大智度論 勸受持品Dazhidulun — Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa · Exhortation to Receive and Uphold
勸受持品：諸天與佛勸帝釋受持般若——受持故三寶不斷、萬善現世，般若是大明呪、無上明呪、無等等明呪，受持得今世後世功德（經＋論）
上一品〈述誠品〉，佛把供養般若的福德抬到極處、又印可了帝釋的格量；到這一品，勸持般若的聲音更高、也更多了。先是三千大千世界的四天王天乃至阿迦尼吒諸天，一齊向帝釋說：「應受是般若波羅蜜，應持，應親近，應讀、誦、說、正憶念！」——受持般若故一切善法具足、增益諸天、減損阿修羅，三寶不斷、六波羅蜜乃至四果三道皆現於世。佛也可諸天之讚，親自告帝釋受持般若：阿修羅欲鬪時誦念般若則惡心即滅，諸天五死相現時誦讀般若則還生本處，乃至聞般若一經於耳，「以是功德故，漸當得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提」。品名「勸受持」的意思，就在這一層層的勸持裡。
而這一品真正的眼，是帝釋接下來說出的一句話。他向佛自陳：「般若波羅蜜是大明呪、無上明呪、無等等明呪。」何以故？「是般若波羅蜜能除一切不善法，能與一切善法。」佛當即印可——「如是！如是！憍尸迦！」——並把這一句展開：正因是這一道大明呪，過去、現在、未來諸佛才得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提；因是明呪故，十善道、四禪、四無量心、四無色定、六波羅蜜、四念處乃至十八不共法，乃至法性、如、法相、法住、法位、實際、五眼乃至一切種智，才一一現於世間。「明呪」是能破闇的呪；般若能除一切不善、能與一切善，正是照破生死長闇的那一道大明。佛還打了個比方收住這一段：「譬如滿月照明，星宿亦能照明」——一切世間善法正法，佛不出時皆從菩薩生，菩薩的方便力則都從般若生。
到論主釋曰，便就這「大明呪」一名，作了全品最用力的一番辨析。有人問：帝釋何以把般若叫作「大明呪」？論主答：世間外道、仙人都有種種呪術，能利益人民、能役使鬼神，人所貴重；帝釋正是借這人所共貴的呪術來讚般若——「諸呪術中，般若波羅蜜是大呪術」。但般若這道呪與世間呪術截然不同：世間呪術隨著人的貪欲、瞋恚而自在作惡，般若這道呪卻能滅盡對禪定、佛道、涅槃的諸般執著，何況貪、恚那些粗病？它能令人離老、病、死，能把眾生安立在大乘裡，所以叫「大明呪、無上呪、無等等呪」。「無等等」三字尤其要緊——先前世間已有能知他心的抑叉尼呪、能飛行變化的揵陀梨呪、能住壽千萬歲的住壽呪，這些呪在世間諸呪中已算無與倫比了；然而在這無與倫比的呪術之中，般若還「過出無量」，所以才叫「無等等」——連那無等的，也無可與它相等。何況諸佛之法本名無等、諸佛於一切眾生中本名無等，而般若正是諸佛得佛的因緣、正是諸佛所作的呪術，所以說「無等等」。論主最後引經自說的三呪因緣作結：這道呪「能捨一切不善法，能與一切善法」——與帝釋開頭那一句正相呼應。
論主又借佛的一個譬喻，把般若照世的位置點明：「諸佛能大破無明闇故，如滿月；菩薩破闇不如故，如星宿。」如同黑夜之中，凡有所見都是星月之力；生死的長夜之中，眾生凡有所知所見，也都是佛菩薩之力。世上沒有佛的時候，是菩薩為眾生說法、漸漸引他們得涅槃之樂，而菩薩所有的智慧，全是般若波羅蜜之力。往下佛細說受持般若的今世功德——終不中毒而死，兵刃不傷，水火不害，四百四病不能中，乃至除卻宿命的業報；與後世功德——不墮三惡道，受身完具，常得三十二相，化生現在佛國，漸得無上菩提。其中有一句說得極誠實：必受的業報，「一切法和合因緣生，無有作者……必受業報，佛所不能救，何況般若」——般若的威力再大，也不逾因果，該受的業報，佛尚且不能代救。所以這一品最後的叮囑，不在於般若能替人擋去多少災，而在於一句「不離薩婆若心」：行者應當聞、受持、乃至正憶念般若，心常不離一切智——握住這一道大明呪的人，所護持的不是一時的安樂，而是那能除一切不善、與一切善、照破生死長夜的般若本身。
In the previous chapter, "Declaring the Truth", the Buddha lifted the merit of offerings to prajñā to its furthest point and sealed Śakra's weighing; by this chapter the voices urging one to uphold prajñā grow louder and more numerous. First the gods of the three-thousand great-thousand world, from the heavens of the Four Heavenly Kings up to the Akaniṣṭha heaven, all together say to Śakra: ‘You should receive this prajñāpāramitā, you should uphold it, you should draw near to it, you should read it, recite it, expound it, and rightly recollect it!’ Because prajñā is received and upheld, every wholesome dharma is complete, the gods are increased and the asuras diminished, the Three Jewels are not cut off, and the six perfections and so on up to the four fruits and the three paths all appear in the world. The Buddha too approves the gods' praise and himself tells Śakra to receive and uphold prajñā: when the asuras wish to fight, if one recites and recollects prajñā their evil mind at once ceases; when the five signs of death appear to the gods, if they recite and read prajñā they are born again in their own place; and even for one who has prajñā pass but once through his ear, ‘by the merit of this he will gradually attain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi’. The meaning of the chapter's title, ‘Exhortation to Receive and Uphold’, lies in these layer upon layer of urgings to uphold.
But the true eye of this chapter is a sentence that Śakra next speaks. He declares to the Buddha: ‘Prajñāpāramitā is the great bright spell, the unsurpassed bright spell, the bright spell equal to the unequalled.’ Why? ‘This prajñāpāramitā can remove all unwholesome dharmas and can give all wholesome dharmas.’ The Buddha at once seals it, ‘Just so! Just so! Kauśika!’, and unfolds the sentence: precisely because it is this great bright spell, the buddhas of the past, present, and future attained anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi; because of this bright spell, the ten wholesome paths, the four dhyānas, the four immeasurable minds, the four formless absorptions, the six perfections, the four foundations of mindfulness and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas, and on to the nature of dharmas, suchness, the mark of dharmas, the abiding of dharmas, the position of dharmas, the limit of reality, the five eyes and so on up to omniscience of all kinds, one by one appear in the world. A ‘bright spell’ is a spell that can break darkness; prajñā, which can remove all that is unwholesome and give all that is wholesome, is exactly that great brightness which shines through the long darkness of birth and death. The Buddha also closes this passage with a comparison: ‘just as the full moon shines and gives light, the stars too can shine and give light’; every wholesome dharma and right dharma in the world, when no Buddha has appeared, is born from the bodhisattvas, and the bodhisattvas' power of skilful means is all born from prajñā.
When the treatise-author comes to explain, it is on this one name, ‘the great bright spell’, that he makes the most strenuous analysis of the whole chapter. Someone asks: why does Śakra call prajñā ‘the great bright spell’? The treatise-author answers: in the world the outsiders' paths and the seers all have spells of many kinds, which can benefit the people and command ghosts and spirits, and which people prize; Śakra is borrowing this spell-craft that all people prize in order to praise prajñā: ‘among all spell-crafts, prajñāpāramitā is the great spell-craft’. But this spell of prajñā is utterly different from worldly spell-craft: worldly spell-craft follows a person's greed and hatred and does evil at will, whereas this spell of prajñā can extinguish every attachment to dhyāna, to the Buddha path, and to nirvāṇa, let alone the coarse sicknesses of greed and hatred; it can free a person from old age, sickness, and death, and can establish beings in the Great Vehicle, and so it is called ‘the great bright spell, the unsurpassed spell, the spell equal to the unequalled’. The three words ‘equal to the unequalled’ matter most of all: before this the world already had the Īkṣaṇī spell that can know the minds of others, the Gāndhārī spell that can fly and transform, and the life-prolonging spell that can keep one alive for ten million years, and among the spells of the world these are already without peer; yet among these peerless spell-crafts prajñā still ‘surpasses them immeasurably’, and so it is called ‘equal to the unequalled’: even what is unequalled has nothing that can equal it. How much more so when the dharma of the buddhas is by its nature called unequalled, and the buddhas among all beings are by their nature called unequalled, and prajñā is exactly the cause and condition by which the buddhas become buddhas, exactly the spell-craft the buddhas practise; therefore it is said to be ‘equal to the unequalled’. The treatise-author concludes by citing the sūtra's own account of the cause and condition of the three spells: this spell ‘can cast off all unwholesome dharmas and can give all wholesome dharmas’, answering exactly to the sentence with which Śakra began.
The treatise-author also borrows a simile of the Buddha's to mark the place of prajñā in lighting the world: ‘because the buddhas can greatly break the darkness of ignorance, they are like the full moon; because the bodhisattvas' breaking of darkness falls short of that, they are like the stars.’ Just as in the dark of night whatever is seen is by the power of the stars and the moon, so in the long night of birth and death whatever beings know and see is by the power of the buddhas and bodhisattvas. When there is no Buddha in the world, it is the bodhisattvas who teach the Dharma to beings and gradually lead them to the happiness of nirvāṇa, and all the wisdom the bodhisattvas have is the power of prajñāpāramitā. Going on, the Buddha sets out in detail the merits in this life of receiving and upholding prajñā: one will never die by poison, weapons will not wound one, water and fire will not harm one, the four hundred and four sicknesses cannot strike one, excepting only the karmic results of past lives; and the merits in later lives: one does not fall into the three evil destinies, one receives a body whole and complete, one always gains the thirty-two marks, one is born by transformation in the buddha-worlds of the present, and one gradually attains unsurpassed awakening. Among these is one sentence spoken with the utmost honesty, on karmic results that must be undergone: ‘all dharmas are born from the coming together of causes and conditions, there is no maker … a karmic result that must be undergone the Buddha cannot save one from, let alone prajñā’. However great the might of prajñā, it does not overstep cause and result; the karmic result that is due, even the Buddha cannot bear in one's stead. So the final charge of this chapter lies not in how many disasters prajñā can ward off for a person, but in the one phrase ‘not parting from the mind of sarvajñā’: the practitioner should hear, receive and uphold, and so on up to rightly recollect prajñā, his mind never parting from omniscience. The one who grasps this great bright spell is guarding not a passing ease but prajñā itself, which removes all that is unwholesome, gives all that is wholesome, and shines through the long night of birth and death.
卷58 〔T25 0468a12〕
大智度論釋勸受持品第三十四 聖者龍樹造 後秦龜茲國三藏鳩摩羅什譯 【經】 爾時，三千大千世界所有四天王天乃至阿迦尼吒天語釋提桓因，諸天言：「應受是般若波羅蜜，應持，應親近，應讀、誦、說、正憶念！何以故？若受持般若波羅蜜乃至正憶念故，一切所修集善法當具足滿，增益諸天眾、減損阿修羅。諸天子！受持般若波羅蜜乃至正憶念故，佛種不斷，法種、僧種不斷；佛種、法種、僧種不斷故，世間便有檀波羅蜜、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，皆現於世；四念處乃至十八不共法、菩薩道皆現於世；須陀洹果、斯陀含果、阿那含果、阿羅漢果、辟支佛道、佛道，須陀洹乃至佛皆現於世。」 爾時，佛告釋提桓因：「憍尸迦！汝當受〔T25 0468b〕是般若波羅蜜，持、讀、誦、說、正憶念！何以故？若諸阿修羅生心欲與三十三天共鬪，憍尸迦！汝爾時當誦念般若波羅蜜，諸阿修羅惡心即滅，更不復生。憍尸迦！若諸天子、天女五死相現時，當墮不如意處，汝當於其前，誦讀般若波羅蜜，是諸天子、天女聞般若波羅蜜功德力故，還生本處。何以故？聞般若波羅蜜有大利益故。」 「復次，憍尸迦！若有善男子、善女人，若諸天子、天女聞是般若波羅蜜經耳，以是功德故，漸當得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。何以故？憍尸迦！過去諸佛及弟子皆學是般若波羅蜜，得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，入無餘涅槃。憍尸迦！未來世諸佛、今現在十方諸佛及弟子皆學是般若波羅蜜，得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，入無餘涅槃。何以故？憍尸迦！是般若波羅蜜攝一切善法，若聲聞法、若辟支佛法、若菩薩法、若佛法。」 釋提桓因白佛言：「世尊！般若波羅蜜是大明呪、無上明呪、無等等明呪。何以故？世尊！是般若波羅蜜能除一切不善法，能與一切善法。」 佛語釋提桓因：「如是！如是！憍尸迦！般若波羅蜜是大明呪、無上明呪、無等等明呪。何以故？憍尸迦！過去諸佛因是明呪故得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，未來世諸佛、今現在十方諸佛亦因是明呪得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。因是明呪故，世間便有十善道，便有四禪、四無量心、四無色定，便有檀波羅蜜乃至般若波羅蜜、四念處乃至十八不共法，便有法性、如、法相、法住、法位、實際，便有五眼、須陀洹果乃至阿羅漢果、辟支佛道、〔T25 0468c〕佛道、一切智、一切種智。憍尸迦！菩薩摩訶薩因緣故，十善出於世間，四禪、四無量心乃至一切種智，須陀洹乃至諸佛出於世間。譬如滿月照明，星宿亦能照明。如是，憍尸迦！一切世間善法、正法，十善乃至一切種智，若諸佛不出時，皆從菩薩生，是菩薩摩訶薩方便力皆從般若波羅蜜生。菩薩摩訶薩以是方便力，行檀波羅蜜乃至禪波羅蜜，內空乃至無法有法空，四念處乃至十八不共法，不證聲聞、辟支佛地，成就眾生、淨佛世界，壽命成就、世界成就、菩薩眷屬成就，得一切種智，皆從般若波羅蜜生。 「復次，憍尸迦！若善男子、善女人聞般若波羅蜜，受持、親近乃至正憶念，是人當得今世、後世功德。」 釋提桓因白佛言：「世尊！何等是善男子、善女人受持般若波羅蜜，乃至正憶念，得今世、後世功德？」 佛告釋提桓因：「若有善男子、善女人受持般若波羅蜜，乃至正憶念，終不中毒死，兵刃不傷，水火不害，乃至四百四病所不能中，除其宿命業報。 「復次，憍尸迦！若有官事起，是善男子、善女人讀誦般若波羅蜜故，往到官所，官不譴責。何以故？是般若波羅蜜威力故！若善男子、善女人讀誦是般若波羅蜜，到王所，若太子、大臣所，王及太子、大臣皆歡喜問訊，和意與語。何以故？是諸善男子、善女人常〔T25 0469a〕有慈、悲、喜、捨心向眾生故。憍尸迦！若善男子、善女人受持般若波羅蜜乃至正憶念，得如是等種種今世功德。 「憍尸迦！何等是善男子、善女人後世功德？是善男子、善女人終不離十善道、四禪、四無量心、四無色定、六波羅蜜、四念處乃至十八不共法。是人終不墮三惡道，受身完具，終不生貧窮下賤、工師、除廁人、擔死人家。常得三十二相，常得化生諸現在佛界，終不離菩薩神通。若欲從一佛界至一佛界供養諸佛、聽諸佛法，即得隨意；所遊佛界，成就眾生、淨佛世界，漸得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。憍尸迦！是名後世功德。 「以是故，憍尸迦！善男子、善女人應當受持般若波羅蜜，親近、讀、誦、說、正憶念，華香乃至伎樂供養，常不離薩婆若心。是善男子、善女人，乃至阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，得今世、後世功德成就。」 【論】 釋曰： 佛是法王，讚歎受持般若波羅蜜者已，次天王釋讚；釋讚已，今次諸天讚。以多眾讚故，令人信心轉深。作是言：「應受持是般若波羅蜜。」 此中說受持因緣：「修諸功德，增益諸天，減損阿修羅，三寶不斷，六波羅蜜等諸功德出現於世。」 爾時，佛可諸天讚，告釋言：「汝受持是般若波羅蜜。」 此中說因緣：若阿修羅生惡心，欲共三十三天鬪，汝爾時讀誦般若者，惡心即滅。若二陣相對時讀誦般若者，阿修羅即退去。 問曰： 若爾者，何以不常誦般若令阿修羅惡心不生？何故乃使兩陣相對？ 答曰： 諸天多著福樂，染欲心利，雖知般若有大功德，〔T25 0469b〕不能常誦故。又以忉利天不淨業因緣故，致有怨敵，不得不鬪。 諸天命欲終時，五死相現：一者、華鬘萎，二者、掖下汗出，三者、蠅來著身，四者、見更有天坐己坐處，五者、自不樂本坐。諸天見是死相，念惜天樂，見當生惡處，心懷憂毒。爾時，若聞般若波羅蜜實相，諸法虛誑，無常空寂，信是佛法，心清淨故，還生本處。是天人不但還生本處，以聞般若故，世世受福樂，漸成無上道。 此中因緣，如經說「般若波羅蜜為大明呪」者是。 問曰： 釋提桓因何以故名「般若」為「大明呪」？ 答曰： 諸外道、聖人有種種呪術，利益人民；誦是呪故，能隨意所欲使諸鬼神。諸仙人有是呪故，大得名聲，人民歸伏。貴呪術故，是以帝釋白佛言：「諸呪術中，般若波羅蜜是大呪術。」何以故？能常與眾生道德樂故。餘呪術，樂因緣，能起煩惱，又不善業故，墮三惡道。 復次，餘呪術能隨貪欲、瞋恚自在作惡；是般若波羅蜜呪能滅禪定、佛道、涅槃諸著，何況貪、恚麁病！是故名為「大明呪、無上呪、無等等呪」。 復次，是呪能令人離老、病、死，能立眾生於大乘，能令行者於一切眾生中最大，是故言「大呪」。能如是利益故，名為「無上」。先有仙人所作呪術，所謂能知他人心呪，名抑叉尼；能飛行變化呪，名揵陀梨；能住壽過千萬歲呪，於諸呪中無與等。 於此無等呪術中，般若波羅蜜過出無量故名「無等等」。 復次，諸佛法名無等，般若波羅蜜得佛因緣故言「無等等」。 復次，諸佛於一切眾生〔T25 0469c〕中名無等，是般若呪術，佛所作故名「無等等呪」。 復次，此經中自說三呪因緣，所謂「是呪能捨一切不善法，能與一切善法」。 佛順其所歎故言：「如是！如是！」亦更廣其所讚，所謂「因般若故，出生十善道乃至諸佛。」 是般若波羅蜜屬菩薩故，佛說譬喻：諸佛能大破無明闇故，如滿月；菩薩破闇不如故，如星宿。如夜中有所見，皆是星、月力；世間生死夜中有所知見，皆是佛菩薩力。若世無佛，爾時，菩薩說法度眾生，著人天樂中，漸漸令得涅槃樂。菩薩所有智慧，皆是般若波羅蜜力。 復次，是菩薩雖行三十七品、十八空，知諸法畢竟不可取，亦不證聲聞、辟支佛道，而能還起善法，教化眾生、淨佛世界、壽命具足等，皆是方便般若波羅蜜力。 若是人能受持般若，乃至正憶念，得今世、後世功德。 「今世功德」者，所謂終不中毒死等。 問曰： 先已說不橫死，今何以更說？ 答曰： 先已說般若波羅蜜，不一會中說，此為後來者更為說。 復次，刀、毒、水、火有二種：有他作，有自作。先說他加兵、毒、水、火等，今為不自傷。何以知之？次說四百四病故知。上雖說「人不能得其便」，不說「其人還恭敬供養」。 「四百四病」者，四大為身，常相侵害。一一大中，百一病起：冷病有二百二，水、風起故；熱病有二百二，地、火起故。火熱相，地堅相，堅相故難消，難消故能起熱病。血肉、筋、骨、骸、髓等，地分。 「除其業報」者，一切法和合因緣生，無有作者，無有作者故，必受業報，佛所〔T25 0470a〕不能救，何況般若！ 必受業報、不必受業報，先已說。 官事起者，誦般若波羅蜜力故，隨起皆滅。 問曰： 先說「人不能得便」，今何以復更說？ 答曰： 先雖說人不能得便，不說國王、大臣等既不能得便，還復恭敬供養。何以故？是菩薩常有慈、悲、喜、捨心向眾生故。 「後世功德」者，世世所生常不離十善道等，是故常不墮惡道；是人折伏惡心故，受身完具，不生下賤等家。學佛所學道故，得變化身似佛，有三十二相、八十隨形好。 「常得化生現在佛國」者，隨心所到十方世界，供養諸佛，聽受諸法，教化眾生，漸漸得成佛道。 是故行者應聞、受持乃至正憶念，不離薩婆若心。如是得今世、後世功德。
《大智度論》卷58 · T25n1509 0468a12–0470a15
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.
