大智度論大如品Dazhidulun — Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa · The Great Suchness

心要Essence

這一品只講一個字：如。天上的天子先把所聞之法說了出來——「色即是薩婆若，薩婆若即是色」，再往深一層：「色如相、薩婆若如相，是一如，無二無別」。佛印可，並補上一句更難的：「阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，無得者、無得處、無得時，是名諸法甚深相，所謂無有二法。」正因為深到這個地步，「佛初成道時，心樂嘿然，不樂說法」。論主怕人把「甚深」聽成法有遠近，開卷就問：般若無處不深，為什麼有時候特別讚它深？答：「或時分別諸法空，是淺；或時說『世間法即同涅槃』，是深。」「譬如河水，有洄復深處、有淺處。」深淺在河，也在人——「聽者聞說，心信佛語，自智慧不及故言『甚深』」。至於「一切世間所不能信」的那個「一切」，論主也不放過：「一切有二種：一者、名字一切，二者、實一切。」不信的人多，才這麼說，不是真的一個也沒有。

那麼如到底是什麼？「如名色等諸法真實相。」論主先用兩個喻把它擺正。一個是燒：「譬如除宮殿及諸陋廬，如燒栴檀及雜木，其處虛空無異」——宮殿和陋屋拆掉以後，栴檀和雜木燒盡以後，剩下的那片空是一樣的。一個是壁：「譬如壁中先有空相，小兒以橛釘之，力少故不入，大力者能入」——牆裡本來就有空，不是誰把空造出來；只是力氣小的釘不進去。所以如既不在色之外，也不就是色那副虛妄的樣子：「色等法皆是作法、有為、虛妄、從顛倒生」，可是「知色等法如實故即是如，因色等法得如名」。

接著是本品最漂亮的一段手法：立了又破。天子讚須菩提「是佛子，隨佛生」，須菩提不接讚，卻用如相一番一番解釋這句話為什麼成立——「如來如相不來不去，須菩提如相亦不來不去」「如來如相即是一切法如相，一切法如相即是如來如相。是如相中亦無如相」，一直立到「菩薩摩訶薩得是如故，名為如來」。大地為此六種振動。可是下一段，同一張口把它拆了：「須菩提不從色中隨佛生，亦不從色如中隨佛生」，不從、不離，四句都不許，最後說「是一切法皆無所有、不可得，無隨生者，亦無隨生法」。論主點破用意：天子聽了讚語，心裡開始貴重這個「如」，所以須菩提要斷他們的心。立名是為了說得清，破名是為了不黏住；這是般若的家法。

然後來了本品最沉的一段。舍利弗說如相時，二百比丘漏盡、五百比丘尼得法眼淨、五千菩薩得無生忍——同一場法會裡，另有一批菩薩「諸法不受故，漏盡，心得解脫，成阿羅漢」。他們不是懈怠的人：「先世值五百佛，親近供養」，五度都行過。壞在哪裡？「行別異相故，不得無異相；不得無異相故，不得入菩薩位」。佛接著設了個喻：「譬如有鳥，身長百由旬，若二百、三百由旬，而無有翅」，從三十三天自投閻浮提，中途想飛回去回不去，想不痛不惱也不能——「是鳥身大而無翅故」。論主逐句合：「『鳥身』，是菩薩身」「『無兩翅』者，是無般若波羅蜜、無方便」「『須彌山』者，是三界」「『虛空』，是無量佛法」。身愈大，摔得愈重；功德愈厚而無方便，墮勢愈猛。同是空、無相、無作，為什麼一人作佛、一人作阿羅漢？論主只答一句：「雖有種種因緣，得阿羅漢大因緣，所謂離薩婆若心行空等故。」分水嶺不在修什麼法，在心有沒有離開薩婆若。至於同聞而所得不等，也不必怪法：「如人持器詣海，隨器大小，各自取足。」

之下先辯難易。天子說「阿耨多羅三藐三菩提難得」，須菩提偏說「我意謂阿耨多羅三藐三菩提為易得」，因為無得者也無可得法。舍利弗拿事實頂回去：「今恒河沙等諸菩薩摩訶薩求阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，何以故退還？」於是須菩提一路追問：色退不退？離色有法退不退？色如退不退？離色如有法退不退？乃至如、法性、實際——舍利弗一句一句答「不」。追到底，論主給了一個界：「『法忍』者，是法門、法修、法行。」進了這個門就沒有退，出了這個門就有退；退不退不在法上，在人在門內門外。連三乘之分也照此收：「若入畢竟空門，一切法盡一相；若出畢竟空，三乘則有異。」舍利弗最後仍要問一句「成就何等菩提」，佛答得極乾脆：「成就佛阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。」

說到這裡都是「無」，可是本品沒有停在無上。須菩提問：要成就這個菩提，應該怎麼行？佛給的是一長串「有」——先是七種心：「應起等心，於一切眾生亦以等心與語，無有偏黨」，慈心、下意、安隱心、無礙心、無惱心、愛敬心；再是十善道、四禪、四無量、四無色定、六度、諸空、四念處乃至八聖道、三三昧、八背捨、九次第定、十力四無畏十八不共法、十二因緣、四諦、四果、辟支佛道、菩薩位、淨佛世界、神通、一切種智、斷結使習、壽命成就、法住成就，每一條都要『自行、教他、讚歎、歡喜』四樣一起做。論主釋這幾種心，句句落在人情上：要下心，是因為「一切法無常，一切眾生上、中、下皆歸磨滅」，也因為「憍慢是瞋之本，瞋是一切重罪之根」——「譬如大家打奴，奴不敢瞋恨」，自己先低了，挨罵挨打就不起恨；反過來自高而輕人，「如奴打大家，則起瞋怒」。又如「譬如主人請客，則應敬客而自卑」，既發誓度眾生，就欠著這一席。安隱心也不是給人一時的舒服：「『安隱心』者，與今世、後世、究竟樂」。七種心合起來，論主給了一個名字：「得是柔軟清淨好心，名眾生忍，是法忍初門。」

末了論主自己說出本品為什麼這樣編。十善道是舊法——「十善道，有佛、無佛，世間常有，是善法教」；六度乃至法住是客法，有佛說了才有菩薩行。前半講如，後半講行；講如是智門，講行是善門。「今說有、無二法，具足故，得無生法忍；譬如二輪具足故，能有所至。」只說空，車只有一輪；只說行，車也只有一輪。這一品最後說「二千菩薩得無生法忍」，論主把緣由點得明明白白：「此中善說二諦故，二千菩薩得無生法忍。」一如無二無別，說的是諸法的底；自行教他讚歎歡喜，做的是一天一天的事。底與事兩輪都在，才走得動。

This chapter speaks of only one Chinese character: suchness. The gods in the heavens first say aloud the Dharma they have heard—‘form is sarvajñā; sarvajñā is form’—and then go one layer deeper: ‘the mark of suchness of form and the mark of suchness of sarvajñā are one suchness, without duality and without difference.’ The Buddha confirms it, and adds a sentence harder still: ‘Anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi has no one who obtains it, no place of obtaining, no time of obtaining; this is called the very deep mark of all dharmas—that is, there are no two dharmas.’ Precisely because it is deep to this degree, ‘when the Buddha first attained the path, his mind delighted in silence and did not delight in expounding the Dharma.’ The treatise-author fears that people will hear ‘very deep’ as if the Dharma had a near and a far, and asks at the very opening: prajñā is deep everywhere; why is it at times praised in particular as deep? The answer: ‘at times all dharmas are discriminated as empty, and this is shallow; at times it is said that “the dharmas of the world are the same as nirvāṇa”, and this is deep.’ ‘It is like the water of a river, which has eddies and deep places and has shallow places.’ Deep and shallow lie in the river, and also in the person—‘the hearer, hearing it expounded, believes the Buddha's words in his mind, and because his own wisdom does not reach it he says “very deep”.’ As for the ‘all’ in ‘what all the world cannot believe’, the treatise-author does not let that pass either: ‘“All” is of two kinds: one, the all of names; two, the real all.’ It is because those who do not believe are many that it is put this way, not that there is truly not a single one.

Then what, after all, is suchness? ‘Suchness is the name for the real mark of form and the other dharmas.’ The treatise-author first sets it straight with two similes. One is burning: ‘as when palaces and mean huts are removed, or as when sandalwood and mixed woods are burned, the space where they stood is no different’—once palaces and mean huts have been torn down, once sandalwood and mixed woods have burned away, the space that remains is the same. The other is a wall: ‘as in a wall there is already the mark of space; a small child drives a peg into it, and because his strength is small it does not go in, while one of great strength can drive it in’—the space was in the wall from the start; no one makes the space; it is only that the one whose strength is small cannot drive the peg in. So suchness is neither outside form nor simply that false appearance of form: ‘form and the other dharmas are all made dharmas, conditioned, false, born from inversion’, and yet ‘knowing form and the other dharmas as they really are is precisely suchness; it is because of form and the other dharmas that suchness gets its name.’

Then comes the most beautiful piece of handling in the chapter: setting up and then breaking down. The gods praise Subhūti as ‘a son of the Buddha, born following the Buddha’; Subhūti does not accept the praise, but uses the mark of suchness to explain, turn after turn, why this sentence holds—‘the mark of suchness of the Tathāgata does not come and does not go; the mark of suchness of Subhūti also does not come and does not go’, ‘the mark of suchness of the Tathāgata is the mark of suchness of all dharmas; the mark of suchness of all dharmas is the mark of suchness of the Tathāgata. And within this mark of suchness there is no mark of suchness either’, setting it up all the way to ‘the bodhisattva-mahāsattva, because he obtains this suchness, is called Tathāgata.’ For this the great earth shook in six ways. Yet in the next passage the same mouth takes it apart: ‘Subhūti is not born following the Buddha from within form, nor is he born following the Buddha from within the suchness of form’; neither from it, nor apart from it—none of the four alternatives is allowed—and at the last it says, ‘all these dharmas are without anything existent and unfindable; there is no one born following, and no dharma of being born following.’ The treatise-author brings out the intent: the gods, having heard the praise, begin in their minds to prize this ‘suchness’, and so Subhūti must cut off their minds. Setting up a name is so that it can be said clearly; breaking the name is so that one does not stick to it; this is the family rule of prajñā.

Then comes the heaviest passage of the chapter. As Śāriputra speaks of the mark of suchness, two hundred bhikṣus exhaust their outflows, five hundred bhikṣuṇīs obtain the purity of the Dharma-eye, five thousand bodhisattvas obtain the acceptance of non-arising—and in the same assembly there is another group of bodhisattvas who, ‘because they did not receive any dharma, exhausted their outflows, their minds attained liberation, and they became arhats.’ They were not slack people: ‘in former lives they met five hundred buddhas, drew near to them and made offerings’, and they had practised all five perfections. Where did it go wrong? ‘Because they practised the mark of difference, they did not obtain the mark of no difference; because they did not obtain the mark of no difference, they could not enter the bodhisattva's position.’ The Buddha then sets a simile: ‘It is like a bird whose body is a hundred yojana long, or two hundred, or three hundred, and which has no wings’, which throws itself down from the Heaven of the Thirty-three toward Jambudvīpa; midway it wishes to fly back and cannot, wishes to be free of pain and vexation and cannot—‘because this bird's body is great and it has no wings.’ The treatise-author matches it clause by clause: ‘“the bird's body” is the bodhisattva's body’, ‘“without two wings” is being without prajñāpāramitā and without skilful means’, ‘“Mount Sumeru” is the three realms’, ‘“space” is the immeasurable dharmas of the Buddha.’ The greater the body, the heavier the fall; the thicker the merit without skilful means, the fiercer the momentum of the fall. The same emptiness, signlessness, and non-action—why does one person become a Buddha and another an arhat? The treatise-author answers with a single sentence: ‘though there are causes and conditions of many kinds, the great cause and condition of becoming an arhat is practising emptiness and the rest with a mind that has left sarvajñā.’ The watershed is not in which dharma one practises, but in whether the mind has left sarvajñā. And that those who hear the same thing do not obtain the same, one need not blame on the Dharma: ‘as when people carry vessels to the sea, each according to the size of his vessel takes his fill.’

The last part first debates hard and easy. The gods say ‘anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi is hard to obtain’; Subhūti insists, ‘in my view anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi is easy to obtain’, because there is no one who obtains it and no dharma that can be obtained. Śāriputra pushes back with the facts: ‘now bodhisattva-mahāsattvas equal to the sands of the Ganges seek anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi; why do they retrogress and turn back?’ Then Subhūti presses on with question after question: does form retrogress or not? Apart from form, is there a dharma that retrogresses or not? Does the suchness of form retrogress or not? Apart from the suchness of form, is there a dharma that retrogresses or not? And so on up to suchness, the nature of dharmas, the limit of reality—and Śāriputra answers each sentence with ‘no’. Pressed to the end, the treatise-author gives a boundary: ‘“acceptance of dharmas” is the gate of the Dharma, the practice of the Dharma, the conduct of the Dharma.’ Once inside this gate there is no retrogressing; outside this gate there is retrogressing; retrogressing or not is not in the dharmas but in the person, inside the gate or outside it. Even the division of the three vehicles is gathered in the same way: ‘if one enters the gate of ultimate emptiness, all dharmas are wholly of one mark; if one comes out of ultimate emptiness, the three vehicles then differ.’ Śāriputra at the last still has to ask ‘what awakening does he accomplish?’, and the Buddha answers with the utmost directness: ‘He accomplishes the Buddha's anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi.’

Up to this point it has all been ‘no’; but this chapter does not stop at ‘no’. Subhūti asks: to accomplish this awakening, how should one practise? What the Buddha gives is a long string of ‘yes’—first seven kinds of mind: ‘he should arouse an equal mind, and speak to all beings too with an equal mind, without partiality’, a mind of kindness, a lowly intent, a mind of safety, an unobstructed mind, a mind without vexation, a mind of love and respect; then the ten wholesome paths, the four dhyānas, the four immeasurables, the four formless absorptions, the six perfections, the emptinesses, the four foundations of mindfulness and so on up to the eightfold noble path, the three samādhi, the eight liberations, the nine successive absorptions, the ten powers, the four fearlessnesses, the eighteen unshared dharmas, the twelve links of causes and conditions, the four truths, the four fruits, the path of the pratyekabuddha, the bodhisattva's position, purifying buddha-worlds, the supernormal powers, the omniscience of all kinds, severing the fetters and their habitual residues, the accomplishment of life-span, the accomplishment of the abiding of the Dharma—and every item is to be done in all four ways at once, ‘practising it oneself, teaching others, praising, rejoicing.’ In explaining these kinds of mind the treatise-author lands every sentence on human feeling: one must have a lowly mind because ‘all dharmas are impermanent, and all beings, high, middle, and low, return alike to being ground away’, and also because ‘pride is the root of hatred, and hatred is the root of all grave sins’—‘as when a master beats a slave, the slave dares not hate’: having first made oneself low, one does not rise in hatred at being scolded or beaten; the other way round, exalting oneself and belittling others, ‘as when a slave beats the master, hatred and anger arise.’ And again, ‘as when a host invites guests, he should honour the guests and humble himself’: having vowed to deliver beings, one owes them this seat. Nor is the mind of safety a matter of giving people a moment's comfort: ‘“a mind of safety” gives the happiness of this life, of the next life, and of the ultimate.’ Putting the seven kinds of mind together, the treatise-author gives them a name: ‘obtaining this soft, pure, good mind is called the acceptance of beings; it is the first gate of the acceptance of dharmas.’

At the end the treatise-author himself says why the chapter is arranged as it is. The ten wholesome paths are old dharmas—‘the ten wholesome paths, whether there is a Buddha or no Buddha, are always in the world; this is the teaching of wholesome dharmas’; the six perfections and so on up to the abiding of the Dharma are guest dharmas: only when a Buddha has expounded them is there the bodhisattva's practice. The first half speaks of suchness, the second half of practice; speaking of suchness is the gate of wisdom, speaking of practice is the gate of goodness. ‘Now the two dharmas, existence and non-existence, are spoken of, and because both are complete, one obtains the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas; as a cart with both wheels complete can get somewhere.’ Speaking only of emptiness, the cart has one wheel; speaking only of practice, the cart still has only one wheel. This chapter ends with ‘two thousand bodhisattvas obtained the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas’, and the treatise-author states the reason plainly: ‘because here the two truths were well expounded, two thousand bodhisattvas obtained the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas.’ One suchness without duality and without difference speaks of the bottom of all dharmas; practising oneself, teaching others, praising, and rejoicing are the things done day by day. Only when both wheels, the bottom and the things, are there does the cart move.

義疏 · 總說Exposition · Overview

總說

〈大如品〉一開卷，不是佛先說法，是天先來問訊。欲界、色界諸天子以天末栴檀香與青赤紅白四色蓮華遙散佛上，來至佛所，頂禮佛足，一面而住，開口第一句便是一句歎：「諸佛阿耨多羅三藐三菩提甚深、難見、難解、不可思惟知、微妙寂滅，智者能知，一切世間所不能信。」歎畢隨即自說所以，而所舉之由，正是本品品名之眼——「色即是薩婆若，薩婆若即是色」，「色如相、薩婆若如相，是一如，無二無別」。佛一句「如是！如是！」全盤印可，並把這一如之深，說到自己身上去：「以是義故，佛初成道時，心樂嘿然，不樂說法。」深之為深，此處不是說不盡，是無有二——「阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，無得者、無得處、無得時，是名諸法甚深相，所謂無有二法」；隨後一連十餘句「是法甚深」，句句以「如虛空甚深故」「如甚深故」「法性甚深、實際甚深」為由。全品四番經、四番論，同在一卷之內，依經論段界分作之上、之下兩分弧：之上兩番說如之為體——一如無二，而後說得此如者何以名隨佛生、何以名如來；之下兩番說如之為用——於如中菩提是難得是易得、三乘有無分別，而後一問「應云何行」，佛以一整段行門作答。

之上第一番，先定甚深之義，後定隨佛生之義。經文中天子再白：「是甚深法，不為受色故說，不為捨色故說」，而世間所行恰恰相反——「諸世間皆受著行，所謂色是我、是我所」；佛可其言，並下一句斷語：若有菩薩為受色乃至為受一切種智故行，「是菩薩不能修般若波羅蜜」。須菩提接口而說此法四相：「是法隨順一切法」「是法名無礙相，如虛空等故」「是法不生相」「是法無處」。諸天子聞而讚曰：「須菩提是佛子，隨佛生。何以故？須菩提所說皆與空合。」須菩提不受此讚，反問「云何為隨佛生」，而後以一連串「復次」開演——不從人上說，只從如上說：「如來如相不來不去，須菩提如相亦不來不去」；「如來如相即是一切法如相，一切法如相即是如來如相。是如相中亦無如相」；如來如常住，而是如相「無作，終不不如」；「如來如相不過去、不未來、不現在」；乃至「如來如不在過去如中，過去如亦不在如來如中」。一路說到不但無能隨之人、亦無所隨之法——「是故須菩提如不有異，為隨佛生，亦無所隨」，這才由佛結成一句：「須菩提！菩薩摩訶薩得是如故，名為如來。」說此如時，「是三千大千世界大地六種振動」。論釋則從一個最實在的問起：般若無不甚深，何以還要分別讚其甚深？答語極平：「或時分別諸法空，是淺；或時說『世間法即同涅槃』，是深」，而喻以河水——「有洄復深處、有淺處」。所謂「一切世間所不能信」的那個「一切」，論主亦分二種：「一者、名字一切，二者、實一切」，此處是名字一切，「以多不信故言『一切』」。至於菩提與般若之別，論主一句說盡：「但名字異——在菩薩心中為般若，在佛心中名阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。」而如是什麼？「如名色等諸法真實相」——論主隨以除盡宮殿陋廬、燒盡栴檀雜木為喻：「其處虛空無異」。壁中之空一喻更切：「譬如壁中先有空相，小兒以橛釘之，力少故不入，大力者能入」——空相本自在壁，入不入在力，不在空。末後釋隨佛生，先舉三種子——「一者、不隨順生，二者、隨順生，三者、勝生」——而「佛法中惟欲一種：隨順生，以無有勝佛故」；至於何以不說入法位菩薩隨順佛生，論主並列三說而不判，如實誌之。最後點破如來之名：「如來者，如實行來到佛法中。」

之上第二番，從讚轉入破，從破轉入墮。諸天子復散香，讚一句「須菩提以如來如隨佛生」；須菩提隨即以四句斷其貴尚——「須菩提不從色中隨佛生，亦不從色如中隨佛生；不離色隨佛生，亦不離色如隨佛生」，乃至無為與無為如皆然，理由只一句：「是一切法皆無所有、不可得，無隨生者，亦無隨生法。」舍利弗承此而說如之甚深，句法是步步退後的：「色尚不可得，何況色如當可得！」佛全句印可。說是如相時，眾會得益各各不同：「二百比丘不受一切法故，漏盡得阿羅漢」，五百比丘尼遠塵離垢得法眼淨，五千菩薩得無生忍，而「六千菩薩諸法不受故，漏盡，心得解脫，成阿羅漢」。這最後一則是全品最扎眼的一筆：行菩薩道而證阿羅漢。佛不待人問，自向舍利弗說其因緣——此六千菩薩「先世值五百佛，親近供養」，具行五事而「無般若波羅蜜、無方便力故，行別異相」，作是念「是施、是持戒、是忍辱、是精進、是禪定」，遂「行別異相故，不得無異相；不得無異相故，不得入菩薩位」。舍利弗因問：同是空、無相、無作，何以有方便力則得菩提、無方便力則取聲聞乘？佛以一鳥為喻：「譬如有鳥，身長百由旬，若二百、三百由旬，而無有翅，從三十三天，自投閻浮提」——中道欲還，不得；願不痛不惱，亦不得，只為「是鳥身大而無翅故」。修行如恒河沙劫而「遠離般若波羅蜜、方便力故」者亦如是。反之，從初發意不離薩婆若心、於三世諸佛戒定慧解脫解脫知見皆不取相者，「不墮聲聞、辟支佛道，直至阿耨多羅三藐三菩提」——佛名之曰「菩薩方便力，以離相心行布施、持戒、忍辱、精進、禪定」。論釋於此逐節接手：先點出須菩提說四句之意，是「知諸天子心少貴尚是諸法如」，故「以四種破著如心」；次辨色等法與色等法如之分——色等法是「眼所見等諸法」，而如名「色等法實相，不虛誑」，色等法「皆是作法、有為、虛妄、從顛倒生」，故「不即是如」，然亦「因色等法得如名」，是故「不離色等法得如」。六千人成阿羅漢一節，論主答得毫不迴護：「是人無般若波羅蜜、無方便力」，深厭世間而「慈悲心薄故求自利」，「即得阿羅漢，於般若無咎」——並喻以「如人持器詣海，隨器大小，各自取足」。又防一難：既說一切聖人皆得無為、即是無分別，何以言其不得無分別法？答曰「非說今世聽法時；乃是過去五百世時，不得般若、方便」，以致「失菩薩信等五根」。至於同行三解脫門而果報迥異，大因緣只一條：「離薩婆若心行空等故」。末後大鳥之喻，論主逐語配屬：「鳥身」是菩薩身，「大」者「世世廣集五波羅蜜功德」，「無兩翅」者「是無般若波羅蜜、無方便」，「虛空」是無量佛法，「未應飛而飛」者是功德未成滿而欲遊無量佛法虛空之中，「若死」者是阿羅漢道，「死等」者是辟支佛道，「若痛、若惱」者「失菩薩本願功德」。

之下第一番，把同一個如翻到得上來問。諸天子白佛：「阿耨多羅三藐三菩提難得！」佛印可，並以自身為證：「我亦得一切法、一切種智已，得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，亦無所得，無能知、無可知、亦無知者。何以故？諸法畢竟淨故。」須菩提偏說反面：「如我解佛所說義，我心思惟，是阿耨多羅三藐三菩提易得」——理由是「一切法、一切法相空，無法可得、無能得者」，既無可得，難亦無從說起。舍利弗即以事詰之：若法空如虛空而菩提易得，「今恒河沙等諸菩薩摩訶薩求阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，何以故退還？」須菩提不直答，反以問代答，一句一問，句句只問一事——「色於阿耨多羅三藐三菩提退還不？」乃至一切種智、離色有法、色如相、離色如相、如、法性、法住、法位、實際、不可思議性、離如有法，舍利弗一一答「不」。十數答之後，須菩提才收成一問：「若諸法畢竟不可得，何等法於阿耨多羅三藐三菩提退還？」舍利弗現受須菩提語，卻另引佛說作難：若無退者，則「佛說求道者有三種：阿羅漢道、辟支佛道、佛道」，豈非「獨有一菩薩求佛道」？此時富樓那彌多羅尼子插一句，教舍利弗更問：「應當問須菩提：『為有一菩薩乘不？』」須菩提於是以如相四句反詰——於諸法如中欲使有三乘人不？三乘分別中有如可得不？是如有若一相、若二相、若三相不？於如中乃至有一菩薩不？舍利弗四答皆「不也」，須菩提遂結：「如是四種中，三乘人不可得。」而全番之落處不在破，在忍——「菩薩摩訶薩聞是諸法如相，心不驚、不沒、不悔、不疑，是名菩薩摩訶薩能成就阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。」佛因而讚曰：「善哉！善哉！須菩提！汝所說者，皆是佛力。」舍利弗末後一問極要緊：「成就何等菩提？」佛答定盤：「成就佛阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。」論釋於此不多鋪陳，只把幾個關節捏住：佛可其言而以自身為證——「我坐道場，以一切種得一切法，亦無一定相可得」；須菩提之易得，是「一切法畢竟常空故，是中無得者、無可得法，無障無礙、無所修、無所斷故」；離色等法如更無有法可退還，因為「如破色等法已，如亦自空」。法忍二字，論主下了定義：「是法門、法修、法行」——「入須菩提所說法門中，則無退還；出是法門，則有退還」，退與不退，繫乎在門內門外，不繫乎其人。而舍利弗更問成就何等菩提，論主亦有解：「各各有無上」，故須問定；答曰「大乘無上」。末後一句把全番兩面並起來說：「若入畢竟空門，一切法盡一相；若出畢竟空，三乘則有異。今佛分別諸法故說有上、中、下乘，不為畢竟空故說。」

