文殊師利所說摩訶般若波羅蜜經 文殊般若 · 卷上 · 序
一部經並不急著從答案開始。先有「如是我聞」安頓所聞，先有佛、祇園、千位比丘與萬位菩薩共同成就法席；菩薩以大莊嚴自莊嚴，安住不退轉地。天將明時，文殊先到佛所，舍利弗等大聲聞也相繼來集；佛等到眾會齊備，才出而敷座。晨光初現，人也向法席而來：序分所守住的，是聞法從來不只在一句義理中發生，而在時、處、師、眾與來詣之心共同具足時開門。佛問舍利弗何以晨朝立在門外，正把這扇門推向下一場對揚。
A sūtra does not rush to begin with the answer. First, 「如是我聞」— “Thus have I heard” — settles what was heard. First, the Buddha, Jeta Grove, one thousand bhikṣus, and ten thousand bodhisattvas together bring the Dharma seat into being; the bodhisattvas adorn themselves with the great adornment and abide on the ground of non-retrogression. As the sky begins to brighten, Mañjuśrī arrives first at the Buddha’s place, and Śāriputra and the other great śrāvakas gather in succession. The Buddha waits until the assembly is complete before coming out and arranging his seat. Morning light first appears, and people too draw toward the Dharma seat: what the prologue safeguards is that hearing the Dharma never happens only within a single doctrinal statement. Its door opens when time, place, teacher, assembly, and the heart that comes near are all complete together. The Buddha asks why Śāriputra is standing outside the gate at dawn, and with that question pushes this door open into the next exchange.
Shi Huijing · Zhiyue · Mañjuśrī Prajñāpāramitā · Prologue · Heart-Essence · Summer 2026
〔T08 0726a〕 文殊師利所說摩訶般若波羅蜜經卷上梁扶南國三藏曼陀羅仙譯如是我聞：一時佛在舍衛國祇樹給孤獨園， 〔T08 0726b〕 與大比丘僧滿足千人；菩薩摩訶薩十千人俱，以大莊嚴而自莊嚴，皆悉已住不退轉地，其名曰彌勒菩薩、文殊師利菩薩、無礙辯菩薩、不捨擔菩薩，與如是等大菩薩俱。文殊師利童真菩薩摩訶薩，明相現時，從其住處來詣佛所，在外而立。爾時尊者舍利弗、富樓那彌多羅尼子、大目犍連、摩訶迦葉、摩訶迦旃延、摩訶拘絺羅，如是等諸大聲聞，各從住處俱詣佛所，在外而立。佛知眾會皆悉集已，爾時如來從住處出，敷座而坐。告舍利弗：「汝今何故，於晨朝時在門外立？」
The canonical text stands in Chinese only. This edition renders the essence, the plain reading, the exposition and the apparatus into English — never the sūtra itself. Switch to 漢讀本 or 並行雙語 above to read it.
這部經名為《文殊師利所說摩訶般若波羅蜜經》，此處是卷上，由梁代扶南國的三藏法師曼陀羅仙翻譯。
我親自聽佛這樣說：有一個時候，佛住在舍衛國的祇樹給孤獨園。當時，與佛同住的有整整一千位大比丘；又有一萬位菩薩摩訶薩共同在會。他們以廣大的莊嚴莊嚴自身，全都已經安住在不退轉地。其中列出的名字是彌勒菩薩、文殊師利菩薩、無礙辯菩薩、不捨擔菩薩，以及其他像這樣的大菩薩。
天色將明、晨光初現的時候，文殊師利童真菩薩摩訶薩從自己的住處出發，來到佛所在的地方，在門外站立。這時，尊者舍利弗、富樓那彌多羅尼子、大目犍連、摩訶迦葉、摩訶迦旃延、摩訶拘絺羅，以及其他像這樣的大聲聞，也各自從自己的住處一同來到佛所在的地方，在門外站立。
佛知道參加法會的大眾都已經到齊，便從自己的住處出來，鋪設座位坐下。佛問舍利弗：『你今天為什麼在一大清早就站在門外？』
This sūtra is entitled Mañjuśrī’s Teaching of the Mahā-Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra. This is its upper scroll, translated during the Liang dynasty by the Tripiṭaka Master Mandrasena of Funan.