諸天勸帝釋受持般若——受持故善法具足、三寶不斷、萬善現世
那時，三千大千世界所有的四天王天，乃至色究竟的阿迦尼吒天，這些諸天都對釋提桓因（帝釋，即忉利天主）說：『應當承受這般若波羅蜜，應當執持，應當親近，應當讀、誦、宣說、正確地憶念！為什麼呢？若受持般若波羅蜜乃至正憶念的緣故，一切所修集的善法都將具足圓滿，能增益諸天的眾數、減損阿修羅（與諸天為敵的一類）。諸位天子啊！受持般若波羅蜜乃至正憶念的緣故，佛種不斷，法種、僧種也不斷；佛種、法種、僧種不斷的緣故，世間便有布施的檀波羅蜜、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，都顯現於世間；四念處乃至十八不共法、菩薩道都顯現於世間；須陀洹果、斯陀含果、阿那含果、阿羅漢果、辟支佛道、佛道，須陀洹乃至佛都顯現於世間。』
佛勸帝釋受持——阿修羅欲鬪則誦念令惡心滅、五死相現則誦讀令還生本處
那時，佛告訴釋提桓因：『憍尸迦（帝釋的本姓）！你應當承受這般若波羅蜜，執持、讀、誦、宣說、正確地憶念！為什麼呢？若諸阿修羅生起心念，想要與三十三天（忉利天）交戰，憍尸迦！你那時應當誦念般若波羅蜜，諸阿修羅的惡心當即消滅，不再生起。憍尸迦！若諸天子、天女五種死相現前，將要墮落到不如意的去處時，你應當在他們面前，誦讀般若波羅蜜，這些天子、天女因為聽聞般若波羅蜜功德威力的緣故，還能生回原來的天處。為什麼呢？因為聽聞般若波羅蜜有大利益的緣故。』
聞般若一歷耳根漸得菩提——三世諸佛皆學般若、般若攝一切善法
『再者，憍尸迦！若有善男子、善女人，或諸天子、天女，聽聞這般若波羅蜜經一歷耳根，以此功德的緣故，漸漸將得到無上正等正覺（阿耨多羅三藐三菩提）。為什麼呢？憍尸迦！過去諸佛以及弟子都學習這般若波羅蜜，得到無上正等正覺，入於無餘涅槃。憍尸迦！未來世諸佛、如今現在十方諸佛以及弟子，都學習這般若波羅蜜，得到無上正等正覺，入於無餘涅槃。為什麼呢？憍尸迦！這般若波羅蜜總攝一切善法，無論是聲聞法、是辟支佛法、是菩薩法、是佛法。』
帝釋自陳：般若是大明呪、無上明呪、無等等明呪
釋提桓因對佛說：『世尊！般若波羅蜜是「大明呪、無上明呪、無等等明呪」（一種能破闇除障、無上而無可等比的明咒）。為什麼呢？世尊！這般若波羅蜜能除滅一切不善法，能給與一切善法。』
佛印可並廣釋：因是明呪故十善諸法乃至一切種智皆現於世
佛告訴釋提桓因：『正是這樣！正是這樣！憍尸迦！般若波羅蜜是「大明呪、無上明呪、無等等明呪」。為什麼呢？憍尸迦！過去諸佛因為這明咒的緣故，得到無上正等正覺，未來世諸佛、如今現在十方諸佛也因為這明咒得到無上正等正覺。因為這明咒的緣故，世間便有十善道，便有四禪、四無量心、四無色定，便有布施的檀波羅蜜乃至智慧的般若波羅蜜、四念處乃至十八不共法，便有法性、真如、法相、法住、法位、實際（諸法真實不變的種種異名），便有五眼、須陀洹果乃至阿羅漢果、辟支佛道、佛道、一切智、一切種智。憍尸迦！由於菩薩摩訶薩的因緣，十善便出現於世間，四禪、四無量心乃至一切種智，須陀洹乃至諸佛，便出現於世間。譬如滿月能放光照明，星宿也能放光照明。就像這樣，憍尸迦！一切世間的善法、正法，從十善乃至一切種智，若在諸佛不出世的時候，都從菩薩生；而這菩薩摩訶薩的方便力，又都從般若波羅蜜生。菩薩摩訶薩以這方便力，修行布施的檀波羅蜜乃至禪波羅蜜，修內空乃至無法有法空，修四念處乃至十八不共法，卻不證取聲聞、辟支佛的地位，而能成就眾生、清淨佛世界，圓滿壽命成就、世界成就、菩薩眷屬成就，得到一切種智，這些都從般若波羅蜜生。
受持般若得今世功德——毒兵水火四百四病所不能害
『再者，憍尸迦！若善男子、善女人聽聞般若波羅蜜，受持、親近乃至正憶念，這人將得到今世、後世的功德。』
釋提桓因對佛說：『世尊！怎樣的善男子、善女人受持般若波羅蜜，乃至正憶念，能得今世、後世功德呢？』
佛告訴釋提桓因：『若有善男子、善女人受持般若波羅蜜，乃至正憶念，終究不會中毒而死，兵器刀刃不能傷害，水火不能損害，乃至四百四種病都不能侵中，只除去他宿世命定的業報（那是別有因緣，非般若威力所遮）。
官事王臣皆歡喜問訊——以慈悲喜捨心向眾生故
『再者，憍尸迦！若有官府的事端興起，這善男子、善女人因為讀誦般若波羅蜜的緣故，前往官府所在，官府不加譴責。為什麼呢？這是般若波羅蜜威力的緣故！若善男子、善女人讀誦這般若波羅蜜，到了國王所在，或太子、大臣所在，國王以及太子、大臣都歡喜問候，和顏悅色地與他交談。為什麼呢？因為這些善男子、善女人常懷慈、悲、喜、捨之心朝向眾生的緣故。憍尸迦！若善男子、善女人受持般若波羅蜜乃至正憶念，能得到這樣種種的今世功德。
受持般若得後世功德——不墮惡道、身相完具、化生佛界漸得菩提
『憍尸迦！怎樣是善男子、善女人的後世功德呢？這善男子、善女人終究不離十善道、四禪、四無量心、四無色定、六波羅蜜、四念處乃至十八不共法。這人終究不墮三惡道，所受之身完好具足，終究不生在貧窮下賤、工匠、除廁、抬死人這樣的人家。常得三十二相，常得化生到現在諸佛的世界，終究不離菩薩神通。若想從一佛界到另一佛界供養諸佛、聽聞諸佛說法，當即能隨心如意；所遊歷的佛界，成就眾生、清淨佛世界，漸漸得到無上正等正覺。憍尸迦！這就叫作後世功德。
結勸：應受持供養、常不離薩婆若心
『因此緣故，憍尸迦！善男子、善女人應當受持般若波羅蜜，親近、讀、誦、宣說、正確地憶念，以華香乃至伎樂供養，常不離一切智（薩婆若）之心。這善男子、善女人，乃至成就無上正等正覺，都能得到今世、後世功德的成就。』
以下是論釋。
論主釋：多眾展轉相讚故令人信心轉深
論主釋道：佛是法中之王，讚歎受持般若波羅蜜的人之後，其次天王帝釋讚歎；帝釋讚歎之後，如今又輪到諸天讚歎。因為眾多之人展轉相讚的緣故，令人的信心愈轉愈深。所以諸天說：『應當承受這般若波羅蜜。』
論主釋受持因緣、佛可諸天讚
這裡說出受持的因緣：『修習種種功德，增益諸天，減損阿修羅，三寶不斷，六波羅蜜等種種功德出現於世。』
那時，佛認可諸天的讚歎，告訴帝釋說：『你應當受持這般若波羅蜜。』
這裡說出因緣：若阿修羅生起惡心，想要與三十三天交戰，你那時讀誦般若的話，惡心當即消滅。若兩軍陣營相對之時讀誦般若的話，阿修羅當即退去。
問答一：何以不常誦令惡心不生，反使兩陣相對
有人問：若是這樣，為什麼不常常誦念般若，使阿修羅的惡心不生起？為什麼竟要等到兩軍陣營相對（才誦念）呢？
論主回答：諸天多半貪著福樂，染欲的心念猛利，雖然知道般若有大功德，卻不能常常誦念的緣故。又因為忉利天有不淨業的因緣，以致招來怨敵，不得不交戰。
五死相之教理——聞般若實相心清淨故還生本處
諸天壽命將盡之時，五種死相現前：第一、頭上的華鬘枯萎，第二、腋下汗水流出，第三、蒼蠅飛來著身，第四、看見另有天人坐了自己的座位，第五、自己不樂於原來的座位。諸天看見這些死相，眷念可惜天上之樂，又見到將要生到惡處，心中滿懷憂苦如中毒。那時，若聽聞般若波羅蜜所說的實相——諸法虛妄不實、無常空寂——因而信受這佛法，心得清淨的緣故，便還生回原來的天處。這天人不但還生本處，更因為聽聞般若的緣故，世世承受福樂，漸漸成就無上大道。
這裡（受持得福）的因緣，就如經中所說「般若波羅蜜為大明呪」這一句所表明的。
問答二：何以名般若為大明呪——大呪能與眾生道德樂
有人問：釋提桓因為什麼緣故稱「般若」為「大明呪」呢？
論主回答：諸外道、聖人有種種咒術，能利益人民；誦這咒術的緣故，能隨意所欲役使諸鬼神。諸仙人因有這咒術，大得名聲，人民歸服。因為世人看重咒術的緣故，所以帝釋對佛說：『諸咒術當中，般若波羅蜜是大咒術。』為什麼呢？因為般若能常給與眾生道德之樂的緣故。其餘的咒術，其所得之樂的因緣，反能引起煩惱，又因是不善業的緣故，令人墮三惡道。
大明、無上、無等等——三義辨析
再者，其餘的咒術能隨順貪欲、瞋恚而自在作惡；這般若波羅蜜咒卻能滅除對禪定、佛道、涅槃種種的執著，何況是貪、瞋這等粗重之病！因此稱為「大明呪、無上呪、無等等呪」。
再者，這咒能令人遠離老、病、死，能安立眾生於大乘，能令修行者在一切眾生中為最尊大，因此說是「大呪」。能這樣利益眾生的緣故，名為「無上」。從前有仙人所作的咒術：所謂能知他人心念的咒，名叫抑叉尼；能飛行變化的咒，名叫揵陀梨；能住壽超過千萬歲的咒，在諸咒當中已無與倫比。
在這已屬無與等比的咒術之中，般若波羅蜜還更超出無量，因此名為「無等等」。
再者，諸佛之法稱為無等，般若波羅蜜是得佛的因緣，所以說是「無等等」。
再者，諸佛在一切眾生中稱為無等，這般若咒術，是佛所作的緣故，名為「無等等呪」。
再者，這部經中自己說出三咒的因緣，所謂『這咒能捨離一切不善法，能給與一切善法』。
佛順所歎廣讚、滿月星宿喻
佛順著帝釋所讚歎的緣故，說：『正是這樣！正是這樣！』又更進一步廣說他所讚歎之義，所謂『因為般若的緣故，出生十善道乃至諸佛』。
這般若波羅蜜屬於菩薩（是菩薩所行）的緣故，佛便說一譬喻：諸佛能大破無明的闇冥，所以如同滿月；菩薩破闇不如諸佛，所以如同星宿。就像夜裡凡有所見，都是星、月之力；世間生死長夜之中凡有所知所見，也都是佛與菩薩之力。若世間無佛之時，那時菩薩為眾生說法，先令他們安著於人天之樂中，再漸漸令他們得到涅槃之樂。菩薩所有的智慧，都是般若波羅蜜之力。
菩薩雖行道品十八空而不證二乘——皆方便般若力
再者，這菩薩雖修行三十七道品、十八空，了知諸法畢竟不可執取，卻也不證取聲聞、辟支佛之道，而能重新生起善法，教化眾生、清淨佛世界、圓滿壽命等等，這些都是方便與般若波羅蜜之力。
若這人能受持般若，乃至正憶念，便得今世、後世功德。
所謂「今世功德」，就是終究不會中毒而死等等。
問答三：先已說不橫死何以更說——刀毒水火有他作自作
有人問：前面已經說過不橫死，如今為什麼又說（不中毒死等）呢？
論主回答：前面已經說過般若波羅蜜，只是不在一次法會中說盡，這裡是為後來的人再作解說。
再者，刀、毒、水、火有兩種：有他人所加作的，有自己所招作的。前面說的是他人所加的兵、毒、水、火等，如今說的是不致自傷。怎麼知道呢？從接下來說「四百四病」便可知道。前面雖說過『他人不能得其方便加害』，卻沒有說到『那人反能還得（王臣的）恭敬供養』。
釋四百四病、除業報——業報佛不能救何況般若
所謂「四百四病」，四大（地、水、火、風）合為此身，常相侵害。每一大之中，各有一百零一種病起：冷病有二百零二種，由水、風生起的緣故；熱病有二百零二種，由地、火生起的緣故。火有熱相，地有堅相，因為堅相所以難消，因為難消所以能起熱病。血肉、筋、骨、骸、髓等，都屬地大之分。
所謂「除其業報」，一切法都是眾緣和合、因緣所生，並無一個造作者，正因無有造作者，所以（隨業）必受業報，這連佛都不能救，何況般若！
必定受報與不必定受報，前面已經說過。
官事興起時，因為誦念般若波羅蜜之力的緣故，隨其興起都能消滅。
問答四：先說人不能得便何以復說——國王大臣還復恭敬供養
有人問：前面說過『他人不能得其方便加害』，如今為什麼又重說呢？
論主回答：前面雖說過他人不能得其方便，卻沒有說到國王、大臣等人既不能加害，反而還恭敬供養。為什麼呢？因為這菩薩常懷慈、悲、喜、捨之心朝向眾生的緣故。
釋後世功德、結勸不離薩婆若心
所謂「後世功德」，世世所生之處常不離十善道等，因此常不墮惡道；這人因為折伏了惡心的緣故，所受之身完好具足，不生在下賤等人家。因為修學佛所修學之道的緣故，得到變化之身相似於佛，具有三十二相、八十隨形好。
所謂「常得化生現在佛國」，隨心所至的十方世界，供養諸佛，聽受諸法，教化眾生，漸漸得成佛道。
因此，修行者應當聽聞、受持乃至正憶念，不離一切智（薩婆若）之心。如此便得今世、後世的功德。
The Gods Exhort Śakra to Receive and Uphold Prajñā: Because It Is Received and Upheld, Wholesome Dharmas Are Complete, the Three Jewels Are Not Cut Off, and the Myriad Goods Appear in the World
At that time all the gods of the three-thousand great-thousand world, from the heavens of the Four Heavenly Kings and so on up to the Akaniṣṭha heaven, the Heaven of Ultimate Form, said to Śakra Devānām Indra (Śakra, the lord of the Trāyastriṃśa heaven): ‘You ought to receive this prajñāpāramitā (the perfection of wisdom), you ought to uphold it, you ought to draw near to it, you ought to read it, recite it, expound it, and rightly recollect it! Why? Because one receives and upholds prajñāpāramitā and so on up to rightly recollecting it, all the wholesome dharmas one has cultivated and gathered will be complete and full; it can increase the numbers of the gods and diminish the asuras (a class of beings hostile to the gods). Gods! Because one receives and upholds prajñāpāramitā and so on up to rightly recollecting it, the seed of the Buddha is not cut off, and the seed of the Dharma and the seed of the Saṅgha are not cut off either; because the seed of the Buddha, the seed of the Dharma, and the seed of the Saṅgha are not cut off, there are in the world dānapāramitā (the perfection of giving), which is giving, śīlapāramitā (the perfection of morality), which is keeping the precepts, kṣāntipāramitā (the perfection of patience), which is forbearance, vīryapāramitā (the perfection of vigour), which is diligence, dhyānapāramitā (the perfection of meditation), which is meditative concentration, and prajñāpāramitā, which is wisdom, all appearing in the world; the four foundations of mindfulness and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas, and the bodhisattva path, all appear in the world; the fruit of srota-āpanna, the fruit of sakṛdāgāmin, the fruit of anāgāmin, the fruit of arhat, the path of the pratyekabuddha, and the Buddha path—from the srota-āpanna and so on up to the Buddha—all appear in the world.’
The Buddha Exhorts Śakra to Receive and Uphold It: When the Asuras Wish to Fight, Recite It and Their Evil Minds Cease; When the Five Signs of Death Appear, Recite and Read It and They Are Born Again in Their Own Place
At that time the Buddha told Śakra Devānām Indra: ‘Kauśika (Śakra's original clan name)! You ought to receive this prajñāpāramitā, uphold it, read it, recite it, expound it, and rightly recollect it! Why? If the asuras give rise to the thought of wishing to do battle with the Heaven of the Thirty-three (the Trāyastriṃśa heaven), Kauśika, you ought at that time to recite prajñāpāramitā, and the evil minds of the asuras will at once cease and not arise again. Kauśika! If the five signs of death appear before gods or goddesses, and they are about to fall to an undesirable destination, you ought, in their presence, to recite and read prajñāpāramitā; these gods and goddesses, because of hearing the power of the merit of prajñāpāramitā, will still be born again in their original heavenly place. Why? Because hearing prajñāpāramitā brings great benefit.’
Hearing Prajñā Once Passing Through the Ear Faculty, One Gradually Attains Awakening: The Buddhas of the Three Times All Train in Prajñā, and Prajñā Gathers In All Wholesome Dharmas
‘Again, Kauśika! If there are good men or good women, or gods or goddesses, who hear this Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra once passing through the ear faculty, because of this merit they will gradually attain unsurpassed, right, and complete awakening (anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi). Why? Kauśika! The buddhas of the past, together with their disciples, all trained in this prajñāpāramitā, attained unsurpassed, right, and complete awakening, and entered nirvāṇa without remainder. Kauśika! The buddhas of the future age and the buddhas of the ten directions now present, together with their disciples, all train in this prajñāpāramitā, attain unsurpassed, right, and complete awakening, and enter nirvāṇa without remainder. Why? Kauśika! This prajñāpāramitā gathers in all wholesome dharmas, whether the dharmas of the śrāvaka, the dharmas of the pratyekabuddha, the dharmas of the bodhisattva, or the dharmas of the Buddha.’
Śakra Declares for Himself: Prajñā Is the Great Bright Spell, the Unsurpassed Bright Spell, the Bright Spell Equal to the Unequalled
Śakra Devānām Indra said to the Buddha: ‘World-Honored One! Prajñāpāramitā is 「大明呪、無上明呪、無等等明呪」 tr. "the great bright spell, the unsurpassed bright spell, the bright spell equal to the unequalled" (a bright spell that can break through darkness and remove obstructions, unsurpassed and beyond all compare). Why? World-Honored One! This prajñāpāramitā can remove and extinguish all unwholesome dharmas, and can bestow all wholesome dharmas.’
The Buddha Seals It and Explains It Broadly: Because It Is the Bright Spell, the Ten Wholesome Paths and All Dharmas, up to the Omniscience of All Kinds, Appear in the World
The Buddha told Śakra Devānām Indra: ‘Just so! Just so! Kauśika! Prajñāpāramitā is 「大明呪、無上明呪、無等等明呪」 tr. "the great bright spell, the unsurpassed bright spell, the bright spell equal to the unequalled". Why? Kauśika! The buddhas of the past, because of this bright spell, attained unsurpassed, right, and complete awakening; the buddhas of the future age and the buddhas of the ten directions now present also, because of this bright spell, attain unsurpassed, right, and complete awakening. Because of this bright spell, there are in the world the ten wholesome paths; there are the four dhyānas, the four immeasurable minds, and the four formless absorptions; there are dānapāramitā, which is giving, and so on up to prajñāpāramitā, which is wisdom, and the four foundations of mindfulness and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas; there are the nature of dharmas, suchness, the mark of dharmas, the abiding of dharmas, the position of dharmas, and the limit of reality (various other names for the true and unchanging of all dharmas); there are the five eyes, the fruit of srota-āpanna and so on up to the fruit of arhat, the path of the pratyekabuddha, the Buddha path, omniscience, and the omniscience of all kinds. Kauśika! Through the causes and conditions of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva, the ten wholesome paths appear in the world, and the four dhyānas, the four immeasurable minds, and so on up to the omniscience of all kinds, and from the srota-āpanna and so on up to the buddhas, appear in the world. It is like the full moon, which can send forth light and illuminate, and the stars too can send forth light and illuminate. Just so, Kauśika! All the wholesome dharmas and true dharmas of the world, from the ten wholesome paths and so on up to the omniscience of all kinds, when no buddha has appeared in the world, are all born from the bodhisattva; and the power of skilful means of this bodhisattva-mahāsattva is in turn all born from prajñāpāramitā. With this power of skilful means the bodhisattva-mahāsattva practises dānapāramitā, which is giving, and so on up to dhyānapāramitā, cultivates inner emptiness and so on up to the emptiness of non-existent and existent dharmas, and cultivates the four foundations of mindfulness and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas, and yet does not realise and take hold of the ground of the śrāvaka or the pratyekabuddha, but is able to bring beings to maturity, purify buddha-worlds, and fulfil the accomplishment of lifespan, the accomplishment of the world, and the accomplishment of the bodhisattva retinue, and to attain the omniscience of all kinds; all of these are born from prajñāpāramitā.
Receiving and Upholding Prajñā Brings Merit in This Life: Poison, Weapons, Water, Fire, and the Four Hundred and Four Sicknesses Cannot Harm One
‘Again, Kauśika! If good men and good women hear prajñāpāramitā, receive and uphold it, draw near to it, and so on up to rightly recollecting it, these people will attain merit in this life and in later lives.’
Śakra Devānām Indra said to the Buddha: ‘World-Honored One! What kind of good men and good women, receiving and upholding prajñāpāramitā, and so on up to rightly recollecting it, are able to attain merit in this life and in later lives?’
The Buddha told Śakra Devānām Indra: ‘If there are good men and good women who receive and uphold prajñāpāramitā, and so on up to rightly recollecting it, they will never die of poison, weapons and blades cannot wound them, water and fire cannot harm them, and so on up to: the four hundred and four kinds of sickness cannot strike them—excepting only the karmic result fixed by their former lives (that has other causes and conditions, and is not something the power of prajñā holds back).
In Official Matters, Kings and Ministers All Greet Them with Gladness: Because Their Minds of Loving-Kindness, Compassion, Sympathetic Joy, and Equanimity Are Turned toward Beings
‘Again, Kauśika! If some official matter arises, these good men and good women, because they read and recite prajñāpāramitā, go to where the officials are, and the officials do not reprove them. Why? It is because of the power of prajñāpāramitā! If good men and good women who read and recite this prajñāpāramitā come to where the king is, or where the crown prince or the great ministers are, the king and the crown prince and the great ministers all greet them with gladness and speak with them with a kindly and pleasant countenance. Why? Because these good men and good women constantly hold minds of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity turned toward beings. Kauśika! If good men and good women receive and uphold prajñāpāramitā, and so on up to rightly recollecting it, they are able to attain such various kinds of merit in this life.
Receiving and Upholding Prajñā Brings Merit in Later Lives: Not Falling into the Evil Destinies, a Body Whole and Complete, Born by Transformation in Buddha-Worlds, Gradually Attaining Awakening
‘Kauśika! What is the merit in later lives of good men and good women? These good men and good women never depart from the ten wholesome paths, the four dhyānas, the four immeasurable minds, the four formless absorptions, the six perfections, and the four foundations of mindfulness and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas. These people never fall into the three evil destinies; the body they receive is whole and complete; they are never born into families that are poor and lowly, of artisans, of latrine-cleaners, or of corpse-bearers. They constantly obtain the thirty-two marks, and are constantly born by transformation into the worlds of the buddhas now present; they never depart from the supernormal powers of the bodhisattva. If they wish to go from one buddha-world to another buddha-world to make offerings to the buddhas and to hear the buddhas expound the Dharma, they are at once able to do so as their minds intend; in the buddha-worlds through which they travel they bring beings to maturity and purify buddha-worlds, and gradually attain unsurpassed, right, and complete awakening. Kauśika! This is called the merit in later lives.