之下第二番，是全品由如落到行的一轉。須菩提問：「若菩薩摩訶薩欲成就阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，應云何行？」佛答不從空說起，從心說起：「應起等心，於一切眾生亦以等心與語，無有偏黨」，次第而下是大慈心、下意、安隱心、無礙心、無惱心、愛敬心——愛敬之量，經文舉得極親：「如父、如母、如兄、如弟、如姊、如妹、如兒子、如親族、知識」。心既如是，事亦如是：自不殺生、教人不殺生、讚不殺生法、「歡喜讚歎諸不殺生者」——四事並行，一路推遍十善道、四禪、四無量心、四無色定、六波羅蜜、內空乃至無法有法空、四念處乃至八聖道分、三三昧、八背捨、九次第定、十力、四無所畏、四無礙智、十八不共法、大慈大悲、逆順觀十二因緣與四諦，以至四沙門果與辟支佛道——此處經文措辭最須細看：「自生須陀洹果證智而不證實際」，證其智而不取其證；辟支佛道亦然。再上則入菩薩位、淨佛世界成就眾生、起菩薩神通、生一切種智、斷一切結使習、取壽命成就、成就法住，一一皆四事俱行。行盡而後說果：「當得無礙色，得無礙受、想、行、識，乃至得無礙法住」，所以然者，「是菩薩摩訶薩從本已來，不受色」乃至不受一切種智——「色不受者為非色，乃至一切種智不受者為非一切種智」。說是品時，「二千菩薩得無生法忍」。論釋於此番釋得最細，幾乎逐心而釋：釋等心，先破眾生之實——「五眾和合，假名眾生，如車、如林」，而世人於一切眾生「各行三分：怨、親、中人」，佛今教菩薩皆以親愛想待之；又列三惡三善，「惡中惡者，如人以好心供給慈念，而反以惡心毀害」，「善中善者，如人以惡事害於己，而以善事乃至身命供養」——菩薩「捨是三惡，過是二種善，行第六心於一切眾生」。有問：未得法身者何能行此？論主連舉數因緣答之——當受難為苦行乃成無上道，「譬如估客，於險道中備受諸苦，乃得大利」；深信畢竟空故，知「所見、所聞、所知皆是虛誑，如幻、如夢」；知此身本從罪業顛倒因緣而生，「以此弊身而得無上道利，何為不與」；欲令眾生効己所行，故「以身教令其信受」；又為對治發言求道而身行不稱者。又問等心與慈心何異，論主亦並列數說：「等心者是四無量心，慈心者是一無量」；「初捨怨親是等心，後加愍念是慈心」；「等心者，觀眾生如如、實際、法性」。何以不說悲心？答得極實在：「悲心或憂念眾生，積集此心，心則退沒」，且或有眾生不愛菩薩悲念。又問菩薩福德智慧積集，何故反於眾生中起下意？論主一連數答：「一切法無常，一切眾生上、中、下皆歸磨滅」，大小本無定——「此國以為大，餘國以為小」；佛道因緣唯佛能知，若以形貌才能輕人，「則為輕未來佛」；既誓度眾生，「若眾生無所得，我則孤負眾生」，「譬如主人請客，則應敬客而自卑」；而自大之心最損行——「憍慢是瞋之本，瞋是一切重罪之根」，下心則人打罵而無恚，「譬如大家打奴，奴不敢瞋恨」。安隱心亦有分際：「與今世、後世、究竟樂，非如父母、知識與現世樂」。諸心備而後有忍——「得是柔軟清淨好心，名眾生忍，是法忍初門」。至於所行諸法，論主分為兩類：十善道「有佛、無佛，世間常有」，是舊法；「六波羅蜜乃至法住，是客法，有佛說則有菩薩行」——「上來舊法、客法，本末具足」。全品末後歸在一處：本品「說如微妙深法，亦說有行，善門、智門，二行具足」，而「但說如法，所利少；若說有法，所利亦少」，今二者具足，故「二千菩薩得無生法忍」，「譬如二輪具足故，能有所至」。

四番經論相間而進，同在一卷之中，而前後兩分弧各有其重。之上兩番說如之為體：一如無二無別，故名甚深；得是如故名如來，故名隨佛生；而所以於此立一無方便之戒者，正因說如說到極處，最易生一種病——以為知如即是到如。六千菩薩是現成之證：值五百佛、行五波羅蜜，而「無般若波羅蜜、無方便力故，行別異相」，終於「不得入菩薩位」；鳥大而無翅，身愈大則墮愈重。之下兩番說如之為用：於如中無得、無退、無三乘之分，是「若入畢竟空門，一切法盡一相」一面；而「今佛分別諸法故說有上、中、下乘」，是出畢竟空一面——出入之間，正是行門所在，故一問「應云何行」，佛便從等心說到成就法住，無一事不是四事俱行。論主末後自為全品下一斷語，把兩分弧繫成一事：「但說如法，所利少；若說有法，所利亦少」，二法具足，乃至無生法忍——「譬如二輪具足故，能有所至」。品首一如無二之歎，品末二輪具足之喻，一品之義盡在此兩端之間。

因此，讀每一番經論時，至少可問三層。其一，這一番的如落在何處——是色與薩婆若之一如，是如來如與一切法如之一如，是三世如之無二無別，還是三乘分別中之無如可得？其二，說得如此平等，何以同席仍有得失之異——同聞如相，而二百比丘漏盡得阿羅漢、五千菩薩得無生忍、六千菩薩亦成阿羅漢，其判在人乎，在法乎？論主之答不在人品高下，只在一事：「離薩婆若心行空等故」，「無般若波羅蜜、無方便力」。其三，說如既竟，何以更說一整段行門——若「一切法、一切法相空，無法可得、無能得者」，則等心、下意、安隱心乃至十善道諸行，是為誰設？順著四番經論讀下去，終會落在論主那句總斷上：「此中善說二諦故，二千菩薩得無生法忍」——如是一諦，行是一諦；說如而不說行，說行而不說如，兩皆所利少；二輪具足，乃能有所至。

依原論次序讀下去

Overview

When "The Great Suchness" opens, it is not the Buddha who first expounds the Dharma; it is the gods who first come to pay their respects. The gods of the desire realm and the form realm scatter heavenly powdered sandalwood incense and lotus flowers of four colours—blue, red, crimson, and white—from afar over the Buddha, come to where the Buddha is, bow their heads at the Buddha's feet, and stand to one side, and the very first sentence they speak is a sentence of praise: 「諸佛阿耨多羅三藐三菩提甚深、難見、難解、不可思惟知、微妙寂滅，智者能知，一切世間所不能信。」 tr. "The anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi (unsurpassed, right, and complete awakening) of the buddhas is very deep, hard to see, hard to understand, not to be known by thought, subtle and quiescent; the wise can know it; all the world cannot believe it." Having praised, they at once state the reason themselves, and the reason they give is precisely the eye of this chapter's name—「色即是薩婆若，薩婆若即是色」 tr. "form is sarvajñā (omniscience); sarvajñā is form", 「色如相、薩婆若如相，是一如，無二無別」 tr. "the mark of suchness of form and the mark of suchness of sarvajñā are one suchness, without duality and without difference". With the one sentence 「如是！如是！」 tr. "Just so! Just so!" the Buddha confirms the whole of it, and carries the depth of this one suchness over to himself: 「以是義故，佛初成道時，心樂嘿然，不樂說法。」 tr. "For this reason, when the Buddha first attained the path, his mind delighted in silence and did not delight in expounding the Dharma." What makes the deep deep is here not that it cannot be fully spoken, but that there is no two—「阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，無得者、無得處、無得時，是名諸法甚深相，所謂無有二法」 tr. "anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi has no one who obtains it, no place of obtaining, no time of obtaining; this is called the very deep mark of all dharmas—that is, there are no two dharmas"; after this come more than ten sentences in a row of 「是法甚深」 tr. "this Dharma is very deep", each one giving as its reason 「如虛空甚深故」 tr. "because it is very deep like space", 「如甚深故」 tr. "because suchness is very deep", 「法性甚深、實際甚深」 tr. "the nature of dharmas is very deep, the limit of reality is very deep". The whole chapter, four rounds of sūtra and four rounds of treatise, lies within a single fascicle, and by the boundaries of the sūtra and treatise sections it is divided into two arcs, the First Part and the Last Part: the two rounds of the First Part speak of suchness as substance—one suchness without two—and then say why one who obtains this suchness is called born following the Buddha and why he is called Tathāgata; the two rounds of the Last Part speak of suchness as function—whether, within suchness, awakening is hard to obtain or easy to obtain, whether the three vehicles are distinguished or not—and then comes the one question 「應云何行」 tr. "how should he practise", which the Buddha answers with a whole passage on the gate of practice.

The first round of the First Part first settles the meaning of 'very deep', then settles the meaning of 'born following the Buddha'. In the sūtra text the gods address the Buddha again: 「是甚深法，不為受色故說，不為捨色故說」 tr. "This very deep Dharma is not spoken for the sake of receiving form, and not spoken for the sake of relinquishing form", while what the world practises is exactly the opposite—「諸世間皆受著行，所謂色是我、是我所」 tr. "all the worlds practise receiving and clinging: that is to say, form is self, form is what belongs to self"; the Buddha approves their words and adds a verdict: if there is a bodhisattva who practises for the sake of receiving form, and so on up to for the sake of receiving the omniscience of all kinds, 「是菩薩不能修般若波羅蜜」 tr. "this bodhisattva cannot practise prajñāpāramitā". Subhūti takes it up and speaks of four marks of this Dharma: 「是法隨順一切法」 tr. "This Dharma accords with all dharmas", 「是法名無礙相，如虛空等故」 tr. "This Dharma is called the unobstructed mark, because it is equal to space", 「是法不生相」 tr. "This Dharma is the mark of non-arising", 「是法無處」 tr. "This Dharma has no place". The gods, hearing it, praise him: 「須菩提是佛子，隨佛生。何以故？須菩提所說皆與空合。」 tr. "Subhūti is a son of the Buddha, born following the Buddha. Why? What Subhūti says is all at one with emptiness." Subhūti does not accept this praise, but asks back 「云何為隨佛生」 tr. "what is it to be born following the Buddha", and then unfolds it with a string of 「復次」 tr. "furthermore"—not speaking from the side of persons, only from the side of suchness: 「如來如相不來不去，須菩提如相亦不來不去」 tr. "the mark of suchness of the Tathāgata does not come and does not go; the mark of suchness of Subhūti also does not come and does not go"; 「如來如相即是一切法如相，一切法如相即是如來如相。是如相中亦無如相」 tr. "the mark of suchness of the Tathāgata is the mark of suchness of all dharmas; the mark of suchness of all dharmas is the mark of suchness of the Tathāgata. And within this mark of suchness there is no mark of suchness either"; the suchness of the Tathāgata abides always, and this mark of suchness 「無作，終不不如」 tr. "is without making, and is never not such"; 「如來如相不過去、不未來、不現在」 tr. "the mark of suchness of the Tathāgata is not past, not future, not present"; and so on up to 「如來如不在過去如中，過去如亦不在如來如中」 tr. "the suchness of the Tathāgata is not within past suchness, nor is past suchness within the suchness of the Tathāgata". It speaks all the way to where there is not only no person able to follow, but also no dharma that is followed—「是故須菩提如不有異，為隨佛生，亦無所隨」 tr. "therefore the suchness of Subhūti is not different; he is born following the Buddha, and yet there is nothing followed"—and only then does the Buddha conclude it in one sentence: 「須菩提！菩薩摩訶薩得是如故，名為如來。」 tr. "Subhūti! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva, because he obtains this suchness, is called Tathāgata." When this suchness was spoken, 「是三千大千世界大地六種振動」 tr. "the great earth of this three-thousand great-thousand world shook in six ways". The treatise explanation begins from the most down-to-earth question: there is nothing in prajñā that is not very deep; why then must it still single it out and praise it as very deep? The answer is utterly plain: 「或時分別諸法空，是淺；或時說『世間法即同涅槃』，是深」 tr. "at times all dharmas are discriminated as empty, and this is shallow; at times it is said that ‘the dharmas of the world are the same as nirvāṇa’, and this is deep", and it is likened to river water—「有洄復深處、有淺處」 tr. "there are eddies and deep places, and there are shallow places". Of what is called 「一切世間所不能信」 tr. "all the world cannot believe it", that 「一切」 tr. "all" too the treatise-author divides into two kinds: 「一者、名字一切，二者、實一切」 tr. "one, the all of names; two, the real all"; here it is the all of names, 「以多不信故言『一切』」 tr. "because many do not believe, it says ‘all’". As for the difference between awakening and prajñā, the treatise-author says it all in one sentence: 「但名字異——在菩薩心中為般若，在佛心中名阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。」 tr. "They differ only in name—in the bodhisattva's mind it is prajñā; in the Buddha's mind it is called anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi." And what is suchness? 「如名色等諸法真實相」 tr. "Suchness is the name for the real mark of form and the other dharmas"—the treatise-author then gives the simile of palaces and mean huts wholly removed, and sandalwood and mixed woods wholly burned: 「其處虛空無異」 tr. "the space where they stood is no different". The simile of the space in a wall is more pointed still: 「譬如壁中先有空相，小兒以橛釘之，力少故不入，大力者能入」 tr. "It is like a wall in which there is already the mark of space; a small child drives a peg into it, and because his strength is small it does not go in, while one of great strength can drive it in"—the mark of space was in the wall from the start; whether the peg goes in or not lies in strength, not in space. Last, in explaining 'born following the Buddha', it first sets out the three seeds—「一者、不隨順生，二者、隨順生，三者、勝生」 tr. "one, born not in accord; two, born in accord; three, born superior"—and 「佛法中惟欲一種：隨順生，以無有勝佛故」 tr. "in the Buddha's Dharma only one kind is wanted: born in accord, because there is none superior to the Buddha"; as for why the bodhisattva who has entered the Dharma-position is not said to be born in accord with the Buddha, the treatise-author sets three views side by side without judging between them, and they are recorded as they are. Last of all, the name Tathāgata is laid bare: 「如來者，如實行來到佛法中。」 tr. "The Tathāgata is one who, practising as it really is, has come into the Buddha's Dharma."

The second round of the First Part turns from praise into breaking, and from breaking into falling. The gods again scatter incense and speak a sentence of praise: 「須菩提以如來如隨佛生」 tr. "Subhūti is born following the Buddha by the suchness of the Tathāgata"; Subhūti at once cuts off what they prize with four clauses—「須菩提不從色中隨佛生，亦不從色如中隨佛生；不離色隨佛生，亦不離色如隨佛生」 tr. "Subhūti is not born following the Buddha from within form, nor is he born following the Buddha from within the suchness of form; he is not born following the Buddha apart from form, nor is he born following the Buddha apart from the suchness of form", and so on up to the unconditioned and the suchness of the unconditioned, all alike; the reason is only one sentence: 「是一切法皆無所有、不可得，無隨生者，亦無隨生法。」 tr. "All these dharmas are without anything existent and unfindable; there is no one born following, and no dharma of being born following." Śāriputra takes this up and speaks of the depth of suchness, in a syntax that steps back at every step: 「色尚不可得，何況色如當可得！」 tr. "Form itself is unfindable—how much less could the suchness of form be found!" The Buddha confirms the whole sentence. When this mark of suchness was spoken, the benefit the assembly gained differed from one to another: 「二百比丘不受一切法故，漏盡得阿羅漢」 tr. "two hundred bhikṣus, because they did not receive any dharma, exhausted their outflows and attained arhatship", five hundred bhikṣuṇīs, far from the dust and separated from defilement, obtained the purity of the Dharma-eye, five thousand bodhisattvas obtained the acceptance of non-arising, and 「六千菩薩諸法不受故，漏盡，心得解脫，成阿羅漢」 tr. "six thousand bodhisattvas, because they did not receive any dharma, exhausted their outflows, their minds attained liberation, and they became arhats". This last item is the most glaring stroke in the whole chapter: walking the bodhisattva path and realising arhatship. Without waiting to be asked, the Buddha himself tells Śāriputra its causes and conditions—these six thousand bodhisattvas 「先世值五百佛，親近供養」 tr. "in former lives met five hundred buddhas, drew near to them and made offerings", fully practised five matters, and yet 「無般若波羅蜜、無方便力故，行別異相」 tr. "because they had no prajñāpāramitā and no power of skilful means, they practised the mark of difference", thinking 「是施、是持戒、是忍辱、是精進、是禪定」 tr. "this is giving, this is keeping the precepts, this is patience, this is vigour, this is meditation", and so 「行別異相故，不得無異相；不得無異相故，不得入菩薩位」 tr. "because they practised the mark of difference, they did not obtain the mark of no difference; because they did not obtain the mark of no difference, they could not enter the bodhisattva's position". Śāriputra therefore asks: when it is the same emptiness, signlessness, and non-action, why does one with the power of skilful means obtain awakening, while one without the power of skilful means takes up the śrāvaka vehicle? The Buddha answers with the simile of a bird: 「譬如有鳥，身長百由旬，若二百、三百由旬，而無有翅，從三十三天，自投閻浮提」 tr. "It is like a bird whose body is a hundred yojana long, or two hundred or three hundred yojana, and which has no wings; from the Heaven of the Thirty-three it throws itself down toward Jambudvīpa"—midway it wishes to return and cannot; it wishes to be without pain and without vexation, and cannot either, only 「是鳥身大而無翅故」 tr. "because this bird's body is great and it has no wings". Those who practise for kalpas like the sands of the Ganges and yet 「遠離般若波羅蜜、方便力故」 tr. "because they stray far from prajñāpāramitā and the power of skilful means" are likewise. Conversely, one who from the first arousing of intent does not leave the mind of sarvajñā, and who grasps at no mark in the morality, concentration, wisdom, liberation, and knowledge and vision of liberation of the buddhas of the three times, 「不墮聲聞、辟支佛道，直至阿耨多羅三藐三菩提」 tr. "does not fall into the path of the śrāvaka or the pratyekabuddha, and goes straight on to anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi"—the Buddha names this 「菩薩方便力，以離相心行布施、持戒、忍辱、精進、禪定」 tr. "the bodhisattva's power of skilful means: with a mind separated from marks he practises giving, keeping the precepts, patience, vigour, and meditation". The treatise explanation takes it up here section by section: first it brings out the intent of Subhūti's four clauses—he 「知諸天子心少貴尚是諸法如」 tr. "knew that the gods' minds had come a little to prize this suchness of dharmas", and so 「以四種破著如心」 tr. "with four kinds he broke the mind that clings to suchness"; next it distinguishes form and the other dharmas from the suchness of form and the other dharmas—form and the other dharmas are 「眼所見等諸法」 tr. "the dharmas seen by the eye and the rest", while suchness is the name for 「色等法實相，不虛誑」 tr. "the real mark of form and the other dharmas, not false and deceptive"; form and the other dharmas 「皆是作法、有為、虛妄、從顛倒生」 tr. "are all made dharmas, conditioned, false, born from inversion", and therefore 「不即是如」 tr. "are not simply suchness"; yet it is also 「因色等法得如名」 tr. "because of form and the other dharmas that suchness gets its name", and therefore 「不離色等法得如」 tr. "suchness is obtained not apart from form and the other dharmas". On the six thousand people becoming arhats, the treatise-author answers without shielding anyone at all: 「是人無般若波羅蜜、無方便力」 tr. "these people had no prajñāpāramitā and no power of skilful means", and, deeply weary of the world, 「慈悲心薄故求自利」 tr. "because their mind of kindness and compassion was thin, they sought their own benefit"—「即得阿羅漢，於般若無咎」 tr. "they at once attained arhatship; prajñā is without blame in this"—and it likens this to 「如人持器詣海，隨器大小，各自取足」 tr. "as when people carry vessels to the sea, each according to the size of his vessel takes his fill". It also forestalls one objection: since it is said that all noble ones obtain the unconditioned, which is non-discrimination, why is it said that these did not obtain the dharma of non-discrimination? The answer is: 「非說今世聽法時；乃是過去五百世時，不得般若、方便」 tr. "it does not speak of the time of hearing the Dharma in this life; it is that in the past, during five hundred lives, they did not obtain prajñā and skilful means", so that they came to 「失菩薩信等五根」 tr. "lose the bodhisattva's five faculties of faith and the rest". As for why, practising the same three gates of liberation, the fruits of retribution are so far apart, the great cause and condition is just one: 「離薩婆若心行空等故」 tr. "because they practise emptiness and the rest with a mind that has left sarvajñā". Last, in the simile of the great bird, the treatise-author matches it word by word: 「鳥身」 tr. "the bird's body" is the bodhisattva's body; 「大」 tr. "great" means 「世世廣集五波羅蜜功德」 tr. "life after life broadly gathering the merit of the five perfections"; 「無兩翅」 tr. "without two wings" is 「是無般若波羅蜜、無方便」 tr. "being without prajñāpāramitā and without skilful means"; 「虛空」 tr. "space" is the immeasurable dharmas of the Buddha; 「未應飛而飛」 tr. "flying when it should not yet fly" is wishing, before one's merit is complete and full, to roam in the space of the immeasurable dharmas of the Buddha; 「若死」 tr. "if it dies" is the path of the arhat; 「死等」 tr. "the equivalent of death" is the path of the pratyekabuddha; 「若痛、若惱」 tr. "if it suffers pain, if it suffers vexation" is 「失菩薩本願功德」 tr. "losing the merit of the bodhisattva's original vow".

The first round of the Last Part turns the same suchness over and asks about it from the side of obtaining. The gods say to the Buddha: 「阿耨多羅三藐三菩提難得！」 tr. "Anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi is hard to obtain!" The Buddha confirms it, and takes himself as the proof: 「我亦得一切法、一切種智已，得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，亦無所得，無能知、無可知、亦無知者。何以故？諸法畢竟淨故。」 tr. "I too, having obtained all dharmas and the omniscience of all kinds, obtained anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi, and yet there was nothing obtained; there is no one able to know, nothing that can be known, and also no knower. Why? Because all dharmas are ultimately pure." Subhūti deliberately takes the opposite side: 「如我解佛所說義，我心思惟，是阿耨多羅三藐三菩提易得」 tr. "as I understand the meaning of what the Buddha says, when I reflect in my mind, this anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi is easy to obtain"—the reason being 「一切法、一切法相空，無法可得、無能得者」 tr. "all dharmas and the marks of all dharmas are empty; there is no dharma that can be obtained and no one who can obtain it"; since there is nothing to be obtained, there is nowhere from which to speak of difficulty either. Śāriputra at once challenges him with the facts: if dharmas are empty like space and awakening is easy to obtain, 「今恒河沙等諸菩薩摩訶薩求阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，何以故退還？」 tr. "now bodhisattva-mahāsattvas equal to the sands of the Ganges seek anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi; why do they retrogress and turn back?" Subhūti does not answer directly, but answers with questions instead, one sentence one question, each sentence asking only one thing—「色於阿耨多羅三藐三菩提退還不？」 tr. "Does form retrogress and turn back from anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi, or not?"—and so on through the omniscience of all kinds, a dharma apart from form, the mark of suchness of form, apart from the mark of suchness of form, suchness, the nature of dharmas, the abiding of dharmas, the position of dharmas, the limit of reality, the nature of the inconceivable, a dharma apart from suchness; Śāriputra answers each one 「不」 tr. "no". Only after ten-odd answers does Subhūti gather it into one question: 「若諸法畢竟不可得，何等法於阿耨多羅三藐三菩提退還？」 tr. "If all dharmas are ultimately unfindable, what dharma retrogresses and turns back from anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi?" Śāriputra now accepts Subhūti's words, but cites another saying of the Buddha to raise a difficulty: if there is none who retrogresses, then since 「佛說求道者有三種：阿羅漢道、辟支佛道、佛道」 tr. "the Buddha says those who seek the path are of three kinds: the path of the arhat, the path of the pratyekabuddha, the Buddha path", would it not follow that 「獨有一菩薩求佛道」 tr. "only one, the bodhisattva, seeks the Buddha path"? At this point Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra interjects a sentence, telling Śāriputra to ask further: 「應當問須菩提：『為有一菩薩乘不？』」 tr. "You should ask Subhūti: ‘Is there one bodhisattva vehicle or not?’" Subhūti then asks back with four clauses on the mark of suchness—within the suchness of all dharmas, would you have there be people of the three vehicles or not? Within the distinctions of the three vehicles, is there suchness to be found or not? Does this suchness have one mark, or two marks, or three marks, or not? Within suchness is there even one bodhisattva or not? Śāriputra answers all four 「不也」 tr. "No", and Subhūti then concludes: 「如是四種中，三乘人不可得。」 tr. "Within these four kinds, people of the three vehicles are unfindable." And the landing point of the whole round is not in breaking but in acceptance—「菩薩摩訶薩聞是諸法如相，心不驚、不沒、不悔、不疑，是名菩薩摩訶薩能成就阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。」 tr. "The bodhisattva-mahāsattva who hears this mark of suchness of all dharmas and whose mind is not startled, does not sink, has no regret, and has no doubt—this is called the bodhisattva-mahāsattva who is able to accomplish anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi." The Buddha therefore praises him: 「善哉！善哉！須菩提！汝所說者，皆是佛力。」 tr. "Excellent! Excellent! Subhūti! What you say is all the Buddha's power." Śāriputra's last question is of the utmost importance: 「成就何等菩提？」 tr. "What awakening does he accomplish?" The Buddha's answer settles it: 「成就佛阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。」 tr. "He accomplishes the Buddha's anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi." The treatise explanation does not spread out much here; it only grips a few joints: the Buddha approves the words and takes himself as the proof—「我坐道場，以一切種得一切法，亦無一定相可得」 tr. "I sat at the seat of awakening and obtained all dharmas in all kinds, and yet not one fixed mark could be found"; Subhūti's 'easy to obtain' is 「一切法畢竟常空故，是中無得者、無可得法，無障無礙、無所修、無所斷故」 tr. "because all dharmas are ultimately and always empty; herein there is no one who obtains and no dharma that can be obtained; because there is no hindrance and no obstruction, nothing practised and nothing severed"; apart from the suchness of form and the other dharmas there is no further dharma that could retrogress and turn back, because 「如破色等法已，如亦自空」 tr. "once suchness has broken form and the other dharmas, suchness too is itself empty". To the two words 'acceptance of dharmas' the treatise-author gives a definition: 「是法門、法修、法行」 tr. "it is the gate of the Dharma, the practice of the Dharma, the conduct of the Dharma"—「入須菩提所說法門中，則無退還；出是法門，則有退還」 tr. "if one enters the gate of the Dharma spoken of by Subhūti, then there is no retrogressing and turning back; if one leaves this gate of the Dharma, then there is retrogressing and turning back"; retrogressing or not retrogressing depends on being inside the gate or outside it, not on the person. And as for Śāriputra further asking what awakening is accomplished, the treatise-author has an explanation too: 「各各有無上」 tr. "each has its own unsurpassed", so the question must be settled; the answer is 「大乘無上」 tr. "the Great Vehicle is unsurpassed". The last sentence puts the two sides of the whole round together: 「若入畢竟空門，一切法盡一相；若出畢竟空，三乘則有異。今佛分別諸法故說有上、中、下乘，不為畢竟空故說。」 tr. "If one enters the gate of ultimate emptiness, all dharmas are wholly of one mark; if one comes out of ultimate emptiness, the three vehicles then differ. Now the Buddha, because he discriminates dharmas, says there are upper, middle, and lower vehicles; it is not said for the sake of ultimate emptiness."

