大智度論 挍量法施品Dazhidulun — Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa · Weighing the Gift of Dharma
挍量法施品：佛以財施（教眾生行十善道乃至證聲聞、辟支佛、無上菩提）與法施（書持般若經卷、為他人演說般若義）層層校量，皆判法施勝；辨有所得布施與無所得波羅蜜、真般若與相似般若之異；論主以無漏勝有漏、諸賢聖皆從般若出、二種菩薩、太子國王供養等義，釋法施何以勝、教近佛道者福德何以最大（經＋論）
這一品，佛又架起一道天秤，秤的是「財施」與「法施」——一邊是教人行十善道乃至證果的布施，一邊是書持般若經卷、為人演說的法施。佛問帝釋：教一閻浮提的人都行十善道，這福多不多？帝釋答：甚多，世尊。佛卻判：還不如有人書持般若波羅蜜經卷施給別人，令他讀、誦、演說，得福更多。為什麼？因為「般若波羅蜜中廣說諸無漏法」，學這法的人能入正法位、得須陀洹乃至阿耨多羅三藐三菩提；而十善道「但善有漏法，受世間無常福樂，還復墮苦」。無漏成三乘道、入涅槃不再退還，有漏受一場無常福樂又墮苦——一個究竟、一個輪迴，這就是法施勝財施的綱。佛還把秤一級一級加重：教一人得須陀洹果，就勝過教一閻浮提人行十善，因為行十善的人仍「不離地獄、畜生、餓鬼苦」，而得須陀洹果的人已離三惡道；再從閻浮提，加到四天下、小千、中千、三千大千，直加到恒河沙數世界滿中的人都行十善、都立四禪四無量心四無色定五神通——法施還是勝，因為般若裡出生一切聖賢。
那麼這法施勝在哪一點的心地上？佛答得深：勝在「正憶念」，而正憶念是「不以二法、不以不二法」的。論主替我們追問：受持、讀、誦、說都講了，為什麼獨獨解一個「正憶念」？答得極實在——受持讀誦像採了藥、合和好了卻還沒服，於病無損；正憶念才像把藥服下去，病這才愈。所以獨解正憶念。而法施之所以更勝一層，還在『為他人演說開示、分別，令易解』——自己受持是自愈，為人講明白是替人治病，這一著勝過自受持。佛更點破般若正義的髓：布施若「有所得」，心裡存著「我與，彼受，所施者物」，那只得了個布施的名，不成波羅蜜；唯有「無所得」——不得與者、不得受者、不得所施物——才叫具足檀波羅蜜。法施之福所以甚多，正因它以無所得而演說。
也正因無所得這一關最難守，佛才豫先說破「相似般若」的模樣。有人未來世要講般若，講出來的卻是「有所得」的相似貨——說色無常，教人求一個無常相；說修般若當得初地乃至十地、當過二乘地、當得無量功德……這些「名字語言」和真般若一模一樣，「而心義異」。著了心、取了相去說，就是相似；不著心、不取相去說，才是真實——真般若是「色性空，是色性非法，若非法即名為般若波羅蜜」，連常、無常都不可得，何況去求一個無常相。佛為什麼要豫說？因為佛憐愍未來世的眾生見不到佛、見不到大菩薩，只能對著經書聽法；先把邪憶念的樣子畫出來，就像人先認清哪是道、哪是非道，才能捨非道、行正道。教人捨相似、修真般若，這才是說般若正義。
品的下半，秤又往「近佛道」這一頭加。佛把閻浮提乃至恒河沙世界的人都教到得聲聞、辟支佛道，說仍不如為一人演說般若正義——因為「是諸賢聖皆從般若波羅蜜中出」。這裡起了一個最尖的疑問：凡夫法、二乘法不如，還說得通；可如今說「教人發無上道、得阿鞞跋致」，那已是佛道的事了，怎麼還不如？論主答得細：般若正義裡有兩種菩薩，一種是還在生死中的肉身菩薩，一種是出了三界、不生不死的法性生身菩薩；教一個已過阿鞞跋致地的法性生身菩薩去教化眾生、淨佛世界，這功德勝過教恒沙世界的人發心乃至得阿鞞跋致——「福田大故，福德亦大」。論主打了兩個透徹的比方：供養十方恒河沙世界的聖人，不如供養一尊佛；冒犯太子的罪過於冒犯一切人，供養國王的恩勝於供養太子——愈近佛的福田愈深，犯之罪愈重、供之福愈大。
秤到最後，秤出的是全品的底。須菩提讚歎帝釋：你身為聖弟子，能以「法施、財施」二施安慰勸進諸菩薩，本該如此——財施是供養衣食等具，法施是教人六波羅蜜。為什麼二施這樣要緊？因為「是諸聖眾皆從菩薩中出」：菩薩若不行六波羅蜜，就不成無上道，那就沒有須陀洹乃至辟支佛；正因有菩薩，十善道乃至無量佛法才出現於世，三惡道才得斷，剎利大姓乃至諸佛才出現於世。一場財施與法施的天秤，秤到根上，秤出的是一句話——「是故菩薩說般若波羅蜜正義，教近佛道，福德最大」。法施之所以究竟勝過財施，不是輕慢布施，而是因為般若正義能生菩薩、菩薩能生一切諸佛聖眾；書一卷般若與人、為人講明白一句般若，是在替這世間接續那生佛的根本因緣。這就是挍量法施品的心。
In this chapter the Buddha once more sets up a pair of scales, and what is weighed is ‘the gift of wealth’ against ‘the gift of Dharma’—on one side the giving that teaches people to practise the ten wholesome paths and so on up to realising the fruits, on the other the gift of Dharma that writes out and upholds the scroll of prajñā and expounds it for others. He asks Śakra: to teach the people of one whole Jambudvīpa to practise the ten wholesome paths—is this merit great? Śakra answers: very great, World-Honored One. Yet the Buddha rules: it still does not equal someone who writes out and upholds the scroll of prajñāpāramitā and gives it to another, so that he may read, recite, and expound it; that one gains the greater merit. Why? Because ‘within prajñāpāramitā the dharmas without outflows are set out at length’, and those who learn this Dharma can enter the position of the right Dharma and attain the fruit of the srota-āpanna and so on up to anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi; whereas the ten wholesome paths ‘are merely wholesome dharmas with outflows: one receives the impermanent blessings and pleasures of the world and then falls back into suffering’. The outflow-free accomplishes the paths of the three vehicles and enters nirvāṇa without returning; that with outflows receives one round of impermanent blessing and pleasure and falls again into suffering—one is ultimate, the other cycles on, and this is the main thread of why the gift of Dharma surpasses the gift of wealth. The Buddha then loads the scales one grade at a time: to teach one person to attain the fruit of the srota-āpanna surpasses teaching the people of one Jambudvīpa to practise the ten wholesome paths, because those who practise the ten wholesome paths still ‘are not free of the sufferings of the hells, the animals, and the hungry ghosts’, while one who has attained the fruit of the srota-āpanna has already left the three evil destinies; then from Jambudvīpa he adds up to the four continents, the small thousand, the middle thousand, and the three-thousand great-thousand world, until the people filling worlds as many as the sands of the Ganges all practise the ten wholesome paths and all establish the four dhyānas, the four immeasurable minds, the four formless absorptions, and the five supernormal powers—and still the gift of Dharma wins, because from within prajñā all the noble ones are born.
Then on what ground of the mind does this gift of Dharma win? The Buddha's answer is deep: it wins in ‘right recollection’, and right recollection is ‘not by way of dual dharmas and not by way of non-dual dharmas’. The treatise-author presses the question for us: receiving and upholding, reading, reciting, and expounding have all been spoken of; why is ‘right recollection’ alone explained? The answer is entirely practical: receiving and upholding, reading and reciting are like having gathered the medicine and compounded it well but not yet swallowed it, which does nothing to the sickness; only right recollection is like swallowing the medicine, and only then is the sickness cured. Therefore right recollection alone is explained. And the reason the gift of Dharma is a further layer superior lies in ‘expounding, disclosing, and distinguishing it for others so that it is easy to understand’—to receive and uphold it oneself is to heal oneself, while to explain it clearly to others is to cure others' sickness, and this one move surpasses receiving and upholding for oneself. The Buddha further lays bare the marrow of the right meaning of prajñā: if giving is done ‘with something to be attained’, with the thought held in mind that ‘I give, he receives, and this is the thing given’, one gains only the name of giving and it does not become a perfection; only with ‘nothing to be attained’—not finding a giver, not finding a receiver, not finding a thing given—is it called the full accomplishment of dānapāramitā. The reason the merit of the gift of Dharma is so very great is precisely that it is expounded with nothing to be attained.
And precisely because this pass of nothing to be attained is the hardest to hold, the Buddha exposes in advance what ‘resembling prajñā’ looks like. There will be people in the future age who expound prajñā, and what they expound is a resembling article ‘with something to be attained’: they say that form is impermanent and teach people to seek a mark of impermanence; they say that one who practises prajñā will attain the first ground and so on up to the tenth ground, will pass beyond the grounds of the two vehicles, will attain immeasurable merit… These ‘names and words’ are exactly the same as true prajñā, ‘yet the meaning in the mind differs’. To expound it with an attached mind and by grasping at marks is the resembling; to expound it without an attached mind and without grasping at marks is the true—true prajñā is that ‘the nature of form is empty; the nature of form is not a dharma; and what is not a dharma is called prajñāpāramitā’: even permanence and impermanence are unfindable, how much less can one seek a mark of impermanence. Why does the Buddha speak of it in advance? Because he pities the beings of the future age who will not see the Buddha and will not see the great bodhisattvas, and can only hear the Dharma from the scriptures; by first drawing the likeness of wrong recollection, just as a person must first recognise which is the path and which is not the path before he can abandon the non-path and walk the right path, he teaches people to abandon the resembling and cultivate true prajñā—and this is what it means to expound the right meaning of prajñā.
In the lower half of the chapter the scales are loaded further on the side of ‘nearness to the Buddha's path’. The Buddha takes the people of Jambudvīpa and on up to worlds as many as the sands of the Ganges and teaches them all to attain the paths of the śrāvaka and the pratyekabuddha, and says that this still does not equal expounding the right meaning of prajñā for a single person—because ‘all these worthy and noble ones come forth from within prajñāpāramitā’. Here the sharpest doubt arises: that the dharmas of ordinary people and the dharmas of the two vehicles do not equal it can still be understood; but now it is said that ‘teaching people to arouse the mind for the unsurpassed path and to attain avaivartika’—already a matter of the Buddha's path—still does not equal it; how can that be? The treatise-author answers in detail: within the right meaning of prajñā there are two kinds of bodhisattva, one the bodhisattva in a fleshly body who is still within birth and death, the other the bodhisattva whose body is born of the Dharma-nature, who has gone out of the three realms and is neither born nor dies; to teach one bodhisattva whose body is born of the Dharma-nature, who has already passed beyond the ground of avaivartika, to convert beings and purify buddha-worlds—this merit surpasses teaching the people of worlds as many as the sands of the Ganges to arouse the mind and so on up to attaining avaivartika: ‘because the field of merit is great, the merit too is great’. The treatise-author gives two penetrating comparisons: to make offerings to the noble ones of worlds of the ten directions as many as the sands of the Ganges does not equal making offerings to a single Buddha; the fault of offending the crown prince exceeds that of offending all other people, and the grace of making offerings to the king surpasses that of making offerings to the crown prince—the nearer the field of merit is to the Buddha, the deeper it is, the heavier the fault of offending it, and the greater the merit of making offerings to it.
Weighed to the end, what the scales weigh out is the ground of the whole chapter. Subhūti praises Śakra: as a noble disciple you are able to comfort and encourage the bodhisattvas with the two gifts, ‘the gift of Dharma and the gift of wealth’, and this is indeed as it should be—the gift of wealth is making offerings of clothing, food, and other necessities; the gift of Dharma is teaching people the six perfections. Why are these two gifts so important? Because ‘all these noble assemblies come forth from among the bodhisattvas’: if the bodhisattvas did not practise the six perfections, they would not accomplish the unsurpassed path, and then there would be no srota-āpanna and so on up to no pratyekabuddha; it is precisely because there are bodhisattvas that the ten wholesome paths and so on up to the immeasurable dharmas of the Buddha appear in the world, that the three evil destinies are cut off, and that the great kṣatriya clans and so on up to the buddhas appear in the world. A weighing of the gift of wealth against the gift of Dharma, weighed to the root, weighs out a single sentence—‘therefore, when a bodhisattva expounds the right meaning of prajñāpāramitā and teaches nearness to the Buddha's path, the merit is greatest’. That the gift of Dharma ultimately surpasses the gift of wealth is not a slighting of giving; it is because the right meaning of prajñā can give birth to bodhisattvas, and bodhisattvas can give birth to all the buddhas and the noble assemblies; to give one scroll of prajñā to someone, to explain one sentence of prajñā clearly to someone, is to carry on for this world the root cause and condition that gives birth to the buddhas. This is the heart of the chapter on weighing the gift of Dharma.
卷60 〔T25 0481b14〕
大智度論釋挍量法施品第三十八 聖者龍樹造 後秦龜茲國三藏鳩摩羅什譯 【經】 佛告釋提桓因言：「憍尸迦！若有善男子、善女人，教一閻浮提人行十善道。於汝意云何？以是因緣故，得福多不？」 答言：「甚多！世尊！」 佛言：「不如是善男子、善女人書持般若波羅蜜經卷與他人，令讀、誦、說，得福多。何以故？是般若波羅蜜中廣說諸無漏法，善男子、善女人從是中學，已學、今學、當學，入正法位中，已入、今入、當入，得須陀洹果，已得、今得、當得；乃至阿羅漢果，求辟支佛道亦如是。諸菩薩摩訶薩求阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，入正法位中，已入、今入、當入，得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，〔T25 0481c〕已得、今得、當得。憍尸迦！何等是無漏法？所謂四念處，乃至八聖道分、四聖諦，內空乃至無法有法空，佛十力乃至十八不共法。善男子、善女人學是法，得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，已得、今得、當得。 「憍尸迦！若有善男子、善女人教一人令得須陀洹果；是人得福德，勝教一閻浮提人行十善道。何以故？憍尸迦！教一閻浮提人行十善道，不離地獄、畜生、餓鬼苦。憍尸迦！教一人得須陀洹果，離三惡道故。乃至阿羅漢果、辟支佛道亦如是。憍尸迦！若善男子、善女人教一閻浮提人令得須陀洹果、斯陀含果、阿那含、阿羅漢、辟支佛道，不如善男子、善女人教一人令得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提得福多！何以故？憍尸迦！以菩薩因緣故，生須陀洹果乃至阿羅漢、辟支佛；以菩薩因緣故，生諸佛。以是因緣故，憍尸迦！當知善男子、善女人書般若波羅蜜經卷與他人，令書、持、讀、誦、說，得福多！何以故？是般若波羅蜜中廣說諸善法。是善法中學，便出生剎利大姓、婆羅門大姓、居士大家，四天王天乃至非有想非無想天，便有四念處乃至一切種智，便有諸須陀洹乃至阿羅漢、辟支佛，便有諸佛。 「憍尸迦！置一閻浮提人。若有善男子、善女人教四天下世界中眾生令行十善道，於汝意云何？是人以是因緣故，得福多不？」 答言：「甚多！世尊！」 佛言：「不如是善男子、善女人書般若波羅蜜經卷與他人，令書、持、讀、誦、說，得福多！餘如上說。憍尸迦！置四天下世界中眾生。若教小千世界中眾生令行十善道亦如是。憍尸迦！〔T25 0482a〕置小千世界中眾生。若教二千中世界中眾生令行十善道；若有善男子、善女人書般若波羅蜜經卷與他人，令書、持、讀、誦，是人得福多！餘如上說。憍尸迦！置二千中世界中眾生。若教三千大千世界中所有眾生令行十善道；復有人書般若波羅蜜經卷與他人，令書、持、讀、誦，是人福德多！憍尸迦！置三千大千世界中眾生。若教如恒河沙等世界中所有眾生令行十善道；若復有人書般若波羅蜜經卷與他人，令書、持、讀、誦，其福德多！餘如上說。 「復次，憍尸迦！有人教一閻浮提眾生，令立四禪、四無量心、四無色定、五神通。於汝意云何？是善男子、善女人福德多不？」 釋提桓因言：「甚多！世尊！」 佛言：「不如是善男子、善女人書般若波羅蜜經卷與他人，令書、持、讀、誦、說，得福多！何以故？是般若波羅蜜中廣說諸善法。餘如上說。憍尸迦！置閻浮提眾生，復置四天下世界中眾生、小千世界中眾生、二千中世界中眾生、三千大千世界中眾生。憍尸迦！若有人教十方如恒河沙等世界中眾生，令立四禪、四無量心、四無色定、五神通，於汝意云何？是人福德多不？」 答言：「甚多！世尊！」 佛言：「不如是善男子、善女人書般若波羅蜜經卷與他人，令書、持、讀、誦、說，得福多！何以故？是般若波羅蜜中廣說諸善法。餘如上說。 「復次，憍尸迦！若有善男子、善女人受是般若波羅蜜，書、持、讀、誦、說、正憶念，是人福德，勝教閻浮提人行十善道，立四禪、四無量心、四無色定、五神通。正憶念者，受、持、親近般若波羅蜜，乃至正憶念，不〔T25 0482b〕以二法、不以不二法；受、持、親近禪波羅蜜、毘梨耶波羅蜜、羼提波羅蜜、尸波羅蜜、檀波羅蜜，乃至正憶念，不以二法、不以不二法；為阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，正憶念內空乃至一切種智，不以二法、不以不二法。 「復次，憍尸迦！若有善男子、善女人為他人種種因緣演說般若波羅蜜義，開示、分別，令易解。憍尸迦！何等是般若波羅蜜義？憍尸迦！般若波羅蜜義者，不應以二相觀、不應以不二相觀，非有相、非無相，不入不出，不增不損，不垢不淨，不生不滅，不取不捨，不住非不住，非實非虛，非合非散，非著非不著，非因非不因，非法非不法，非如非不如，非實際非不實際。憍尸迦！若善男子、善女人能以是般若波羅蜜義為他人種種因緣演說、開示、分別，令易解，是善男子、善女人所得福德甚多，勝自受持般若波羅蜜，親近、讀、誦、說、正憶念。 「復次，憍尸迦！善男子、善女人自受持般若波羅蜜，親近、讀、誦、說、正憶念；亦為他人種種因緣演說般若波羅蜜義，開示、分別，令易解，是善男子、善女人所得功德甚多！」 釋提桓因白佛言：「世尊！善男子、善女人應如是演說般若波羅蜜義，開示、分別，令易解！」 佛告釋提桓因：「如是！憍尸迦！是善男子、善女人應如是演說般若波羅蜜義，開示、分別，令易解。憍尸迦！善男子、善女人如是演說般若波羅蜜義，開示、分別，令易解，得無量無邊阿僧祇福德。若有善男子、善女人供養十方無量阿僧祇諸佛，盡其壽命，隨其所須，恭敬、尊重、讚歎，華香乃至幡蓋供養；若復有善男子、〔T25 0482c〕善女人種種因緣為他人廣說般若波羅蜜義，開示、分別，令易解，是善男子、善女人功德甚多！何以故？諸過去、未來、現在諸佛，皆於是般若波羅蜜中學，得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，已得、今得、當得。 「復次，憍尸迦！若善男子、善女人於無量無邊阿僧祇劫行檀波羅蜜，不如是善男子、善女人以般若波羅蜜為他人演說其義，開示、分別，令易解，其福甚多，以無所得故。云何名有所得？憍尸迦！若菩薩摩訶薩用有所得故布施，布施時作是念：『我與，彼受，所施者物。』是名得檀，不得波羅蜜；『我持戒，此是戒。』是名得戒，不得波羅蜜；『我忍辱，為是人忍辱。』是名得忍辱，不得波羅蜜；『我精進，為是事懃精進。』是名得精進，不得波羅蜜；『我修禪，所修是禪。』是名得禪，不得波羅蜜；『我修慧，所修是慧。』是名得慧，不得波羅蜜。憍尸迦！是善男子、善女人如是行者，不得具足檀波羅蜜、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。」 釋提桓因白佛言：「世尊！菩薩摩訶薩云何修具足檀波羅蜜、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？」 佛告釋提桓因：「菩薩摩訶薩布施時，不得與者、不得受者、不得所施物，是人得具足檀波羅蜜；乃至修般若波羅蜜時，不得智、不得所修智，是人得具足般若波羅蜜。憍尸迦！是為菩薩摩訶薩具足檀波羅蜜乃至般若波羅蜜。善男子、善女人如是行般若波羅蜜，當為他人演說其義，開示、分別，令易解；禪波羅蜜、毘梨耶波羅蜜、羼提波羅蜜、尸羅波羅蜜、檀〔T25 0483a〕波羅蜜，演說其義，開示、分別，令易解。何以故？憍尸迦！未來世當有善男子、善女人欲說般若波羅蜜，而說相似般若波羅蜜；有善男子、善女人發阿耨多羅三藐三菩提心，聞是相似般若波羅蜜，失正道。善男子、善女人應為是人具足演說般若波羅蜜義，開示、分別，令易解。」 釋提桓因白佛言：「世尊！何等是相似般若波羅蜜？」 佛言：「有善男子、善女人說有所得般若波羅蜜，是為相似般若波羅蜜。」 釋提桓因白佛言：「世尊！云何善男子、善女人說有所得般若波羅蜜，是為相似般若波羅蜜？」 佛言：「善男子、善女人說有所得般若波羅蜜是相似般若波羅蜜者，說色無常，作是言：『能如是行，是行般若波羅蜜。』行者求色無常，是為行相似般若波羅蜜。說受、想、行、識無常，作是言：『能如是行，是行般若波羅蜜。』行者求受、想、行、識無常，是為行相似般若波羅蜜。說眼無常乃至說意無常；說色無常乃至說法無常；說眼界無常，色界、眼識界無常，乃至說意界、法界、意識界無常。說地種無常乃至說識種無常；說眼識界無常乃至說意識界無常；說眼觸無常乃至說意觸無常；說眼觸因緣生受無常乃至說意觸因緣生受無常；廣說如五眾。說色苦乃至說意觸因緣生受苦；說色無我乃至說意觸因緣生受無我，皆如五眾說。行者行檀波羅蜜時，為說色無常、苦、無我；乃至意觸因緣生受，說無常、苦、無我。尸羅波羅蜜乃至般若波羅蜜亦如是。行四禪、四無量心、四無色定，為說無常、苦、無我；行四念〔T25 0483b〕處，為說無常、苦、無我。乃至行薩婆若時，為說無常、苦、無我。作如是教：『能如是行者，是為行般若波羅蜜。』憍尸迦！是名相似般若波羅蜜。 「復次，憍尸迦！若善男子、善女人當來世說相似般若波羅蜜，作是言：『汝善男子！修行般若波羅蜜，汝修行般若波羅蜜時，當得初地乃至當得十地。』禪波羅蜜，乃至檀波羅蜜，亦如是。行者以相似有所得，以總相修是般若波羅蜜。憍尸迦！是名相似般若波羅蜜。 「復次，憍尸迦！善男子、善女人欲說般若波羅蜜，作是言：『汝善男子修行般若波羅蜜已，當過聲聞、辟支佛地。』是名相似般若波羅蜜。 「復次，善男子、善女人為求佛道者如是說：『汝善男子、善女人修行般若波羅蜜已，入菩薩位，得無生法忍；得無生法忍已，便住菩薩神通，從一佛界至一佛界，供養諸佛，恭敬、尊重、讚歎。』如是說者，是名相似般若波羅蜜。 「復次，憍尸迦！善男子、善女人為求佛道者如是說：『汝善男子、善女人學是般若波羅蜜，受、持、讀、誦、說、正憶念，當得無量無邊阿僧祇功德。』如是說者，是名相似般若波羅蜜。 「復次，善男子、善女人為求佛道者說：『如過去、未來、現在諸佛功德善本，從初發心至成得佛，都合集迴向阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。』如是說者，是名相似般若波羅蜜。」 釋提桓因白佛言：「世尊！云何善男子、善女人為求佛道者不說相似般若波羅蜜？」 佛言：「若善男子、善女人為求佛道者說般若波羅蜜：『善男子、善女人！汝修行般若波羅蜜，莫觀色無常。何以故？色，〔T25 0483c〕色性空。是色性非法，若非法即名為般若波羅蜜。般若波羅蜜中色非常非無常。何以故？是中色尚不可得，何況常、無常！』憍尸迦！善男子、善女人如是說者，是名不說相似般若波羅蜜。受、想、行、識亦如是。 「復次，憍尸迦！善男子、善女人，為求佛道者說：『汝善男子、善女人修行般若波羅蜜，於諸法莫有所過、莫有所住。何以故？般若波羅蜜中無有法可過、可住。所以者何？一切法自性空，自性空是非法，若非法即是為般若波羅蜜。般若波羅蜜中，無有法可入可出、可生可滅。』憍尸迦！是善男子、善女人如是說，是名不說相似般若波羅蜜。廣說如上，與相似相違，是名不說相似般若波羅蜜。 「如是，憍尸迦！善男子、善女人，應如是演說般若波羅蜜義。若如是說般若波羅蜜義，所得功德，勝於前者。」 【論】 者言： 佛更欲以異門明般若波羅蜜勝故，問帝釋言：「若有人教一閻浮提人行十善道，其福多不？」如經中廣說。 此中說所以勝因緣，所謂般若波羅蜜，廣說諸無漏法，成三乘道，入涅槃，不復還；十善道但善有漏法，受世間無常福樂，還復墮苦，是故不如。 復次，先是世間法，後是出世間法；先是能生生死法，後是能滅生死法；先是無常樂因緣，後是常樂因緣；先是凡夫、聖人共法，後但是為聖人法。如是等差別。無漏法者，三十七品、十八不共法，乃至無量諸佛法。 欲令是事了了易解故，更說因緣，所謂「教一人令得須陀洹果，得大福德，勝於教閻浮〔T25 0484a〕提人行十善道——雖行十善，未免三惡道故。乃至得阿羅漢、辟支佛道亦如是。」 佛更說譬喻：「若有人教一閻浮提人令得聲聞、辟支佛道，不如有人教一人令得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，是人得福多。何以故？須陀洹至辟支佛皆從菩薩生故。」 是般若波羅蜜中，種種說佛道因緣，是故書般若波羅蜜經卷與人，勝以十善教四天下乃至如恒河沙等世界。 復次，教閻浮提人乃至恒河沙等世界人令行四禪等乃至五神通亦如是。 但四禪等是離欲人，與十善差別。 復次，若有人教一閻浮提人乃至如恒河沙世界，令行十善道、四禪、四無量心、四無色定、五神通，不如是人受持般若波羅蜜，讀、誦、說、正憶念，得福多。得福多者，上以般若經卷與他人，今自行般若為異。 先十善道，乃至五神通別說，今合說。 問曰： 何以不解「受、持、讀、誦、說」，但解「正憶念」？ 答曰： 受、持、讀、誦、說，福德多；以正憶念能具二事，所謂福德、智慧，是故別說。如人採藥草，乃至合和而未服之，於病無損，服乃除病；正憶念如服藥病愈，是故但解正憶念。 正憶念相，所謂非二非不二行般若波羅蜜。二不二義，如先說。 初以書經卷，勝舍利；中以經卷與人，勝教人行十善乃至五通；今受、持、讀、誦、說，於受、持邊，正憶念最勝。今如諸佛憐愍眾生故為解其義令易解，勝自行正憶念。 是時，佛欲廣分別福德故，說言：「若有人盡形壽供養十方佛，不如為他解說般若〔T25 0484b〕義。」此中說勝因緣：「三世諸佛皆學是般若成無上道。」 復次，「若菩薩於無量劫行六波羅蜜，以有所得故，不如為人解說般若波羅蜜。」有所得者，所謂以我心於諸法中取相故。 佛更欲說般若正義，故答帝釋：「菩薩以無所得行六波羅蜜，則得具足。」具足即是般若波羅蜜正義。 有人未來世說相似般若者，會中人聞說正憶念，作是思惟：「何者是邪憶念？」是故說相似般若波羅蜜相。如人知是道非道故，能捨非道、行正道。 復次，憐愍未來世眾生不見佛及諸大菩薩，但見經書；邪憶念故，隨著音聲，說相似般若波羅蜜。相似者，名字語言同，而心義異。如以著心、取相說五眾等無常乃至無生無滅，是相似般若。若以不著心、不取相說五眾無常，但為破常顛倒故，不著無常，是真實般若。 如是說法人，教捨相似般若波羅蜜，修習真般若波羅蜜，是名說般若波羅蜜正義，勝前功德。 【經】 「復次，憍尸迦！閻浮提中所有眾生，皆教令得須陀洹。於汝意云何？是人得福多不？」 答言：「甚多！世尊！」 佛言：「不如是善男子、善女人以般若波羅蜜為他人種種因緣演說其義，開示、分別，令易解；如是言：『善男子！汝來！受是般若波羅蜜，勤讀、誦、說、正憶念，如般若波羅蜜中所說行。』何以故？是般若波羅蜜中，出生諸須陀洹。憍尸迦！置閻浮提中眾生，復置四天下眾生，小千世界、二千中世界、三千大千世界中眾生。若有人教十方如恒河沙等世界〔T25 0484c〕中眾生，盡教令得須陀洹。於汝意云何？是人得福多不？」 答言：「甚多！世尊！」 佛言：「不如是善男子、善女人以般若波羅蜜為他人種種因緣演說其義，開示、分別，令易解；如是言：『善男子！汝來！受是般若波羅蜜，勤讀、誦、說、正憶念，如般若波羅蜜中所說行。』何以故？般若波羅蜜中出生諸須陀洹。 「復次，憍尸迦！若有善男子、善女人教閻浮提中人，令得斯陀含、阿那含、阿羅漢。於汝意云何？是人得福多不？」 答言：「甚多！世尊！」 佛言：「不如是善男子、善女人以般若波羅蜜為他人種種因緣演說其義，開示、分別，令易解；如是言：『汝來！善男子！受是般若波羅蜜，勤讀、誦、說、正憶念，如般若波羅蜜中所說行。』何以故？般若波羅蜜中出生諸斯陀含、阿那含、阿羅漢故。乃至教十方如恒河沙等世界中眾生亦如是。 「復次，憍尸迦！若善男子、善女人教一閻浮提中眾生令得辟支佛道。於汝意云何？是人得福多不？」 答言：「甚多！世尊！」 佛言：「不如善男子、善女人以般若波羅蜜為他人種種因緣演說其義，開示、分別，令易解；如是言：『汝來！善男子！受是般若波羅蜜，勤讀、誦、說、正憶念，如般若波羅蜜中所說行。』何以故？般若波羅蜜中出生諸辟支佛道故。四天下乃至十方如恒河沙等世界中眾生亦如是。 「復次，憍尸迦！善男子、善女人教一閻浮提中眾生令發阿耨多羅三藐三菩提心。於汝意云何？是人得福多不？」 答言：「甚多！世尊！」 佛言：「不如是善男子、善女人以般若波羅蜜為他人種種因緣演說其義，開示、分別，令易解；如是言：〔T25 0485a〕『汝當隨般若波羅蜜中學，當得一切智法；汝若得一切智法，汝便得修行般若波羅蜜，增益、具足；若得修行般若波羅蜜，增益、具足，汝當得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。』何以故？憍尸迦！般若波羅蜜中生諸初發意菩薩摩訶薩故。乃至十方如恒河沙等世界亦如是。 「復次，憍尸迦！善男子、善女人教一閻浮提中眾生令住阿鞞跋致地。於汝意云何？是人得福多不？」 答言：「甚多！世尊！」 佛言：「不如是善男子、善女人以般若波羅蜜為他人種種因緣演說其義，開示、分別，令易解；如是言：『汝來！善男子！受是般若波羅蜜，乃至如般若波羅蜜中所說行，汝便得一切智法；得一切智法已，乃至便得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。』何以故？般若波羅蜜中，生諸菩薩摩訶薩阿鞞跋致地故。乃至十方如恒河沙等世界亦如是。 「復次，憍尸迦！一閻浮提中眾生發意求阿耨多羅三藐三菩提；若有善男子、善女人為是人演說般若波羅蜜，及其義解、開示、分別；如是言：『汝來！善男子！受是般若波羅蜜，乃至如般若波羅蜜中所說行；學已，汝當得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。』復有人為一阿鞞跋致菩薩演說般若波羅蜜，及其義解、開示、分別；如是言：『善男子！汝來！受是般若波羅蜜，乃至如般若波羅蜜中所說行；學已，汝當得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。』是善男子所得功德甚多。乃至十方如恒河沙等世界中亦如是。 「復次，憍尸迦！若有一閻浮提中眾生皆得阿鞞跋致阿耨多羅三藐三菩提；復有善男子、善女人以般若波羅蜜〔T25 0485b〕為是人演說其義。於是中有一菩薩疾得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提；若有善男子、善女人為是菩薩演說般若波羅蜜，及其義解，是人功德最多。乃至十方如恒河沙等世界亦如是。」 釋提桓因白佛言：「世尊！如菩薩摩訶薩轉轉近阿耨多羅三藐三菩提者，如是應轉轉教行檀波羅蜜、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；應教內空乃至無法有法空，四念處乃至八聖道分，佛十力、四無所畏、四無礙智、十八不共法；亦應供養衣服、臥具、飲食、湯藥，隨其所須。是善男子、善女人，法施、財施供養是菩薩，所得功德，勝於前者。何以故？世尊！是菩薩摩訶薩疾得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提故。」 爾時，慧命須菩提語釋提桓因言：「善哉！善哉！憍尸迦！汝為聖弟子，安慰諸菩薩摩訶薩為阿耨多羅三藐三菩提者，以法施、財施利益，法應爾。何以故？菩薩中生諸佛聖眾。若菩薩不發阿耨多羅三藐三菩提心者，是諸菩薩不能學六波羅蜜乃至十八不共法；若不學六波羅蜜乃至十八不共法者，不能得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提；若不能得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提者，則無聲聞、辟支佛。以是故，憍尸迦！諸菩薩摩訶薩學六波羅蜜乃至十八不共法，學六波羅蜜乃至十八不共法時，得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提；得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提故，斷地獄、畜生、餓鬼道，世間便有剎利大姓、婆羅門大姓、居士大家、四天王天乃至非有想非無想天，便有檀波羅蜜、尸羅、羼提、毘梨耶、禪波羅〔T25 0485c〕蜜、般若波羅蜜、內空乃至無法有法空、四念處乃至十八不共法出現於世，聲聞、辟支佛乘、佛乘皆現於世。」 【論】 者言： 教閻浮提人乃至如恒河沙等世界中人令得聲聞、辟支佛道，不如為他人演說般若波羅蜜義。 此中說因緣：「是諸賢聖皆從般若波羅蜜中出故。」般若波羅蜜是諸法實相，正遍知名為佛，小不如是大菩薩、辟支佛、阿羅漢，轉不如是阿那含、斯陀含、須陀洹；愛念、供養能知諸法實相者，是天王、人王等世間福德人。是故常說：「般若波羅蜜出生諸賢聖、剎利大姓，乃至一切諸天。」 復次，教一閻浮提乃至恒河沙等世界中人發無上道乃至阿鞞跋致，不如為一阿鞞跋致人解說般若波羅蜜正義。 問曰： 上說凡夫法、二乘法不如，可爾；今說教人發無上道、得阿鞞跋致，是佛道事，何故不如？ 答曰： 說般若正義有二種：一者、生死肉身菩薩，二者、出三界不生不死法性生身菩薩。 是菩薩但說過阿鞞跋致菩薩事，所謂教化眾生、淨佛世界，分別一切眾生三世無量劫心行業因緣，分別諸世界起滅成敗劫數多少、大慈大悲、一切智等無量諸佛法。為是一人說法勝教閻浮提乃至如恒河沙世界眾生令發心，又復至阿鞞跋致。 從阿鞞跋致已上至佛道，中間更有一人近佛道，疾欲成佛。教是人般若波羅蜜正義者，其福最多！何以故？福田大故，福德亦大。 譬如供養一切十方如恒河沙等世界聖人乃至欲〔T25 0486a〕坐道場菩薩，不如供養一佛。 譬如犯於太子，得罪過犯一切人；若供養太子，得恩勝於供養一切凡人。若犯國王，得罪過於犯太子；若供養國王，勝於供養太子。 如是，教化供養疾近作佛菩薩，勝於供養教如恒河沙等阿鞞跋致菩薩功德。所以者何？福田深厚，其法能令眾生增長故。 爾時，帝釋知是法力大故，白佛言：「菩薩轉轉近無上道，如是應教化供養，功德轉多。」 爾時，須菩提讚帝釋言：「善哉！善哉！汝能安慰勸進諸菩薩為阿耨多羅三藐三菩提者以財、法二施。」 財施者，供養具、衣食等；「法施」者，所謂教六波羅蜜等。 帝釋得道故，名為聖弟子。聖弟子法，應安慰勸進諸菩薩。 是中說因緣：「是諸聖眾皆從菩薩中出。何以故？若菩薩不行六波羅蜜，不成無上道，則無須陀洹乃至辟支佛。菩薩因緣故，十善道乃至無量佛法出現於世；是故三惡道斷，有剎利大姓乃至諸佛出現於世。」 是故菩薩說般若波羅蜜正義，教近佛道，福德最大。 大智度論卷第六十
《大智度論》卷60 · T25n1509 0481b14–0487a02
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.