Concluding Exhortation: One Ought to Receive, Uphold, and Make Offerings, Constantly Not Parting from the Mind of Sarvajñā
‘For this reason, Kauśika, good men and good women ought to receive and uphold prajñāpāramitā, draw near to it, read it, recite it, expound it, and rightly recollect it, make offerings to it with flowers and incense and so on up to music, and constantly not part from the mind of omniscience (sarvajñā). These good men and good women, and so on up to the accomplishment of unsurpassed, right, and complete awakening, are all able to attain the accomplishment of merit in this life and in later lives.’
What follows is the treatise's explanation.
The Treatise-Author Explains: Because Many Praise It One after Another, People's Faith Grows Ever Deeper
The treatise-author explains: the Buddha is the king within the Dharma; after he praised those who receive and uphold prajñāpāramitā, next the heavenly king Śakra praised them; after Śakra praised them, now in turn the gods praise them. Because many people praise it one after another, people's faith grows ever deeper. Therefore the gods say: ‘You ought to receive this prajñāpāramitā.’
The Treatise-Author Explains the Causes and Conditions of Receiving and Upholding, and the Buddha's Approval of the Gods' Praise
Here the causes and conditions of receiving and upholding are set out: ‘cultivating various kinds of merit, increasing the gods, diminishing the asuras, the Three Jewels not being cut off, and various kinds of merit such as the six perfections appearing in the world.’
At that time the Buddha approved the gods' praise and told Śakra: ‘You ought to receive and uphold this prajñāpāramitā.’
Here the causes and conditions are set out: if the asuras give rise to evil minds and wish to do battle with the Heaven of the Thirty-three, and you at that time read and recite prajñā, the evil minds at once cease. If you read and recite prajñā at the time when the two armies face each other in battle array, the asuras at once withdraw.
Question and Answer One: Why Not Recite It Constantly So That Evil Minds Do Not Arise, Rather Than Letting the Two Armies Face Each Other?
Someone asks: if that is so, why not constantly recite prajñā, so that the evil minds of the asuras do not arise? Why must one wait until the two armies face each other in battle array (before reciting it)?
The treatise-author answers: the gods for the most part are greedily attached to the joys of merit, and their thoughts stained with desire are fierce and sharp; although they know that prajñā has great merit, they are not able to recite it constantly. Again, because the Trāyastriṃśa heaven has the causes and conditions of impure karma, it invites enemies, and they cannot but do battle.
The Teaching of the Five Signs of Death: Hearing the Real Mark in Prajñā, the Mind Becomes Pure, and So They Are Born Again in Their Own Place
When the lifespan of the gods is about to end, the five signs of death appear before them: first, the flower garlands on their heads wither; second, sweat flows from under their arms; third, flies come and settle on their bodies; fourth, they see another god seated in their own seat; fifth, they themselves take no delight in their own seat. When the gods see these signs of death, they cling with regret to the joys of heaven, and further see that they are about to be born in an evil place, and their hearts are filled with sorrow and suffering as if poisoned. At that time, if they hear the real mark spoken of in prajñāpāramitā—that all dharmas are false and unreal, impermanent, empty and still—and so believe and accept this Buddha-dharma, then because their minds become pure, they are born again in their original heavenly place. These gods are not only born again in their own place; moreover, because of hearing prajñā, they receive the joys of merit life after life, and gradually accomplish the unsurpassed great path.
The causes and conditions here (of receiving and upholding and obtaining merit) are just as made clear by the phrase in the sūtra 「般若波羅蜜為大明呪」 tr. "prajñāpāramitā is the great bright spell".
Question and Answer Two: Why Prajñā Is Called the Great Bright Spell—the Great Spell Can Give Beings the Joy of the Path and Virtue
Someone asks: for what reason does Śakra Devānām Indra call 「般若」 tr. "prajñā" 「大明呪」 tr. "the great bright spell"?
The treatise-author answers: the outsiders' paths and the holy men have various kinds of spell-craft that can benefit the people; because they recite this spell-craft, they can command the ghosts and spirits as they please. The seers, because they have this spell-craft, gain great renown, and the people submit to them. Because the people of the world esteem spell-craft, Śakra said to the Buddha: ‘Among all spell-crafts, prajñāpāramitā is the great spell-craft.’ Why? Because prajñā can constantly give beings the joy of the path and virtue. As for the other spell-crafts, the causes and conditions of the joy they obtain can instead give rise to afflictions, and further, because they are unwholesome karma, they cause people to fall into the three evil destinies.
Great Bright, Unsurpassed, Equal to the Unequalled: The Three Meanings Distinguished
Again, the other spell-crafts can go along with greed and hatred and freely do evil; but this spell of prajñāpāramitā can extinguish the various attachments to meditative concentration, to the Buddha path, and to nirvāṇa—how much more such coarse and heavy sicknesses as greed and hatred! Therefore it is called 「大明呪、無上呪、無等等呪」 tr. "the great bright spell, the unsurpassed spell, the spell equal to the unequalled".
Again, this spell can cause people to be far removed from old age, sickness, and death, can establish beings in the Great Vehicle, and can make the practitioner the most honoured and great among all beings; therefore it is said to be 「大呪」 tr. "the great spell". Because it can benefit beings in this way, it is called 「無上」 tr. "unsurpassed". Formerly there were spell-crafts made by seers: the spell that can know the thoughts of others' minds, called Īkṣaṇī; the spell that can fly and transform, called Gāndhārī; the spell that can prolong life beyond ten million years—among all spells this was already beyond compare.
Among these spell-crafts that are already beyond compare, prajñāpāramitā surpasses them still further, beyond measure; therefore it is called 「無等等」 tr. "equal to the unequalled".
Again, the dharmas of the buddhas are called unequalled, and prajñāpāramitā is the cause and condition for attaining buddhahood; therefore it is said to be 「無等等」 tr. "equal to the unequalled".
Again, the buddhas are called unequalled among all beings, and this spell-craft of prajñā, because it was made by the Buddha, is called 「無等等呪」 tr. "the spell equal to the unequalled".
Again, this sūtra itself states the causes and conditions of the three spells, namely: ‘this spell can abandon all unwholesome dharmas, and can bestow all wholesome dharmas.’
The Buddha, Following What Was Praised, Praises It Broadly; the Simile of the Full Moon and the Stars
Because the Buddha goes along with what Śakra praised, he says: ‘Just so! Just so!’ And he further expounds broadly the meaning of what Śakra praised, namely: ‘because of prajñā, the ten wholesome paths and so on up to the buddhas are born.’
Because this prajñāpāramitā belongs to the bodhisattva (it is what the bodhisattva practises), the Buddha then speaks a simile: the buddhas can greatly break through the darkness of ignorance, and so they are like the full moon; the bodhisattva's breaking through the darkness is not equal to that of the buddhas, and so he is like the stars. Just as whatever is seen at night is all by the power of the stars and the moon, so whatever is known and seen in the long night of birth and death in the world is all by the power of the buddhas and bodhisattvas. When there is no buddha in the world, the bodhisattva at that time expounds the Dharma for beings, first causing them to settle in the joys of humans and gods, and then gradually causing them to attain the joy of nirvāṇa. All the wisdom the bodhisattva has is the power of prajñāpāramitā.
Although the Bodhisattva Practises the Limbs of the Path and the Eighteen Emptinesses, He Does Not Realise the Two Vehicles: All Is the Power of Skilful Means and Prajñā
Again, although this bodhisattva practises the thirty-seven limbs of the path and the eighteen emptinesses, and knows that all dharmas ultimately cannot be grasped, yet he does not realise and take hold of the path of the śrāvaka or the pratyekabuddha, but is able to give rise to wholesome dharmas anew, to teach and transform beings, to purify buddha-worlds, to fulfil lifespan, and so forth; all of these are the power of skilful means and of prajñāpāramitā.
If this person is able to receive and uphold prajñā, and so on up to rightly recollecting it, he obtains merit in this life and in later lives.
What is called 「今世功德」 tr. "merit in this life" is precisely never dying of poison, and so forth.
Question and Answer Three: Not Dying an Untimely Death Was Already Spoken of—Why Speak of It Again? Blades, Poison, Water, and Fire Are Inflicted by Others or Brought On by Oneself
Someone asks: not dying an untimely death has already been spoken of earlier; why is it spoken of again now (not dying of poison and so on)?
The treatise-author answers: prajñāpāramitā has already been spoken of earlier, only it was not fully spoken in a single assembly; here it is explained again for those who come later.
Again, blades, poison, water, and fire are of two kinds: those inflicted by others, and those brought on by oneself. What was spoken of earlier were the weapons, poison, water, fire, and so on inflicted by others; what is spoken of now is not coming to harm oneself. How is this known? It is known from what is said next, 「四百四病」 tr. "the four hundred and four sicknesses". Although earlier it was said, ‘others cannot find the means to harm him’, it was not said that ‘that person instead further receives (from kings and ministers) reverence and offerings’.
Explaining the Four Hundred and Four Sicknesses and the Exception of Karmic Result: Karmic Result the Buddha Cannot Save One From, How Much Less Prajñā
What is called 「四百四病」 tr. "the four hundred and four sicknesses": the four great elements (earth, water, fire, and wind) come together as this body and constantly encroach upon and harm one another. Within each great element, one hundred and one sicknesses arise: the cold sicknesses are two hundred and two, because they arise from water and wind; the hot sicknesses are two hundred and two, because they arise from earth and fire. Fire has the mark of heat, earth has the mark of solidity; because of the mark of solidity it is hard to digest, and because it is hard to digest it can give rise to hot sicknesses. Blood and flesh, sinews, bones, skeleton, marrow, and so forth all belong to the portion of the earth element.
What is called 「除其業報」 tr. "excepting his karmic result": all dharmas are the coming together of many conditions, born of causes and conditions, and there is no maker at all; precisely because there is no maker, one (according to one's karma) must undergo the karmic result; from this even the Buddha cannot save one, how much less prajñā!
Karmic results that must be undergone and karmic results that need not be undergone have already been spoken of earlier.
When official matters arise, because of the power of reciting prajñāpāramitā, whatever arises can be extinguished.
Question and Answer Four: It Was Already Said That Others Cannot Gain an Opening—Why Say It Again? Kings and Great Ministers Moreover Show Reverence and Make Offerings
Someone asks: earlier it was said, ‘others cannot find the means to harm him’; why is it said again now?
The treatise-author answers: although earlier it was said that others cannot find the means against him, it was not said that people such as kings and great ministers not only cannot harm him but on the contrary further show him reverence and make offerings to him. Why? Because this bodhisattva constantly holds minds of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity turned toward beings.
Explaining the Merit in Later Lives; Concluding Exhortation Not to Part from the Mind of Sarvajñā
What is called 「後世功德」 tr. "merit in later lives": wherever one is born, life after life, one constantly does not depart from the ten wholesome paths and so forth, and therefore constantly does not fall into the evil destinies; because this person has subdued the evil mind, the body he receives is whole and complete, and he is not born into lowly families and the like. Because he trains in the path the Buddha trained in, he obtains a transformation body resembling the Buddha's, possessing the thirty-two marks and the eighty minor marks.
What is called 「常得化生現在佛國」 tr. "constantly obtaining birth by transformation in the buddha-lands now present": in the worlds of the ten directions, wherever the mind goes, one makes offerings to the buddhas, hears and receives the dharmas, teaches and transforms beings, and gradually attains the Buddha path.
Therefore the practitioner ought to hear, receive and uphold, and so on up to rightly recollect, not parting from the mind of omniscience (sarvajñā). In this way one obtains merit in this life and in later lives.
勸受持品：諸天與佛何以勸人受持般若，般若何以是大明、無上、無等等三呪，受持又何以得今世後世功德
在問什麼
這一品的品名叫「勸受持」（所釋的《大品》同品作『勸持』，宋、元、明、宮諸本亦多省作二字）。「勸」是勸請、勸勉；「受持」是承受執持、讀誦正憶念。品名的眼目，正落在全品的性格上：這是一品『勸勉受持之品』——先由三千大千世界的諸天勸帝釋受持，次由佛親口勸帝釋受持，再由帝釋回歎般若是大明呪，佛又順而印可廣讚，最後歸到受持所得的今世、後世功德。一品的骨架，就環繞著『何以值得受持、如何受持、受持得何』這一條線而展開。
底下壓著幾個難處。第一，受持般若何以能令一切善法具足、三寶不斷、萬善現世，乃至一歷耳根便漸得菩提？第二，也是全品義理最核心的一問：帝釋何以稱般若為「大明呪、無上明呪、無等等明呪」——這「呪」字作何解，「大」「無上」「無等等」三名又各有何分際？第三，何以佛一印可，便接說「因是明呪故」十善諸法乃至一切種智皆現於世，還以滿月星宿為喻？第四，受持所得的今世功德（毒兵水火不害、四百四病不中、官事王臣歡喜）與後世功德（不墮惡道、身相完具、化生佛界），經既已說，論何以又設幾番問答重加分別？這幾問，正是本品經、論要一一交代的。
逐段解明
一、諸天勸持——受持故善法具足、三寶不斷、萬善現世。 論主釋經，先明勸持之首唱在諸天。三千大千世界四天王天乃至阿迦尼吒天同勸帝釋：應受持、親近、讀誦正憶念這般若。何以值得如此？經以層層因果作答：受持乃至正憶念故，一切所修集善法當具足圓滿，能增益諸天眾、減損阿修羅；更進一步，受持故佛種、法種、僧種不斷，三寶不斷故六波羅蜜、四念處乃至十八不共法、四果三道皆現於世。一句話，受持般若是一切善法與三寶住世的樞紐——這便是諸天勸持的道理所在，也是全品「勸」字的第一重根據。
二、佛勸帝釋受持——阿修羅欲鬪則誦念、五死相現則誦讀。 諸天勸後，佛親自告帝釋當受持，並舉兩事顯般若現前之力：其一，阿修羅生心欲與三十三天交戰時，帝釋若誦念般若，阿修羅的惡心當即消滅、不復更生；其二，天子天女五種死相現前、將墮不如意處時，於其前誦讀般若，彼因聞般若功德威力故，還生本處。這兩事，把般若的利益從『究竟成佛』拉到『當下轉禍』的近處來勸，正是佛勸持之所以親切有力。
三、一歷耳根漸得菩提——三世諸佛皆學般若、般若攝一切善法。 佛更就般若之極果勸持：善男子善女人乃至諸天子天女，只要聞這般若經一歷耳根，以此功德便漸當得無上正等正覺。何以聞之即有此益？因為過去、未來、現在三世諸佛及弟子，無不學此般若而得菩提、入無餘涅槃；而般若能總攝一切善法——聲聞法、辟支佛法、菩薩法、佛法，無一不在其中。聞之尚且種下菩提之因，何況受持，此勸持之義又深一層。
四、大明呪首現——帝釋自陳三呪，佛親印可。 這是全品義理的第一個核心結。帝釋承前而回歎，白佛言：般若波羅蜜是「大明呪、無上明呪、無等等明呪」，因它能除一切不善法、能與一切善法。此處『呪（明呪）』非世俗禁禱之術，乃取其『破闇除障、有大威神』之義以況般若。帝釋既非一切智人，其歎恐眾未信，於是佛親口印可：「如是！如是！」重宣般若是此三呪，並證以三世諸佛皆因是明呪而得菩提。一歎一印，正是「大明呪」義在本品的正式立名——承品32初現而至此展開，為下文三義辨析立其經據。
五、因是明呪故萬善現世——菩薩方便力皆從般若生。 佛印可後隨即廣釋「因是明呪故」的效驗：世間便有十善道、四禪、四無量心、四無色定、六波羅蜜、四念處乃至十八不共法皆現於世；更有法性、如、法相、法住、法位、實際等諸法真實之異名皆現於世。何以故？因一切世間善法正法，於諸佛不出之時皆從菩薩生，而菩薩摩訶薩的方便力又皆從般若波羅蜜生。菩薩正以此方便力，行六度、內外諸空、道品而不證二乘之地，成就眾生、淨佛世界乃至得一切種智，無不從般若生。此段把「明呪」之力落到萬善的生處上，明般若是一切法現世的根源。
六、受持得今世功德——毒兵水火四百四病所不能害。 顯過般若之德，經轉入受持之報，先明今世功德。受持般若乃至正憶念者，終不中毒死、兵刃不傷、水火不害、四百四病所不能中，唯除宿命業報（那別有因緣，非般若所能救）。又若官事起，讀誦般若故往到官所而官不譴責；到王及太子大臣所，皆歡喜問訊、和意與語。何以得此？因這善男子善女人常有慈悲喜捨之心向眾生故——今世之福，正從般若所熏的心行中來。
七、受持得後世功德——不墮惡道、身相完具、化生佛界。 經次明後世功德：受持者世世不離十善道、四禪四無量、四無色定、六度、道品乃至十八不共法；終不墮三惡道，受身完具，不生貧窮下賤工師除廁擔死人之家，常得三十二相；更常得化生現在佛界，不離菩薩神通，能隨意往來十方供養聽法，成就眾生淨佛世界，漸得菩提。今世後世兩重功德既明，經遂結勸應當受持供養、常不離薩婆若（一切智）心——此即全品「勸受持」之總歸。
八、論釋開端——多眾展轉相讚故令信心轉深。 【論】釋先解勸持何以由多方唱起：佛是法王先讚受持者，次天王帝釋讚，今復諸天讚。何以層層相讚？因多眾展轉相讚故，能令人信心轉深——一人獨歎不如眾口同歎之足以生信。論又點出諸天勸中所說受持因緣：修諸功德、增益諸天、減損阿修羅、三寶不斷、六波羅蜜等功德出現於世；佛既可諸天之讚，遂告帝釋當受持之。此段是論主為經之勸持結構所作的脈絡疏理。
九、五死相之教理——聞般若實相心清淨故還生本處。 論釋佛所舉「五死相」一事，發其教理：諸天命終時五相現前——華鬘萎、腋下汗出、蠅來著身、見他坐己坐處、自不樂本坐——彼見死相、念惜天樂、憂墮惡處。此時若聞般若所詮實相，了諸法虛誑、無常空寂，信是佛法、心得清淨故，便還生本處，且世世受福樂、漸成無上道。論並點明：此中受持得福的因緣，正如經說「般若波羅蜜為大明呪」一句所表——由此引出下文對「大明呪」之全幅辨析。
十、大明、無上、無等等——三呪義之逐重辨析。 這是本品論釋的最大子題，論主設『何以名般若為大明呪』一問，層層剖判。其一，諸外道聖人有種種呪術能役鬼神、得名聲，世人貴之，故帝釋借世所貴之呪以況般若為「大呪術」，因般若能常與眾生道德之樂，非如餘呪之樂反起煩惱墮惡道。其二，餘呪隨貪瞋自在作惡，般若呪則能滅對禪定、佛道、涅槃之著，何況貪恚粗病，故名「大明」「無上」。其三辨「無等等」：世有仙人抑叉尼呪（知他心）、揵陀梨呪（飛行變化）、住壽呪，於諸呪中已無與等，而般若過出此無等之上無量，故名「無等等」；又諸佛法名無等、般若是得佛因緣，故言無等等；又諸佛於眾生中名無等、此呪佛所作，故名無等等呪。末證以經自說之三呪因緣：是呪能捨一切不善法、能與一切善法。三名分際既明，「大明呪」一義乃盡。
十一、滿月星宿喻——諸佛破闇如滿月、菩薩如星宿。 論釋佛順帝釋所歎、更廣其讚，說『因般若故出生十善道乃至諸佛』，並為般若屬菩薩所行故設一譬喻：諸佛能大破無明之闇，如滿月之明；菩薩破闇不如諸佛，如星宿之明。猶如夜中所見皆星月之力，世間生死長夜中凡有所知見，皆是佛菩薩之力；世若無佛，菩薩為眾生說法，先著人天樂、漸令得涅槃樂——菩薩所有智慧皆是般若之力。論又補明：菩薩雖行道品、十八空、知法畢竟不可取而不證二乘，還能起善法教化眾生淨佛世界，皆是方便般若之力。此喻把般若為萬善之光源一義，喻得極顯。
十二、除業報與結勸——業報佛不能救、行者應不離薩婆若心。 論末就今世後世功德再作幾番問答收束：先辨「不橫死」何以重說，明刀毒水火有他作自作二種，前說他加、今為不自傷，故接說四百四病（四大為身、冷熱各二百二病）。次釋「除其業報」：一切法因緣和合生、無有作者，無作者故必受業報，此連佛亦不能救、何況般若——般若能除橫難而不奪定業，分際在此。又辨「人不能得便」何以復說，明國王大臣不惟不能加害、反還恭敬供養，因菩薩常有慈悲喜捨心向眾生故。終歸一句：行者應聞、受持乃至正憶念、不離薩婆若心，如是即得今世後世功德——正應全品「勸受持」之題。
不要讀錯
不要把「大明呪」的「呪」讀成世俗的禁禱術數。論說得分明：般若之為呪，非取其役使鬼神、隨貪瞋作惡之用，正取其『能滅一切不善、能與一切善』『能滅禪定佛道涅槃諸著』之破闇除障義。若把它讀成一句可持誦求驗的咒語，便把般若的實相義讀低了——般若是所詮的智慧實相，「呪」不過是借世所貴之名以況其威神無上而已。
不要把「大」「無上」「無等等」三名讀成同一意思的堆疊。論一一分判：「大呪」就般若能與眾生道德樂、令行者最尊說；「無上」就其能滅諸著、利益無上說；「無等等」則有三重——般若過出世間無等之呪、般若是得佛因緣、此呪為諸佛所作。三名各有所據，不是換字重說。認清三義的層次，才讀得懂論主何以要設『何以名大明呪』一問而反覆申答。
不要把『終不中毒死、水火不害』讀成受持般若便可違逆定業。論說得清楚：所除者是刀毒水火等橫難、他加自招之難，至於「宿命業報」「必受業報」則「佛所不能救，何況般若」。般若能除橫死之難、不能奪必受之報，二者分際不可混。若把般若讀成免一切果報的護符，便誤了『業報佛不能救』這一句的分量。
修行作用
這一品通篇是「勸受持」，用功人最當領取的，是勸持背後那一層因果的信解：受持般若何以值得？因它是三寶不斷、萬善現世的樞紐，是三世諸佛所同學、一歷耳根便種菩提之因的根本法。日常持誦，最易把心寄在卷帙儀軌的外相上；本品卻把受持之所以可貴，一路收歸到般若是一切善法生處這一源頭。持誦供養之際，心要認得所貴在般若實相，不在外飾。
『大明、無上、無等等』三呪之辨，尤堪用功人自省。世人貴呪術，圖的是役鬼神、得名聲、免橫難；本品借世所貴之呪以況般若，卻把般若之「大」定在『能與眾生道德樂、能滅諸著』上。學這一段，便知修般若不是求一句靈驗的咒，而是修那能破無明、滅諸著的實相智慧——莫把無上無等的般若，用成了求福免難的世間術。
今世後世功德一節，可作日用的一面照子。般若能除毒兵水火四百四病之橫難，卻不奪宿命必受之業報；能令官事不譴、王臣歡喜，其實是因受持者『常有慈悲喜捨心向眾生』。用功人於此當識得：外境之轉，根在自心之熏——與其求般若作免難之符，不如以般若熏成慈悲喜捨之行，今世後世之福自隨之而生。
承衍
本品的骨幹，是一條由「勸受持」三字串起的線：先諸天勸帝釋受持，明受持故善法具足、三寶不斷、萬善現世、一歷耳根漸得菩提；次佛親勸帝釋受持，舉阿修羅欲鬪、五死相現二事顯般若現前之力；帝釋回歎般若是「大明呪、無上明呪、無等等明呪」，佛親印可並廣釋「因是明呪故」萬善現世、菩薩方便力皆從般若生；復以受持所得今世功德（毒兵水火四百四病不害、官事王臣歡喜）與後世功德（不墮惡道、身相完具、化生佛界）作結，總勸應受持供養、不離薩婆若心。論釋則於『多眾讚令信深』立勸持之勢，於「五死相」發其教理，於『何以名大明呪』設全品最大之辨——大呪、無上、無等等三義逐重剖判，以滿月星宿喻申般若為萬善光源，末以『業報佛不能救、何況般若』判般若除橫難而不奪定業之分際。一品之義，總在『勸而受持、受持得果』一事。
「大明呪」一義，尤可附帶一提。此義非本品始創：般若為大明、無上二呪，已初現於前之寶塔校量一段（其時猶是二詞並舉）；至本品乃擴為『大明、無上、無等等』三詞並陳，並於論釋獲全品最大篇幅之三義辨析，遂成定說。是知般若為明呪之義，乃由前品初現、本品展開而漸次圓足，讀者可合觀二處，以見其承衍之跡（起訖出處詳考據層）。
Exhortation to Receive and Uphold: Why Do the Gods and the Buddha Urge People to Receive and Uphold Prajñā? Why Is Prajñā the Three Spells—Great Bright, Unsurpassed, and Equal to the Unequalled? And Why Does Receiving and Upholding It Bring Merit in This Life and in Later Lives?