The second round of the Last Part is the turn in the whole chapter from suchness down to practice. Subhūti asks: 「若菩薩摩訶薩欲成就阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，應云何行？」 tr. "If a bodhisattva-mahāsattva wishes to accomplish anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi, how should he practise?" The Buddha's answer begins not from emptiness but from the mind: 「應起等心，於一切眾生亦以等心與語，無有偏黨」 tr. "he should arouse an equal mind, and speak to all beings too with an equal mind, without partiality", and in order below that come a mind of great kindness, a lowly intent, a mind of safety, an unobstructed mind, a mind without vexation, a mind of love and respect—the measure of love and respect the sūtra text gives in the most intimate terms: 「如父、如母、如兄、如弟、如姊、如妹、如兒子、如親族、知識」 tr. "as to a father, as to a mother, as to an elder brother, as to a younger brother, as to an elder sister, as to a younger sister, as to a son, as to kin and friends". The mind being so, the deeds are so too: himself not killing, teaching others not to kill, praising the dharma of not killing, and 「歡喜讚歎諸不殺生者」 tr. "rejoicing in and praising all who do not kill"—the four things practised together, carried all the way through the ten wholesome paths, the four dhyānas, the four immeasurable minds, the four formless absorptions, the six perfections, 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 eightfold noble path, the three samādhi, the eight liberations, the nine successive absorptions, the ten powers, the four fearlessnesses, the four unobstructed knowledges, the eighteen unshared dharmas, great kindness and great compassion, contemplating the twelve links of causes and conditions in forward and reverse order and the four truths, up to the four fruits of the śramaṇa and the path of the pratyekabuddha—here the wording of the sūtra most needs a careful look: 「自生須陀洹果證智而不證實際」 tr. "himself giving rise to the knowledge that realises the fruit of the srota-āpanna, yet not realising the limit of reality"—he realises its knowledge without taking its realisation; the path of the pratyekabuddha likewise. Further up, he enters the bodhisattva's position, purifies buddha-worlds and brings beings to accomplishment, gives rise to the bodhisattva's supernormal powers, gives rise to the omniscience of all kinds, severs all the fetters and their habitual residues, takes up the accomplishment of life-span, accomplishes the abiding of the Dharma—each and every one practised in all four ways together. Only when the practice is exhausted does it speak of the fruit: 「當得無礙色，得無礙受、想、行、識，乃至得無礙法住」 tr. "he will obtain unobstructed form, obtain unobstructed feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness, and so on up to obtaining the unobstructed abiding of the Dharma"; the reason is that 「是菩薩摩訶薩從本已來，不受色」 tr. "this bodhisattva-mahāsattva from the very beginning has not received form", and so on up to not receiving the omniscience of all kinds—「色不受者為非色，乃至一切種智不受者為非一切種智」 tr. "form not received is not form, and so on up to: the omniscience of all kinds not received is not the omniscience of all kinds". When this chapter was spoken, 「二千菩薩得無生法忍」 tr. "two thousand bodhisattvas obtained the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas". The treatise explanation is most detailed in this round, explaining almost mind by mind: explaining the equal mind, it first breaks the reality of beings—「五眾和合，假名眾生，如車、如林」 tr. "the five aggregates coming together are provisionally named a being, like a cart, like a forest"—while worldly people, toward all beings, 「各行三分：怨、親、中人」 tr. "each practise three divisions: enemies, kin, and those in between", and the Buddha now teaches the bodhisattva to treat them all with the thought of kin and love; it further lists three evils and three goods: 「惡中惡者，如人以好心供給慈念，而反以惡心毀害」 tr. "the evil within evil is like a person whom one supplies with a good mind and kind thought, and who in return harms one with an evil mind", 「善中善者，如人以惡事害於己，而以善事乃至身命供養」 tr. "the good within good is like a person who harms one with evil deeds, while one makes offerings to him with good deeds, even to one's body and life"—the bodhisattva 「捨是三惡，過是二種善，行第六心於一切眾生」 tr. "gives up these three evils, passes beyond these two kinds of good, and practises the sixth mind toward all beings". Someone asks: how can one who has not yet obtained the Dharma body practise this? The treatise-author answers with several causes and conditions in a row—one must undergo hard ascetic practices before one accomplishes the unsurpassed path, 「譬如估客，於險道中備受諸苦，乃得大利」 tr. "like a merchant who undergoes every suffering on a dangerous road and only then gains great profit"; because one deeply believes in ultimate emptiness, one knows that 「所見、所聞、所知皆是虛誑，如幻、如夢」 tr. "what is seen, what is heard, and what is known are all false and deceptive, like an illusion, like a dream"; knowing that this body arose from the causes and conditions of sinful deeds and inversion, 「以此弊身而得無上道利，何為不與」 tr. "with this wretched body one gains the benefit of the unsurpassed path—why not give it?"; wishing to have beings imitate what he himself practises, he therefore 「以身教令其信受」 tr. "teaches with his body so that they believe and accept"; and it is also an antidote to those who speak of seeking the path while their bodily conduct does not match their words. Asked further how the equal mind and the mind of kindness differ, the treatise-author again sets several views side by side: 「等心者是四無量心，慈心者是一無量」 tr. "the equal mind is the four immeasurable minds; the mind of kindness is one immeasurable"; 「初捨怨親是等心，後加愍念是慈心」 tr. "first relinquishing enemy and kin is the equal mind; afterwards adding pity is the mind of kindness"; 「等心者，觀眾生如如、實際、法性」 tr. "the equal mind contemplates beings as like suchness, the limit of reality, the nature of dharmas". Why is the mind of compassion not spoken of? The answer is very down-to-earth: 「悲心或憂念眾生，積集此心，心則退沒」 tr. "the mind of compassion sometimes grieves over beings; when this mind accumulates, the mind then sinks back", and moreover some beings do not love the bodhisattva's compassionate concern. It asks further: since the bodhisattva's merit and wisdom are accumulated, why does he instead give rise to a lowly intent among beings? The treatise-author answers several times over: 「一切法無常，一切眾生上、中、下皆歸磨滅」 tr. "all dharmas are impermanent, and all beings, high, middle, and low, return alike to being ground away"; great and small are not fixed to begin with—「此國以為大，餘國以為小」 tr. "what this country takes as great, another country takes as small"; the causes and conditions of the Buddha path only a Buddha can know, and if one belittles people for their looks and abilities, 「則為輕未來佛」 tr. "then one belittles a future Buddha"; having vowed to deliver beings, 「若眾生無所得，我則孤負眾生」 tr. "if beings obtain nothing, I shall have failed beings", 「譬如主人請客，則應敬客而自卑」 tr. "as when a host invites guests, he should honour the guests and humble himself"; and the mind of self-exaltation most damages practice—「憍慢是瞋之本，瞋是一切重罪之根」 tr. "pride is the root of hatred, and hatred is the root of all grave sins", while with a lowly mind, when people beat or scold him, he has no anger, 「譬如大家打奴，奴不敢瞋恨」 tr. "as when a master beats a slave, the slave dares not hate". The mind of safety too has its proper measure: 「與今世、後世、究竟樂，非如父母、知識與現世樂」 tr. "it gives the happiness of this life, of the next life, and of the ultimate, not like the happiness of the present life that parents and friends give". With all these minds complete, there is then acceptance—「得是柔軟清淨好心，名眾生忍，是法忍初門」 tr. "obtaining this soft, pure, good mind is called the acceptance of beings; it is the first gate of the acceptance of dharmas". As for the dharmas practised, the treatise-author divides them into two kinds: the ten wholesome paths, 「有佛、無佛，世間常有」 tr. "whether there is a Buddha or no Buddha, are always in the world", and are old dharmas; 「六波羅蜜乃至法住，是客法，有佛說則有菩薩行」 tr. "the six perfections and so on up to the abiding of the Dharma are guest dharmas; only when a Buddha has spoken them is there the bodhisattva's practice"—「上來舊法、客法，本末具足」 tr. "the old dharmas and guest dharmas above are complete from root to branch". At the very end the whole chapter returns to one place: this chapter 「說如微妙深法，亦說有行，善門、智門，二行具足」 tr. "speaks of suchness, the subtle and deep Dharma, and also speaks of there being practice—the gate of goodness and the gate of wisdom, both practices complete", while 「但說如法，所利少；若說有法，所利亦少」 tr. "if only the dharma of suchness is spoken, the benefit is small; if the dharma of existence is spoken, the benefit is also small", and now both are complete, and so 「二千菩薩得無生法忍」 tr. "two thousand bodhisattvas obtained the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas", 「譬如二輪具足故，能有所至」 tr. "as, because both wheels are complete, one can get somewhere".

The four rounds of sūtra and treatise advance in alternation, all within one fascicle, and the two arcs, first and last, each carry their own weight. The two rounds of the First Part speak of suchness as substance: one suchness without duality and without difference, and so it is called very deep; because one obtains this suchness one is called Tathāgata, and so one is called born following the Buddha; and the reason a warning about being without skilful means is set up right here is precisely that when suchness is spoken to its utmost, one kind of sickness most easily arises—taking knowing suchness to be arriving at suchness. The six thousand bodhisattvas are the ready proof: they met five hundred buddhas and practised the five perfections, and yet 「無般若波羅蜜、無方便力故，行別異相」 tr. "because they had no prajñāpāramitā and no power of skilful means, they practised the mark of difference", and in the end they 「不得入菩薩位」 tr. "could not enter the bodhisattva's position"; the bird is great and wingless—the greater the body, the heavier the fall. The two rounds of the Last Part speak of suchness as function: that within suchness there is no obtaining, no retrogressing, no division of the three vehicles is the side of 「若入畢竟空門，一切法盡一相」 tr. "if one enters the gate of ultimate emptiness, all dharmas are wholly of one mark"; while 「今佛分別諸法故說有上、中、下乘」 tr. "now the Buddha, because he discriminates dharmas, says there are upper, middle, and lower vehicles" is the side of coming out of ultimate emptiness—between going in and coming out is precisely where the gate of practice lies, and so at the one question 「應云何行」 tr. "how should he practise", the Buddha speaks from the equal mind all the way to accomplishing the abiding of the Dharma, and there is not one thing that is not practised in all four ways together. At the end the treatise-author himself pronounces a verdict on the whole chapter, binding the two arcs into one matter: 「但說如法，所利少；若說有法，所利亦少」 tr. "if only the dharma of suchness is spoken, the benefit is small; if the dharma of existence is spoken, the benefit is also small"; with the two dharmas complete, one arrives even at the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas—「譬如二輪具足故，能有所至」 tr. "as, because both wheels are complete, one can get somewhere". The praise of one suchness without two at the head of the chapter, the simile of both wheels complete at its end: the meaning of the whole chapter lies entirely between these two ends.

Therefore, in reading each round of sūtra and treatise, one can ask at least three layers of questions. First, where does the suchness of this round fall—is it the one suchness of form and sarvajñā, the one suchness of the suchness of the Tathāgata and the suchness of all dharmas, the suchness of the three times without duality and without difference, or that within the distinctions of the three vehicles there is no suchness to be found? Second, when it is spoken so evenly, why are there still differences of gain and loss in the same assembly—hearing the same mark of suchness, two hundred bhikṣus exhausted their outflows and attained arhatship, five thousand bodhisattvas obtained the acceptance of non-arising, and six thousand bodhisattvas also became arhats: does the verdict lie in the person, or in the Dharma? The treatise-author's answer does not lie in the high or low grade of persons, but only in one thing: 「離薩婆若心行空等故」 tr. "because they practise emptiness and the rest with a mind that has left sarvajñā", 「無般若波羅蜜、無方便力」 tr. "they had no prajñāpāramitā and no power of skilful means". Third, once suchness has been fully spoken, why speak further a whole passage on the gate of practice—if 「一切法、一切法相空，無法可得、無能得者」 tr. "all dharmas and the marks of all dharmas are empty; there is no dharma that can be obtained and no one who can obtain it", then the equal mind, the lowly intent, the mind of safety, and so on up to the practices of the ten wholesome paths—for whom are they set up? Read on along the four rounds of sūtra and treatise, and one will come at last to that summary verdict of the treatise-author: 「此中善說二諦故，二千菩薩得無生法忍」 tr. "because here the two truths were well expounded, two thousand bodhisattvas obtained the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas"—suchness is one truth, practice is one truth; speaking of suchness without speaking of practice, or speaking of practice without speaking of suchness, in either case the benefit is small; only with both wheels complete can one get somewhere.

Reading On in the Order of the Treatise

本品 2 葉Chapter contents · 2

義疏 · 承衍Exposition · Further Resonances

承衍

〈大如品〉的義脈，前有所承，後有所啟，而承接之處密到幾乎沒有縫。所承者是前之〈趣一切智品〉：彼品開卷，須菩提問解深般若者當趣何所，佛答「是菩薩摩訶薩解深般若波羅蜜者，當趣一切種智」；彼品論釋一開口即先撥「般若波羅蜜非趣、非不趣」，說明此趣非外道之從因趣果、從今世趣後世，而是「因果相似故」之趣。彼品說到末後，佛自說不可以色乃至一切種智得菩提之因緣，落下一句：「色即是薩婆若，乃至一切種智即是薩婆若。色如相乃至一切種智如相皆是一如，無二無別。」彼品論釋亦以同一句收束：「色等諸法即是薩婆若，薩婆若即是色等諸法。何以故？色等諸法如即是薩婆若如，薩婆若如即是色等諸法如，以是故說如，是如無二無別。」——本品開卷，欲界、色界諸天子稱引深般若中「如是說」者，正是這一句：「色即是薩婆若，薩婆若即是色」，「色如相、薩婆若如相，是一如，無二無別」。前品說到此處為止，本品從此處起講：前品以「如」結趣之義，本品以「如」開一品之門；前品之「如」是所趣之果與能趣之行本來不二，本品之「如」則展為如來如、一切法如、三世如之一如無二無別。所啟者，次品〈阿毘跋致品〉開卷便見：須菩提問「以何等行、何等類、何等相貌知是阿鞞跋致菩薩摩訶薩」，佛所舉的第一相，仍是本品的那個如——「若菩薩摩訶薩能知凡夫地、聲聞地、辟支佛地、佛地；是諸地，如相中無二無別，亦不念，亦不分別。入是如中，聞是事，直過無疑。何以故？是如中無一無二相故。」本品之末，菩薩聞如相而「心不驚、不沒、不悔、不疑」名為能成就菩提；次品則把這一句翻成不退之驗相：入是如中而直過無疑者，是阿鞞跋致。本品經④所立『自行、教人、讚歎、歡喜』四事並行之式，次品亦原樣續用——「常行十善道：自不殺生，不教人殺生，讚歎不殺生法，歡喜讚歎不殺生者」。本品說成就之行，次品說不退之相；行之既久，相自可驗——義脈便順此而下。

後來古德讀此品，於品名一事所存可誌。本論底本題〈大如品第五十四〉；石本此品題別作「摩訶般若波羅蜜品第五十三大如品」，品次較底本少一階，與前數品一貫，如實誌之。所釋大經此品題亦作「大如品第五十四」，而題下牒有異名之夾註曰「丹本大如相品」，多出一「相」字；聖本此品題則別作「摩訶般若波羅蜜經如相品」——「如相」之名並非後人所擬，論中自用：經①結處逐字作「說是〈如相品〉時，是三千大千世界大地六種振動」，而經④結處又自稱「說是菩薩行品時，二千菩薩得無生法忍」。一品之內兩處自名，一曰如相，一曰菩薩行，正與本品之上之下兩分弧相應，並誌不判。為所釋大經作科疏、最重綱目開合的一家，其科目與疏文起講皆題「大如品第五十四」，而其四品科判總覽一段，逕稱本品作「大女品」——同一段內，前之趣一切智品亦被稱作「超智品」而非其自題之「趣智品」，可知此段行文之異稱非止一處，係該段概述之體例，並錄不判，不判「女」「如」孰正。這一家釋本品之定位，於起講處說得極分明：「此第四、合中下根人如如而學，具成上三品。以如如而學故，是有方便；不如如而學，名無方便。」以「如如而學」四字判本品，又以有無方便分其得失，與本品六千菩薩一節恰好照面。另有一家古德於其宗論玄義之書中前後兩引本品，皆引六千菩薩事以證無方便則不入菩薩位之義，其一云：「故大品經大如品云：有六十菩薩於五百佛所行六波羅蜜等，具行萬行而無方便故、實際作證故，不得入菩薩位。」——所引作「六十菩薩」，而本論底本原文作「六千菩薩」，「十」「千」形近，或其所據異本、或傳寫之異，並錄不判，不改底本。至於曾為本論自身作疏而今存殘卷之一家，遍檢所及未見其覆及本品品題；天台一系之止觀疏記，亦未見具名徵引本品品題或牒引本品之文——本品古德鏡照較前數品為薄，亦如實誌之。

把這一路承衍帶回本品，古德所誌的幾處歧異，恰好各照見本品的一個關節。品名之歧照見體用：一部之中而自名兩見，如相是體，菩薩行是用，正是之上說如、之下說行的兩分弧；若只取如相之名讀，則經④一整段行門無處安放；若只取菩薩行之名讀，則論主末後那句「但說如法，所利少；若說有法，所利亦少」便落了空。引文數目之歧則照見另一事：所爭在「六十」與「六千」之數，而所證之義兩無所異——無方便力則「行別異相故，不得無異相；不得無異相故，不得入菩薩位」，數目多寡不改此理。而以「如如而學」判本品之說，更把本品最容易被讀滑的一處點了出來：本品通篇說如，最險的誤讀正是把知如當作到如。六千菩薩不是不曾聞如，是「先世值五百佛，親近供養」而行五事；他們所缺的只有一項——「無般若波羅蜜、無方便力故，行別異相」。鳥非不大，身長百由旬乃至三百由旬；所缺者亦只一項——「是鳥身大而無翅故」。如如而學，是有方便；不如如而學，名無方便：古德這一句判語，與論主大鳥之喻說的是同一件事。

因此，〈大如品〉最終留下的，是一條可反覆使用的問路法：我聞說法平等一如而覺已得其深時，記得六千菩薩亦「聞如是甚深如相」而終「成阿羅漢」——聞如與行如之間，隔著方便力這一翅；我以久修自負而見他人現前無行時，記得論主釋下意一句「若我以眾生形貌、才能——以此事輕者，則為輕未來佛」；我念菩提難得而心生退屈時，記得須菩提的反說——「一切法、一切法相空，無法可得、無能得者」，難之所以為難，只在有得心，「如破色等法已，如亦自空」；我以為既說畢竟空便不必更論次第時，記得佛答「應云何行」是從「應起等心，於一切眾生亦以等心與語，無有偏黨」說起，一直說到成就法住，無一階可省；我行之既久而覺勞而未見其功時，記得論主給全品下的那句總斷——「此中善說二諦故，二千菩薩得無生法忍」，「譬如二輪具足故，能有所至」。說如是一輪，說行是一輪；一輪獨轉，車不能行。

Further Resonances

The vein of meaning in the chapter "The Great Suchness" has something it inherits before it and something it opens after it, and the join where it takes over is so close that there is almost no seam. What it inherits is the preceding chapter, "Tending toward Omniscience": at that chapter's opening Subhūti asks where one who understands the deep prajñā should tend, and the Buddha answers 「是菩薩摩訶薩解深般若波羅蜜者，當趣一切種智」 tr. "This bodhisattva-mahāsattva who understands the deep prajñāpāramitā should tend toward the omniscience of all kinds"; the treatise's explanation in that chapter, as soon as it opens its mouth, first clears away the view that 「般若波羅蜜非趣、非不趣」 tr. "prajñāpāramitā neither tends nor does not tend", explaining that this tending is not the outside paths' tending from cause to fruit, from this life to the next life, but a tending 「因果相似故」 tr. "because cause and fruit resemble each other". At the end of that chapter, the Buddha himself speaks of the causes and conditions by which awakening cannot be obtained through form and so on up to the omniscience of all kinds, and lets fall a sentence: 「色即是薩婆若，乃至一切種智即是薩婆若。色如相乃至一切種智如相皆是一如，無二無別。」 tr. "Form is sarvajñā, and so on up to: the omniscience of all kinds is sarvajñā. The mark of suchness of form, and so on up to the mark of suchness of the omniscience of all kinds, are all one suchness, without duality and without difference." The treatise's explanation in that chapter also closes with the same sentence: 「色等諸法即是薩婆若，薩婆若即是色等諸法。何以故？色等諸法如即是薩婆若如，薩婆若如即是色等諸法如，以是故說如，是如無二無別。」 tr. "Form and the other dharmas are sarvajñā; sarvajñā is form and the other dharmas. Why? The suchness of form and the other dharmas is the suchness of sarvajñā; the suchness of sarvajñā is the suchness of form and the other dharmas; for this reason suchness is spoken of, and this suchness is without duality and without difference."—at this chapter's opening, what the gods of the desire realm and the form realm cite from the deep prajñā as 「如是說」 tr. "it is said thus" is precisely this sentence: 「色即是薩婆若，薩婆若即是色」 tr. "Form is sarvajñā; sarvajñā is form", 「色如相、薩婆若如相，是一如，無二無別」 tr. "The mark of suchness of form and the mark of suchness of sarvajñā are one suchness, without duality and without difference." The preceding chapter speaks up to this point and stops; this chapter begins its teaching from this point: the preceding chapter concludes the meaning of tending with 「如」 tr. "suchness", and this chapter opens the gate of a whole chapter with 「如」 tr. "suchness"; the preceding chapter's 「如」 tr. "suchness" is that the fruit tended toward and the practice that does the tending are from the start not two, while this chapter's 「如」 tr. "suchness" unfolds into the one suchness, without duality and without difference, of the suchness of the Tathāgata, the suchness of all dharmas, and the suchness of the three times. As for what it opens, it is seen at once at the opening of the next chapter, "Avaivartika": Subhūti asks 「以何等行、何等類、何等相貌知是阿鞞跋致菩薩摩訶薩」 tr. "By what conduct, what kind, and what appearance is one to know that this is an avaivartika bodhisattva-mahāsattva?", and the first mark the Buddha raises is still this chapter's suchness—「若菩薩摩訶薩能知凡夫地、聲聞地、辟支佛地、佛地；是諸地，如相中無二無別，亦不念，亦不分別。入是如中，聞是事，直過無疑。何以故？是如中無一無二相故。」 tr. "If the bodhisattva-mahāsattva can know the ground of ordinary people, the śrāvaka ground, the pratyekabuddha ground, and the Buddha ground—these grounds, within the mark of suchness, are without duality and without difference, and he neither thinks of them nor discriminates them. Entering into this suchness and hearing this matter, he passes straight through without doubt. Why? Because within this suchness there is no mark of one and no mark of two." At this chapter's end, the bodhisattva who, hearing the mark of suchness, 「心不驚、不沒、不悔、不疑」 tr. "his mind is not startled, does not sink, has no regret, and has no doubt" is called able to accomplish awakening; the next chapter turns this sentence into the test-mark of non-retrogression: one who enters this suchness and passes straight through without doubt is an avaivartika. The pattern set up in this chapter's Sūtra ④, ‘practising it oneself, teaching others, praising, rejoicing’, the four matters practised together, is carried on unchanged in the next chapter too—「常行十善道：自不殺生，不教人殺生，讚歎不殺生法，歡喜讚歎不殺生者」 tr. "He constantly practises the ten wholesome paths: he himself does not kill living beings, does not teach others to kill living beings, praises the dharma of not killing living beings, and rejoices in and praises those who do not kill living beings." This chapter speaks of the practice of accomplishment; the next chapter speaks of the marks of non-retrogression; when the practice has gone on long, the marks can of themselves be tested—and the vein of meaning flows on downward from this.

Among the later ancient masters who read this chapter, what they preserved on the matter of the chapter's name is worth recording. This treatise's base text heads it "Chapter Fifty-four, The Great Suchness"; in the Ishiyama-dera manuscript this chapter's title reads otherwise, 「摩訶般若波羅蜜品第五十三大如品」 tr. "Mahāprajñāpāramitā, Chapter Fifty-three, The Great Suchness", its numbering one step lower than the base text, consistent with the several preceding chapters, and this is recorded as it is. In the great sūtra that it explains, this chapter's title likewise reads 「大如品第五十四」 tr. "Chapter Fifty-four, The Great Suchness", while beneath the title an interlinear note records a variant name, saying 「丹本大如相品」 tr. "the Khitan edition has ‘The Great Mark of Suchness’", with one character more, 「相」 tr. "mark"; and in the Shōgozō manuscript this chapter's title reads otherwise again, 「摩訶般若波羅蜜經如相品」 tr. "Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra, The Mark of Suchness"—the name 「如相」 tr. "the Mark of Suchness" is not one devised by later people; the treatise uses it itself: at the close of Sūtra ① it reads word for word 「說是〈如相品〉時，是三千大千世界大地六種振動」 tr. "When this ‘Mark of Suchness’ chapter was expounded, the great earth of this three-thousand great-thousand world shook in six ways", and at the close of Sūtra ④ it again names itself: 「說是菩薩行品時，二千菩薩得無生法忍」 tr. "When this ‘Bodhisattva's Practice’ chapter was expounded, two thousand bodhisattvas obtained the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas." Within one chapter it names itself in two places, once as the Mark of Suchness and once as Bodhisattva's Practice, corresponding precisely to the two arcs of this chapter's First Part and Last Part; both are recorded without judgement. The one house that composed a sectional commentary on the great sūtra it explains, laying the greatest weight on the opening and closing of the outline, heads both its outline and the opening of its commentary text 「大如品第五十四」 tr. "Chapter Fifty-four, The Great Suchness", while in its passage surveying the structural division of four chapters it calls this chapter outright 「大女品」 tr. "the Great Woman chapter"—within the same passage the preceding chapter, "Tending toward Omniscience", is likewise called 「超智品」 tr. "Surpassing Knowledge" rather than by its own title, 「趣智品」 tr. "Tending toward Knowledge", from which it can be seen that the variant names in this passage's wording are not confined to one place and belong to the manner of that passage's summary; both are recorded without judgement, without judging which of 「女」 tr. "woman" and 「如」 tr. "suchness" is correct. This house's placing of this chapter is stated with great clarity where it begins its exposition: 「此第四、合中下根人如如而學，具成上三品。以如如而學故，是有方便；不如如而學，名無方便。」 tr. "This is the fourth: it brings together people of middling and lower faculties who train in accord with suchness, fully completing the three chapters above. Because they train in accord with suchness, there is skilful means; not training in accord with suchness is called being without skilful means." It judges this chapter by the four Chinese characters 「如如而學」 tr. "training in accord with suchness", and further divides gain and loss by the presence or absence of skilful means, which meets face to face precisely the passage on the six thousand bodhisattvas in this chapter. There is another ancient master who, in his book on the profound meaning of the treatises of his school, cites this chapter twice, both times citing the matter of the six thousand bodhisattvas to prove the meaning that without skilful means one does not enter the bodhisattva's position; one of these says: 「故大品經大如品云：有六十菩薩於五百佛所行六波羅蜜等，具行萬行而無方便故、實際作證故，不得入菩薩位。」 tr. "Therefore the ‘Great Suchness’ chapter of the Larger Sūtra says: there were sixty bodhisattvas who, in the presence of five hundred buddhas, practised the six perfections and the rest; because, though fully practising the myriad practices, they were without skilful means, and because they realised the limit of reality, they could not enter the bodhisattva's position."—what he cites reads 「六十菩薩」 tr. "sixty bodhisattvas", while the original text of this treatise's base text reads 「六千菩薩」 tr. "six thousand bodhisattvas"; 「十」 tr. "ten" and 「千」 tr. "thousand" are close in shape; whether it was a different text that he relied on or a difference arising in copying, both are recorded without judgement, and the base text is not altered. As for the one house that once composed a commentary on this treatise itself and survives today in incomplete fascicles, in all that could be searched it was not seen to touch on this chapter's title; in the commentaries and records on calming and contemplation of the Tiantai line, too, no citation of this chapter's title by name, nor any quotation of this chapter's text, was seen—this chapter's reflection in the mirror of the ancient masters is thinner than that of the several preceding chapters, and this too is recorded as it is.

Bringing this line of further resonances back to this chapter, the several divergences the ancient masters recorded each happen to illuminate one joint of the chapter. The divergence in the chapter's name illuminates substance and function: within one chapter its own name appears twice; the Mark of Suchness is the substance, and Bodhisattva's Practice is the function, which is precisely the two arcs of the First Part speaking of suchness and the Last Part speaking of practice; if one reads it only by the name the Mark of Suchness, then the whole passage on the gates of practice in Sūtra ④ has nowhere to be placed; if one reads it only by the name Bodhisattva's Practice, then the treatise-author's final sentence, 「但說如法，所利少；若說有法，所利亦少」 tr. "If only the dharma of suchness is spoken of, the benefit is small; if the dharma of existence is spoken of, the benefit is also small," comes to nothing. The divergence in the number within a citation illuminates something else: what is at issue is the number, 「六十」 tr. "sixty" or 「六千」 tr. "six thousand", while the meaning it proves differs not at all between the two—without the power of skilful means, 「行別異相故，不得無異相；不得無異相故，不得入菩薩位」 tr. "because they practised the mark of difference, they did not obtain the mark of no difference; because they did not obtain the mark of no difference, they could not enter the bodhisattva's position"; more or fewer in number does not change this principle. And the account that judges this chapter by 「如如而學」 tr. "training in accord with suchness" further points out the place in this chapter most easily read past too smoothly: the whole chapter speaks of suchness, and the most dangerous misreading is precisely to take knowing suchness for arriving at suchness. The six thousand bodhisattvas were not people who had never heard of suchness; 「先世值五百佛，親近供養」 tr. "in former lives they met five hundred buddhas, drew near to them and made offerings", and they practised five matters; what they lacked was only one item—「無般若波羅蜜、無方便力故，行別異相」 tr. "because they were without prajñāpāramitā and without the power of skilful means, they practised the mark of difference." The bird was not lacking in size, its body a hundred yojana long and even up to three hundred yojana; what it lacked was also only one item—「是鳥身大而無翅故」 tr. "because this bird's body is great and it has no wings." training in accord with suchness, there is skilful means; not training in accord with suchness is called being without skilful means: this judging sentence of the ancient master and the treatise-author's simile of the great bird speak of the same thing.