佛以財施與法施校量——教一閻浮提人行十善，不如書持般若經卷與人
佛告訴釋提桓因：憍尸迦（帝釋本姓）！若有善男子、善女人，教一閻浮提的人修行十善道。在你看來如何？以這緣故，得的福多不多？
帝釋答：很多，世尊！
佛說：這還比不上善男子、善女人書寫執持般若波羅蜜的經卷交給他人，令他讀、誦、宣說所得的福多。為什麼呢？因為這般若波羅蜜中廣泛宣說種種無漏之法，善男子、善女人在其中修學——已經學、如今學、將來學，入於正法位中——已經入、如今入、將來入，得須陀洹果——已得、今得、當得；乃至阿羅漢果，求辟支佛道也是這樣。諸菩薩摩訶薩求阿耨多羅三藐三菩提（無上正等正覺），入正法位中——已入、今入、當入——得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提——已得、今得、當得。憍尸迦！什麼是無漏法？就是四念處，乃至八聖道分、四聖諦，內空乃至無法有法空，佛十力乃至十八不共法。善男子、善女人修學這些法，得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提——已得、今得、當得。
教一人得須陀洹勝教一閻浮提人行十善——十善不離三惡道苦，聖果離之
佛說：憍尸迦！若有善男子、善女人教一人令得須陀洹果，這人所得的福德，勝過教一閻浮提人修行十善道。為什麼呢？憍尸迦！教一閻浮提人行十善道，仍不離地獄、畜生、餓鬼之苦；憍尸迦！教一人得須陀洹果，是離了三惡道的緣故。乃至阿羅漢果、辟支佛道也是這樣。憍尸迦！若善男子、善女人教一閻浮提人令得須陀洹果、斯陀含果、阿那含、阿羅漢、辟支佛道，還不如善男子、善女人教一人令得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提所得的福多！為什麼呢？憍尸迦！因為有菩薩的緣故，才生出須陀洹果乃至阿羅漢、辟支佛；因為有菩薩的緣故，才生出諸佛。以這緣故，憍尸迦！應當知道善男子、善女人書寫般若波羅蜜經卷交給他人，令他書、持、讀、誦、說，所得的福多！為什麼呢？因為這般若波羅蜜中廣泛宣說種種善法。在這善法中修學，便出生剎利大姓、婆羅門大姓、居士大家，四天王天乃至非有想非無想天，便有四念處乃至一切種智，便有諸須陀洹乃至阿羅漢、辟支佛，便有諸佛。
財施範圍逐級擴大——四天下乃至恒河沙世界，皆不如書持般若
佛說：憍尸迦！先擱下這一閻浮提人。若有善男子、善女人教四天下世界中的眾生修行十善道，在你看來如何？這人以這緣故，得的福多不多？
帝釋答：很多，世尊！
佛說：這仍不如善男子、善女人書寫般若波羅蜜經卷交給他人，令他書、持、讀、誦、說所得的福多！其餘如上所說。憍尸迦！擱下四天下世界中的眾生，若教小千世界中的眾生行十善道，也是這樣。憍尸迦！擱下小千世界中的眾生，若教二千中世界中的眾生行十善道；若有善男子、善女人書寫般若經卷交給他人，令他書、持、讀、誦，這人得的福多！其餘如上所說。憍尸迦！擱下二千中世界中的眾生，若教三千大千世界中所有眾生行十善道；又有人書寫般若經卷交給他人，令他書、持、讀、誦，這人福德多！憍尸迦！擱下三千大千世界中的眾生，若教如恒河沙那樣多的世界中所有眾生行十善道；若又有人書寫般若經卷交給他人，令他書、持、讀、誦，他的福德多！其餘如上所說。
教立四禪五神通亦不如——受持親近般若，不以二法、不以不二法
佛說：再者，憍尸迦！有人教一閻浮提眾生，令他們安立四禪、四無量心、四無色定、五神通。在你看來如何？這善男子、善女人福德多不多？
帝釋說：很多，世尊！
佛說：這仍不如善男子、善女人書寫般若經卷交給他人，令他書、持、讀、誦、說所得的福多！為什麼呢？因為這般若波羅蜜中廣泛宣說種種善法。其餘如上所說。憍尸迦！擱下閻浮提眾生，再擱下四天下、小千、二千中、三千大千世界中的眾生。憍尸迦！若有人教十方如恒河沙那樣多的世界中眾生，令他們安立四禪、四無量心、四無色定、五神通，在你看來如何？這人福德多不多？
帝釋答：很多，世尊！
佛說：這仍不如善男子、善女人書寫般若經卷交給他人，令他書、持、讀、誦、說所得的福多！為什麼呢？因為這般若波羅蜜中廣泛宣說種種善法。其餘如上所說。再者，憍尸迦！若有善男子、善女人領受這般若波羅蜜，書、持、讀、誦、說、正確憶念，這人的福德，勝過教閻浮提人行十善道、安立四禪、四無量心、四無色定、五神通。所謂正憶念，是領受、執持、親近般若波羅蜜，乃至正憶念，都不以二法、不以不二法；領受、執持、親近禪波羅蜜、毘梨耶波羅蜜、羼提波羅蜜、尸波羅蜜、檀波羅蜜，乃至正憶念，也不以二法、不以不二法；為著阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，正憶念內空乃至一切種智，也不以二法、不以不二法。
般若義非二相非不二相——為他人演說開示令易解，勝自受持
佛說：再者，憍尸迦！若有善男子、善女人為他人以種種因緣演說般若波羅蜜的義理，開示、分別，令他容易理解。憍尸迦！什麼是般若波羅蜜的義理呢？憍尸迦！般若波羅蜜的義理，不應以二相來觀、不應以不二相來觀，非有相、非無相，不入不出，不增不損，不垢不淨，不生不滅，不取不捨，不住也非不住，非實非虛，非合非散，非著非不著，非因非不因，非法非不法，非如非不如，非實際非不實際。憍尸迦！若善男子、善女人能以這般若波羅蜜的義理為他人以種種因緣演說、開示、分別，令他容易理解，這善男子、善女人所得的福德很多，勝過自己受持般若波羅蜜，親近、讀、誦、說、正憶念。
佛說：再者，憍尸迦！善男子、善女人自己受持般若波羅蜜，親近、讀、誦、說、正憶念；也為他人以種種因緣演說般若波羅蜜的義理，開示、分別，令他容易理解，這善男子、善女人所得的功德很多！
演說般若得無量福，勝供養十方諸佛盡壽命——諸佛皆於般若中學得菩提
那時，釋提桓因對佛說：世尊！善男子、善女人應當這樣演說般若波羅蜜的義理，開示、分別，令人容易理解！
佛告訴釋提桓因：正是這樣，憍尸迦！這善男子、善女人應當這樣演說般若波羅蜜的義理，開示、分別，令人容易理解。憍尸迦！善男子、善女人這樣演說般若波羅蜜的義理，開示、分別，令人容易理解，得無量無邊阿僧祇的福德。若有善男子、善女人供養十方無量阿僧祇諸佛，盡其一生的壽命，隨他們所需，恭敬、尊重、讚歎，以華香乃至幡蓋供養；若又有善男子、善女人以種種因緣為他人廣說般若波羅蜜的義理，開示、分別，令他容易理解，這善男子、善女人的功德更多！為什麼呢？因為過去、未來、現在諸佛，都是在這般若波羅蜜中修學，得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提——已得、今得、當得。
有所得布施但得布施名——用有所得心行六度，皆不得波羅蜜
佛說：再者，憍尸迦！若善男子、善女人在無量無邊阿僧祇劫中修行檀波羅蜜，仍不如善男子、善女人以般若波羅蜜為他人演說其義，開示、分別，令他容易理解，這福更多，是以無所得的緣故。什麼叫作有所得呢？憍尸迦！若菩薩摩訶薩用有所得的心布施，布施時作這樣的念頭：『我在給予，他在領受，這是所施的財物。』——這叫作得了布施之名，卻不得波羅蜜；作念『我在持戒，這就是戒』，這叫作得了戒名，卻不得波羅蜜；作念『我在忍辱，我為這人忍辱』，這叫作得了忍辱名，卻不得波羅蜜；作念『我在精進，為這事勤加精進』，這叫作得了精進名，卻不得波羅蜜；作念『我在修禪，所修的就是禪』，這叫作得了禪名，卻不得波羅蜜；作念『我在修慧，所修的就是慧』，這叫作得了慧名，卻不得波羅蜜。憍尸迦！這善男子、善女人這樣修行，便不得具足檀波羅蜜、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。
云何修具足波羅蜜——三輪俱不可得，方名具足
釋提桓因對佛說：世尊！菩薩摩訶薩怎樣修才具足檀波羅蜜、尸羅波羅蜜、羼提波羅蜜、毘梨耶波羅蜜、禪波羅蜜、般若波羅蜜呢？
佛告訴釋提桓因：菩薩摩訶薩布施時，不得能與的人、不得受施的人、不得所施的物，這人才得具足檀波羅蜜；乃至修般若波羅蜜時，不得智、不得所修的智，這人才得具足般若波羅蜜。憍尸迦！這就是菩薩摩訶薩具足檀波羅蜜乃至般若波羅蜜。善男子、善女人這樣修行般若波羅蜜，應當為他人演說其義，開示、分別，令他容易理解；禪波羅蜜、毘梨耶波羅蜜、羼提波羅蜜、尸羅波羅蜜、檀波羅蜜，也演說其義，開示、分別，令他容易理解。為什麼呢？憍尸迦！未來世當有善男子、善女人想要宣說般若波羅蜜，卻宣說了相似的般若波羅蜜；有善男子、善女人發了阿耨多羅三藐三菩提心，聽了這相似的般若波羅蜜，便失了正道。善男子、善女人應當為這些人具足演說般若波羅蜜的義理，開示、分別，令他容易理解。
何等是相似般若之一——說五眾等無常、苦、無我，令求相而行
釋提桓因對佛說：世尊！什麼是相似般若波羅蜜？
佛說：有善男子、善女人宣說有所得的般若波羅蜜，這就是相似般若波羅蜜。
釋提桓因對佛說：世尊！怎樣的善男子、善女人宣說有所得的般若波羅蜜，是相似般若波羅蜜呢？
佛說：善男子、善女人宣說有所得的般若波羅蜜、是相似般若波羅蜜的，是說色無常，作這樣的話：『能這樣修行，便是修行般若波羅蜜。』修行的人便去求色的無常相，這就是修行相似般若波羅蜜。又說受、想、行、識無常，作這樣的話：『能這樣修行，便是修行般若波羅蜜。』修行的人便去求受、想、行、識的無常相，這就是修行相似般若波羅蜜。說眼無常乃至說意無常；說色無常乃至說法無常；說眼界無常，色界、眼識界無常，乃至說意界、法界、意識界無常。說地種無常乃至說識種無常；說眼識界無常乃至說意識界無常；說眼觸無常乃至說意觸無常；說眼觸因緣所生的受無常乃至說意觸因緣所生的受無常；廣說如五眾。說色苦乃至說意觸因緣生受苦；說色無我乃至說意觸因緣生受無我，都像對五眾那樣說。修行的人修行檀波羅蜜時，為他說色無常、苦、無我；乃至意觸因緣所生的受，都說無常、苦、無我。尸羅波羅蜜乃至般若波羅蜜也是這樣。修行四禪、四無量心、四無色定，為他說無常、苦、無我；修行四念處，為他說無常、苦、無我。乃至修行薩婆若（一切智）時，為他說無常、苦、無我。作這樣的教導：『能這樣修行的，便是修行般若波羅蜜。』憍尸迦！這就叫作相似般若波羅蜜。
相似般若之二至六——當得十地、過二乘、無生法忍、無量功德、迴向菩提
佛說：再者，憍尸迦！若善男子、善女人在將來世宣說相似般若波羅蜜，作這樣的話：『你這善男子！修行般若波羅蜜吧，你修行般若波羅蜜時，當得初地乃至當得十地。』禪波羅蜜乃至檀波羅蜜，也是這樣說。修行的人以相似的有所得，以總相來修這般若波羅蜜。憍尸迦！這就叫作相似般若波羅蜜。
再者，憍尸迦！善男子、善女人想宣說般若波羅蜜，作這樣的話：『你這善男子修行般若波羅蜜之後，當超過聲聞、辟支佛地。』這就叫作相似般若波羅蜜。
再者，善男子、善女人為求佛道的人這樣說：『你這善男子、善女人修行般若波羅蜜之後，入菩薩位，得無生法忍；得無生法忍之後，便住於菩薩神通，從一佛界到另一佛界，供養諸佛，恭敬、尊重、讚歎。』這樣說的，就叫作相似般若波羅蜜。
再者，憍尸迦！善男子、善女人為求佛道的人這樣說：『你這善男子、善女人修學這般若波羅蜜，受、持、讀、誦、說、正憶念，當得無量無邊阿僧祇的功德。』這樣說的，就叫作相似般若波羅蜜。
再者，善男子、善女人為求佛道的人說：『如過去、未來、現在諸佛的功德善根，從最初發心到成就佛果，都合集起來迴向阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。』這樣說的，就叫作相似般若波羅蜜。
云何不說相似般若——色性空、非法即是般若，莫有所過、莫有所住
釋提桓因對佛說：世尊！怎樣的善男子、善女人為求佛道的人不宣說相似般若波羅蜜呢？
佛說：若善男子、善女人為求佛道的人宣說般若波羅蜜：『善男子、善女人！你修行般若波羅蜜，不要去觀色的無常。為什麼呢？色，色的自性是空的。這色的自性既是非法，若是非法便叫作般若波羅蜜。般若波羅蜜中，色非常也非無常。為什麼呢？在這裡連色尚且不可得，何況常與無常！』憍尸迦！善男子、善女人這樣說的，就叫作不說相似般若波羅蜜。受、想、行、識也是這樣。
佛說：再者，憍尸迦！善男子、善女人，為求佛道的人說：『你這善男子、善女人修行般若波羅蜜，對諸法不要有所超過、不要有所住著。為什麼呢？般若波羅蜜中沒有一法可超過、可住著。為什麼這樣呢？一切法的自性是空的，自性空既是非法，若是非法便是般若波羅蜜。般若波羅蜜中，沒有一法可入可出、可生可滅。』憍尸迦！這善男子、善女人這樣說，就叫作不說相似般若波羅蜜。廣說如上，與相似的相違，這就叫作不說相似般若波羅蜜。
佛說：這樣，憍尸迦！善男子、善女人，應當這樣演說般若波羅蜜的義理。若這樣演說般若波羅蜜的義理，所得的功德，勝過前面的人。
以下是論釋。
論主釋所以勝之因緣——般若無漏成三乘入涅槃，十善有漏還墮苦
論主說：佛更想用另一種門徑來顯明般若波羅蜜的殊勝，所以問帝釋：『若有人教一閻浮提人行十善道，他的福多不多？』如經中廣泛所說。
這裡說了所以殊勝的因緣，就是：般若波羅蜜廣泛宣說種種無漏之法，成就三乘的聖道，入於涅槃，不再退還；十善道只是有漏的善法，領受世間無常的福樂，仍要退墮到苦中去，所以比不上。
世間出世間五對差別——無漏法者三十七品乃至無量諸佛法
再者，前者是世間法，後者是出世間法；前者是能生生死的法，後者是能滅生死的法；前者是無常之樂的因緣，後者是常樂的因緣；前者是凡夫、聖人共有的法，後者只是聖人的法。像這樣種種的差別。所謂無漏法，是三十七品、十八不共法，乃至無量的諸佛之法。
教一人得聖果勝教眾人行十善——須陀洹至辟支佛皆從菩薩生
論主說：為要使這件事明明白白、容易理解，所以又說了因緣，就是：『教一人令得須陀洹果，得的大福德，勝過教閻浮提人行十善道——雖然行了十善，卻未免三惡道的緣故。乃至得阿羅漢、辟支佛道也是這樣。』
佛又說了譬喻：『若有人教一閻浮提人令得聲聞、辟支佛道，還不如有人教一人令得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，這人得的福多。為什麼呢？須陀洹到辟支佛都是從菩薩生的緣故。』
這般若波羅蜜中，種種宣說佛道的因緣，所以書寫般若波羅蜜經卷交給人，勝過用十善教化四天下乃至如恒河沙那樣多的世界。
四禪等離欲人與十善差別——自行般若勝以般若經卷與人
再者，教閻浮提人乃至恒河沙那樣多的世界人修行四禪等乃至五神通，也是這樣。只是四禪等是離欲的人，與十善有所差別。
再者，若有人教一閻浮提人乃至如恒河沙世界，令他們行十善道、四禪、四無量心、四無色定、五神通，還不如這人自己受持般若波羅蜜，讀、誦、說、正憶念所得的福多。所以說得福多，是因為上面說的是以般若經卷交給他人，如今說的是自己修行般若，有所不同。先前把十善道乃至五神通分開來說，如今合起來說。
問答一：何以但解正憶念——正憶念能具福德智慧，如服藥病愈
有人問：為什麼不解說「受、持、讀、誦、說」，卻只解說「正憶念」呢？
論主答：受、持、讀、誦、說，福德本多；但正憶念能兼具兩件事，就是福德與智慧，所以特別解說它。譬如人採了藥草，乃至和合了，卻還沒服用，對於病並無損減；服了才能除病；正憶念就像服藥病愈一樣，所以只解說正憶念。
所謂正憶念的相，就是以非二、非不二的方式修行般若波羅蜜。二與不二的義理，如前面所說。
三重遞進、福田大故福德大——有所得不如無所得
論主說：最初以書寫經卷，勝過供養舍利；中間以經卷交給人，勝過教人行十善乃至五通；如今受、持、讀、誦、說，在受、持這一邊，正憶念最為殊勝。如今像諸佛憐愍眾生那樣為人解說其義、令他容易理解，勝過自己修行正憶念。
這時，佛想廣泛分別福德，所以說：『若有人盡其一生供養十方諸佛，不如為他人解說般若的義理。』這裡說了殊勝的因緣：『三世諸佛都是修學這般若而成就無上道的。』
再者，『若菩薩在無量劫中修行六波羅蜜，以有所得的緣故，不如為人解說般若波羅蜜。』所謂有所得，就是以我執之心在諸法中取相的緣故。
佛更說般若正義——無所得行六度乃具足，預說相似般若相以救未來
佛更想宣說般若的正義，所以答帝釋：『菩薩以無所得修行六波羅蜜，才得具足。』具足就是般若波羅蜜的正義。
有人在未來世宣說相似般若，法會中的人聽了佛說的正憶念，便作這樣的思惟：『什麼是邪憶念呢？』所以佛宣說相似般若波羅蜜的相。就像人知道了哪是道、哪不是道，才能捨掉非道、修行正道。
再者，佛憐愍未來世的眾生不能見佛及諸大菩薩，只能見到經書；因邪憶念的緣故，隨著音聲，宣說相似般若波羅蜜。所謂相似，是名字語言相同，而心中的義理不同。譬如以執著之心、取相而說五眾等無常乃至無生無滅，這是相似般若；若以不執著之心、不取相而說五眾無常，只為破除常的顛倒，卻不執著於無常，這是真實般若。
這樣說法的人，教眾生捨掉相似般若波羅蜜，修習真般若波羅蜜，這才叫作宣說般若波羅蜜的正義，勝過前面的功德。
以下是經文。
教得聲聞乃至住阿鞞跋致，皆不如為人演說般若——般若中出生諸聖
佛說：再者，憍尸迦！閻浮提中所有眾生，都教令他們得須陀洹。在你看來如何？這人得的福多不多？
帝釋答：很多，世尊！
佛說：這仍不如善男子、善女人以般若波羅蜜為他人以種種因緣演說其義，開示、分別，令他容易理解；這樣說：『善男子！你來吧！領受這般若波羅蜜，勤加讀、誦、說、正憶念，如般若波羅蜜中所說的去修行。』為什麼呢？因為這般若波羅蜜中，出生諸須陀洹。憍尸迦！擱下閻浮提中的眾生，再擱下四天下眾生，小千、二千中、三千大千世界中的眾生。若有人教十方如恒河沙那樣多的世界中眾生，都教令得須陀洹。在你看來如何？這人得的福多不多？
帝釋答：很多，世尊！
佛說：這仍不如善男子、善女人以般若波羅蜜為他人演說其義，開示、分別，令他容易理解，並這樣勸他領受修行。為什麼呢？般若波羅蜜中出生諸須陀洹。
佛說：再者，憍尸迦！若有善男子、善女人教閻浮提中人，令得斯陀含、阿那含、阿羅漢——同樣仍不如以般若波羅蜜為他人演說其義、開示分別令易解，因為般若波羅蜜中出生諸斯陀含、阿那含、阿羅漢的緣故；乃至教十方如恒河沙世界中眾生也是這樣。若教一閻浮提中眾生令得辟支佛道——仍不如以般若為他演說，因為般若中出生諸辟支佛道的緣故；四天下乃至十方如恒河沙世界中眾生也是這樣。
佛說：再者，憍尸迦！善男子、善女人教一閻浮提中眾生令發阿耨多羅三藐三菩提心——仍不如善男子、善女人以般若波羅蜜為他人演說其義，開示、分別，並這樣說：『你當隨著般若波羅蜜修學，當得一切智法；你若得一切智法，便得修行般若波羅蜜，增益、具足；若得修行般若波羅蜜增益具足，你當得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。』為什麼呢？憍尸迦！般若波羅蜜中出生諸初發意的菩薩摩訶薩的緣故。乃至十方如恒河沙世界也是這樣。又教一閻浮提中眾生令住阿鞞跋致地（不退轉地）——仍不如以般若為他演說，勸他受持修行乃至得菩提，因為般若波羅蜜中出生諸阿鞞跋致地的菩薩摩訶薩的緣故；乃至十方如恒河沙世界也是這樣。
發意求菩提、皆得阿鞞跋致——仍不如為人演說；為疾得菩提者演說功德最多
佛說：再者，憍尸迦！一閻浮提中眾生發意求阿耨多羅三藐三菩提；若有善男子、善女人為這些人演說般若波羅蜜，及其義解、開示、分別，勸他們領受修行、學已當得菩提。又有人為一位阿鞞跋致菩薩演說般若波羅蜜，及其義解、開示、分別，同樣勸他領受修行、學已當得菩提。這善男子為那一位不退菩薩演說所得的功德更多。乃至十方如恒河沙世界中也是這樣。
再者，憍尸迦！若有一閻浮提中眾生都得阿鞞跋致、趣向阿耨多羅三藐三菩提；又有善男子、善女人以般若波羅蜜為這些人演說其義。在這中間有一位菩薩疾得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提；若有善男子、善女人為這位菩薩演說般若波羅蜜，及其義解，這人的功德最多。乃至十方如恒河沙世界也是這樣。
帝釋述應轉轉教化供養、須菩提讚帝釋以財法二施利益菩薩
釋提桓因對佛說：世尊！像菩薩摩訶薩越來越接近阿耨多羅三藐三菩提時，就應當這樣越來越勸他修行檀波羅蜜、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；應當教他內空乃至無法有法空，四念處乃至八聖道分，佛十力、四無所畏、四無礙智、十八不共法；也應當供養衣服、臥具、飲食、湯藥，隨他所需。這善男子、善女人以法施、財施供養這位菩薩，所得的功德，勝過前面的人。為什麼呢？世尊！因為這菩薩摩訶薩疾得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提的緣故。
那時，慧命須菩提對釋提桓因說：善哉！善哉！憍尸迦！你身為聖弟子，安慰那些為阿耨多羅三藐三菩提而行的諸菩薩摩訶薩，以法施、財施利益他們，這法本應這樣。為什麼呢？諸佛與聖眾都從菩薩之中生出。若菩薩不發阿耨多羅三藐三菩提心，這些菩薩便不能修學六波羅蜜乃至十八不共法；若不修學六波羅蜜乃至十八不共法，便不能得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提；若不能得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，便沒有聲聞、辟支佛。以這緣故，憍尸迦！諸菩薩摩訶薩修學六波羅蜜乃至十八不共法，在修學六波羅蜜乃至十八不共法時，得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提；因得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提的緣故，斷了地獄、畜生、餓鬼道，世間便有剎利大姓、婆羅門大姓、居士大家、四天王天乃至非有想非無想天，便有檀波羅蜜、尸羅、羼提、毘梨耶、禪波羅蜜、般若波羅蜜、內空乃至無法有法空、四念處乃至十八不共法出現於世，聲聞乘、辟支佛乘、佛乘都出現於世。
以下是論釋。
論釋——諸賢聖皆從般若中出，般若是諸法實相
論主說：教閻浮提人乃至如恒河沙那樣多的世界中人令得聲聞、辟支佛道，還不如為他人演說般若波羅蜜的義理。
這裡說了因緣：『這些賢聖都是從般若波羅蜜中出生的緣故。』般若波羅蜜是諸法的實相，圓滿遍知它的名為佛，比佛稍次的是大菩薩、辟支佛、阿羅漢，再依次是阿那含、斯陀含、須陀洹；能愛念、供養那知道諸法實相的人的，是天王、人王等世間有福德的人。所以常說：「般若波羅蜜出生諸賢聖、剎利大姓，乃至一切諸天。」
問答二：教發無上道得阿鞞跋致是佛道事，何故不如——二種菩薩之辨
論主說：再者，教一閻浮提乃至恒河沙那樣多的世界中人發無上道心乃至得阿鞞跋致，還不如為一位阿鞞跋致的人解說般若波羅蜜的正義。
有人問：上面說凡夫法、二乘法不如，還說得過去；如今說教人發無上道、得阿鞞跋致，這是佛道之事，為什麼還不如呢？
論主答：宣說般若的正義，有兩種菩薩：一是生死肉身的菩薩，二是出離三界、不生不死的法性生身菩薩。
過阿鞞跋致菩薩之事——教化淨土等勝教令發心；近佛道疾成佛者福最多
論主說：這法性生身的菩薩，只宣說超過阿鞞跋致以上菩薩的事，就是教化眾生、清淨佛世界，分別一切眾生三世無量劫的心行業因緣，分別諸世界起、滅、成、敗的劫數多少、大慈大悲、一切智等無量的諸佛之法。為這樣的一個人說法，勝過教閻浮提乃至如恒河沙世界的眾生令他們發心，又進而至於阿鞞跋致。
從阿鞞跋致以上到佛道，中間又有一個人接近佛道、急切想要成佛。教這個人般若波羅蜜的正義，他的福最多！為什麼呢？福田大的緣故，福德也大。
十方聖人供養喻、太子國王供養喻——福田深厚故福德亦大
論主說：譬如供養一切十方如恒河沙那樣多的世界的聖人乃至將要坐道場的菩薩，還不如供養一佛。
譬如冒犯了太子，所得的罪過超過冒犯一切人；若供養太子，所得的恩惠勝過供養一切凡人。若冒犯國王，所得的罪過超過冒犯太子；若供養國王，勝過供養太子。
像這樣，教化、供養那快要作佛的菩薩，勝過供養、教化如恒河沙那樣多的阿鞞跋致菩薩的功德。為什麼呢？因為福田深厚，其法能令眾生增長的緣故。
帝釋白佛法力大、須菩提讚帝釋——財施法施之定義
那時，帝釋知道這法的力量大，所以對佛說：『菩薩越來越接近無上道，就應當這樣教化、供養，功德越來越多。』
那時，須菩提讚歎帝釋說：『善哉！善哉！你能安慰、勸勉那些為阿耨多羅三藐三菩提而行的諸菩薩，以財施、法施二種布施。』
所謂財施，是供養的用具、衣食等；所謂法施，就是教六波羅蜜等。
帝釋名聖弟子、聖眾皆從菩薩中出——菩薩說般若正義教近佛道福德最大
帝釋因為得了道的緣故，名為聖弟子。聖弟子的法，應當安慰、勸勉諸菩薩。
這裡說了因緣：『這些聖眾都是從菩薩之中出生的。為什麼呢？若菩薩不修行六波羅蜜，不成就無上道，便沒有須陀洹乃至辟支佛。因為有菩薩的緣故，十善道乃至無量佛法才出現於世；所以三惡道斷絕，才有剎利大姓乃至諸佛出現於世。』
所以菩薩宣說般若波羅蜜的正義，教人接近佛道，福德最大。
大智度論卷第六十。
The Buddha Weighs the Gift of Wealth against the Gift of Dharma—Teaching the People of One Jambudvīpa to Practise the Ten Wholesome Paths Does Not Equal Writing Out and Holding the Scroll of Prajñā and Giving It to Others
The Buddha told Śakra Devānām Indra: Kauśika (Śakra's original clan name)! Suppose there are good men and good women who teach the people of one Jambudvīpa to cultivate the ten wholesome paths. What do you think? Because of this, is the merit they obtain much or not?
Śakra answered: Very much, World-Honored One!
The Buddha said: This still does not equal the merit obtained by good men and good women who write out and hold the scroll of the sūtra of prajñāpāramitā and give it to others, causing them to read it, recite it, and expound it. Why? Because within this prajñāpāramitā all kinds of dharmas without outflows are broadly expounded, and good men and good women train in them—have trained, now train, and will train—and enter the position of the right Dharma—have entered, now enter, and will enter—and attain the fruit of srota-āpanna—have attained, now attain, and will attain; and so on up to the fruit of arhat, and seeking the path of the pratyekabuddha is likewise. The bodhisattva-mahāsattvas seek anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi (unsurpassed, right, and complete awakening), enter the position of the right Dharma—have entered, now enter, and will enter—and attain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi—have attained, now attain, and will attain. Kauśika! What are the dharmas without outflows? They are the four foundations of mindfulness and so on up to the eight limbs of the noble path and the four noble truths; inner emptiness and so on up to the emptiness of non-existent and existent dharmas; the ten powers of the Buddha and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas. Good men and good women who train in these dharmas attain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi—have attained, now attain, and will attain.
Teaching One Person to Attain Srota-āpanna Surpasses Teaching the People of One Jambudvīpa to Practise the Ten Wholesome Paths—the Ten Wholesome Paths Do Not Leave the Suffering of the Three Evil Destinies, the Noble Fruits Leave It
The Buddha said: Kauśika! If there are good men and good women who teach one person and cause him to attain the fruit of srota-āpanna, the merit this person obtains surpasses that of teaching the people of one Jambudvīpa to cultivate the ten wholesome paths. Why? Kauśika! Teaching the people of one Jambudvīpa to practise the ten wholesome paths still does not leave the suffering of the hells, the animals, and the hungry ghosts; Kauśika! Teaching one person to attain the fruit of srota-āpanna is because it leaves the three evil destinies. And so on up to the fruit of arhat and the path of the pratyekabuddha, it is likewise. Kauśika! If good men and good women teach the people of one Jambudvīpa and cause them to attain the fruit of srota-āpanna, the fruit of sakṛdāgāmin, anāgāmin, arhat, and the path of the pratyekabuddha, this still does not equal the merit obtained by good men and good women who teach one person and cause him to attain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi! Why? Kauśika! Because there are bodhisattvas, the fruit of srota-āpanna and so on up to arhats and pratyekabuddhas are born; because there are bodhisattvas, the buddhas are born. For this reason, Kauśika! One should know that the merit obtained by good men and good women who write out the scroll of the sūtra of prajñāpāramitā and give it to others, causing them to write it out, hold it, read it, recite it, and expound it, is much! Why? Because within this prajñāpāramitā all kinds of wholesome dharmas are broadly expounded. Training in these wholesome dharmas, there then come forth the great kṣatriya clans, the great brahmin clans, the great householder families, the heaven of the Four Heavenly Kings and so on up to the heaven of neither perception nor non-perception; there are then the four foundations of mindfulness and so on up to the omniscience of all kinds; there are then the srota-āpanna and so on up to arhats and pratyekabuddhas; there are then the buddhas.
