「三歎品」 tr. "Chapter on the Three Praises"; in Fascicle 5, 「釋般若中顧視品學般若人視之如佛」 tr. "Explains, within the Prajñā, the Chapter on Looking Round: one who trains in prajñā is regarded as a Buddha"〔C056n1159 0185c08〕 uses the name 「顧視品」 tr. "Chapter on Looking Round"—the same work uses the two names in two places, supporting evidence for the circulation of the chapter name in two forms.
Recent writings (excluded by rule). There is also the recent author Yinshun's Collection of Flower Rain, which cites 「三歎品」 tr. "Chapter on the Three Praises"; it is the work of a recent author and, by rule, is excluded: its existence is only recorded, and it is neither taken as an ancient-master authority nor brought into the doctrinal citations.
VII. Cross-reading and Further Resonances
On the line of meaning of this chapter, three points carry on before and after; all are recorded in this section, and no reading is fixed on anyone's behalf.
First, the treatise's self-references and the running of chapter through chapter. The treatise repeatedly uses cross-reference—Treatise ②'s 「如〈魔品〉中廣說」 tr. "as explained at length in the ‘Chapter on Māra’"〔T25 0458c15〕 (the details of the appearances of Māra's finding an opening, pointing to the earlier "Chapter on Māra"), Treatise ②'s 「善男子、善女人義，先已廣說」 tr. "the meaning of good man and good woman has already been explained at length before"〔T25 0459a11〕, and Treatise ③'s 「如先義中說」 tr. "as explained in the earlier meaning"〔T25 0460a14〕 (the details of the fruits and results of the wholesome dharmas, pointing to an earlier explanation)—all clear evidence of this treatise's chapters running through one another and completing their meaning by cross-reference.
Second, the treatise's own explanation, in a later fascicle, of the meaning of 「如佛／次佛」 tr. "like the Buddha / next to the Buddha" (a further resonance of high reliability). In the two places in this chapter, Sūtra ①'s 「我輩視是人如佛」 tr. "we regard this person as a Buddha"〔T25 0457a10〕 and Treatise ①'s 「我等當視是人如佛」 tr. "we should regard this person as a Buddha"〔T25 0457b22〕, the words 「如佛」 tr. "like the Buddha" occur, but this chapter does not unfold the exact sense of 「如佛」 tr. "like the Buddha". This meaning is explained by the treatise itself in a later fascicle: Fascicle 58—「我等視是人如佛、若次佛」 tr. "we regard this person as a Buddha, or as next to the Buddha"; 「如佛」 tr. "like the Buddha" means 「法性身，住阿鞞跋致，得無生法忍，乃至十地」 tr. "the dharma-nature body, abiding as avaivartika, having attained the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas, up to the ten grounds"〔T25 0471b02〕, and 「次佛」 tr. "next to the Buddha" means 「肉身菩薩能說般若波羅蜜及其正義」 tr. "the bodhisattva in a flesh body who can speak the prajñāpāramitā and its right meaning"〔T25 0471b04〕; Fascicle 59 points back again—「如佛、若次佛義，如先說」 tr. "the meaning of ‘like the Buddha’ or ‘next to the Buddha’ is as explained before"〔T25 0481a28〕. The exact sense of this chapter's phrase 「視是人如佛」 tr. "regard this person as a Buddha" is explained by the treatise's later text as two classes, 「如佛（法性身菩薩）、次佛（肉身能說般若之菩薩）」 tr. "like the Buddha (the bodhisattva of the dharma-nature body), next to the Buddha (the bodhisattva in a flesh body who can speak prajñā)"; this is a further resonance in which the treatise's earlier and later parts call and answer each other, the later text explaining the earlier by itself, and on this basis the Exposition can make clear that the proper understanding of this phrase in this chapter comes from Fascicle 58 of the treatise.
Third, the ancient masters' carrying on of the prediction by Dīpaṃkara and of the concluding point of the three rounds. The prediction by Dīpaṃkara in this chapter's Sūtra ① was later carried on by the ancient master Junzheng as scriptural proof of 「方便得授記」 tr. "receiving the prediction through skilful means" (Section VI); Jizang takes this chapter as the concluding point of the Larger Sūtra's 「三周三根人明般若體」 tr. "making clear the substance of prajñā in three rounds for people of three faculties" and as the opening of the nine chapters on rejoicing (Section VI); both speak from the position of this chapter within the structure of the Larger Sūtra, and belong to one school's structural division carried on by an ancient master; this section records their traces, and does not fix them on anyone's behalf as structural assertions proved by the sūtra text itself.