What Is Being Asked
This chapter’s name is 「勸受持」 tr. "exhortation to receive and uphold" (the same chapter of the Larger Sūtra that it explains is titled ‘Exhortation to Uphold,’ and the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace editions also mostly shorten it to two characters). 「勸」 tr. "exhortation" means urging and encouraging; 「受持」 tr. "receive and uphold" means taking on and holding fast, reading, reciting, and rightly recollecting. The eye of the chapter’s name falls exactly on the character of the whole chapter: this is a chapter ‘of exhorting to receive and uphold’—first the gods of the three-thousand great-thousand world exhort Śakra to receive and uphold it, next the Buddha with his own mouth exhorts Śakra to receive and uphold it, then Śakra in return praises prajñā as the great bright spell, the Buddha goes along with this, seals it, and praises it broadly, and finally it comes home to the merits of this life and of later lives gained by receiving and upholding. The frame of the whole chapter unfolds around this one thread: ‘why it is worth receiving and upholding, how to receive and uphold it, and what receiving and upholding it gains.’
Several difficulties press underneath. First, how can receiving and upholding prajñā make all wholesome dharmas complete, keep the Three Jewels from being cut off, and make the myriad goods appear in the world—and even, once it has passed but once through the ear, lead gradually to awakening? Second, and this is the question at the very core of the whole chapter’s meaning: why does Śakra call prajñā 「大明呪、無上明呪、無等等明呪」 tr. "the great bright spell, the unsurpassed bright spell, the bright spell equal to the unequalled"—how is this word 「呪」 tr. "spell" to be understood, and what boundaries separate the three names 「大」 tr. "great," 「無上」 tr. "unsurpassed," and 「無等等」 tr. "equal to the unequalled"? Third, why is it that as soon as the Buddha seals it, he goes on to say that 「因是明呪故」 tr. "because of this bright spell" the ten wholesome paths and all dharmas up to the omniscience of all kinds appear in the world, and adds the simile of the full moon and the stars? Fourth, the merits of this life gained by receiving and upholding (poison, weapons, water, and fire do not harm one; the four hundred and four sicknesses do not strike one; in cases before the authorities, kings and ministers are glad) and the merits of later lives (not falling into the evil destinies, a body whole and complete, being born by transformation in a buddha-world)—since the sūtra has already stated them, why does the treatise set up several rounds of questions and answers to distinguish them further? These questions are exactly what the sūtra and the treatise of this chapter must account for one by one.
Passage by Passage
1. The gods exhort to uphold—because it is received and upheld, wholesome dharmas are complete, the Three Jewels are not cut off, and the myriad goods appear in the world. In explaining the sūtra, the treatise-author first makes clear that the first voice exhorting to uphold is that of the gods. The gods of the three-thousand great-thousand world, from the heavens of the Four Heavenly Kings up to the Akaniṣṭha heaven, together exhort Śakra: he should receive and uphold, draw near to, read, recite, and rightly recollect this prajñā. Why is it worth this? The sūtra answers with layer upon layer of cause and result: because one receives and upholds and so on up to rightly recollects it, all the wholesome dharmas one has cultivated and gathered will be complete and full, the assemblies of the gods can be increased and the asuras diminished; going a step further, because it is received and upheld, the seed of the Buddha, the seed of the Dharma, and the seed of the Saṅgha are not cut off, and because the Three Jewels are not cut off, the six perfections, the four foundations of mindfulness and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas, and the four fruits and the three paths all appear in the world. In a word, receiving and upholding prajñā is the pivot on which all wholesome dharmas and the abiding of the Three Jewels in the world turn—this is where the reason for the gods’ exhortation lies, and it is also the first ground of the word 「勸」 tr. "exhortation" for the whole chapter.
2. The Buddha exhorts Śakra to uphold—when the asuras wish to fight, recite and recollect it; when the five signs of death appear, recite and read it. After the gods’ exhortation, the Buddha himself tells Śakra that he should receive and uphold it, and cites two matters to show the power of prajñā in the present moment. First, when the asuras give rise to the thought of wishing to do battle with the Heaven of the Thirty-three, if Śakra recites and recollects prajñā, the asuras’ evil mind at once ceases and does not arise again. Second, when the five signs of death appear before a god or goddess who is about to fall into an undesirable place, if one recites and reads prajñā in front of them, then because of the merit and majestic power of the prajñā they hear, they are born again in their own place. These two matters draw the benefit of prajñā in from ‘ultimately becoming a buddha’ to the near ground of ‘turning misfortune right now’ in order to exhort—this is exactly why the Buddha’s exhortation to uphold is so intimate and forceful.
3. Passing but once through the ear leads gradually to awakening—the buddhas of the three times all learned prajñā, and prajñā gathers in all wholesome dharmas. The Buddha further exhorts to uphold from the side of the ultimate fruit of prajñā: if good men and good women, and even gods and goddesses, hear this prajñā sūtra so that it passes but once through the ear, by this merit they will gradually attain unsurpassed, right, and complete awakening. Why does merely hearing it bring this benefit? Because the buddhas of the three times—past, future, and present—and their disciples, without exception, learned this prajñā, attained awakening, and entered nirvāṇa without remainder; and prajñā can gather in all wholesome dharmas—śrāvaka dharmas, pratyekabuddha dharmas, bodhisattva dharmas, and buddha dharmas, not one of which lies outside it. If merely hearing it still plants the cause of awakening, how much more receiving and upholding it; here the meaning of exhorting to uphold goes one layer deeper.
4. The great bright spell first appears—Śakra himself declares the three spells, and the Buddha himself seals them. This is the first core knot of the chapter’s meaning. Śakra, taking up what came before, praises in return and says to the Buddha: prajñāpāramitā is 「大明呪、無上明呪、無等等明呪」 tr. "the great bright spell, the unsurpassed bright spell, the bright spell equal to the unequalled," because it can remove all unwholesome dharmas and can give all wholesome dharmas. Here ‘spell (bright spell)’ is not the worldly craft of binding charms and prayers; it takes the meaning of ‘breaking darkness and removing obstructions, having great majestic and spiritual power’ in order to liken it to prajñā. Since Śakra is not an omniscient person, the assembly might not believe his praise, and so the Buddha seals it with his own mouth: 「如是！如是！」 tr. "Just so! Just so!" He proclaims again that prajñā is these three spells, and gives as proof that the buddhas of the three times all attained awakening because of this bright spell. One praise and one seal—this is exactly the formal establishing of the name 「大明呪」 tr. "great bright spell" in this chapter: having first appeared in Chapter 32, it here unfolds, and sets down the sūtra basis for the analysis of the three meanings below.
5. Because of this bright spell the myriad goods appear in the world—the bodhisattva’s power of skilful means is all born from prajñā. After sealing it, the Buddha at once broadly explains the efficacy of 「因是明呪故」 tr. "because of this bright spell": the world then has the ten wholesome paths, the four dhyānas, the four immeasurable minds, the four formless absorptions, the six perfections, the four foundations of mindfulness, and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas, all appearing in the world; and further, the various other names for the reality of dharmas—the nature of dharmas, suchness, the mark of dharmas, the abiding of dharmas, the position of dharmas, the limit of reality—all appear in the world. Why? Because all worldly wholesome dharmas and right dharmas, at times when buddhas do not appear, are all born from the bodhisattvas, and the power of skilful means of the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas is in turn all born from prajñāpāramitā. It is precisely by this power of skilful means that the bodhisattva practises the six perfections, the inner and outer emptinesses, and the limbs of the path without realising the grounds of the two vehicles, brings beings to maturity, purifies buddha-worlds, and so on up to attaining the omniscience of all kinds—none of which is not born from prajñā. This passage brings the power of the 「明呪」 tr. "bright spell" down to the place where the myriad goods are born, making clear that prajñā is the source from which all dharmas appear in the world.
6. Receiving and upholding gains merits in this life—poison, weapons, water, fire, and the four hundred and four sicknesses cannot harm. Having shown the virtue of prajñā, the sūtra turns to the reward of receiving and upholding, and first makes clear the merits of this life. One who receives and upholds and so on up to rightly recollects prajñā never dies by poison, is not wounded by blades, is not harmed by water or fire, and cannot be struck by the four hundred and four sicknesses—excepting only the karmic results of past lives (these have causes and conditions of their own, and are not what prajñā can save from). Further, if a case before the authorities arises, because he reads and recites prajñā, when he goes to the magistrate’s office the official does not reprimand him; when he goes to the king, the crown prince, or the great ministers, they all gladly greet him and speak with him amiably. Why does he gain this? Because this good man or good woman always has the minds of kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity turned toward beings—the blessings of this life come precisely from the conduct of mind that prajñā has perfumed.
7. Receiving and upholding gains merits in later lives—not falling into the evil destinies, a body whole and complete, being born by transformation in a buddha-world. The sūtra next makes clear the merits of later lives: the one who receives and upholds is, life after life, not apart from the ten wholesome paths, the four dhyānas and the four immeasurables, the four formless absorptions, the six perfections, the limbs of the path, and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas; he never falls into the three evil destinies, receives a body whole and complete, and is not born into households that are poor and lowly, of artisans, of latrine-cleaners, or of corpse-bearers; he always gains the thirty-two marks; further, he is always born by transformation in the buddha-worlds of the present, is not apart from the bodhisattva’s supernormal powers, and can go and come at will throughout the ten directions to make offerings and hear the Dharma, bringing beings to maturity, purifying buddha-worlds, and gradually attaining awakening. Once the two layers of merit, of this life and of later lives, have been made clear, the sūtra closes its exhortation: one should receive, uphold, and make offerings to it, and always not part from the mind of sarvajñā (omniscience)—this is where the whole chapter’s 「勸受持」 tr. "exhortation to receive and uphold" finally comes to rest.
8. The opening of the treatise’s explanation—because many assemblies praise it in turn, faith is made to deepen. The treatise section first explains why the exhortation to uphold is voiced from many quarters: the Buddha, as the Dharma king, first praised those who receive and uphold; next Śakra, king of the gods, praised them; and now in turn the gods praise them. Why do they praise one after another, layer upon layer? Because many assemblies praising it in turn can make people’s faith grow deeper—one person praising alone is not as able to give rise to faith as many voices praising together. The treatise also points out the causes and conditions of receiving and upholding spoken of in the gods’ exhortation: cultivating all merits, increasing the gods, diminishing the asuras, the Three Jewels not being cut off, and the six perfections and the other merits appearing in the world; since the Buddha approves the gods’ praise, he then tells Śakra that he should receive and uphold it. This passage is the treatise-author’s ordering of the thread of the sūtra’s structure of exhorting to uphold.
9. The doctrinal principle of the five signs of death—because, hearing the real mark of prajñā, the mind becomes pure, they are born again in their own place. The treatise explains the matter of the 「五死相」 tr. "five signs of death" raised by the Buddha and brings out its doctrinal principle: when the gods’ lives are about to end, five signs appear—the flower garland withers, sweat comes from the armpits, flies come and settle on the body, one sees another sitting in one’s own seat, and one no longer delights in one’s own seat—seeing the signs of death, they think with regret of heavenly pleasures and grieve at falling to an evil place. If at this time they hear the real mark that prajñā expresses, understand that all dharmas are false and deceptive, impermanent, empty, and still, and believe this to be the Buddhadharma, then because their minds become pure they are born again in their own place, and moreover life after life receive blessings and happiness and gradually accomplish the unsurpassed path. The treatise also makes plain that the causes and conditions of gaining blessings by receiving and upholding here are exactly what the sūtra’s sentence 「般若波羅蜜為大明呪」 tr. "prajñāpāramitā is the great bright spell" expresses—and from this it leads into the full analysis of the 「大明呪」 tr. "great bright spell" below.
10. Great bright, unsurpassed, equal to the unequalled—a layer-by-layer analysis of the meaning of the three spells. This is the largest sub-topic of the treatise’s explanation in this chapter; the treatise-author sets up the question ‘why is prajñā called the great bright spell?’ and dissects it layer by layer. First: the outsiders’ paths and the holy men have spell-crafts of many kinds that can command ghosts and spirits and win fame, and worldly people prize them; so Śakra borrows the spell the world prizes to liken prajñā to 「大呪術」 tr. "the great spell-craft," because prajñā can always give beings the happiness of the path and its virtue, unlike the happiness of the other spells, which instead gives rise to afflictions and leads to falling into the evil destinies. Second: the other spells follow greed and hatred and do evil at will, whereas the spell of prajñā can extinguish attachment to dhyāna, to the Buddha path, and to nirvāṇa, let alone the coarse sicknesses of greed and hatred; therefore it is called 「大明」 tr. "great bright" and 「無上」 tr. "unsurpassed." Third, it distinguishes 「無等等」 tr. "equal to the unequalled": the world has the seers’ Īkṣaṇī spell (knowing the minds of others), the Gāndhārī spell (flying and transforming), and the life-prolonging spell, which among all spells already have no equal, and prajñā surpasses and goes beyond these unequalled ones immeasurably, and so it is called 「無等等」 tr. "equal to the unequalled"; further, the dharma of the buddhas is called unequalled, and prajñā is the cause and condition for attaining buddhahood, and so it is said to be equal to the unequalled; further, the buddhas among beings are called unequalled, and this spell is made by the Buddha, and so it is called the spell equal to the unequalled. Finally it gives as proof the cause and condition of the three spells that the sūtra itself states: this spell can cast off all unwholesome dharmas and can give all wholesome dharmas. Once the boundaries of the three names are clear, the meaning of the 「大明呪」 tr. "great bright spell" is fully set out.
11. The simile of the full moon and the stars—the buddhas break darkness like the full moon, and the bodhisattvas are like the stars. The treatise explains that the Buddha, going along with what Śakra praised and broadening his praise further, says ‘because of prajñā, the ten wholesome paths and so on up to the buddhas are brought forth,’ and, because prajñā belongs to what bodhisattvas practise, sets up a simile: the buddhas can greatly break the darkness of ignorance, like the brightness of the full moon; the bodhisattvas’ breaking of darkness does not equal theirs, like the brightness of the stars. Just as whatever is seen in the night is all by the power of the stars and the moon, so in the long night of birth and death in the world, whatever is known and seen is all by the power of the buddhas and bodhisattvas; if there is no Buddha in the world, the bodhisattvas teach the Dharma to beings, first settling them in the happiness of humans and gods, and gradually leading them to attain the happiness of nirvāṇa—all the wisdom the bodhisattvas have is the power of prajñā. The treatise further makes clear: although the bodhisattva practises the limbs of the path and the eighteen emptinesses, and knows that dharmas are ultimately ungraspable, he does not realise the two vehicles, and is still able to give rise to wholesome dharmas, teach and transform beings, and purify buddha-worlds—all of which is the power of skilful means and prajñā. This simile makes the meaning that prajñā is the source of light for the myriad goods exceedingly plain.
12. The exception of karmic results and the closing exhortation—the Buddha cannot save from karmic results, and the practitioner should not part from the mind of sarvajñā. At its end the treatise gathers things up with several more rounds of questions and answers on the merits of this life and later lives. First it distinguishes why 「不橫死」 tr. "does not die an untimely death" is said again, making clear that blades, poison, water, and fire are of two kinds, done by others and done by oneself; what was said before concerned what others inflict, and now it is so that one does not harm oneself, and so it goes on to speak of the four hundred and four sicknesses (the four great elements make up the body; the cold sicknesses and the hot sicknesses number two hundred and two each). Next it explains 「除其業報」 tr. "except for his karmic result": all dharmas are born from the coming together of causes and conditions and there is no maker; because there is no maker, one must undergo the karmic result, and from this even the Buddha cannot save, let alone prajñā—prajñā can remove untimely calamities but does not take away fixed karma; the boundary lies here. It further distinguishes why 「人不能得便」 tr. "people cannot find an opening" is said again, making clear that kings and great ministers not only cannot do harm but on the contrary pay reverence and make offerings, because the bodhisattva always has the minds of kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity turned toward beings. It ends in one sentence: the practitioner should hear, receive and uphold, and so on up to rightly recollect, not parting from the mind of sarvajñā, and in this way gains the merits of this life and later lives—answering exactly to the chapter’s title, 「勸受持」 tr. "exhortation to receive and uphold."
Do Not Misread
Do not read 「大明呪」 tr. "great bright spell"—its 「呪」 tr. "spell"—as the worldly arts of binding charms, prayers, and divination. The treatise says it plainly: prajñā’s being a spell does not take the use of commanding ghosts and spirits or of doing evil at will following greed and hatred, but takes precisely the meaning of breaking darkness and removing obstructions in ‘it can extinguish all that is unwholesome and can give all that is wholesome’ and ‘it can extinguish all attachments to dhyāna, the Buddha path, and nirvāṇa.’ If one reads it as a charm that can be chanted to seek results, one reads the meaning of the real mark of prajñā too low—prajñā is the wisdom of the real mark that is expressed, and 「呪」 tr. "spell" merely borrows a name the world prizes to liken its majestic and spiritual power as unsurpassed.
Do not read the three names 「大」 tr. "great," 「無上」 tr. "unsurpassed," and 「無等等」 tr. "equal to the unequalled" as a pile of words all meaning the same thing. The treatise distinguishes them one by one: 「大呪」 tr. "great spell" is said with respect to prajñā’s being able to give beings the happiness of the path and its virtue and to make the practitioner the most honoured; 「無上」 tr. "unsurpassed" is said with respect to its being able to extinguish all attachments and to benefit unsurpassably; 「無等等」 tr. "equal to the unequalled" has three layers—prajñā surpasses and goes beyond the world’s unequalled spells, prajñā is the cause and condition for attaining buddhahood, and this spell is made by the buddhas. Each of the three names has its own ground; it is not a change of words to say the same thing again. Only by recognising the levels of the three meanings can one understand why the treatise-author sets up the question ‘why is it called the great bright spell?’ and answers it again and again.
Do not read ‘never dies by poison, is not harmed by water or fire’ as meaning that receiving and upholding prajñā lets one go against fixed karma. The treatise says it clearly: what is removed are untimely calamities such as blades, poison, water, and fire, calamities inflicted by others or brought on oneself; as for 「宿命業報」 tr. "the karmic results of past lives" and 「必受業報」 tr. "a karmic result that must be undergone," 「佛所不能救，何況般若」 tr. "the Buddha cannot save from them, let alone prajñā." Prajñā can remove the calamity of untimely death but cannot take away a result that must be undergone; the boundary between the two must not be blurred. If one reads prajñā as a talisman exempting one from all karmic results, one mistakes the weight of the sentence ‘the Buddha cannot save from karmic results.’
Bearing on Practice
This chapter is throughout 「勸受持」 tr. "exhortation to receive and uphold," and what those who apply themselves should most take up is the faith and understanding of the layer of cause and result behind the exhortation: why is receiving and upholding prajñā worth it? Because it is the pivot by which the Three Jewels are not cut off and the myriad goods appear in the world, the root dharma that the buddhas of the three times all learned, which, passing but once through the ear, plants the cause of awakening. In daily chanting and upholding, the mind is most easily lodged in the outward forms of scrolls and ritual; this chapter, however, gathers what makes receiving and upholding precious all the way back to one source: that prajñā is where all wholesome dharmas are born. When chanting, upholding, and making offerings, the mind must recognise that what is precious lies in the real mark of prajñā, not in outward adornment.
The discernment of the three spells, ‘great bright, unsurpassed, and equal to the unequalled,’ especially deserves the self-examination of those who apply themselves. People of the world prize spell-craft for commanding ghosts and spirits, winning fame, and escaping untimely calamities; this chapter borrows the spell the world prizes to liken prajñā, yet sets the 「大」 tr. "great" of prajñā on ‘being able to give beings the happiness of the path and its virtue, and being able to extinguish all attachments.’ Learning this passage, one knows that cultivating prajñā is not seeking an efficacious charm but cultivating the wisdom of the real mark that can break ignorance and extinguish all attachments—do not turn the unsurpassed, unequalled prajñā into a worldly art for seeking blessings and escaping calamity.