The Range of the Gift of Wealth Widens Step by Step—from the Four Continents up to Worlds as Many as the Sands of the Ganges, None Equals Writing Out and Holding Prajñā
The Buddha said: Kauśika! Set aside for now the people of this one Jambudvīpa. If there are good men and good women who teach the beings in the world of the four continents to cultivate the ten wholesome paths, what do you think? Because of this, is the merit this person obtains much or not?
Śakra answered: Very much, World-Honored One!
The Buddha said: This still does not equal the merit obtained by good men and good women who write out the scroll of the sūtra of prajñāpāramitā and give it to others, causing them to write it out, hold it, read it, recite it, and expound it! The rest is as said above. Kauśika! Setting aside the beings in the world of the four continents, if one teaches the beings in a small thousand world to practise the ten wholesome paths, it is likewise. Kauśika! Setting aside the beings in the small thousand world, if one teaches the beings in a middle two-thousand world to practise the ten wholesome paths; and if there are good men and good women who write out the scroll of the sūtra of prajñā and give it to others, causing them to write it out, hold it, read it, and recite it, this person's merit is much! The rest is as said above. Kauśika! Setting aside the beings in the middle two-thousand world, if one teaches all the beings in the three-thousand great-thousand world to practise the ten wholesome paths; and again there is someone who writes out the scroll of the sūtra of prajñā and gives it to others, causing them to write it out, hold it, read it, and recite it, this person's merit is much! Kauśika! Setting aside the beings in the three-thousand great-thousand world, if one teaches all the beings in worlds as many as the sands of the Ganges to practise the ten wholesome paths; and if again there is someone who writes out the scroll of the sūtra of prajñā and gives it to others, causing them to write it out, hold it, read it, and recite it, his merit is much! The rest is as said above.
Teaching Others to Establish the Four Dhyānas and the Five Supernormal Powers Also Does Not Equal It—Receiving, Upholding, and Drawing Near to Prajñā, Not by Way of Dual Dharmas and Not by Way of Non-Dual Dharmas
The Buddha said: Again, Kauśika! Someone teaches the beings of one Jambudvīpa, causing them to establish themselves in the four dhyānas, the four immeasurable minds, the four formless absorptions, and the five supernormal powers. What do you think? Is the merit of these good men and good women much or not?
Śakra said: Very much, World-Honored One!
The Buddha said: This still does not equal the merit obtained by good men and good women who write out the scroll of the sūtra of prajñā and give it to others, causing them to write it out, hold it, read it, recite it, and expound it! Why? Because within this prajñāpāramitā all kinds of wholesome dharmas are broadly expounded. The rest is as said above. Kauśika! Set aside the beings of Jambudvīpa, and further set aside the beings in the four continents, in a small thousand world, in a middle two-thousand world, and in the three-thousand great-thousand world. Kauśika! If someone teaches the beings in the worlds of the ten directions as many as the sands of the Ganges, causing them to establish themselves in the four dhyānas, the four immeasurable minds, the four formless absorptions, and the five supernormal powers, what do you think? Is this person's merit much or not?
Śakra answered: Very much, World-Honored One!
The Buddha said: This still does not equal the merit obtained by good men and good women who write out the scroll of the sūtra of prajñā and give it to others, causing them to write it out, hold it, read it, recite it, and expound it! Why? Because within this prajñāpāramitā all kinds of wholesome dharmas are broadly expounded. The rest is as said above. Again, Kauśika! If there are good men and good women who receive this prajñāpāramitā, write it out, hold it, read it, recite it, expound it, and rightly recollect it, this person's merit surpasses teaching the people of Jambudvīpa to practise the ten wholesome paths and to establish themselves in the four dhyānas, the four immeasurable minds, the four formless absorptions, and the five supernormal powers. What is called right recollection is this: to receive, uphold, and draw near to prajñāpāramitā, and so on up to rightly recollecting it, all not by way of dual dharmas and not by way of non-dual dharmas; to receive, uphold, and draw near to dhyānapāramitā, vīryapāramitā, kṣāntipāramitā, śīlapāramitā, and dānapāramitā, and so on up to rightly recollecting them, also not by way of dual dharmas and not by way of non-dual dharmas; for the sake of anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi, to rightly recollect inner emptiness and so on up to the omniscience of all kinds, also not by way of dual dharmas and not by way of non-dual dharmas.
The Meaning of Prajñā Is Neither a Dual Mark nor a Non-Dual Mark—Expounding It for Others, Revealing It So That It Is Easily Understood, Surpasses Receiving and Upholding It Oneself
The Buddha said: Again, Kauśika! Suppose there are good men and good women who, for others, by all kinds of causes and conditions expound the meaning of prajñāpāramitā, reveal it, and analyse it, causing them to understand it easily. Kauśika! What is the meaning of prajñāpāramitā? Kauśika! The meaning of prajñāpāramitā is not to be contemplated by way of a dual mark and is not to be contemplated by way of a non-dual mark; it is neither with marks nor without marks; it neither enters nor exits; it neither increases nor diminishes; it is neither stained nor pure; it neither arises nor ceases; it neither grasps nor relinquishes; it does not abide and yet is not non-abiding; it is neither real nor false; it is neither joined nor dispersed; it is neither attached nor unattached; it is neither a cause nor not a cause; it is neither a dharma nor not a dharma; it is neither suchness nor not suchness; it is neither the limit of reality nor not the limit of reality. Kauśika! If good men and good women are able, with this meaning of prajñāpāramitā, to expound it for others by all kinds of causes and conditions, to reveal it, and to analyse it, causing them to understand it easily, the merit these good men and good women obtain is very much, and surpasses receiving and upholding prajñāpāramitā oneself, drawing near to it, reading it, reciting it, expounding it, and rightly recollecting it.
The Buddha said: Again, Kauśika! Good men and good women who themselves receive and uphold prajñāpāramitā, draw near to it, read it, recite it, expound it, and rightly recollect it, and who also, for others, by all kinds of causes and conditions expound the meaning of prajñāpāramitā, reveal it, and analyse it, causing them to understand it easily—the merit these good men and good women obtain is very much!
Expounding Prajñā Obtains Immeasurable Merit, Surpassing Offerings to the Buddhas of the Ten Directions for a Whole Lifetime—the Buddhas All Trained in Prajñā and Attained Awakening
At that time Śakra Devānām Indra said to the Buddha: World-Honored One! Good men and good women ought in this way to expound the meaning of prajñāpāramitā, reveal it, and analyse it, causing people to understand it easily!
The Buddha told Śakra Devānām Indra: Just so, Kauśika! These good men and good women ought in this way to expound the meaning of prajñāpāramitā, reveal it, and analyse it, causing people to understand it easily. Kauśika! Good men and good women who in this way expound the meaning of prajñāpāramitā, reveal it, and analyse it, causing people to understand it easily, obtain immeasurable, boundless, asaṃkhyeya merit. Suppose there are good men and good women who make offerings to the immeasurable asaṃkhyeya buddhas of the ten directions for the whole span of their lives, according to what they need, paying reverence to them, honouring them, and praising them, making offerings with flowers and incense and so on up to banners and canopies; and suppose again there are good men and good women who by all kinds of causes and conditions broadly expound for others the meaning of prajñāpāramitā, reveal it, and analyse it, causing them to understand it easily—the merit of these good men and good women is still more! Why? Because the buddhas of the past, the future, and the present all trained within this prajñāpāramitā and attained anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi—have attained, now attain, and will attain.
Giving with Something to Be Attained Obtains Only the Name of Giving—Practising the Six Perfections with a Mind That Has Something to Be Attained, None Obtains the Pāramitā
The Buddha said: Again, Kauśika! If good men and good women cultivate dānapāramitā for immeasurable, boundless asaṃkhyeya kalpas, this still does not equal good men and good women who, by means of prajñāpāramitā, expound its meaning for others, reveal it, and analyse it, causing them to understand it easily; this merit is greater, because it is with nothing to be attained. What is called with something to be attained? Kauśika! If a bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives with a mind that has something to be attained, and at the time of giving has this thought: ‘I give, he receives, and this is the thing given’—this is called obtaining the name of giving but not obtaining the pāramitā; having the thought ‘I keep the precepts, and this is morality’, this is called obtaining the name of morality but not obtaining the pāramitā; having the thought ‘I practise patience, I practise patience for this person’, this is called obtaining the name of patience but not obtaining the pāramitā; having the thought ‘I practise vigour, I exert vigour for this matter’, this is called obtaining the name of vigour but not obtaining the pāramitā; having the thought ‘I cultivate meditation, and what is cultivated is meditation’, this is called obtaining the name of meditation but not obtaining the pāramitā; having the thought ‘I cultivate wisdom, and what is cultivated is wisdom’, this is called obtaining the name of wisdom but not obtaining the pāramitā. Kauśika! Good men and good women who practise in this way do not then fulfil dānapāramitā, śīlapāramitā, kṣāntipāramitā, vīryapāramitā, dhyānapāramitā, or prajñāpāramitā.
How Does One Cultivate So as to Fulfil the Pāramitās—Only When All Three Wheels Are Unfindable Is It Called Fulfilled
Śakra Devānām Indra said to the Buddha: World-Honored One! How does a bodhisattva-mahāsattva cultivate so as to fulfil dānapāramitā, śīlapāramitā, kṣāntipāramitā, vīryapāramitā, dhyānapāramitā, and prajñāpāramitā?
The Buddha told Śakra Devānām Indra: When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives, he does not find the one who gives, does not find the one who receives the gift, and does not find the thing given; only then does this person fulfil dānapāramitā; and so on up to: when cultivating prajñāpāramitā, he does not find wisdom and does not find the wisdom that is cultivated; only then does this person fulfil prajñāpāramitā. Kauśika! This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's fulfilling of dānapāramitā and so on up to prajñāpāramitā. Good men and good women who cultivate prajñāpāramitā in this way ought to expound its meaning for others, reveal it, and analyse it, causing them to understand it easily; dhyānapāramitā, vīryapāramitā, kṣāntipāramitā, śīlapāramitā, and dānapāramitā—they also expound their meaning, reveal it, and analyse it, causing others to understand it easily. Why? Kauśika! In the future age there will be good men and good women who wish to expound prajñāpāramitā but instead expound a resembling prajñāpāramitā; and there will be good men and good women who have aroused the mind of anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi, who, hearing this resembling prajñāpāramitā, then lose the right path. Good men and good women ought, for these people, to expound fully the meaning of prajñāpāramitā, reveal it, and analyse it, causing them to understand it easily.
What Is Resembling Prajñā, the First—Teaching That the Five Aggregates and the Rest Are Impermanent, Suffering, and Without Self, Causing One to Seek the Marks and Practise
Śakra Devānām Indra said to the Buddha: World-Honored One! What is resembling prajñāpāramitā?
The Buddha said: There are good men and good women who expound a prajñāpāramitā with something to be attained; this is resembling prajñāpāramitā.
Śakra Devānām Indra said to the Buddha: World-Honored One! What kind of good men and good women expound a prajñāpāramitā with something to be attained that is resembling prajñāpāramitā?
The Buddha said: The good men and good women who expound a prajñāpāramitā with something to be attained, which is resembling prajñāpāramitā, teach that form is impermanent, and say these words: ‘To be able to practise in this way is to practise prajñāpāramitā.’ The practitioner then seeks the mark of the impermanence of form; this is practising resembling prajñāpāramitā. They also teach that feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness are impermanent, and say these words: ‘To be able to practise in this way is to practise prajñāpāramitā.’ The practitioner then seeks the mark of the impermanence of feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness; this is practising resembling prajñāpāramitā. They teach that the eye is impermanent and so on up to teaching that the mind is impermanent; they teach that form is impermanent and so on up to teaching that dharmas are impermanent; they teach that the eye element is impermanent, that the form element and the eye-consciousness element are impermanent, and so on up to teaching that the mind element, the dharma element, and the mind-consciousness element are impermanent. They teach that the earth element is impermanent and so on up to teaching that the consciousness element is impermanent; they teach that the eye-consciousness element is impermanent and so on up to teaching that the mind-consciousness element is impermanent; they teach that eye-contact is impermanent and so on up to teaching that mind-contact is impermanent; they teach that the feeling born from the condition of eye-contact is impermanent and so on up to teaching that the feeling born from the condition of mind-contact is impermanent; it is taught broadly as with the five aggregates. They teach that form is suffering and so on up to teaching that the feeling born from the condition of mind-contact is suffering; they teach that form is without self and so on up to teaching that the feeling born from the condition of mind-contact is without self—all taught as with the five aggregates. When the practitioner cultivates dānapāramitā, they teach him that form is impermanent, suffering, and without self; and so on up to the feeling born from the condition of mind-contact—they teach that all are impermanent, suffering, and without self. Śīlapāramitā and so on up to prajñāpāramitā is likewise. When he cultivates the four dhyānas, the four immeasurable minds, and the four formless absorptions, they teach him that these are impermanent, suffering, and without self; when he cultivates the four foundations of mindfulness, they teach him that these are impermanent, suffering, and without self. And so on up to: when he cultivates sarvajñā (omniscience), they teach him that it is impermanent, suffering, and without self. They give this instruction: ‘One who can practise in this way is practising prajñāpāramitā.’ Kauśika! This is called resembling prajñāpāramitā.
Resembling Prajñā, the Second to the Sixth—One Will Attain the Ten Grounds, Pass beyond the Two Vehicles, Attain the Acceptance of the Non-Arising of Dharmas, Attain Immeasurable Merits, and Dedicate to Awakening
The Buddha said: Again, Kauśika! Suppose good men and good women in the future age expound resembling prajñāpāramitā, saying these words: ‘You, good man! Practise prajñāpāramitā; when you practise prajñāpāramitā, you will attain the first ground and so on up to attaining the tenth ground.’ Dhyānapāramitā and so on up to dānapāramitā they teach likewise. The practitioner, with a resembling something-to-be-attained, cultivates this prajñāpāramitā by way of the general mark. Kauśika! This is called resembling prajñāpāramitā.
Again, Kauśika! Good men and good women wishing to expound prajñāpāramitā say these words: ‘You, good man, having practised prajñāpāramitā, will pass beyond the grounds of the śrāvaka and the pratyekabuddha.’ This is called resembling prajñāpāramitā.
Again, good men and good women say thus to those who seek the path of the Buddha: ‘You, good man, good woman, having practised prajñāpāramitā, will enter the bodhisattva position and attain the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas; having attained the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas, you will then abide in the bodhisattva's supernormal powers, go from one buddha-world to another buddha-world, and make offerings to the buddhas, paying reverence to them, honouring them, and praising them.’ To teach thus is called resembling prajñāpāramitā.
Again, Kauśika! Good men and good women say thus to those who seek the path of the Buddha: ‘You, good man, good woman, training in this prajñāpāramitā, receiving it, upholding it, reading it, reciting it, expounding it, and rightly recollecting it, will attain immeasurable, boundless, asaṃkhyeya merits.’ To teach thus is called resembling prajñāpāramitā.
Again, good men and good women say to those who seek the path of the Buddha: ‘Just as the merits and roots of goodness of the buddhas of the past, the future, and the present, from the very first arousing of the mind to the accomplishment of the fruit of buddhahood, are all gathered together and dedicated to anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi.’ To teach thus is called resembling prajñāpāramitā.
How Does One Not Expound Resembling Prajñā—Form Is Empty of Nature, and Not-a-Dharma Is Itself Prajñā; Do Not Pass beyond Anything, Do Not Abide in Anything
Śakra Devānām Indra said to the Buddha: World-Honored One! What kind of good men and good women do not expound resembling prajñāpāramitā to those who seek the path of the Buddha?
The Buddha said: Suppose good men and good women expound prajñāpāramitā to those who seek the path of the Buddha: ‘Good man, good woman! When you practise prajñāpāramitā, do not contemplate the impermanence of form. Why? Form—the self-nature of form is empty. Since this self-nature of form is not a dharma, and what is not a dharma is called prajñāpāramitā. Within prajñāpāramitā, form is neither permanent nor impermanent. Why? Here even form itself is unfindable—how much more permanence and impermanence!’ Kauśika! Good men and good women who teach thus are called not expounding resembling prajñāpāramitā. Feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness are likewise.
The Buddha said: Again, Kauśika! Good men and good women say to those who seek the path of the Buddha: ‘You, good man, good woman, when you practise prajñāpāramitā, do not pass beyond anything among the dharmas and do not abide in anything. Why? Within prajñāpāramitā there is not a single dharma that can be passed beyond or abided in. Why is it so? The self-nature of all dharmas is empty; since emptiness of self-nature is not a dharma, and what is not a dharma is prajñāpāramitā. Within prajñāpāramitā there is not a single dharma that can enter or exit, that can arise or cease.’ Kauśika! These good men and good women who teach thus are called not expounding resembling prajñāpāramitā. It is taught broadly as above: what runs contrary to the resembling is called not expounding resembling prajñāpāramitā.
The Buddha said: Thus, Kauśika! Good men and good women ought in this way to expound the meaning of prajñāpāramitā. If they expound the meaning of prajñāpāramitā in this way, the merit they obtain surpasses that of the persons before.
What follows is the treatise's explanation.
The Treatise-Author Explains the Causes and Conditions of Its Surpassing—Prajñā, Being without Outflows, Accomplishes the Three Vehicles and Enters Nirvāṇa; the Ten Wholesome Paths, Being with Outflows, Fall Back into Suffering
The treatise-author explains: the Buddha wished further to use another approach to make clear the surpassing excellence of prajñāpāramitā, and so he asked Śakra: ‘If someone teaches the people of one Jambudvīpa to practise the ten wholesome paths, is his merit much or not?’—as is broadly said in the sūtra.
Here the causes and conditions of its surpassing are stated, namely: prajñāpāramitā broadly expounds all kinds of dharmas without outflows, accomplishes the noble paths of the three vehicles, and enters nirvāṇa, never again turning back; the ten wholesome paths are only wholesome dharmas with outflows, which receive the impermanent merit and happiness of the world and still fall back into suffering; therefore they do not equal it.
Five Pairs of Difference between the Worldly and the World-Transcending—the Dharmas without Outflows Are the Thirty-Seven Limbs of the Path and So On up to the Immeasurable Dharmas of the Buddhas
Again, the former is a worldly dharma, the latter a world-transcending dharma; the former is a dharma that can give birth to birth and death, the latter a dharma that can extinguish birth and death; the former is the cause and condition of impermanent happiness, the latter the cause and condition of permanent happiness; the former is a dharma shared by ordinary people and noble ones, the latter is only the dharma of the noble ones. There are various differences of this kind. What are called the dharmas without outflows are the thirty-seven limbs of the path, the eighteen unshared dharmas, and so on up to the immeasurable dharmas of the buddhas.
Teaching One Person to Attain a Noble Fruit Surpasses Teaching the Multitude to Practise the Ten Wholesome Paths—from Srota-āpanna to Pratyekabuddha, All Are Born from Bodhisattvas
The treatise-author explains: to make this matter perfectly clear and easy to understand, he further states causes and conditions, namely: ‘Teaching one person and causing him to attain the fruit of srota-āpanna obtains great merit, surpassing teaching the people of Jambudvīpa to practise the ten wholesome paths—because although they practise the ten wholesome paths, they are not yet free of the three evil destinies. And so on up to attaining arhatship and the path of the pratyekabuddha, it is likewise.’
The Buddha further gave a comparison: ‘If someone teaches the people of one Jambudvīpa and causes them to attain the path of the śrāvaka and the pratyekabuddha, this still does not equal someone who teaches one person and causes him to attain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi; this person's merit is much. Why? Because from srota-āpanna to pratyekabuddha all are born from bodhisattvas.’
Within this prajñāpāramitā the causes and conditions of the path of the Buddha are expounded in all kinds of ways; therefore writing out the scroll of the sūtra of prajñāpāramitā and giving it to people surpasses transforming, with the ten wholesome paths, the four continents and so on up to worlds as many as the sands of the Ganges.
The Four Dhyānas and the Rest Belong to People Free of Desire and Differ from the Ten Wholesome Paths—Practising Prajñā Oneself Surpasses Giving the Scroll of Prajñā to Others
Again, teaching the people of Jambudvīpa and so on up to the people of worlds as many as the sands of the Ganges to cultivate the four dhyānas and the rest, and so on up to the five supernormal powers, is likewise. Only, the four dhyānas and the rest belong to people who are free of desire, and so they differ from the ten wholesome paths.
Again, if someone teaches the people of one Jambudvīpa and so on up to worlds like the sands of the Ganges, causing them to practise the ten wholesome paths, the four dhyānas, the four immeasurable minds, the four formless absorptions, and the five supernormal powers, this still does not equal the merit obtained by this person who himself receives and upholds prajñāpāramitā, reads it, recites it, expounds it, and rightly recollects it. The reason it is said that the merit obtained is much is that what was said above was giving the scroll of prajñā to others, while what is said now is practising prajñā oneself; there is a difference. Before, the ten wholesome paths and so on up to the five supernormal powers were spoken of separately; now they are spoken of together.
First Question and Answer: Why Explain Only Right Recollection—Right Recollection Can Fulfil Both Merit and Wisdom, Like Taking Medicine and Being Healed
Someone asks: why does he not explain 「受、持、讀、誦、說」 tr. "receiving, upholding, reading, reciting, and expounding", but explains only 「正憶念」 tr. "right recollection"?
The treatise-author answers: receiving, upholding, reading, reciting, and expounding have much merit in themselves; but right recollection can fulfil two things together, namely merit and wisdom, and so it is explained specially. It is like a person who has gathered medicinal herbs, and so on up to having compounded them, but has not yet taken them; for the sickness there is no reduction at all; only when they are taken can the sickness be removed. Right recollection is like taking the medicine and being healed of the sickness; therefore only right recollection is explained.
The mark of what is called right recollection is to practise prajñāpāramitā by way of neither the dual nor the non-dual. The meaning of the dual and the non-dual is as said before.
Three Stages of Advance, and Because the Field of Merit Is Great the Merit Is Great—With Something to Be Attained Does Not Equal With Nothing to Be Attained
The treatise-author explains: first, writing out the scroll of the sūtra surpassed making offerings to relics; in the middle, giving the scroll of the sūtra to people surpassed teaching people to practise the ten wholesome paths and so on up to the five supernormal powers; now, among receiving, upholding, reading, reciting, and expounding, on the side of receiving and upholding, right recollection is the most surpassing. Now, explaining its meaning for people and causing them to understand it easily, as the buddhas have compassion for beings, surpasses cultivating right recollection oneself.
At this point the Buddha wished to analyse merit broadly, and so he said: ‘If someone makes offerings to the buddhas of the ten directions for the whole of his life, it does not equal explaining the meaning of prajñā for others.’ Here the causes and conditions of its surpassing are stated: ‘The buddhas of the three times all trained in this prajñā and accomplished the unsurpassed path.’
Again, ‘If a bodhisattva cultivates the six perfections for immeasurable kalpas, because it is with something to be attained, it does not equal explaining prajñāpāramitā for people.’ What is called with something to be attained is grasping at marks among the dharmas with the mind of self-grasping.
The Buddha Further Expounds the Right Meaning of Prajñā—Practising the Six Perfections with Nothing to Be Attained Is Fulfilment; He Foretells the Marks of Resembling Prajñā to Rescue the Future
The Buddha further wished to expound the right meaning of prajñā, and so he answered Śakra: ‘Only when a bodhisattva cultivates the six perfections with nothing to be attained does he attain fulfilment.’ Fulfilment is the right meaning of prajñāpāramitā.
There will be people in the future age who expound resembling prajñā; and the people in the assembly, having heard the right recollection the Buddha spoke of, then had this reflection: ‘What is wrong recollection?’ Therefore the Buddha expounded the marks of resembling prajñāpāramitā. It is just as when a person knows which is the path and which is not the path, and only then can he abandon the non-path and practise the right path.
Again, the Buddha had compassion for the beings of the future age who cannot see the Buddha or the great bodhisattvas, and can see only the scriptures; because of wrong recollection, following the sounds of the words, they expound resembling prajñāpāramitā. What is called resembling is that the names and words are the same, but the meaning in the mind is different. For example, to teach with an attached mind and grasping at marks that the five aggregates and the rest are impermanent, and so on up to without arising and without ceasing—this is resembling prajñā; if with an unattached mind and not grasping at marks one teaches that the five aggregates are impermanent, only in order to break the inversion of permanence, yet without being attached to impermanence—this is true prajñā.
The person who teaches the Dharma in this way, teaching beings to abandon resembling prajñāpāramitā and to cultivate true prajñāpāramitā, is only then called expounding the right meaning of prajñāpāramitā, and surpasses the merits before.
What follows is the sūtra text.
Teaching Others to Attain the Śrāvaka Path and So On up to Abiding in Avaivartika—None Equals Expounding Prajñā for People; the Noble Ones Are Born from Prajñā
The Buddha said: Again, Kauśika! Suppose all the beings in Jambudvīpa are taught and caused to attain srota-āpanna. What do you think? Is the merit this person obtains much or not?
Śakra answered: Very much, World-Honored One!
The Buddha said: This still does not equal good men and good women who, by means of prajñāpāramitā, expound its meaning for others by all kinds of causes and conditions, reveal it, and analyse it, causing them to understand it easily; saying thus: ‘Good man! Come! Receive this prajñāpāramitā, diligently read it, recite it, expound it, and rightly recollect it, and practise as is said within prajñāpāramitā.’ Why? Because within this prajñāpāramitā the srota-āpanna are born. Kauśika! Set aside the beings in Jambudvīpa, and further set aside the beings of the four continents, and the beings in a small thousand world, a middle two-thousand world, and the three-thousand great-thousand world. Suppose someone teaches the beings in the worlds of the ten directions as many as the sands of the Ganges, teaching them all and causing them to attain srota-āpanna. What do you think? Is the merit this person obtains much or not?
Śakra answered: Very much, World-Honored One!
The Buddha said: This still does not equal good men and good women who, by means of prajñāpāramitā, expound its meaning for others, reveal it, and analyse it, causing them to understand it easily, and in this way encourage them to receive it and practise it. Why? Within prajñāpāramitā the srota-āpanna are born.
The Buddha said: Again, Kauśika! If there are good men and good women who teach the people in Jambudvīpa and cause them to attain sakṛdāgāmin, anāgāmin, and arhat—it likewise still does not equal expounding its meaning for others by means of prajñāpāramitā, revealing and analysing it so that it is easily understood, because within prajñāpāramitā the sakṛdāgāmin, anāgāmin, and arhats are born; and so on up to teaching the beings in the worlds of the ten directions as many as the sands of the Ganges, it is likewise. If one teaches the beings in one Jambudvīpa and causes them to attain the path of the pratyekabuddha—it still does not equal expounding prajñā for them, because within prajñā the paths of the pratyekabuddhas are born; the beings of the four continents and so on up to the worlds of the ten directions as many as the sands of the Ganges are likewise.
The Buddha said: Again, Kauśika! Good men and good women teach the beings in one Jambudvīpa and cause them to arouse the mind of anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi—it still does not equal good men and good women who, by means of prajñāpāramitā, expound its meaning for others, reveal it, and analyse it, and say thus: ‘You should train in accordance with prajñāpāramitā, and you will attain the dharma of omniscience; if you attain the dharma of omniscience, you will then be able to practise prajñāpāramitā, increase it, and fulfil it; if you are able to practise prajñāpāramitā, increase it, and fulfil it, you will attain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi.’ Why? Kauśika! Because within prajñāpāramitā the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas of the first arousing of intent are born. And so on up to the worlds of the ten directions as many as the sands of the Ganges, it is likewise. Again, to teach the beings in one Jambudvīpa and cause them to abide in the ground of avaivartika (the ground of non-retrogression)—it still does not equal expounding prajñā for them and encouraging them to receive, uphold, and practise it and so on up to attaining awakening, because within prajñāpāramitā the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas of the ground of avaivartika are born; and so on up to the worlds of the ten directions as many as the sands of the Ganges, it is likewise.
All Arouse the Intent to Seek Awakening and All Attain Avaivartika—Still Not Equal to Expounding It for People; the Merit of Expounding It for One Who Will Swiftly Attain Awakening Is the Greatest
The Buddha said: Again, Kauśika! The beings in one Jambudvīpa arouse the intent to seek anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi; suppose there are good men and good women who expound prajñāpāramitā for these people, together with its meaning and explanation, revealing it and analysing it, and encourage them to receive it and practise it, so that having trained they will attain awakening. And again someone expounds prajñāpāramitā for one avaivartika bodhisattva, together with its meaning and explanation, revealing it and analysing it, and likewise encourages him to receive it and practise it, so that having trained he will attain awakening. The merit obtained by this good man who expounds it for that one non-retrogressing bodhisattva is greater. And so on up to within the worlds of the ten directions as many as the sands of the Ganges, it is likewise.
Again, Kauśika! Suppose the beings in one Jambudvīpa all attain avaivartika and are heading toward anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi; and again there are good men and good women who, by means of prajñāpāramitā, expound its meaning for these people. Among them there is one bodhisattva who will swiftly attain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi; if there are good men and good women who expound prajñāpāramitā for this bodhisattva, together with its meaning and explanation, this person's merit is the greatest. And so on up to the worlds of the ten directions as many as the sands of the Ganges, it is likewise.
Śakra States That One Ought to Teach and Make Offerings More and More; Subhūti Praises Śakra for Benefiting Bodhisattvas with the Two Gifts of Wealth and Dharma
Śakra Devānām Indra said to the Buddha: World-Honored One! As a bodhisattva-mahāsattva draws nearer and nearer to anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi, one ought in this way to encourage him more and more to cultivate dānapāramitā, śīlapāramitā, kṣāntipāramitā, vīryapāramitā, dhyānapāramitā, and prajñāpāramitā; one ought to teach him inner emptiness and so on up to the emptiness of non-existent and existent dharmas, the four foundations of mindfulness and so on up to the eight limbs of the noble path, the ten powers of the Buddha, the four fearlessnesses, the four unobstructed knowledges, and the eighteen unshared dharmas; and one ought also to make offerings of clothing, bedding, food and drink, and medicine, according to what he needs. The merit obtained by these good men and good women who make offerings to this bodhisattva with the gift of Dharma and the gift of wealth surpasses that of the persons before. Why? World-Honored One! Because this bodhisattva-mahāsattva will swiftly attain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi.
At that time the venerable Subhūti said to Śakra Devānām Indra: Excellent! Excellent! Kauśika! You, being a noble disciple, comfort the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas who practise for the sake of anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi, and benefit them with the gift of Dharma and the gift of wealth; this dharma ought by its nature to be so. Why? The buddhas and the noble assemblies are all born from among the bodhisattvas. If bodhisattvas did not arouse the mind of anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi, these bodhisattvas could not train in the six perfections and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas; if they did not train in the six perfections and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas, they could not attain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi; if they could not attain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi, there would be no śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas. For this reason, Kauśika! The bodhisattva-mahāsattvas train in the six perfections and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas, and while training in the six perfections and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas, they attain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi; because of attaining anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi, the paths of the hells, the animals, and the hungry ghosts are cut off, and in the world there are then the great kṣatriya clans, the great brahmin clans, the great householder families, the heaven of the Four Heavenly Kings and so on up to the heaven of neither perception nor non-perception; there then appear in the world dānapāramitā, śīla, kṣānti, vīrya, dhyānapāramitā, prajñāpāramitā, inner emptiness and so on up to the emptiness of non-existent and existent dharmas, and the four foundations of mindfulness and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas; the Śrāvaka Vehicle, the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, and the Buddha Vehicle all appear in the world.
What follows is the treatise's explanation.
The Treatise Explains—the Worthy and Noble All Come Forth from Prajñā; Prajñā Is the Real Mark of All Dharmas
The treatise-author explains: teaching the people of Jambudvīpa and so on up to the people in worlds as many as the sands of the Ganges and causing them to attain the path of the śrāvaka and the pratyekabuddha still does not equal expounding the meaning of prajñāpāramitā for others.
Here the causes and conditions are stated: ‘Because these worthy and noble ones all come forth from within prajñāpāramitā.’ Prajñāpāramitā is the real mark of all dharmas; the one who knows it fully and completely is called the Buddha; slightly less than the Buddha are the great bodhisattvas, the pratyekabuddhas, and the arhats; less again in turn are the anāgāmin, the sakṛdāgāmin, and the srota-āpanna; those who can cherish and make offerings to the one who knows the real mark of all dharmas are the people of the world who have merit, such as the kings of the gods and the kings of humans. Therefore it is constantly said: 「般若波羅蜜出生諸賢聖、剎利大姓，乃至一切諸天。」 tr. "Prajñāpāramitā gives birth to the worthy and noble ones, to the great kṣatriya clans, and so on up to all the gods."
Second Question and Answer: Teaching Others to Arouse the Unsurpassed Path and Attain Avaivartika Is a Matter of the Path of the Buddha—Why Does It Not Equal It? The Distinction of Two Kinds of Bodhisattvas
The treatise-author explains: again, teaching the people in one Jambudvīpa and so on up to worlds as many as the sands of the Ganges to arouse the mind of the unsurpassed path and so on up to attaining avaivartika still does not equal explaining the right meaning of prajñāpāramitā for one person who is avaivartika.
Someone asks: above it was said that the dharmas of ordinary people and the dharmas of the two vehicles do not equal it—that is still acceptable; now it is said that teaching people to arouse the unsurpassed path and to attain avaivartika, which is a matter of the path of the Buddha, why does that still not equal it?
The treatise-author answers: in expounding the right meaning of prajñā, there are two kinds of bodhisattvas: first, the bodhisattva in a fleshly body within birth and death; second, the bodhisattva whose body is born of the Dharma-nature, who has left the three realms and is neither born nor dies.
The Matters of the Bodhisattva beyond Avaivartika—Transforming Beings, Purifying Lands, and the Rest Surpass Teaching Others to Arouse the Mind; the Merit Is Greatest for One Near the Path of the Buddha Who Will Swiftly Become a Buddha
The treatise-author explains: this bodhisattva whose body is born of the Dharma-nature expounds only the matters of the bodhisattvas beyond avaivartika and above, namely transforming beings, purifying buddha-worlds, discriminating the causes and conditions of the mental movements and karma of all beings over immeasurable kalpas in the three times, discriminating how many kalpas there are in the arising, ceasing, formation, and destruction of the worlds, great kindness and great compassion, omniscience, and the other immeasurable dharmas of the buddhas. Teaching the Dharma for one such person surpasses teaching the beings of Jambudvīpa and so on up to worlds like the sands of the Ganges and causing them to arouse the mind, and further on up to avaivartika.