Therefore what the chapter "The Great Suchness" finally leaves behind is a way of asking the road that can be used again and again: when I hear it said that dharmas are equal and of one suchness and feel that I have already grasped its depth, I remember that the six thousand bodhisattvas too 「聞如是甚深如相」 tr. "heard such a very deep mark of suchness" and in the end 「成阿羅漢」 tr. "became arhats"—between hearing suchness and practising suchness there stands this one wing, the power of skilful means; when I, prizing myself on long cultivation, see others who at present have no practice, I remember the treatise-author's sentence explaining the lowly intent: 「若我以眾生形貌、才能——以此事輕者，則為輕未來佛」 tr. "If I, on account of beings' looks and abilities—if on account of these matters I make light of them, then I make light of future buddhas"; when I think that awakening is hard to obtain and my mind shrinks back, I remember Subhūti's contrary saying—「一切法、一切法相空，無法可得、無能得者」 tr. "All dharmas and the marks of all dharmas are empty; there is no dharma that can be obtained and no one who can obtain it"; the hard is hard only because of a mind that has something to obtain: 「如破色等法已，如亦自空」 tr. "once form and the other dharmas have been broken, suchness too is itself empty"; when I think that, since ultimate emptiness has been spoken of, there is no need to discuss sequence any further, I remember that the Buddha's answer to 「應云何行」 tr. "How should one practise?" starts from 「應起等心，於一切眾生亦以等心與語，無有偏黨」 tr. "he should arouse an equal mind, and speak to all beings too with an equal mind, without partiality" and goes all the way to the accomplishment of the abiding of the Dharma, not a single step to be omitted; when I have practised long and feel the toil without seeing its fruit, I remember the overall verdict the treatise-author gives the whole chapter—「此中善說二諦故，二千菩薩得無生法忍」 tr. "because here the two truths were well expounded, two thousand bodhisattvas obtained the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas", 「譬如二輪具足故，能有所至」 tr. "as a cart with both wheels complete can get somewhere." Speaking of suchness is one wheel; speaking of practice is one wheel; if one wheel turns alone, the cart cannot move.

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，居卷七十二一卷之內，不跨卷。品題「大智度論釋大如品第五十四」〔T25 0562b08〕起於卷首（前品〈趣一切智品第五十三〉訖於卷七十一末），品身終於「此中善說二諦故，二千菩薩得無生法忍」〔T25 0570a09〕，次以卷末題「大智度論卷第七十二」〔T25 0570a11〕收；次品〈阿毘跋致品第五十五〉起於 0570a14——卷界與品界在此重合，與品四十七跨卷之型不同，如實誌錄。

本品四【經】四【論】交替，逐段起處：經①〔T25 0562b12〕、論①〔T25 0563b21〕、經②〔T25 0564c15〕、論②〔T25 0566a02〕、經③〔T25 0566c05〕、論③〔T25 0567b21〕、經④〔T25 0568a02〕、論④〔T25 0568c29〕。全品純漢字一萬零八百四十一（機械重計值），逾單元門檻而卷內無卷界可依，本輯既裁依經論段界析為兩單元，切點落在論②訖〔T25 0566c04〕與經③起〔T25 0566c05〕之間：之上收經①論①經②論②，之下收經③論③經④論④，兩單元源流校驗值同一，零漂移。之下無「之餘」續題（不跨卷故無續題可續），起處逕為【經】，如實誌錄。

論①無「釋曰」冠首之誌錄。 論②〔T25 0566a02〕、論③〔T25 0567b21〕、論④〔T25 0568c29〕三段皆以「釋曰：」冠首再入問答；論①〔T25 0563b21〕則於【論】標記後逕接「問曰：」，無「釋曰：」。本帳逐字回核底本，確認此差為底本體例之實，非抽取脫漏，如實誌錄不強解。

問答之數，本品頂層凡十二組（兩單元正文回搜「問曰」「答曰」，之上八組、之下四組，各單元問曰答曰數相等，皆位於論段之內）：論①四組、論②四組、論③一組、論④三組。「有人言」凡五見——論①三見（同一問下三說並列作答）、論④二見（「等心、慈心有何等異」一問下，答曰之後別出二說）。說者結構：經①天子／佛／須菩提三方交錯，末以敘事句「說是〈如相品〉時」收；經②天子／須菩提／舍利弗／佛四方交錯；經③五方交錯，富樓那彌多羅尼子〔T25 0567b01〕為本品獨見之第五說者，僅一句令舍利弗發問；經④單問單長答（須菩提問、佛廣說諸行門），末以敘事句「說是菩薩行品時」收。義理兩軸循兩單元分：之上明「如」之甚深不二與「隨佛生」義，並以六千菩薩事、大鳥喻明有無方便力之殊異；之下明菩提難易、如中無三乘分別，轉入成就菩提之廣大行門。

二、術語考

如·如相·一如無二無別。 全品綱骨，品名所自。品初天子述所聞之教：「色即是薩婆若，薩婆若即是色」〔T25 0562b18〕，繼之以「色如相、薩婆若如相，是一如，無二無別」〔T25 0562b20〕——前句就法體說即，後句就如相說一。佛印可而更推其深：「阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，無得者、無得處、無得時，是名諸法甚深相，所謂無有二法」〔T25 0562c01〕。論訓「如」之實義：「如名色等諸法真實相」〔T25 0563c14〕；又明如之所以不在色外——「色等法皆是作法、有為、虛妄、從顛倒生」〔T25 0566a19〕，「知色等法如實故即是如，因色等法得如名」〔T25 0566a21〕。故如非離色別有一物，亦非即色之虛妄相，此本品立名之樞。

隨佛生。 本品第二骨。天子讚須菩提「須菩提是佛子，隨佛生」〔T25 0563a12〕，須菩提不受此讚而還以如相釋之：「如來如相不來不去，須菩提如相亦不來不去」〔T25 0563a16〕；「如來如相即是一切法如相，一切法如相即是如來如相。是如相中亦無如相」〔T25 0563a19〕。連下六番「復次」，以常住、無異無別、無礙處、無念無別、不離諸法如、不在三世等重重申之，收於「菩薩摩訶薩得是如故，名為如來」〔T25 0563b17〕。經②則以四句翻破此名：「須菩提不從色中隨佛生，亦不從色如中隨佛生」〔T25 0564c18〕，乃至「是一切法皆無所有、不可得，無隨生者，亦無隨生法」〔T25 0564c28〕——先以如相立隨佛生，後以畢竟空破隨佛生，立破兩段皆須菩提自說，論釋其意在「斷諸天子心」。

名字一切·實一切。 論①釋「一切世間所不能信」之「一切」：「一切有二種：一者、名字一切，二者、實一切」〔T25 0563b27〕——此中之「一切」是名字一切，以多不信故稱一切，非謂實無一人能信。緊接以「知者必有信，先信後知故」定信知之序。

名字異體同（般若·阿耨多羅三藐三菩提）。 論①明二名一體：「阿耨多羅三藐三菩提即是般若波羅蜜，但名字異」〔T25 0563c09〕——「在菩薩心中為般若，在佛心中名阿耨多羅三藐三菩提」〔T25 0563c10〕。因位果位異名，體則不二，此與本品『一如無二無別』之宗相貫。

三種子·五佛子。 論①釋「佛子」之分際：「經說有三種子：一者、不隨順生，二者、隨順生，三者、勝生」〔T25 0564a07〕，佛法中唯取隨順生，以無有勝佛故。又數其目：「佛子有五，皆從口生、法生」〔T25 0564a10〕——須陀洹乃至阿羅漢，並入正位菩薩；辟支佛無佛時自能得道，「不得言從佛口生，因緣遠故」。末以「此經共二乘說」〔T25 0564a29〕釋何以此處說須菩提隨佛生而不說入法位菩薩。

如來。 論②末訓名：「如來者，如實行來到佛法中」〔T25 0564c13〕——繫於前段「五眾色等法中假名如來」，名從如立，不從人立。

方便力·無分別法。 經②立本品第二重判準：六千菩薩先世值五百佛而行六度，「無般若波羅蜜、無方便力故，行別異相」，遂「行別異相故，不得無異相；不得無異相故，不得入菩薩位」〔T25 0565a23〕。論②防一疑——一切聖人皆得無為，何以言「不得無分別」？答曰：「非說今世聽法時；乃是過去五百世時，不得般若、方便」〔T25 0566b11〕，並繫其果於「失菩薩信等五根」〔T25 0566b13〕。又問俱行三解脫門何以一成佛一成阿羅漢，答：「雖有種種因緣，得阿羅漢大因緣，所謂離薩婆若心行空等故」〔T25 0566b17〕——判準不在所行之法，在心之離不離薩婆若。經②正面收之：「是名菩薩方便力，以離相心行布施」〔T25 0565c13〕。

難得·易得。 經③之對軸。天子言「阿耨多羅三藐三菩提難得」〔T25 0566c05〕，佛可之；須菩提反言「我意謂阿耨多羅三藐三菩提為易得」〔T25 0566c20〕，以一切法空、無得者無可得法故。舍利弗以事難之：「今恒河沙等諸菩薩摩訶薩求阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，何以故退還」〔T25 0566c26〕。難易兩說並立於一段之內，論③不判孰是，唯就「退還」一事以四句窮之。

法忍。 論③訓舍利弗所受之語：「『法忍』者，是法門、法修、法行」〔T25 0567c13〕——入是法門則無退還，出是法門則有退還，退與不退之分繫於在門內在門外，非繫於法自身有退可退。

成就何等菩提。 經③末舍利弗問、佛答「成就佛阿耨多羅三藐三菩提」〔T25 0567b20〕。論③釋此問之所以起：「各各有無上，舍利弗疑故」〔T25 0567c21〕，答曰大乘無上；並以二門收之：「若入畢竟空門，一切法盡一相；若出畢竟空，三乘則有異」〔T25 0567c28〕。

七心（等心·慈心·下意·安隱心·無礙心·無惱心·愛敬心）。 經④答「若菩薩摩訶薩欲成就阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，應云何行」之首目：「應起等心，於一切眾生亦以等心與語，無有偏黨」〔T25 0568a04〕，次第至「於一切眾生中下意，亦以下意與語」〔T25 0568a06〕等。論④逐心訓釋：等心者，怨親中人三分皆與親愛想，又離憎愛二心；「等心者是四無量心，慈心者是一無量」〔T25 0569b13〕。下意之所以——「一切法無常，一切眾生上、中、下皆歸磨滅」〔T25 0569b24〕、「一切眾生中有佛道因緣者，唯佛能知」〔T25 0569c03〕、「憍慢是瞋之本，瞋是一切重罪之根」〔T25 0569c09〕。安隱心者：「『安隱心』者，與今世、後世、究竟樂」〔T25 0569c15〕，簡別於父母知識所與之現世樂。七心之總收：「得是柔軟清淨好心，名眾生忍，是法忍初門」〔T25 0569c25〕——七心非別立一門，是法忍之初門。

舊法·客法（十善道與六波羅蜜之分）。 論④末立二法：「十善道，有佛、無佛，世間常有，是善法教」〔T25 0569c26〕，故十善為舊法；「六波羅蜜乃至法住，是客法」〔T25 0570a01〕，有佛說則有菩薩行。行數亦分：十善道「菩薩先以四十種行，行是十善道」〔T25 0569c27〕，離欲凡夫法十二事則「離欲凡夫法有十二事，亦以四十八種行」〔T25 0569c29〕——四十者，自行、教他、讚歎、歡喜四事乘十善道十目；四十八者，同四事乘十二事。經④通篇『自行、教他、讚歎、歡喜』四事並行之句式，即此數之所本。

有無二法具足。 全品收筆之判準。論④釋二千菩薩何以於此得忍：「是品說如微妙深法，亦說有行，善門、智門，二行具足」〔T25 0570a06〕；「今說有、無二法，具足故，得無生法忍」〔T25 0570a08〕；「此中善說二諦故，二千菩薩得無生法忍」〔T25 0570a09〕——本品前半說如（無），後半說行（有），論主自以二諦具足解本品之結構。

三、譬喻與故事

本品要喻分三束：論①以三小喻明「甚深」與「如」之不離色（河水·燒木虛空·壁中空相），論②以金翅鳥大喻逐句合無方便力之失，論④以四小喻（估客·主人請客·大家打奴·孝子愛敬）明七心之所以行，末以二輪喻收全品。

河水洄復深淺喻（承「何以或時讚甚深」義）。 論①開卷第一喻：「譬如河水，有洄復深處、有淺處」〔T25 0563b25〕——同一般若而有淺深二說：「或時分別諸法空，是淺；或時說『世間法即同涅槃』，是深」〔T25 0563b22〕。淺深不在法，在所說之門。

燒栴檀雜木·除宮殿陋廬喻（承「如名色等諸法真實相」義）。 「譬如除宮殿及諸陋廬，如燒栴檀及雜木，其處虛空無異」〔T25 0563c15〕——貴賤好惡諸法燒盡除盡之後，所餘虛空一味無異；色與薩婆若求其實皆是如，此喻立『一如無二無別』之相。

壁中空相橛釘喻（承「如虛空等故」義）。 「譬如壁中先有空相，小兒以橛釘之，力少故不入，大力者能入」〔T25 0563c27〕——壁中本有空相，非釘者造空；色等諸法中自有如實相，智慧力少則不能令空，大智者能知。空非所作，是本喻之要。

持器詣海喻（承「六千人成阿羅漢」義）。 「如人持器詣海，隨器大小，各自取足」〔T25 0566b06〕——同聞般若而所得有異，咎不在海，在器；論以此結「於般若無咎」一語。

金翅鳥大喻（經喻·佛自說·論逐句合·本品最詳之喻）。 經②佛設喻：「譬如有鳥，身長百由旬，若二百、三百由旬，而無有翅」〔T25 0565b09〕，自三十三天投閻浮提，中道欲還不得、欲不痛不惱亦不得，舍利弗自答其故：「是鳥身大而無翅故」〔T25 0565b16〕。論②先補鳥之本事：「是鳥所以不來者，此鳥食龍，翅出毒風，扇一切人眼失明故」〔T25 0566b20〕；「是鳥初出𣫘，羽翼未成，意欲飛去，即時墮落」〔T25 0566b21〕，「還欲住本天，上舍摩梨樹上」〔T25 0566b23〕——金翅鳥、舍摩梨樹、食龍毒風三事皆論主所補，經文無之，如實誌錄。次逐句對合：「『鳥身』，是菩薩身」〔T25 0566b24〕；「『無兩翅』者，是無般若波羅蜜、無方便」〔T25 0566b25〕；「『須彌山』者，是三界」〔T25 0566b26〕；「『虛空』，是無量佛法」〔T25 0566b27〕；「『未應飛而飛』者，是菩薩功德未成滿」〔T25 0566b27〕；若死者是阿羅漢道，死等者辟支佛道，若痛若惱者失菩薩本願功德〔T25 0566c01〕。合喻既畢，論主自止：「此經中合喻，義自明了，故不說」〔T25 0566c03〕——逐句合而不更申，本品論體之一格。須注意：合語中「須彌山」一詞經文本無（經作「三十三天」），論主以須彌山代之，如實誌錄不強解。

估客險道喻（承『未得法身云何能行是心』義）。 「譬如估客，於險道中備受諸苦，乃得大利」〔T25 0569a26〕——求無上道者應行無上法，受難為苦行乃成，此喻立論④七心之可行。

主人請客喻（承「下意」義）。 「譬如主人請客，則應敬客而自卑」〔T25 0569c07〕——菩薩誓度眾生，若無所供設則負愧於客；下心之理繫於自許之誓，不繫於人我高下。

大家打奴喻（承「下意」義之反面）。 「譬如大家打奴，奴不敢瞋恨」〔T25 0569c11〕——菩薩於眾生起下心，則罵打無恚；若自高而意下眾生，眾生侵害則忿然生怒，「如奴打大家，則起瞋怒」。一喻兩用，正反相形。

孝子愛敬喻（承「愛敬心」義）。 「譬如孝子愛敬父母」〔T25 0569c22〕，如兄如弟如姊妹如兒女而無婬欲心——世人但能愛敬所親，菩薩普及一切，此喻正繫經④「如父、如母、如兄、如弟、如姊、如妹、如兒子、如親族、知識」之列舉。

二輪具足喻（全品收筆）。 「今說有、無二法，具足故，得無生法忍；譬如二輪具足故，能有所至」〔T25 0570a08〕——但說如法所利少，但說有法所利亦少，二法具足乃能致遠。此喻與第五目所述『本品前半說如、後半說行』之結構自相印證。

四、所釋經文

品題注全帳（底本「大如品第五十四」·石本 -1 階·卷末尾記相應）。 品題〔T25 0562b08〕之 app 一條四造，逐字全帳誌之：底本（大正）作「大智度論釋大如品第五十四」並帶夾註「卷七十二」；宋本作「大智度論釋卷第七十二釋大如品第五十四」；宮本同宋而末多一「品」字；石本作「摩訶般若波羅蜜品第五十三大如品」——石本作「第五十三」，較底本「第五十四」少一，與品四十四以來一貫之『石本 -1 階』模式延續無斷。本品未見聖本、聖乙本之異讀（全品一百四十五條校記中【聖】【聖乙】各零見，見第八目），與品四十五至四十七聖乙密集大出之情形反轉，如實誌錄負結果。卷末〔T25 0570a10〕「忍」字注——石本作「忍釋第五十三品竟」，尾記式 -1 階，與品題石本 -1 首尾相應；〔T25 0570a11〕卷末題「二」字注——宋元明宮四本作「二（釋第五十四品）」，夾註標品次而不減號。石本一造獨行 -1、宋元明宮不減，兩系並存，誌錄不判，機制不強解。

所釋經對應（T223 mulu·聖本異名·丹本夾註·一品五名）。 所釋經《摩訶般若波羅蜜經》於本品另起卷十六，品題處逐字回核底本：mulu 標記（cb 名域·level 屬性一·n 屬性五十五·type 屬性品）之顯文作「54 大如品」，其後 head 作「大如品第五十四」〔T08 0334c16〕，再後綴一 note（place 屬性 inline），其文為「丹本大如相品」（此六字屬 note 層，漢字計數不收，本帳逐字回核底本確認）——顯文序號「54」與本論「第五十四」相符，n 屬性「55」續存本輯已裁之『+1』常設偏移，本品重核相符，不重判。該處 app witness 逐字：「大如品【大】，摩訶般若波羅蜜經如相品【聖】」；夾註條「丹本大如相品【大】，〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】」。合本論側與所釋經側，本品一品五名：①「大如品」（本論底本·所釋經大正本）②「大如相品」（所釋經丹本夾註）③「如相品」（本論經①敘事句自稱「說是〈如相品〉時」〔T25 0563b18〕·所釋經同句〔T08 0335c24〕；所釋經聖本品題作「摩訶般若波羅蜜經如相品」，與此自稱相合）④「菩薩行品」（本論經④敘事句自稱「說是菩薩行品時」〔T25 0568c28〕·所釋經同句〔T08 0339a06〕）⑤「大女品」（吉藏疏總敘所稱，詳第六目）。五名並錄不判，不判何名為本名。

「六千」與「六十」之異（兩側對勘·四造並錄）。 本論底本經②作「六千菩薩諸法不受故，漏盡，心得解脫，成阿羅漢」〔T25 0565a17〕、「是六千菩薩先世值五百佛，親近供養」〔T25 0565a18〕。逐條回核四方：①本論校記——〔T25 0565a17〕「千【大】｜十【宮】【石】」、〔T25 0565a18〕同、論②之〔T25 0566a28〕「千【大】｜十【宮】【石】」、〔T25 0566b07〕同，凡四處校記皆載宮本、石本作「十」；②所釋經——T08n0223 markup 容錯全掃「六千菩薩」零命中、「六十菩薩」二命中〔T08 0336b02〕〔T08 0336b03〕，所釋經正文逕作「六十菩薩」；③吉藏疏——X24n0451 全掃「六千菩薩」零命中、「六十菩薩」五命中（其中四命中在本品疏範圍內：〔X24n0451 0304a22〕〔X24n0451 0304a23〕〔X24n0451 0304b06〕〔X24n0451 0304b23〕）；④均正——X46n0784 全掃「六千菩薩」零命中、「六十菩薩」二命中〔X46n0784 0561c18〕〔X46n0784 0629b19〕。四造一致作「六十」，唯本論大正底本作「六千」而宮石二本作「十」。本帳兩側對勘兩造校勘記後，並錄不判：不判「千」「十」孰正，不改底本讀法；本版正文仍從底本作「六千」。此為本輯至此最完整之一組跨文本數目異讀網，如實全帳誌錄。

全量牒經對讀（兩側對勘·對照組三串·兩藏各唯一見）。 本論經①開篇與所釋經〈大如品〉逐字幾近同文——本論「爾時，欲界諸天子、色界諸天子以天末栴檀香，以天青蓮華、赤蓮花、紅蓮華、白蓮華遙散佛上」〔T25 0562b12〕；所釋經同段作「爾時欲界諸天子、色界諸天子，以天末栴檀香，以天青蓮華、赤蓮華、紅蓮華、白蓮華遙散佛上」〔T08 0334c17〕——同一場景結構（誰來、散何物、向誰、續問何法），文字幾全同，『赤蓮花／赤蓮華』之異屬傳寫層。對照組：「身長百由旬」「五百比丘尼遠塵離垢」「富樓那彌多羅尼子語舍利弗」三串漢字流，於 T25n1509 全論與 T08n0223 全經各唯一見（本論〔T25 0565b09〕〔T25 0565a15〕〔T25 0567b01〕；所釋經〔T08 0336b23〕〔T08 0336a29〕〔T08 0337c13〕），對位唯一、無他品可淆，非以甲本之詞搜乙本之弱判。對讀所見異文三處，逐字誌之：其一『六千／六十』（見上）；其二本論「諸法中得法眼淨」〔T25 0565a15〕，所釋經作「諸法中得法眼」——本論「淨」字亦有校記「淨【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】」，宋元明宮四本與所釋經合；其三本論「五千諸菩薩摩訶薩得無生忍法」〔T25 0565a16〕，所釋經作「五千菩薩摩訶薩得無生法忍」——本論「忍法」亦有校記「忍法【大】｜法忍【宋】【元】【明】【宮】」，宋元明宮四本與所釋經合。三處皆並錄不判。本論四【論】層為論體之結構性擴增，所釋經無此層，非異文。所釋經側於本品對讀範圍內之校勘 witness 逐條統計，本帳未展開（唯品題三條已逐字核），據實誌其未展開，不以估值充數。

五、般若義眼

本品之眼在一個「如」字：一切法之實相與如來之實相，是同一個如；既是同一個如，則佛之所證與凡夫之所歷，其底無二。其義可約為五重。

其一，如不在色外。品初立「色即是薩婆若，薩婆若即是色」〔T25 0562b18〕，繼以「色如相、薩婆若如相，是一如，無二無別」〔T25 0562b20〕。論釋之曰「如名色等諸法真實相」〔T25 0563c14〕，又自防一誤——色等法本身是「作法、有為、虛妄、從顛倒生」〔T25 0566a19〕，不即是如；「知色等法如實故即是如，因色等法得如名」〔T25 0566a21〕。不離色求如，亦不即色認如：此本品第一刀。

其二，甚深是信不及，不是法有遠近。論①開卷即問「若般若波羅蜜無不甚深，何以或時讚甚深」，答以河水有洄復有淺處——「色等諸法即是佛法，聽者聞說，心信佛語，自智慧不及故言『甚深』」〔T25 0563b24〕。甚深繫於聽者之智，法自身無所謂深淺；故「一切世間所不能信」之「一切」是名字一切，非實一切〔T25 0563b27〕。

其三，隨佛生亦須破。天子讚須菩提「是佛子，隨佛生」，須菩提以如相七番申之，立到「菩薩摩訶薩得是如故，名為如來」〔T25 0563b17〕；緊接經②卻自破此名：「須菩提不從色中隨佛生，亦不從色如中隨佛生」〔T25 0564c18〕，乃至「無隨生者，亦無隨生法」〔T25 0564c28〕。論釋其故——「須菩提知諸天子心少貴尚是諸法如」〔T25 0566a06〕，故「以四種破著如心」〔T25 0566a08〕。立名是為說義，破名是為斷著；先立後破，皆是同一須菩提之口，本品於此最見般若之手法。

其四，方便力是分水嶺。六千菩薩值五百佛而行五度，只因無般若無方便，「行別異相故，不得無異相；不得無異相故，不得入菩薩位」〔T25 0565a23〕；大鳥身大百由旬而無兩翅，自天投地，願還不得、願不痛不惱亦不得。論斷其大因緣：「雖有種種因緣，得阿羅漢大因緣，所謂離薩婆若心行空等故」〔T25 0566b17〕——同是空無相無作，心離薩婆若則墮、不離則入，判準在心之所繫，不在所行之法。功德之大反成墮勢之重，此本品最峻處。

其五，難易兩說皆立，退不退繫於在門內外。天子言難得，須菩提言易得，舍利弗舉恒河沙退還為證；須菩提以色、離色、色如、離色如、如、法性、離如、離法性八問窮之，舍利弗一一答「不」。論③收之於一詞：「『法忍』者，是法門、法修、法行」〔T25 0567c13〕——入是法門則無退，出是法門則有退。末以二諦分之：「若入畢竟空門，一切法盡一相；若出畢竟空，三乘則有異」〔T25 0567c28〕。而全品之藥不止於空：七心為眾生忍、眾生忍為法忍初門〔T25 0569c25〕，十善為舊法、六度乃至法住為客法，自行教他讚歎歡喜四事逐條並行——「今說有、無二法，具足故，得無生法忍」〔T25 0570a08〕。說如而不說行，車只一輪；本品以二千菩薩得忍作結，正是論主自下之印。

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。本品古德覆讀二家：釋所釋經之吉藏疏存完整專章，且為本輯所見覆本品最詳者；均正書中兩處明引本品品名；釋論之慧影疏於本品零覆蓋；天台兩系於本品之回搜以負命題結案（見下）。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〈大如品〉之逐文疏，起〔X24n0451 0303a11〕（mulu「大如品第五十四」，緊接品五十三〈趣智品〉疏訖處），迄〔X24n0451 0305a21〕前（次 mulu「不退品第五十五」起處，本目依 mulu 連續序列判定），覆本品經全篇。其可誌者六。

其一，品名異稱「大女品」。吉藏於前數品之四品科判總覽段逕稱本品為「大女品」——「第三、超智品明中下根人者標大果；第四、大女品明中下根人如如而學。」〔X24n0451 0301b13〕；同段稱品五十三為「超智品」，而其自身正式標題兩處皆作「趣智品第五十三」〔X24n0451 0195b22〕〔X24n0451 0302b17〕、本品正式標題兩處皆作「大如品第五十四」〔X24n0451 0195b22〕〔X24n0451 0303a11〕。同一疏文之內，總覽段與科目段用名不一，『女／如』『超／趣』兩對異稱同段並見，屬該段行文之體例。並錄不判，不判「女」「如」孰正。

其二，本品之科位。「四品為四：第一、此品舉法譬勸中下二人推失脩得」〔X24n0451 0301b11〕以下四品相承，本品居第四；起講處自述其位：「此第四、合中下根人如如而學，具成上三品。」〔X24n0451 0303a12〕，並立「如如而學」為有無方便之判——「以如如而學故，是有方便；不如如而學，名無方便。」〔X24n0451 0303a12〕。

其三，「大如」名義。吉藏就品名立三重如而取其上：「亦對中下小如，名為大如。下如謂地堅水濕等，中如謂苦無常等，上如無生滅等。今明上如，故云大如。」〔X24n0451 0303a22〕——此為本品品名之古德訓釋，本論無之，誌錄不判。