The section on the merits of this life and later lives can serve as a mirror for daily use. Prajñā can remove the untimely calamities of poison, weapons, water, fire, and the four hundred and four sicknesses, yet does not take away the karmic results of past lives that must be undergone; it can make cases before the authorities bring no reprimand and kings and ministers glad, but in truth that is because the one who receives and upholds ‘always has the minds of kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity turned toward beings.’ Those who apply themselves should recognise here that the turning of outer circumstances is rooted in the perfuming of one’s own mind—rather than seeking prajñā as a talisman for escaping calamity, let prajñā perfume one into the practice of kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity, and the blessings of this life and later lives will arise of themselves.
Further Resonances
The backbone of this chapter is a single thread strung together by the words 「勸受持」 tr. "exhortation to receive and uphold": first the gods exhort Śakra to receive and uphold, making clear that because it is received and upheld, wholesome dharmas are complete, the Three Jewels are not cut off, the myriad goods appear in the world, and passing but once through the ear leads gradually to awakening; next the Buddha himself exhorts Śakra to receive and uphold, citing the two matters of the asuras wishing to fight and the five signs of death appearing, to show the power of prajñā in the present moment; Śakra in return praises prajñā as 「大明呪、無上明呪、無等等明呪」 tr. "the great bright spell, the unsurpassed bright spell, the bright spell equal to the unequalled," and the Buddha himself seals it and broadly explains how, 「因是明呪故」 tr. "because of this bright spell," the myriad goods appear in the world and the bodhisattva’s power of skilful means is all born from prajñā; then it concludes with the merits of this life gained by receiving and upholding (poison, weapons, water, fire, and the four hundred and four sicknesses do not harm; in cases before the authorities, kings and ministers are glad) and the merits of later lives (not falling into the evil destinies, a body whole and complete, being born by transformation in a buddha-world), exhorting overall that one should receive, uphold, and make offerings, not parting from the mind of sarvajñā. The treatise’s explanation, for its part, sets up the momentum of exhorting to uphold in ‘many assemblies praising makes faith deepen,’ brings out its doctrinal principle in the 「五死相」 tr. "five signs of death," and in ‘why is it called the great bright spell?’ sets up the greatest discernment of the whole chapter—the three meanings of great spell, unsurpassed, and equal to the unequalled dissected layer by layer, the simile of the full moon and the stars extending the point that prajñā is the source of light for the myriad goods, and at the end, with ‘the Buddha cannot save from karmic results, let alone prajñā,’ judging the boundary by which prajñā removes untimely calamities but does not take away fixed karma. The meaning of the whole chapter lies altogether in one matter: ‘exhorted, one receives and upholds; receiving and upholding, one gains the fruit.’
The meaning of the 「大明呪」 tr. "great bright spell" deserves a further note in passing. This meaning does not originate in this chapter: that prajñā is the two spells, great bright and unsurpassed, first appeared already in the earlier passage on weighing the jewelled stūpa (where the two terms were still set side by side); in this chapter it expands to the three terms ‘great bright, unsurpassed, and equal to the unequalled’ set out together, and receives in the treatise’s explanation the analysis of three meanings that takes up the greatest length in the chapter, and so it becomes the settled account. Thus one knows that the meaning of prajñā as a bright spell first appears in the earlier chapter and unfolds in this one, gradually coming to fullness; the reader may look at the two places together to see the traces of how it is carried on (the precise start and end locations are detailed in the apparatus layer).
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，繫卷五十八，為卷五十八之首品。前品〈述誠品第三十三〉承前卷〈寶塔校量品〉之卷未訖而收，兼收卷五十七〔T25 0468a09「大智度論卷第五十七」〕；本品則別起卷五十八〔T25 0468a12〕，開卷之殼並具二行署名——「聖者龍樹造」〔T25 0468a15〕、「後秦龜茲國三藏鳩摩羅什譯」〔T25 0468a16〕。此與前品〈述誠品〉之「同卷承續、不重署名」型相對，而與前卷卷首品〈寶塔校量品〉之「別起卷殼、具署名」同型，據實誌之。
本品之界別有一結構特點：品身 jhead〔T25 0468a12〕即含品名全稱「大智度論釋勸受持品第三十四」，其下無獨立之 mulu 元素緊鄰起 lb（異於品三十二、品三十三之品身別繫 mulu 標籤）——此為本品之結構差異，如實誌錄，不影響品界之 byte 校驗（品次表已就此 loc 校驗一致）。本品訖界〔T25 0470a15〕為次品〈梵志品〉之起處，同卷五十八內部之品界（非卷訖，訖界前無 fun="close" 卷閉標籤），品身正文終於「如是得今世、後世功德。」〔T25 0470a14〕，次品〈梵志品〉隨即於同卷續起。
品內結構一【經】一【論】交替，全品作一單元讀之，不拆（純漢字二千七百八十九，尚不及分拆之量）。經〔0468a12–0469a17 前〕四天王天乃至阿迦尼吒諸天勸帝釋受持般若、佛可諸天讚而告釋受持、帝釋自陳般若是大明呪並佛印可廣釋、次第宣說受持般若之今世後世功德；論〔0469a17–0470a15 訖〕以「釋曰」開篇，配以問答四番，逐一釋經之疑難。經段最長為諸天勸持段〔0468a17 起〕，論段以「滿月星宿喻」段〔0469c05 起〕為最長。本品一經一論之數，較前卷〈寶塔校量品〉之三經三論簡，而其量遠過前品〈述誠品〉（七百五十八字），據底本各自定，不沿他品格局。
品內二標籤皆恰在塊首，無鑲嵌型過渡。【經】標籤繫〔T25 0468a17〕，緊接品題、二行署名之後、經文首句「爾時，三千大千世界所有四天王天」之前，獨立成塊。【論】標籤繫〔T25 0469a17〕，獨立成塊，塊首緊接「釋曰」。此與前品〈述誠品〉之二標籤落塊首同型，較前卷〈寶塔校量品〉之鑲嵌型過渡為簡。論之說者結構，本品以問答四番為骨——問①〔0469a26〕／答①〔0469a28〕、問②〔0469b11〕／答②〔0469b12〕、問③〔0469c17〕／答③〔0469c18〕、問④〔0470a03〕／答④〔0470a04〕，逐一配對，無孤問孤答；其中問②「何以名般若為大明呪」一番，論釋占十餘段（〔0469b12–0469c15〕），為全品論釋篇幅最大之單一子題（見第五目、第六目）。
二、術語考
大明呪·無上明呪·無等等明呪（本品之樞語·三詞式）。 帝釋自陳般若之三名——「世尊！般若波羅蜜是大明呪、無上明呪、無等等明呪。」〔T25 0468b18〕，佛印可並廣釋其義〔T25 0468b20〕。「明呪」者，能除闇之呪；「大」者能滅大惡果、與眾生道德樂，「無上」者能令離老病死、立眾生於大乘，「無等等」者於一切呪術中般若過出無量、諸佛所作故無與等（三義之辨見第五目、第六目）。此三詞式為本品所獨顯——前品〈寶塔校量品〉大明呪初現時作「大明呪、無上呪」二詞式〔T25 0463c 一帶〕，至本品乃擴為三詞式並獲全品最大篇幅之辨析，此承衍之精確落點見第七目。
五死相（五衰相）。 論釋諸天命終之相——「五死相現：一者、華鬘萎，二者、掖下汗出，三者、蠅來著身，四者、見更有天坐己坐處，五者、自不樂本坐。」〔T25 0469b02〕。此為答①之關樞：諸天見五死相、念惜天樂而心懷憂毒，爾時若聞般若實相「諸法虛誑，無常空寂」〔T25 0469b07〕，信是佛法、心清淨故還生本處，世世受福樂、漸成無上道。吉藏疏另列五死相之目，其順序與用字與經文有出入（委／萎、四五互換），見第六目、並錄不判。
四百四病。 論釋今世功德「四百四病所不能中」之數——「『四百四病』者，四大為身，常相侵害。一一大中，百一病起：冷病有二百二，水、風起故；熱病有二百二，地、火起故。」〔T25 0469c23〕。四大各起百一病，合為四百四病；冷病由水、風二大起，熱病由地、火二大起，此為本品論釋對「四百四病」一數之定義性解說。
抑叉尼呪·揵陀梨呪·住壽呪（三仙人呪）。 論釋「無等等」義時所舉之對照——「先有仙人所作呪術，所謂能知他人心呪，名抑叉尼；能飛行變化呪，名揵陀梨；能住壽過千萬歲呪，於諸呪中無與等。」〔T25 0469b24〕。三呪各主知他心、飛行變化、住壽千萬歲，於世間諸呪中已稱無與等；然於此無等呪術之中，般若復過出無量，故名「無等等」——三仙人呪為般若「無等等」義之反顯階梯。
薩婆若（一切智）。 品末勸持之所歸——「常不離薩婆若心」〔T25 0469a14〕、「不離薩婆若心」〔T25 0470a13〕。薩婆若即一切智，受持般若乃至正憶念者，其心常不離一切智，此為受持般若今世後世功德之總收，亦品名「勸受持」之義理指歸。
三、譬喻與故事
《大智度論》以譬喻著稱，本品之要喻為「滿月星宿喻」，經、論兩見，論釋之申說最詳。
滿月星宿喻（本品樞喻）。 喻先現於經段——佛廣釋大明呪，明因是明呪故十善乃至一切種智皆現於世，繼以喻結之：「譬如滿月照明，星宿亦能照明。」〔T25 0468c 一帶，段9〕，明一切世間善法正法若諸佛不出時皆從菩薩生、菩薩方便力皆從般若生。至論釋，此喻乃獲法譬合之完整申說——「是般若波羅蜜屬菩薩故，佛說譬喻：諸佛能大破無明闇故，如滿月；菩薩破闇不如故，如星宿。如夜中有所見，皆是星、月力；世間生死夜中有所知見，皆是佛菩薩力。」〔T25 0469c05〕。滿月者，諸佛大破無明闇之喻依；星宿者，菩薩破闇不如佛之喻依；夜中所見皆星月力者，生死長夜中眾生所知所見皆佛菩薩力之所顯。此喻明「世無佛時，菩薩說法度眾生、漸令得涅槃樂，菩薩所有智慧皆是般若波羅蜜力」——般若為佛菩薩照世之本，如月星之為長夜之明。吉藏疏判此段為「法、譬、合」三分結構（見第六目）。
四、所釋經文
品名三字／二字兩造：勸受持／勸持（並錄不判）。 本品品名跨底本、跨傳本、跨經錄目錄呈「三字（勸受持）／二字（勸持）」之多造，其別在「受」字之有無，分佈廣、層級多，且 witness 分佈壓倒性偏向二字本，為本品第一須辨之事，逐一據底本誌之。
其一，本論（T25n1509）側之底本。卷端 jhead「大智度論釋勸受持品第三十四」〔T25 0468a12〕，品身即含此三字全稱（無獨立 mulu 緊鄰，見第一目）。「勸受持」取經義「諸天勸帝釋受、持、親近、讀誦、正憶念般若」之三字綱目而立名。
其二，本論側之內層單字校記（校記見第八目）。品題句「受」字下有子句校勘——「受【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】」〔T25 0468a12〕——即本論傳世宋、元、明、宮四本於此字位皆缺「受」字，讀作「勸持品」而非「勸受持品」。此為本品品名多造之核心：本論自身之四傳本一致省「受」字，構成與底本三字本相對之二字異名。
其三，本論側之品題整句校記（三造）。整句校記〔T25 0468a12〕外層覆蓋「大智度論釋勸受持品第三十四（卷五十八）」全句：聖本作「大智度經論卷第五十八釋第三十三品訖第三十五品」（無品名，改以「卷次＋品次範圍」描述式標記，體例與前品〈述誠品〉石本「第二」型之非常規標記同類，本目不強解其編纂意圖，第八目存疑）；石本作「摩訶般若波羅蜜經勸受持品第三十三」（以所釋經名冠首，用三字「勸受持」，品次「第三十三」較顯文「三十四」少一階，見品次條）。此則整句校記僅列大、聖、石三造，未列明本異讀，據實誌之。
其四，所釋經（T223）側之底本。後秦鳩摩羅什譯《摩訶般若波羅蜜經》此品題作「勸持品」〔T08 0286a26 mulu「34 勸持品」，head「摩訶般若波羅蜜經勸持品」〕——二字本，與本論底本三字本「勸受持品」不同，而與本論宋元明宮四本之內層異讀（見其二）完全吻合。
其五，古德疏及經錄目錄之異名。吉藏《大品經義疏》（X24n0451）用「勸持品第三十四」〔X24n0451 0269a21〕（二字，同 T223／本論宋元明宮異讀，異於本論底本）——為古德疏依所釋經或多數 witness 命名而非依本論底本命名之第四個連續實例（前卷〈滅諍亂品〉、前品〈寶塔校量品〉、前品〈述誠品〉、本品），四品連續復現，鞏固該觀察。唐玄逸《大唐開元釋教廣品歷章》（A097n1267）著錄「摩訶般若波羅蜜經勸持品第三十三」〔A097n1267 0813a06〕（二字，品次少一階，見下）。宋惟白《大藏經綱目指要錄》（C056n1159）同書兩處著錄不一致——卷二作「勸持品」〔C056n1159 0139a11〕（二字）、卷五作「勸受持品」〔C056n1159 0185c10〕（三字，同本論底本，三段式「勸受持品．梵志品．阿難稱譽品」並列）——同書兩處用字不同，並錄不判。
合觀，本品品名跨傳承呈「三字／二字」之多造，其 witness 分佈壓倒性偏向二字本「勸持品」——本論宋元明宮四本內層校記、所釋經 T223 lem、吉藏 X24、A097、C056 卷二皆讀二字；僅本論大正／麗藏底本、石本整句異讀（三字）、C056 卷五保三字。此失衡幅度較前品〈述誠品〉之「誠／成」（四對五並陳）更為顯著（本品為四 witness 群一致對底本單獨之型）。本版品名從本論底本作「勸受持品」（本版品名主軸為本論底本，既定之裁，本目不翻案）；「勸持品」諸名皆逐字保留於對讀敘述，不逕改，並錄不判——此傳本分佈之如實記錄（有底本字據），非重審已裁，並錄供參。
品次 off-by-one（延續品二十七以來既定現象）。 所釋經 T223 此品之 mulu 屬性標序作三十五而顯文題「34 勸持品」〔T08 0286a26〕，屬性較顯文多算一位——延續品二十七以來所釋經電子藏本之既定品次離軌現象（標序＝顯文加一）。本論此品 mulu 顯文品次「三十四」與品次表一致，下品〈梵志品〉本論亦無離軌——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。A097「勸持品第三十三」〔A097n1267 0813a06〕、本論聖本整句校記「釋第三十三品訖第三十五品」、石本整句校記「勸受持品第三十三」諸「負一階」計數，延續既定 offset 傳統，並錄不判。
品序內容分歧新發現（品三十五起·誌錄俟品三十五考據·不判）。 本品訖界之後，所釋經 T223 與本論 T1509 之品序自此點起出現內容分歧，非僅異名：T223 之下一品（第三十五）為「遣異品」〔T08 0287a26 mulu「35 遣異品」〕，而本論之下一品為「梵志品」〔T25 0470a15，同卷五十八續起〕。此非品名之異讀，而是品序安排本身之分歧起點。本目職權範圍止於品三十四，未展開比對其後續內容之對應關係，僅據實誌錄此分歧點之精確落 loc，俟品三十五考據查證其性質（品名巧合異名，或確為不同之品序安排），誌錄不判。
全量牒經對讀（兩側對勘·本品型為本論內部分裂）。 本論一段【經】文（剝品題／署名／【經】標籤後之連續漢字流，〔T25 0468a17 起至 0469a17 前，本論側 han-only 一千四百三十九字〕）與所釋經全品〈勸持品〉〔T08 0286a26 起，所釋經側一千四百二十七字〕逐字對校，逐字契合率屬般若諸品對讀之常態；所釋經此品無【論】層，本論論釋部分（約一千三百五十字）為【論】層論主釋所本論體之結構性擴增，非異文。與前品〈述誠品〉之兩側對勘證據結構相異：本品之核心兩側對勘證據來自本論自身之內部 witness 分裂（宋元明宮四本一致對大正孤本），而非 T223 側 witness 之佐證（品名「受」字之有無即其顯例，見上）——本論宋元明宮四本讀「勸持」、大正／麗藏底本讀「勸受持」，此「四本一致對底本單獨」之型，屬與前品「T223 聖本 witness 佐證型」不同之另一種兩側對勘證據結構，如實記錄，不強套前品模板。所釋經 T223 側於本品對讀範圍內之 <app> witness 條目計六條，本目未逐條展開（核心異文已由本論內部四本取得高置信度佐證），據實誌其統計數供覆核。
五、般若義眼
本品之眼，在「般若是大明呪」一義之全幅展開——般若能除一切不善法、與一切善法，故為除闇之大明呪；諸佛因是明呪得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，一切世間善法正法皆因是明呪而現於世。其義可約為四重。
其一，諸天多眾勸持、佛可其讚——受持般若之信心因多眾讚而轉深。經以四天王天乃至阿迦尼吒諸天勸帝釋「應受是般若波羅蜜，應持，應親近，應讀、誦、說、正憶念」〔T25 0468a18〕起，佛繼可諸天之讚而告釋受持。論釋其序——「佛是法王，讚歎受持般若波羅蜜者已，次天王釋讚；釋讚已，今次諸天讚。以多眾讚故，令人信心轉深。」〔T25 0469a17〕。佛、天王釋、諸天三重相讚，非徒重覆，乃以多眾之讚令受持者信心轉深——此本品開章之義。
其二，般若是大明呪，能除一切不善法、與一切善法。帝釋自陳「般若波羅蜜是大明呪、無上明呪、無等等明呪」，其故在「是般若波羅蜜能除一切不善法，能與一切善法」〔T25 0468b19〕；佛印可並廣釋——「因是明呪故」〔T25 0468b20〕，過去現在未來諸佛得菩提，十善道、四禪、四無量心、四無色定、六波羅蜜、四念處乃至十八不共法、法性、如、法相、法住、法位、實際、五眼乃至一切種智皆現於世。般若為除闇之明，一切善法正法皆因之而現，此本品義理之核心。
其三，「大明呪」之三義辨析（論釋最大子題）。問②「何以名般若為大明呪」，論以十餘段辨之：諸外道呪術利益人民、能使鬼神，貴呪術故帝釋言「諸呪術中，般若波羅蜜是大呪術」〔T25 0469b15〕，能常與眾生道德樂故（餘呪術之樂起煩惱、墮惡道）；般若呪能滅禪定、佛道、涅槃諸著，何況貪恚麁病，故名「大明呪、無上呪、無等等呪」〔T25 0469b20〕；是呪能令人離老病死、立眾生於大乘，故言「大呪」，能如是利益故名「無上」〔T25 0469b21〕；先有抑叉尼、揵陀梨、住壽三仙人呪於諸呪中無與等，而般若於此無等呪術中過出無量故名「無等等」〔T25 0469b26〕；復以「諸佛法名無等，般若波羅蜜得佛因緣故言『無等等』」〔T25 0469b28〕、「諸佛於一切眾生中名無等，是般若呪術，佛所作故名『無等等呪』」〔T25 0469b29〕層層申之；末引經自說之三呪因緣——「是呪能捨一切不善法，能與一切善法」〔T25 0469c02〕收束。大、無上、無等等三名之義，於此獲全品最詳之辨（吉藏析「無等」為三義，深化論文，見第六目）。
其四，佛菩薩為長夜之明，受持般若得今世後世功德。論以滿月星宿喻明佛菩薩照世之本（見第三目），繼明菩薩雖行三十七品、十八空，知諸法畢竟不可取，亦不證聲聞辟支佛道，而能還起善法、教化眾生、淨佛世界，「皆是方便般若波羅蜜力」〔T25 0469c15〕。受持般若乃至正憶念者，得今世功德（終不中毒死、兵刃不傷、四百四病不能中、除宿命業報、官事不譴責）與後世功德（不墮三惡道、受身完具、得三十二相、化生佛界、漸得菩提）。「除其業報」一義尤深——「一切法和合因緣生，無有作者……必受業報，佛所不能救，何況般若」〔T25 0469c28〕：必受之業報，佛尚不能救，般若之力亦不逾因果，此般若與業報關係之如實辨（同類深井、因緣之義見前品）。是故行者應聞、受持乃至正憶念，不離薩婆若心——此本品收束之所歸。
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且科判細密，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）。 於本品之逐文疏，起〔X24n0451 0269a21〕（品題「勸持品第三十四」，緊接前品〈述誠品〉訖界之後），迄〔X24n0451 0270a13〕前（次品〈遣異品第三十五〉起前），覆本品經論全篇，共約一千二百一十六字（篇幅介於前品〈述誠品〉之三百五十三字與前卷〈寶塔校量品〉之二千三百餘字之間，符本品之中等量級）。吉藏全文用「勸持品」名（二字，同 T223／本論宋元明宮異讀，不用本論底本三字「勸受持品」）。其可誌者五。
其一，五果格量之總科——「此是第三周，明五果格量。凡五品，為三：第一、有兩品，餘明五果；第二、兩品，餘文明格量。五果者：第一、勸持品，明不橫死果、人不得便果及後世功德」〔X24n0451 0269a22〕：點明本品所屬「第三周五果格量」大科之首品，統攝勸持、遣異、尊導諸品之科判架構，並逐字對應本品經、論之三大子題（不橫死／人不得便／後世功德）。其二，四勸兩述之架構——「今總二果名為四：第一諸天勸持；二佛述勸持；三天主勸持；四佛述勸。明兩勸兩述也。」〔X24n0451 0269b13〕：四層結構精確映射本品經段之推進（諸天勸〔段5〕、佛述勸持〔段6〕、天主／帝釋勸〔段8〕、佛述廣釋〔段9〕）。其三，五死相之科判——「五死相者：一、頭上華委；二、腋下汗出；三、華來著身；四、不樂在生處；五、更見有天來已生處也。」〔X24n0451 0269c02〕：吉藏此列與經文「一者、華鬘萎，二者、掖下汗出，三者、蠅來著身，四者、見更有天坐己坐處，五者、自不樂本坐」〔T25 0469b03〕相較，第四／五條次序互換，且首條用字「頭上華委」異於經文「華鬘萎」（委／萎），本目逐字並陳兩造，不代為調解孰為準確之轉述（或吉藏另據異本、或記憶轉述之差，未證，見第八目存疑）。其四，大明呪三義之科判——「第三天主歎中有二……無等說者，三義」〔X24n0451 0269c09〕：吉藏析出「無等」三義（凡人呪術對比／諸佛得道對比／諸佛自身對比），較論釋之三復次（〔0469b26／0469b28／0469b29〕）更明確標號為三義，可供義疏層引作深化辨析之材料。其五，滿月星宿喻之科判——「第四佛述中二……初中三：法、譬、合」（合下疏自繫「云云」夾註）——「夜中所見皆星月力，生死夜有所見皆佛菩薩力」〔X24n0451 0269c20〕：逐字對應論釋滿月星宿喻段〔T25 0469c05〕之法譬合結構。吉藏疏對本品覆蓋完整且科判細密，五果格量總科、四勸兩述、五死相（與經文順序有出入）、大明呪三義（深化論文）、滿月星宿喻法譬合五項，對義疏甚具直接引用價值。
慧影《大智度論疏》（X46n0791）。 為釋本論之唯一古疏，僅殘卷存世；卷十七訖釋論卷四十五、卷二十一起釋論卷五十九，本品所繫之論卷五十八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「勸受持品」「勸持品」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。
均正《大乘四論玄義》（X46n0784）。 全書回搜「勸受持品」「勸持品」諸串，本品皆零命中——與前諸品情形相同，本品未見均正之具名徵引，據實誌其闕，不強求。
書目類著錄（品名之佐證）。 唐玄逸《大唐開元釋教廣品歷章》（A097n1267）著錄本品作「摩訶般若波羅蜜經勸持品第三十三」〔A097n1267 0813a06〕，用二字「勸持品」而品次少一階（見第四目）。宋惟白《大藏經綱目指要錄》（C056n1159）兩處著錄——卷二「勸持品」〔C056n1159 0139a11〕（二字）、卷五「勸受持品」〔C056n1159 0185c10〕（三字，三段式並列）——同書兩處用字不一，並錄不判。二書之著錄，為本品品名多造流通之佐證。
本論自釋。 本品〈勸受持品〉之名於本論全書中無品外自我互證材料，據實記錄。另檢「大明呪」一詞於本論 body 之全書分佈——共七見，分佈於前品〈寶塔校量品〉三見〔T25 0463c08／0463c17／0463c18〕與本品四見〔T25 0468b18／0468b21（經段8／9）／0469b10／0469b20（論釋段27／34）〕，中介品〈述誠品〉零見。此七見之完整分佈圖示「大明呪」義之承衍脈絡（見第七目），非本品獨有措辭之升列，僅供承衍線索之背景參照。
近代著述（依例排除）。 凡近代學者之釋，依例排除，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，「大明呪」義之承衍鏈（品三十二初現→品三十四展開·跳過品三十三·精確界定）。前品〈寶塔校量品〉大明呪初現，經作二詞式「大明呪、無上呪」〔T25 0463c 一帶，三見〕；至本品，帝釋自陳擴為三詞式「般若波羅蜜是大明呪、無上明呪、無等等明呪」〔T25 0468b18〕，佛印可並廣釋〔T25 0468b20〕，復於論釋段〔0469b09–0469c15〕獲全品最大篇幅之三義辨析（問②／答②，見第五目）。此承衍鏈之中介品〈述誠品〉未涉「大明呪」字樣（回搜〈述誠品〉正文全文，「明呪」零命中）——「大明呪」義自品三十二初現，跳過品三十三，至品三十四方展開，此三品鏈之精確結構據底本界定，俟後品考據。此為本論品品義脈相貫、承前起後之明證。
其二，寶庫掛鏈（穩定徵引·軟引）。本品「般若是大明呪、無上明呪、無等等明呪」一義，為《心經》「般若波羅蜜多是大神呪、是大明呪、是無上呪、是無等等呪」一段之經據所本——大品此三詞式（大明呪／無上明呪／無等等明呪）與心經四詞式（大神呪／大明呪／無上呪／無等等呪）之承釋關係，落穩定徵引〔T25n1509 勸受持品·卷五十八〕；心經／唯識諸帙引本論處尚未定稿，故軟引，俟其逐字核存。此屬般若義下貫諸經之承衍，誌錄不判。
其三，古德科判之承引。吉藏以本品〈勸持品〉為「第三周五果格量」之首品、以「四勸兩述」為經段之科判架構（見第六目），並判本品統攝不橫死、人不得便、後世功德三果；其疏析「無等」為三義、判滿月星宿喻為法譬合結構，與本論論釋逐一相呼應——此屬古德一家之科判承引，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》卷五十八〔T25 0468a12–0470a14〕（品身正文終於〔T25 0470a14〕「如是得今世、後世功德」句，次品〈梵志品〉起〔T25 0470a15〕，同卷五十八內部品界，非卷訖）；所釋經校本為《摩訶般若波羅蜜經》〈勸持品〉〔T08 0286a26 起〕；古德疏校本為吉藏《大品經義疏》（X24n0451，覆本品〔X24n0451 0269a21–0270a13〕前），慧影《大智度論疏》（X46n0791）殘卷不覆本品，均正《大乘四論玄義》（X46n0784）無徵引。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）諸本及麗藏（K）之異。
品名複合校記（多造之底據·三字／二字內外層專列）。 品首校記並陳品題整句、單字之異文，其品名攸關者二。其一，品題整句校記〔T25 0468a12〕——「大智度論釋勸受持品第三十四（卷五十八）【大】｜大智度經論卷第五十八釋第三十三品訖第三十五品【聖】｜摩訶般若波羅蜜經勸受持品第三十三【石】」，三本題句各異：大／麗藏底本三字「勸受持」，聖本以「卷次＋品次範圍」描述式標記（無品名，第八目存疑），石本以所釋經名冠首、三字「勸受持」、品次「第三十三」（負一階）。其二，「受」字單字校記〔T25 0468a12〕——「受【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】」，本論宋元明宮四本此字位缺「受」（讀二字「勸持品」）。二則相合即品名「三字／二字」多造於本論一側之底據，用於第四目品名之判——其整句校記（大／石作三字「勸受持」）與單字校記（宋元明宮缺「受」作二字「勸持」）分屬不同校勘範圍之並存（整句替換之底本群與逐字疊加之異讀群不同），如實兩存並錄，不強加調解。