From avaivartika and above up to the path of the Buddha, there is further in between one person who is near the path of the Buddha and urgently wishes to become a buddha. Teaching this person the right meaning of prajñāpāramitā, one's merit is the greatest! Why? Because the field of merit is great, the merit is also great.
The Comparison of Offerings to the Noble Ones of the Ten Directions and the Comparison of Offerings to the Crown Prince and the King—Because the Field of Merit Is Deep and Rich, the Merit Too Is Great
The treatise-author explains: it is like making offerings to all the noble ones in the worlds of the ten directions as many as the sands of the Ganges, and so on up to the bodhisattvas about to sit at the seat of awakening—this still does not equal making offerings to one Buddha.
It is like offending the crown prince: the fault incurred exceeds that of offending all other people; if one makes offerings to the crown prince, the favour obtained surpasses that of making offerings to all ordinary people. If one offends the king, the fault incurred exceeds that of offending the crown prince; if one makes offerings to the king, it surpasses making offerings to the crown prince.
Just so, teaching and making offerings to the bodhisattva who is about to become a buddha surpasses the merit of making offerings to and teaching avaivartika bodhisattvas as many as the sands of the Ganges. Why? Because the field of merit is deep and rich, and its Dharma can cause beings to grow.
Śakra Says to the Buddha That the Power of the Dharma Is Great; Subhūti Praises Śakra—the Definitions of the Gift of Wealth and the Gift of Dharma
At that time Śakra, knowing that the power of this Dharma is great, said to the Buddha: ‘As a bodhisattva draws nearer and nearer to the unsurpassed path, one ought in this way to teach him and make offerings to him, and the merit grows more and more.’
At that time Subhūti praised Śakra, saying: ‘Excellent! Excellent! You are able to comfort and encourage the bodhisattvas who practise for the sake of anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi with the two kinds of giving, the gift of wealth and the gift of Dharma.’
What is called the gift of wealth is necessities for offerings, clothing, food, and the like; what is called the gift of Dharma is teaching the six perfections and the like.
Śakra Is Called a Noble Disciple; the Noble Assemblies All Come Forth from Among the Bodhisattvas—the Bodhisattva's Expounding the Right Meaning of Prajñā and Teaching Those Near the Path of the Buddha Has the Greatest Merit
Because Śakra has attained the path, he is called a noble disciple. The dharma of a noble disciple is that he ought to comfort and encourage the bodhisattvas.
Here the causes and conditions are stated: ‘These noble assemblies are all born from among the bodhisattvas. Why? If the bodhisattvas did not practise the six perfections and did not accomplish the unsurpassed path, there would be no srota-āpanna and so on up to pratyekabuddhas. Because there are bodhisattvas, the ten wholesome paths and so on up to the immeasurable dharmas of the Buddha appear in the world; therefore the three evil destinies are cut off, and only then are there the great kṣatriya clans and so on up to the buddhas appearing in the world.’
Therefore the bodhisattva's expounding the right meaning of prajñāpāramitā, teaching people to draw near to the path of the Buddha, has the greatest merit.
Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa, Fascicle Sixty.
挍量法施品：財施與法施何以層層校量而法施皆勝，書持般若、演說般若何以勝教眾生行十善乃至證聲聞辟支佛，有所得布施與無所得波羅蜜何以分真偽，真般若與相似般若何以判邪正，乃至教近佛道之一人何以福德最大而勝教無量眾生
在問什麼
這一品的品名叫「挍量法施品」（「挍」即校量、比較衡量之義，非『校勘』之校；此二字之異體分佈與宋元明宮諸本之省略、古疏之作『校量』，詳考據層）。「挍量」二字，正點出全品的體裁——不是平說法施之功，而是把財施與法施放在天平的兩端，一級一級地校量：教一人行十善，比不上書持般若一卷；教一國人行十善，比不上書持般若；乃至教如恒河沙世界的眾生證得聲聞、辟支佛，仍比不上為一人演說般若之義。層層加碼於財施一端，而法施一端始終居勝。
一品的骨架，由一經一論再一經一論、共兩對經論交替展開，環繞著三重問題。第一，也是全品之綱：同是布施，何以「法施」定勝「財施」？佛的答覆貫穿始終——般若中廣說無漏之法，能成三乘、入涅槃而不復還，十善等但是有漏善法，受世間無常福樂而還墮苦；故財施縱使遍及恒河沙世界、縱使令眾生證到辟支佛果，仍不及書持、演說般若。第二，法施既勝，則所施之「般若」須是真般若：於是辨有所得布施但得布施之名而不得波羅蜜，須三輪不可得方名具足；又預辨真般若與相似般若之異，令未來眾生不致聞相似而失正道。第三，法施之勝既隨所教之人而轉——教令發菩提心勝教證二乘，教一近佛道者又勝教無量發心者：何以如此？論主以『諸賢聖皆從般若中出』『二種菩薩』『太子國王供養』等義，逐一酬答。這三重，正是本品經、論要逐一交代的。
逐段解明
一、法施勝財施之綱：教十善不如書持般若。 佛問帝釋：教一閻浮提人行十善道，得福多不？帝釋答「甚多」。佛即判：仍不如書持般若經卷與人、令讀誦說得福多；以般若中廣說諸無漏法，人於中修學便入正法位、得須陀洹乃至阿羅漢、辟支佛、無上菩提故。此段立起全品之綱——財施之福雖多，終是有漏；法施所傳之般若能生三乘聖果，故校量之下法施定勝。
二、果位遞升校量：得聖果勝行十善、得菩提勝得二乘。 佛更細分：教一人得須陀洹果，勝教一閻浮提人行十善，以十善不離地獄畜生餓鬼之苦、須陀洹果則離三惡道故；乃至阿羅漢、辟支佛亦爾。又教一閻浮提人得須陀洹乃至辟支佛，不如教一人得無上菩提，「以菩薩因緣故」生須陀洹乃至阿羅漢辟支佛、生諸佛故。此段把校量從『施之事』推到『施之果』——所成之果愈高，其法施愈勝，而諸果之源皆歸於菩薩、歸於般若。
三、財施範圍逐級擴大、四禪五神通亦不及書般若。 佛置一閻浮提，展轉擴至四天下、小千、二千中、三千大千乃至恒河沙世界，教其眾生行十善，皆不如書持般若；又教眾生立四禪、四無量心、四無色定、五神通，乃至十方恒河沙世界皆立此定通，仍不如書持般若。以般若中廣說諸善法，學之便出生剎利大姓乃至諸天、四念處乃至一切種智、須陀洹乃至諸佛故。此段以『範圍雖極廣、果位雖極高，而法施終勝』，顯校量之勝不繫於施境之大小，而繫於所傳法之能生聖果與否。
四、受持親近般若，不以二法、不以不二法。 佛更判：自受持般若、書持讀誦說正憶念者，其福勝教眾生行十善、立四禪等。所謂正憶念，即受持親近般若乃至正憶念，皆「不以二法、不以不二法」；於禪乃至檀波羅蜜、於內空乃至一切種智亦然。此段把法施之「所施」收到般若正觀上——受持之要不在文句多寡，而在以不二不著之心憶念般若，離二邊而不落調和，此即正憶念之相。
五、般若義非二相非不二相、演說開示勝自受持。 佛示般若義之相：不應以二相觀、不應以不二相觀，非有相非無相、不入不出、不生不滅乃至非實際非不實際。能以此義為他人演說、開示、分別、令易解者，其福勝自受持讀誦正憶念。此段顯法施之極在『演說般若正義』——般若義本離一切相，能如是轉授於人，令人得入，其福過於獨自受持，故法施重於自利。
六、自受持復為他演說功德甚多、演說勝供養十方諸佛。 佛續明：自受持般若、復為他人演說開示令易解者功德甚多；如是演說得無量無邊阿僧祇福德，勝於盡壽供養十方無量諸佛。以過現未來諸佛皆於般若中學得菩提故。此段把法施抬到極位——演說般若勝於竭盡一生財供養無量佛，因所演之般若正是諸佛所從出、所從成之法，敬其法即敬諸佛之本。
七、演說般若勝行檀波羅蜜、以無所得故；云何有所得。 佛判：於無量阿僧祇劫行檀波羅蜜，不如以般若為他演說其義，「以無所得故」。云何有所得？菩薩用有所得心布施，作念『我與、彼受、所施者物』，是名得檀而不得波羅蜜；持戒忍辱精進禪慧亦然，各執『我持戒、此是戒』等，皆但得其名而不得波羅蜜。此段點出財施與法施深淺之分野實在『有所得／無所得』——著三輪之相而施，縱經多劫亦但成有盡之福，不成波羅蜜。
八、云何修具足波羅蜜——三輪俱不可得。 帝釋問云何修得具足六波羅蜜。佛答：布施時不得與者、不得受者、不得所施物，是人得具足檀波羅蜜；乃至修般若時不得智、不得所修智，是人得具足般若波羅蜜。此段正面立「具足」之義——波羅蜜之具足不在施物之豐、修慧之勤，而在能所俱泯、三輪體空；離此則但名布施、名智慧，非到彼岸之行。
九、憐愍未來說相似般若者、應具足演說。 佛示：未來世當有欲說般若而說相似般若者，有人發菩提心聞之而失正道；故應為是人具足演說般若義、開示分別令易解。此段轉出「相似般若」一大關目——法施既以般若為所傳，則所傳之般若須是真般若；若傳者自說相似，反令發心者失道，故佛預為料揀，令說者具足真義。
十、相似般若之一——說五眾等無常苦無我、令求相而行。 佛答何等是相似般若：「說有所得般若波羅蜜，是為相似般若波羅蜜。」其相者，說色乃至受想行識、十二入、十八界、六種、六觸、觸因緣生受皆無常苦無我，作言「能如是行，是行般若」，令行者求無常等相而行，乃至行六度、四禪、四念處、薩婆若時皆為說無常苦無我。此段揭相似般若之病根——無常苦無我本是正教，然若令人取『無常相』而執以為般若之行，便落有所得，成相似而非真。
十一、相似般若之二至六——當得十地、過二乘、無生法忍、無量功德、迴向菩提。 佛續列相似之相：說『修般若當得初地乃至十地』，以相似有所得、以總相修，是相似般若；說『修般若已當過聲聞辟支佛地』，是相似般若；說『入菩薩位得無生法忍、住菩薩神通從一佛界至一佛界供養諸佛』，是相似般若；說『學般若受持讀誦正憶念當得無量功德』，是相似般若；說『諸佛功德善本從初發心至成佛都合集迴向菩提』，是相似般若。此段廣列五相，皆義似正而心存所得——所說地位、果德、迴向無一非佛法名言，然一以『有所得、總相修』貫之，便盡成相似，見相似之病不在名言而在存心取相。
十二、云何不說相似般若——色性空非法即般若、莫有所過所住。 佛示不說相似之相：教人『莫觀色無常，色性空、是色性非法，若非法即名般若；般若中色非常非無常，色尚不可得，何況常無常』，受想行識亦然；又教『莫有所過、莫有所住，般若中無有法可過可住，一切法自性空、自性空是非法、非法即是般若，無有法可入出生滅』。此段正立真般若之說——不令取無常相，而直示色性本空、空亦非法、於中無所得無所住，與相似『取相有所得』正相違，故名不說相似。
十三、應如是演說、功德勝前。 佛結此經段：善男子善女人應如是演說般若義，若如是說，所得功德勝於前者。此段收束前來校量之義——法施之勝，至此歸結於『如是演說真般若』一著，唯傳真般若、不傳相似，其法施乃究竟勝。
十四、論釋所以勝之因緣——般若無漏成三乘入涅槃、十善有漏還墮苦。 【論】釋佛設問之意：佛更欲以異門明般若勝，故問帝釋十善福多不。此中說所以勝之因緣：般若廣說諸無漏法，成三乘道、入涅槃、不復還；十善但是有漏善法，受世間無常福樂、還復墮苦，是故不如。此段是論主為全品校量所立之總因——法施勝財施之根，在無漏與有漏、出世與世間之別，非徒事相之多寡。
十五、世間出世間五對差別、無漏法者三十七品乃至無量佛法。 論列五重差別：先世間法、後出世間法；先能生生死、後能滅生死；先無常樂因緣、後常樂因緣；先凡夫聖人共法、後但為聖人法。所謂無漏法者，三十七品、十八不共法乃至無量諸佛法。此段以五對開顯上段之『無漏／有漏』——一一相對，見十善之福終在生死無常之內，般若之法乃出生死、致常樂，故校量必勝。
十六、教得聖果乃至菩提皆從菩薩生。 論釋佛更說之因緣與譬喻：教一人得須陀洹，勝教閻浮提人行十善，以雖行十善未免三惡道故，乃至阿羅漢辟支佛亦爾；又教一閻浮提人得聲聞辟支佛道，不如教一人得無上菩提，「須陀洹至辟支佛皆從菩薩生故」。此段以『諸果皆從菩薩生』釋校量之所以——法施若能成就菩薩、成就般若，即成就一切聖果之源，故勝於但令證取一果。
十七、四禪等離欲人與十善差別、自行般若勝以經卷與人。 論明：教眾生行四禪等五神通亦如十善之例、皆不如書般若，但四禪等是離欲人、與十善有別；又自受持般若讀誦正憶念，其得福多者，以「上以般若經卷與他人，今自行般若為異」，先十善乃至五神通別說、今合說。此段釐清層次——四禪雖高於十善（離欲），仍屬有漏；又分辨「以經卷與人」與「自行般若」二事之別，見校量之中所施有自他之異而法施之勝一貫。
十八、問答一：何以但解正憶念——正憶念能具福德智慧，如服藥病愈。 論設問：何以不解『受持讀誦說』但解「正憶念」？論答：受持讀誦說福德本多，而正憶念能兼具福德、智慧二事，故別解之；如採藥合和而未服則於病無損，服乃除病，正憶念如服藥病愈。並申正憶念相即「非二非不二行般若」，二不二義如先說。此段以服藥一喻釋正憶念之獨重——受持讀誦如採藥，正憶念如服藥，福德必待正憶念之慧照方能療生死之病、成無盡之福。
十九、三重遞進、福田大故福德大；有所得不如無所得。 論明三重之勝：初以書經卷勝舍利，中以經卷與人勝教人行十善乃至五通，今於受持讀誦邊正憶念最勝，而為人解義令易解又勝自行正憶念；佛欲廣分別福德，故說盡壽供養十方佛不如為他解說般若，以三世諸佛皆學般若成無上道故；又菩薩無量劫行六度以有所得，不如為人解說般若，有所得者「以我心於諸法中取相故」。此段層層顯法施遞勝，並歸其極於「無所得」——凡有所得、取相之行，福終有盡，唯無所得之般若法施乃勝。
二十、佛更說般若正義——無所得行六度乃具足、預說相似般若相以救未來。 論明：佛更欲說般若正義，故答帝釋『菩薩以無所得行六波羅蜜則得具足』，具足即般若正義；又有人未來世說相似般若，會中人聞說正憶念而思「何者是邪憶念」，故佛說相似般若相，如知道非道乃能捨非道行正道；復憐愍未來眾生不見佛及大菩薩、但見經書，隨著音聲說相似般若——相似者『名字語言同而心義異』，以著心取相說五眾無常乃至無生無滅是相似，以不著心不取相說五眾無常但破常顛倒、不著無常乃是真實般若；故教捨相似、修真般若，是名說般若正義勝前功德。此段是論主釋相似般若之樞紐——真偽之判不在言辭而在著心與否，法施之真偽亦繫於此。
廿一、教得聲聞乃至住阿鞞跋致、皆不如為人演說般若——般若中出生諸聖。 【經】佛以般若演說與教眾生得果層層相校：教閻浮提乃至十方恒河沙世界眾生令得須陀洹、斯陀含、阿那含、阿羅漢、辟支佛道，乃至令發菩提心、令住阿鞞跋致地，皆不如以般若為他人演說其義、開示分別、勸其受持修行；以「般若波羅蜜中出生諸須陀洹」乃至出生諸阿鞞跋致菩薩故。此段承前經校量而更進——所校之財施一端由「行十善」升至『令證聖果、令住不退』，而法施一端始終居勝，其故仍在般若為一切聖之所從出。
廿二、發意求菩提、皆得阿鞞跋致仍不如為人演說；為疾得菩提者演說功德最多。 經續校：一閻浮提眾生發意求菩提，為之演說般若，不如為一阿鞞跋致菩薩演說功德甚多；又一閻浮提眾生皆得阿鞞跋致，為之演說，其中若有一菩薩疾得菩提、為此菩薩演說者功德最多。此段把校量推至極致——受法之人愈近佛道，為之法施之功德愈大，至『疾得菩提之一菩薩』而福德最多，逗起下論『近佛道者何以福最大』之問。
廿三、帝釋述應轉轉教化供養、須菩提讚帝釋以財法二施利益菩薩。 經明：帝釋白佛，菩薩轉轉近菩提時應轉轉教其行六度、內空乃至十八不共法，亦應以衣服臥具飲食湯藥供養，如是法施財施供養是菩薩、功德勝前，以菩薩疾得菩提故；慧命須菩提乃讚帝釋「汝為聖弟子」，能安慰諸菩薩以法施財施利益，並申「菩薩中生諸佛聖眾」、若菩薩不發心不學六度則無二乘、菩薩學六度得菩提故三惡道斷、諸乘皆現於世。此段由帝釋、須菩提之口，把『財法二施供養近佛道菩薩』之義揭明，並以『諸佛聖眾皆從菩薩出』為下論張本。
廿四、論釋——諸賢聖皆從般若中出、般若是諸法實相。 【論】釋前經校量之總因：教眾生得聲聞辟支佛道不如為他演說般若，以「是諸賢聖皆從般若波羅蜜中出故」。般若是諸法實相，正遍知之名為佛，其次大菩薩、辟支佛、阿羅漢，展轉至阿那含、斯陀含、須陀洹；能愛念供養知實相者，是天王人王等世間福德人；故常說般若出生諸賢聖、剎利大姓乃至一切諸天。此段以『般若即諸法實相、諸聖皆從之出』立法施勝之根本——傳般若即傳諸聖之源，故勝於但令得一果。
廿五、問答二：教發無上道得阿鞞跋致是佛道事、何故不如——二種菩薩之辨。 論明：教眾生發無上道乃至得阿鞞跋致，不如為一阿鞞跋致人解說般若正義。有人問：凡夫法二乘法不如可爾，今教人發無上道、得阿鞞跋致是佛道事，何故仍不如？論答：說般若正義有二種菩薩，一者生死肉身菩薩，二者出三界不生不死法性生身菩薩。此段設問答以破疑——同是佛道事而猶有勝劣者，正因所教之菩薩有肉身、法身二階，未可一概而論，為下文所以勝之辨立根。
廿六、過阿鞞跋致菩薩之事——教化淨土等勝教令發心。 論明：此法性生身菩薩但說過阿鞞跋致以上菩薩之事，所謂教化眾生、淨佛世界，分別眾生三世無量劫心行業因緣、分別諸世界起滅成敗劫數、大慈大悲、一切智等無量佛法；為是一人說法，勝教閻浮提乃至恒河沙世界眾生令發心、又至阿鞞跋致。此段以『所教之事愈深、所教之人愈進』釋勝劣——教過阿鞞跋致以上之深法予一人，勝於教無量人但至阿鞞跋致，見校量之勝隨受法者之深淺而轉。
廿七、近佛道疾成佛者福最多——福田大故福德大。 論明：從阿鞞跋致以上至佛道，中間更有一人近佛道、疾欲成佛；教是人般若正義者其福最多，「何以故？福田大故，福德亦大」。此段立「福田」一義為校量之樞——受法之人愈近佛地，其為福田愈大，故同一法施而福德隨之最大，此即前經『為疾得菩提菩薩演說功德最多』之所以然。
廿八、十方聖人供養喻、太子國王供養喻——福田深厚故福德亦大。 論以二喻申福田之義：譬如供養十方恒河沙世界聖人乃至欲坐道場菩薩，不如供養一佛；又如犯太子得罪過於犯一切人、供養太子得恩勝供養一切凡人，犯國王、供養國王又勝於太子。此段以佛與聖、王與太子之階差為喻，顯福田之尊卑判福德之大小——近佛道之菩薩如太子之於凡庶，故施之者福德獨大。
廿九、教化供養疾近作佛菩薩勝、福田深厚能令眾生增長。 論結喻義：如是教化、供養疾近作佛之菩薩，勝於供養、教化如恒河沙等阿鞞跋致菩薩之功德，「所以者何？福田深厚，其法能令眾生增長故」。此段把二喻收回本義——所以勝者，一在福田深厚，二在近佛菩薩之法能令眾生增長，二義並舉，見法施財施供養近佛菩薩之功所以獨勝。
三十、帝釋白佛法力大、須菩提讚帝釋——財施法施之定義。 論隨經釋：帝釋知是法力大故白佛，菩薩轉轉近無上道應如是教化供養、功德轉多；須菩提讚帝釋能安慰勸進諸菩薩「以財、法二施」。論即釋此二施之名：『財施者，供養具、衣食等；法施者，所謂教六波羅蜜等。』此段正定財施、法施之界說——財施者資身之具，法施者授以六度之教；一品「挍量法施」之「法施」，於此得其確詁。
卅一、帝釋名聖弟子、聖眾皆從菩薩中出。 論明：帝釋得道故名聖弟子，聖弟子法應安慰勸進諸菩薩；是中說因緣——是諸聖眾皆從菩薩中出，若菩薩不行六度不成無上道則無須陀洹乃至辟支佛，菩薩因緣故十善道乃至無量佛法出現於世，故三惡道斷、有剎利大姓乃至諸佛出現於世。此段重申『聖眾皆從菩薩出』之義以釋帝釋所以應勸進菩薩——菩薩既是一切聖果與世間善法之所從出，安慰勸進菩薩即護一切善之本源。
卅二、結歸——菩薩說般若正義教近佛道福德最大。 論收全品：「是故菩薩說般若波羅蜜正義，教近佛道，福德最大。」此段一句總結——通品層層校量，其歸極在此：宣說般若正義、教人近於佛道之法施，於一切校量之中福德最大，正應品名「挍量法施」之旨。
不要讀錯
不要把「挍量」讀成『校勘』之校、或疑品名用字有誤。「挍量」之「挍」在此是校量、比較衡量之義，全品正是以財施、法施兩端層層相較而立；宋元明宮諸本或逕省「挍量」二字而但作「法施品」，古疏標題則作『校量』，這些是傳本用字的異同，屬考據層之事，義理上但依『比較衡量法施之功』一義讀去即可，不可因字形之異而疑品旨。
不要把『法施勝財施』讀成佛貶抑布施、輕視財施。校量之意，不在斥財施為惡，而在顯法施所傳之般若能成三乘、出生死，財施之福則在世間有漏、終墮無常。論說得分明：十善乃至四禪縱遍恒河沙世界，仍是有漏，故不如書持、演說般若。若把「不如」讀成佛薄財施，便失了『無漏勝有漏、出世勝世間』之本義；財施自有其福，只是校於法施則有盡不敵無盡而已。
不要把「相似般若」讀成言辭上的錯說。論判真偽之準，明在『名字語言同而心義異』——說無常苦無我、說當得十地、說迴向菩提，這些名言無一非佛法，相似之病不在說了什麼，而在『以著心、取相、有所得』而說。故不可把相似般若看作用語之誤，須就存心之著相與否判之；真般若者，正是於同樣的名言上不取相、不有所得、不著無常而說。
不要把『教近佛道一人勝教無量眾生』讀成重個人、輕大眾，或讀成一種可買賣的福德較量。論以『福田大故福德亦大』與太子國王之喻判之——所校者是受法之人去佛地之遠近，如太子之於凡庶，非以人數多寡定福。且此勝之極歸於『菩薩說般若正義教近佛道』，所重仍在「說般若正義」之法施，非在挑揀施境；若讀成勢利之較量，便失了福田深厚、能令眾生增長之義。
修行作用
這一品把『法施勝財施』一義，從無漏勝有漏之綱一路落到用功人日常的取捨之間。最當領取的第一層信解是：布施、持戒乃至四禪五神通，若不迴向般若、不以無所得之心行之，終是隨業有盡之福，尚不能致小乘涅槃，何況無上道。用功人於日用行善之際，若只計事相之多寡、境界之高下，而不以般若正觀攝之，便如以恒河沙世界之財施，猶不敵一卷般若之書持；本品教人所重者，是於一一善行上迴向般若、離有所得，福乃由有盡轉為無盡。
『有所得／無所得』之辨，尤是本品給用功人的一把尺。論說得極切：作念『我與、彼受、所施者物』，便但得布施之名而不得波羅蜜；三輪不可得，方名具足。用功人布施、持戒、修慧之時，最當自省者，正是這一念取相之心——著我、著人、著法而修，縱經多劫，福終有窮；能於能所俱泯處行之，一施一戒便是到彼岸之行。這不是教人廢事相之修，而是教人於事相上不落三輪之著。
「相似般若」與「真般若」之判，最可作觀行之準繩。同說無常、同說空、同說迴向，而一落有所得、取相，便是相似，反令發心者失道；一於名言上不取相、不著、不得，便是真實。用功人聽法、說法、乃至自修觀慧之際，當於此自驗：是取一個『無常相』『空相』以為所得、以為所行，還是直照色性本空、空亦非法、於中無所住？前者是相似之路，後者方是本品所謂「說般若正義」。法施之真偽、自行之邪正，其分野全在這一念著與不著之間。
承衍
本品的骨幹，是一條由「挍量」貫串的法施勝義之線：佛以財施（教眾生行十善乃至證聲聞辟支佛、乃至令發心住不退）與法施（書持、演說般若）層層相校，法施一端始終居勝，其根在般若無漏、能成三乘出生死，十善有漏、受福還墮；法施既勝，則所傳須是真般若，故辨有所得布施但得其名、須三輪不可得方名具足，又辨真般若與相似般若之異，令未來眾生不因聞相似而失道；法施之勝復隨受法者去佛之遠近而轉，教近佛道之一人乃至福德最大。論釋則以『無漏勝有漏』『諸賢聖皆從般若出』『二種菩薩』『福田大故福德大』與太子國王供養等喻，逐一酬釋『何以法施定勝』『何以有所得不如無所得』『何以佛道事猶有不如』『何以近佛道者福最大』諸疑。一品之義，總在『傳真般若、教近佛道之法施，於一切校量之中福德最大』一事。
『財施者供養具衣食等、法施者所謂教六波羅蜜等』二句，尤可附帶一提，見其承衍之跡。全品名「挍量法施」，而「法施」之確詁至論末方由釋帝釋、須菩提之語處點出——法施非泛指說法，正指以六波羅蜜之教授人；與財施之「供養具、衣食」相對，一資色身、一資法身。般若為六度之尊導、為諸佛之所從出之義，自前〈阿難稱譽〉等品累論而來，至本品乃借財法校量一事，把『般若能成聖果』與『說般若即最勝法施』二線一時收攏。讀者可合觀前後諸品，以見般若『所依、所出、所歸極』與『法施最勝』一貫之脈（其承衍起訖、諸品出處，詳考據層）。
Weighing the Gift of Dharma: Why the Gift of Wealth and the Gift of Dharma Are Weighed Layer upon Layer and the Gift of Dharma Always Prevails; Why Writing Out and Upholding Prajñā and Expounding Prajñā Surpass Teaching Beings to Practise the Ten Wholesome Paths and Even to Realise Śrāvakahood and Pratyekabuddhahood; Why Giving with Something to Be Attained and the Pāramitā with Nothing to Be Attained Are Divided as True and False; Why True Prajñā and Resembling Prajñā Are Judged as Right and Wrong; and So On up to Why Teaching the One Person Near the Buddha Path Has the Greatest Merit and Surpasses Teaching Immeasurable Beings
What Is Being Asked
This chapter’s name is 「挍量法施品」 tr. "the chapter Weighing the Gift of Dharma" (「挍」 tr. "weigh" here has the sense of weighing, comparing and measuring, not the sense of ‘collation’; the distribution of the variant graphs of these two characters, the omission in the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace editions, and the old commentary writing it as ‘weighing’ with the other graph are examined in detail in the Apparatus). The two characters 「挍量」 tr. "weighing" point out exactly the form of the whole chapter—it does not plainly set out the merit of the gift of Dharma; it places the gift of wealth and the gift of Dharma at the two ends of a balance and weighs them one level after another: teaching one person to practise the ten wholesome paths does not equal writing out and upholding one scroll of prajñā; teaching the people of one country to practise the ten wholesome paths does not equal writing out and upholding prajñā; and so on up to this—teaching the beings of worlds as many as the sands of the Ganges to realise the śrāvaka and the pratyekabuddha still does not equal expounding the meaning of prajñā for one person. The weight is increased layer upon layer at the end of the gift of wealth, and yet the end of the gift of Dharma always prevails.
The frame of the chapter unfolds through one sūtra passage and one treatise passage, then another sūtra passage and another treatise passage—two pairs of sūtra and treatise in alternation—and turns around three questions. The first, which is also the guiding thread of the whole chapter: both being giving, why does 「法施」 tr. "the gift of Dharma" surely prevail over 「財施」 tr. "the gift of wealth"? The Buddha’s answer runs from beginning to end—in prajñā the dharmas without outflows are broadly taught, which can accomplish the three vehicles and enter nirvāṇa with no further return, while the ten wholesome paths and the like are only wholesome dharmas with outflows, which receive the impermanent happiness of the world and fall back into suffering; so even if the gift of wealth extends to worlds as many as the sands of the Ganges, even if it brings beings to realise the fruit of the pratyekabuddha, it still does not equal writing out and upholding, and expounding, prajñā. Second, since the gift of Dharma prevails, the 「般若」 tr. "prajñā" that is given must be true prajñā: so it distinguishes that giving with something to be attained gains only the name of giving and does not gain the pāramitā, and that only when the three wheels are unfindable is it called complete; and it also distinguishes in advance the difference between true prajñā and resembling prajñā, so that future beings will not hear what resembles it and lose the right path. Third, since the prevailing of the gift of Dharma shifts with the person who is taught—teaching one to arouse the mind of awakening surpasses teaching one to realise the two vehicles, and teaching one who is near the Buddha path again surpasses teaching immeasurable ones who have aroused the mind: why is it so? The treatise-author answers one by one with meanings such as ‘all the worthy and noble come forth from prajñā,’ ‘the two kinds of bodhisattva,’ and ‘making offerings to the crown prince and the king.’ These three are exactly what the sūtra and treatise of this chapter must account for one by one.
Passage by Passage
1. The guiding thread that the gift of Dharma surpasses the gift of wealth: teaching the ten wholesome paths does not equal writing out and upholding prajñā. The Buddha asks Śakra: if one teaches the people of one Jambudvīpa to practise the ten wholesome paths, is the merit gained great or not? Śakra answers, 「甚多」 tr. "Very great." The Buddha then judges: it still does not equal the merit gained by writing out and upholding the scroll of the prajñā sūtra and giving it to others, causing them to read, recite, and expound it; because in prajñā all the dharmas without outflows are broadly taught, and a person who studies and trains in it then enters the position of the right Dharma and gains srota-āpanna and so on up to arhat, pratyekabuddha, and unsurpassed awakening. This passage sets up the guiding thread of the whole chapter—though the merit of the gift of wealth is great, it is in the end with outflows; the prajñā transmitted by the gift of Dharma can give birth to the noble fruits of the three vehicles, so under the weighing the gift of Dharma surely prevails.
2. Weighing by the fruits rising step by step: gaining a noble fruit surpasses practising the ten wholesome paths, and gaining awakening surpasses gaining the two vehicles. The Buddha divides it more finely: teaching one person to gain the fruit of srota-āpanna surpasses teaching the people of one Jambudvīpa to practise the ten wholesome paths, because the ten wholesome paths do not part from the suffering of the hells, animals, and hungry ghosts, while the fruit of srota-āpanna parts from the three evil destinies; and so on up to arhat and pratyekabuddha, likewise. Again, teaching the people of one Jambudvīpa to gain srota-āpanna and so on up to pratyekabuddha does not equal teaching one person to gain unsurpassed awakening, because 「以菩薩因緣故」 tr. "by reason of the bodhisattva" there are born srota-āpanna and so on up to arhat and pratyekabuddha, and there are born the buddhas. This passage pushes the weighing from ‘the matter of the giving’ to ‘the fruit of the giving’—the higher the fruit accomplished, the more the gift of Dharma prevails, and the source of all the fruits returns to the bodhisattva, returns to prajñā.
3. The range of the gift of wealth enlarges level by level, and the four dhyānas and five supernormal powers also do not equal writing out prajñā. The Buddha sets aside the one Jambudvīpa and extends it in turn to the four continents, a small thousand world, a middle two-thousand world, the three-thousand great-thousand world, and so on up to worlds as many as the sands of the Ganges, teaching their beings to practise the ten wholesome paths—none of it equals writing out and upholding prajñā; again, one teaches beings to establish the four dhyānas, the four immeasurable minds, the four formless absorptions, and the five supernormal powers, and so on up to establishing these absorptions and powers in worlds as many as the sands of the Ganges in the ten directions, and it still does not equal writing out and upholding prajñā. This is because in prajñā all wholesome dharmas are broadly taught, and by studying it there come forth the great kṣatriya clans and so on up to the gods, the four foundations of mindfulness and so on up to the omniscience of all kinds, and srota-āpanna and so on up to the buddhas. This passage, with ‘though the range is utmost wide and though the fruit is utmost high, the gift of Dharma in the end prevails,’ shows that the prevailing in the weighing is not bound to the largeness or smallness of the sphere of giving, but to whether or not the dharma transmitted can give birth to the noble fruits.
4. Receiving and upholding and drawing near to prajñā—not by way of dual dharmas and not by way of non-dual dharmas. The Buddha judges further: one who himself receives and upholds prajñā, writes it out and upholds it, reads, recites, expounds, and rightly recollects it—his merit surpasses teaching beings to practise the ten wholesome paths or to establish the four dhyānas and the like. What is called right recollection is that receiving and upholding and drawing near to prajñā, and so on up to rightly recollecting it, are all 「不以二法、不以不二法」 tr. "not by way of dual dharmas and not by way of non-dual dharmas"; and it is likewise with meditation and so on up to dānapāramitā, and with inner emptiness and so on up to the omniscience of all kinds. This passage gathers 「所施」 tr. "what is given" in the gift of Dharma into the right contemplation of prajñā—the essential point of receiving and upholding lies not in how many or how few the sentences are, but in recollecting prajñā with a mind that is non-dual and unattached, leaving the two extremes without falling into a compromise between them; this is the mark of right recollection.