VIII. Witnesses and Editions
The base text of this chapter is Fascicle 56 of the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa〔T25 0457a02–0460a27〕; the collation text for the sūtra explained is the chapter "Three Praises" of the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra〔T08 0279b24–0280c14〕; the ancient-master commentary text for collation is Jizang's Commentary on the Larger Sūtra (X24n0451, covering this chapter at〔X24 0265b05–0266b02〕); the fragmentary fascicles of Huiying's Commentary (X46n0791) do not cover this chapter; there is further a single citation of the prediction by Dīpaṃkara in Fascicle 9 of Junzheng's Profound Meaning of the Four Mahāyāna Treatises (X46n0784). The variant collation notes follow the Taishō collation, covering differences between the Taishō base text and the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace editions, the Shōgozō manuscript, and the Ishiyama text (the Ishiyama-dera manuscript).
Compound collation notes on the chapter title (variant names in six texts · the evidential basis for the two chapter names). The first two collation notes of the chapter set out together the variant texts of six texts for the chapter title and for the count of fascicle and chapter. The first〔T25 0457a02〕, the fascicle-head title—「大智度論釋顧視品第三十（卷五十六）【大】｜大智度經論卷第五十六釋等廿九品註第卅品【聖】｜摩訶般若波羅蜜經三反稱嘆品廿九，五十八【石】」 tr. "‘Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa, Commentary on the Chapter on Looking Round, the Thirtieth (Fascicle Fifty-six)’ in the Taishō; ‘Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra-Treatise, Fascicle Fifty-six, explaining up to the twenty-ninth chapter, commentary on the thirtieth chapter’ in the Shōgozō; ‘Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra, Chapter on Praising Three Times Over, twenty-nine, fifty-eight’ in the Ishiyama"—the Shōgozō's fascicle-head title sets 「廿九品」 tr. "twenty-ninth chapter" (the sūtra chapter) side by side with 「第卅品」 tr. "thirtieth chapter" (the chapter commented on by the treatise), and the Ishiyama text's title is 「三反稱嘆品廿九」 tr. "Chapter on Praising Three Times Over, twenty-nine"; on the face of the wording, the fascicle-head title records of the several texts themselves use different counts to refer to the same division. The second〔T25 0457a02〕, the chapter title—「顧視品第三十【大】｜第三十品三歎品【宮】｜三歎品第三十【宋】【元】【明】」 tr. "‘Chapter on Looking Round, the Thirtieth’ in the Taishō; ‘Thirtieth Chapter, Chapter on the Three Praises’ in the Palace; ‘Chapter on the Three Praises, the Thirtieth’ in the Song, Yuan, and Ming"—the Taishō base text reads 「顧視品」 tr. "Chapter on Looking Round", the Palace edition reads 「第三十品三歎品」 tr. "Thirtieth Chapter, Chapter on the Three Praises", and the Song, Yuan, and Ming editions read 「三歎品第三十」 tr. "Chapter on the Three Praises, the Thirtieth". These two notes are the evidential basis on this treatise's side for the two chapter names (Looking Round / Three Praises), and are used for the decision on the chapter name in Section IV; the Shōgozō's fascicle-head title setting 「廿九」 tr. "twenty-nine" and 「第卅」 tr. "thirtieth" side by side for one matter is only recorded as it stands, and is not used to infer a causal relation with the chapter-number misalignment of the sūtra explained (as a matter of honesty).
Distinguishing the chapter-number misalignments. Among the transmitted texts of this treatise, the chapter count in the fascicle-head and chapter titles in some reads 「第三十」 tr. "the thirtieth", and in some sets 「廿九」 tr. "twenty-nine" and 「第卅」 tr. "thirtieth" side by side (see the Shōgozō and Ishiyama texts above); in the electronic canon text of the sūtra explained, the mulu attribute ordinal is one place ahead of the displayed text (ordinal thirty-one against displayed thirty)—the former is a divergence of counting within the manuscripts of this treatise, the latter a lack of synchronisation between the arrangement and the title within a single electronic canon text; their natures differ, they are recorded separately as they are, and they should not be confused.