CBETA 補字校記（麗藏 K 本校「慚」為「漸」·專列）。 論釋「聞是般若波羅蜜經耳……漸當得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提」相關字位有一補字校記〔T25 0469c10〕——「漸（K14n0549_p1077a02）【CB】【麗-CB】｜慚【大】」——即大正底本作「慚」，CBETA 依麗藏（K14n0549）校訂改讀「漸」。此為 own 型錨點 note(0469c1001) 之特殊格式（校記自身標注麗藏頁碼出處），涉「慚」→「漸」之語意轉折，異於一般異本讀法之並列，故專列。其 doctrinal 影響本目不展開，正文從 CBETA／麗藏校訂讀法，據實誌其校勘來源。
校勘總帳（七十四條全量對帳·底本原樣）。 下依工作底本檔末原樣傳錄——本品自身錨點校記六十六條（own），另品內 refrain 遞歸重引八條（star，皆指回本品自身之 canonical note，異於前品〈述誠品〉之三 star 全數跨品外引前品，本品之 star 全數品內，回歸品三十二型，據實標明）；異本讀法並列保存，正文仍從現行底本讀法：
- 〔T25 0468a12〕大智度論釋勸受持品第三十四（卷五十八）【大】｜大智度經論卷第五十八釋第三十三品訖第三十五品【聖】｜摩訶般若波羅蜜經勸受持品第三十三【石】
- 〔T25 0468a12〕受【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0468a13〕四【大】｜四品【宮】
- 〔T25 0468a17〕【經】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】
- 〔T25 0468a20〕若【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0468a21〕減【大】｜咸【聖】
- 〔T25 0468a22〕天子【大】｜〔－〕【宮】
- 〔T25 0468a23〕種【大】｜種不斷【石】
- 〔T25 0468a24〕世間【大】｜〔－〕【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0468b02〕心【大】｜惡心【元】【明】
- 〔T25 0468b05〕墮【大】｜隨【聖】
- 〔T25 0468b05〕誦讀【大】｜讀誦【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0468b07〕力【大】｜〔－〕【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0468b09〕經【大】｜逕【石】
- 〔T25 0468b10〕耳【大】｜取【聖】
- 〔T25 0468b10〕以【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0468b20〕法【大】｜〔－〕【宮】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0468c01〕佛道【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0468c10〕世界【大】｜國土【石】
- 〔T25 0468c11〕（star·品內重引→note(0468026)）世界【大】｜國土【石】
- 〔T25 0468c11〕皆從般若波羅蜜生【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】｜從般若波羅蜜生【聖】
- 〔T25 0468c16〕今世【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0468c16〕後世【大】｜〔－〕【明】【宮】｜世【聖】
- 〔T25 0468c16〕佛告【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】
- 〔T25 0468c18〕死【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0468c18〕刃【大】｜〔－〕【聖】｜刀【石】
- 〔T25 0468c19〕水【大】｜入水【石】
- 〔T25 0468c19〕能【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0468c19〕其【大】｜〔－〕【石】
- 〔T25 0468c20〕官【大】｜宮【聖】
- 〔T25 0468c21〕到【大】｜至【石】
- 〔T25 0468c22〕譴責【大】｜詰嘖【石】
- 〔T25 0469a06〕（star·品內重引→note(0468018)）墮【大】｜隨【聖】
- 〔T25 0469a07〕完【大】｜[宋-木+死]【聖】
- 〔T25 0469a09〕界【大】｜國【石】
- 〔T25 0469a09〕（star·品內重引→note(0469002)）界【大】｜國【石】
- 〔T25 0469a10〕（star·品內重引→note(0469002)）界【大】｜國【石】
- 〔T25 0469a11〕（star·品內重引→note(0469002)）界【大】｜國【石】
- 〔T25 0469a11〕（star·品內重引→note(0468026)）世界【大】｜國土【石】
- 〔T25 0469a14〕伎【大】｜妓【明】
- 〔T25 0469a17〕【論】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0469a21〕（star·品內重引→note(0468013)）減【大】｜咸【聖】
- 〔T25 0469a22〕出【大】｜示【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0469a23〕釋【大】｜帝釋【石】
- 〔T25 0469a26〕陣【大】｜陳【聖】
- 〔T25 0469a28〕使【大】｜便【聖】
- 〔T25 0469a28〕（star·品內重引→note(0469007)）陣【大】｜陳【聖】
- 〔T25 0469b01〕常【大】｜當【聖】
- 〔T25 0469b03〕鬘【大】｜冠【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0469b03〕掖【大】｜腋【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0469b09〕若【大】｜若波羅蜜【石】
- 〔T25 0469b09〕福樂【大】｜樂福【宮】
- 〔T25 0469b12〕人民【大】｜民人【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0469b13〕意【大】｜喜【聖】
- 〔T25 0469b15〕帝【大】｜〔－〕【宮】
- 〔T25 0469b25〕叉【大】｜又【聖】
- 〔T25 0469b25〕陀【大】｜他【聖】
- 〔T25 0469b26〕萬歲【大】｜歲萬歲【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0469b27〕出【大】｜去【聖】
- 〔T25 0469c01〕作【大】｜住【石】
- 〔T25 0469c03〕順【大】｜顧【聖】
- 〔T25 0469c10〕漸（K14n0549_p1077a02）【CB】【麗-CB】｜慚【大】（CBETA／麗藏補字·專列見上）
- 〔T25 0469c17〕今【大】｜念【聖】
- 〔T25 0469c18〕已【大】｜〔－〕【宮】【石】
- 〔T25 0469c18〕說【大】｜言【石】
- 〔T25 0469c20〕刀【大】｜力【聖】
- 〔T25 0469c24〕侵【大】｜𢬶【聖】
- 〔T25 0469c26〕故難消，難消故能起熱病。血肉、筋、骨、骸、髓【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0469c27〕骨、骸【大】｜脈骨【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【石】
- 〔T25 0469c28〕等【大】｜是【聖】
- 〔T25 0469c29〕無【大】｜死【聖】
- 〔T25 0470a09〕家【大】｜〔－〕【石】
- 〔T25 0470a10〕似【大】｜以【宮】
- 〔T25 0470a13〕應【大】｜聽【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
以上七十四條，與工作底本錨點校記之數機械相合（own 六十六條、star 八條，star 皆品內重引，異於前品之跨品外引）。品名攸關之數處（品題整句〔0468a12〕三本異名、「受」字內層宋元明宮四本缺、CBETA／麗藏〔0469c10〕補字「漸」）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 58, of which it is the first chapter. The preceding chapter, "Declaring the Truth", Chapter 33, carries on and closes the fascicle of the chapter before it, "Weighing the Jewelled Stūpa", which had not yet ended, and so also brings Fascicle 57 to its close〔T25 0468a09「大智度論卷第五十七」 tr. "Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa, Fascicle Fifty-seven"〕; this chapter, by contrast, opens Fascicle 58 afresh〔T25 0468a12〕, and the shell of the opening fascicle carries the two-line signature in full—「聖者龍樹造」 tr. "composed by the noble Nāgārjuna"〔T25 0468a15〕, 「後秦龜茲國三藏鳩摩羅什譯」 tr. "translated by Kumārajīva, Tripiṭaka master of the land of Kucha, of the Later Qin"〔T25 0468a16〕. This stands in contrast to the pattern of the preceding chapter, "Declaring the Truth", 「同卷承續、不重署名」 tr. "continuing within the same fascicle, without repeating the signature", and is of the same pattern as the chapter at the head of the preceding fascicle, "Weighing the Jewelled Stūpa", 「別起卷殼、具署名」 tr. "opening a fresh fascicle shell, with the signature in full"; this is recorded as it stands.
The delimitation of this chapter has one structural feature: the jhead of the chapter body〔T25 0468a12〕 itself contains the full title of the chapter, 「大智度論釋勸受持品第三十四」 tr. "Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa, Commentary on the Chapter on Exhortation to Receive and Uphold, the Thirty-fourth", and beneath it there is no independent mulu element immediately adjacent to the opening lb (unlike Chapters 32 and 33, whose chapter bodies carry a separate mulu tag)—this is a structural difference of this chapter, recorded as it is; it does not affect the byte check of the chapter boundary (the chapter-order table has been checked at this locus and agrees). The closing boundary of this chapter〔T25 0470a15〕 is the starting point of the next chapter, "The Brahmin Ascetic": a chapter boundary internal to Fascicle 58 (not the end of a fascicle; there is no fun="close" fascicle-closing tag before the closing boundary). The main text of the chapter body ends at 「如是得今世、後世功德。」 tr. "Thus one gains merits in this life and in later lives."〔T25 0470a14〕, and the next chapter, "The Brahmin Ascetic", begins immediately after, continuing within the same fascicle.
Within the chapter, Sūtra and Treatise alternate once, and the whole chapter is read as a single unit, not split (two thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine Chinese characters in all, not yet an amount that calls for division). The Sūtra〔0468a12–0469a17 前〕: the gods from the heavens of the Four Heavenly Kings up to the Akaniṣṭha heaven exhort Śakra to receive and uphold prajñā; the Buddha approves the gods' praise and tells Śakra to receive and uphold it; Śakra declares that prajñā is the great bright spell, and the Buddha seals this and explains it at length; and the merits in this life and in later lives of receiving and upholding prajñā are proclaimed in order. The Treatise〔0469a17–0470a15 訖〕 opens with 「釋曰」 tr. "Explanation:" and, with four rounds of question and answer, explains the difficult points of the sūtra one by one. The longest Sūtra passage is the passage of the gods' exhortation to uphold〔0468a17 起〕, and in the Treatise the passage of the 「滿月星宿喻」 tr. "simile of the full moon and the stars"〔0469c05 起〕 is the longest. The count of this chapter, one Sūtra and one Treatise section, is simpler than the three Sūtra and three Treatise sections of the chapter of the preceding fascicle, "Weighing the Jewelled Stūpa", while its length far exceeds that of the preceding chapter, "Declaring the Truth" (seven hundred and fifty-eight characters); each is determined on its own from the base text, not by following the layout of another chapter.
Both markers within the chapter fall exactly at the head of a block, with no embedded transition. The 【經】 marker is at〔T25 0468a17〕, immediately after the chapter title and the two-line signature and before the first sentence of the sūtra text, 「爾時，三千大千世界所有四天王天」 tr. "At that time, all the heavens of the Four Heavenly Kings in the three-thousand great-thousand world", forming a block on its own. The 【論】 marker is at〔T25 0469a17〕, forming a block on its own, with the head of the block immediately followed by 「釋曰」 tr. "Explanation:". This is of the same pattern as the preceding chapter, "Declaring the Truth", where both markers fall at block heads, and simpler than the embedded transitions of the chapter of the preceding fascicle, "Weighing the Jewelled Stūpa". As for the structure of speakers in the Treatise, this chapter takes four rounds of question and answer as its skeleton—Question ①〔0469a26〕 / Answer ①〔0469a28〕, Question ②〔0469b11〕 / Answer ②〔0469b12〕, Question ③〔0469c17〕 / Answer ③〔0469c18〕, Question ④〔0470a03〕 / Answer ④〔0470a04〕—each paired, with no isolated question or answer; among them the round of Question ②, 「何以名般若為大明呪」 tr. "why is prajñā called the great bright spell?", occupies more than ten paragraphs of the Treatise's explanation (〔0469b12–0469c15〕), the largest single sub-topic in the whole chapter's Treatise explanation (see Sections V and VI).
II. Terms Examined
The great bright spell · the unsurpassed bright spell · the bright spell equal to the unequalled (the pivotal terms of this chapter · the three-term formula). Śakra's own declaration of the three names of prajñā—「世尊！般若波羅蜜是大明呪、無上明呪、無等等明呪。」 tr. "World-Honored One! Prajñāpāramitā is the great bright spell, the unsurpassed bright spell, the bright spell equal to the unequalled."〔T25 0468b18〕; the Buddha seals it and explains its meaning at length〔T25 0468b20〕. A 「明呪」 tr. "bright spell" is a spell that can remove darkness; it is 「大」 tr. "great" because it can extinguish great evil results and give beings the happiness of the path and its virtues; 「無上」 tr. "unsurpassed" because it can free one from old age, sickness, and death and establish beings in the Great Vehicle; 「無等等」 tr. "equal to the unequalled" because among all spell-crafts prajñā surpasses them immeasurably and, being what the buddhas make, has nothing equal to it (for the distinction of the three meanings, see Sections V and VI). This three-term formula is shown in this chapter alone—when the great bright spell first appeared in the earlier chapter, "Weighing the Jewelled Stūpa", it took the two-term form 「大明呪、無上呪」 tr. "the great bright spell, the unsurpassed spell"〔T25 0463c 一帶〕; only in this chapter is it expanded into the three-term form and given the fullest analysis of the whole chapter. For the exact landing point of this line of transmission, see Section VII.
The five signs of death (the five signs of decay). The Treatise explains the signs that the gods' lives are ending—「五死相現：一者、華鬘萎，二者、掖下汗出，三者、蠅來著身，四者、見更有天坐己坐處，五者、自不樂本坐。」 tr. "The five signs of death appear: first, the flower garland withers; second, sweat comes out from the armpits; third, flies come and settle on the body; fourth, one sees another god sitting in one's own seat; fifth, one takes no delight in one's original seat."〔T25 0469b02〕. This is the crux of Answer ①: the gods, seeing the five signs of death, cling to their heavenly pleasures and are filled with sorrow and anguish; if at that time they hear the real mark of prajñā, 「諸法虛誑，無常空寂」 tr. "all dharmas are false and deceptive, impermanent, empty, and still"〔T25 0469b07〕, and believe that this is the Buddha's Dharma, then because their minds are purified they are born again in their own place, receive merit and happiness life after life, and gradually accomplish the unsurpassed path. Jizang's commentary lists the items of the five signs of death separately, and its order and wording differ from the sūtra text (a variant graph for ‘wither’, and the fourth and fifth items exchanged); see Section VI; recorded side by side without judgement.
The four hundred and four sicknesses. The Treatise explains the number in the merit of this life, 「四百四病所不能中」 tr. "the four hundred and four sicknesses cannot strike one"—「『四百四病』者，四大為身，常相侵害。一一大中，百一病起：冷病有二百二，水、風起故；熱病有二百二，地、火起故。」 tr. "As for ‘the four hundred and four sicknesses’: the four great elements make up the body and constantly harm one another. In each great element a hundred and one sicknesses arise: there are two hundred and two cold sicknesses, because they arise from water and wind; there are two hundred and two hot sicknesses, because they arise from earth and fire."〔T25 0469c23〕. Each of the four great elements gives rise to a hundred and one sicknesses, making four hundred and four sicknesses in all; cold sicknesses arise from the two great elements of water and wind, hot sicknesses from the two great elements of earth and fire. This is the Treatise's defining explanation in this chapter of the number 「四百四病」 tr. "the four hundred and four sicknesses".
The Īkṣaṇī spell · the Gāndhārī spell · the life-prolonging spell (the spells of the three seers). The contrast the Treatise adduces when explaining the meaning of 「無等等」 tr. "equal to the unequalled"—「先有仙人所作呪術，所謂能知他人心呪，名抑叉尼；能飛行變化呪，名揵陀梨；能住壽過千萬歲呪，於諸呪中無與等。」 tr. "Formerly there were spell-crafts made by seers: the spell that can know the minds of others, named Īkṣaṇī; the spell that can fly and transform, named Gāndhārī; the spell that can prolong life beyond ten million years; among all spells these have no equal."〔T25 0469b24〕. The three spells govern, respectively, knowing the minds of others, flying and transformation, and prolonging life for ten million years, and among the spells of the world they are already called without equal; yet within these unequalled spell-crafts prajñā surpasses them immeasurably, and so it is named 「無等等」 tr. "equal to the unequalled"—the spells of the three seers are the ladder by which the meaning of prajñā as 「無等等」 tr. "equal to the unequalled" is shown by contrast.
Sarvajñā (omniscience). Where the exhortation to uphold at the end of the chapter comes to rest—「常不離薩婆若心」 tr. "never parting from the mind of sarvajñā"〔T25 0469a14〕, 「不離薩婆若心」 tr. "not parting from the mind of sarvajñā"〔T25 0470a13〕. Sarvajñā is omniscience: the mind of one who receives and upholds prajñā, and so on up to rightly recollecting it, never parts from omniscience. This is the overall gathering-up of the merits of receiving and upholding prajñā in this life and in later lives, and also the doctrinal destination of the chapter name, 「勸受持」 tr. "Exhortation to Receive and Uphold".