5. The meaning of prajñā is neither a dual mark nor a non-dual mark; expounding and revealing it surpasses receiving and upholding it oneself. The Buddha shows the mark of the meaning of prajñā: it should not be contemplated by a dual mark, it should not be contemplated by a non-dual mark; it is neither with marks nor without marks, neither entering nor exiting, neither arising nor ceasing, and so on up to neither the limit of reality nor not the limit of reality. One who can expound, reveal, and analyse this meaning for others, making it easy to understand—his merit surpasses receiving and upholding, reading, reciting, and rightly recollecting it himself. This passage shows that the utmost of the gift of Dharma lies in ‘expounding the right meaning of prajñā’—the meaning of prajñā is originally apart from all marks; to be able to pass it on to others in this way, causing them to gain entry, has merit exceeding receiving and upholding it alone, and so the gift of Dharma weighs more than benefiting oneself.
6. Receiving and upholding it oneself and further expounding it for others has very great merit; expounding surpasses making offerings to the buddhas of the ten directions. The Buddha continues to make clear: one who himself receives and upholds prajñā and further expounds and reveals it for others, making it easy to understand, has very great merit; such expounding gains immeasurable, boundless, asaṃkhyeya merit, surpassing making offerings for a whole lifetime to the immeasurable buddhas of the ten directions. This is because the buddhas of the past, present, and future all studied in prajñā and gained awakening. This passage raises the gift of Dharma to its utmost position—expounding prajñā surpasses exhausting a whole life in offerings of wealth to immeasurable buddhas, because the prajñā expounded is exactly the dharma from which the buddhas come forth and by which they are accomplished; to revere that dharma is to revere the root of the buddhas.
7. Expounding prajñā surpasses practising dānapāramitā, with nothing to be attained; what is ‘with something to be attained.’ The Buddha judges: practising dānapāramitā for immeasurable asaṃkhyeya kalpas does not equal expounding the meaning of prajñā for others, 「以無所得故」 tr. "with nothing to be attained." What is ‘with something to be attained’? A bodhisattva gives with a mind that has something to be attained, thinking ‘I give, he receives, and this is the thing given’; this is called gaining giving and not gaining the pāramitā; keeping the precepts, patience, vigour, meditation, and wisdom are likewise—each holding to ‘I keep the precepts, this is the precept’ and the like, they all gain only its name and do not gain the pāramitā. This passage points out that the dividing line between the depth and shallowness of the gift of wealth and the gift of Dharma really lies in ‘with something to be attained / with nothing to be attained’—giving while attached to the marks of the three wheels, even through many kalpas, accomplishes only merit that comes to an end, and does not accomplish the pāramitā.
8. How to cultivate the complete pāramitā—the three wheels are all unfindable. Śakra asks how one cultivates and gains the complete six perfections. The Buddha answers: when giving, one who does not find the giver, does not find the receiver, and does not find the thing given—this person gains the complete dānapāramitā; and so on up to this: when cultivating prajñā, one who does not find wisdom and does not find the wisdom cultivated—this person gains the complete prajñāpāramitā. This passage sets up directly the meaning of 「具足」 tr. "complete"—the completeness of a pāramitā lies not in the abundance of the things given or the diligence of cultivating wisdom, but in being able to let subject and object both vanish, the three wheels empty in substance; apart from this, it is only called giving and called wisdom, not the practice of reaching the other shore.
9. Out of pity for those in the future who will teach resembling prajñā, one should expound it completely. The Buddha shows: in the future age there will be those who wish to teach prajñā but teach resembling prajñā, and some who have aroused the mind of awakening will hear it and lose the right path; therefore one should, for such people, completely expound the meaning of prajñā, revealing and analysing it and making it easy to understand. This passage turns out the one great heading of 「相似般若」 tr. "resembling prajñā"—since the gift of Dharma takes prajñā as what is transmitted, the prajñā transmitted must be true prajñā; if the one who transmits it himself teaches what resembles it, he instead causes those who have aroused the mind to lose the path; so the Buddha sifts it out in advance, causing those who teach to be complete in the true meaning.
10. Resembling prajñā, the first: teaching that the five aggregates and so on are impermanent, suffering, and without self, and causing one to seek the marks and practise. The Buddha answers what resembling prajñā is: 「說有所得般若波羅蜜，是為相似般若波羅蜜。」 tr. "To teach prajñāpāramitā with something to be attained—this is resembling prajñāpāramitā." Its marks are: teaching that form and so on up to feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness, the twelve sense-fields, the eighteen elements, the six constituents, the six contacts, and the feeling born from the condition of contact are all impermanent, suffering, and without self, and saying, 「能如是行，是行般若」 tr. "If you can practise thus, this is practising prajñā," causing the practitioner to seek the mark of impermanence and the like and practise; and so on up to this: when practising the six perfections, the four dhyānas, the four foundations of mindfulness, and sarvajñā, teaching him in every case impermanence, suffering, and no-self. This passage uncovers the root of the sickness of resembling prajñā—impermanence, suffering, and no-self are originally the right teaching, but if one causes people to grasp ‘the mark of impermanence’ and cling to it as the practice of prajñā, it then falls into having something to be attained, and becomes what resembles and is not the true.
11. Resembling prajñā, the second to the sixth: one will gain the ten grounds, pass beyond the two vehicles, the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas, immeasurable merit, dedication to awakening. The Buddha continues to list the marks of resemblance: teaching ‘by cultivating prajñā one will gain the first ground and so on up to the tenth ground,’ cultivating with a resembling ‘something to be attained’ and by the general mark—this is resembling prajñā; teaching ‘having cultivated prajñā, one will pass beyond the grounds of the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha’—this is resembling prajñā; teaching ‘one enters the bodhisattva position, gains the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas, abides in the bodhisattva’s supernormal powers, and goes from one buddha-realm to another making offerings to the buddhas’—this is resembling prajñā; teaching ‘by studying prajñā, receiving and upholding, reading, reciting, and rightly recollecting it, one will gain immeasurable merit’—this is resembling prajñā; teaching ‘the merit and wholesome foundations of the buddhas, from the first arousing of the mind up to becoming a buddha, are all gathered together and dedicated to awakening’—this is resembling prajñā. This passage lists five marks broadly; in meaning they all look right, while the mind holds on to something to be attained—the grounds and positions, the fruits and virtues, and the dedication taught are, without exception, names and words of the Buddha’s Dharma, but once they are strung together by ‘with something to be attained, cultivating by the general mark,’ they all become resembling; this shows that the sickness of resemblance lies not in the names and words but in the mind’s holding on and grasping marks.
12. How one does not teach resembling prajñā—the nature of form is empty and not a dharma, and that is prajñā; do not have anything passed beyond or anything abided in. The Buddha shows the mark of not teaching what resembles: teaching people, ‘do not contemplate form as impermanent; the nature of form is empty, this nature of form is not a dharma, and what is not a dharma is called prajñā; in prajñā form is neither permanent nor impermanent; form itself is unfindable, how much less permanent or impermanent,’ and feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness likewise; and further teaching, ‘do not have anything passed beyond, do not have anything abided in; in prajñā there is no dharma that can be passed beyond or abided in; all dharmas are empty of self-nature, emptiness of self-nature is not a dharma, what is not a dharma is prajñā, and there is no dharma that can be entered or exited, arise or cease.’ This passage sets up directly the teaching of true prajñā—it does not cause one to grasp the mark of impermanence, but shows directly that the nature of form is originally empty, that emptiness too is not a dharma, and that in it there is nothing to be attained and nothing abided in; this is exactly contrary to resemblance’s ‘grasping marks, with something to be attained,’ and so it is called not teaching what resembles.
13. One should expound it thus; the merit surpasses what came before. The Buddha concludes this sūtra passage: good men and good women should expound the meaning of prajñā thus; if they teach it thus, the merit gained surpasses that of the foregoing. This passage gathers up the meaning of the weighing so far—the prevailing of the gift of Dharma here comes to rest in the one move of ‘expounding true prajñā thus’; only by transmitting true prajñā and not transmitting what resembles it is the gift of Dharma ultimately prevailing.
14. The treatise explains the causes and conditions of the prevailing—prajñā is without outflows, accomplishes the three vehicles, and enters nirvāṇa; the ten wholesome paths are with outflows and fall back into suffering. The treatise section: It explains the intent of the Buddha’s posing the question: the Buddha wished further to make clear by another approach that prajñā prevails, and so he asked Śakra whether the merit of the ten wholesome paths was great or not. Here it tells the causes and conditions of the prevailing: prajñā broadly teaches all the dharmas without outflows, accomplishes the paths of the three vehicles, enters nirvāṇa, and does not return again; the ten wholesome paths are only wholesome dharmas with outflows, which receive the impermanent happiness of the world and fall back again into suffering; therefore they do not equal it. This passage is the overall cause the treatise-author sets up for the weighing of the whole chapter—the root of the gift of Dharma’s surpassing the gift of wealth lies in the difference between without outflows and with outflows, between beyond the world and within the world, not merely in the quantity of outward deeds.
15. The five pairs of difference between the worldly and the world-transcending; the dharmas without outflows are the thirty-seven limbs of the path and so on up to immeasurable buddha-dharmas. The treatise lists five layers of difference: the former is a worldly dharma, the latter a world-transcending dharma; the former can give birth to birth and death, the latter can extinguish birth and death; the former is the cause and condition of impermanent happiness, the latter the cause and condition of permanent happiness; the former is a dharma shared by ordinary people and noble ones, the latter is a dharma only for noble ones. What are called dharmas without outflows are the thirty-seven limbs of the path, the eighteen unshared dharmas, and so on up to the immeasurable dharmas of the buddhas. This passage opens up the ‘without outflows / with outflows’ of the passage above by five pairs—setting them one against one, it shows that the merit of the ten wholesome paths lies in the end within birth and death and impermanence, while the dharma of prajñā goes out of birth and death and brings permanent happiness, so in the weighing it must prevail.
16. Teaching one to gain the noble fruits and so on up to awakening—all are born from the bodhisattva. The treatise explains the causes and conditions and the similes of the Buddha’s further teaching: teaching one person to gain srota-āpanna surpasses teaching the people of Jambudvīpa to practise the ten wholesome paths, because although they practise the ten wholesome paths they have not escaped the three evil destinies; and so on up to arhat and pratyekabuddha, likewise; again, teaching the people of one Jambudvīpa to gain the path of the śrāvaka or pratyekabuddha does not equal teaching one person to gain unsurpassed awakening, 「須陀洹至辟支佛皆從菩薩生故」 tr. "because srota-āpanna up to pratyekabuddha are all born from the bodhisattva." This passage explains the reason for the weighing by ‘all the fruits are born from the bodhisattva’—if the gift of Dharma can accomplish a bodhisattva, accomplish prajñā, it accomplishes the source of all the noble fruits, and so it surpasses merely causing one to realise and take a single fruit.
17. The difference between those free of desire through the four dhyānas and the like and the ten wholesome paths; practising prajñā oneself surpasses giving the scroll to others. The treatise makes clear: teaching beings to practise the four dhyānas and the rest up to the five supernormal powers is also like the case of the ten wholesome paths, and none of it equals writing out prajñā; but those of the four dhyānas and the like are people free of desire, which differs from the ten wholesome paths; again, the reason one who himself receives and upholds prajñā, reads, recites, and rightly recollects it gains much merit is that 「上以般若經卷與他人，今自行般若為異」 tr. "above it was giving the scroll of the prajñā sūtra to other people; now it is practising prajñā oneself—that is the difference"; before, the ten wholesome paths and so on up to the five supernormal powers were spoken of separately; now they are spoken of together. This passage sorts out the levels—though the four dhyānas are higher than the ten wholesome paths (being free of desire), they still belong to what is with outflows; and it distinguishes the two matters of 「以經卷與人」 tr. "giving the scroll to others" and 「自行般若」 tr. "practising prajñā oneself," showing that within the weighing what is given differs as for oneself or for others, while the prevailing of the gift of Dharma is consistent throughout.
18. Question and answer one: why explain only right recollection—right recollection can complete both merit and wisdom, like taking medicine and the sickness being cured. The treatise sets up a question: why does it not explain ‘receiving and upholding, reading, reciting, and expounding,’ but explains only 「正憶念」 tr. "right recollection"? The treatise answers: the merit of receiving and upholding, reading, reciting, and expounding is originally great, but right recollection can possess both of two things, merit and wisdom, and so it is explained separately; just as gathering herbs and compounding them without taking them does no harm to the sickness, while taking them removes the sickness—right recollection is like taking the medicine and the sickness being cured. And it goes on to set out that the mark of right recollection is 「非二非不二行般若」 tr. "practising prajñā neither dually nor non-dually," the meaning of dual and non-dual being as said before. This passage explains, with the one simile of taking medicine, why right recollection alone is weighty—receiving and upholding, reading, and reciting are like gathering the herbs; right recollection is like taking them; merit must wait for the illumination of the wisdom of right recollection before it can cure the sickness of birth and death and become merit without end.
19. Three layers of advance; because the field of merit is great, the merit is great; with something to be attained does not equal with nothing to be attained. The treatise makes clear the prevailing in three layers: first, writing out the scroll of the sūtra surpasses the relics; in the middle, giving the scroll of the sūtra to others surpasses teaching people to practise the ten wholesome paths and so on up to the five supernormal powers; now, on the side of receiving and upholding, reading and reciting, right recollection is the most surpassing, and explaining the meaning for others to make it easy to understand surpasses again one’s own practice of right recollection. The Buddha wished to analyse merit broadly, and so he said that making offerings for a whole lifetime to the buddhas of the ten directions does not equal explaining prajñā for others, because the buddhas of the three times all studied prajñā and accomplished the unsurpassed path; again, a bodhisattva’s practising the six perfections for immeasurable kalpas with something to be attained does not equal explaining prajñā for others, and one with something to be attained is so 「以我心於諸法中取相故」 tr. "because with the mind of self he grasps marks in all dharmas." This passage shows layer upon layer the progressive prevailing of the gift of Dharma, and brings its utmost back to 「無所得」 tr. "nothing to be attained"—every practice with something to be attained, grasping marks, has merit that in the end comes to an end; only the gift of Dharma of prajñā with nothing to be attained prevails.
20. The Buddha further teaches the right meaning of prajñā—practising the six perfections with nothing to be attained is complete; he teaches in advance the marks of resembling prajñā to save the future. The treatise makes clear: the Buddha wished further to teach the right meaning of prajñā, and so he answered Śakra, ‘a bodhisattva who practises the six perfections with nothing to be attained gains completeness,’ and completeness is the right meaning of prajñā; again, there would be people in the future age who teach resembling prajñā, and people in the assembly, hearing right recollection taught, thought, 「何者是邪憶念」 tr. "What is wrong recollection?"; so the Buddha taught the marks of resembling prajñā, just as only by knowing the path and the non-path can one relinquish the non-path and practise the right path; further, out of pity for future beings who do not see the Buddha or the great bodhisattvas but see only the sūtra books, and who, attached to the sounds, teach resembling prajñā—what resembles is ‘the names and words are the same while the meaning in the mind differs’: to teach, with an attached mind and grasping at marks, that the five aggregates are impermanent and so on up to neither arising nor ceasing, is resembling; to teach, with a mind not attached and not grasping at marks, that the five aggregates are impermanent only to break the inversion of permanence, without being attached to impermanence, is true prajñā; so it teaches one to relinquish what resembles and cultivate true prajñā, and this is called teaching the right meaning of prajñā, which surpasses the foregoing merit. This passage is the hinge of the treatise-author’s explanation of resembling prajñā—the judgement of true and false lies not in the wording but in whether or not the mind is attached, and the truth or falsity of the gift of Dharma is also bound to this.
21. Teaching one to gain śrāvakahood and so on up to abiding as avaivartika—none of it equals expounding prajñā for others; the noble ones are born from prajñā. The sūtra section: The Buddha weighs expounding prajñā against teaching beings to gain the fruits, layer upon layer: teaching the beings of Jambudvīpa and so on up to worlds as many as the sands of the Ganges in the ten directions, causing them to gain the paths of srota-āpanna, sakṛdāgāmin, anāgāmin, arhat, and pratyekabuddha, and so on up to causing them to arouse the mind of awakening and to abide in the ground of the avaivartika—none of it equals expounding its meaning for others with prajñā, revealing and analysing it, and encouraging them to receive, uphold, cultivate, and practise it; because 「般若波羅蜜中出生諸須陀洹」 tr. "from prajñāpāramitā are born the srota-āpannas," and so on up to the avaivartika bodhisattvas being born from it. This passage carries on from the weighing of the earlier sūtra passage and advances further—the end of the gift of wealth that is weighed rises from 「行十善」 tr. "practising the ten wholesome paths" to ‘causing them to realise the noble fruits, causing them to abide in non-retrogression,’ and yet the end of the gift of Dharma always prevails, and the reason still lies in prajñā’s being that from which all the noble ones come forth.
22. Those who arouse the intent to seek awakening, and all gaining avaivartika, still do not equal expounding for others; expounding for one who will quickly gain awakening has the greatest merit. The sūtra continues the weighing: the beings of one Jambudvīpa arouse the intent to seek awakening, and one expounds prajñā for them; this does not equal expounding it for one avaivartika bodhisattva, whose merit is very great; again, the beings of one Jambudvīpa all gain avaivartika, and one expounds for them; if among them there is one bodhisattva who will quickly gain awakening, the one who expounds for this bodhisattva has the greatest merit. This passage pushes the weighing to its extreme—the nearer the person who receives the Dharma is to the Buddha path, the greater the merit of the gift of Dharma made to him, until with ‘the one bodhisattva who will quickly gain awakening’ the merit is greatest; this raises the question of the treatise below, ‘why is the merit of one near the Buddha path the greatest.’
23. Śakra states that one should teach and make offerings step by step; Subhūti praises Śakra for benefiting bodhisattvas with the two gifts of wealth and Dharma. The sūtra makes clear: Śakra says to the Buddha that as a bodhisattva comes step by step nearer to awakening, one should step by step teach him to practise the six perfections, inner emptiness, and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas, and should also make offerings with clothing, bedding, food and drink, and medicine; making offerings to this bodhisattva with the gift of Dharma and the gift of wealth in this way has merit surpassing the foregoing, because the bodhisattva will quickly gain awakening; the venerable Subhūti then praises Śakra, 「汝為聖弟子」 tr. "You are a noble disciple," able to comfort the bodhisattvas and benefit them with the gift of Dharma and the gift of wealth, and further sets out that 「菩薩中生諸佛聖眾」 tr. "from among the bodhisattvas are born the buddhas and the noble assemblies," that if bodhisattvas did not arouse the mind and did not study the six perfections there would be no two vehicles, and that because bodhisattvas study the six perfections and gain awakening, the three evil destinies are cut off and all the vehicles appear in the world. This passage, through the mouths of Śakra and Subhūti, lays bare the meaning of ‘making offerings to bodhisattvas near the Buddha path with the two gifts of wealth and Dharma,’ and with ‘the buddhas and the noble assemblies all come forth from the bodhisattva’ sets the stage for the treatise below.
24. The treatise explains—all the worthy and noble come forth from prajñā; prajñā is the real mark of all dharmas. The treatise section: It explains the overall cause of the weighing of the preceding sūtra: teaching beings to gain the paths of the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha does not equal expounding prajñā for others, 「是諸賢聖皆從般若波羅蜜中出故」 tr. "because all these worthy and noble ones come forth from prajñāpāramitā." Prajñā is the real mark of all dharmas; the one who knows it rightly and universally is named the Buddha; next come the great bodhisattvas, the pratyekabuddhas, the arhats, and in turn down to the anāgāmin, the sakṛdāgāmin, and the srota-āpanna; those who can cherish, be mindful of, and make offerings to those who know the real mark are persons of worldly merit such as kings of gods and kings of humans; therefore it is constantly said that prajñā gives birth to the worthy and noble, to the great kṣatriya clans, and so on up to all the gods. This passage, with ‘prajñā is the real mark of all dharmas, and all the noble ones come forth from it,’ sets up the root of the gift of Dharma’s prevailing—to transmit prajñā is to transmit the source of all the noble ones, so it surpasses merely causing one to gain a single fruit.
25. Question and answer two: teaching one to arouse the unsurpassed path and gain avaivartika is the business of the Buddha path, so why does it not equal it—the distinction of the two kinds of bodhisattva. The treatise makes clear: teaching beings to arouse the unsurpassed path and so on up to gaining avaivartika does not equal explaining the right meaning of prajñā for one avaivartika person. Someone asks: that the dharmas of ordinary people and of the two vehicles do not equal it may be so, but now teaching people to arouse the unsurpassed path and to gain avaivartika is the business of the Buddha path—why does it still not equal it? The treatise answers: in teaching the right meaning of prajñā there are two kinds of bodhisattva: the first, the bodhisattva in a fleshly body within birth and death; the second, the bodhisattva who has gone out of the three realms, neither born nor dying, whose body is born of the Dharma-nature. This passage sets up a question and answer to break a doubt—that among what is equally the business of the Buddha path there are still the surpassing and the inferior is precisely because the bodhisattvas who are taught are at two levels, the fleshly body and the Dharma body, and cannot be treated all as one; it lays the root for the distinction below of why it prevails.
26. The matters of bodhisattvas beyond avaivartika—teaching and transforming beings, purifying lands, and the like surpass teaching one to arouse the mind. The treatise makes clear: to this bodhisattva whose body is born of the Dharma-nature one teaches only the matters of bodhisattvas from beyond avaivartika upward, namely teaching and transforming beings, purifying buddha-worlds, distinguishing the causes and conditions of the mental activity and karma of beings over immeasurable kalpas of the three times, distinguishing the kalpa-numbers of the arising and ceasing, formation and destruction, of all the worlds, great kindness and great compassion, omniscience, and the other immeasurable buddha-dharmas; teaching the Dharma for this one person surpasses teaching the beings of Jambudvīpa and so on up to worlds as many as the sands of the Ganges to arouse the mind, and further to reach avaivartika. This passage explains the surpassing and the inferior by ‘the deeper the matters taught, the further advanced the person taught’—teaching the deep dharmas from beyond avaivartika upward to one person surpasses teaching immeasurable people only up to avaivartika; this shows that the prevailing in the weighing shifts with the depth or shallowness of the one who receives the Dharma.
27. The one near the Buddha path who will quickly become a buddha brings the most merit—because the field of merit is great, the merit is great. The treatise makes clear: from avaivartika upward to the Buddha path, there is in between one more person, near the Buddha path, who will quickly become a buddha; the one who teaches this person the right meaning of prajñā has the most merit—「何以故？福田大故，福德亦大」 tr. "Why? Because the field of merit is great, the merit too is great." This passage sets up the one meaning of 「福田」 tr. "field of merit" as the pivot of the weighing—the nearer the person who receives the Dharma is to the ground of a buddha, the greater he is as a field of merit, so the same gift of Dharma has merit that becomes the greatest along with it; this is the reason why, in the preceding sūtra, ‘expounding for a bodhisattva who will quickly gain awakening has the greatest merit.’
28. The simile of offerings to the noble ones of the ten directions, and the simile of offerings to the crown prince and the king—because the field of merit is deep and thick, the merit too is great. The treatise extends the meaning of the field of merit with two similes: just as making offerings to the noble ones of worlds as many as the sands of the Ganges in the ten directions, and so on up to bodhisattvas about to sit on the seat of awakening, does not equal making offerings to one Buddha; and just as offending the crown prince incurs a greater offence than offending all other people, and making offerings to the crown prince earns greater favour than making offerings to all ordinary people, and offending the king or making offerings to the king again exceeds the crown prince. This passage takes as its similes the gradations between the Buddha and the noble ones, between the king and the crown prince, showing that the honour or lowliness of the field of merit decides the greatness or smallness of the merit—the bodhisattva near the Buddha path is like the crown prince in relation to the common folk, and so the one who gives to him has merit uniquely great.
29. Teaching and making offerings to the bodhisattva who will quickly and soon become a buddha surpasses; the field of merit is deep and thick and can cause beings to grow. The treatise concludes the meaning of the similes: teaching and transforming, and making offerings to, the bodhisattva who will quickly and soon become a buddha in this way surpasses the merit of making offerings to, and teaching and transforming, avaivartika bodhisattvas as many as the sands of the Ganges; 「所以者何？福田深厚，其法能令眾生增長故」 tr. "Why is that? Because the field of merit is deep and thick, and his dharma can cause beings to grow." This passage brings the two similes back to the original meaning—the reason it surpasses is, first, that the field of merit is deep and thick, and second, that the dharma of the bodhisattva near buddhahood can cause beings to grow; the two meanings are raised together, showing why the merit of making offerings to the bodhisattva near buddhahood with the gift of Dharma and the gift of wealth uniquely surpasses.
30. Śakra tells the Buddha that the power of the Dharma is great; Subhūti praises Śakra—the definitions of the gift of wealth and the gift of Dharma. The treatise explains following the sūtra: Śakra, knowing that the power of this Dharma is great, therefore tells the Buddha that as a bodhisattva comes step by step nearer to the unsurpassed path one should teach and transform him and make offerings to him in this way, and the merit becomes step by step greater; Subhūti praises Śakra for being able to comfort and encourage the bodhisattvas 「以財、法二施」 tr. "with the two gifts of wealth and Dharma." The treatise then explains the names of these two gifts: ‘the gift of wealth is necessities for offerings, clothing, food, and the like; the gift of Dharma is, namely, teaching the six perfections and the like.’ This passage settles directly the definitions of the gift of wealth and the gift of Dharma—the gift of wealth is the necessities that sustain the body; the gift of Dharma is imparting the teaching of the six perfections; in the chapter’s 「挍量法施」 tr. "Weighing the Gift of Dharma," its 「法施」 tr. "gift of Dharma" gains its exact gloss here.
31. Śakra is called a noble disciple; the noble assemblies all come forth from among the bodhisattvas. The treatise makes clear: because Śakra has attained the path he is called a noble disciple, and it is the dharma of a noble disciple to comfort and encourage the bodhisattvas; here it tells the causes and conditions—all these noble assemblies come forth from among the bodhisattvas; if bodhisattvas did not practise the six perfections and did not accomplish the unsurpassed path, there would be no srota-āpanna and so on up to pratyekabuddha; by reason of the bodhisattva, the ten wholesome paths and so on up to immeasurable buddha-dharmas appear in the world, and so the three evil destinies are cut off, and there come to be the great kṣatriya clans and so on up to buddhas appearing in the world. This passage restates the meaning of ‘the noble assemblies all come forth from the bodhisattva’ to explain why Śakra should encourage the bodhisattvas—since the bodhisattva is that from which all the noble fruits and the wholesome dharmas of the world come forth, to comfort and encourage the bodhisattva is to protect the root-source of all good.
32. Conclusion—a bodhisattva’s teaching the right meaning of prajñā and teaching one near the Buddha path has the greatest merit. The treatise gathers up the whole chapter: 「是故菩薩說般若波羅蜜正義，教近佛道，福德最大。」 tr. "Therefore a bodhisattva who teaches the right meaning of prajñāpāramitā, teaching one near the Buddha path, has the greatest merit." This passage sums up in one sentence—through the whole chapter the weighing proceeds layer upon layer, and its final return is here: the gift of Dharma of proclaiming the right meaning of prajñā and teaching people to come near the Buddha path has, among all the weighings, the greatest merit, answering exactly to the purport of the chapter’s name, 「挍量法施」 tr. "Weighing the Gift of Dharma."
Do Not Misread
Do not read 「挍量」 tr. "weighing" as the graph meaning ‘collation,’ or suspect that the graph in the chapter’s name is in error. The first graph of 「挍量」 tr. "weighing," 「挍」 tr. "weigh," has here the sense of weighing, comparing and measuring, and the whole chapter is built precisely by comparing the two ends, the gift of wealth and the gift of Dharma, layer upon layer; some of the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace editions simply omit the two characters 「挍量」 tr. "weighing" and read only 「法施品」 tr. "The Gift of Dharma," and the heading in the old commentary writes ‘weighing’ with the other graph; these are differences in the wording of the transmitted texts and belong to the Apparatus; for the meaning, one need only read on by the one sense ‘comparing and measuring the merit of the gift of Dharma,’ and must not, because of differences in the form of the characters, doubt the purport of the chapter.
Do not read ‘the gift of Dharma surpasses the gift of wealth’ as the Buddha disparaging giving and slighting the gift of wealth. The intent of the weighing lies not in rejecting the gift of wealth as bad, but in showing that the prajñā transmitted by the gift of Dharma can accomplish the three vehicles and go out of birth and death, while the merit of the gift of wealth lies in the world, with outflows, and in the end falls into impermanence. The treatise says it clearly: the ten wholesome paths and so on up to the four dhyānas, even if extended throughout worlds as many as the sands of the Ganges, are still with outflows, and so they do not equal writing out and upholding, and expounding, prajñā. If one reads 「不如」 tr. "does not equal" as the Buddha thinking lightly of the gift of wealth, one loses the original meaning of ‘without outflows surpasses with outflows, beyond the world surpasses within the world’; the gift of wealth has its own merit, only that, weighed against the gift of Dharma, what comes to an end cannot match what does not come to an end.
Do not read 「相似般若」 tr. "resembling prajñā" as a mistaken statement in wording. The treatise’s standard for judging true and false is clearly ‘the names and words are the same while the meaning in the mind differs’—teaching impermanence, suffering, and no-self, teaching that one will gain the ten grounds, teaching dedication to awakening: none of these names and words is not the Buddha’s Dharma; the sickness of resemblance lies not in what is said, but in saying it ‘with an attached mind, grasping marks, with something to be attained.’ So one must not regard resembling prajñā as an error of terminology, but must judge it by whether or not the mind’s intent is attached to marks; true prajñā is exactly saying the same names and words without grasping marks, without having something to be attained, without being attached to impermanence.
Do not read ‘teaching the one person near the Buddha path surpasses teaching immeasurable beings’ as valuing the individual and slighting the great multitude, or as a kind of weighing of merit that can be bought and sold. The treatise judges it by ‘because the field of merit is great, the merit too is great’ and by the simile of the crown prince and the king—what is weighed is how far or near the person who receives the Dharma is from the ground of a buddha, as the crown prince in relation to the common folk; it is not that merit is set by the number of people. Moreover the utmost of this prevailing returns to ‘a bodhisattva teaching the right meaning of prajñā and teaching one near the Buddha path’; what is valued is still the gift of Dharma of 「說般若正義」 tr. "teaching the right meaning of prajñā," not the picking and choosing of the sphere of giving; if one reads it as a snobbish weighing, one loses the meaning of the field of merit being deep and thick and being able to cause beings to grow.
Bearing on Practice
This chapter brings the one meaning of ‘the gift of Dharma surpasses the gift of wealth’ all the way down from the guiding thread of ‘without outflows surpasses with outflows’ to the daily choices of one who applies himself. The first layer of faith and understanding that one should most take up is this: giving, keeping the precepts, and so on up to the four dhyānas and the five supernormal powers, if not dedicated to prajñā and not practised with a mind of nothing to be attained, are in the end merit that comes to an end according to karma, and cannot even bring the nirvāṇa of the Small Vehicle, let alone the unsurpassed path. In doing good in daily life, if one who applies himself counts only the quantity of outward deeds and the height of the states reached, and does not gather them in with the right contemplation of prajñā, it is like a gift of wealth throughout worlds as many as the sands of the Ganges still not matching the writing out and upholding of one scroll of prajñā; what this chapter teaches one to value is, in each and every wholesome deed, dedicating it to prajñā and leaving behind having something to be attained, and the merit then turns from what comes to an end into what does not.
The distinction of ‘with something to be attained / with nothing to be attained’ is above all a measuring rule this chapter gives to one who applies himself. The treatise says it most pointedly: thinking ‘I give, he receives, and this is the thing given,’ one gains only the name of giving and does not gain the pāramitā; only when the three wheels are unfindable is it called complete. When one who applies himself gives, keeps the precepts, and cultivates wisdom, what he should most examine in himself is exactly this one thought of the mind that grasps marks—cultivating while attached to self, attached to others, attached to dharmas, even through many kalpas the merit in the end is exhausted; if one can practise where subject and object both vanish, a single gift and a single precept are then the practice of reaching the other shore. This does not teach one to abandon cultivation in outward deeds; it teaches one, in outward deeds, not to fall into attachment to the three wheels.
The judgement between 「相似般若」 tr. "resembling prajñā" and 「真般若」 tr. "true prajñā" can best serve as a plumb line for contemplative practice. Alike teaching impermanence, alike teaching emptiness, alike teaching dedication—once it falls into having something to be attained and grasping marks, it is resembling, and instead causes those who have aroused the mind to lose the path; once, on the names and words, one does not grasp marks, is not attached, does not attain, it is true and real. When one who applies himself hears the Dharma, teaches the Dharma, and even cultivates contemplative wisdom himself, he should test himself on this: is he grasping a ‘mark of impermanence,’ a ‘mark of emptiness,’ as something attained, as something practised—or is he directly illuminating that the nature of form is originally empty, that emptiness too is not a dharma, and that in it nothing is abided in? The former is the road of resemblance; only the latter is what this chapter calls 「說般若正義」 tr. "teaching the right meaning of prajñā." The truth or falsity of the gift of Dharma and the rightness or wrongness of one’s own practice are divided entirely within this one thought of attachment or non-attachment.