The five places bearing on doctrine or transliteration, variant readings listed separately (recorded side by side without judgement). First, the construction of the repeated sentence 「聲聞、辟支佛、佛乘」 tr. "the śrāvaka, the pratyekabuddha, and the Buddha vehicle"—「聲【大】｜所謂聲【元】【明】【聖】【石】」 tr. "‘śrā-’ in the Taishō; ‘namely śrā-’ in the Yuan, Ming, Shōgozō, and Ishiyama", 「聞【大】｜聞乘【聖】【石】」 tr. "‘-vaka’ in the Taishō; ‘-vaka vehicle’ in the Shōgozō and Ishiyama", 「佛【大】｜佛乘【聖】【石】」 tr. "‘-buddha’ in the Taishō; ‘-buddha vehicle’ in the Shōgozō and Ishiyama" (all tied to the places〔0457a13〕〔0457a15〕〔0457a16〕〔0457a19〕); the Yuan, Ming, Shōgozō, and Ishiyama texts of this treatise show the same construction as the sūtra explained (Section IV, the first finding). Second, 「陀憐尼」 tr. "dhāraṇī (written with lian)"—「陀【大】｜他【聖】」 tr. "‘dhā-’ in the Taishō; ‘ta-’ in the Shōgozō", 「憐【大】｜羅【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】【石】」 tr. "‘lian’ in the Taishō; ‘ra’ in the Song, Yuan, Ming, Palace, Shōgozō, and Ishiyama"〔0457b03〕; six texts of this treatise read 「陀羅尼」 tr. "dhāraṇī", agreeing with the sūtra explained (the second finding). Third, the presence or absence of 「諸」 tr. "all (plural marker)"—「諸【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】」 tr. "‘all’ in the Taishō; absent in the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace"〔0458a11〕; four texts of this treatise lack 「諸」 tr. "all (plural marker)", agreeing with the sūtra explained (the fourth finding). Fourth, 「世界／國土」 tr. "world / land"—「世界【大】｜國土【元】【明】【石】」 tr. "‘world’ in the Taishō; ‘land’ in the Yuan, Ming, and Ishiyama"〔0459c12〕; three texts of this treatise read 「國土」 tr. "land", agreeing with the sūtra explained's 「淨佛國土」 tr. "purifying Buddha-lands" (the fifth finding). Fifth, 「鞞／毘」 tr. "pi (leather-radical graph) / pi (variant graph)" (the transliteration of ‘perfect in clarity and conduct’)—this treatise's base-text 「鞞」 tr. "pi (leather-radical graph)" has no internal collation note of this treatise at this place; its two-way mutual evidence rests on the collation note on the side of the sūtra explained, 「毘【大】｜鞞【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】」 tr. "‘pi (variant graph)’ in the Taishō; ‘pi (leather-radical graph)’ in the Song, Yuan, Ming, Palace, and Shōgozō" (the third finding; the evidence is in the collation text of the sūtra explained); on this treatise's side it is a control item; the two are recorded separately as they are.
Complete ledger of collation notes (all one hundred and four entries reconciled · transcribed raw). Below, transcribed in their original form from the end of the working base text, the readings of the variant texts are preserved side by side, while the main text still follows the reading of the current base text:
- 〔T25 0457a02〕大智度論釋顧視品第三十（卷五十六）【大】｜大智度經論卷第五十六釋等廿九品註第卅品【聖】｜摩訶般若波羅蜜經三反稱嘆品廿九，五十八【石】
- 〔T25 0457a02〕顧視品第三十【大】｜第三十品三歎品【宮】｜三歎品第三十【宋】【元】【明】
- 〔T25 0457a06〕【經】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0457a09〕布【大】｜出【石】
- 〔T25 0457a13〕聲【大】｜所謂聲【元】【明】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0457a13〕聞【大】｜聞乘【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0457a13〕佛【大】｜佛乘【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0457a15〕聞【大】｜聞乘【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0457a16〕佛【大】｜佛乘【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0457a16〕有【大】｜〔－〕【宮】
- 〔T25 0457a19〕聞【大】｜聞乘【石】
- 〔T25 0457a19〕佛【大】｜佛乘【石】
- 〔T25 0457a24〕學【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0457a24〕法【大】｜諸法【元】【明】【石】
- 〔T25 0457a24〕謂【大】｜諸【聖】
- 〔T25 0457a27〕頭【大】｜中【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0457b02〕三【大】｜三種三【聖】
- 〔T25 0457b03〕陀【大】｜他【聖】
- 〔T25 0457b03〕憐【大】｜羅【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0457b05〕故【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0457b08〕士【大】｜〔－〕【宮】
- 〔T25 0457b08〕丈夫【大】｜〔－〕【宮】
- 〔T25 0457b08〕佛、世尊【大】｜〔－〕【宮】
- 〔T25 0457b13〕【論】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0457b15〕四天【大】｜天四【宋】【宮】｜天【聖】
- 〔T25 0457b16〕已【大】｜以【石】
- 〔T25 0457b21〕承【大】｜衣【聖】
- 〔T25 0457b29〕二【大】｜三【石】
- 〔T25 0457c07〕已【大】｜以【石】