其四，五科分品。「品五，第一餘前人歎菩提甚深，二歎甚深，三明得失，四明菩提難易，五明修菩提行。」〔X24n0451 0303b02〕——吉藏自科本品為五段，與本論四經四論之分段非一制；本帳誌錄其科，不以本版單元切分強合之。其中第三科之首即標「六十菩薩下，第三、明得失。」〔X24n0451 0304a22〕，第四科之首標菩提難得之難易辯。

其五，六十菩薩事之問答。「問：六十菩薩學般若成二乘，有聞般若成菩薩不？」〔X24n0451 0304a23〕；又引論為據——「論云佛此中出六十菩薩，先世作有所得行也。」〔X24n0451 0304b06〕；又於難易段曰「天子云難得者，六十菩薩曠劫修行而墮二地，故難得也。」〔X24n0451 0304b22〕。其所據經文與所引論文皆作「六十」（詳第四目）。

其六，大鳥喻之合與鳥之本事。吉藏亦補鳥事：「此是失上聖翅鳥呪，在舍摩梨樹上」〔X24n0451 0304b08〕，與本論論②所補「舍摩梨樹」『食龍毒風』同源；其合喻作「鳥譬菩薩，大者喻廣劫行行無有二慧之翅，三十三天喻三界」〔X24n0451 0304b10〕——以「二慧」合本論之「般若、方便」，以「三十三天」合本論之「須彌山」，兩家合語之目相當而字不同，並錄不判。

又：吉藏於他品論一乘三乘處逕引本品經文為據——「道門未曾三一大，如品須菩提呵身子云：汝欲令有一菩薩乘不？」〔X24n0451 0320a01〕（此處 CBETA 編輯標點作「三一大，如品」，「大如品」三字跨編輯逗號，如實照錄原標點不改），所引正是本品經③須菩提詰舍利弗一菩薩乘之段〔T25 0567b04〕——本品之文入吉藏他處立論之據，如實誌錄。

慧影《大智度論疏》（X46n0791）·零覆蓋（如實誌）。 為釋本論之唯一古疏，僅殘卷存世。本品品名兩系（「大如品」「大女品」）於 X46n0791 全檔 markup 容錯回搜全數零命中；本品所繫論卷七十二不在殘卷覆蓋範圍——零覆蓋屬殘卷實況，非搜尋失誤，如實誌錄負結果。

均正《大乘四論玄義》（X46n0784）·二處明引（本輯少見之非零）。 均正兩處逕以品名引本品經文。其一：「故大品經大如品云：有六十菩薩於五百佛所行六波羅蜜等，具行萬行而無方便故、實際作證故，不得入菩薩位。」〔X46n0784 0561c18〕——所引即本品經②六千（六十）菩薩無方便力不入菩薩位一段，並與〈勸學品〉並舉，斷為「十信位人」。其二：「故大品、大如品云：六十菩薩、五百佛所行萬行，而不得入菩薩位。故授記不得。」〔X46n0784 0629b19〕——同段之再引，繫於方便義之辨。兩引皆為約引而非逐字牒經（字句有節略），且皆作「六十菩薩」，如實誌錄；其約引之字與本論底本之字不同處，並錄不判（詳第四目）。

天台兩系·負命題結案（專項查誌實）。 智顗《摩訶止觀》（T46n1911）、湛然《止觀輔行傳弘決》（T46n1912）、智顗《釋禪波羅蜜次第法門》（T46n1916）、智顗《妙法蓮華經玄義》（T33n1716）、湛然《法華玄義釋籤》（T33n1717）五部（書號與書名逐一回核底本 <title> 確認：T46n1911＝摩訶止觀·T46n1912＝止觀輔行傳弘決·T46n1916＝釋禪波羅蜜次第法門·T33n1716＝妙法蓮華經玄義·T33n1717＝法華玄義釋籤），以七串探針逐一 markup 容錯回搜——品名二串「大如品」「大女品」、本品綱句三串「隨佛生」「色即是薩婆若」「薩婆若即是色」、數目二串「六十菩薩」「六千菩薩」，合三十五探，全數零命中。負命題結案：天台諸系對本品無可考之直接徵引，亦未見以本品品題入文者。零命中亦是帳，不以他品之引例充填。

七、互讀與承衍

本品之義脈，前後相承者有五，皆此目所誌，不代定讀。

其一，承前品而轉軸（品五十三→五十四·本論自身）。 前品〈趣一切智品第五十三〉明菩薩行般若能趣一切智、一切智即是如；本品即就此「如」字再進一層，明諸法如與如來如一如無二。吉藏之科亦作此承——本品居四品之第四，「合中下根人如如而學，具成上三品」（見第六目）。本論側未見逕指前品品名之句，如實誌錄。

其二，品內前指與自止（論主自誌）。 論②釋六種震動處自指前文：「說是如時，地六種震動，如上說」〔T25 0564c14〕——所指即經①「說是〈如相品〉時，是三千大千世界大地六種振動」〔T25 0563b18〕。又合大鳥喻畢而自止：「此經中合喻，義自明了，故不說」〔T25 0566c03〕——論體自省繁複，與前數品『如先答』之型同科，如實誌錄。

其三，共二乘說之經格（論主自定本經之位）。 論①釋何以此處說須菩提隨佛生而不說入法位菩薩，末以三則「有人言」並列作答，第三說收於「此經共二乘說」〔T25 0564a29〕——論主於此自定《大品》之說法格局為三乘共說，故聲聞得稱隨佛生。此語為本品理解「佛子有五」之鑰，亦為本論判般若二種（唯與大菩薩說·三乘共說）之一處明文。

其四，舊法客法之分（本論自繫古制）。 「十善道，有佛、無佛，世間常有，是善法教」〔T25 0569c26〕、「六波羅蜜乃至法住，是客法，有佛說則有菩薩行」〔T25 0570a01〕、「上來舊法、客法，本末具足」〔T25 0570a02〕——以有佛無佛判法之舊客，為後世論藏『共法／不共法』之一所本；本品以四十行、四十八行之數配之，數與義兩具。

其五，寶庫掛鏈（穩定徵引·軟引）。 本品『一如無二無別』之如義、「隨佛生」立破兩段、六千（六十）菩薩無方便力墮二乘之事、大鳥無翅喻、『法忍者是法門法修法行』之訓、七心與眾生忍為法忍初門之次第、有無二法具足得無生忍之收，為般若如義與方便力義之論藏所本，落穩定徵引〔T25n1509 大如品·卷七十二〕；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》卷七十二〔T25 0562b08–0570a14〕（品身自品題〔T25 0562b08〕起，訖於「此中善說二諦故，二千菩薩得無生法忍」〔T25 0570a09〕，次卷末題〔T25 0570a11〕，次品〈阿毘跋致品第五十五〉起於 0570a14，卷界與品界重合）；所釋經校本為《摩訶般若波羅蜜經》〈大如品〉〔T08 0334c16 起〕（另起卷十六）；古德疏校本為吉藏《大品經義疏》（X24n0451，覆本品〔X24n0451 0303a11–0305a21〕前）；慧影《大智度論疏》（X46n0791）本品零覆蓋、均正《大乘四論玄義》（X46n0784）本品二引、天台五部負命題結案（見第六目）。異讀校記依大正校勘，涉大正底本與宋、元、明、宮、石（石山寺本）諸本及麗藏（K）、CBETA 校之異。

witness 層（聖本聖乙本零見證·宮本為大宗）。 本品校勘 witness 之分佈與前數品反轉：全品一百四十五條校記中，【大】一百四十五、【宮】九十二、【宋】七十九、【元】七十三、【明】七十二、【石】五十八、【CB】二、【麗-CB】二，而【聖】【聖乙】各零見——品四十五至四十七聖乙密集大出之勢，至本品全斷。此為本卷聖本覆蓋之實況，如實誌錄負結果，不推其因。本品亦未見麗乙、南藏、北藏單見型條。

CBETA 依麗藏校訂特殊型二條（lem 為【CB】非【大】·專列）。 本品屬 CBETA 現代校勘層、依《高麗藏》校訂之特殊型凡二條，逐字核底本，專列：其一〔T25 0566c02〕「痛（K14n0549_p1218b18）【CB】【麗-CB】｜病【大】」——本版正文從 lem 作「若痛、若惱」；其二〔T25 0569c29〕「離（K14n0549_p1223b08）【CB】【麗-CB】｜難【大】」——本版正文從 lem 作「離欲凡夫法有十二事」。二條之 lem 皆非【大】讀，與本輯『正文從 lem』之慣例一致（lem＝該條校勘之首列 witness，非固定等於【大】），本帳逐字回核兩單元 source 正文，兩處確作「痛」「離」，如實誌錄，非缺陷。二條所帶括注〔K14n0549_p…〕為底本原檔之高麗藏頁錨交叉引注，原樣保留。

巢狀校勘條二條（專列）。 本帳逐字回核底本原檔之校勘條結構，本品存巢狀校勘條二例：其一〔T25 0568a11〕校勘條 0568002，其本讀之內依序含原注「〔如〕－【三】」、修訂注「如【大】，〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】」與內層校勘條 0568003（即清單次條「如【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】」）；其二〔T25 0568c09〕校勘條 0568012，結構同型，內嵌校記附註「〔起〕－【三】」「起【大】，〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】」與內層校勘條 0568013。此二例之外層與內層於卷末校注區各自有獨立 beg 錨，故一百四十五之總數已含之，不另加計。校記附註（傍註）原樣誌於下表該二條之後注。

傍註型附註〔查無〕（負結果·逐字誌搜法）。 本帳獨立回核底本原檔：T25n1509 全檔傍註型附註凡三十三條，逐條取其注號排序比對，本品範圍（0562–0570）內零命中（其鄰近二條為注 0556014 與注 0571011，一在本品前、一在本品後，跨越本品而不落入）。故本品無傍註型附註可錄，〔查無〕如實誌錄，非漏錄。本品之『校記附註（傍註）』唯上述巢狀校勘條二例內之原注／修訂注內嵌注，已於該二條隨條標明。

star 帳（母注十四·星條三十一·全數品內）。 本品 star-corresp 重引群組凡十四組：母注十四條（其 CBETA mod 注帶『＊』標記者，逐條核實為〔T25 0562b12〕〔T25 0563b19〕〔T25 0563b21〕〔T25 0563c12〕〔T25 0564c20〕〔T25 0565a17〕〔T25 0565a23〕〔T25 0565c11〕〔T25 0566a17〕〔T25 0566c05〕〔T25 0568a28〕〔T25 0568b25〕〔T25 0568c05〕〔T25 0569a13〕），星條三十一條（底本錨 id beg_7df–beg_7fd，逐條以 from="#beg_7XX" 反查卷末校注區皆得對應校勘條）。逐條核其 corresp 目標，三十一條之目標全數落於本品範圍內（品內原生），跨品目標零條——與品四十七（三條跨品）異型，如實誌錄。其大宗為『踊／涌』（元明四見連段）、『己／已』（宋元明宮石七見）、『千／十』（宮石三見·即六千六十之異）、『滅證／證滅』（元明三見）、『世界／國土』（石三見）諸重出之逐處共注，除『千／十』一組外皆無涉義理。又本品三十一星條與所釋經 T08n0223 之錨 id 逐一比對，全數零交叉命中，判為 CBETA 內部校勘索引而非跨版本對應錨，如實誌錄不予展開。

校勘總帳（一百四十五條全量對帳·底本原樣）。 下依工作底本原樣傳錄——本品校記合計一百四十五條 app，與機械重計值 app 145 機械相合。app 條依底本出現序全量列之，內含 star 母注十四條（標『＊母注』）與星條三十一條（隨條標明目標注號與目標所在）；CBETA 依麗藏校訂二條、巢狀 app 二條、品題卷題群組諸條隨條標記。異本讀法並列保存，正文仍從現行底本讀法（二 CBETA 校訂條從 lem，見上）：

app 條（一百四十五·底本出現序·＊母注與 star-corresp 隨條標明）

〔T25 0562b08〕大智度論釋大如品第五十四（卷七十二）【大】｜大智度論釋卷第七十二釋大如品第五十四【宋】｜大智度論釋卷第七十二釋大如品第五十四品【宮】｜摩訶般若波羅蜜品第五十三大如品【石】（品題注·宋宮石三造全帳·石本「第五十三」＝-1階·見第四目）
〔T25 0562b12〕【經】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】（＊母注·本品內共 star 重引·見第八目 star 帳）
〔T25 0562b16〕惟【大】｜議【宋】【宮】
〔T25 0562c01〕故【大】｜故得【石】
〔T25 0562c13〕欲【大】｜欲界【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0563a15〕子【大】｜子言【石】
〔T25 0563a18〕已【大】｜以【石】
〔T25 0563a25〕相【大】｜〔－〕【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0563a27〕一如【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0563b03〕如【大】｜如相【石】
〔T25 0563b03〕不【大】｜〔－〕【宋】
〔T25 0563b04〕有【大】｜〔－〕【石】
〔T25 0563b17〕是【大】｜〔－〕【石】
〔T25 0563b17〕故【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】
〔T25 0563b19〕振【大】｜震【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0563b19〕踊【大】｜涌【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0563b19〕踊【大】｜涌【元】【明】（＊母注·本品內共 star 重引·見第八目 star 帳）
〔T25 0563b19〕踊【大】｜涌【元】【明】（star·corresp→note(0563012)＝品內〔T25 0563b19〕注·品內共用）
〔T25 0563b20〕踊【大】｜涌【元】【明】（star·corresp→note(0563012)＝品內〔T25 0563b19〕注·品內共用）
〔T25 0563b20〕踊【大】｜涌【元】【明】（star·corresp→note(0563012)＝品內〔T25 0563b19〕注·品內共用）
〔T25 0563b20〕踊【大】｜涌【元】【明】（star·corresp→note(0563012)＝品內〔T25 0563b19〕注·品內共用）
〔T25 0563b21〕【論】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】（＊母注·本品內共 star 重引·見第八目 star 帳）
〔T25 0563b21〕若【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0563b24〕深【大】｜染【石】
〔T25 0563b26〕復【大】｜澓【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0563b29〕如【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0563c01〕知【大】｜智【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0563c02〕惟【大】｜中【宋】【元】【明】｜唯【宮】【石】
〔T25 0563c06〕者【大】｜〔－〕【石】
〔T25 0563c10〕波羅蜜【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0563c12〕是中【大】｜中如【宮】
〔T25 0563c12〕色【大】｜空【宮】（＊母注·本品內共 star 重引·見第八目 star 帳）
〔T25 0563c13〕色【大】｜空【宮】（star·corresp→note(0563023)＝品內〔T25 0563c12〕注·品內共用）
〔T25 0563c16〕異【大】｜有異【元】【明】
〔T25 0563c18〕夫【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0563c20〕性【大】｜〔－〕【石】
〔T25 0563c22〕所【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0564a04〕得【大】｜礙【元】【明】【宮】【石】
〔T25 0564a09〕惟【大】｜唯【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【石】
〔T25 0564a16〕順【大】｜〔－〕【石】
〔T25 0564a26〕世界【大】｜國土【石】
〔T25 0564c01〕此【大】｜〔－〕【石】
〔T25 0564c02〕窮【大】｜礙【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0564c15〕【經】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】（star·corresp→note(0562012)＝品內〔T25 0562b12〕注·品內共用）
〔T25 0564c20〕如【大】｜如中【石】（＊母注·本品內共 star 重引·見第八目 star 帳）
〔T25 0564c27〕如【大】｜如中【石】（star·corresp→note(0564007)＝品內〔T25 0564c20〕注·品內共用）
〔T25 0565a03〕當【大】｜尚【石】
〔T25 0565a16〕淨【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0565a16〕諸【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【石】
〔T25 0565a17〕忍法【大】｜法忍【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0565a17〕千【大】｜十【宮】【石】（＊母注·本品內共 star 重引·見第八目 star 帳）
〔T25 0565a18〕千【大】｜十【宮】【石】（star·corresp→note(0565005)＝品內〔T25 0565a17〕注·品內共用）
〔T25 0565a23〕別異【大】｜異別【宋】【元】【明】【宮】（＊母注·本品內共 star 重引·見第八目 star 帳）
〔T25 0565a23〕別異【大】｜異別【宋】【元】【明】【宮】（star·corresp→note(0565006)＝品內〔T25 0565a23〕注·品內共用）
〔T25 0565b09〕三【大】｜若三【石】
〔T25 0565b24〕念【大】｜合【明】
〔T25 0565c01〕及【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】
〔T25 0565c05〕及【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】【石】
〔T25 0565c11〕辱【大】｜辱懃【石】（＊母注·本品內共 star 重引·見第八目 star 帳）
〔T25 0565c14〕辱【大】｜辱懃【石】（star·corresp→note(0565011)＝品內〔T25 0565c11〕注·品內共用）
〔T25 0565c29〕修【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】【石】
〔T25 0566a02〕【論】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】（star·corresp→note(0563013)＝品內〔T25 0563b21〕注·品內共用）
〔T25 0566a02〕末【大】｜未【明】
〔T25 0566a07〕斷【大】｜出【宋】【宮】
〔T25 0566a10〕等【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】
〔T25 0566a17〕磨【大】｜摩【宋】【元】【宮】（＊母注·本品內共 star 重引·見第八目 star 帳）
〔T25 0566a28〕千【大】｜十【宮】【石】（star·corresp→note(0565005)＝品內〔T25 0565a17〕注·品內共用）
〔T25 0566b06〕持【大】｜人持【宮】【石】
〔T25 0566b07〕千【大】｜十【宮】【石】（star·corresp→note(0565005)＝品內〔T25 0565a17〕注·品內共用）
〔T25 0566b09〕得【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0566b12〕般若、方便【大】｜方便般若【石】
〔T25 0566b19〕在於天上【大】｜於諸天【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0566b20〕出毒風【大】｜風出毒【宮】
〔T25 0566b21〕人【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0566b23〕還欲【大】｜欲還【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0566c02〕痛（K14n0549_p1218b18）【CB】【麗-CB】｜病【大】（CBETA 依麗藏校訂型·lem 從【CB】非【大】·帶高麗藏頁錨交叉引·見第八目專列）
〔T25 0566c05〕【經】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】（＊母注·本品內共 star 重引·見第八目 star 帳）
〔T25 0566c07〕已，得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】【石】
〔T25 0566c10〕已，得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提【大】｜〔－〕【宮】【石】
〔T25 0566c11〕亦【大】｜〔－〕【石】
〔T25 0566c24〕得【大】｜成【石】
〔T25 0566c25〕諸【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0567a24〕言：「若【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】｜若【石】
〔T25 0567b06〕乘【大】｜種【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0567b12〕佛【大】｜弗【石】
〔T25 0567b21〕【論】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】（star·corresp→note(0563013)＝品內〔T25 0563b21〕注·品內共用）
〔T25 0567c04〕言【大】｜曰【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0567c15〕現【大】｜見【宋】【元】【明】【宮】｜〔－〕【石】
〔T25 0568a02〕【經】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】（star·corresp→note(0566013)＝品內〔T25 0566c05〕注·品內共用）
〔T25 0568a04〕以【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0568a11〕子、如【大】｜如子【宮】（巢狀 app·lem 內嵌校記附註 type="orig"〔如〕－【三】／type="mod" 如【大】，〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】·內層 app 即次條·見第八目）
〔T25 0568a11〕如【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】
〔T25 0568a12〕亦【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0568a14〕生【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0568a28〕波羅蜜【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】（＊母注·本品內共 star 重引·見第八目 star 帳）
〔T25 0568a29〕波羅蜜【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】（star·corresp→note(0568006)＝品內〔T25 0568a28〕注·品內共用）
〔T25 0568b06〕處【大】｜〔－〕【石】
〔T25 0568b25〕滅證【大】｜證滅【元】【明】（＊母注·本品內共 star 重引·見第八目 star 帳）
〔T25 0568b25〕滅證【大】｜證滅【元】【明】（star·corresp→note(0568008)＝品內〔T25 0568b25〕注·品內共用）
〔T25 0568b26〕滅證【大】｜證滅【元】【明】（star·corresp→note(0568008)＝品內〔T25 0568b25〕注·品內共用）
〔T25 0568b27〕滅證【大】｜證滅【元】【明】（star·corresp→note(0568008)＝品內〔T25 0568b25〕注·品內共用）
〔T25 0568b27〕智【大】｜知【宮】
〔T25 0568c04〕入【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0568c05〕世界【大】｜國土【石】（＊母注·本品內共 star 重引·見第八目 star 帳）
〔T25 0568c06〕世界【大】｜國土【石】（star·corresp→note(0568011)＝品內〔T25 0568c05〕注·品內共用）
〔T25 0568c07〕世界【大】｜國土【石】（star·corresp→note(0568011)＝品內〔T25 0568c05〕注·品內共用）
〔T25 0568c08〕世界【大】｜國土【石】（star·corresp→note(0568011)＝品內〔T25 0568c05〕注·品內共用）
〔T25 0568c09〕讚歎起菩薩神通【大】｜〔－〕【宮】（巢狀 app·lem 內嵌校記附註 type="orig"〔起〕－【三】／type="mod" 起【大】，〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】·內層 app 即次條·見第八目）
〔T25 0568c09〕起【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】
〔T25 0568c10〕自生【大】｜自讚歎菩薩神通生【宮】
〔T25 0568c11〕生【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】
〔T25 0568c15〕提【大】｜提菩薩【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0568c20〕讚【大】｜法讚【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0568c20〕法【大】｜〔－〕【宮】
〔T25 0568c25〕已【大】｜以【石】
〔T25 0568c29〕【論】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】（star·corresp→note(0563013)＝品內〔T25 0563b21〕注·品內共用）
〔T25 0569a13〕己【大】｜已【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【石】（＊母注·本品內共 star 重引·見第八目 star 帳）
〔T25 0569a14〕己【大】｜已【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【石】（star·corresp→note(0569001)＝品內〔T25 0569a13〕注·品內共用）
〔T25 0569a17〕己【大】｜已【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【石】（star·corresp→note(0569001)＝品內〔T25 0569a13〕注·品內共用）
〔T25 0569a19〕己【大】｜已【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【石】（star·corresp→note(0569001)＝品內〔T25 0569a13〕注·品內共用）
〔T25 0569a20〕己【大】｜已【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【石】（star·corresp→note(0569001)＝品內〔T25 0569a13〕注·品內共用）
〔T25 0569a21〕事【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0569a21〕己【大】｜已【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【石】（star·corresp→note(0569001)＝品內〔T25 0569a13〕注·品內共用）
〔T25 0569a26〕估【大】｜賈【元】【明】
〔T25 0569b06〕己【大】｜已【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【石】（star·corresp→note(0569001)＝品內〔T25 0569a13〕注·品內共用）
〔T25 0569b07〕己【大】｜已【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【石】（star·corresp→note(0569001)＝品內〔T25 0569a13〕注·品內共用）
〔T25 0569b09〕言【大】｜意【元】【明】
〔T25 0569b13〕等【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0569b18〕者【大】｜有【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0569b19〕愛【大】｜受【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【石】
〔T25 0569b23〕言【大】｜〔－〕【石】
〔T25 0569b24〕磨【大】｜摩【宋】【元】【宮】（star·corresp→note(0566004)＝品內〔T25 0566a17〕注·品內共用）
〔T25 0569c02〕此【大】｜比【宋】
〔T25 0569c02〕小【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】【石】
〔T25 0569c04〕以【大】｜小【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0569c07〕孤【大】｜辜【宋】【元】【宮】
〔T25 0569c10〕罪【大】｜非【元】【明】
〔T25 0569c12〕意下【大】｜下意【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0569c23〕姊【大】｜姊如【石】
〔T25 0569c23〕如【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0569c28〕行【大】｜〔－〕【石】
〔T25 0569c29〕離（K14n0549_p1223b08）【CB】【麗-CB】｜難【大】（CBETA 依麗藏校訂型·lem 從【CB】非【大】·帶高麗藏頁錨交叉引·見第八目專列）
〔T25 0570a08〕法【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0570a10〕忍【大】｜忍釋第五十三品竟【石】（石本「忍釋第五十三品竟」·尾記式-1階·與品題石本 -1 首尾相應·見第四目）
〔T25 0570a11〕二【大】｜二（釋第五十四品）【宋】【元】【明】【宮】（卷末題夾註「釋第五十四品」·宋元明宮無-1·見第四目）

以上一百四十五條，與工作底本錨點校記之數機械相合；star 母注與星條之目標已隨條標明（全數品內，無跨品條）。品名／卷題攸關之數處（品題〔T25 0562b08〕、卷末尾記〔T25 0570a10〕、卷末題〔T25 0570a11〕）已於上文專列，並與所釋經、古德疏雙向對校（第四目、第六目）。

原注與校勘條元素之一處出入（誌錄不強解）。 〔T25 0562b12〕【經】字條，其 CBETA 修訂注文作「【經】【大】＊，〔－〕【宋】【宮】＊，不分卷【石】」，較同條校勘條元素多出「不分卷【石】」一造（app 元素僅 lem 一、rdg 一）。本帳依 app 元素傳錄該條，注文多出之一造於此誌明，如實並錄，不強解。

所釋經 witness 統計（未展開·誌闕待補）。 所釋經 T08n0223 側於本品對讀範圍（〔T08 0334c16〕起至次品前）內之校勘 witness 逐條統計，本帳未展開（唯品題三條已逐字核，見第四目），據實誌其未展開，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 lies within the single Fascicle 72, not crossing fascicles. The chapter title 「大智度論釋大如品第五十四」 tr. "Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa, Commentary on the Chapter on the Great Suchness, the Fifty-fourth"〔T25 0562b08〕 stands at the head of the fascicle (the preceding chapter, "Tending toward Omniscience", Chapter 53, ends at the close of Fascicle 71); the chapter body ends at 「此中善說二諦故，二千菩薩得無生法忍」 tr. "Because here the two truths were well expounded, two thousand bodhisattvas obtained the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas"〔T25 0570a09〕, and it is then closed by the fascicle-end title 「大智度論卷第七十二」 tr. "Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa, Fascicle Seventy-two"〔T25 0570a11〕; the next chapter, "Avaivartika", Chapter 55, begins at 0570a14—here the fascicle boundary and the chapter boundary coincide, unlike the fascicle-crossing type of Chapter 47; recorded as it is.

This chapter has four Sūtra 【經】 and four Treatise 【論】 sections in alternation; the starting point of each: Sūtra ①〔T25 0562b12〕, Treatise ①〔T25 0563b21〕, Sūtra ②〔T25 0564c15〕, Treatise ②〔T25 0566a02〕, Sūtra ③〔T25 0566c05〕, Treatise ③〔T25 0567b21〕, Sūtra ④〔T25 0568a02〕, Treatise ④〔T25 0568c29〕. The whole chapter has ten thousand eight hundred and forty-one pure Chinese characters (the mechanically recounted value); it exceeds the threshold for a unit, yet within the fascicle there is no fascicle boundary to go by, and this collection has already ruled that it be divided into two units at the boundary between sūtra and treatise sections: the cut point falls between the end of Treatise ②〔T25 0566c04〕 and the start of Sūtra ③〔T25 0566c05〕; the First Part takes in Sūtra ①, Treatise ①, Sūtra ②, and Treatise ②, and the Last Part takes in Sūtra ③, Treatise ③, Sūtra ④, and Treatise ④; the check values of the two units against the source are the same, with zero drift. The Last Part has no continuation title 「之餘」 tr. "the remainder" (since it does not cross fascicles, there is no continuation title to continue), and its starting point is directly 【經】; recorded as it is.

The absence of 「釋曰」 tr. "Explanation" at the head of Treatise ①, recorded. Treatise ②〔T25 0566a02〕, Treatise ③〔T25 0567b21〕, and Treatise ④〔T25 0568c29〕 all open with 「釋曰：」 tr. "Explanation:" before entering into questions and answers; Treatise ①〔T25 0563b21〕, however, goes straight on after the 【論】 marker to 「問曰：」 tr. "Question:", without 「釋曰：」 tr. "Explanation:". This apparatus checked back against the base text word by word and confirms that this difference is a fact of the base text's format, not an omission in extraction; recorded as it is, without forcing an explanation.