Further Resonances
The backbone of this chapter is a line of the surpassing meaning of the gift of Dharma threaded through by 「挍量」 tr. "weighing": the Buddha weighs the gift of wealth (teaching beings to practise the ten wholesome paths and so on up to realising śrāvakahood and pratyekabuddhahood, and so on up to causing them to arouse the mind and abide in non-retrogression) against the gift of Dharma (writing out and upholding, and expounding, prajñā) layer upon layer, and the end of the gift of Dharma always prevails; its root lies in prajñā’s being without outflows and able to accomplish the three vehicles and go out of birth and death, while the ten wholesome paths are with outflows, receive merit, and fall back; since the gift of Dharma prevails, what is transmitted must be true prajñā, and so it distinguishes that giving with something to be attained gains only its name and that only when the three wheels are unfindable is it called complete, and it also distinguishes the difference between true prajñā and resembling prajñā, so that future beings will not lose the path through hearing what resembles it; the prevailing of the gift of Dharma further shifts with how far or near the one who receives the Dharma is from buddhahood, until teaching the one person near the Buddha path has the greatest merit. The treatise’s explanation, with ‘without outflows surpasses with outflows,’ ‘all the worthy and noble come forth from prajñā,’ ‘the two kinds of bodhisattva,’ ‘because the field of merit is great, the merit is great,’ and similes such as the offerings to the crown prince and the king, answers one by one the doubts ‘why does the gift of Dharma surely prevail,’ ‘why does with something to be attained not equal with nothing to be attained,’ ‘why does the business of the Buddha path still not equal it,’ and ‘why is the merit of one near the Buddha path the greatest.’ The meaning of the chapter lies wholly in one matter: ‘the gift of Dharma that transmits true prajñā and teaches one near the Buddha path has, among all the weighings, the greatest merit.’
The two sentences ‘the gift of wealth is necessities for offerings, clothing, food, and the like; the gift of Dharma is, namely, teaching the six perfections and the like’ deserve particular mention in passing, for they show the traces of the further resonances. The whole chapter is named 「挍量法施」 tr. "Weighing the Gift of Dharma," and yet the exact gloss of 「法施」 tr. "the gift of Dharma" is pointed out only at the end of the treatise, where it explains the words of Śakra and Subhūti—the gift of Dharma does not refer loosely to teaching the Dharma, but refers precisely to imparting the teaching of the six perfections to people; set against the 「供養具、衣食」 tr. "necessities for offerings, clothing, and food" of the gift of wealth, the one sustains the form body, the other sustains the Dharma body. The meaning that prajñā is the honoured guide of the six perfections and that from which the buddhas come forth has been discussed cumulatively from earlier chapters such as "Ānanda's Praise," and in this chapter, by way of the one matter of weighing wealth against Dharma, the two lines ‘prajñā can accomplish the noble fruits’ and ‘teaching prajñā is the most surpassing gift of Dharma’ are drawn together at one time. The reader may view the preceding and following chapters together to see the consistent vein running through ‘what prajñā is relied on by, what comes forth from it, and where it finally returns’ and ‘the gift of Dharma is most surpassing’ (where these further resonances begin and end, and their sources in the various chapters, are given in detail in the Apparatus).
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，繫卷六十，為本論全論此段之新卷首品。前品〈校量舍利品第三十七〉繫卷五十九，訖於卷末題「大智度論卷第五十九」；本品隨即續於卷六十之首，卷與品同起。是故本品同前品〈校量舍利品〉之「卷與品同起」型，異於品三十六〈阿難稱譽品〉之「同卷次品、不重署名」型——本品卷首具足卷殼、龍樹造署、羅什譯署（「聖者龍樹造」「後秦龜茲國三藏鳩摩羅什譯」），且自帶獨立之 mulu 元素（卷首 jhead〔T25 0481b14〕題「大智度論釋挍量法施品第三十八」，品身正文自此起），據底本誌其型別。
本品訖界為卷末題「大智度論卷第六十」〔T25 0486a22〕；次品〈隨喜品第三十九〉續於後卷。品身正文自品題〔T25 0481b14〕起，終於「是故菩薩說般若波羅蜜正義，教近佛道，福德最大」〔T25 0486a19〕，隨即卷閉。全品純漢字六千八百三十八（extract --check 工具值；另以獨立純漢計數得六千八百四十六，與工具值差八——判為卷題／署名字元計入口徑差異，如實誌錄，以工具 --check 之六千八百三十八為優先參考值，非估算）。
品內結構單一單元、二【經】二【論】交替（異於品三十六〈阿難稱譽品〉之二經二論、品三十七〈校量舍利品〉之三經三論析為兩單元；本品全帙一貫、不切分）：【經】〔T25 0481b19〕、【論】〔T25 0483c17〕、【經】〔T25 0484b20〕、【論】〔T25 0485c04〕——經①論①、經②論②四段相間。問答之數，本品頂層僅二組（回搜品內「問曰」二見〔0484a17／0485c15〕、「答曰」二見〔0484a18／0485c17〕，皆位於論段之內），密度遠疏於品三十六之九番、品三十七之十番——本品義理鋪陳以佛與帝釋長段對答、層層數量級遞升譬喻與相似般若六重定義為主軸，非論段析辯為主軸，據底本各自定，不沿他品格局。
四標籤皆恰在塊首，無鑲嵌型過渡。全品說者以佛與釋提桓因（帝釋·憍尸迦）對答為軸（承前二品帝釋主軸而續，回搜「釋提桓因」十一見、「憍尸迦」四十九見）。慧命須菩提凡二入（論段末「爾時，須菩提讚帝釋言」〔T25 0486a10〕，及經段中「慧命須菩提語釋提桓因言」〔T25 0485b14〕，凡二讚帝釋以財法二施），舍利弗、阿難皆未出現（異於品三十六、三十七之舍利弗／阿難插入），據正文實標。
二、術語考
挍量·法施。 品名之樞，亦全品之骨句（品名底本作「挍量」，非「校量」，見第四目）。「挍量」者，比較衡量之謂；「法施」者，書持、演說般若對「財施」（教人行十善等）之權衡。全品以「財施／法施」二施反覆校量——「不如是善男子、善女人書持般若波羅蜜經卷與他人，令讀、誦、說，得福多」〔T25 0481b22〕，逐級校量而法施皆勝。論末更立二施之定義：「財施者，供養具、衣食等」，「『法施』者，所謂教六波羅蜜等」〔T25 0486a12〕——此財施／法施之界說為本品立名之義，亦全品之綱。
無漏法·有漏法。 法施所以勝財施之義理底據。般若所以勝十善，在「是般若波羅蜜中廣說諸無漏法」〔T25 0481b23〕，學是法者入正法位、得須陀洹乃至阿耨多羅三藐三菩提；十善道則但世間有漏——論釋申之：「十善道但善有漏法，受世間無常福樂，還復墮苦，是故不如」〔T25 0483c21〕。無漏「成三乘道，入涅槃，不復還」，有漏「還復墮苦」，此無漏／有漏之判為法施勝財施之綱骨。
正憶念·不以二法不以不二法。 受持般若之最勝一著，亦本品第一義所歸之一。經明受持般若之正憶念者，「不以二法、不以不二法」〔T25 0482a29〕；論釋問「何以不解『受、持、讀、誦、說』，但解『正憶念』」，答「正憶念能具二事，所謂福德、智慧」〔T25 0484a19〕，「正憶念相，所謂非二非不二行般若波羅蜜」〔T25 0484a22〕。正憶念之為最勝，正在其非二非不二、能具福慧二事。
有所得·無所得。 法施勝財施、乃至檀波羅蜜之為波羅蜜與否之樞。經明有所得布施「作是念：『我與，彼受，所施者物。』是名得檀，不得波羅蜜」〔T25 0482c10〕；無所得則「不得與者、不得受者、不得所施物，是人得具足檀波羅蜜」〔T25 0482c22〕。有所得但得檀名、不成波羅蜜，無所得方名具足——法施之以無所得故其福甚多，正立於此。
相似般若波羅蜜。 本品義理最密集之一段，經開六重定義。「有善男子、善女人說有所得般若波羅蜜，是為相似般若波羅蜜」〔T25 0483a08〕為其總相；復以「說色無常」求無常相、「說當得初地乃至十地」以總相修、「說當過聲聞、辟支佛地」、「說入菩薩位得無生法忍」、「說當得無量無邊阿僧祇功德」、「說諸佛功德善本迴向」六相展開（見第五目）；對顯「不說相似般若」——「色，色性空。是色性非法，若非法即名為般若波羅蜜」〔T25 0483b29〕。相似者「名字語言同，而心義異」（論釋語〔T25 0484b13〕），著心取相說即相似，不著心不取相說即真實。
二種菩薩（生死肉身·法性生身）。 論②答問之樞語。問「教人發無上道、得阿鞞跋致，是佛道事，何故不如」，答「說般若正義有二種：一者、生死肉身菩薩，二者、出三界不生不死法性生身菩薩」〔T25 0485c18〕。教「過阿鞞跋致菩薩」之法性生身事（教化眾生、淨佛世界等），勝教發心乃至得阿鞞跋致——二種菩薩之辨，明「近佛道者功德最大」之所以然。
三、譬喻與故事
《大智度論》以譬喻著稱，本品譬喻雖不若品三十七之厚，然要喻凡四，多落論釋，分承「正憶念如服藥」「捨相似如知道」「福田深厚」「太子國王」四義。
採藥服藥喻（承「正憶念」義）。 論釋何以但解「正憶念」——受持讀誦說如採藥合和而未服，正憶念如服藥病愈。「如人採藥草，乃至合和而未服之，於病無損，服乃除病；正憶念如服藥病愈，是故但解正憶念」〔T25 0484a20〕。採藥合和喻受持讀誦（備而未用），服藥除病喻正憶念（能具福慧、實除煩惱病）——正憶念所以獨解，正在其如服藥之能實愈。
知道非道喻（承「捨相似般若」義）。 論釋何以豫說相似般若之相——「有人未來世說相似般若者，會中人聞說正憶念，作是思惟：『何者是邪憶念？』是故說相似般若波羅蜜相。如人知是道非道故，能捨非道、行正道」〔T25 0484b07〕。知道非道喻辨相似真實，捨非道行正道喻捨相似修真般若——佛豫說相似之相，正為令行者知辨而能捨修。
十方聖人供養一佛喻（承「福田深厚」義）。 論釋近佛道者福田最大——「譬如供養一切十方如恒河沙等世界聖人乃至欲坐道場菩薩，不如供養一佛」〔T25 0485c28〕。供養無量聖人不如供養一佛者，佛之福田最深故；喻教「近佛道疾欲成佛」之一人，勝教恒沙世界眾生令發心乃至得阿鞞跋致——「福田大故，福德亦大」〔T25 0485c28〕。
太子·國王供養喻（承「福田深厚」義·與上喻相承）。 論釋福田愈近佛則福德愈大——「譬如犯於太子，得罪過犯一切人；若供養太子，得恩勝於供養一切凡人。若犯國王，得罪過於犯太子；若供養國王，勝於供養太子」〔T25 0486a01〕。太子、國王喻近佛道之菩薩、佛，凡人喻餘眾生；犯之得罪重、供之得恩勝，皆以其位尊——喻教化供養疾近作佛之菩薩，勝於供養如恒沙阿鞞跋致菩薩，「福田深厚，其法能令眾生增長故」〔T25 0486a07〕。此喻與上「一佛」喻相承，一以佛、一以王，同明福田愈近則福德愈大。
四、所釋經文
品名三造分層網：挍量法施品／法施品／十善品（異名同品·三造分屬三層·並錄不判）。 本品品名於本論與所釋經、古德疏各側，非前二品之「兩造交叉」二元格局，而呈三造分屬三層之分佈——「挍／格／校」三字形分見底本、疏家釋詞、另一疏家標題三側，「挍量法施／法施／十善」三名分見本論底本、宋元明宮省文與 T223、丹本三層。逐一據底本誌之。
其一，本論（T25n1509）側，五路分層。卷首 jhead〔T25 0481b14〕題「大智度論釋挍量法施品第三十八」，底本（大正／麗藏 lem）正名為「挍量法施品」（用「挍」字，非「校」）；其品題校記——宋、元、明、宮四本逕缺「挍量」二字（僅作「法施品」，非改字為「校」）；元、明二本另有「法施」→「十善」之異讀（取品初「十善道」為名）；聖本作「釋第卅七品」（品名省、品次「卅七」-1 階）；石本作「摩訶般若波羅蜜品第卅七」（品次「卅七」-1 階）——五路並陳於品首卷題群組校記（見第八目〔0481b14〕四條）。
其二，所釋經（T223）側。羅什譯《摩訶般若波羅蜜經》此品題，底本（大正 lem）作「法施品」〔T08 0293c16 mulu「38 法施品」〕，取「法施」二字為名（非「挍量法施」全稱）；其 head 內另有 inline 校記——丹本（高麗藏丹本）異名「十善品」，取品初「十善道」為名。此為所釋經一側兩品名並存之直接 byte 證據（T223 底本「法施」／丹本「十善」）。
其三，古德疏之字形第三造。吉藏《大品經義疏》（X24n0451）標題用「法施品第三十八」〔X24n0451 0274c10〕（同 T223 底本名），惟其疏文自身用字作「格量」——「今舉此格量般若經卷與他人，故云法施，對上財施格量也」〔X24n0451 0274c11〕；「格量」訓詁義近「衡量比較」，與底本「挍量」義同而字異。慧影《大智度論疏》（X46n0791）標題兩處（卷首目錄與正文疏題）一致作「校量法施品」，另有卷末校記一條覆誦同題（其標的指回正文疏題·非獨立第三見）——「釋校量法施品第三十八」〔X46n0791 0878c24〕，此「校」字形為三造中唯一出處，實見於慧影疏標題，非宋元明宮異讀、亦非 X24。
其四，三造分層之結論。合觀諸側——本論底本「挍量」（挍字形）／X24 body「格量」（格字形·疏家釋詞）／X46 標題「校量」（校字形·另一疏家標題）三字形分屬三層；「挍量法施」（本論底本）／「法施」（宋元明宮省文·T223 底本·X24 標題）／「十善」（本論元明異讀·T223 丹本）三名各自擷取品內不同主題詞（挍量＝比較衡量·法施＝法施二字·十善＝品初十善道）為名——判為「異名同品」，三本各自擷取不同主題詞立名，非誤植、非改字、非品序錯位，承前二品既定方法論。本版品名從本論底本作「挍量法施品」（本版品名主軸為本論底本，既定之裁·有底本依據，本目不翻案）；「法施品」「十善品」「格量」「校量」諸名字形皆逐字保留於對讀敘述，並錄不判。
品次 -1 階（延續既定現象·本品構成第七例）。 本論聖本、石本之品次作「卅七」（見上品名校記），構成品次計數落後一階之 -1 階分支——聖本「釋第卅七品」、石本「品第卅七」，均較底本「三十八」少一，與品三十二至三十七聖／石兩支傳承持續性 -1 階同一方向、同一偏移量，構成品三十二至三十八全區間聖／石兩支傳承 -1 階之第七例（於卷首整體卷題 app 中完整重現，未見中斷或修正）。加以慧影疏釋文亦作「釋第六十卷論第三十七品者……名為十善品」〔X46n0791 0878c24〕，以「第三十七品」指本品（三十八），與聖石 -1 階同方向——聖本·石本·慧影疏三方各自不同來源、同一方向偏差，誌錄不判優劣，其機制未明，不強解。（品三十七考據既載 A097 經錄品三十二至三十七之 -1 階著錄，此處未於品三十八獨立重跑 A097 側查核，如實誌闕，俟後續補查。）
T223 mulu n 屬性跳號瑕疵（誌錄不強解）。 所釋經 T223 側，本品之 mulu 屬性標序作「n=39」而顯文題「38 法施品」〔T08 0293c16〕，屬性較顯文多算一位。另核 T223 品三十六至三十九區間 mulu n= 屬性：尊導品 n=37、法稱品 n=37（重複）、法施品 n=39、隨喜品 n=39（重複）——mulu n= 屬性本身有重複／跳號（37 重複、39 重複、無 38），屬 CBETA 編碼層現象；惟顯文品號序列（36／37／38／39）本身連續無誤。故 T1509 品三十八（挍量法施品）↔ T223「38 法施品」，顯文品號序完全對齊（無 -1 階），與上述聖／石 witness 之 -1 階為不同層次之兩件事，如實誌錄，本目不強解。
全量牒經對讀（兩側對勘·開篇逐句核）。 本論品①【經】開篇與所釋經〈法施品〉逐字幾近同文——本論「佛告釋提桓因言：『憍尸迦！若有善男子、善女人，教一閻浮提人行十善道。於汝意云何？以是因緣故，得福多不？』」〔T25 0481b19〕；T223 同段作「若有善男子、善女人，教一閻浮提人行十善道。於汝意云何，以是因緣故得福多不」〔T08 0293c17〕——同一施設者釋提桓因、同一「教人行十善道／書持般若經卷」財施法施校量母題（僅標點細微差異，T25 作「於汝意云何？」T223 作「於汝意云何，」，非內容分歧）。判為「異名同品」，非場景移植（依兩側對勘之例，以開篇逐句比對定位，非拿甲本詞搜乙本）。本論二【論】層為論體之結構性擴增，所釋經無此層，非異文。所釋經 T223 側於本品對讀範圍內之 <app> witness 逐條統計及全量 difflib 精算，此處未展開，據實誌其未展開，俟後續考據補查，不以估值充數。
五、般若義眼
本品之眼，在「法施勝財施」一義之全幅展開——由「教人行十善對書持般若經卷，何者福多」之問起，歷「無漏勝有漏」「正憶念非二非不二」「有所得非波羅蜜」「相似般若之辨」「二種菩薩」，終歸於「諸聖眾皆從菩薩中出，菩薩說般若正義、教近佛道，福德最大」。其義可約為五重。
其一，法施勝財施——般若廣說無漏法故。佛問帝釋教一閻浮提人行十善道得福多不，帝釋答甚多；佛判「不如是善男子、善女人書持般若波羅蜜經卷與他人，令讀、誦、說，得福多」〔T25 0481b22〕。所以勝者，「是般若波羅蜜中廣說諸無漏法」、成三乘道入涅槃不復還，十善但有漏還墮苦（見第二目）；乃至教一人得須陀洹果勝教一閻浮提人行十善，以「教一閻浮提人行十善道，不離地獄、畜生、餓鬼苦」〔T25 0481c07〕、得須陀洹則離三惡道故。財施法施之校量，綱在無漏勝有漏。
其二，正憶念——非二非不二、勝自受持。受持般若之福，勝教閻浮提人行十善、立四禪等；而正憶念者「不以二法、不以不二法」〔T25 0482a29〕。論釋「正憶念相，所謂非二非不二行般若波羅蜜」〔T25 0484a22〕，如服藥病愈（採藥服藥喻，見第三目）；復明「為他人種種因緣演說般若波羅蜜義，開示、分別，令易解」之福「勝自受持般若波羅蜜，親近、讀、誦、說、正憶念」〔T25 0482b16〕——法施之勝，正在為他令解、能具福慧。
其三，有所得非波羅蜜——無所得方名具足。法施之以般若演說其義「其福甚多，以無所得故」〔T25 0482c08〕；有所得者「作是念：『我與，彼受，所施者物。』是名得檀，不得波羅蜜」〔T25 0482c10〕，無所得者「不得與者、不得受者、不得所施物，是人得具足檀波羅蜜」〔T25 0482c22〕。有所得但得檀名而不成波羅蜜，無所得方名具足六度——此無所得為般若正義之髓，亦法施勝財施之義理底據。
其四，相似般若之辨——真妄之際。經豫說相似般若六重（總相說有所得，別相說色無常求無常相、說當得十地以總相修、說當過二乘地、說入菩薩位得無生法忍住神通、說當得無量功德、說諸佛善本迴向），對顯「不說相似般若」——「色，色性空。是色性非法，若非法即名為般若波羅蜜。般若波羅蜜中色非常非無常」〔T25 0483b29〕。論釋辨其樞：「相似者，名字語言同，而心義異」〔T25 0484b13〕，著心取相說即相似、不著心不取相說即真實。佛豫說相似之相，正為憐愍未來世眾生「不見佛及諸大菩薩，但見經書」〔T25 0484b11〕，令知辨而捨相似、修真般若。
其五，諸聖眾皆從菩薩中出——教近佛道福德最大（本品收束之所歸）。論②答「教人發無上道得阿鞞跋致何故仍不如」——以二種菩薩辨之（生死肉身／法性生身，見第二目），教「過阿鞞跋致菩薩」之法性生身事勝教發心乃至得阿鞞跋致；復以十方聖人供養一佛喻、太子國王供養喻明「福田大故，福德亦大」〔T25 0485c28〕。須菩提讚帝釋「安慰勸進諸菩薩……以財、法二施」（財施＝供養具衣食，法施＝教六波羅蜜，見第二目）；終歸於「是諸聖眾皆從菩薩中出」〔T25 0486a15〕——若菩薩不行六度不成無上道，則無須陀洹乃至辟支佛、乃至無三惡道斷、無剎利大姓乃至諸佛出世。「是故菩薩說般若波羅蜜正義，教近佛道，福德最大」〔T25 0486a19〕一句收束全品，與義眼其一「法施勝財施」首尾相貫——法施之所以究竟勝，正因般若正義能生菩薩、菩薩能生諸佛聖眾。
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：釋所釋經之吉藏疏存完整專章且科判細密，釋論之慧影疏於本品所繫之卷六十亦有覆蓋（承前品〈校量舍利品〉之「兩古德疏俱覆本品」格局而續）。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）。 於所釋經〈法施品〉之逐文疏，起〔X24n0451 0274c10〕（品題「法施品第三十八」，緊接前品〈法稱品〉訖界之後），迄〔X24n0451 0276a14〕前（次品〈隨喜品第三十九〉起前，本目依 mulu 連續序列判定，接縫處未逐字核對），覆本品經全篇。其可誌者三。其一，釋名並具二義——「法施品第三十八可具二義：定、散二善教化，此是有所得法施，今舉此格量般若經卷與他人，故云法施，對上財施格量也」〔X24n0451 0274c10〕，即以「格量般若經卷與他、對上財施」釋「法施」品名之義，並具「將般若經卷與他即法施」「為他說般若勝皆是法施」諸義。其二，「格量」之用字——吉藏疏文自身用「格量」（非底本「挍量」、非慧影「校量」），為品名字形三造之一（見第四目）。其三，化他六段之科——「初、舉定散二善格量經卷與他……化他為二：第一、舉散善格經卷……初有六：一、舉閻浮提；二、四天下；三、小千；四、中千；五、大千；六、舉教十方恒沙人行十善，不及持經卷與人也」〔X24n0451 0274c17〕：吉藏判本品經①財施逐級校量為「化他」大科、開閻浮提／四天下／小千／中千／大千／恒沙六段，與本論品①【經】六級數量遞升（閻浮提→四天下→小千→二千中→三千大千→恒河沙）逐一相應，對義疏具直接引用價值。
慧影《大智度論疏》（X46n0791）。 為釋本論之唯一古疏，僅殘卷存世；卷二十一起釋論卷五十九，本品所繫之論卷六十正落於此覆蓋範圍內（承前品〈校量舍利品〉慧影覆蓋而續）。其於本品之逐文疏，起〔X46n0791 0878c24〕（疏題「釋校量法施品第三十八」，緊接前品「釋校量舍利品第三十七」訖處之後），覆本品論篇（正文起訖範圍與品內段落之逐段對應，此處未逐段精核，據實誌闕）。其可誌者三。其一，品名字形「校量」——疏題兩處一致（另一條為校記覆誦）作「校量法施品」（見第四目），「校」字形之唯一出處。其二，-1 階與「十善品」名之自證——「釋第六十卷論第三十七品者，即是校量分中第九品，應名法施品，但以初明十善故即以為名，名為十善品」〔X46n0791 0878c24〕：慧影以「第三十七品」指本品（三十八）為 -1 階之古德自證，並自釋「應名法施品，但以初明十善故……名為十善品」——正說破 T223 丹本「十善品」異名之所由（取品初十善道為名），與本論元明異讀「十善」相值。其三，「校量分中第九品」之科——慧影判本品為「校量分」大科之第九品，「校量功德訖於此品」〔X46n0791 0879a02〕，與本論〈釋餘品〉諸校量品（供養、舍利、法施）之次第相接續。
均正《大乘四論玄義》（X46n0784）·近代著述。 全書回搜「挍量法施」「校量法施」「法施品」諸串，本品皆零命中——與前諸品情形相同，未見均正之具名徵引，據實誌其闕。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，「法施勝財施·般若廣說無漏法」義之承衍（承前品線·誌錄不判）。前品〈校量舍利品〉論釋已立「舍利／般若二分」之校量、以般若為舍利所依所生；本品進而以「財施（十善）／法施（般若經卷）」二施校量，明般若「廣說諸無漏法，成三乘道，入涅槃，不復還」〔T25 0483c20〕故獨勝——由「舍利依般若」下貫至「財施不如法施」，前品明般若之為舍利所本，本品明法施之為財施所勝，校量一線相承。
其二，「諸聖眾皆從菩薩中出·般若是根本因緣」義之承衍（貫般若一線·誌錄不判）。本品收束「是諸聖眾皆從菩薩中出」〔T25 0486a15〕、「菩薩說般若波羅蜜正義，教近佛道，福德最大」〔T25 0486a20〕，與前品〈校量舍利品〉「般若是菩薩根本因緣，菩薩是諸佛根本因緣，諸佛是一切世間大利益安樂因緣」一線相承——般若正義能生菩薩、菩薩能生諸佛聖眾，故教近佛道福德最大。此屬本論「般若根本因緣義」之下貫，本目誌其迹，不代定其為單一經句之結構斷言。
其三，寶庫掛鏈（穩定徵引·軟引）。本品有所得布施「是名得檀，不得波羅蜜」〔T25 0482c11〕、無所得「不得與者、不得受者、不得所施物，是人得具足檀波羅蜜」〔T25 0482c22〕，及相似／真實般若之辨「色，色性空。是色性非法，若非法即名為般若波羅蜜」〔T25 0483b29〕之義，為般若無所得義、真妄般若辨之經論所本，落穩定徵引〔T25n1509 挍量法施品·卷六十〕；心經／金剛經／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。
八、校本與版本說明
本品底本為《大智度論》卷六十〔T25 0481b14–0486a22〕（品身正文自品題〔T25 0481b14〕起，終於「大智度論卷第六十」句〔T25 0486a22〕，次品〈隨喜品第三十九〉續於後卷）；所釋經校本為《摩訶般若波羅蜜經》〈法施品〉〔T08 0293c16 起〕；古德疏校本為吉藏《大品經義疏》（X24n0451，覆本品〔X24n0451 0274c10–0276a14〕前）、慧影《大智度論疏》（X46n0791，覆本品〔X46n0791 0878c24 起〕），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／卷題群組校記（三造分層之底據·專列）。 品首卷題群組校記〔T25 0481b14〕並陳品名之異文——其總條作「大智度論釋〔挍量〕法施品第三十八……卷六十【大】｜大智度經論卷第六十釋第卅七品【聖】｜摩訶般若波羅蜜品第卅七【石】」，並拆分為：「挍量【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】」（宋元明宮缺「挍量」二字）、「法施【大】｜十善【元】【明】」（元明異讀「十善」）、「八【大】｜八品【宮】」（宮本「八品」）。含聖本「釋第卅七品」、石本「品第卅七」之 -1 階「卅七」，及宋元明宮之省文、元明之「十善」異讀——五路分層之底據，用於第四目品名之判。此與 T223 側之底本「法施」、丹本「十善」（inline 校記），X24 標題「法施品」、body「格量」，X46 標題「校量法施品」、釋文「十善品」相參，即品名三造分層網之底據——如實並錄，不強加調解。
卷末題校記（石本卷末 -1 階題·聖本注·專列）。 校勘末段〔T25 0486a21〕——「大【大】｜大釋第三十七品竟【石】」，石本於本品末見「釋第三十七品竟」一句，其品次「第三十七」與本品底本品序「三十八」不合（石本品題亦作 -1 階「卅七」，見第四目），首尾一貫，屬石本 -1 階系統性偏移之卷末印證；並〔T25 0486a22〕「大智度〔經〕論卷第六十【大】｜〔－〕【石】」（石本缺卷末題）、「論【大】｜經論【聖】」（聖本作「經論」）——皆卷末題之異，如實誌錄。
校勘總帳（一百四十四條全量對帳·底本原樣）。 下依工作底本原樣傳錄——本品校記合計一百四十四條（與工作底本頭部 app 144、extract --check 工具值機械相合），內含本品自身錨點校記（own）與品內 refrain 遞歸重引（star）混列，異本讀法並列保存，正文仍從現行底本讀法。star 條凡十四（品內重引十條、遞歸 id 四條：beg_6ef／beg_6f0／beg_6f1／beg_6f2／beg_6f3／beg_6f4／beg_6f5／beg_6f6／beg_6f7／beg_6f8／beg_6f9／beg_6fa／beg_6fb／beg_6fc hex 尾格式），其 corresp 目標均指向品內某七位 note id，本帳依覆核所定之 corresp 目標（note(0481032)／note(0482005)／note(0483005)／note(0483012)／note(0483002)／note(0484004)／note(0483017)／note(0485024)／note(0486001) 等）標 star，不臆造目標。又〔0483c17〕有一 CBETA 複合 id 條（beg0483022b，單字「更」literal-context）、〔0484b12〕〔0484c21〕有帶麗藏頁碼出處之複合 id 條，異於一般異本並列，隨條標明：
- 〔T25 0481b14〕大智度論釋〔挍量〕法施品第三十八……卷六十【大】｜大智度經論卷第六十釋第卅七品【聖】｜摩訶般若波羅蜜品第卅七【石】（品名／卷題群組核心·-1階·三造分層·見第四目）
- 〔T25 0481b14〕挍量【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】（品名·宋元明宮缺「挍量」）
- 〔T25 0481b14〕法施【大】｜十善【元】【明】（品名·元明異讀「十善」）
- 〔T25 0481b15〕八【大】｜八品【宮】（品次·宮本「八品」）
- 〔T25 0481b19〕【經】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0481b21〕以【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0481b22〕是【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0481b23〕人【大】｜〔－〕【宮】
- 〔T25 0481b25〕法【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0481c10〕果【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0481c12〕果【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0481c15〕果【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0481c19〕學【大】｜與【聖】
- 〔T25 0481c25〕故【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0481c26〕言【大】｜告【聖】
- 〔T25 0481c26〕是【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0482a03〕令【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0482a03〕持【大】｜提【聖】
- 〔T25 0482a03〕得福【大】｜福德【石】
- 〔T25 0482a10〕德【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0482a15〕說【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0482a17〕提【大】｜提中【石】
- 〔T25 0482a23〕是【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】（star·品內重引→note(0481032)）
- 〔T25 0482a24〕說【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】（star·品內重引→note(0482005)）
- 〔T25 0482a26〕書【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0482b02〕尸【大】｜尸羅【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0482b06〕有【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0482b18〕念【大】｜念復次憍尸迦善男子若波羅蜜親近讀誦說正憶念【聖】
- 〔T25 0482b23〕告【大】｜語【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0482b27〕有【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0482c03〕諸【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0482c20〕羅【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0482c23〕得【大】｜所得【石】
- 〔T25 0482c25〕智【大】｜習【聖】
- 〔T25 0483a13〕蜜【大】｜蜜相似般若波羅蜜【石】
- 〔T25 0483a14〕行【大】｜〔－〕【石】
- 〔T25 0483a17〕說【大】｜說說【聖】
- 〔T25 0483a19〕界【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0483a21〕界【大】｜眾【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0483a21〕界【大】｜眾【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】（star·品內重引→note(0483005)）
- 〔T25 0483a25〕如【大】｜五【聖】
- 〔T25 0483a29〕苦【大】｜苦空【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0483b01〕為【大】｜〔－〕【宮】
- 〔T25 0483b08〕相【大】｜想【聖】
- 〔T25 0483b15〕法【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0483b15〕便【大】｜使【聖】
- 〔T25 0483b16〕界【大】｜國【石】
- 〔T25 0483b16〕界【大】｜國【石】（star·品內重引→note(0483012)）
- 〔T25 0483b19〕學【大】｜覺【聖】
- 〔T25 0483b20〕憶【大】｜〔－〕【石】
- 〔T25 0483b23〕佛【大】｜〔－〕【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0483b24〕如【大】｜是如【聖】
- 〔T25 0483b25〕是【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0483b25〕蜜【大】｜密【宮】
- 〔T25 0483b28〕善女人【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0483c01〕色【大】｜〔－〕【石】
- 〔T25 0483c06〕善女人【大】｜〔－〕【聖】（star·遞歸 id
beg_6f3） - 〔T25 0483c10〕是【大】｜名【石】
- 〔T25 0483c17〕者言【大】｜論曰【宮】｜釋曰【石】｜論者言【元】【明】
- 〔T25 0483c17〕更欲以異門明【大·literal context·CBETA 複合 id
beg0483022b·單字「更」空 rdg】 - 〔T25 0483c19〕經中【大】｜中經【聖】
- 〔T25 0483c22〕樂【大】｜德【聖】
- 〔T25 0483c22〕墮【大】｜隨【聖】
- 〔T25 0484a01〕免【大】｜勉【石】
- 〔T25 0484a07〕波羅蜜【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0484a09〕等【大】｜〔－〕【石】
- 〔T25 0484a16〕今【大】｜令【明】
- 〔T25 0484a17〕神【大】｜〔－〕【石】
- 〔T25 0484a19〕能【大】｜非【宮】
- 〔T25 0484a21〕念【大】｜〔－〕【石】
- 〔T25 0484a25〕行【大】｜〔－〕【石】（star·品內重引→note(0483002)）
- 〔T25 0484a25〕通【大】｜神通【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0484a25〕今【大】｜令【明】（star·品內重引→note(0484004)）
- 〔T25 0484a26〕今【大】｜令【宮】
- 〔T25 0484a26〕如【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0484b06〕具足即是【大】｜〔－〕【聖】｜即是【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0484b08〕正【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0484b08〕作【大】｜於【聖】
- 〔T25 0484b09〕故【大】｜故故【石】
- 〔T25 0484b12〕隨【大】｜墮【大】｜隨【宮】【聖】【石】（複合 id·帶麗藏／大正頁碼出處 K14n0549_p1098c09·T25n1509_p0511c10）
- 〔T25 0484b15〕般【大】｜〔－〕【石】
- 〔T25 0484b17〕如【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0484b18〕波羅蜜【大】｜〔－〕【聖】（star·遞歸 id
beg_6f6） - 〔T25 0484b23〕演說【大】｜說演【聖】
- 〔T25 0484b25〕讀、誦【大】｜誦讀【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0484b27〕置【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0484b29〕中【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0484c05〕說【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0484c13〕讀、誦【大】｜誦讀【宋】【元】【明】【宮】（star·遞歸 id
beg_6f7） - 〔T25 0484c15〕教【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0484c17〕一【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0484c18〕世尊【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0484c19〕他人【大】｜人他【聖】
- 〔T25 0484c21〕是言【大】｜言是【大】（複合 id
beg0484c2101·帶麗藏／大正頁碼出處 K14n0549_p1099b06·T25n1509_p0484c12） - 〔T25 0484c21〕讀、誦【大】｜誦讀【宋】【元】【明】【宮】（star·遞歸 id
beg_6f8） - 〔T25 0484c22〕行【大】｜〔－〕【石】（star·品內重引→note(0483002)）
- 〔T25 0484c24〕中【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0484c28〕是【大】｜〔－〕【聖】（star·品內重引→note(0483017)）
- 〔T25 0485a08〕得福【大】｜福德【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0485a09〕是【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0485a15〕地【大】｜菩薩地【石】
- 〔T25 0485a20〕子【大】｜子善女人【石】
- 〔T25 0485a23〕如是言：『善男子【大】｜〔－〕【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0485a27〕一【大】｜〔－〕【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0485b01〕疾【大】｜疾欲【元】【明】
- 〔T25 0485b03〕演【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0485b05〕如【大】｜如是【元】【明】【石】
- 〔T25 0485b06〕轉【大】｜轉轉【宋】【元】【明】｜〔－〕【宮】【石】
- 〔T25 0485b06〕者【大】｜〔－〕【宮】
- 〔T25 0485b17〕爾【大】｜念【聖】
- 〔T25 0485b19〕諸【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0485b19〕能【大】｜〔－〕【宮】
- 〔T25 0485b21〕者【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0485b24〕學六波羅蜜乃至十八不共法【大】｜〔－〕【明】
- 〔T25 0485b26〕畜生、餓鬼【大】｜餓鬼畜生【石】
- 〔T25 0485b29〕便有【大】｜乃至【宮】
- 〔T25 0485b29〕羅【大】｜羅波羅蜜【石】
- 〔T25 0485b29〕提【大】｜提波羅蜜【石】
- 〔T25 0485b29〕耶【大】｜耶波羅蜜【石】
- 〔T25 0485c04〕人【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0485c04〕如【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0485c04〕等【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0485c08〕諸【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0485c11〕德【大】｜樂【宋】【宮】
- 〔T25 0485c13〕等【大】｜〔－〕【聖】（star·品內重引→note(0485024)）
- 〔T25 0485c14〕一阿鞞跋致【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0485c19〕生【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0485c20〕菩【大】｜到菩【聖】
- 〔T25 0485c24〕界【大】｜界等【聖】
- 〔T25 0486a03〕於【大】｜〔－〕【石】
- 〔T25 0486a03〕人【大】｜夫【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【石】
- 〔T25 0486a04〕於【大】｜〔－〕【石】（star·品內重引→note(0486001)）
- 〔T25 0486a06〕教【大】｜教化【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0486a07〕增【大】｜憎【石】
- 〔T25 0486a08〕知【大】｜了知【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0486a12〕施【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0486a13〕謂【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0486a13〕等【大】｜〔－〕【宮】
- 〔T25 0486a14〕聖弟子【大】｜弟子聖【宮】
- 〔T25 0486a14〕進【大】｜進等【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0486a19〕諸佛【大】｜佛諸【聖】
- 〔T25 0486a21〕大【大】｜大釋第三十七品竟【石】（石本卷末 -1 階題·「第三十七」與底本品次「三十八」不合·見第四目）
- 〔T25 0486a22〕大智度〔經〕論卷第六十【大】｜〔－〕【石】
- 〔T25 0486a22〕論【大】｜經論【聖】
以上一百四十四條，與工作底本錨點校記之數機械相合（own 與 star 混列，star 之遞歸重引已隨條標明 corresp 目標並逐條覆核）。品名／卷題攸關之數處（品題〔0481b14〕四條群組、卷末〔0486a21〕石本「第三十七品竟」）已於上文專列，並與所釋經、古德疏三造雙向對校（第四目、第六目）。
所釋經 witness 統計（未展開·誌闕待補）。 所釋經 T223 側於本品對讀範圍（〔T08 0293c16〕起至下品前）內之 <app> witness 逐條統計，此處未展開（承前品格式：beg 錨落於 frag 內·逐一比對 from="#"+id），據實誌其未展開，俟後續考據補查，不以估值充數。
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 60; it is the chapter that opens a new fascicle for this section of the whole treatise. The preceding chapter, "Weighing the Relics", Chapter 37, falls in Fascicle 59 and ends at the fascicle-close title 「大智度論卷第五十九」 tr. "Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa, Fascicle Fifty-nine"; this chapter follows at once at the head of Fascicle 60, the fascicle and the chapter beginning together. This chapter is therefore of the same type as the preceding chapter, "Weighing the Relics", the type of 「卷與品同起」 tr. "the fascicle and the chapter beginning together", and unlike Chapter 36, "Ānanda's Praise", which is of the type 「同卷次品、不重署名」 tr. "the next chapter within the same fascicle, without a renewed signature"—at the head of the fascicle this chapter has the complete fascicle shell, the signature of Nāgārjuna as author, and the signature of Kumārajīva as translator (「聖者龍樹造」 tr. "composed by the noble Nāgārjuna", 「後秦龜茲國三藏鳩摩羅什譯」 tr. "translated by Kumārajīva, Tripiṭaka master of the kingdom of Kucha, of the Later Qin"), and carries its own independent mulu element (the fascicle-head jhead〔T25 0481b14〕 reads 「大智度論釋挍量法施品第三十八」 tr. "Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa, Commentary on the Chapter on Weighing the Gift of Dharma, the Thirty-eighth", and the main text of the chapter body begins from here); its type is recorded on the basis of the base text.