I personally heard the Buddha speak in this way: at one time the Buddha was staying in the kingdom of Śrāvastī, in Prince Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park. Staying with the Buddha were a complete assembly of one thousand great bhikṣus and ten thousand bodhisattva-mahāsattvas. These bodhisattvas adorned themselves with the great adornment and had all come to abide on the ground of non-retrogression. Those named in the text are the bodhisattva Maitreya, the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, the bodhisattva Unobstructed Eloquence, and the bodhisattva Unforsaking the Burden, together with other great bodhisattvas like them.
When the sky was about to brighten and the first light appeared, Mañjuśrī, the Youthful Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva, left his dwelling and came to the Buddha’s place, where he stood outside the gate. At that time the venerable Śāriputra, Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra, Mahāmaudgalyāyana, Mahākāśyapa, Mahākātyāyana, Mahākauṣṭhila, and other great śrāvakas like them also left their respective dwellings, came together to the Buddha’s place, and stood outside the gate.
Knowing that everyone attending the Dharma assembly had arrived, the Buddha came out from his dwelling, arranged a seat, and sat down. He asked Śāriputra, ‘Why are you standing outside the gate so early this morning?’
Shi Huijing · Zhiyue · Mañjuśrī Prajñāpāramitā · Prologue · Vernacular · Summer 2026
一聲「如是我聞」，先安頓所聞
經題與譯者署名之後，經文以「如是我聞」起首。這不是先講一個抽象道理，而是先交代：以下所傳，有其聞法的來處。佛、時間、祇樹給孤獨園與共同在會的大眾隨即一一出現，說法的因緣因此不是懸空展開。
會眾不只有數目，也有德目
一千位大比丘與一萬位菩薩共同在會，是眾成就的規模。菩薩眾又以大莊嚴莊嚴自身，皆住不退轉地；彌勒、文殊師利、無礙辯、不捨擔四位菩薩被逐一列名。人數讓法席具足，德目則讓讀者看見：這不是偶然聚集的一群人，而是已在菩薩道上有所安住的大眾。
天將明時，文殊先到佛所
經文把文殊的到來放在「明相現時」。黑夜將過、晨光初現，文殊從住處來到佛所，在門外站立；舍利弗等大聲聞也各自前來。這一幕首先是經文所敘的實事。若就篇章形象來讀，晨光與來詣同時出現，也使全經第一場對話帶著由暗向明、趨近法席的開端意味。
眾會集已，佛才出而敷座
佛知道大眾都已到齊，才從住處出來，鋪座坐下。法席的開啟不是孤立的一人獨說，而是在眾緣具足之後展開。佛接著問舍利弗為何晨朝立在門外；問題留在序末，回答則由下一單元接續。序分到此沒有先替正文作答，只把人物、時地與法席準備完整，讓對揚自然發生。
One 「如是我聞」— “Thus Have I Heard” — First Settles What Was Heard
After the sūtra title and the translator’s byline, the text opens with 「如是我聞」— “Thus have I heard.” It does not begin by teaching an abstract principle. It first makes clear that what follows has a place in the transmission of hearing. The Buddha, the time, Prince Jeta’s Grove and Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, and the assembly gathered together then appear one by one, so the conditions for the teaching do not unfold in empty space.
The Assembly Has Not Only Numbers but Qualities
One thousand great bhikṣus and ten thousand bodhisattvas gather together: this is the scale of the accomplished assembly. The bodhisattvas also adorn themselves with the great adornment and all abide on the ground of non-retrogression; four bodhisattvas — Maitreya, Mañjuśrī, Unobstructed Eloquence, and Unforsaking the Burden — are named one by one. The numbers make the Dharma seat complete; the qualities let the reader see that this is no accidental gathering, but an assembly that has already found a place of abiding on the bodhisattva path.
As the Sky Begins to Brighten, Mañjuśrī Arrives First
The sūtra places Mañjuśrī’s arrival at 「明相現時」— “when the first light appeared.” The night is passing and the morning light has begun: Mañjuśrī leaves his dwelling, comes to the Buddha, and stands outside the gate; Śāriputra and the other great śrāvakas also arrive from their respective dwellings. First of all, this is an event narrated by the sūtra. Read as an image within the movement of the text, the morning light appearing at the same moment as their approach also gives the first dialogue of the sūtra the sense of a beginning that moves from darkness toward light and draws near the Dharma seat.