III. Similes and Stories
The Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa is renowned for its similes; the principal simile of this chapter is the 「滿月星宿喻」 tr. "simile of the full moon and the stars", which appears in both the Sūtra and the Treatise, the Treatise's explanation setting it out most fully.
The simile of the full moon and the stars (the pivotal simile of this chapter). The simile first appears in the Sūtra passage—the Buddha, explaining the great bright spell at length, makes clear that because of this bright spell the ten wholesome paths and so on up to omniscience of all kinds all appear in the world, and closes with the simile: 「譬如滿月照明，星宿亦能照明。」 tr. "Just as the full moon shines and gives light, the stars too can shine and give light."〔T25 0468c 一帶，段9〕, making clear that all the wholesome dharmas and right dharmas of the world, when no buddhas appear, are all born from the bodhisattvas, and that the bodhisattvas' power of skilful means is all born from prajñā. In the Treatise's explanation this simile receives its complete exposition as teaching, simile, and application—「是般若波羅蜜屬菩薩故，佛說譬喻：諸佛能大破無明闇故，如滿月；菩薩破闇不如故，如星宿。如夜中有所見，皆是星、月力；世間生死夜中有所知見，皆是佛菩薩力。」 tr. "Because this prajñāpāramitā belongs to the bodhisattvas, the Buddha speaks a simile: because the buddhas can greatly break the darkness of ignorance, they are like the full moon; because the bodhisattvas' breaking of darkness falls short of that, they are like the stars. Just as whatever is seen in the night is all by the power of the stars and the moon, so whatever is known and seen in the night of birth and death in the world is all by the power of the buddhas and bodhisattvas."〔T25 0469c05〕. The full moon is the image for the buddhas' great breaking of the darkness of ignorance; the stars are the image for the bodhisattvas' breaking of darkness that falls short of the Buddha's; that whatever is seen in the night is all by the power of the stars and the moon shows that whatever beings know and see in the long night of birth and death is manifested by the power of the buddhas and bodhisattvas. This simile makes clear that 「世無佛時，菩薩說法度眾生、漸令得涅槃樂，菩薩所有智慧皆是般若波羅蜜力」 tr. "when there is no Buddha in the world, the bodhisattvas teach the Dharma and deliver beings, gradually leading them to attain the happiness of nirvāṇa, and all the wisdom the bodhisattvas have is the power of prajñāpāramitā"—prajñā is the root of the buddhas' and bodhisattvas' lighting of the world, as the moon and stars are the light of the long night. Jizang's commentary divides this passage into a threefold structure of 「法、譬、合」 tr. "teaching, simile, and application" (see Section VI).
IV. The Sūtra Passage Explained
Two chapter names, of three characters and of two: Exhortation to Receive and Uphold / Exhortation to Uphold (recorded side by side without judgement). Across the base text, across the transmitted texts, and across the sūtra catalogues and registers, the name of this chapter appears in multiple forms, 「三字（勸受持）／二字（勸持）」 tr. "three characters (Exhortation to Receive and Uphold) / two characters (Exhortation to Uphold)"; the difference lies in the presence or absence of the character 「受」 tr. "receive", the distribution is wide and the layers many, and the distribution of witnesses leans overwhelmingly toward the two-character text. This is the first matter of the chapter that needs to be sorted out, and each point is recorded from the base text.
First, the base text on the side of this treatise (T25n1509). The fascicle-head jhead reads 「大智度論釋勸受持品第三十四」 tr. "Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa, Commentary on the Chapter on Exhortation to Receive and Uphold, the Thirty-fourth"〔T25 0468a12〕, and the chapter body itself contains this full three-character title (with no independent mulu immediately adjacent; see Section I). The name 「勸受持」 tr. "Exhortation to Receive and Uphold" is established from the three-character heading of the sūtra's meaning, 「諸天勸帝釋受、持、親近、讀誦、正憶念般若」 tr. "the gods exhort Śakra to receive, uphold, draw near to, read and recite, and rightly recollect prajñā".
Second, the inner-layer single-character collation note on the side of this treatise (collation notes in Section VIII). Under the character 「受」 tr. "receive" in the chapter-title sentence there is a sub-sentence collation—「受【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】」 tr. "‘receive’ in the Taishō; absent in the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace"〔T25 0468a12〕—that is, the four transmitted texts of this treatise, the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace editions, all lack the character 「受」 tr. "receive" at this position, reading 「勸持品」 tr. "Chapter on Exhortation to Uphold" rather than 「勸受持品」 tr. "Chapter on Exhortation to Receive and Uphold". This is the core of the multiple forms of the chapter name: this treatise's own four transmitted texts consistently omit the character 「受」 tr. "receive", forming a two-character variant name set against the three-character base text.
Third, the whole-sentence collation note on the chapter title on the side of this treatise (three forms). The whole-sentence note〔T25 0468a12〕 covers, at its outer layer, the whole sentence 「大智度論釋勸受持品第三十四（卷五十八）」 tr. "Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa, Commentary on the Chapter on Exhortation to Receive and Uphold, the Thirty-fourth (Fascicle Fifty-eight)": the Shōgozō manuscript reads 「大智度經論卷第五十八釋第三十三品訖第三十五品」 tr. "Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra-Treatise, Fascicle Fifty-eight, explaining the thirty-third chapter through to the end of the thirty-fifth chapter" (with no chapter name, marked instead by a descriptive formula, 「卷次＋品次範圍」 tr. "fascicle number + range of chapter numbers", of the same kind in format as the irregular marking of the 「第二」 tr. "second" type in the Ishiyama text of the preceding chapter, "Declaring the Truth"; this section does not force an interpretation of its editorial intent, and leaves it in doubt in Section VIII); the Ishiyama text reads 「摩訶般若波羅蜜經勸受持品第三十三」 tr. "Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra, Chapter on Exhortation to Receive and Uphold, the Thirty-third" (headed by the name of the sūtra explained, using the three characters 「勸受持」 tr. "Exhortation to Receive and Uphold", with the chapter number 「第三十三」 tr. "the thirty-third" one step lower than the displayed 「三十四」 tr. "thirty-four"; see the entry on chapter numbering). This whole-sentence note lists only the three forms of the Taishō, the Shōgozō, and the Ishiyama, and gives no variant reading of the Ming edition; this is recorded as it stands.
Fourth, the base text on the side of the sūtra explained (T223). The Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra translated by Kumārajīva of the Later Qin titles this chapter 「勸持品」 tr. "Chapter on Exhortation to Uphold"〔T08 0286a26 mulu「34 勸持品」 tr. "34 Chapter on Exhortation to Uphold"，head「摩訶般若波羅蜜經勸持品」 tr. "Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra, Chapter on Exhortation to Uphold"〕—the two-character text, differing from the three-character 「勸受持品」 tr. "Chapter on Exhortation to Receive and Uphold" of this treatise's base text, and agreeing completely with the inner-layer variant reading of this treatise's Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace editions (see the second point).
Fifth, the variant names in the ancient masters' commentaries and in the sūtra catalogues and registers. Jizang's Commentary on the Larger Sūtra (X24n0451) uses 「勸持品第三十四」 tr. "Chapter on Exhortation to Uphold, the Thirty-fourth"〔X24n0451 0269a21〕 (two characters, the same as T223 and the variant reading of this treatise's Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace editions, and different from this treatise's base text)—the fourth consecutive instance of an ancient master's commentary naming a chapter after the sūtra explained or after the majority of witnesses rather than after this treatise's base text (the chapter of the preceding fascicle, "Quelling Strife"; the earlier chapter, "Weighing the Jewelled Stūpa"; the preceding chapter, "Declaring the Truth"; and this chapter); recurring in four consecutive chapters, it consolidates that observation. Xuanyi of the Tang, in his Extended Chapter Register of the Buddhist Teaching of the Kaiyuan Era of the Great Tang (A097n1267), records 「摩訶般若波羅蜜經勸持品第三十三」 tr. "Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra, Chapter on Exhortation to Uphold, the Thirty-third"〔A097n1267 0813a06〕 (two characters, the chapter number one step lower; see below). Weibai of the Song, in his Essentials of the Outline of the Great Canon (C056n1159), records it inconsistently in two places in the same book—Fascicle 2 reads 「勸持品」 tr. "Chapter on Exhortation to Uphold"〔C056n1159 0139a11〕 (two characters), Fascicle 5 reads 「勸受持品」 tr. "Chapter on Exhortation to Receive and Uphold"〔C056n1159 0185c10〕 (three characters, the same as this treatise's base text, in a three-part listing, 「勸受持品．梵志品．阿難稱譽品」 tr. "Chapter on Exhortation to Receive and Uphold · Chapter on the Brahmin Ascetic · Chapter on Ānanda's Praise")—the same book uses different characters in two places; recorded side by side without judgement.
Taken together, the name of this chapter appears across the transmissions in multiple forms, 「三字／二字」 tr. "three characters / two characters", and its distribution of witnesses leans overwhelmingly toward the two-character text, 「勸持品」 tr. "Chapter on Exhortation to Uphold"—the inner-layer collation note of this treatise's Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace editions, the lemma of the sūtra explained T223, Jizang's X24, A097, and Fascicle 2 of C056 all read two characters; only this treatise's Taishō / Korean canon base text, the whole-sentence variant of the Ishiyama text (three characters), and Fascicle 5 of C056 keep three characters. This imbalance is more marked than the 「誠／成」 tr. "truth / confirmation" of the preceding chapter, "Declaring the Truth" (four against five, set out side by side) (this chapter is of the type in which four groups of witnesses agree against the base text standing alone). In this edition the chapter name follows this treatise's base text, 「勸受持品」 tr. "Chapter on Exhortation to Receive and Uphold" (the main axis of this edition's chapter names is this treatise's base text, a ruling already established in the governing principles of this edition, §11(c), which this section does not overturn); the names 「勸持品」 tr. "Chapter on Exhortation to Uphold" are all kept word for word in the comparative narrative and not altered, recorded side by side without judgement—this is a faithful record of the distribution of the transmitted texts (with textual evidence from the base text), not a re-examination of what has already been ruled, and is recorded for reference.
Chapter-number off-by-one (continuing a pattern established since Chapter 27). In the sūtra explained, T223, the ordinal in the mulu attribute for this chapter is thirty-five, while the displayed title is 「34 勸持品」 tr. "34 Chapter on Exhortation to Uphold"〔T08 0286a26〕: the attribute counts one place more than the displayed text—a continuation of the established phenomenon of chapter-number misalignment in the electronic canon text of the sūtra explained since Chapter 27 (ordinal = displayed number plus one). In this treatise the displayed chapter number in the mulu for this chapter, 「三十四」 tr. "thirty-four", agrees with the chapter-order table, and for the next chapter, "The Brahmin Ascetic", this treatise likewise shows no 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. A097's 「勸持品第三十三」 tr. "Chapter on Exhortation to Uphold, the Thirty-third"〔A097n1267 0813a06〕, the Shōgozō's whole-sentence collation note in this treatise, 「釋第三十三品訖第三十五品」 tr. "explaining the thirty-third chapter through to the end of the thirty-fifth chapter", and the Ishiyama text's whole-sentence collation note, 「勸受持品第三十三」 tr. "Chapter on Exhortation to Receive and Uphold, the Thirty-third"—these counts that are 「負一階」 tr. "one step lower" continue the established tradition of offset; recorded side by side without judgement.
A newly found divergence in the content of the chapter order (from Chapter 35 on · recorded and handed on to the research on Chapter 35 · without judgement). After the closing boundary of this chapter, the chapter order of the sūtra explained, T223, and that of this treatise, T1509, begin from this point to diverge in content, not merely in name: the next chapter of T223 (the thirty-fifth) is 「遣異品」 tr. "Chapter on Dispelling the Divergent"〔T08 0287a26 mulu「35 遣異品」 tr. "35 Chapter on Dispelling the Divergent"〕, while the next chapter of this treatise is 「梵志品」 tr. "Chapter on the Brahmin Ascetic"〔T25 0470a15，同卷五十八續起〕. This is not a variant reading of a chapter name but the starting point of a divergence in the arrangement of the chapter order itself. The remit of this section stops at Chapter 34; it has not gone on to compare the correspondence of the content that follows, and only records, from the facts, the exact locus at which this divergence falls, handing it on to the research on Chapter 35 to verify its nature first (a coincidental variant name, or a genuinely different arrangement of the chapter order); recorded without judgement.
Full comparative reading of the cited sūtra (two-sided collation · in this chapter, a split within this treatise). The single Sūtra passage of this treatise (the continuous stream of Chinese characters left after stripping the chapter title, the signature, and the 【經】 marker,〔T25 0468a17 起至 0469a17 前，本論側 han-only 一千四百三十九字〕) was collated word for word against the whole chapter "Exhortation to Uphold" of the sūtra explained〔T08 0286a26 起，所釋經側一千四百二十七字〕, 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, and the explanatory part of this treatise (about one thousand three hundred and fifty characters) is the structural expansion, in the Treatise layer, of the treatise body on which the treatise-author's explanation is based, not a textual variant. The structure of evidence in the two-sided collation differs from that of the preceding chapter, "Declaring the Truth": the core evidence of the two-sided collation in this chapter comes from the internal split among the witnesses of this treatise itself (the four texts Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace agreeing against the Taishō standing alone), not from corroboration by witnesses on the side of T223 (the presence or absence of the character 「受」 tr. "receive" in the chapter name is the clear instance of this; see above)—this treatise's Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace editions read 「勸持」 tr. "Exhortation to Uphold", while the Taishō / Korean canon base text reads 「勸受持」 tr. "Exhortation to Receive and Uphold". This type, 「四本一致對底本單獨」 tr. "four texts in agreement against the base text standing alone", belongs to a different structure of two-way evidence from the preceding chapter's 「T223 聖本 witness 佐證型」 tr. "type corroborated by the Shōgozō witness of T223"; it is recorded as it is, without forcing the template of the preceding chapter onto it. On the side of the sūtra explained, T223, the <app> witness entries within the range of this chapter's comparative reading number six; this section does not set them out one by one (the core variant has already received highly reliable corroboration from the four internal texts of this treatise), and records their count as it stands for re-checking.
V. The Prajñā Eye
The eye of this chapter lies in the full unfolding of the single meaning 「般若是大明呪」 tr. "prajñā is the great bright spell"—prajñā can remove all unwholesome dharmas and give all wholesome dharmas, and is therefore the great bright spell that removes darkness; because of this bright spell the buddhas attain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi, and all the wholesome dharmas and right dharmas of the world appear in the world because of this bright spell. Its meaning may be summed up in four layers.
First, the many gods exhort to uphold, and the Buddha approves their praise—faith in receiving and upholding prajñā deepens because of the praise of the many. The Sūtra begins with the gods from the heavens of the Four Heavenly Kings up to the Akaniṣṭha heaven exhorting Śakra, 「應受是般若波羅蜜，應持，應親近，應讀、誦、說、正憶念」 tr. "you should receive this prajñāpāramitā, you should uphold it, you should draw near to it, you should read, recite, expound, and rightly recollect it"〔T25 0468a18〕, and then the Buddha approves the gods' praise and tells Śakra to receive and uphold it. The Treatise explains the order—「佛是法王，讚歎受持般若波羅蜜者已，次天王釋讚；釋讚已，今次諸天讚。以多眾讚故，令人信心轉深。」 tr. "The Buddha is the king of the Dharma; when he had finished praising those who receive and uphold prajñāpāramitā, next Śakra, king of the gods, praised them; when Śakra had finished praising, now next the gods praise them. Because many praise it, people's faith grows ever deeper."〔T25 0469a17〕. The threefold mutual praise of the Buddha, Śakra king of the gods, and the gods is not mere repetition: it is by the praise of the many that the faith of those who receive and uphold grows ever deeper—this is the meaning with which the chapter opens.
Second, prajñā is the great bright spell, able to remove all unwholesome dharmas and give all wholesome dharmas. Śakra declares 「般若波羅蜜是大明呪、無上明呪、無等等明呪」 tr. "prajñāpāramitā is the great bright spell, the unsurpassed bright spell, the bright spell equal to the unequalled", the reason being that 「是般若波羅蜜能除一切不善法，能與一切善法」 tr. "this prajñāpāramitā can remove all unwholesome dharmas and can give all wholesome dharmas"〔T25 0468b19〕; the Buddha seals this and explains it at length—「因是明呪故」 tr. "because of this bright spell"〔T25 0468b20〕 the buddhas of the past, present, and future attain awakening, and the ten wholesome paths, the four dhyānas, the four immeasurable minds, the four formless absorptions, the six perfections, the four foundations of mindfulness, and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas, the nature of dharmas, suchness, the mark of dharmas, the abiding of dharmas, the position of dharmas, the limit of reality, the five eyes, and so on up to omniscience of all kinds, all appear in the world. Prajñā is the light that removes darkness, and all wholesome dharmas and right dharmas appear because of it: this is the doctrinal core of the chapter.
Third, the analysis of the three meanings of 「大明呪」 tr. "the great bright spell" (the largest sub-topic of the Treatise's explanation). Question ②, 「何以名般若為大明呪」 tr. "why is prajñā called the great bright spell?", is analysed by the Treatise over more than ten paragraphs: the spell-crafts of the outsiders' paths benefit the people and can command ghosts and spirits, and because spell-craft is prized, Śakra says 「諸呪術中，般若波羅蜜是大呪術」 tr. "among all spell-crafts, prajñāpāramitā is the great spell-craft"〔T25 0469b15〕, because it can always give beings the happiness of the path and its virtues (whereas the happiness of other spell-crafts gives rise to afflictions and makes one fall into the evil destinies); the spell of prajñā can extinguish every attachment to dhyāna, to the Buddha path, and to nirvāṇa, let alone the coarse sicknesses of greed and hatred, and so it is named 「大明呪、無上呪、無等等呪」 tr. "the great bright spell, the unsurpassed spell, the spell equal to the unequalled"〔T25 0469b20〕; this spell can free people from old age, sickness, and death and establish beings in the Great Vehicle, and so it is called 「大呪」 tr. "the great spell", and because it can benefit in this way it is named 「無上」 tr. "unsurpassed"〔T25 0469b21〕; formerly there were the spells of the three seers, the Īkṣaṇī, the Gāndhārī, and the life-prolonging spell, which among all spells had no equal, yet among these unequalled spell-crafts prajñā surpasses them immeasurably, and so it is named 「無等等」 tr. "equal to the unequalled"〔T25 0469b26〕; further, with 「諸佛法名無等，般若波羅蜜得佛因緣故言『無等等』」 tr. "the dharma of the buddhas is called unequalled; because prajñāpāramitā is the cause and condition for attaining buddhahood, it is called ‘equal to the unequalled’"〔T25 0469b28〕 and 「諸佛於一切眾生中名無等，是般若呪術，佛所作故名『無等等呪』」 tr. "the buddhas are called unequalled among all beings; this spell-craft of prajñā, because it is what the buddhas make, is called ‘the spell equal to the unequalled’"〔T25 0469b29〕, the point is set out layer upon layer; finally it closes by citing the sūtra's own account of the causes and conditions of the three spells—「是呪能捨一切不善法，能與一切善法」 tr. "this spell can cast off all unwholesome dharmas and can give all wholesome dharmas"〔T25 0469c02〕. The meaning of the three names, great, unsurpassed, and equal to the unequalled, here receives the most detailed analysis of the whole chapter (Jizang analyses 「無等」 tr. "unequalled" into three meanings, deepening the text of the Treatise; see Section VI).
Fourth, the buddhas and bodhisattvas are the light of the long night, and one who receives and upholds prajñā gains merits in this life and in later lives. The Treatise makes clear by the simile of the full moon and the stars the root of the buddhas' and bodhisattvas' lighting of the world (see Section III), and goes on to make clear that the bodhisattva, though he practises the thirty-seven limbs of the path and the eighteen emptinesses and knows that all dharmas are ultimately ungraspable, still does not realise the path of the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, and is able to return and arouse wholesome dharmas, teach and transform beings, and purify Buddha-worlds: 「皆是方便般若波羅蜜力」 tr. "all this is the power of prajñāpāramitā with skilful means"〔T25 0469c15〕. One who receives and upholds prajñā, and so on up to rightly recollecting it, gains merits in this life (never dying by poison, not wounded by weapons, not struck by the four hundred and four sicknesses, excepting the karmic results of former lives, not reproached in official matters) and merits in later lives (not falling into the three evil destinies, receiving a complete body, gaining the thirty-two marks, being born by transformation in a Buddha-world, gradually attaining awakening). The meaning of 「除其業報」 tr. "excepting their karmic results" is especially deep—「一切法和合因緣生，無有作者……必受業報，佛所不能救，何況般若」 tr. "all dharmas are born from the coming together of causes and conditions, and there is no maker … a karmic result that must be undergone the Buddha cannot save one from, let alone prajñā"〔T25 0469c28〕: a karmic result that must be undergone the Buddha himself cannot save one from, and the power of prajñā too does not overstep cause and result; this is a faithful account of the relation between prajñā and karmic results (for the same kind of meaning, the deep well and causes and conditions, see the preceding chapter). Therefore the practitioner should hear, receive and uphold, and so on up to rightly recollect it, not parting from the mind of sarvajñā—this is where the chapter comes to rest.
VI. Divergent Readings of the Masters
The Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa has no tradition of a complete line-by-line commentary, and the citations and explanations of the ancient masters are, in fact, unevenly distributed. The coverage of this chapter by the ancient masters is of two types: Jizang's commentary, which explains the sūtra explained, preserves a complete dedicated section with a finely divided structural analysis, its explanation of the chapter name and the items of its structural analysis corresponding one by one to the Sūtra and Treatise of this chapter; Huiying's commentary, which explains the treatise, breaks off and does not cover this fascicle. This section records what they comment on and cite and how it corresponds to this chapter, without judging the relative merits of the several interpretations.
Jizang's Commentary on the Larger Sūtra (X24n0451). His line-by-line commentary on this chapter begins at〔X24n0451 0269a21〕 (the chapter title 「勸持品第三十四」 tr. "Chapter on Exhortation to Uphold, the Thirty-fourth", immediately after the closing boundary of the preceding chapter, "Declaring the Truth") and runs to just before〔X24n0451 0270a13〕 (before the start of the next chapter, "Chapter on Dispelling the Divergent, the Thirty-fifth"), covering the whole of this chapter's Sūtra and Treatise, about one thousand two hundred and sixteen characters in all (in length between the three hundred and fifty-three characters on the preceding chapter, "Declaring the Truth", and the more than two thousand three hundred characters on the chapter of the preceding fascicle, "Weighing the Jewelled Stūpa", in keeping with the middling size of this chapter). Jizang throughout uses the name 「勸持品」 tr. "Chapter on Exhortation to Uphold" (two characters, the same as T223 and the variant reading of this treatise's Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace editions), and does not use the three-character 「勸受持品」 tr. "Chapter on Exhortation to Receive and Uphold" of this treatise's base text. Five points in it are worth recording.