The closing boundary of this chapter is the fascicle-close title 「大智度論卷第六十」 tr. "Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa, Fascicle Sixty"〔T25 0486a22〕; the next chapter, "Rejoicing", Chapter 39, continues in the following fascicle. The main text of the chapter body begins from the chapter title〔T25 0481b14〕 and ends at 「是故菩薩說般若波羅蜜正義，教近佛道，福德最大」 tr. "therefore, when the bodhisattva expounds the right meaning of prajñāpāramitā and teaches those near the Buddha path, the merit is greatest"〔T25 0486a19〕, after which the fascicle closes at once. The whole chapter has six thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight pure Chinese characters (the tool value of extract --check, the same value as in the head of the working base text; an independent han-only count gave six thousand eight hundred and forty-six, eight more than the tool value—judged to be a difference of scope in whether the characters of the fascicle titles / signatures are counted, and recorded as it is; the tool's --check value of six thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight is taken as the preferred reference value, not an estimate).
Within the chapter the structure is a single unit, with two Sūtra and two Treatise sections in alternation (unlike the two Sūtra and two Treatise sections of Chapter 36, "Ānanda's Praise", and the three Sūtra and three Treatise sections of Chapter 37, "Weighing the Relics", which is divided into two units; this chapter runs through as one and is not divided): 【經】〔T25 0481b19〕, 【論】〔T25 0483c17〕, 【經】〔T25 0484b20〕, 【論】〔T25 0485c04〕—Sūtra ① and Treatise ①, Sūtra ② and Treatise ②, four sections alternating. As for rounds of question and answer, at the top level this chapter has only two (searching back within the chapter, 「問曰」 tr. "Question" appears twice〔0484a17／0485c15〕 and 「答曰」 tr. "Answer" twice〔0484a18／0485c17〕, all located within the Treatise sections), far sparser than the nine rounds of Chapter 36 and the ten rounds of Chapter 37—the doctrinal exposition of this chapter takes as its axis the long exchanges between the Buddha and Śakra, the similes of numerical magnitudes rising level by level, and the six-fold definition of resembling prajñā, not analytical debate in the Treatise sections; each is determined from the base text itself, not by following the pattern of other chapters.
All four tags fall exactly at the head of their blocks, with no transition of the embedded type. The speakers of the whole chapter take as their axis the exchanges between the Buddha and Śakra Devānām Indra (Śakra · Kauśika) (carrying on from the Śakra axis of the two preceding chapters; searching back, 「釋提桓因」 tr. "Śakra Devānām Indra" appears eleven times and 「憍尸迦」 tr. "Kauśika" forty-nine times). The venerable Subhūti enters twice (at the end of the Treatise section, 「爾時，須菩提讚帝釋言」 tr. "At that time Subhūti praised Śakra, saying"〔T25 0486a10〕, and in the Sūtra section, 「慧命須菩提語釋提桓因言」 tr. "the venerable Subhūti said to Śakra Devānām Indra"〔T25 0485b14〕—two praises of Śakra in all, for the two gifts of wealth and Dharma); Śāriputra and Ānanda do not appear at all (unlike the insertions of Śāriputra / Ānanda in Chapters 36 and 37); marked as it actually stands in the source text.
II. Terms Examined
Weighing · the gift of Dharma. The pivot of the chapter name, and also the backbone sentence of the whole chapter (the base text writes the chapter name with 「挍量」 tr. "weighing (jiao)", not 「校量」 tr. "weighing (xiao)"; see Section IV). 「挍量」 tr. "Weighing" means comparing and measuring; 「法施」 tr. "the gift of Dharma" means writing out and upholding prajñā and expounding it, as weighed against 「財施」 tr. "the gift of wealth" (teaching people to practise the ten wholesome paths, and the like). The whole chapter weighs the two gifts, 「財施／法施」 tr. "the gift of wealth / the gift of Dharma", again and again—「不如是善男子、善女人書持般若波羅蜜經卷與他人，令讀、誦、說，得福多」 tr. "it does not equal these good men and good women who write out and uphold the scroll of the prajñāpāramitā sūtra and give it to others, letting them read, recite, and expound it; they gain more merit"〔T25 0481b22〕; weighed level by level, the gift of Dharma wins every time. At the end of the treatise the definitions of the two gifts are further established: 「財施者，供養具、衣食等」 tr. "the gift of wealth is necessities for offerings, clothing, food, and the like", 「『法施』者，所謂教六波羅蜜等」 tr. "‘the gift of Dharma’ means teaching the six perfections and the like"〔T25 0486a12〕—these definitions of the gift of wealth / the gift of Dharma are the meaning on which this chapter's name is established, and also the main thread of the whole chapter.
Dharmas without outflows · dharmas with outflows. The doctrinal basis for the gift of Dharma surpassing the gift of wealth. Prajñā surpasses the ten wholesome paths because 「是般若波羅蜜中廣說諸無漏法」 tr. "within this prajñāpāramitā the dharmas without outflows are set out at length"〔T25 0481b23〕; those who learn this Dharma enter the position of the right Dharma and attain the srota-āpanna and so on up to anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi; the ten wholesome paths, by contrast, are merely worldly and with outflows—the treatise's explanation extends this: 「十善道但善有漏法，受世間無常福樂，還復墮苦，是故不如」 tr. "the ten wholesome paths are merely wholesome dharmas with outflows: one receives the impermanent blessings and pleasures of the world and falls back into suffering again; therefore they are not equal"〔T25 0483c21〕. What is without outflows 「成三乘道，入涅槃，不復還」 tr. "accomplishes the paths of the three vehicles, enters nirvāṇa, and does not return again"; what is with outflows 「還復墮苦」 tr. "falls back into suffering again"; this judgement between without outflows and with outflows is the backbone of the gift of Dharma surpassing the gift of wealth.
Right recollection · not by way of dual dharmas and not by way of non-dual dharmas. The most excellent single move in receiving and upholding prajñā, and one of the points to which the first meaning of this chapter returns. The sūtra makes clear that the right recollection of one who receives and upholds prajñā is 「不以二法、不以不二法」 tr. "not by way of dual dharmas and not by way of non-dual dharmas"〔T25 0482a29〕; the treatise's explanation asks 「何以不解『受、持、讀、誦、說』，但解『正憶念』」 tr. "why does it not explain ‘receiving, upholding, reading, reciting, and expounding’, but explains only ‘right recollection’?", and answers 「正憶念能具二事，所謂福德、智慧」 tr. "right recollection can fulfil two things, namely merit and wisdom"〔T25 0484a19〕 and 「正憶念相，所謂非二非不二行般若波羅蜜」 tr. "the mark of right recollection is practising prajñāpāramitā as neither dual nor non-dual"〔T25 0484a22〕. That right recollection is most excellent lies precisely in its being neither dual nor non-dual, and in its ability to fulfil the two things of merit and wisdom.
With something to be attained · with nothing to be attained. The pivot of the gift of Dharma surpassing the gift of wealth, and indeed of whether dānapāramitā is a perfection or not. The sūtra makes clear that one who gives with something to be attained 「作是念：『我與，彼受，所施者物。』是名得檀，不得波羅蜜」 tr. "thinks thus: ‘I give, he receives, and this is the thing given.’ This is called obtaining giving, not obtaining the perfection"〔T25 0482c10〕; with nothing to be attained, by contrast, 「不得與者、不得受者、不得所施物，是人得具足檀波羅蜜」 tr. "one does not find a giver, does not find a receiver, does not find a thing given; this person obtains the full dānapāramitā"〔T25 0482c22〕. With something to be attained one obtains only the name of dāna and it does not become a perfection; only with nothing to be attained is it called full—that the gift of Dharma has very much merit because it is with nothing to be attained stands precisely on this.
Resembling prajñāpāramitā. One of the most doctrinally dense passages of this chapter, where the sūtra opens a six-fold definition. 「有善男子、善女人說有所得般若波羅蜜，是為相似般若波羅蜜」 tr. "if there are good men and good women who expound a prajñāpāramitā with something to be attained, this is resembling prajñāpāramitā"〔T25 0483a08〕 is its general mark; further, six marks unfold—「說色無常」 tr. "saying that form is impermanent", seeking a mark of impermanence; 「說當得初地乃至十地」 tr. "saying that one will attain the first ground and so on up to the tenth ground", cultivating by the general mark; 「說當過聲聞、辟支佛地」 tr. "saying that one will pass beyond the grounds of the śrāvaka and the pratyekabuddha"; 「說入菩薩位得無生法忍」 tr. "saying that one enters the bodhisattva position and attains the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas"; 「說當得無量無邊阿僧祇功德」 tr. "saying that one will attain immeasurable, boundless, asaṃkhyeya merits"; 「說諸佛功德善本迴向」 tr. "speaking of dedicating the merits and wholesome foundations of the buddhas" (see Section V); and in contrast it shows 「不說相似般若」 tr. "not expounding resembling prajñā"—「色，色性空。是色性非法，若非法即名為般若波羅蜜」 tr. "Form: the nature of form is empty. This nature of form is not a dharma; if it is not a dharma, it is called prajñāpāramitā"〔T25 0483b29〕. The resembling is that of which 「名字語言同，而心義異」 tr. "the names and words are the same, yet the meaning in the mind differs" (the words of the treatise's explanation〔T25 0484b13〕); to expound with an attached mind grasping at marks is the resembling, and to expound without an attached mind and without grasping at marks is the real.
Two kinds of bodhisattva (in a fleshly body within birth and death · with a body born of the Dharma-nature). The pivotal term of the answer in Treatise ②. It asks 「教人發無上道、得阿鞞跋致，是佛道事，何故不如」 tr. "teaching people to arouse the unsurpassed path and to attain avaivartika is the work of the Buddha path; why is it not equal?", and answers 「說般若正義有二種：一者、生死肉身菩薩，二者、出三界不生不死法性生身菩薩」 tr. "in expounding the right meaning of prajñā there are two kinds: first, the bodhisattva in a fleshly body within birth and death; second, the bodhisattva who has left the three realms, neither born nor dying, whose body is born of the Dharma-nature"〔T25 0485c18〕. Teaching 「過阿鞞跋致菩薩」 tr. "the bodhisattva beyond avaivartika" the work of the body born of the Dharma-nature (teaching and transforming beings, purifying buddha-worlds, and so on) surpasses teaching others to arouse the mind and so on up to attaining avaivartika—the distinction of the two kinds of bodhisattva makes clear why 「近佛道者功德最大」 tr. "one near the Buddha path has the greatest merit".
III. Similes and Stories
The Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa is renowned for its similes; though the similes of this chapter are not as rich as those of Chapter 37, the principal similes number four, mostly falling in the treatise's explanation, and they carry respectively the four meanings 「正憶念如服藥」 tr. "right recollection is like taking medicine", 「捨相似如知道」 tr. "relinquishing the resembling is like knowing the path", 「福田深厚」 tr. "the field of merit is deep and thick", and 「太子國王」 tr. "the crown prince and the king".
The simile of gathering medicine and taking medicine (carrying the meaning of 「正憶念」 tr. "right recollection"). The treatise explains why only 「正憶念」 tr. "right recollection" is explained—receiving, upholding, reading, reciting, and expounding are like gathering medicine and compounding it without yet taking it; right recollection is like taking the medicine and the sickness being cured. 「如人採藥草，乃至合和而未服之，於病無損，服乃除病；正憶念如服藥病愈，是故但解正憶念」 tr. "It is like a person who gathers medicinal herbs and even compounds them but has not yet taken them: this does nothing to lessen the sickness; only taking them removes the sickness. Right recollection is like taking the medicine and the sickness being cured; therefore only right recollection is explained"〔T25 0484a20〕. Gathering and compounding the medicine stands for receiving, upholding, reading, and reciting (prepared but not yet used); taking the medicine and removing the sickness stands for right recollection (able to fulfil merit and wisdom, truly removing the sickness of the afflictions)—right recollection is explained alone precisely because, like taking medicine, it can truly cure.
The simile of knowing the path and the non-path (carrying the meaning of 「捨相似般若」 tr. "relinquishing resembling prajñā"). The treatise explains why the marks of resembling prajñā are spoken of in advance—「有人未來世說相似般若者，會中人聞說正憶念，作是思惟：『何者是邪憶念？』是故說相似般若波羅蜜相。如人知是道非道故，能捨非道、行正道」 tr. "There will be people in the future age who expound resembling prajñā; people in the assembly, hearing right recollection spoken of, thought thus: ‘What is wrong recollection?’ Therefore the marks of resembling prajñāpāramitā are spoken of. It is like a person who, because he knows what is the path and what is not the path, can relinquish the non-path and walk the right path"〔T25 0484b07〕. The simile of knowing the path and the non-path distinguishes the resembling from the real; relinquishing the non-path and walking the right path stands for relinquishing the resembling and cultivating true prajñā—the Buddha speaks in advance of the marks of the resembling precisely so that practitioners may know how to distinguish them and so be able to relinquish and to cultivate.
The simile of making offerings to the noble ones of the ten directions and to one Buddha (carrying the meaning of 「福田深厚」 tr. "the field of merit is deep and thick"). The treatise explains that the field of merit of one near the Buddha path is greatest—「譬如供養一切十方如恒河沙等世界聖人乃至欲坐道場菩薩，不如供養一佛」 tr. "just as making offerings to all the noble ones in worlds of the ten directions as many as the sands of the Ganges, and so on up to the bodhisattvas about to sit at the seat of awakening, does not equal making offerings to one Buddha"〔T25 0485c28〕. Making offerings to immeasurable noble ones does not equal making offerings to one Buddha because the Buddha's field of merit is deepest; it stands for teaching the one person 「近佛道疾欲成佛」 tr. "near the Buddha path and wishing to become a Buddha quickly", which surpasses teaching the beings of worlds as many as the sands of the Ganges to arouse the mind and so on up to attaining avaivartika—「福田大故，福德亦大」 tr. "because the field of merit is great, the merit too is great"〔T25 0485c28〕.
The simile of offerings to the crown prince and the king (carrying the meaning of 「福田深厚」 tr. "the field of merit is deep and thick" · continuing from the simile above). The treatise explains that the nearer the field of merit is to the Buddha, the greater the merit—「譬如犯於太子，得罪過犯一切人；若供養太子，得恩勝於供養一切凡人。若犯國王，得罪過於犯太子；若供養國王，勝於供養太子」 tr. "Just as one who offends the crown prince incurs a guilt exceeding that of offending anyone else, and one who makes offerings to the crown prince gains a favour surpassing that of making offerings to all common people; if one offends the king, the guilt exceeds that of offending the crown prince; if one makes offerings to the king, it surpasses making offerings to the crown prince"〔T25 0486a01〕. The crown prince and the king stand for the bodhisattva near the Buddha path and for the Buddha; the common people stand for the other beings; offending them incurs a heavy guilt and making offerings to them gains a surpassing favour, all because of their honoured rank—standing for teaching, transforming, and making offerings to a bodhisattva quickly nearing buddhahood, which surpasses making offerings to avaivartika bodhisattvas as many as the sands of the Ganges, 「福田深厚，其法能令眾生增長故」 tr. "because the field of merit is deep and thick, and its Dharma can make beings grow"〔T25 0486a07〕. This simile continues from the simile of 「一佛」 tr. "one Buddha" above: one by the Buddha, one by the king, both making clear that the nearer the field of merit, the greater the merit.
IV. The Sūtra Passage Explained
The three-part layered network of the chapter name: Chapter on Weighing the Gift of Dharma / Chapter on the Gift of Dharma / Chapter on the Ten Wholesome [Paths] (different names for the same chapter · three forms belonging to three layers · recorded side by side without judgement). In this chapter the chapter name, across the sides of this treatise, the sūtra explained, and the ancient masters' commentaries, does not show the binary pattern of 「兩造交叉」 tr. "a crossing of two forms" of the two preceding chapters, but a distribution of three forms belonging to three layers—the three graphs 「挍／格／校」 tr. "jiao / ge / xiao" (all "weighing") appear respectively on the three sides of the base text, one commentator's gloss, and another commentator's title, and the three names 「挍量法施／法施／十善」 tr. "Weighing the Gift of Dharma / the Gift of Dharma / the Ten Wholesome [Paths]" appear respectively in the three layers of this treatise's base text, the abridgement of the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace editions together with T223, and the Khitan edition. Each is recorded in turn on the basis of the base text.
First, on the side of this treatise (T25n1509), five routes in layers. The fascicle-head jhead〔T25 0481b14〕 reads 「大智度論釋挍量法施品第三十八」 tr. "Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa, Commentary on the Chapter on Weighing the Gift of Dharma, the Thirty-eighth", and the proper name in the base text (the Taishō / Korean Canon lem) is 「挍量法施品」 tr. "Chapter on Weighing the Gift of Dharma" (using the graph 「挍」 tr. "jiao", not 「校」 tr. "xiao"); in its collation notes on the chapter title—the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace editions simply lack the two characters 「挍量」 tr. "weighing" (reading only 「法施品」 tr. "Chapter on the Gift of Dharma"; not a change of graph to 「校」 tr. "xiao"); the Yuan and Ming editions further have the variant reading 「法施」 tr. "Gift of Dharma" → 「十善」 tr. "Ten Wholesome [Paths]" (taking its name from 「十善道」 tr. "the ten wholesome paths" at the start of the chapter); the Shōgozō reads 「釋第卅七品」 tr. "Commentary on the Thirty-seventh Chapter" (the chapter name omitted, and the chapter number 「卅七」 tr. "thirty-seven", a step of -1); the Ishiyama reads 「摩訶般若波羅蜜品第卅七」 tr. "Chapter of the Mahāprajñāpāramitā, the Thirty-seventh" (the chapter number 「卅七」 tr. "thirty-seven", a step of -1)—the five routes are set out together in the collation notes of the fascicle-title group at the head of the chapter (see the four entries at〔0481b14〕 in Section VIII).
Second, on the side of the sūtra explained (T223). For the title of this chapter in Kumārajīva's translation of the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra, the base text (Taishō lem) reads 「法施品」 tr. "Chapter on the Gift of Dharma"〔T08 0293c16 mulu「38 法施品」 tr. "38 Chapter on the Gift of Dharma"〕, taking the two characters 「法施」 tr. "gift of Dharma" as its name (not the full name 「挍量法施」 tr. "Weighing the Gift of Dharma"); within its head there is further an inline collation note—the Khitan edition (the Khitan edition of the Korean Canon) has the variant name 「十善品」 tr. "Chapter on the Ten Wholesome [Paths]", taking its name from 「十善道」 tr. "the ten wholesome paths" at the start of the chapter. This is direct byte evidence for the coexistence of two chapter names on the side of the sūtra explained (the T223 base text 「法施」 tr. "Gift of Dharma" / the Khitan edition 「十善」 tr. "Ten Wholesome [Paths]").
Third, the third form of the graph, in the ancient masters' commentaries. Jizang's Commentary on the Larger Sūtra (X24n0451) uses as its title 「法施品第三十八」 tr. "Chapter on the Gift of Dharma, the Thirty-eighth"〔X24n0451 0274c10〕 (the same as the T223 base-text name), yet the graph used in his commentary text itself is 「格量」 tr. "weighing (ge)"—「今舉此格量般若經卷與他人，故云法施，對上財施格量也」 tr. "now it takes up this weighing of giving the scroll of the prajñā sūtra to others, and therefore it is called the gift of Dharma; it is weighed against the gift of wealth above"〔X24n0451 0274c11〕; the gloss 「格量」 tr. "weighing (ge)" is close in meaning to 「衡量比較」 tr. "measuring and comparing", the same in meaning as the base text's 「挍量」 tr. "weighing (jiao)" but different in graph. Huiying's Commentary (X46n0791), in its title at two places (the table of contents at the head of the fascicle and the commentary title in the main text), consistently reads 「校量法施品」 tr. "Chapter on Weighing the Gift of Dharma (xiao)", and there is further one collation note at the end of the fascicle repeating the same title (its target points back to the commentary title in the main text · not an independent third occurrence)—「釋校量法施品第三十八」 tr. "Commentary on the Chapter on Weighing the Gift of Dharma, the Thirty-eighth"〔X46n0791 0878c24〕; this graph 「校」 tr. "xiao" is the only source of its kind among the three forms, actually seen in the title of Huiying's commentary, neither a variant reading of the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace editions nor from X24.
Fourth, the conclusion on the three forms in layers. Taking all sides together—this treatise's base text 「挍量」 tr. "weighing (jiao)" (the jiao form) / the X24 body 「格量」 tr. "weighing (ge)" (the ge form · a commentator's gloss) / the X46 title 「校量」 tr. "weighing (xiao)" (the xiao form · another commentator's title): the three graphs belong to three layers; 「挍量法施」 tr. "Weighing the Gift of Dharma" (this treatise's base text) / 「法施」 tr. "Gift of Dharma" (the abridgement of the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace editions · the T223 base text · the X24 title) / 「十善」 tr. "Ten Wholesome [Paths]" (the Yuan and Ming variant reading of this treatise · the T223 Khitan edition): the three names each take a different theme word from within the chapter as a name (weighing = comparing and measuring · gift of Dharma = the two words "gift of Dharma" · ten wholesome = the ten wholesome paths at the start of the chapter)—the judgement is 「異名同品」 tr. "different names for the same chapter": the three texts each take a different theme word to establish the name; it is not a miscopying, not a change of graph, and not a displacement of chapter order, continuing the methodology established in the two preceding chapters. In this edition the chapter name follows this treatise's base text, as 「挍量法施品」 tr. "Chapter on Weighing the Gift of Dharma" (the main axis for the chapter names of this edition is this treatise's base text, an established ruling with evidence in the base text, and this section does not overturn it); the names and graphs 「法施品」 tr. "Chapter on the Gift of Dharma", 「十善品」 tr. "Chapter on the Ten Wholesome [Paths]", 「格量」 tr. "weighing (ge)", and 「校量」 tr. "weighing (xiao)" are all kept word for word in the comparative narrative, recorded side by side without judgement.
The -1 step in the chapter number (continuing an established phenomenon · this chapter forms the seventh instance). In this treatise's Shōgozō and Ishiyama texts the chapter number reads 「卅七」 tr. "thirty-seven" (see the collation notes on the chapter name above), forming a -1-step branch in which the chapter count runs one step behind—the Shōgozō's 「釋第卅七品」 tr. "Commentary on the Thirty-seventh Chapter" and the Ishiyama's 「品第卅七」 tr. "Chapter the Thirty-seventh" are both one fewer than the base text's 「三十八」 tr. "thirty-eight", in the same direction and by the same offset as the continuing -1 step in the Shōgozō / Ishiyama transmissions from Chapter 32 to Chapter 37, forming the seventh instance of the -1 step in the Shōgozō / Ishiyama transmissions across the whole span of Chapters 32 to 38 (reproduced in full in the app of the whole fascicle title at the head of the fascicle, with no break or correction seen). In addition, Huiying's explanatory text also reads 「釋第六十卷論第三十七品者……名為十善品」 tr. "In explaining the thirty-seventh chapter of the treatise, in the sixtieth fascicle … it is named the Chapter on the Ten Wholesome [Paths]"〔X46n0791 0878c24〕, referring to this chapter (the thirty-eighth) as 「第三十七品」 tr. "the thirty-seventh chapter", in the same direction as the Shōgozō / Ishiyama -1 step—the Shōgozō, the Ishiyama, and Huiying's commentary, three parties each from a different source, deviate in the same direction; recorded without judging merit; its mechanism is unclear, and no explanation is forced. (The collation of Chapter 37 already recorded the -1 step in the catalogue A097's listing of Chapters 32 to 37; no independent check was rerun on the A097 side for Chapter 38; the gap is recorded as it is and left to later work to check and supplement.)
The skipped-number flaw in the n attribute of the T223 mulu (recorded without forcing an explanation). On the side of the sūtra explained, T223, the mulu attribute ordinal for this chapter reads 「n=39」 tr. "n=39", while the displayed title is 「38 法施品」 tr. "38 Chapter on the Gift of Dharma"〔T08 0293c16〕: the attribute counts one place more than the displayed text. A further check was made of the mulu n= attributes of T223 for the span of Chapters 36 to 39: the Chapter on the Honoured Guide n=37, the Chapter on the Praise of the Dharma n=37 (a duplicate), the Chapter on the Gift of Dharma n=39, the Chapter on Rejoicing n=39 (a duplicate)—the mulu n= attribute itself has duplicates / a skipped number (37 duplicated, 39 duplicated, no 38), a phenomenon of the CBETA encoding layer; yet the sequence of displayed chapter numbers (36 / 37 / 38 / 39) is itself continuous and without error. Therefore T1509 Chapter 38 (Weighing the Gift of Dharma) ↔ T223 「38 法施品」 tr. "38 Chapter on the Gift of Dharma": the displayed sequence of chapter numbers aligns completely (no -1 step), which is a matter at a different level from the -1 step of the Shōgozō / Ishiyama witnesses above; recorded as it is, and this section does not force an explanation.
Full comparative reading of the cited sūtra (two-sided collation · sentence-by-sentence check from the opening). The opening of Sūtra ① of this treatise and the sūtra explained's "The Gift of Dharma" are almost word for word the same text—this treatise reads 「佛告釋提桓因言：『憍尸迦！若有善男子、善女人，教一閻浮提人行十善道。於汝意云何？以是因緣故，得福多不？』」 tr. "The Buddha told Śakra Devānām Indra: ‘Kauśika! If there are good men and good women who teach the people of one Jambudvīpa to practise the ten wholesome paths—what do you think? By these causes and conditions, do they gain much merit?’"〔T25 0481b19〕; T223 at the same passage reads 「若有善男子、善女人，教一閻浮提人行十善道。於汝意云何，以是因緣故得福多不」 tr. "If there are good men and good women who teach the people of one Jambudvīpa to practise the ten wholesome paths, what do you think, by these causes and conditions do they gain much merit"〔T08 0293c17〕—the same interlocutor, Śakra Devānām Indra, and the same motif of weighing the gift of wealth against the gift of Dharma, 「教人行十善道／書持般若經卷」 tr. "teaching people to practise the ten wholesome paths / writing out and upholding the scroll of the prajñā sūtra" (with only slight differences of punctuation: T25 reads 「於汝意云何？」 tr. "what do you think?" and T223 reads 「於汝意云何，」 tr. "what do you think,"—not a divergence of content). It is judged to be 「異名同品」 tr. "different names for the same chapter", not a transplanted scene (following the two-sided collation discipline of Lesson p21-1, the position is fixed by comparing sentence by sentence from the opening, not by searching one text for the words of the other). The two Treatise layers of this treatise are a structural expansion in the form of a treatise; the sūtra explained has no such layer, and this is not a textual variant. The entry-by-entry statistics of the <app> witnesses on the T223 side within the scope of the comparative reading for this chapter, and a full difflib computation, were not unfolded here; the fact that they were not unfolded is recorded as it is, left to later collation to check and supplement, and no estimate is used to fill the number.
V. The Prajñā Eye
The eye of this chapter lies in the full unfolding of the single meaning 「法施勝財施」 tr. "the gift of Dharma surpasses the gift of wealth"—it begins from the question 「教人行十善對書持般若經卷，何者福多」 tr. "teaching people to practise the ten wholesome paths, against writing out and upholding the scroll of the prajñā sūtra: which has more merit?", passes through 「無漏勝有漏」 tr. "what is without outflows surpasses what is with outflows", 「正憶念非二非不二」 tr. "right recollection is neither dual nor non-dual", 「有所得非波羅蜜」 tr. "what has something to be attained is not a perfection", 「相似般若之辨」 tr. "the distinguishing of resembling prajñā", and 「二種菩薩」 tr. "the two kinds of bodhisattva", and finally comes to rest in 「諸聖眾皆從菩薩中出，菩薩說般若正義、教近佛道，福德最大」 tr. "all the noble assemblies come forth from among the bodhisattvas; when the bodhisattva expounds the right meaning of prajñā and teaches those near the Buddha path, the merit is greatest". Its meaning can be summarised in five layers.
First, the gift of Dharma surpasses the gift of wealth—because prajñā sets out at length the dharmas without outflows. The Buddha asks Śakra whether teaching the people of one Jambudvīpa to practise the ten wholesome paths gains much merit, and Śakra answers that it is very much; the Buddha rules 「不如是善男子、善女人書持般若波羅蜜經卷與他人，令讀、誦、說，得福多」 tr. "it does not equal these good men and good women who write out and uphold the scroll of the prajñāpāramitā sūtra and give it to others, letting them read, recite, and expound it; they gain more merit"〔T25 0481b22〕. The reason it surpasses is that 「是般若波羅蜜中廣說諸無漏法」 tr. "within this prajñāpāramitā the dharmas without outflows are set out at length", accomplishing the paths of the three vehicles and entering nirvāṇa without returning, while the ten wholesome paths are merely with outflows and fall back into suffering (see Section II); and further, teaching one person to attain the fruit of the srota-āpanna surpasses teaching the people of one Jambudvīpa to practise the ten wholesome paths, because 「教一閻浮提人行十善道，不離地獄、畜生、餓鬼苦」 tr. "teaching the people of one Jambudvīpa to practise the ten wholesome paths does not free them from the sufferings of the hells, the animals, and the hungry ghosts"〔T25 0481c07〕, while attaining the srota-āpanna frees one from the three evil destinies. In the weighing of the gift of wealth against the gift of Dharma, the main thread is that what is without outflows surpasses what is with outflows.