Only When the Whole Assembly Has Gathered Does the Buddha Emerge and Arrange His Seat
Knowing that everyone has arrived, the Buddha then comes out from his dwelling, arranges his seat, and sits. The Dharma seat does not open as the isolated speech of a lone person; it opens once the full convergence of conditions is present. The Buddha next asks Śāriputra why he is standing outside the gate in the early morning. The question remains at the end of the prologue, while the reply is continued in the next unit. The prologue does not answer the main text in advance. It completes the people, time, place, and Dharma seat, allowing the exchange to arise naturally.
Shi Huijing · Zhiyue · Mañjuśrī Prajñāpāramitā · Prologue · Exposition · Summer 2026
考據Apparatus
一、科判定位
《文殊師利所說摩訶般若波羅蜜經》不立品目。本段為卷上序分，範圍共二百五十六字〔T08 0726a25–0726b12〕。經題與譯者署名之後，次第具足聞、時、主、處、眾，列比丘與菩薩會眾，敘文殊及諸大聲聞晨詣佛所，至佛敷座而問舍利弗晨朝立於門外為止。序分獨立成章。
二、異譯對勘
三本序分自然平行，可從開頭逐字對讀一組：
- 曼陀羅仙本：「如是我聞：一時佛在舍衛國祇樹給孤獨園」〔T08 0726a〕。
- 僧伽婆羅本：「如是我聞：一時佛在舍衛國祇樹給孤獨園」〔T08 0732c〕。
- 玄奘第七曼殊室利分：「如是我聞：一時，薄伽梵在室羅筏住誓多林給孤獨園」〔T07 0964a〕。
三本同以「如是我聞」起首，同繫舍衛國給孤獨園；玄奘本改用「薄伽梵」「室羅筏」「誓多林」等譯語。會眾方面，曼陀羅仙本作大比丘千人、菩薩萬人；僧伽婆羅本作大比丘萬人、菩薩十萬人，並廣列菩薩功德；玄奘本作大苾芻百千人、菩薩萬人，另說阿難陀猶居學地。三本均敘文殊與聲聞於明相現時或晨朝來至佛所，但僧伽婆羅本先鋪陳中夜放光。此處只誌錄三本序分的同異，不判詳略高下。
三、經論宗依
本段的根據就是三本經文自身的序分。曼陀羅仙本以「如是我聞」建立聞法傳承，以佛、祇園與兩類大眾成就說法處所與會眾；菩薩眾已住不退轉地，以大莊嚴自莊嚴。其後文殊與諸聲聞晨詣佛所，佛知眾會集已而出坐，將序分推至對話將啟之處。本段不另引他經他論增立宗義。
四、本段釋要
序分先交代這部經由誰譯出，又以「如是我聞」把所說安放在聞法傳承中。時、處、說法主與會眾隨即具足：千位大比丘、一萬位菩薩共同在會；菩薩不是只列數量，還以大莊嚴、不退轉地與四位上首顯出其德位。天將明時，文殊先到佛所，諸大聲聞也相繼來集；佛待眾會齊集才出而敷座。最後一問承接晨詣之事，也替下一單元的對揚開門。
五、術語
| 術語 | 本段所給的義界 |
|---|---|
| 如是我聞 | 經首聞成就之語，表明所說由聞法而傳，不是敘者自造 |
| 大比丘僧 | 本會聲聞眾，共足千人；下文具名舍利弗等六位大聲聞 |
| 菩薩摩訶薩 | 本會菩薩眾，共一萬人；經文以大莊嚴與不退轉地標其德位 |
| 大莊嚴 | 菩薩用以莊嚴自身的廣大行願；本段只依經語說其為菩薩德目，不外加判釋 |
| 不退轉地 | 經文說在會菩薩皆已安住之地，表示其菩薩行不再退失 |
| 童真菩薩 | 文殊師利在本段的稱號，與「菩薩摩訶薩」連稱 |
| 明相現時 | 天色將明、晨光初現之時；文殊與諸聲聞於此時來詣佛所 |
本段無可據古德音寫繫定而又有助讀必要的梵語，羅馬字從闕；不以近代梵文校本補作文字出處。
六、譬喻
本段沒有譬喻。經文直敘時、處、會眾與晨詣佛所，不把「大莊嚴」或「明相」判作譬喻，也不從他處借喻填補本目。
七、徵引承衍
已查本經現有徵引座標表與徵引網，未見古德逐文徵引本段。已核的《楞伽師資記》、智顗《摩訶止觀》與《六祖大師法寶壇經》所涉皆為卷下一行三昧章，不屬本序，故不移入湊作徵引。
就本經自身的承衍而言，佛向舍利弗所問「汝今何故，於晨朝時在門外立」位於本段末尾，舍利弗的回答與佛問文殊欲見如來則進入下一單元。這是篇章承接的事實，不另聲稱本段已有古德承衍實引。
八、校本定位
- 底本：T08n0232〔0726a25–0726b12〕，共二百五十六字。
- 同代異譯：T08n0233 序分起於〔0732c〕。
- 玄奘對讀：T07n0220 第七曼殊室利分序分起於〔0964a〕，延至〔0964b〕。
- 〔T08 0726a28〕底本作「國」，異讀無「國」（四本）。
- 〔T08 0726b08〕底本作「犍」，異讀作「乾」（四本）。
原典層依底本文字，以上兩處均保留底本讀法。其餘 0726b15 以後的校記已歸入「見如來」單元。
1 · Classificatory Placement