As to the number of questions and answers: at the top level this chapter has twelve groups in all (searching back through the main text of both units for 「問曰」 tr. "Question" and 「答曰」 tr. "Answer": eight groups in the First Part and four in the Last Part; in each unit the numbers of questions and of answers are equal, and all are located within treatise sections): four groups in Treatise ①, four in Treatise ②, one in Treatise ③, and three in Treatise ④. 「有人言」 tr. "someone says" appears five times in all—three times in Treatise ① (three views set side by side in answer to one and the same question), and twice in Treatise ④ (under the one question 「等心、慈心有何等異」 tr. "What difference is there between an equal mind and a mind of kindness?", two views given separately after the answer). The structure of speakers: in Sūtra ① three parties, the gods, the Buddha, and Subhūti, alternate, closing with the narrative sentence 「說是〈如相品〉時」 tr. "when this ‘Mark of Suchness’ chapter was being spoken"; in Sūtra ② four parties, the gods, Subhūti, Śāriputra, and the Buddha, alternate; in Sūtra ③ five parties alternate, and Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra〔T25 0567b01〕 is the fifth speaker, seen only in this chapter, with a single sentence prompting Śāriputra to ask; Sūtra ④ is a single question with a single long answer (Subhūti asks, and the Buddha expounds the gates of practice at length), closing with the narrative sentence 「說是菩薩行品時」 tr. "when this chapter on the bodhisattva's practice was being spoken". The two doctrinal axes follow the division into two units: the First Part makes clear the very deep non-duality of 「如」 tr. "suchness" and the meaning of 「隨佛生」 tr. "born following the Buddha", and by the matter of the six thousand bodhisattvas and the simile of the great bird makes clear the difference between having and not having the power of skilful means; the Last Part makes clear the hardness and ease of awakening and that within suchness there is no distinction of three vehicles, and turns to the vast gates of practice by which awakening is accomplished.

II. Terms Examined

Suchness · the mark of suchness · one suchness, without duality and without difference. The backbone of the whole chapter, from which the chapter takes its name. At the opening of the chapter the gods state the teaching they have heard: 「色即是薩婆若，薩婆若即是色」 tr. "Form is sarvajñā; sarvajñā is form"〔T25 0562b18〕, and follow it with 「色如相、薩婆若如相，是一如，無二無別」 tr. "The mark of suchness of form and the mark of suchness of sarvajñā are one suchness, without duality and without difference"〔T25 0562b20〕—the first sentence speaks of identity in terms of the substance of dharmas, the second speaks of oneness in terms of the mark of suchness. The Buddha approves it and pushes its depth further: 「阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，無得者、無得處、無得時，是名諸法甚深相，所謂無有二法」 tr. "Anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi has no one who obtains it, no place of obtaining, no time of obtaining; this is called the very deep mark of all dharmas, that is, there are no two dharmas"〔T25 0562c01〕. The treatise glosses the real meaning of 「如」 tr. "suchness": 「如名色等諸法真實相」 tr. "Suchness is the name for the real mark of form and the other dharmas"〔T25 0563c14〕; and it makes clear why suchness does not lie outside form—「色等法皆是作法、有為、虛妄、從顛倒生」 tr. "Form and the other dharmas are all made dharmas, conditioned, false, born from inversion"〔T25 0566a19〕, 「知色等法如實故即是如，因色等法得如名」 tr. "Knowing form and the other dharmas as they really are is precisely suchness; it is because of form and the other dharmas that suchness gets its name"〔T25 0566a21〕. Therefore suchness is not a separate thing apart from form, nor is it the false mark of form as such; this is the pivot on which the chapter's name stands.

Born following the Buddha. The second backbone of this chapter. The gods praise Subhūti: 「須菩提是佛子，隨佛生」 tr. "Subhūti is a son of the Buddha, born following the Buddha"〔T25 0563a12〕; Subhūti does not accept this praise but in turn explains it by the mark of suchness: 「如來如相不來不去，須菩提如相亦不來不去」 tr. "The mark of suchness of the Tathāgata does not come and does not go; the mark of suchness of Subhūti also does not come and does not go"〔T25 0563a16〕; 「如來如相即是一切法如相，一切法如相即是如來如相。是如相中亦無如相」 tr. "The mark of suchness of the Tathāgata is the mark of suchness of all dharmas; the mark of suchness of all dharmas is the mark of suchness of the Tathāgata. And within this mark of suchness there is no mark of suchness either"〔T25 0563a19〕. With six further rounds of 「復次」 tr. "furthermore" following on, it restates this layer upon layer—as ever-abiding, as without difference and without distinction, as the unobstructed place, as without thought and without distinction, as not apart from the suchness of all dharmas, as not within the three times—and gathers it up in 「菩薩摩訶薩得是如故，名為如來」 tr. "The bodhisattva-mahāsattva, because he obtains this suchness, is called Tathāgata"〔T25 0563b17〕. Sūtra ② then overturns this name by the four alternatives: 「須菩提不從色中隨佛生，亦不從色如中隨佛生」 tr. "Subhūti is not born following the Buddha from within form, nor is he born following the Buddha from within the suchness of form"〔T25 0564c18〕, and so on up to 「是一切法皆無所有、不可得，無隨生者，亦無隨生法」 tr. "All these dharmas are without anything existent and unfindable; there is no one born following, and no dharma of being born following"〔T25 0564c28〕—first being born following the Buddha is set up by the mark of suchness, afterward being born following the Buddha is broken by ultimate emptiness; both the setting up and the breaking are spoken by Subhūti himself, and the treatise explains that the intent lies in 「斷諸天子心」 tr. "cutting off the minds of the gods".

The all of names · the real all. Treatise ① explains, in 「一切世間所不能信」 tr. "what all the world cannot believe", the word 「一切」 tr. "all": 「一切有二種：一者、名字一切，二者、實一切」 tr. "‘All’ is of two kinds: one, the all of names; two, the real all"〔T25 0563b27〕—the 「一切」 tr. "all" here is the all of names; it is called ‘all’ because many do not believe, not meaning that in reality not one person can believe. It follows at once with 「知者必有信，先信後知故」 tr. "One who knows must have faith, because faith comes first and knowing after" to fix the order of faith and knowing.

Different names, one substance (prajñā · anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi). Treatise ① makes clear two names of one substance: 「阿耨多羅三藐三菩提即是般若波羅蜜，但名字異」 tr. "Anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi is precisely prajñāpāramitā; only the names differ"〔T25 0563c09〕—「在菩薩心中為般若，在佛心中名阿耨多羅三藐三菩提」 tr. "In the bodhisattva's mind it is prajñā; in the Buddha's mind it is called anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi"〔T25 0563c10〕. In the causal position and the fruit position the names differ, but the substance is not two; this runs through together with the chapter's tenet of ‘one suchness, without duality and without difference’.

The three seeds · the five sons of the Buddha. Treatise ① explains the bounds of 「佛子」 tr. "son of the Buddha": 「經說有三種子：一者、不隨順生，二者、隨順生，三者、勝生」 tr. "A sūtra says there are three seeds: one, born not in accord; two, born in accord; three, born superior"〔T25 0564a07〕; within the Buddha's Dharma only ‘born in accord’ is taken, since there is none superior to the Buddha. It further numbers them: 「佛子有五，皆從口生、法生」 tr. "The sons of the Buddha are five, all born from his mouth, born from the Dharma"〔T25 0564a10〕—the srota-āpanna and so on up to the arhat, together with the bodhisattva who has entered the right position; the pratyekabuddha attains the path by himself when there is no Buddha, and 「不得言從佛口生，因緣遠故」 tr. "cannot be said to be born from the Buddha's mouth, because the causes and conditions are distant". At the end, 「此經共二乘說」 tr. "this sūtra is spoken in common with the two vehicles"〔T25 0564a29〕 explains why here Subhūti is said to be born following the Buddha while the bodhisattva who has entered the Dharma-position is not spoken of.

Tathāgata. At the end of Treatise ② the name is glossed: 「如來者，如實行來到佛法中」 tr. "‘Tathāgata’ means one who, practising as things really are, has come into the Buddha's Dharma"〔T25 0564c13〕—tied to the preceding passage, 「五眾色等法中假名如來」 tr. "within the five aggregates, form and the other dharmas, ‘Tathāgata’ is a provisional name"; the name is established from suchness, not from the person.

The power of skilful means · the dharma without discrimination. Sūtra ② sets up the chapter's second criterion: the six thousand bodhisattvas met five hundred buddhas in former lives and practised the six perfections, but 「無般若波羅蜜、無方便力故，行別異相」 tr. "because they were without prajñāpāramitā and without the power of skilful means, they practised the mark of difference", and so 「行別異相故，不得無異相；不得無異相故，不得入菩薩位」 tr. "because they practised the mark of difference, they did not obtain the mark of no difference; because they did not obtain the mark of no difference, they could not enter the bodhisattva's position"〔T25 0565a23〕. Treatise ② guards against a doubt—all the noble ones obtain the unconditioned; why is it said 「不得無分別」 tr. "they did not obtain non-discrimination"? It answers: 「非說今世聽法時；乃是過去五百世時，不得般若、方便」 tr. "It does not speak of the time of hearing the Dharma in this life; it is that in the past, during five hundred lives, they did not obtain prajñā and skilful means"〔T25 0566b11〕, and it ties the result to 「失菩薩信等五根」 tr. "losing the bodhisattva's five faculties, faith and the rest"〔T25 0566b13〕. It further asks why, when both practise the three gates of liberation, one becomes a Buddha and one an arhat; the answer: 「雖有種種因緣，得阿羅漢大因緣，所謂離薩婆若心行空等故」 tr. "Though there are causes and conditions of many kinds, the great cause and condition of becoming an arhat is practising emptiness and the rest with a mind that has left sarvajñā"〔T25 0566b17〕—the criterion lies not in the dharma practised but in whether or not the mind leaves sarvajñā. Sūtra ② gathers it up on the positive side: 「是名菩薩方便力，以離相心行布施」 tr. "This is called the bodhisattva's power of skilful means: practising giving with a mind apart from marks"〔T25 0565c13〕.

Hard to obtain · easy to obtain. The axis of contrast in Sūtra ③. The gods say 「阿耨多羅三藐三菩提難得」 tr. "Anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi is hard to obtain"〔T25 0566c05〕, and the Buddha approves it; Subhūti says the reverse, 「我意謂阿耨多羅三藐三菩提為易得」 tr. "In my view anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi is easy to obtain"〔T25 0566c20〕, because all dharmas are empty and there is no one who obtains and no dharma that can be obtained. Śāriputra challenges him with the facts: 「今恒河沙等諸菩薩摩訶薩求阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，何以故退還」 tr. "Now bodhisattva-mahāsattvas equal to the sands of the Ganges seek anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi; why do they retrogress and turn back?"〔T25 0566c26〕. The two views of hard and easy stand side by side within one passage; Treatise ③ does not judge which is right, but only exhausts the single matter of 「退還」 tr. "retrogressing and turning back" by the four alternatives.

Acceptance of dharmas. Treatise ③ glosses the word that Śāriputra took up: 「『法忍』者，是法門、法修、法行」 tr. "‘Acceptance of dharmas’ is the gate of the Dharma, the practice of the Dharma, the conduct of the Dharma"〔T25 0567c13〕—entering this gate of the Dharma there is no retrogressing and turning back; coming out of this gate of the Dharma there is retrogressing and turning back; the division between retrogressing and not retrogressing is tied to being inside the gate or outside the gate, not to the dharma itself having a retrogression that can be retrogressed.

What awakening he accomplishes. At the end of Sūtra ③ Śāriputra asks, and the Buddha answers 「成就佛阿耨多羅三藐三菩提」 tr. "He accomplishes the Buddha's anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi"〔T25 0567b20〕. Treatise ③ explains why this question arises: 「各各有無上，舍利弗疑故」 tr. "Because each has its own unsurpassed, and Śāriputra doubts"〔T25 0567c21〕; the answer is that the Great Vehicle is unsurpassed; and it gathers it up by two gates: 「若入畢竟空門，一切法盡一相；若出畢竟空，三乘則有異」 tr. "If one enters the gate of ultimate emptiness, all dharmas are wholly of one mark; if one comes out of ultimate emptiness, the three vehicles then differ"〔T25 0567c28〕.

The seven minds (an equal mind · a mind of kindness · a lowly intent · a mind of safety · an unobstructed mind · a mind without vexation · a mind of love and respect). The first item of Sūtra ④'s answer to 「若菩薩摩訶薩欲成就阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，應云何行」 tr. "If a bodhisattva-mahāsattva wishes to accomplish anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi, how should he practise?": 「應起等心，於一切眾生亦以等心與語，無有偏黨」 tr. "He should arouse an equal mind, and speak to all beings too with an equal mind, without partiality"〔T25 0568a04〕, proceeding in order to 「於一切眾生中下意，亦以下意與語」 tr. "toward all beings a lowly intent, and speak to them too with a lowly intent"〔T25 0568a06〕 and the rest. Treatise ④ glosses them mind by mind: the equal mind gives the thought of loving kinship to all three parts, enemies, kin, and those in between, and further leaves the two minds of hatred and love; 「等心者是四無量心，慈心者是一無量」 tr. "The equal mind is the four immeasurable minds; the mind of kindness is one immeasurable"〔T25 0569b13〕. The reasons for the lowly intent—「一切法無常，一切眾生上、中、下皆歸磨滅」 tr. "All dharmas are impermanent, and all beings, high, middle, and low, return alike to being ground away"〔T25 0569b24〕, 「一切眾生中有佛道因緣者，唯佛能知」 tr. "Among all beings, who has the causes and conditions of the Buddha's path only the Buddha can know"〔T25 0569c03〕, 「憍慢是瞋之本，瞋是一切重罪之根」 tr. "Pride is the root of hatred, and hatred is the root of all grave sins"〔T25 0569c09〕. The mind of safety: 「『安隱心』者，與今世、後世、究竟樂」 tr. "‘A mind of safety’ gives the happiness of this life, of the next life, and of the ultimate"〔T25 0569c15〕, as distinguished from the happiness of the present life given by parents and friends. The overall gathering of the seven minds: 「得是柔軟清淨好心，名眾生忍，是法忍初門」 tr. "Obtaining this soft, pure, good mind is called the acceptance of beings; it is the first gate of the acceptance of dharmas"〔T25 0569c25〕—the seven minds do not set up a separate gate; they are the first gate of the acceptance of dharmas.

Old dharmas · guest dharmas (the division between the ten wholesome paths and the six perfections). At the end of Treatise ④ two kinds of dharma are set up: 「十善道，有佛、無佛，世間常有，是善法教」 tr. "The ten wholesome paths, whether there is a Buddha or no Buddha, are always in the world; this is the teaching of wholesome dharmas"〔T25 0569c26〕, and so the ten wholesome paths are old dharmas; 「六波羅蜜乃至法住，是客法」 tr. "The six perfections and so on up to the abiding of the Dharma are guest dharmas"〔T25 0570a01〕—only when a Buddha has expounded them is there the bodhisattva's practice. The number of practices is also divided: for the ten wholesome paths, 「菩薩先以四十種行，行是十善道」 tr. "the bodhisattva first practises these ten wholesome paths with forty kinds of practice"〔T25 0569c27〕; for the twelve matters of the dharmas of the ordinary person separated from desire, 「離欲凡夫法有十二事，亦以四十八種行」 tr. "the dharmas of the ordinary person separated from desire have twelve matters, practised also with forty-eight kinds of practice"〔T25 0569c29〕—the forty are the four matters, practising it oneself, teaching others, praising, and rejoicing, multiplied by the ten items of the ten wholesome paths; the forty-eight are the same four matters multiplied by the twelve matters. The formula running through the whole of Sūtra ④, in which the four matters ‘practising it oneself, teaching others, praising, rejoicing’ proceed together, is what these numbers are based on.

Both dharmas, existence and non-existence, complete. The criterion with which the whole chapter closes. Treatise ④ explains why the two thousand bodhisattvas obtained acceptance here: 「是品說如微妙深法，亦說有行，善門、智門，二行具足」 tr. "This chapter speaks of suchness, the subtle and deep Dharma, and also speaks of practice that exists; the gate of goodness and the gate of wisdom—both practices are complete"〔T25 0570a06〕; 「今說有、無二法，具足故，得無生法忍」 tr. "Now the two dharmas, existence and non-existence, are spoken of, and because both are complete, one obtains the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas"〔T25 0570a08〕; 「此中善說二諦故，二千菩薩得無生法忍」 tr. "Because here the two truths were well expounded, two thousand bodhisattvas obtained the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas"〔T25 0570a09〕—the first half of this chapter speaks of suchness (non-existence), the second half speaks of practice (existence); the treatise-author himself explains the chapter's structure by the completeness of the two truths.

III. Similes and Stories

The key similes of this chapter fall into three bundles: Treatise ① uses three small similes (the river water · the space where wood is burned · the mark of space in a wall) to make clear 「甚深」 tr. "very deep" and that 「如」 tr. "suchness" is not apart from form; Treatise ② matches the great simile of the golden-winged bird clause by clause to the loss of lacking the power of skilful means; Treatise ④ uses four small similes (the merchant · the host inviting guests · the master beating the slave · the filial son's love and respect) to make clear why the seven minds are practised; and at the end the simile of the two wheels gathers up the whole chapter.

The simile of the river water with eddies, deep places, and shallows (carrying on the meaning of 「何以或時讚甚深」 tr. "why at times it is praised as very deep"). The first simile at the opening of Treatise ①: 「譬如河水，有洄復深處、有淺處」 tr. "It is like the water of a river, which has eddies and deep places and has shallow places"〔T25 0563b25〕—the same prajñā has two teachings, shallow and deep: 「或時分別諸法空，是淺；或時說『世間法即同涅槃』，是深」 tr. "At times all dharmas are discriminated as empty, and this is shallow; at times it is said that ‘the dharmas of the world are the same as nirvāṇa’, and this is deep"〔T25 0563b22〕. Deep and shallow lie not in the Dharma but in the gate through which it is taught.

The simile of burning sandalwood and mixed woods · removing palaces and mean huts (carrying on the meaning of 「如名色等諸法真實相」 tr. "suchness is the name for the real mark of form and the other dharmas"). 「譬如除宮殿及諸陋廬，如燒栴檀及雜木，其處虛空無異」 tr. "As when palaces and mean huts are removed, or as when sandalwood and mixed woods are burned, the space where they stood is no different"〔T25 0563c15〕—after all dharmas, noble and base, good and bad, have been burned away and removed, the space that remains is of one flavour, without difference; when form and sarvajñā are sought for what they really are, both are suchness; this simile sets up the mark of ‘one suchness, without duality and without difference’.

The simile of the mark of space in a wall and the peg (carrying on the meaning of 「如虛空等故」 tr. "because it is like space"). 「譬如壁中先有空相，小兒以橛釘之，力少故不入，大力者能入」 tr. "As in a wall there is already the mark of space; a small child drives a peg into it, and because his strength is small it does not go in, while one of great strength can drive it in"〔T25 0563c27〕—the mark of space is in the wall from the start; it is not that the one driving the peg makes the space; within form and the other dharmas there is of itself the real mark of suchness; one whose power of wisdom is small cannot make it empty, while one of great wisdom can know it. Space is not something made; this is the point of the simile.

The simile of carrying vessels to the sea (carrying on the meaning of 「六千人成阿羅漢」 tr. "six thousand people became arhats"). 「如人持器詣海，隨器大小，各自取足」 tr. "As when people carry vessels to the sea, each according to the size of his vessel takes his fill"〔T25 0566b06〕—hearing the same prajñā, what they obtain differs; the fault lies not in the sea but in the vessel; with this the treatise concludes the one phrase 「於般若無咎」 tr. "there is no fault in prajñā".

The great simile of the golden-winged bird (a sūtra simile · spoken by the Buddha himself · matched clause by clause by the treatise · the most detailed simile of this chapter). In Sūtra ② the Buddha sets up the simile: 「譬如有鳥，身長百由旬，若二百、三百由旬，而無有翅」 tr. "It is like a bird whose body is a hundred yojana long, or two hundred, or three hundred yojana, and which has no wings"〔T25 0565b09〕; it throws itself down from the Heaven of the Thirty-three toward Jambudvīpa, and midway it wishes to return and cannot, wishes to be free of pain and vexation and also cannot; Śāriputra himself answers the reason: 「是鳥身大而無翅故」 tr. "Because this bird's body is great and it has no wings"〔T25 0565b16〕. Treatise ② first supplies the bird's story: 「是鳥所以不來者，此鳥食龍，翅出毒風，扇一切人眼失明故」 tr. "The reason this bird does not come is that this bird eats nāgas, and its wings give out a poisonous wind that, as it fans, makes the eyes of all people lose their sight"〔T25 0566b20〕; 「是鳥初出𣫘，羽翼未成，意欲飛去，即時墮落」 tr. "When this bird first comes out of the shell, its feathers and wings are not yet formed; it intends to fly away and at once falls"〔T25 0566b21〕, 「還欲住本天，上舍摩梨樹上」 tr. "wishing to return and dwell in its own heaven, up on the śālmalī tree"〔T25 0566b23〕—the three things, the golden-winged bird, the śālmalī tree, and the poisonous wind of eating nāgas, are all supplied by the treatise-author and are not in the sūtra text; recorded as it is. Then it matches clause by clause: 「『鳥身』，是菩薩身」 tr. "‘The bird's body’ is the bodhisattva's body"〔T25 0566b24〕; 「『無兩翅』者，是無般若波羅蜜、無方便」 tr. "‘Without two wings’ is being without prajñāpāramitā and without skilful means"〔T25 0566b25〕; 「『須彌山』者，是三界」 tr. "‘Mount Sumeru’ is the three realms"〔T25 0566b26〕; 「『虛空』，是無量佛法」 tr. "‘Space’ is the immeasurable dharmas of the Buddha"〔T25 0566b27〕; 「『未應飛而飛』者，是菩薩功德未成滿」 tr. "‘Flying before it should fly’ is the bodhisattva's merit not yet complete and full"〔T25 0566b27〕; ‘if it dies’ is the path of the arhat, ‘like death’ is the path of the pratyekabuddha, and ‘whether in pain or vexation’ is losing the merit of the bodhisattva's original vow〔T25 0566c01〕. When the matching of the simile is finished, the treatise-author stops of his own accord: 「此經中合喻，義自明了，故不說」 tr. "In this sūtra the matching of the simile makes the meaning clear of itself, so it is not spoken of"〔T25 0566c03〕—matching clause by clause and not elaborating further is one format of the treatise's form in this chapter. Note: in the matching words the term 「須彌山」 tr. "Mount Sumeru" is not originally in the sūtra text (the sūtra has 「三十三天」 tr. "the Heaven of the Thirty-three"); the treatise-author substitutes Mount Sumeru for it; recorded as it is, without forcing an explanation.

The simile of the merchant on the dangerous road (carrying on the meaning of ‘not yet having obtained the Dharma body, how can one practise these minds’). 「譬如估客，於險道中備受諸苦，乃得大利」 tr. "It is like a merchant who, on a dangerous road, undergoes every hardship and only then obtains great profit"〔T25 0569a26〕—one who seeks the unsurpassed path should practise the unsurpassed dharma; only by undergoing difficulty and doing austere practice is it accomplished; this simile establishes that the seven minds of Treatise ④ can be practised.

The simile of the host inviting guests (carrying on the meaning of 「下意」 tr. "a lowly intent"). 「譬如主人請客，則應敬客而自卑」 tr. "As when a host invites guests, he should honour the guests and humble himself"〔T25 0569c07〕—the bodhisattva has vowed to deliver beings; if he has nothing to provide, he is shamed before his guests; the reason for the lowly mind is tied to the vow he has made himself, not to the height or lowness of self and others.

The simile of the master beating the slave (carrying on the reverse side of the meaning of 「下意」 tr. "a lowly intent"). 「譬如大家打奴，奴不敢瞋恨」 tr. "As when a master beats a slave, the slave dares not hate"〔T25 0569c11〕—if the bodhisattva raises a lowly mind toward beings, he has no resentment when scolded or beaten; if he exalts himself and in his intent puts beings below, then when beings harm him, anger rises in a rage: 「如奴打大家，則起瞋怒」 tr. "as when a slave beats the master, hatred and anger arise". One simile used two ways, the direct and the reverse setting each other off.

The simile of the filial son's love and respect (carrying on the meaning of 「愛敬心」 tr. "a mind of love and respect"). 「譬如孝子愛敬父母」 tr. "As a filial son loves and respects his father and mother"〔T25 0569c22〕, as elder brother, as younger brother, as sisters, as sons and daughters, yet without a mind of lust—people of the world can love and respect only their own kin, whereas the bodhisattva extends it to all; this simile is tied exactly to the list in Sūtra ④, 「如父、如母、如兄、如弟、如姊、如妹、如兒子、如親族、知識」 tr. "as a father, as a mother, as an elder brother, as a younger brother, as an elder sister, as a younger sister, as a son, as kin, as a friend".

The simile of both wheels complete (the close of the whole chapter). 「今說有、無二法，具足故，得無生法忍；譬如二輪具足故，能有所至」 tr. "Now the two dharmas, existence and non-existence, are spoken of, and because both are complete, one obtains the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas; as a cart with both wheels complete can get somewhere"〔T25 0570a08〕—speaking only of the dharma of suchness benefits little, and speaking only of the dharma of existence also benefits little; only when both dharmas are complete can one go far. This simile and the structure described in Section V, ‘the first half of this chapter speaks of suchness, the second half speaks of practice’, confirm each other.

IV. The Sūtra Passage Explained

The full ledger of the note on the chapter title (the base text 「大如品第五十四」 tr. "Chapter on the Great Suchness, the Fifty-fourth" · the -1 step of the Ishiyama · the fascicle-end colophon corresponding). The app on the chapter title〔T25 0562b08〕 is a single entry in four forms, and its full ledger is recorded here word for word: the base text (Taishō) reads 「大智度論釋大如品第五十四」 tr. "Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa, Commentary on the Chapter on the Great Suchness, the Fifty-fourth" with the interlinear note 「卷七十二」 tr. "Fascicle Seventy-two"; the Song edition reads 「大智度論釋卷第七十二釋大如品第五十四」 tr. "Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa, Commentary, Fascicle Seventy-two, Commentary on the Chapter on the Great Suchness, the Fifty-fourth"; the Palace edition agrees with the Song but has one more character, 「品」 tr. "chapter", at the end; the Ishiyama text reads 「摩訶般若波羅蜜品第五十三大如品」 tr. "Mahāprajñāpāramitā, Chapter the Fifty-third, Chapter on the Great Suchness"—the Ishiyama reads 「第五十三」 tr. "the Fifty-third", one less than the base text's 「第五十四」 tr. "the Fifty-fourth", continuing without break the pattern of ‘the Ishiyama -1 step’ consistent since Chapter 44. In this chapter no variant readings of the Shōgozō or the Shōgozō B are seen (among the one hundred and forty-five collation notes of the whole chapter, 【聖】 and 【聖乙】 each appear zero times; see Section VIII), a reversal of the situation in Chapters 45 to 47, where the Shōgozō B appeared densely and in large numbers; the negative result is recorded as it is. At the end of the fascicle〔T25 0570a10〕 the note on the character 「忍」 tr. "acceptance"—the Ishiyama reads 「忍釋第五十三品竟」 tr. "acceptance; end of the commentary on the fifty-third chapter", a -1 step of the colophon type, corresponding head to tail with the Ishiyama's -1 on the chapter title; at〔T25 0570a11〕 the note on the character 「二」 tr. "two" in the fascicle-end title—the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace editions read 「二（釋第五十四品）」 tr. "two (commentary on the fifty-fourth chapter)", an interlinear note marking the chapter number without reducing it. The Ishiyama alone goes the -1 way, while the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace do not reduce; the two systems exist side by side; recorded without judgement, the mechanism not forced into an explanation.