First, the overall division of the weighing of the five fruits—「此是第三周，明五果格量。凡五品，為三：第一、有兩品，餘明五果；第二、兩品，餘文明格量。五果者：第一、勸持品，明不橫死果、人不得便果及後世功德」 tr. "This is the third round, making clear the weighing of the five fruits. In all there are five chapters, forming three parts: first, there are two chapters, the rest making clear the five fruits; second, two chapters, the remaining text making clear the weighing. As for the five fruits: first, the Chapter on Exhortation to Uphold makes clear the fruit of not dying an untimely death, the fruit of humans not finding an opening, and the merits of later lives"〔X24n0451 0269a22〕: it points out that this chapter is the first chapter of the larger division, 「第三周五果格量」 tr. "the third round, the weighing of the five fruits", a framework of structural analysis that gathers up the chapters on Exhortation to Uphold, Dispelling the Divergent, the Honoured Guide, and the rest, and it corresponds word for word to the three great sub-topics of this chapter's Sūtra and Treatise (not dying an untimely death / humans not finding an opening / the merits of later lives). Second, the framework of four exhortations and two confirmations—「今總二果名為四：第一諸天勸持；二佛述勸持；三天主勸持；四佛述勸。明兩勸兩述也。」 tr. "Now the two fruits taken together are named as four: first, the gods exhort to uphold; second, the Buddha confirms the exhortation to uphold; third, the lord of the gods exhorts to uphold; fourth, the Buddha confirms the exhortation. This makes clear two exhortations and two confirmations."〔X24n0451 0269b13〕: the four-layer structure maps precisely the progression of this chapter's Sūtra passage (the gods' exhortation〔段5〕, the Buddha's confirmation of the exhortation to uphold〔段6〕, the exhortation of the lord of the gods / Śakra〔段8〕, the Buddha's confirmation and extended explanation〔段9〕). Third, the structural analysis of the five signs of death—「五死相者：一、頭上華委；二、腋下汗出；三、華來著身；四、不樂在生處；五、更見有天來已生處也。」 tr. "As for the five signs of death: first, the flowers on the head wither; second, sweat comes out from the armpits; third, flowers come and settle on the body; fourth, one takes no delight in the place where one was born; fifth, one sees yet another god come to the place where one was born."〔X24n0451 0269c02〕: compared with the sūtra text, 「一者、華鬘萎，二者、掖下汗出，三者、蠅來著身，四者、見更有天坐己坐處，五者、自不樂本坐」 tr. "first, the flower garland withers; second, sweat comes out from the armpits; third, flies come and settle on the body; fourth, one sees another god sitting in one's own seat; fifth, one takes no delight in one's original seat"〔T25 0469b03〕, Jizang's list exchanges the order of the fourth and fifth items, and in the first item its wording differs from the sūtra text: 「頭上華委」 tr. "the flowers on the head wither (with a variant graph)" against the sūtra text's 「華鬘萎」 tr. "the flower garland withers" (a variant graph for ‘wither’); this section sets out the two word for word side by side and does not reconcile on anyone's behalf which is the more accurate report (whether Jizang relied on another text or reported from memory is unproven; left in doubt in Section VIII). Fourth, the structural analysis of the three meanings of the great bright spell—「第三天主歎中有二……無等說者，三義」 tr. "In the third, the praise of the lord of the gods, there are two … as for the explanation of ‘unequalled’, three meanings"〔X24n0451 0269c09〕: Jizang draws out three meanings of 「無等」 tr. "unequalled" (contrast with the spell-crafts of ordinary people / contrast with the buddhas' attainment of the path / contrast with the buddhas themselves), numbering them as three meanings more explicitly than the three "further" passages of the Treatise's explanation (〔0469b26／0469b28／0469b29〕); this can serve the exposition layer as material to cite for a deepened analysis. Fifth, the structural analysis of the simile of the full moon and the stars—「第四佛述中二……初中三：法、譬、合」 tr. "In the fourth, the Buddha's confirmation, there are two … in the first there are three: the teaching, the simile, and the application" (under ‘application’ the commentary itself attaches the interlinear note 「云云」 tr. "and so on")—「夜中所見皆星月力，生死夜有所見皆佛菩薩力」 tr. "whatever is seen in the night is all by the power of the stars and the moon; whatever is seen in the night of birth and death is all by the power of the buddhas and bodhisattvas"〔X24n0451 0269c20〕: this corresponds word for word to the structure of teaching, simile, and application in the Treatise's passage on the simile of the full moon and the stars〔T25 0469c05〕. Jizang's commentary covers this chapter completely with a finely divided structural analysis; its five items—the overall division of the weighing of the five fruits, the four exhortations and two confirmations, the five signs of death (differing from the sūtra text in order), the three meanings of the great bright spell (deepening the text of the Treatise), and the teaching, simile, and application of the simile of the full moon and the stars—are of considerable value for direct citation in the exposition layer at the drafting stage.
Huiying's Commentary (X46n0791). The only ancient commentary that explains this treatise, it survives only in fragmentary fascicles; its Fascicle 17 ends with Fascicle 45 of the treatise and its Fascicle 21 begins with Fascicle 59 of the treatise, and Fascicle 58 of the treatise, to which this chapter belongs, falls exactly in the gap between these two fascicles: the extant fascicles of Huiying's commentary do not cover this chapter at all. A search back through the whole collection for the strings unique to this chapter, 「勸受持品」 tr. "Chapter on Exhortation to Receive and Uphold", 「勸持品」 tr. "Chapter on Exhortation to Uphold", and so on, yields zero hits for this chapter's passages—the fragmentary fascicles of Huiying's commentary do not cover this chapter, continuing the conclusion recorded for the preceding chapters; recorded as it stands.
Junzheng's Profound Meaning of the Four Mahāyāna Treatises (X46n0784). A search back through the whole book for the strings 「勸受持品」 tr. "Chapter on Exhortation to Receive and Uphold" and 「勸持品」 tr. "Chapter on Exhortation to Uphold" yields zero hits for this chapter—as with the preceding chapters, no citation by name from Junzheng is found for this chapter; its absence is recorded as it stands, without forcing the search.
Bibliographic records (evidence for the chapter name). Xuanyi of the Tang, in his Extended Chapter Register of the Buddhist Teaching of the Kaiyuan Era of the Great Tang (A097n1267), records this chapter as 「摩訶般若波羅蜜經勸持品第三十三」 tr. "Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra, Chapter on Exhortation to Uphold, the Thirty-third"〔A097n1267 0813a06〕, using the two-character 「勸持品」 tr. "Chapter on Exhortation to Uphold" with the chapter number one step lower (see Section IV). Weibai of the Song, in his Essentials of the Outline of the Great Canon (C056n1159), records it in two places—Fascicle 2, 「勸持品」 tr. "Chapter on Exhortation to Uphold"〔C056n1159 0139a11〕 (two characters); Fascicle 5, 「勸受持品」 tr. "Chapter on Exhortation to Receive and Uphold"〔C056n1159 0185c10〕 (three characters, in a three-part listing)—the same book uses different characters in its two places; recorded side by side without judgement. The records of these two books are evidence for the circulation of the chapter name in multiple forms.
This treatise's own explanation (self-check). The name of this chapter, "Exhortation to Receive and Uphold", has no material of mutual self-attestation outside the chapter in the whole of this treatise; this is recorded as it stands. A further check of the distribution of the term 「大明呪」 tr. "the great bright spell" in the body of this treatise across the whole book: seven occurrences in all, three in the earlier chapter, "Weighing the Jewelled Stūpa"〔T25 0463c08／0463c17／0463c18〕, and four in this chapter〔T25 0468b18／0468b21（經段8／9）／0469b10／0469b20（論釋段27／34）〕, with zero in the intermediate chapter, "Declaring the Truth". This complete distribution of the seven occurrences maps out the line of transmission of the meaning of 「大明呪」 tr. "the great bright spell" (see Section VII); it is not the promotion of a phrasing unique to this chapter, and serves only as background reference for the thread of transmission.
Recent writings (excluded by rule). Interpretations by recent scholars are excluded as a rule; they are not taken as the authority of the ancient masters, nor brought in as doctrinal citations.
VII. Cross-reading and Further Resonances
Of the doctrinal threads of this chapter, three carry over from what precedes and into what follows; all are recorded in this section, without fixing the reading on anyone's behalf.
First, the line of transmission of the meaning of 「大明呪」 tr. "the great bright spell" (first appearing in Chapter 32 → unfolded in Chapter 34 · skipping Chapter 33 · precisely delimited). When the great bright spell first appeared in the earlier chapter, "Weighing the Jewelled Stūpa", the Sūtra gave it in the two-term form 「大明呪、無上呪」 tr. "the great bright spell, the unsurpassed spell"〔T25 0463c 一帶，三見〕; in this chapter Śakra's declaration expands it into the three-term form, 「般若波羅蜜是大明呪、無上明呪、無等等明呪」 tr. "prajñāpāramitā is the great bright spell, the unsurpassed bright spell, the bright spell equal to the unequalled"〔T25 0468b18〕; the Buddha seals it and explains it at length〔T25 0468b20〕, and further, in the Treatise passage〔0469b09–0469c15〕, it receives the most extensive analysis of its three meanings in the whole chapter (Question ② / Answer ②; see Section V). The intermediate chapter of this line of transmission, "Declaring the Truth", does not touch the wording 「大明呪」 tr. "the great bright spell" (a search back through the whole main text of "Declaring the Truth" yields zero hits for 「明呪」 tr. "bright spell")—the meaning of 「大明呪」 tr. "the great bright spell" first appears in Chapter 32, skips Chapter 33, and only in Chapter 34 unfolds; the exact structure of this three-chapter chain is delimited from the base text and handed on for the attention of the research that follows. This is clear evidence that the doctrinal thread of this treatise runs through from chapter to chapter, carrying on what precedes and opening what follows.
Second, the link into the treasury (stable citation · soft citation). The meaning of this chapter, 「般若是大明呪、無上明呪、無等等明呪」 tr. "prajñā is the great bright spell, the unsurpassed bright spell, the bright spell equal to the unequalled", is the scriptural basis on which the passage of the Heart Sūtra, 「般若波羅蜜多是大神呪、是大明呪、是無上呪、是無等等呪」 tr. "prajñāpāramitā is the great divine spell, is the great bright spell, is the unsurpassed spell, is the spell equal to the unequalled", rests—the relation of transmission and explanation between the three-term formula of the Larger Sūtra (the great bright spell / the unsurpassed bright spell / the bright spell equal to the unequalled) and the four-term formula of the Heart Sūtra (the great divine spell / the great bright spell / the unsurpassed spell / the spell equal to the unequalled) is set down as a stable citation〔T25n1509 勸受持品·卷五十八〕; the places where the Heart Sūtra and the Consciousness-only mirror cite this treatise are not yet finalised, hence a soft citation, pending word-for-word verification there. This belongs to the transmission of the meaning of prajñā running down through the several sūtras; recorded without judgement.
Third, the carrying-over of an ancient master's structural analysis. Jizang takes this chapter, "Exhortation to Uphold", as the first chapter of 「第三周五果格量」 tr. "the third round, the weighing of the five fruits", and takes 「四勸兩述」 tr. "four exhortations and two confirmations" as the framework of his structural analysis of the Sūtra passage (see Section VI), and judges that this chapter gathers up the three fruits of not dying an untimely death, humans not finding an opening, and the merits of later lives; his commentary analyses 「無等」 tr. "unequalled" into three meanings and judges the simile of the full moon and the stars to have the structure of teaching, simile, and application, responding point by point to the Treatise's explanation—this is the carrying-over of one master's structural analysis; this section records its traces and does not fix it, on anyone's behalf, as a structural assertion proven by the sūtra text itself.
VIII. Witnesses and Editions
The base text of this chapter is Fascicle 58 of the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa〔T25 0468a12–0470a14〕 (the main text of the chapter body ends at〔T25 0470a14〕 with the sentence 「如是得今世、後世功德」 tr. "thus one gains merits in this life and in later lives", and the next chapter, "The Brahmin Ascetic", begins at〔T25 0470a15〕, a chapter boundary internal to Fascicle 58, not the end of a fascicle); the collation text for the sūtra explained is the chapter "Exhortation to Uphold" of the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra〔T08 0286a26 起〕; the ancient-master commentary text for collation is Jizang's Commentary on the Larger Sūtra (X24n0451, covering this chapter at〔X24n0451 0269a21–0270a13〕, up to just before the latter); the fragmentary fascicles of Huiying's Commentary (X46n0791) do not cover this chapter, and Junzheng's Profound Meaning of the Four Mahāyāna Treatises (X46n0784) has no citation. 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, the Ishiyama text (the Ishiyama-dera manuscript), and the Korean canon (K).
Compound collation notes on the chapter name (the evidential basis for the multiple forms · the three-character / two-character inner and outer layers listed separately). The collation notes at the head of the chapter set out together the variants of the whole chapter-title sentence and of a single character; two of them bear on the chapter name. The first, the whole-sentence collation note on the chapter title〔T25 0468a12〕—「大智度論釋勸受持品第三十四（卷五十八）【大】｜大智度經論卷第五十八釋第三十三品訖第三十五品【聖】｜摩訶般若波羅蜜經勸受持品第三十三【石】」 tr. "‘Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa, Commentary on the Chapter on Exhortation to Receive and Uphold, the Thirty-fourth (Fascicle Fifty-eight)’ in the Taishō; ‘Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra-Treatise, Fascicle Fifty-eight, explaining the thirty-third chapter through to the end of the thirty-fifth chapter’ in the Shōgozō; ‘Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra, Chapter on Exhortation to Receive and Uphold, the Thirty-third’ in the Ishiyama"—the title sentences of the three texts each differ: the Taishō / Korean canon base text has the three characters 「勸受持」 tr. "Exhortation to Receive and Uphold"; the Shōgozō marks it by a descriptive formula of 「卷次＋品次範圍」 tr. "fascicle number + range of chapter numbers" (with no chapter name; left in doubt in Section VIII); the Ishiyama text is headed by the name of the sūtra explained, has the three characters 「勸受持」 tr. "Exhortation to Receive and Uphold", and the chapter number 「第三十三」 tr. "the thirty-third" (one step lower). The second, the single-character collation note on 「受」 tr. "receive"〔T25 0468a12〕—「受【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】」 tr. "‘receive’ in the Taishō; absent in the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace": this treatise's Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace editions lack 「受」 tr. "receive" at this position (reading the two-character 「勸持品」 tr. "Chapter on Exhortation to Uphold"). Taken together, the two are the evidential basis on this treatise's side for the multiple forms of the chapter name, 「三字／二字」 tr. "three characters / two characters", and are used for the decision on the chapter name in Section IV—the whole-sentence collation note and the single-character collation note belong to different ranges of collation and stand side by side (the whole-sentence note: the Taishō and the Ishiyama having the three characters 「勸受持」 tr. "Exhortation to Receive and Uphold"; the single-character note: the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace lacking 「受」 tr. "receive", giving the two characters 「勸持」 tr. "Exhortation to Uphold"; the group of base texts replaced as a whole sentence and the group of variant readings layered on character by character are not the same); both are kept as they are and recorded side by side, without forcing a reconciliation.
The CBETA supplied-character collation note (the Korean canon K text collates 「慚」 tr. "shame" as 「漸」 tr. "gradually" · listed separately). At a character position related to the Treatise's explanation, 「聞是般若波羅蜜經耳……漸當得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提」 tr. "if prajñāpāramitā passes through his ear … he will gradually attain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi", there is a supplied-character collation note〔T25 0469c10〕—「漸（K14n0549_p1077a02）【CB】【麗-CB】｜慚【大】」 tr. "‘gradually’ (with its Korean canon page reference) in CBETA and in the Korean canon as corrected by CBETA; ‘shame’ in the Taishō"—that is, the Taishō base text reads 「慚」 tr. "shame", and CBETA, following the Korean canon (K14n0549), corrects the reading to 「漸」 tr. "gradually". This is a special format of the own-type anchor note(0469c1001) (the collation note itself marks the Korean canon page as its source), and involves a shift of sense from 「慚」 tr. "shame" to 「漸」 tr. "gradually", unlike the usual juxtaposition of variant readings, and so it is listed separately. This section does not go into its doctrinal consequences; the main text follows the CBETA / Korean canon corrected reading, and the source of the collation is recorded as it stands.
Complete ledger of collation notes (all seventy-four entries reconciled · transcribed as they stand). Below, transcribed in their original form from the end of the working base text—sixty-six anchor collation notes of this chapter itself (own), and a further eight refrain re-citations within the chapter (star, all pointing back to this chapter's own canonical note; unlike the three stars of the preceding chapter, "Declaring the Truth", all of which cite the chapter before it from outside, the stars of this chapter are all within the chapter, returning to the type of Chapter 32; marked as it stands); 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 0468a12〕大智度論釋勸受持品第三十四（卷五十八）【大】｜大智度經論卷第五十八釋第三十三品訖第三十五品【聖】｜摩訶般若波羅蜜經勸受持品第三十三【石】
- 〔T25 0468a12〕受【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0468a13〕四【大】｜四品【宮】
- 〔T25 0468a17〕【經】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】
- 〔T25 0468a20〕若【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0468a21〕減【大】｜咸【聖】
- 〔T25 0468a22〕天子【大】｜〔－〕【宮】
- 〔T25 0468a23〕種【大】｜種不斷【石】
- 〔T25 0468a24〕世間【大】｜〔－〕【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0468b02〕心【大】｜惡心【元】【明】
- 〔T25 0468b05〕墮【大】｜隨【聖】
- 〔T25 0468b05〕誦讀【大】｜讀誦【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0468b07〕力【大】｜〔－〕【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0468b09〕經【大】｜逕【石】
- 〔T25 0468b10〕耳【大】｜取【聖】
- 〔T25 0468b10〕以【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0468b20〕法【大】｜〔－〕【宮】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0468c01〕佛道【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0468c10〕世界【大】｜國土【石】
- 〔T25 0468c11〕（star·品內重引→note(0468026)）世界【大】｜國土【石】
- 〔T25 0468c11〕皆從般若波羅蜜生【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】｜從般若波羅蜜生【聖】
- 〔T25 0468c16〕今世【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0468c16〕後世【大】｜〔－〕【明】【宮】｜世【聖】
- 〔T25 0468c16〕佛告【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】
- 〔T25 0468c18〕死【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0468c18〕刃【大】｜〔－〕【聖】｜刀【石】
- 〔T25 0468c19〕水【大】｜入水【石】
- 〔T25 0468c19〕能【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0468c19〕其【大】｜〔－〕【石】
- 〔T25 0468c20〕官【大】｜宮【聖】
- 〔T25 0468c21〕到【大】｜至【石】
- 〔T25 0468c22〕譴責【大】｜詰嘖【石】
- 〔T25 0469a06〕（star·品內重引→note(0468018)）墮【大】｜隨【聖】
- 〔T25 0469a07〕完【大】｜[宋-木+死]【聖】
- 〔T25 0469a09〕界【大】｜國【石】
- 〔T25 0469a09〕（star·品內重引→note(0469002)）界【大】｜國【石】
- 〔T25 0469a10〕（star·品內重引→note(0469002)）界【大】｜國【石】
- 〔T25 0469a11〕（star·品內重引→note(0469002)）界【大】｜國【石】
- 〔T25 0469a11〕（star·品內重引→note(0468026)）世界【大】｜國土【石】
- 〔T25 0469a14〕伎【大】｜妓【明】
- 〔T25 0469a17〕【論】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0469a21〕（star·品內重引→note(0468013)）減【大】｜咸【聖】
- 〔T25 0469a22〕出【大】｜示【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0469a23〕釋【大】｜帝釋【石】
- 〔T25 0469a26〕陣【大】｜陳【聖】
- 〔T25 0469a28〕使【大】｜便【聖】
- 〔T25 0469a28〕（star·品內重引→note(0469007)）陣【大】｜陳【聖】
- 〔T25 0469b01〕常【大】｜當【聖】
- 〔T25 0469b03〕鬘【大】｜冠【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0469b03〕掖【大】｜腋【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0469b09〕若【大】｜若波羅蜜【石】
- 〔T25 0469b09〕福樂【大】｜樂福【宮】
- 〔T25 0469b12〕人民【大】｜民人【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0469b13〕意【大】｜喜【聖】
- 〔T25 0469b15〕帝【大】｜〔－〕【宮】
- 〔T25 0469b25〕叉【大】｜又【聖】
- 〔T25 0469b25〕陀【大】｜他【聖】
- 〔T25 0469b26〕萬歲【大】｜歲萬歲【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0469b27〕出【大】｜去【聖】
- 〔T25 0469c01〕作【大】｜住【石】
- 〔T25 0469c03〕順【大】｜顧【聖】
- 〔T25 0469c10〕漸（K14n0549_p1077a02）【CB】【麗-CB】｜慚【大】（CBETA／麗藏補字·專列見上）
- 〔T25 0469c17〕今【大】｜念【聖】
- 〔T25 0469c18〕已【大】｜〔－〕【宮】【石】
- 〔T25 0469c18〕說【大】｜言【石】
- 〔T25 0469c20〕刀【大】｜力【聖】
- 〔T25 0469c24〕侵【大】｜𢬶【聖】
- 〔T25 0469c26〕故難消，難消故能起熱病。血肉、筋、骨、骸、髓【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0469c27〕骨、骸【大】｜脈骨【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【石】
- 〔T25 0469c28〕等【大】｜是【聖】
- 〔T25 0469c29〕無【大】｜死【聖】
- 〔T25 0470a09〕家【大】｜〔－〕【石】
- 〔T25 0470a10〕似【大】｜以【宮】
- 〔T25 0470a13〕應【大】｜聽【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
These seventy-four entries agree mechanically with the count of anchor collation notes in the working base text (sixty-six own, eight star; the stars are all re-citations within the chapter, unlike the cross-chapter citations from outside in the preceding chapter). The several places bearing on the chapter name (the variant names of the three texts in the whole chapter-title sentence〔0468a12〕, the absence of 「受」 tr. "receive" in the inner layer of the four texts Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace, and the CBETA / Korean canon supplied character 「漸」 tr. "gradually" at〔0469c10〕) 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.