Mañjuśrī’s Teaching of the Mahā-Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra has no chapter divisions. This passage is the prologue division of the upper scroll and comprises the first dialogue round. Its range totals 256 characters〔T08 0726a–b〕. After the sūtra title and translator’s byline, it successively supplies the accomplishment of hearing, time, teacher, place, and assembly; lists the bhikṣu and bodhisattva assemblies; narrates Mañjuśrī and the great śrāvakas coming to the Buddha at dawn; and ends when the Buddha arranges his seat and asks Śāriputra why he is standing outside the gate in the early morning. The prologue forms an independent unit.
2 · Collation with Other Translations
The prologues of the three texts form a natural parallel. A first set can be read word for word from their openings:
- Mandrasena recension: 「如是我聞：一時佛在舍衛國祇樹給孤獨園」〔T08 0726a〕. tr. “Thus have I heard: at one time the Buddha was staying in the kingdom of Śrāvastī, in Prince Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park.”
- Saṅghabhara recension: 「如是我聞：一時佛在舍衛國祇樹給孤獨園」〔T08 0732c〕. tr. “Thus have I heard: at one time the Buddha was staying in the kingdom of Śrāvastī, in Prince Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park.”
- Xuanzang, Seventh Assembly, Mañjuśrī Division: 「如是我聞：一時，薄伽梵在室羅筏住誓多林給孤獨園」〔T07 0964a〕. tr. “Thus have I heard: at one time the Bhagavān was staying at Śrāvastī, in Jeta Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park.”
All three open with 「如是我聞」— “Thus have I heard” — and locate the event at Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park in Śrāvastī; Xuanzang instead uses such renderings as 「薄伽梵」, “Bhagavān,” 「室羅筏」, “Śrāvastī,” and 「誓多林」, “Jeta Grove.” As for the assembly, Mandrasena has one thousand great bhikṣus and ten thousand bodhisattvas; Saṅghabhara has ten thousand great bhikṣus and one hundred thousand bodhisattvas and gives a longer list of bodhisattva qualities; Xuanzang has one hundred thousand great bhikṣus and ten thousand bodhisattvas and separately notes that Ānanda still remains on the training stage. All three narrate Mañjuśrī and the śrāvakas coming to the Buddha when the first light appeared or at dawn, though the Saṅghabhara recension first describes a light shining at midnight. This section records only the agreements and differences among the three prologues; it does not rank their levels of detail.