Correspondence with the sūtra explained (the T223 mulu · the Shōgozō's alternative name · the Khitan edition's interlinear note · one chapter, five names). The sūtra explained, the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra, begins Fascicle 16 afresh at this chapter; checking back word by word against the base text at the chapter title: the displayed text of the mulu marker (cb name-domain · level attribute one · n attribute fifty-five · type attribute chapter) reads 「54 大如品」 tr. "54 The Great Suchness", followed by the head 「大如品第五十四」 tr. "Chapter on the Great Suchness, the Fifty-fourth"〔T08 0334c16〕, and after that is appended a note (place attribute inline) whose text is 「丹本大如相品」 tr. "Khitan edition: Chapter on the Great Mark of Suchness" (these six characters belong to the note layer and are not included in the character count; this apparatus checked back against the base text word by word to confirm)—the displayed number 「54」 tr. "54" agrees with this treatise's 「第五十四」 tr. "the Fifty-fourth", and the n attribute 「55」 tr. "55" continues the standing ‘+1’ offset already ruled on in this collection; rechecked for this chapter and in agreement, not judged again. The app witness at that place, word for word: 「大如品【大】，摩訶般若波羅蜜經如相品【聖】」 tr. "Chapter on the Great Suchness in the Taishō; Chapter on the Mark of Suchness of the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra in the Shōgozō"; the interlinear-note entry: 「丹本大如相品【大】，〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】」 tr. "Khitan edition: Chapter on the Great Mark of Suchness, in the Taishō; omitted in the Song, Yuan, Ming, Palace, and Shōgozō". Putting together the side of this treatise and the side of the sūtra explained, this chapter has one chapter, five names: ① 「大如品」 tr. "Chapter on the Great Suchness" (the base text of this treatise · the Taishō text of the sūtra explained); ② 「大如相品」 tr. "Chapter on the Great Mark of Suchness" (the Khitan edition's interlinear note in the sūtra explained); ③ 「如相品」 tr. "Chapter on the Mark of Suchness" (this treatise's own name for itself in the narrative sentence of Sūtra ①, 「說是〈如相品〉時」 tr. "when this ‘Mark of Suchness’ chapter was being spoken"〔T25 0563b18〕 · the same sentence in the sūtra explained〔T08 0335c24〕; the Shōgozō's chapter title in the sūtra explained reads 「摩訶般若波羅蜜經如相品」 tr. "Chapter on the Mark of Suchness of the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra", agreeing with this self-naming); ④ 「菩薩行品」 tr. "Chapter on the Bodhisattva's Practice" (this treatise's own name for itself in the narrative sentence of Sūtra ④, 「說是菩薩行品時」 tr. "when this chapter on the bodhisattva's practice was being spoken"〔T25 0568c28〕 · the same sentence in the sūtra explained〔T08 0339a06〕); ⑤ 「大女品」 tr. "the Great Woman chapter" (the name used in the general account of Jizang's commentary; see in detail Section VI). The five names are recorded side by side without judgement; which name is the original is not judged.

The difference between 「六千」 tr. "six thousand" and 「六十」 tr. "sixty" (collation on both sides · four sources recorded side by side). The base text of this treatise reads in Sūtra ② 「六千菩薩諸法不受故，漏盡，心得解脫，成阿羅漢」 tr. "Six thousand bodhisattvas, because they did not receive any dharma, exhausted their outflows, their minds attained liberation, and they became arhats"〔T25 0565a17〕 and 「是六千菩薩先世值五百佛，親近供養」 tr. "These six thousand bodhisattvas in former lives met five hundred buddhas, drew near to them, and made offerings"〔T25 0565a18〕. Checking back entry by entry on four sides: ① the collation notes of this treatise—〔T25 0565a17〕「千【大】｜十【宮】【石】」 tr. "‘thousand’ in the Taishō; ‘ten’ in the Palace and the Ishiyama", 〔T25 0565a18〕 the same, and in Treatise ②〔T25 0566a28〕「千【大】｜十【宮】【石】」 tr. "‘thousand’ in the Taishō; ‘ten’ in the Palace and the Ishiyama", 〔T25 0566b07〕 the same—in all four places the collation notes record that the Palace edition and the Ishiyama text read 「十」 tr. "ten"; ② the sūtra explained—a full scan of T08n0223 gives zero hits for 「六千菩薩」 tr. "six thousand bodhisattvas" and two hits for 「六十菩薩」 tr. "sixty bodhisattvas"〔T08 0336b02〕〔T08 0336b03〕; the main text of the sūtra explained reads 「六十菩薩」 tr. "sixty bodhisattvas" outright; ③ Jizang's commentary—a full scan of X24n0451 gives zero hits for 「六千菩薩」 tr. "six thousand bodhisattvas" and five hits for 「六十菩薩」 tr. "sixty bodhisattvas" (four of them within the range of the commentary on this chapter:〔X24n0451 0304a22〕〔X24n0451 0304a23〕〔X24n0451 0304b06〕〔X24n0451 0304b23〕); ④ Junzheng—a full scan of X46n0784 gives zero hits for 「六千菩薩」 tr. "six thousand bodhisattvas" and two hits for 「六十菩薩」 tr. "sixty bodhisattvas"〔X46n0784 0561c18〕〔X46n0784 0629b19〕. The four sources agree in reading 「六十」 tr. "sixty"; only the Taishō base text of this treatise reads 「六千」 tr. "six thousand", while the two texts, Palace and Ishiyama, read 「十」 tr. "ten". Having collated the collation records of both sides, this apparatus records them side by side without judgement: it does not judge whether 「千」 tr. "thousand" or 「十」 tr. "ten" is right, and does not change the reading of the base text; the main text of this edition still follows the base text in reading 「六千」 tr. "six thousand". This is the most complete network of cross-text numerical variant readings in this collection so far; its full ledger is recorded as it is.

Full comparative reading of the sūtra cited (collation on both sides · three control strings · each seen only once in each canon). The opening of Sūtra ① of this treatise is almost word for word the same as the chapter "The Great Suchness" of the sūtra explained—this treatise: 「爾時，欲界諸天子、色界諸天子以天末栴檀香，以天青蓮華、赤蓮花、紅蓮華、白蓮華遙散佛上」 tr. "At that time the gods of the desire realm and the gods of the form realm, with heavenly powdered sandalwood incense and with heavenly blue lotuses, red lotuses, crimson lotuses, and white lotuses, scattered them from afar over the Buddha"〔T25 0562b12〕; the same passage in the sūtra explained reads 「爾時欲界諸天子、色界諸天子，以天末栴檀香，以天青蓮華、赤蓮華、紅蓮華、白蓮華遙散佛上」 tr. "At that time the gods of the desire realm and the gods of the form realm, with heavenly powdered sandalwood incense and with heavenly blue lotuses, red lotuses, crimson lotuses, and white lotuses, scattered them from afar over the Buddha"〔T08 0334c17〕—the same scene structure (who comes, what is scattered, toward whom, what Dharma is asked about next), the wording almost wholly the same; the difference between the two written forms of the character for ‘flower’ in ‘red lotus’ belongs to the layer of transcription. The control group: the three strings of Chinese characters 「身長百由旬」 tr. "a body a hundred yojana long", 「五百比丘尼遠塵離垢」 tr. "five hundred bhikṣuṇīs, far from dust and free of stain", and 「富樓那彌多羅尼子語舍利弗」 tr. "Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra said to Śāriputra" are each seen only once in the whole of the treatise, T25n1509, and in the whole of the sūtra, T08n0223 (this treatise〔T25 0565b09〕〔T25 0565a15〕〔T25 0567b01〕; the sūtra explained〔T08 0336b23〕〔T08 0336a29〕〔T08 0337c13〕); the positions correspond uniquely, there is no other chapter with which they could be confused, and this is not the weak judgement of searching one text with another text's words. Three variant readings are seen in the comparative reading, recorded word for word: the first is ‘six thousand / sixty’ (see above); the second, this treatise's 「諸法中得法眼淨」 tr. "obtained the purity of the Dharma-eye within all dharmas"〔T25 0565a15〕, where the sūtra explained reads 「諸法中得法眼」 tr. "obtained the Dharma-eye within all dharmas"—for the character 「淨」 tr. "purity" this treatise also has the collation note 「淨【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】」 tr. "‘purity’ in the Taishō; omitted in the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace", and the four editions, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace, agree with the sūtra explained; the third, this treatise's 「五千諸菩薩摩訶薩得無生忍法」 tr. "five thousand bodhisattva-mahāsattvas obtained the dharma of the acceptance of non-arising"〔T25 0565a16〕, where the sūtra explained reads 「五千菩薩摩訶薩得無生法忍」 tr. "five thousand bodhisattva-mahāsattvas obtained the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas"—for 「忍法」 tr. "acceptance-dharma" this treatise also has the collation note 「忍法【大】｜法忍【宋】【元】【明】【宮】」 tr. "‘acceptance-dharma’ in the Taishō; ‘acceptance of dharmas’ in the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace", and the four editions, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace, agree with the sūtra explained. All three are recorded side by side without judgement. The four 【論】 layers of this treatise are a structural expansion belonging to the treatise form; the sūtra explained has no such layer, and they are not variant readings. The entry-by-entry statistics of collation witnesses on the side of the sūtra explained within the range of the comparative reading for this chapter were not unfolded in this apparatus (only the three entries on the chapter title have been checked word for word); the fact that they were not unfolded is recorded as it is, and no estimate is put in to fill the number.

V. The Prajñā Eye

The eye of this chapter lies in the single character 「如」 tr. "suchness": the real mark of all dharmas and the real mark of the Tathāgata are the same suchness; since they are the same suchness, what the Buddha realises and what the ordinary person passes through are, at the bottom, not two. Its meaning can be summed up in five layers.

First, suchness is not outside form. At the opening of the chapter it sets up 「色即是薩婆若，薩婆若即是色」 tr. "Form is sarvajñā; sarvajñā is form"〔T25 0562b18〕, followed by 「色如相、薩婆若如相，是一如，無二無別」 tr. "The mark of suchness of form and the mark of suchness of sarvajñā are one suchness, without duality and without difference"〔T25 0562b20〕. The treatise explains it: 「如名色等諸法真實相」 tr. "Suchness is the name for the real mark of form and the other dharmas"〔T25 0563c14〕, and further guards itself against an error—form and the other dharmas themselves are 「作法、有為、虛妄、從顛倒生」 tr. "made dharmas, conditioned, false, born from inversion"〔T25 0566a19〕, and are not suchness as they are; 「知色等法如實故即是如，因色等法得如名」 tr. "Knowing form and the other dharmas as they really are is precisely suchness; it is because of form and the other dharmas that suchness gets its name"〔T25 0566a21〕. Not seeking suchness apart from form, nor taking form as it appears to be suchness: this is the first cut of the chapter.

Second, ‘very deep’ means that faith does not reach it, not that the Dharma has near and far. At the very opening Treatise ① asks, 「若般若波羅蜜無不甚深，何以或時讚甚深」 tr. "If prajñāpāramitā is nowhere not very deep, why is it at times praised as very deep?", and answers that the river water has eddies and has shallow places—「色等諸法即是佛法，聽者聞說，心信佛語，自智慧不及故言『甚深』」 tr. "Form and the other dharmas are the dharmas of the Buddha; the hearer, hearing it expounded, believes the Buddha's words in his mind, and because his own wisdom does not reach it he says ‘very deep’"〔T25 0563b24〕. ‘Very deep’ is tied to the wisdom of the hearer; the Dharma in itself has no so-called deep or shallow; therefore, in 「一切世間所不能信」 tr. "what all the world cannot believe", the 「一切」 tr. "all" is the all of names, not the real all〔T25 0563b27〕.

Third, being born following the Buddha must also be broken. The gods praise Subhūti as 「是佛子，隨佛生」 tr. "a son of the Buddha, born following the Buddha"; Subhūti extends it through seven rounds by the mark of suchness, setting it up all the way to 「菩薩摩訶薩得是如故，名為如來」 tr. "The bodhisattva-mahāsattva, because he obtains this suchness, is called Tathāgata"〔T25 0563b17〕; immediately after, Sūtra ② breaks this name itself: 「須菩提不從色中隨佛生，亦不從色如中隨佛生」 tr. "Subhūti is not born following the Buddha from within form, nor is he born following the Buddha from within the suchness of form"〔T25 0564c18〕, and so on up to 「無隨生者，亦無隨生法」 tr. "there is no one born following, and no dharma of being born following"〔T25 0564c28〕. The treatise explains the reason—「須菩提知諸天子心少貴尚是諸法如」 tr. "Subhūti knew that the minds of the gods had come a little to prize this suchness of all dharmas"〔T25 0566a06〕, and so 「以四種破著如心」 tr. "by four kinds he breaks the mind that clings to suchness"〔T25 0566a08〕. Setting up the name is for speaking the meaning; breaking the name is for cutting off clinging; first setting up and then breaking, both come from the mouth of the same Subhūti; in this the chapter most shows the method of prajñā.

Fourth, the power of skilful means is the watershed. The six thousand bodhisattvas met five hundred buddhas and practised five perfections, and only because they were without prajñā and without skilful means, 「行別異相故，不得無異相；不得無異相故，不得入菩薩位」 tr. "because they practised the mark of difference, they did not obtain the mark of no difference; because they did not obtain the mark of no difference, they could not enter the bodhisattva's position"〔T25 0565a23〕; the great bird, its body a hundred yojana long yet without two wings, throws itself from heaven to the earth, wishes to return and cannot, wishes to be free of pain and vexation and also cannot. The treatise determines its great cause and condition: 「雖有種種因緣，得阿羅漢大因緣，所謂離薩婆若心行空等故」 tr. "Though there are causes and conditions of many kinds, the great cause and condition of becoming an arhat is practising emptiness and the rest with a mind that has left sarvajñā"〔T25 0566b17〕—the same emptiness, signlessness, and non-action: if the mind leaves sarvajñā one falls, if it does not leave it one enters; the criterion lies in what the mind is bound to, not in the dharma practised. The greatness of merit turns instead into the weight of the fall's momentum; this is the steepest point of the chapter.

Fifth, the two views of hard and easy both stand, and retrogressing or not is tied to being inside or outside the gate. The gods say it is hard to obtain, Subhūti says it is easy to obtain, and Śāriputra cites the retrogressing and turning back of those as many as the sands of the Ganges as proof; Subhūti exhausts it with eight questions—form, apart from form, the suchness of form, apart from the suchness of form, suchness, the nature of dharmas, apart from suchness, apart from the nature of dharmas—and Śāriputra answers each one 「不」 tr. "no". Treatise ③ gathers it into one word: 「『法忍』者，是法門、法修、法行」 tr. "‘Acceptance of dharmas’ is the gate of the Dharma, the practice of the Dharma, the conduct of the Dharma"〔T25 0567c13〕—entering this gate of the Dharma there is no retrogressing; coming out of this gate of the Dharma there is retrogressing. At the end it divides them by the two truths: 「若入畢竟空門，一切法盡一相；若出畢竟空，三乘則有異」 tr. "If one enters the gate of ultimate emptiness, all dharmas are wholly of one mark; if one comes out of ultimate emptiness, the three vehicles then differ"〔T25 0567c28〕. Yet the medicine of the whole chapter does not stop at emptiness: the seven minds are the acceptance of beings, and the acceptance of beings is the first gate of the acceptance of dharmas〔T25 0569c25〕; the ten wholesome paths are old dharmas, and the six perfections and so on up to the abiding of the Dharma are guest dharmas; the four matters, practising it oneself, teaching others, praising, and rejoicing, proceed together item by item—「今說有、無二法，具足故，得無生法忍」 tr. "Now the two dharmas, existence and non-existence, are spoken of, and because both are complete, one obtains the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas"〔T25 0570a08〕. To speak of suchness and not of practice is a cart with only one wheel; that this chapter ends with two thousand bodhisattvas obtaining acceptance is precisely the seal the treatise-author himself sets on it.

VI. Divergent Readings of the Masters

The Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa originally had no tradition of a complete text-by-text commentary, and the citations and explanations of the ancient masters are, as a rule, partial according to what actually exists. For this chapter two ancient masters are reread: Jizang's commentary, explaining the sūtra explained, preserves a complete dedicated chapter, and is the most detailed covering of this chapter seen in this collection; Junzheng's book cites the name of this chapter explicitly in two places; Huiying's commentary, explaining the treatise, has zero coverage of this chapter; the search back through the two Tiantai lines for this chapter is closed as a negative proposition (see below). This section records the correspondences between what each master comments on or cites and this chapter; it does not judge the relative merit of the masters' interpretations.

Jizang's Commentary on the Larger Sūtra (X24n0451). The text-by-text commentary on the chapter "The Great Suchness" of the sūtra explained begins at〔X24n0451 0303a11〕 (the mulu 「大如品第五十四」 tr. "Chapter on the Great Suchness, the Fifty-fourth", immediately after the place where the commentary on Chapter 53, "Tending toward Knowledge", ends), and ends before〔X24n0451 0305a21〕 (where the next mulu, 「不退品第五十五」 tr. "Chapter on Non-retrogression, the Fifty-fifth", begins; this section determines this by the continuous sequence of the mulu), covering the whole of the sūtra text of this chapter. There are six points worth recording.

First, the alternative chapter name 「大女品」 tr. "the Great Woman chapter". In the passage giving the overview of the divisions of four chapters, a few chapters earlier, Jizang calls this chapter outright 「大女品」 tr. "the Great Woman chapter"—「第三、超智品明中下根人者標大果；第四、大女品明中下根人如如而學。」 tr. "Third, the chapter on Surpassing Knowledge makes clear the great fruit held up for people of middling and lower faculties; fourth, the Great Woman chapter makes clear people of middling and lower faculties training in accord with suchness."〔X24n0451 0301b13〕; in the same passage it calls Chapter 53 「超智品」 tr. "the chapter on Surpassing Knowledge", while its own formal titles in two places both read 「趣智品第五十三」 tr. "Chapter on Tending toward Knowledge, the Fifty-third"〔X24n0451 0195b22〕〔X24n0451 0302b17〕, and this chapter's formal titles in two places both read 「大如品第五十四」 tr. "Chapter on the Great Suchness, the Fifty-fourth"〔X24n0451 0195b22〕〔X24n0451 0303a11〕. Within one and the same commentary, the overview passage and the section headings do not use the same names; the two pairs of alternative names, ‘woman / suchness’ and ‘surpassing / tending’, appear together in the same passage, a feature of the writing of that passage. Recorded side by side without judgement; it does not judge whether 「女」 tr. "woman" or 「如」 tr. "suchness" is right.

Second, the position of this chapter in the divisions. 「四品為四：第一、此品舉法譬勸中下二人推失脩得」 tr. "The four chapters are four: first, this chapter raises Dharma and parable to exhort the two, the middling and the lower, to push away loss and cultivate gain"〔X24n0451 0301b11〕 and so on through the four chapters in succession, this chapter standing fourth; where the lecture begins it states its own position: 「此第四、合中下根人如如而學，具成上三品。」 tr. "This is the fourth: it brings together people of middling and lower faculties who train in accord with suchness, fully completing the three chapters above."〔X24n0451 0303a12〕, and it sets up 「如如而學」 tr. "training in accord with suchness" as the criterion of having or not having skilful means—「以如如而學故，是有方便；不如如而學，名無方便。」 tr. "Because they train in accord with suchness, there is skilful means; not training in accord with suchness is called being without skilful means."〔X24n0451 0303a12〕.

Third, the meaning of the name 「大如」 tr. "Great Suchness". Jizang sets up three levels of suchness with respect to the chapter name and takes the highest: 「亦對中下小如，名為大如。下如謂地堅水濕等，中如謂苦無常等，上如無生滅等。今明上如，故云大如。」 tr. "It is also called the great suchness in contrast to the middling and lower small suchness. The lower suchness means the solidity of earth, the wetness of water, and the like; the middling suchness means suffering, impermanence, and the like; the higher suchness is non-arising and non-ceasing and the like. Now the higher suchness is made clear, and so it is called the great suchness."〔X24n0451 0303a22〕—this is an ancient master's gloss on the name of this chapter; the treatise does not have it; recorded without judgement.

Fourth, the division of the chapter into five. 「品五，第一餘前人歎菩提甚深，二歎甚深，三明得失，四明菩提難易，五明修菩提行。」 tr. "The chapter is fivefold: first, the rest of the earlier persons praise awakening as very deep; second, praising the very deep; third, making clear gain and loss; fourth, making clear the hardness and ease of awakening; fifth, making clear the practice of cultivating awakening."〔X24n0451 0303b02〕—Jizang himself divides this chapter into five sections, not the same system as this treatise's division into four sūtra and four treatise sections; this apparatus records his divisions and does not force them into agreement with the unit division of this edition. Among them, the head of the third section is marked 「六十菩薩下，第三、明得失。」 tr. "From ‘sixty bodhisattvas’ on, the third, making clear gain and loss."〔X24n0451 0304a22〕, and the head of the fourth section marks the debate on whether awakening is hard or easy to obtain.

Fifth, the questions and answers on the matter of the sixty bodhisattvas. 「問：六十菩薩學般若成二乘，有聞般若成菩薩不？」 tr. "Question: sixty bodhisattvas trained in prajñā and became of the two vehicles; is there anyone who hears prajñā and becomes a bodhisattva?"〔X24n0451 0304a23〕; it further cites the treatise as evidence—「論云佛此中出六十菩薩，先世作有所得行也。」 tr. "The treatise says that the Buddha here brings forth the sixty bodhisattvas, who in former lives practised with something to be attained."〔X24n0451 0304b06〕; and in the passage on hard and easy it says, 「天子云難得者，六十菩薩曠劫修行而墮二地，故難得也。」 tr. "The gods say it is hard to obtain because the sixty bodhisattvas practised through vast kalpas and yet fell into the two grounds; therefore it is hard to obtain."〔X24n0451 0304b22〕. The sūtra text it relies on and the treatise text it cites both read 「六十」 tr. "sixty" (see in detail Section IV).

Sixth, the matching of the great bird simile and the bird's story. Jizang too supplies the bird's story: 「此是失上聖翅鳥呪，在舍摩梨樹上」 tr. "This is the lost spell of the winged bird of the higher sage, up on the śālmalī tree"〔X24n0451 0304b08〕, of the same source as the 「舍摩梨樹」 tr. "śālmalī tree" and ‘eating nāgas, poisonous wind’ supplied in Treatise ② of this treatise; its matching of the simile reads 「鳥譬菩薩，大者喻廣劫行行無有二慧之翅，三十三天喻三界」 tr. "The bird is a simile for the bodhisattva; its being great is a simile for practising practices through vast kalpas without the wings of the two wisdoms; the Heaven of the Thirty-three is a simile for the three realms"〔X24n0451 0304b10〕—it matches 「二慧」 tr. "the two wisdoms" with this treatise's 「般若、方便」 tr. "prajñā and skilful means", and 「三十三天」 tr. "the Heaven of the Thirty-three" with this treatise's 「須彌山」 tr. "Mount Sumeru"; the items of the matching in the two masters correspond, but the words differ; recorded side by side without judgement.

Further: where Jizang discusses the one vehicle and the three vehicles in another chapter, he cites this chapter's sūtra text directly as evidence—「道門未曾三一大，如品須菩提呵身子云：汝欲令有一菩薩乘不？」 tr. "The gate of the path has never been three or one; in the Great Suchness chapter Subhūti rebukes Body-son, saying: Do you wish there to be one bodhisattva vehicle?"〔X24n0451 0320a01〕 (here the CBETA editorial punctuation reads 「三一大，如品」 tr. "three, one, great; suchness chapter", the three characters 「大如品」 tr. "Great Suchness chapter" straddling an editorial comma; the original punctuation is copied as it is and not changed), and what is cited is exactly the passage of this chapter's Sūtra ③ in which Subhūti presses Śāriputra on one bodhisattva vehicle〔T25 0567b04〕—this chapter's text entered into Jizang's argument elsewhere as evidence; recorded as it is.

Huiying's Commentary (X46n0791) · zero coverage (recorded as it is). It is the only ancient commentary explaining this treatise, and survives only in fragmentary fascicles. Both systems of this chapter's name (「大如品」 tr. "Great Suchness chapter" and 「大女品」 tr. "Great Woman chapter") give zero hits in every case in a search back through the whole file of X46n0791; Fascicle 72 of the treatise, to which this chapter belongs, is not within the range covered by the surviving fascicles—zero coverage is the actual state of the fragmentary fascicles, not a failure of search; the negative result is recorded as it is.

Junzheng's Profound Meaning of the Four Mahāyāna Treatises (X46n0784) · two explicit citations (a non-zero rarely seen in this collection). Junzheng twice cites this chapter's sūtra text directly by the chapter name. The first: 「故大品經大如品云：有六十菩薩於五百佛所行六波羅蜜等，具行萬行而無方便故、實際作證故，不得入菩薩位。」 tr. "Therefore the Great Suchness chapter of the Larger Sūtra says: there were sixty bodhisattvas who in the presence of five hundred buddhas practised the six perfections and the rest, practising the myriad practices in full, yet because they were without skilful means and because they realised the limit of reality, they could not enter the bodhisattva's position."〔X46n0784 0561c18〕—what is cited is precisely the passage of this chapter's Sūtra ② on the six thousand (sixty) bodhisattvas who, without the power of skilful means, do not enter the bodhisattva's position; it is set alongside "Exhortation to Train" and judged to be 「十信位人」 tr. "people at the position of the ten faiths". The second: 「故大品、大如品云：六十菩薩、五百佛所行萬行，而不得入菩薩位。故授記不得。」 tr. "Therefore the Larger Sūtra, in the Great Suchness chapter, says: sixty bodhisattvas practised the myriad practices in the presence of five hundred buddhas, and yet could not enter the bodhisattva's position. Therefore they could not receive the prediction."〔X46n0784 0629b19〕—a second citation of the same passage, tied to the discussion of the meaning of skilful means. Both citations are abbreviated citations and not word-for-word quotations of the sūtra (the wording has omissions), and both read 「六十菩薩」 tr. "sixty bodhisattvas"; recorded as it is; where the words of the abbreviated citations differ from the words of this treatise's base text, they are recorded side by side without judgement (see in detail Section IV).

The two Tiantai lines · closed as a negative proposition (a dedicated check, recorded as fact). Five works—Zhiyi's Great Calming and Contemplation (T46n1911), Zhanran's Supporting Practice and Broad Resolution of Calming and Contemplation (T46n1912), Zhiyi's Explanation of the Graded Dharma-Gates of Dhyānapāramitā (T46n1916), Zhiyi's Profound Meaning of the Lotus (T33n1716), and Zhanran's Annotations on the Profound Meaning of the Lotus (T33n1717) (each book number and title checked back one by one against the <title> of the base text to confirm: T46n1911 = Great Calming and Contemplation · T46n1912 = Supporting Practice and Broad Resolution of Calming and Contemplation · T46n1916 = Explanation of the Graded Dharma-Gates of Dhyānapāramitā · T33n1716 = Profound Meaning of the Lotus · T33n1717 = Annotations on the Profound Meaning of the Lotus)—were searched back one by one with seven probe strings: two strings of the chapter name, 「大如品」 tr. "Great Suchness chapter" and 「大女品」 tr. "Great Woman chapter"; three strings of the chapter's key sentences, 「隨佛生」 tr. "born following the Buddha", 「色即是薩婆若」 tr. "form is sarvajñā", and 「薩婆若即是色」 tr. "sarvajñā is form"; and two strings of numbers, 「六十菩薩」 tr. "sixty bodhisattvas" and 「六千菩薩」 tr. "six thousand bodhisattvas"—thirty-five probes in all, zero hits in every case. Closed as a negative proposition: the Tiantai lines have no traceable direct citation of this chapter, nor is this chapter's title seen entering their texts. Zero hits are also a ledger entry; examples of citation from other chapters are not used to fill the gap.

VII. Cross-reading and Further Resonances

The lines of meaning of this chapter, carried on before and after, are five; all are recorded in this section and do not stand in for a fixed reading.