- 〔T25 0457c08〕歎【大】｜讚【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0457c12〕【經】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0457c13〕天【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0457c15〕若【大】｜〔－〕【宮】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0457c15〕若【大】｜〔－〕【石】
- 〔T25 0457c17〕是【大】｜於是【元】【明】
- 〔T25 0457c24〕法【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0457c26〕若人、非【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0458a03〕樂（K14n0549_p1059b11）（T25n1509_p0347c08）【CB】【麗-CB】｜槃【大】｜樂【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0458a05〕般【大】｜槃【石】
- 〔T25 0458a10〕曠【大】｜廣【石】
- 〔T25 0458a11〕諸【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0458a14〕【論】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0458a14〕已【大】｜以【明】
- 〔T25 0458a17〕欲【大】｜故【聖】
- 〔T25 0458a19〕眄【大】｜明【聖】
- 〔T25 0458a20〕欣【大】｜仰【聖】
- 〔T25 0458a22〕中【大】｜中大【石】
- 〔T25 0458a23〕是【大】｜提【宋】
- 〔T25 0458a23〕婆【大】｜桓【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0458b04〕般【大】｜槃【石】
- 〔T25 0458b07〕後【大】｜復【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0458b17〕嫉【大】｜疾【石】
- 〔T25 0458b18〕歸【大】｜師【宮】
- 〔T25 0458b18〕嫉妬【大】｜妬嫉【石】
- 〔T25 0458b19〕名【大】｜〔－〕【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0458c01〕愛【大】｜受【宮】
- 〔T25 0458c03〕故【大】｜〔－〕【宮】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0458c07〕壞【大】｜懷【聖】
- 〔T25 0458c08〕民【大】｜人【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0458c10〕象【大】｜像【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0458c14〕前【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0458c16〕少【大】｜小【聖】
- 〔T25 0458c19〕瘡【大】｜創【石】
- 〔T25 0459a05〕雜【大】｜離【宋】
- 〔T25 0459a05〕得稱【大】｜攝得【宋】【元】【明】【宮】｜稱得【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0459a13〕說【大】｜說魔【宋】【元】【明】
- 〔T25 0459a13〕但【大】｜恒【聖】
- 〔T25 0459a20〕多【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0459a21〕諸【大】｜〔－〕【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0459a22〕令【大】｜今【宋】【元】【宮】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0459a22〕杖【大】｜仗【聖】
- 〔T25 0459a22〕打【大】｜〔－〕【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0459a22〕斫【大】｜破【石】
- 〔T25 0459a23〕量【大】｜礙【宋】
- 〔T25 0459a24〕順【大】｜慎【石】
- 〔T25 0459a25〕飢【大】｜饑【明】
- 〔T25 0459a28〕乞【大】｜乏【石】
- 〔T25 0459a28〕給【大】｜繼【聖】
- 〔T25 0459b13〕民【大】｜天【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0459b25〕威【大】｜咸【聖】
- 〔T25 0459b26〕【經】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0459c01〕亦【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0459c03〕天人【大】｜人天【石】
- 〔T25 0459c05〕羅【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0459c12〕世界【大】｜國土【元】【明】【石】
- 〔T25 0459c13〕知【大】｜智【聖】
- 〔T25 0459c13〕有【大】｜是【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0459c16〕因【大】｜因言【石】
- 〔T25 0459c23〕𥯤【大】｜𨗨【聖】
- 〔T25 0459c26〕所【大】｜不【聖】
- 〔T25 0460a03〕【論】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0460a04〕以【大】｜〔－〕【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0460a06〕遮【大】｜癈【聖】
- 〔T25 0460a07〕貧【大】｜貧窮【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0460a08〕過罪【大】｜罪過【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0460a10〕欲【大】｜破【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0460a10〕離【大】｜〔－〕【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0460a16〕云何當【大】｜當云何【元】【明】【石】
- 〔T25 0460a18〕承【大】｜敬【石】
- 〔T25 0460a20〕故【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】
- 〔T25 0460a21〕已【大】｜以【石】
- 〔T25 0460a22〕如【大】｜知【宮】
- 〔T25 0460a23〕如【大】｜知【宮】
- 〔T25 0460a24〕般若【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
These one hundred and four entries agree completely and mechanically with the count at the end of the working base text. The five places bearing on doctrine or transliteration (the notes on the repeated sentence, 「陀憐尼」 tr. "dhāraṇī (written with lian)" at〔0457b03〕, 「諸」 tr. "all (plural marker)" at〔0458a11〕, 「世界」 tr. "world" at〔0459c12〕, and, on the side of the sūtra explained, 「鞞／毘」 tr. "pi (leather-radical graph) / pi (variant graph)") have been listed separately above and collated in both directions against the sūtra explained (Section IV); for the remaining entries the readings of the variant texts are preserved side by side, the main text follows the reading of the current base text, and all are recorded side by side without judgement.