Second, right recollection—neither dual nor non-dual, and surpassing receiving and upholding for oneself. The merit of receiving and upholding prajñā surpasses teaching the people of Jambudvīpa to practise the ten wholesome paths, establishing them in the four dhyānas, and so on; and right recollection is 「不以二法、不以不二法」 tr. "not by way of dual dharmas and not by way of non-dual dharmas"〔T25 0482a29〕. The treatise explains 「正憶念相，所謂非二非不二行般若波羅蜜」 tr. "the mark of right recollection is practising prajñāpāramitā as neither dual nor non-dual"〔T25 0484a22〕, like taking the medicine and the sickness being cured (the simile of gathering medicine and taking medicine; see Section III); it further makes clear that the merit of 「為他人種種因緣演說般若波羅蜜義，開示、分別，令易解」 tr. "expounding the meaning of prajñāpāramitā for others by various causes and conditions, disclosing and distinguishing it, so that it is easy to understand" 「勝自受持般若波羅蜜，親近、讀、誦、說、正憶念」 tr. "surpasses oneself receiving and upholding prajñāpāramitā, drawing near to it, reading, reciting, expounding, and rightly recollecting it"〔T25 0482b16〕—the superiority of the gift of Dharma lies precisely in making it understood for others and in being able to fulfil merit and wisdom.
Third, what has something to be attained is not a perfection—only what has nothing to be attained is called full. When the gift of Dharma expounds the meaning of prajñā, 「其福甚多，以無所得故」 tr. "its merit is very much, because it is with nothing to be attained"〔T25 0482c08〕; one with something to be attained 「作是念：『我與，彼受，所施者物。』是名得檀，不得波羅蜜」 tr. "thinks thus: ‘I give, he receives, and this is the thing given.’ This is called obtaining giving, not obtaining the perfection"〔T25 0482c10〕, while of one with nothing to be attained, 「不得與者、不得受者、不得所施物，是人得具足檀波羅蜜」 tr. "one does not find a giver, does not find a receiver, does not find a thing given; this person obtains the full dānapāramitā"〔T25 0482c22〕. With something to be attained one obtains only the name of dāna and it does not become a perfection; only with nothing to be attained is it called the full six perfections—this nothing to be attained is the marrow of the right meaning of prajñā, and also the doctrinal basis for the gift of Dharma surpassing the gift of wealth.
Fourth, the distinguishing of resembling prajñā—the boundary between the true and the false. The sūtra speaks in advance of the six layers of resembling prajñā (the general mark: expounding with something to be attained; the particular marks: saying that form is impermanent and seeking a mark of impermanence, saying that one will attain the ten grounds and cultivating by the general mark, saying that one will pass beyond the grounds of the two vehicles, saying that one enters the bodhisattva position, attains the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas, and abides in the supernormal powers, saying that one will attain immeasurable merit, and speaking of dedicating the wholesome foundations of the buddhas), and in contrast shows 「不說相似般若」 tr. "not expounding resembling prajñā"—「色，色性空。是色性非法，若非法即名為般若波羅蜜。般若波羅蜜中色非常非無常」 tr. "Form: the nature of form is empty. This nature of form is not a dharma; if it is not a dharma, it is called prajñāpāramitā. Within prajñāpāramitā, form is neither permanent nor impermanent"〔T25 0483b29〕. The treatise's explanation distinguishes its pivot: 「相似者，名字語言同，而心義異」 tr. "The resembling is where the names and words are the same, yet the meaning in the mind differs"〔T25 0484b13〕; to expound with an attached mind grasping at marks is the resembling, and to expound without an attached mind and without grasping at marks is the real. The Buddha speaks in advance of the marks of the resembling precisely out of compassion for beings of the future age who 「不見佛及諸大菩薩，但見經書」 tr. "do not see the Buddha or the great bodhisattvas, but see only the scriptures"〔T25 0484b11〕, so that they may know how to distinguish, relinquish the resembling, and cultivate true prajñā.
Fifth, all the noble assemblies come forth from among the bodhisattvas—teaching those near the Buddha path has the greatest merit (where the conclusion of this chapter comes to rest). Treatise ② answers 「教人發無上道得阿鞞跋致何故仍不如」 tr. "why is teaching people to arouse the unsurpassed path and to attain avaivartika still not equal?"—distinguishing it by the two kinds of bodhisattva (in a fleshly body within birth and death / with a body born of the Dharma-nature; see Section II): teaching 「過阿鞞跋致菩薩」 tr. "the bodhisattva beyond avaivartika" the work of the body born of the Dharma-nature surpasses teaching others to arouse the mind and so on up to attaining avaivartika; further, by the simile of making offerings to the noble ones of the ten directions and to one Buddha and the simile of offerings to the crown prince and the king, it makes clear that 「福田大故，福德亦大」 tr. "because the field of merit is great, the merit too is great"〔T25 0485c28〕. Subhūti praises Śakra for 「安慰勸進諸菩薩……以財、法二施」 tr. "comforting and encouraging the bodhisattvas … by the two gifts of wealth and Dharma" (the gift of wealth = necessities for offerings, clothing, and food; the gift of Dharma = teaching the six perfections; see Section II); and it finally comes to rest in 「是諸聖眾皆從菩薩中出」 tr. "these noble assemblies all come forth from among the bodhisattvas"〔T25 0486a15〕—if the bodhisattvas did not practise the six perfections and did not accomplish the unsurpassed path, there would be no srota-āpanna and so on up to no pratyekabuddha, and so on up to no cutting off of the three evil destinies, no great kṣatriya clans, and so on up to no buddhas appearing in the world. The single line 「是故菩薩說般若波羅蜜正義，教近佛道，福德最大」 tr. "therefore, when the bodhisattva expounds the right meaning of prajñāpāramitā and teaches those near the Buddha path, the merit is greatest"〔T25 0486a19〕 closes the whole chapter, running head to tail with the first layer of the Eye, 「法施勝財施」 tr. "the gift of Dharma surpasses the gift of wealth"—the reason the gift of Dharma ultimately surpasses is precisely that the right meaning of prajñā can give birth to bodhisattvas, and bodhisattvas can give birth to the buddhas and the noble assemblies.
VI. Divergent Readings of the Masters
The Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa has no tradition of a complete line-by-line commentary; the ancient masters' citations and explanations lean wherever the material happens to fall. The ancient masters' rereading of this chapter is of two kinds: Jizang's commentary, which explains the sūtra being explained, preserves a complete dedicated section with a finely detailed structural division, and Huiying's commentary, which explains the treatise, also covers Fascicle 60, to which this chapter belongs (continuing the pattern of the preceding chapter, "Weighing the Relics", in which 「兩古德疏俱覆本品」 tr. "both ancient-master commentaries cover this chapter"). This section records the correspondence between what each commented on or cited and this chapter, and does not judge the relative merit of the interpretations.
Jizang's Commentary on the Larger Sūtra (X24n0451). Its line-by-line commentary on the sūtra explained's "The Gift of Dharma" begins at〔X24n0451 0274c10〕 (the chapter title 「法施品第三十八」 tr. "Chapter on the Gift of Dharma, the Thirty-eighth", immediately after the closing boundary of the preceding chapter, "Praise of the Dharma") and runs to just before〔X24n0451 0276a14〕 (before the start of the next chapter, "Rejoicing", Chapter 39; this section determines it by the continuous sequence of the mulu, and the seam was not checked word by word), covering the whole of this chapter's sūtra. Three points are worth recording. First, the explanation of the name, carrying two meanings together—「法施品第三十八可具二義：定、散二善教化，此是有所得法施，今舉此格量般若經卷與他人，故云法施，對上財施格量也」 tr. "The Chapter on the Gift of Dharma, the Thirty-eighth, can carry two meanings: teaching and transforming by the two kinds of goodness, concentrated and scattered—this is a gift of Dharma with something to be attained; now it takes up this weighing of giving the scroll of the prajñā sūtra to others, and therefore it is called the gift of Dharma; it is weighed against the gift of wealth above"〔X24n0451 0274c10〕, that is, explaining by 「格量般若經卷與他、對上財施」 tr. "weighing the giving of the scroll of the prajñā sūtra to others, against the gift of wealth above" the meaning of the chapter name 「法施」 tr. "gift of Dharma", and carrying together the meanings 「將般若經卷與他即法施」 tr. "giving the scroll of the prajñā sūtra to others is the gift of Dharma" and 「為他說般若勝皆是法施」 tr. "the superiority of expounding prajñā for others is all the gift of Dharma". Second, the graph 「格量」 tr. "weighing (ge)"—Jizang's commentary text itself uses 「格量」 tr. "weighing (ge)" (not the base text's 「挍量」 tr. "weighing (jiao)", nor Huiying's 「校量」 tr. "weighing (xiao)"), one of the three forms of the graph of the chapter name (see Section IV). Third, the division of teaching others into six sections—「初、舉定散二善格量經卷與他……化他為二：第一、舉散善格經卷……初有六：一、舉閻浮提；二、四天下；三、小千；四、中千；五、大千；六、舉教十方恒沙人行十善，不及持經卷與人也」 tr. "First, it takes up the two kinds of goodness, concentrated and scattered, weighing them against giving the scroll to others … Teaching others is in two: first, it takes up scattered goodness to weigh it against the scroll … The first has six: one, it takes up Jambudvīpa; two, the four continents; three, the small thousand; four, the middle thousand; five, the great thousand; six, it takes up teaching people of the ten directions as many as the sands of the Ganges to practise the ten wholesome paths, which does not reach holding the scroll and giving it to others"〔X24n0451 0274c17〕: Jizang judges the level-by-level weighing of the gift of wealth in Sūtra ① of this chapter to be the great division of 「化他」 tr. "teaching others", opening six sections—Jambudvīpa / the four continents / the small thousand / the middle thousand / the great thousand / the sands of the Ganges—which correspond one by one to the six rising numerical levels of Sūtra ① of this treatise (Jambudvīpa → the four continents → a small thousand world → a middle two-thousand world → the three-thousand great-thousand world → the sands of the Ganges), and has direct citation value for the Exposition layer at the drafting stage.
Huiying's Commentary (X46n0791). It is the only ancient commentary explaining this treatise, and survives only in fragmentary fascicles; its Fascicle 21 begins by explaining the treatise's Fascicle 59, and Fascicle 60 of the treatise, to which this chapter belongs, falls exactly within this range of coverage (continuing Huiying's coverage of the preceding chapter, "Weighing the Relics"). Its line-by-line commentary on this chapter begins at〔X46n0791 0878c24〕 (the commentary title 「釋校量法施品第三十八」 tr. "Commentary on the Chapter on Weighing the Gift of Dharma, the Thirty-eighth", immediately after the end of the preceding chapter's 「釋校量舍利品第三十七」 tr. "Commentary on the Chapter on Weighing the Relics, the Thirty-seventh"), covering the treatise portion of this chapter (the start and end of its main text and its correspondence, section by section, to the passages within the chapter were not checked section by section here; the gap is recorded as it is). Three points are worth recording. First, the graph 「校量」 tr. "weighing (xiao)" of the chapter name—the commentary title at two places (the other being a collation note's repetition) consistently reads 「校量法施品」 tr. "Chapter on Weighing the Gift of Dharma (xiao)" (see Section IV), the only source of the graph 「校」 tr. "xiao". Second, the self-attestation of the -1 step and of the name 「十善品」 tr. "Chapter on the Ten Wholesome [Paths]"—「釋第六十卷論第三十七品者，即是校量分中第九品，應名法施品，但以初明十善故即以為名，名為十善品」 tr. "In explaining the thirty-seventh chapter of the treatise, in the sixtieth fascicle: it is the ninth chapter in the division on weighing; it should be named the Chapter on the Gift of Dharma, but because it first makes clear the ten wholesome [paths], it takes that as its name and is called the Chapter on the Ten Wholesome [Paths]"〔X46n0791 0878c24〕: Huiying's referring to this chapter (the thirty-eighth) as 「第三十七品」 tr. "the thirty-seventh chapter" is an ancient master's self-attestation of the -1 step, and his own explanation, 「應名法施品，但以初明十善故……名為十善品」 tr. "it should be named the Chapter on the Gift of Dharma, but because it first makes clear the ten wholesome [paths] … it is called the Chapter on the Ten Wholesome [Paths]", precisely lays bare the origin of the T223 Khitan edition's variant name 「十善品」 tr. "Chapter on the Ten Wholesome [Paths]" (taking its name from the ten wholesome paths at the start of the chapter), matching this treatise's Yuan and Ming variant reading 「十善」 tr. "Ten Wholesome [Paths]". Third, the division 「校量分中第九品」 tr. "the ninth chapter in the division on weighing"—Huiying judges this chapter to be the ninth chapter of the great division 「校量分」 tr. "the division on weighing", and 「校量功德訖於此品」 tr. "the weighing of merit ends with this chapter"〔X46n0791 0879a02〕, continuing in sequence from the weighing chapters (offerings, relics, the gift of Dharma) of this treatise's Commentary on the Remaining Chapters.
Junzheng's Profound Meaning of the Four Mahāyāna Treatises (X46n0784) · recent writings. A search back through the whole work for the strings 「挍量法施」 tr. "weighing the gift of Dharma (jiao)", 「校量法施」 tr. "weighing the gift of Dharma (xiao)", and 「法施品」 tr. "Chapter on the Gift of Dharma" yields zero hits for this chapter—as with the preceding chapters, no citation by name from Junzheng is found; its absence is recorded as it is. Any explanation by recent scholars is, by rule, excluded: it is neither taken as an ancient-master authority nor brought into the doctrinal citations.
VII. Cross-reading and Further Resonances
On the line of meaning of this chapter, three points carry on before and after; all are recorded in this section, and no reading is fixed on anyone's behalf.
First, the further resonance of the meaning 「法施勝財施·般若廣說無漏法」 tr. "the gift of Dharma surpasses the gift of wealth · prajñā sets out at length the dharmas without outflows" (carrying on the line of the preceding chapter · recorded without judgement). The treatise's explanation in the preceding chapter, "Weighing the Relics", had already established the weighing of 「舍利／般若二分」 tr. "the two portions, relics / prajñā", taking prajñā as that on which the relics rely and from which they are born; this chapter goes further, weighing the two gifts 「財施（十善）／法施（般若經卷）」 tr. "the gift of wealth (the ten wholesome paths) / the gift of Dharma (the scroll of the prajñā sūtra)", and making clear that prajñā alone surpasses because it 「廣說諸無漏法，成三乘道，入涅槃，不復還」 tr. "sets out at length the dharmas without outflows, accomplishes the paths of the three vehicles, enters nirvāṇa, and does not return again"〔T25 0483c20〕—running down from 「舍利依般若」 tr. "the relics rely on prajñā" to 「財施不如法施」 tr. "the gift of wealth does not equal the gift of Dharma": the preceding chapter makes clear that prajñā is that from which the relics come, this chapter makes clear that the gift of Dharma is what the gift of wealth is surpassed by; one line of weighing carries on.
Second, the further resonance of the meaning 「諸聖眾皆從菩薩中出·般若是根本因緣」 tr. "all the noble assemblies come forth from among the bodhisattvas · prajñā is the root cause and condition" (running through the whole line of prajñā · recorded without judgement). This chapter's conclusion, 「是諸聖眾皆從菩薩中出」 tr. "these noble assemblies all come forth from among the bodhisattvas"〔T25 0486a15〕 and 「菩薩說般若波羅蜜正義，教近佛道，福德最大」 tr. "when the bodhisattva expounds the right meaning of prajñāpāramitā and teaches those near the Buddha path, the merit is greatest"〔T25 0486a20〕, carries on in one line from the preceding chapter, "Weighing the Relics": 「般若是菩薩根本因緣，菩薩是諸佛根本因緣，諸佛是一切世間大利益安樂因緣」 tr. "prajñā is the root cause and condition of the bodhisattva, the bodhisattva is the root cause and condition of the buddhas, and the buddhas are the cause and condition of great benefit, peace, and joy for all the world"—the right meaning of prajñā can give birth to bodhisattvas, and bodhisattvas can give birth to the buddhas and the noble assemblies; therefore teaching those near the Buddha path has the greatest merit. This belongs to the downward continuation of this treatise's 「般若根本因緣義」 tr. "meaning of prajñā as the root cause and condition"; this section records its trace, and does not fix it on anyone's behalf as a structural assertion about a single sūtra sentence.
Third, linking into the treasury (stable citation · soft citation). The meaning of this chapter's giving with something to be attained, 「是名得檀，不得波羅蜜」 tr. "this is called obtaining giving, not obtaining the perfection"〔T25 0482c11〕, of giving with nothing to be attained, 「不得與者、不得受者、不得所施物，是人得具足檀波羅蜜」 tr. "one does not find a giver, does not find a receiver, does not find a thing given; this person obtains the full dānapāramitā"〔T25 0482c22〕, and of the distinguishing of resembling and real prajñā, 「色，色性空。是色性非法，若非法即名為般若波羅蜜」 tr. "Form: the nature of form is empty. This nature of form is not a dharma; if it is not a dharma, it is called prajñāpāramitā"〔T25 0483b29〕, is the scriptural and treatise basis for the meaning of prajñā as nothing to be attained and for the distinguishing of true and false prajñā, and is fixed at the stable citation〔T25n1509 挍量法施品·卷六十〕; the places where the Heart Sūtra / the Diamond Sūtra / the Consciousness-only mirror cite this treatise are not yet finalised, so the citation is soft, awaiting word-for-word verification that it is preserved there. This belongs to the further resonances of the meaning of prajñā running down through the sūtras; recorded without judgement.
VIII. Witnesses and Editions
The base text of this chapter is Fascicle 60 of the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa〔T25 0481b14–0486a22〕 (the main text of the chapter body begins from the chapter title〔T25 0481b14〕 and ends at the line 「大智度論卷第六十」 tr. "Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa, Fascicle Sixty"〔T25 0486a22〕; the next chapter, "Rejoicing", Chapter 39, continues in the following fascicle); the collation text for the sūtra explained is "The Gift of Dharma" of the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra〔T08 0293c16 起〕; the ancient-master commentary texts for collation are Jizang's Commentary on the Larger Sūtra (X24n0451, covering this chapter at〔X24n0451 0274c10–0276a14〕, up to just before the end point) and Huiying's Commentary (X46n0791, covering this chapter from〔X46n0791 0878c24 起〕); 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, and the Ishiyama text (the Ishiyama-dera manuscript), as well as the Korean Canon (K).
Collation notes on the chapter name / fascicle-title group (the evidential basis for the three forms in layers · listed separately). The collation notes of the fascicle-title group at the head of the chapter〔T25 0481b14〕 set out the variant texts of the chapter name together—the general entry reads 「大智度論釋〔挍量〕法施品第三十八……卷六十【大】｜大智度經論卷第六十釋第卅七品【聖】｜摩訶般若波羅蜜品第卅七【石】」 tr. "‘Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa, Commentary on the Chapter on [Weighing] the Gift of Dharma, the Thirty-eighth … Fascicle Sixty’ in the Taishō; ‘Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra-Treatise, Fascicle Sixty, Commentary on the Thirty-seventh Chapter’ in the Shōgozō; ‘Chapter of the Mahāprajñāpāramitā, the Thirty-seventh’ in the Ishiyama", and it is split into: 「挍量【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】」 tr. "‘weighing’ in the Taishō; [absent] in the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace" (the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace editions lack the two characters 「挍量」 tr. "weighing"), 「法施【大】｜十善【元】【明】」 tr. "‘gift of Dharma’ in the Taishō; ‘ten wholesome’ in the Yuan and Ming" (the Yuan and Ming variant reading 「十善」 tr. "Ten Wholesome [Paths]"), and 「八【大】｜八品【宮】」 tr. "‘eight’ in the Taishō; ‘eight, chapter’ in the Palace" (the Palace edition's 「八品」 tr. "eighth chapter"). Including the Shōgozō's 「釋第卅七品」 tr. "Commentary on the Thirty-seventh Chapter" and the Ishiyama's 「品第卅七」 tr. "Chapter the Thirty-seventh", with their -1-step 「卅七」 tr. "thirty-seven", the abridgement of the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace editions, and the Yuan and Ming variant reading 「十善」 tr. "Ten Wholesome [Paths]"—this is the evidential basis for the five routes in layers, used for the decision on the chapter name in Section IV. Taken together with the T223 side's base text 「法施」 tr. "Gift of Dharma" and Khitan edition 「十善」 tr. "Ten Wholesome [Paths]" (an inline collation note), the X24 title 「法施品」 tr. "Chapter on the Gift of Dharma" and body 「格量」 tr. "weighing (ge)", and the X46 title 「校量法施品」 tr. "Chapter on Weighing the Gift of Dharma (xiao)" and explanatory text 「十善品」 tr. "Chapter on the Ten Wholesome [Paths]", this is the evidential basis for the three-part layered network of the chapter name—recorded side by side as it is, without forcing a reconciliation.
Collation notes on the fascicle-close title (the Ishiyama's -1-step title at the fascicle close · the Shōgozō's note · listed separately). In the final part of the collation〔T25 0486a21〕—「大【大】｜大釋第三十七品竟【石】」 tr. "‘great’ in the Taishō; ‘great. End of the commentary on the thirty-seventh chapter’ in the Ishiyama": the Ishiyama text has at the end of this chapter the line 「釋第三十七品竟」 tr. "end of the commentary on the thirty-seventh chapter", whose chapter number 「第三十七」 tr. "thirty-seventh" does not agree with this chapter's position in the chapter order of the base text, 「三十八」 tr. "thirty-eight" (the Ishiyama's chapter title too reads the -1-step 「卅七」 tr. "thirty-seven"; see Section IV), consistent from head to tail—a confirmation at the fascicle close of the Ishiyama's systematic -1-step offset; further,〔T25 0486a22〕 「大智度〔經〕論卷第六十【大】｜〔－〕【石】」 tr. "‘Mahāprajñāpāramitā-[sūtra-]treatise, Fascicle Sixty’ in the Taishō; [absent] in the Ishiyama" (the Ishiyama lacks the fascicle-close title), and 「論【大】｜經論【聖】」 tr. "‘treatise’ in the Taishō; ‘sūtra-treatise’ in the Shōgozō" (the Shōgozō reads 「經論」 tr. "sūtra-treatise")—all are variants of the fascicle-close title, recorded as they are.
Complete ledger of collation notes (all one hundred and forty-four entries reconciled · transcribed as they stand in the base text). Below, transcribed in their original form from the working base text—the collation notes of this chapter total one hundred and forty-four (agreeing mechanically with app 144 in the head of the working base text and with the tool value of extract --check), in which the collation notes anchored in this chapter itself (own) and the refrain-recursive repeated citations within the chapter (star) are listed together; the readings of the variant texts are preserved side by side, while the main text still follows the reading of the current base text. The star entries number fourteen (ten in-chapter re-citations and four recursive ids: beg_6ef / beg_6f0 / beg_6f1 / beg_6f2 / beg_6f3 / beg_6f4 / beg_6f5 / beg_6f6 / beg_6f7 / beg_6f8 / beg_6f9 / beg_6fa / beg_6fb / beg_6fc, in hex-tail format), and their corresp targets all point to some seven-digit note id within the chapter; this ledger marks the stars according to the corresp targets checked entry by entry (note(0481032) / note(0482005) / note(0483005) / note(0483012) / note(0483002) / note(0484004) / note(0483017) / note(0485024) / note(0486001) and so on), without inventing targets. Further, at〔0483c17〕 there is one CBETA compound-id entry (beg0483022b, the single character 「更」 tr. "further (geng)" in literal context), and at〔0484b12〕〔0484c21〕 there are compound-id entries carrying Korean Canon page references as their source; unlike the ordinary side-by-side setting of variant readings, they are marked entry by entry:
- 〔T25 0481b14〕大智度論釋〔挍量〕法施品第三十八……卷六十【大】｜大智度經論卷第六十釋第卅七品【聖】｜摩訶般若波羅蜜品第卅七【石】(the core of the chapter-name / fascicle-title group · -1 step · three forms in layers · see Section IV)
- 〔T25 0481b14〕挍量【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】(chapter name · the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace editions lack 「挍量」 tr. "weighing")
- 〔T25 0481b14〕法施【大】｜十善【元】【明】(chapter name · the Yuan and Ming variant reading 「十善」 tr. "ten wholesome")
- 〔T25 0481b15〕八【大】｜八品【宮】(chapter number · the Palace edition's 「八品」 tr. "eighth chapter")
- 〔T25 0481b19〕【經】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0481b21〕以【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0481b22〕是【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0481b23〕人【大】｜〔－〕【宮】
- 〔T25 0481b25〕法【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0481c10〕果【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0481c12〕果【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0481c15〕果【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0481c19〕學【大】｜與【聖】
- 〔T25 0481c25〕故【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0481c26〕言【大】｜告【聖】
- 〔T25 0481c26〕是【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0482a03〕令【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0482a03〕持【大】｜提【聖】
- 〔T25 0482a03〕得福【大】｜福德【石】
- 〔T25 0482a10〕德【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0482a15〕說【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0482a17〕提【大】｜提中【石】
- 〔T25 0482a23〕是【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】(star · repeated citation within the chapter → note(0481032))
- 〔T25 0482a24〕說【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】(star · repeated citation within the chapter → note(0482005))
- 〔T25 0482a26〕書【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0482b02〕尸【大】｜尸羅【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0482b06〕有【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0482b18〕念【大】｜念復次憍尸迦善男子若波羅蜜親近讀誦說正憶念【聖】
- 〔T25 0482b23〕告【大】｜語【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0482b27〕有【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0482c03〕諸【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0482c20〕羅【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0482c23〕得【大】｜所得【石】
- 〔T25 0482c25〕智【大】｜習【聖】
- 〔T25 0483a13〕蜜【大】｜蜜相似般若波羅蜜【石】
- 〔T25 0483a14〕行【大】｜〔－〕【石】
- 〔T25 0483a17〕說【大】｜說說【聖】
- 〔T25 0483a19〕界【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0483a21〕界【大】｜眾【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0483a21〕界【大】｜眾【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】(star · repeated citation within the chapter → note(0483005))
- 〔T25 0483a25〕如【大】｜五【聖】
- 〔T25 0483a29〕苦【大】｜苦空【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0483b01〕為【大】｜〔－〕【宮】
- 〔T25 0483b08〕相【大】｜想【聖】
- 〔T25 0483b15〕法【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0483b15〕便【大】｜使【聖】
- 〔T25 0483b16〕界【大】｜國【石】
- 〔T25 0483b16〕界【大】｜國【石】(star · repeated citation within the chapter → note(0483012))
- 〔T25 0483b19〕學【大】｜覺【聖】
- 〔T25 0483b20〕憶【大】｜〔－〕【石】
- 〔T25 0483b23〕佛【大】｜〔－〕【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0483b24〕如【大】｜是如【聖】
- 〔T25 0483b25〕是【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0483b25〕蜜【大】｜密【宮】
- 〔T25 0483b28〕善女人【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0483c01〕色【大】｜〔－〕【石】
- 〔T25 0483c06〕善女人【大】｜〔－〕【聖】(star · recursive id
beg_6f3) - 〔T25 0483c10〕是【大】｜名【石】
- 〔T25 0483c17〕者言【大】｜論曰【宮】｜釋曰【石】｜論者言【元】【明】
- 〔T25 0483c17〕更欲以異門明【大 · literal context · CBETA compound id
beg0483022b· the single character 「更」 tr. "further (geng)" with an empty rdg】 - 〔T25 0483c19〕經中【大】｜中經【聖】
- 〔T25 0483c22〕樂【大】｜德【聖】
- 〔T25 0483c22〕墮【大】｜隨【聖】
- 〔T25 0484a01〕免【大】｜勉【石】
- 〔T25 0484a07〕波羅蜜【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0484a09〕等【大】｜〔－〕【石】
- 〔T25 0484a16〕今【大】｜令【明】
- 〔T25 0484a17〕神【大】｜〔－〕【石】
- 〔T25 0484a19〕能【大】｜非【宮】
- 〔T25 0484a21〕念【大】｜〔－〕【石】
- 〔T25 0484a25〕行【大】｜〔－〕【石】(star · repeated citation within the chapter → note(0483002))
- 〔T25 0484a25〕通【大】｜神通【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0484a25〕今【大】｜令【明】(star · repeated citation within the chapter → note(0484004))
- 〔T25 0484a26〕今【大】｜令【宮】
- 〔T25 0484a26〕如【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0484b06〕具足即是【大】｜〔－〕【聖】｜即是【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0484b08〕正【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0484b08〕作【大】｜於【聖】
- 〔T25 0484b09〕故【大】｜故故【石】
- 〔T25 0484b12〕隨【大】｜墮【大】｜隨【宮】【聖】【石】(compound id · carrying Korean Canon / Taishō page references as its source K14n0549_p1098c09 · T25n1509_p0511c10)
- 〔T25 0484b15〕般【大】｜〔－〕【石】
- 〔T25 0484b17〕如【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0484b18〕波羅蜜【大】｜〔－〕【聖】(star · recursive id
beg_6f6) - 〔T25 0484b23〕演說【大】｜說演【聖】
- 〔T25 0484b25〕讀、誦【大】｜誦讀【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0484b27〕置【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0484b29〕中【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0484c05〕說【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0484c13〕讀、誦【大】｜誦讀【宋】【元】【明】【宮】(star · recursive id
beg_6f7) - 〔T25 0484c15〕教【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0484c17〕一【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0484c18〕世尊【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0484c19〕他人【大】｜人他【聖】
- 〔T25 0484c21〕是言【大】｜言是【大】(compound id
beg0484c2101· carrying Korean Canon / Taishō page references as its source K14n0549_p1099b06 · T25n1509_p0484c12) - 〔T25 0484c21〕讀、誦【大】｜誦讀【宋】【元】【明】【宮】(star · recursive id
beg_6f8) - 〔T25 0484c22〕行【大】｜〔－〕【石】(star · repeated citation within the chapter → note(0483002))
- 〔T25 0484c24〕中【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0484c28〕是【大】｜〔－〕【聖】(star · repeated citation within the chapter → note(0483017))
- 〔T25 0485a08〕得福【大】｜福德【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0485a09〕是【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0485a15〕地【大】｜菩薩地【石】
- 〔T25 0485a20〕子【大】｜子善女人【石】
- 〔T25 0485a23〕如是言：『善男子【大】｜〔－〕【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0485a27〕一【大】｜〔－〕【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0485b01〕疾【大】｜疾欲【元】【明】
- 〔T25 0485b03〕演【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0485b05〕如【大】｜如是【元】【明】【石】
- 〔T25 0485b06〕轉【大】｜轉轉【宋】【元】【明】｜〔－〕【宮】【石】
- 〔T25 0485b06〕者【大】｜〔－〕【宮】
- 〔T25 0485b17〕爾【大】｜念【聖】
- 〔T25 0485b19〕諸【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0485b19〕能【大】｜〔－〕【宮】
- 〔T25 0485b21〕者【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0485b24〕學六波羅蜜乃至十八不共法【大】｜〔－〕【明】
- 〔T25 0485b26〕畜生、餓鬼【大】｜餓鬼畜生【石】
- 〔T25 0485b29〕便有【大】｜乃至【宮】
- 〔T25 0485b29〕羅【大】｜羅波羅蜜【石】
- 〔T25 0485b29〕提【大】｜提波羅蜜【石】
- 〔T25 0485b29〕耶【大】｜耶波羅蜜【石】
- 〔T25 0485c04〕人【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0485c04〕如【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0485c04〕等【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0485c08〕諸【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0485c11〕德【大】｜樂【宋】【宮】
- 〔T25 0485c13〕等【大】｜〔－〕【聖】(star · repeated citation within the chapter → note(0485024))
- 〔T25 0485c14〕一阿鞞跋致【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0485c19〕生【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0485c20〕菩【大】｜到菩【聖】
- 〔T25 0485c24〕界【大】｜界等【聖】
- 〔T25 0486a03〕於【大】｜〔－〕【石】
- 〔T25 0486a03〕人【大】｜夫【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【石】
- 〔T25 0486a04〕於【大】｜〔－〕【石】(star · repeated citation within the chapter → note(0486001))
- 〔T25 0486a06〕教【大】｜教化【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0486a07〕增【大】｜憎【石】
- 〔T25 0486a08〕知【大】｜了知【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】【石】
- 〔T25 0486a12〕施【大】｜〔－〕【聖】
- 〔T25 0486a13〕謂【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】
- 〔T25 0486a13〕等【大】｜〔－〕【宮】
- 〔T25 0486a14〕聖弟子【大】｜弟子聖【宮】
- 〔T25 0486a14〕進【大】｜進等【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
- 〔T25 0486a19〕諸佛【大】｜佛諸【聖】
- 〔T25 0486a21〕大【大】｜大釋第三十七品竟【石】(the Ishiyama's -1-step title at the fascicle close · 「第三十七」 tr. "thirty-seventh" does not agree with the base text's chapter number 「三十八」 tr. "thirty-eight" · see Section IV)
- 〔T25 0486a22〕大智度〔經〕論卷第六十【大】｜〔－〕【石】
- 〔T25 0486a22〕論【大】｜經論【聖】
These one hundred and forty-four entries agree mechanically with the count of the anchored collation notes in the working base text (own and star listed together, with the corresp targets of the recursive repeated citations among the star entries marked entry by entry, each checked entry by entry). The several places bearing on the chapter name / fascicle title (the four entries of the chapter-title group at〔0481b14〕, and the Ishiyama's 「第三十七品竟」 tr. "end of the thirty-seventh chapter" at the fascicle close〔0486a21〕) have been listed separately above, and collated in both directions across the three forms, against the sūtra explained and the ancient-master commentaries (Section IV, Section VI).
Witness statistics for the sūtra explained (not unfolded · the gap recorded for later supplementing). The entry-by-entry statistics of the <app> witnesses on the T223 side within the scope of the comparative reading for this chapter (from〔T08 0293c16〕 up to before the next chapter) were not unfolded here (following the format of the preceding chapter: the beg anchor falls within a frag, and entries are compared one by one by from="#"+id); the fact that they were not unfolded is recorded as it is, left to later collation to check and supplement, and no estimate is used to fill the number.