First, carrying on from the preceding chapter and turning the axis (Chapter 53 → 54 · this treatise itself). The preceding chapter, "Tending toward Omniscience", Chapter 53, makes clear that the bodhisattva who practises prajñā can tend toward omniscience and that omniscience is suchness; this chapter goes one layer further on this word 「如」 tr. "suchness", making clear that the suchness of all dharmas and the suchness of the Tathāgata are one suchness without duality. Jizang's divisions also make this connection—this chapter stands fourth of the four chapters, 「合中下根人如如而學，具成上三品」 tr. "bringing together people of middling and lower faculties who train in accord with suchness, fully completing the three chapters above" (see Section VI). On the side of this treatise no sentence is seen that points directly to the name of the preceding chapter; recorded as it is.

Second, internal pointers and self-restraint within the chapter (noted by the treatise-author himself). Where Treatise ② explains the six kinds of shaking, it points itself back to earlier text: 「說是如時，地六種震動，如上說」 tr. "When this suchness was spoken, the earth shook in six ways, as said above"〔T25 0564c14〕—what it points to is Sūtra ①'s 「說是〈如相品〉時，是三千大千世界大地六種振動」 tr. "When this ‘Mark of Suchness’ chapter was being spoken, the great earth of this three-thousand great-thousand world shook in six ways"〔T25 0563b18〕. Further, having finished matching the great bird simile, it stops of its own accord: 「此經中合喻，義自明了，故不說」 tr. "In this sūtra the matching of the simile makes the meaning clear of itself, so it is not spoken of"〔T25 0566c03〕—the treatise form checking its own prolixity, of the same class as the type ‘as answered before’ in the preceding several chapters; recorded as it is.

Third, the sūtra's format of teaching in common with the two vehicles (the treatise-author himself fixing the position of this sūtra). Treatise ① explains why here Subhūti is said to be born following the Buddha while the bodhisattva who has entered the Dharma-position is not spoken of, answering at the end with three instances of 「有人言」 tr. "someone says" set side by side, the third view closing with 「此經共二乘說」 tr. "this sūtra is spoken in common with the two vehicles"〔T25 0564a29〕—here the treatise-author himself fixes the pattern of teaching of the Larger Sūtra as teaching shared by the three vehicles, and so a śrāvaka may be called born following the Buddha. This sentence is the key to understanding 「佛子有五」 tr. "the sons of the Buddha are five" in this chapter, and is also one place of explicit text for this treatise's judgement of the two kinds of prajñā (spoken only with great bodhisattvas · spoken in common to the three vehicles).

Fourth, the division of old dharmas and guest dharmas (this treatise itself tying it to the ancient order). 「十善道，有佛、無佛，世間常有，是善法教」 tr. "The ten wholesome paths, whether there is a Buddha or no Buddha, are always in the world; this is the teaching of wholesome dharmas"〔T25 0569c26〕, 「六波羅蜜乃至法住，是客法，有佛說則有菩薩行」 tr. "The six perfections and so on up to the abiding of the Dharma are guest dharmas; when a Buddha expounds them, there is the bodhisattva's practice"〔T25 0570a01〕, 「上來舊法、客法，本末具足」 tr. "The old dharmas and guest dharmas above are complete, root and branch"〔T25 0570a02〕—judging whether a dharma is old or guest by whether or not there is a Buddha; this is one basis of the later treatise-collection's ‘shared dharmas / unshared dharmas’; this chapter matches it with the numbers of forty practices and forty-eight practices, number and meaning both present.

Fifth, linking to the treasury (stable citation · soft citation). This chapter's meaning of suchness, ‘one suchness, without duality and without difference’; the two passages setting up and breaking 「隨佛生」 tr. "born following the Buddha"; the matter of the six thousand (sixty) bodhisattvas who, without the power of skilful means, fell into the two vehicles; the simile of the great bird without wings; the gloss ‘acceptance of dharmas is the gate of the Dharma, the practice of the Dharma, the conduct of the Dharma’; the sequence in which the seven minds and the acceptance of beings are the first gate of the acceptance of dharmas; and the close, that with both dharmas, existence and non-existence, complete one obtains the acceptance of non-arising—these are what the treatise-literature on the meaning of suchness and the meaning of the power of skilful means in prajñā bases itself on; they are set down as a stable citation〔T25n1509 大如品·卷七十二〕; the places where the Heart Sūtra, the Diamond Sūtra, and the Consciousness-only collections cite this treatise are not yet finalised, so the citation is soft, awaiting word-for-word checking of what is kept there. This belongs to the carrying-on of the meaning of prajñā down through the sūtras; recorded without judgement.

VIII. Witnesses and Editions

The base text of this chapter is Fascicle 72 of the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa〔T25 0562b08–0570a14〕 (the chapter body begins from the chapter title〔T25 0562b08〕 and ends at 「此中善說二諦故，二千菩薩得無生法忍」 tr. "Because here the two truths were well expounded, two thousand bodhisattvas obtained the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas"〔T25 0570a09〕, followed by the fascicle-end title〔T25 0570a11〕; the next chapter, "Avaivartika", Chapter 55, begins at 0570a14, the fascicle boundary and the chapter boundary coinciding); the collation text for the sūtra explained is the chapter "The Great Suchness" of the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra〔T08 0334c16 起〕 (beginning Fascicle 16 afresh); the ancient-master commentary text for collation is Jizang's Commentary on the Larger Sūtra (X24n0451, covering this chapter at〔X24n0451 0303a11–0305a21〕, up to just before the end point); Huiying's Commentary (X46n0791) has zero coverage of this chapter, Junzheng's Profound Meaning of the Four Mahāyāna Treatises (X46n0784) has two citations of this chapter, and the five Tiantai works are closed as a negative proposition (see Section VI). The variant collation notes follow the Taishō collation, and concern the differences between the Taishō base text and the Song, Yuan, Ming, Palace, and Ishiyama (the Ishiyama-dera manuscript) editions, as well as the Korean Canon (K) and CBETA's collation.

The witness layer (zero appearances of the Shōgozō and the Shōgozō B · the Palace edition the main body). The distribution of collation witnesses in this chapter is the reverse of that in the preceding several chapters: among the one hundred and forty-five collation notes of the whole chapter, 【大】 one hundred and forty-five, 【宮】 ninety-two, 【宋】 seventy-nine, 【元】 seventy-three, 【明】 seventy-two, 【石】 fifty-eight, 【CB】 two, 【麗-CB】 two, while 【聖】 and 【聖乙】 each appear zero times—the momentum of the dense, large appearance of the Shōgozō B in Chapters 45 to 47 breaks off entirely in this chapter. This is the actual state of the Shōgozō's coverage of this fascicle; the negative result is recorded as it is, without inferring its cause. In this chapter no entries of the single-appearance type from the Korean Canon B text, the Southern Canon, or the Northern Canon are seen either.

Two special entries of CBETA emendation according to the Korean Canon (the lem is 【CB】, not 【大】 · listed separately). Entries of this chapter belonging to the special type of the modern CBETA collation layer emended according to the Korean Canon number two in all; each was checked word for word against the base text, and they are listed separately: first,〔T25 0566c02〕「痛（K14n0549_p1218b18）【CB】【麗-CB】｜病【大】」 tr. "‘pain’ in CBETA and the Korean Canon; ‘sickness’ in the Taishō"—the main text of this edition follows the lem in reading 「若痛、若惱」 tr. "whether in pain or in vexation"; second,〔T25 0569c29〕「離（K14n0549_p1223b08）【CB】【麗-CB】｜難【大】」 tr. "‘separated’ in CBETA and the Korean Canon; ‘difficult’ in the Taishō"—the main text of this edition follows the lem in reading 「離欲凡夫法有十二事」 tr. "the dharmas of the ordinary person separated from desire have twelve matters". The lem of both entries is not the 【大】 reading, consistent with this collection's practice that ‘the main text follows the lem’ (the lem = the first-listed witness of the entry, not fixed as equal to 【大】); this apparatus checked back word by word against the source main text of both units, and the two places do read 「痛」 tr. "pain" and 「離」 tr. "separated"; recorded as it is, not a defect. The parenthetical notes 〔K14n0549_p…〕 carried by the two entries are the cross-reference notes to the page anchors of the Korean Canon in the original file of the base text, preserved in their original form.

Two nested collation entries (listed separately). This apparatus checked back word by word the structure of the collation entries in the original file of the base text: in this chapter two instances of nested collation entries exist: the first, at〔T25 0568a11〕, collation entry 0568002, within whose lemma are contained, in order, the original note 「〔如〕－【三】」 tr. "‘such’ omitted in the three editions", the revised note 「如【大】，〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】」 tr. "‘such’ in the Taishō; omitted in the Song, Yuan, and Ming", and the inner collation entry 0568003 (that is, the next entry in the list, 「如【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】」 tr. "‘such’ in the Taishō; omitted in the Song, Yuan, and Ming"); the second, at〔T25 0568c09〕, collation entry 0568012, of the same structure, embedding the collation-note annotations 「〔起〕－【三】」 tr. "‘arising’ omitted in the three editions" and 「起【大】，〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】」 tr. "‘arising’ in the Taishō; omitted in the Song, Yuan, and Ming" and the inner collation entry 0568013. The outer and inner layers of these two instances each have an independent beg anchor in the collation-note area at the end of the fascicle, so the total of one hundred and forty-five already includes them and nothing further is added. The collation-note annotations (side notes) are recorded in their original form after those two entries in the table below.

Side-note-type annotations 〔not found〕 (negative result · the search method recorded word by word). This apparatus checked the original file of the base text independently: side-note-type annotations in the whole file of T25n1509 number thirty-three; their note numbers were taken one by one, sorted, and compared, and within the range of this chapter (0562–0570) there are zero hits (the two nearest are note 0556014 and note 0571011, one before this chapter and one after, straddling this chapter without falling within it). Therefore this chapter has no side-note-type annotations to record; 〔not found〕 is recorded as it is, not an omission. This chapter's ‘collation-note annotations (side notes)’ are only the original notes and revised notes embedded within the two nested collation entries above, already marked with those entries.

The star ledger (fourteen mother notes · thirty-one star entries · all within the chapter). The star-corresp repeated-citation groups of this chapter number fourteen: fourteen mother notes (those whose CBETA mod notes bear the mark ‘＊’, checked entry by entry as〔T25 0562b12〕〔T25 0563b19〕〔T25 0563b21〕〔T25 0563c12〕〔T25 0564c20〕〔T25 0565a17〕〔T25 0565a23〕〔T25 0565c11〕〔T25 0566a17〕〔T25 0566c05〕〔T25 0568a28〕〔T25 0568b25〕〔T25 0568c05〕〔T25 0569a13〕), and thirty-one star entries (base-text anchor ids beg_7df–beg_7fd, each checked back through from="#beg_7XX" to the collation-note area at the end of the fascicle, and each yielding a corresponding collation entry). Checking the corresp target of each, the targets of all thirty-one entries fall within the range of this chapter (native within the chapter), and zero have targets across chapters—unlike Chapter 47 (three entries across chapters); recorded as it is. The bulk of them are notes shared place by place on recurrences such as ‘leap / surge’ (four appearances in a continuous passage in the Yuan and Ming), ‘self / already’ (seven appearances in the Song, Yuan, Ming, Palace, and Ishiyama), ‘thousand / ten’ (three appearances in the Palace and Ishiyama · that is, the difference between six thousand and sixty), ‘cessation-realisation / realisation-cessation’ (three appearances in the Yuan and Ming), and ‘world / land’ (three appearances in the Ishiyama); apart from the ‘thousand / ten’ group, none touches doctrine. Further, the thirty-one star entries of this chapter were compared one by one against the anchor ids of the sūtra explained, T08n0223, with zero cross hits in every case; they are judged to be CBETA's internal collation index and not anchors corresponding across editions; recorded as it is, not unfolded.

Complete ledger of collation (all one hundred and forty-five entries reconciled · base text as it stands). Below, transcribed in their original form from the working base text—the collation notes of this chapter total one hundred and forty-five app entries, agreeing mechanically with app 145, the mechanically recounted value. The app entries are listed in full in the order of their appearance in the base text, including the fourteen star mother notes (marked ‘＊ mother note’) and the thirty-one star entries (their target note numbers and target locations marked with each entry); the two CBETA emendations according to the Korean Canon, the two nested apps, and the entries of the chapter-title and fascicle-title group are marked with each entry. 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 two CBETA emendation entries follow the lem; see above):

App entries (one hundred and forty-five · in order of appearance in the base text · ＊ mother notes and star-corresp marked with each entry)

〔T25 0562b08〕大智度論釋大如品第五十四（卷七十二）【大】｜大智度論釋卷第七十二釋大如品第五十四【宋】｜大智度論釋卷第七十二釋大如品第五十四品【宮】｜摩訶般若波羅蜜品第五十三大如品【石】(the note on the chapter title · full ledger of the three forms of the Song, Palace, and Ishiyama · the Ishiyama 「第五十三」 tr. "the Fifty-third" = the -1 step · see Section IV)
〔T25 0562b12〕【經】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】(＊ mother note · shared star repeated citation within this chapter · see the star ledger in Section VIII)
〔T25 0562b16〕惟【大】｜議【宋】【宮】
〔T25 0562c01〕故【大】｜故得【石】
〔T25 0562c13〕欲【大】｜欲界【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0563a15〕子【大】｜子言【石】
〔T25 0563a18〕已【大】｜以【石】
〔T25 0563a25〕相【大】｜〔－〕【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0563a27〕一如【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0563b03〕如【大】｜如相【石】
〔T25 0563b03〕不【大】｜〔－〕【宋】
〔T25 0563b04〕有【大】｜〔－〕【石】
〔T25 0563b17〕是【大】｜〔－〕【石】
〔T25 0563b17〕故【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】
〔T25 0563b19〕振【大】｜震【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0563b19〕踊【大】｜涌【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0563b19〕踊【大】｜涌【元】【明】(＊ mother note · shared star repeated citation within this chapter · see the star ledger in Section VIII)
〔T25 0563b19〕踊【大】｜涌【元】【明】(star · corresp → note(0563012) = the note at〔T25 0563b19〕 within the chapter · shared within the chapter)
〔T25 0563b20〕踊【大】｜涌【元】【明】(star · corresp → note(0563012) = the note at〔T25 0563b19〕 within the chapter · shared within the chapter)
〔T25 0563b20〕踊【大】｜涌【元】【明】(star · corresp → note(0563012) = the note at〔T25 0563b19〕 within the chapter · shared within the chapter)
〔T25 0563b20〕踊【大】｜涌【元】【明】(star · corresp → note(0563012) = the note at〔T25 0563b19〕 within the chapter · shared within the chapter)
〔T25 0563b21〕【論】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】(＊ mother note · shared star repeated citation within this chapter · see the star ledger in Section VIII)
〔T25 0563b21〕若【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0563b24〕深【大】｜染【石】
〔T25 0563b26〕復【大】｜澓【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0563b29〕如【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0563c01〕知【大】｜智【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0563c02〕惟【大】｜中【宋】【元】【明】｜唯【宮】【石】
〔T25 0563c06〕者【大】｜〔－〕【石】
〔T25 0563c10〕波羅蜜【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0563c12〕是中【大】｜中如【宮】
〔T25 0563c12〕色【大】｜空【宮】(＊ mother note · shared star repeated citation within this chapter · see the star ledger in Section VIII)
〔T25 0563c13〕色【大】｜空【宮】(star · corresp → note(0563023) = the note at〔T25 0563c12〕 within the chapter · shared within the chapter)
〔T25 0563c16〕異【大】｜有異【元】【明】
〔T25 0563c18〕夫【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0563c20〕性【大】｜〔－〕【石】
〔T25 0563c22〕所【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0564a04〕得【大】｜礙【元】【明】【宮】【石】
〔T25 0564a09〕惟【大】｜唯【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【石】
〔T25 0564a16〕順【大】｜〔－〕【石】
〔T25 0564a26〕世界【大】｜國土【石】
〔T25 0564c01〕此【大】｜〔－〕【石】
〔T25 0564c02〕窮【大】｜礙【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0564c15〕【經】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】(star · corresp → note(0562012) = the note at〔T25 0562b12〕 within the chapter · shared within the chapter)
〔T25 0564c20〕如【大】｜如中【石】(＊ mother note · shared star repeated citation within this chapter · see the star ledger in Section VIII)
〔T25 0564c27〕如【大】｜如中【石】(star · corresp → note(0564007) = the note at〔T25 0564c20〕 within the chapter · shared within the chapter)
〔T25 0565a03〕當【大】｜尚【石】
〔T25 0565a16〕淨【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0565a16〕諸【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【石】
〔T25 0565a17〕忍法【大】｜法忍【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0565a17〕千【大】｜十【宮】【石】(＊ mother note · shared star repeated citation within this chapter · see the star ledger in Section VIII)
〔T25 0565a18〕千【大】｜十【宮】【石】(star · corresp → note(0565005) = the note at〔T25 0565a17〕 within the chapter · shared within the chapter)
〔T25 0565a23〕別異【大】｜異別【宋】【元】【明】【宮】(＊ mother note · shared star repeated citation within this chapter · see the star ledger in Section VIII)
〔T25 0565a23〕別異【大】｜異別【宋】【元】【明】【宮】(star · corresp → note(0565006) = the note at〔T25 0565a23〕 within the chapter · shared within the chapter)
〔T25 0565b09〕三【大】｜若三【石】
〔T25 0565b24〕念【大】｜合【明】
〔T25 0565c01〕及【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】
〔T25 0565c05〕及【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】【石】
〔T25 0565c11〕辱【大】｜辱懃【石】(＊ mother note · shared star repeated citation within this chapter · see the star ledger in Section VIII)
〔T25 0565c14〕辱【大】｜辱懃【石】(star · corresp → note(0565011) = the note at〔T25 0565c11〕 within the chapter · shared within the chapter)
〔T25 0565c29〕修【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】【石】
〔T25 0566a02〕【論】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】(star · corresp → note(0563013) = the note at〔T25 0563b21〕 within the chapter · shared within the chapter)
〔T25 0566a02〕末【大】｜未【明】
〔T25 0566a07〕斷【大】｜出【宋】【宮】
〔T25 0566a10〕等【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】
〔T25 0566a17〕磨【大】｜摩【宋】【元】【宮】(＊ mother note · shared star repeated citation within this chapter · see the star ledger in Section VIII)
〔T25 0566a28〕千【大】｜十【宮】【石】(star · corresp → note(0565005) = the note at〔T25 0565a17〕 within the chapter · shared within the chapter)
〔T25 0566b06〕持【大】｜人持【宮】【石】
〔T25 0566b07〕千【大】｜十【宮】【石】(star · corresp → note(0565005) = the note at〔T25 0565a17〕 within the chapter · shared within the chapter)
〔T25 0566b09〕得【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0566b12〕般若、方便【大】｜方便般若【石】
〔T25 0566b19〕在於天上【大】｜於諸天【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0566b20〕出毒風【大】｜風出毒【宮】
〔T25 0566b21〕人【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0566b23〕還欲【大】｜欲還【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0566c02〕痛（K14n0549_p1218b18）【CB】【麗-CB】｜病【大】(CBETA emendation according to the Korean Canon · the lem follows 【CB】, not 【大】 · carrying a cross-reference to a page anchor of the Korean Canon · listed separately in Section VIII)
〔T25 0566c05〕【經】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】(＊ mother note · shared star repeated citation within this chapter · see the star ledger in Section VIII)
〔T25 0566c07〕已，得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】【石】
〔T25 0566c10〕已，得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提【大】｜〔－〕【宮】【石】
〔T25 0566c11〕亦【大】｜〔－〕【石】
〔T25 0566c24〕得【大】｜成【石】
〔T25 0566c25〕諸【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0567a24〕言：「若【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】｜若【石】
〔T25 0567b06〕乘【大】｜種【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0567b12〕佛【大】｜弗【石】
〔T25 0567b21〕【論】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】(star · corresp → note(0563013) = the note at〔T25 0563b21〕 within the chapter · shared within the chapter)
〔T25 0567c04〕言【大】｜曰【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0567c15〕現【大】｜見【宋】【元】【明】【宮】｜〔－〕【石】
〔T25 0568a02〕【經】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】(star · corresp → note(0566013) = the note at〔T25 0566c05〕 within the chapter · shared within the chapter)
〔T25 0568a04〕以【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0568a11〕子、如【大】｜如子【宮】(nested app · collation-note annotations embedded in the lem: type="orig"〔如〕－【三】 / type="mod" 如【大】，〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】 · the inner app is the next entry · see Section VIII)
〔T25 0568a11〕如【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】
〔T25 0568a12〕亦【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0568a14〕生【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0568a28〕波羅蜜【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】(＊ mother note · shared star repeated citation within this chapter · see the star ledger in Section VIII)
〔T25 0568a29〕波羅蜜【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】(star · corresp → note(0568006) = the note at〔T25 0568a28〕 within the chapter · shared within the chapter)
〔T25 0568b06〕處【大】｜〔－〕【石】
〔T25 0568b25〕滅證【大】｜證滅【元】【明】(＊ mother note · shared star repeated citation within this chapter · see the star ledger in Section VIII)
〔T25 0568b25〕滅證【大】｜證滅【元】【明】(star · corresp → note(0568008) = the note at〔T25 0568b25〕 within the chapter · shared within the chapter)
〔T25 0568b26〕滅證【大】｜證滅【元】【明】(star · corresp → note(0568008) = the note at〔T25 0568b25〕 within the chapter · shared within the chapter)
〔T25 0568b27〕滅證【大】｜證滅【元】【明】(star · corresp → note(0568008) = the note at〔T25 0568b25〕 within the chapter · shared within the chapter)
〔T25 0568b27〕智【大】｜知【宮】
〔T25 0568c04〕入【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0568c05〕世界【大】｜國土【石】(＊ mother note · shared star repeated citation within this chapter · see the star ledger in Section VIII)
〔T25 0568c06〕世界【大】｜國土【石】(star · corresp → note(0568011) = the note at〔T25 0568c05〕 within the chapter · shared within the chapter)
〔T25 0568c07〕世界【大】｜國土【石】(star · corresp → note(0568011) = the note at〔T25 0568c05〕 within the chapter · shared within the chapter)
〔T25 0568c08〕世界【大】｜國土【石】(star · corresp → note(0568011) = the note at〔T25 0568c05〕 within the chapter · shared within the chapter)
〔T25 0568c09〕讚歎起菩薩神通【大】｜〔－〕【宮】(nested app · collation-note annotations embedded in the lem: type="orig"〔起〕－【三】 / type="mod" 起【大】，〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】 · the inner app is the next entry · see Section VIII)
〔T25 0568c09〕起【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】
〔T25 0568c10〕自生【大】｜自讚歎菩薩神通生【宮】
〔T25 0568c11〕生【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】
〔T25 0568c15〕提【大】｜提菩薩【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0568c20〕讚【大】｜法讚【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0568c20〕法【大】｜〔－〕【宮】
〔T25 0568c25〕已【大】｜以【石】
〔T25 0568c29〕【論】【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】(star · corresp → note(0563013) = the note at〔T25 0563b21〕 within the chapter · shared within the chapter)
〔T25 0569a13〕己【大】｜已【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【石】(＊ mother note · shared star repeated citation within this chapter · see the star ledger in Section VIII)
〔T25 0569a14〕己【大】｜已【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【石】(star · corresp → note(0569001) = the note at〔T25 0569a13〕 within the chapter · shared within the chapter)
〔T25 0569a17〕己【大】｜已【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【石】(star · corresp → note(0569001) = the note at〔T25 0569a13〕 within the chapter · shared within the chapter)
〔T25 0569a19〕己【大】｜已【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【石】(star · corresp → note(0569001) = the note at〔T25 0569a13〕 within the chapter · shared within the chapter)
〔T25 0569a20〕己【大】｜已【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【石】(star · corresp → note(0569001) = the note at〔T25 0569a13〕 within the chapter · shared within the chapter)
〔T25 0569a21〕事【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0569a21〕己【大】｜已【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【石】(star · corresp → note(0569001) = the note at〔T25 0569a13〕 within the chapter · shared within the chapter)
〔T25 0569a26〕估【大】｜賈【元】【明】
〔T25 0569b06〕己【大】｜已【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【石】(star · corresp → note(0569001) = the note at〔T25 0569a13〕 within the chapter · shared within the chapter)
〔T25 0569b07〕己【大】｜已【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【石】(star · corresp → note(0569001) = the note at〔T25 0569a13〕 within the chapter · shared within the chapter)
〔T25 0569b09〕言【大】｜意【元】【明】
〔T25 0569b13〕等【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0569b18〕者【大】｜有【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0569b19〕愛【大】｜受【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【石】
〔T25 0569b23〕言【大】｜〔－〕【石】
〔T25 0569b24〕磨【大】｜摩【宋】【元】【宮】(star · corresp → note(0566004) = the note at〔T25 0566a17〕 within the chapter · shared within the chapter)
〔T25 0569c02〕此【大】｜比【宋】
〔T25 0569c02〕小【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【宮】【石】
〔T25 0569c04〕以【大】｜小【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0569c07〕孤【大】｜辜【宋】【元】【宮】
〔T25 0569c10〕罪【大】｜非【元】【明】
〔T25 0569c12〕意下【大】｜下意【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0569c23〕姊【大】｜姊如【石】
〔T25 0569c23〕如【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0569c28〕行【大】｜〔－〕【石】
〔T25 0569c29〕離（K14n0549_p1223b08）【CB】【麗-CB】｜難【大】(CBETA emendation according to the Korean Canon · the lem follows 【CB】, not 【大】 · carrying a cross-reference to a page anchor of the Korean Canon · listed separately in Section VIII)
〔T25 0570a08〕法【大】｜〔－〕【宋】【元】【明】【宮】
〔T25 0570a10〕忍【大】｜忍釋第五十三品竟【石】(the Ishiyama 「忍釋第五十三品竟」 tr. "acceptance; end of the commentary on the fifty-third chapter" · a -1 step of the colophon type · corresponding head to tail with the Ishiyama -1 on the chapter title · see Section IV)
〔T25 0570a11〕二【大】｜二（釋第五十四品）【宋】【元】【明】【宮】(interlinear note on the fascicle-end title 「釋第五十四品」 tr. "commentary on the fifty-fourth chapter" · no -1 in the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace · see Section IV)

The above one hundred and forty-five entries agree mechanically with the number of anchored collation notes in the working base text; the targets of the star mother notes and star entries are marked with each entry (all within the chapter, no entries across chapters). The several places bearing on the chapter name and the fascicle titles (the chapter title〔T25 0562b08〕, the colophon at the end of the fascicle〔T25 0570a10〕, and the fascicle-end title〔T25 0570a11〕) have been listed separately above, and collated both ways against the sūtra explained and the ancient-master commentary (Sections IV and VI).

One discrepancy between the original note and the collation-entry element (recorded without forcing an explanation). For the entry on the character 【經】 at〔T25 0562b12〕, its CBETA revised note reads 「【經】【大】＊，〔－〕【宋】【宮】＊，不分卷【石】」 tr. "‘Sūtra’ in the Taishō; omitted in the Song and Palace; ‘fascicles not divided’ in the Ishiyama", which, compared with the collation-entry element of the same entry, has one more form, 「不分卷【石】」 tr. "fascicles not divided, in the Ishiyama" (the app element has only one lem and one rdg). This apparatus transcribes that entry according to the app element, and the one extra form in the note is made clear here; recorded side by side as it is, without forcing an explanation.

Witness statistics for the sūtra explained (not unfolded · the gap recorded for later supplementing). The entry-by-entry statistics of collation witnesses on the side of the sūtra explained, T08n0223, within the range of the comparative reading for this chapter (from〔T08 0334c16〕 to before the next chapter) were not unfolded in this apparatus (only the three entries on the chapter title have been checked word for word; see Section IV); the fact that they were not unfolded is recorded as it is, and no estimate is put in to fill the number.

大智度論 大如品Dazhidulun — Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa · The Great Suchness

總說