3 · Scriptural and Treatise Ground
The basis for this passage is the prologue of the three sūtra texts themselves. The Mandrasena recension establishes the transmission of hearing with 「如是我聞」— “Thus have I heard” — then establishes the setting and assembly through the Buddha, Jeta Grove, and the two classes of participants. The bodhisattva assembly has already come to abide on the ground of non-retrogression and adorns itself with the great adornment. Mañjuśrī and the śrāvakas then come to the Buddha at dawn; knowing that the assembly has gathered, the Buddha comes out and sits, bringing the prologue to the point at which the dialogue is about to begin. This passage does not cite another sūtra or treatise to establish a further doctrinal claim.
4 · Essential Explanation of This Passage
The prologue first tells the reader who translated the sūtra, and then places what is spoken within the transmission of hearing through 「如是我聞」— “Thus have I heard.” Time, place, teacher, and assembly are at once complete: one thousand great bhikṣus and ten thousand bodhisattvas share the assembly. The bodhisattvas are not described by number alone. Their great adornment, their ground of non-retrogression, and the names of four leaders also disclose their qualities and standing. As the sky begins to brighten, Mañjuśrī arrives first at the Buddha’s place, and the great śrāvakas gather in succession. Only when the whole assembly has come together does the Buddha emerge and arrange his seat. His final question takes up their arrival at dawn and opens the way for the next unit’s exchange.
5 · Terms
| Term | Scope supplied by this passage |
|---|---|
| 如是我聞 · Thus have I heard | The formula establishing the accomplishment of hearing at a sūtra’s opening; it marks what follows as transmitted through hearing, not invented by the narrator. |
| 大比丘僧 · assembly of great bhikṣus | The śrāvaka assembly at this gathering, exactly one thousand strong; the following text names six great śrāvakas, including Śāriputra. |
| 菩薩摩訶薩 · bodhisattva-mahāsattvas | The bodhisattva assembly at this gathering, ten thousand strong; the text’s 「菩薩摩訶薩」 marks their qualities and standing through the great adornment and the ground of non-retrogression. |
| 大莊嚴 · the great adornment | The vast practices and vows with which bodhisattvas adorn themselves. This passage follows the sūtra’s 「大莊嚴」 in treating it only as a bodhisattva quality and adds no further adjudication. |
| 不退轉地 · the ground of non-retrogression | The ground on which the text says all the bodhisattvas in the assembly have come to abide, indicating that they no longer fall back in the bodhisattva path. |
| 童真菩薩 · the Youthful Bodhisattva | Mañjuśrī’s epithet in this passage, joined to “bodhisattva-mahāsattva.” |
| 明相現時 · when the first light appeared | The time called 「明相」, when the sky is about to brighten and the first morning light appears; Mañjuśrī and the śrāvakas come to the Buddha then. |
No Sanskrit in this passage can both be anchored to an ancient master’s transmitted transliteration and materially assist the reader. Romanization is therefore left blank; no modern Sanskrit critical edition is used as an authority for the wording.
6 · Simile
This passage has no simile. The sūtra directly narrates the time, place, assembly, and arrival at dawn. It does not adjudicate either “great adornment” or “first light” as a simile, nor does this apparatus borrow a simile from elsewhere merely to fill the rubric.
7 · Citations and Onward Transmission
The existing citation-coordinate table and citation network for this sūtra have been checked; no ancient master’s phrase-by-phrase citation of this passage has been found. The verified passages in the Record of the Masters and Disciples of the Laṅkā, Zhiyi’s Great Calming and Contemplation, and the Platform Sūtra of the Sixth Patriarch all concern the single-practice samādhi chapter in the lower scroll, not this prologue, and therefore are not moved here merely to supply citations.
Within the sūtra’s own onward movement, the Buddha’s question at the end of this passage, 「汝今何故，於晨朝時在門外立」— tr. “Why are you standing outside the gate so early this morning?” — is followed by Śāriputra’s reply and the Buddha’s question to Mañjuśrī about 「見如來」— “seeing the Tathāgata” — in the next unit. This is a fact of textual continuation, not a claim that an ancient master has already cited this prologue in later transmission.
8 · Witness Placement
- Base text: T08n0232〔0726a–b〕, totaling 256 characters.
- Contemporary alternate translation: the T08n0233 prologue begins at〔0732c〕.
- Xuanzang parallel: the prologue of the Seventh Assembly’s Mañjuśrī Division in T07n0220 begins at〔0964a〕and continues through〔0964b〕.
- At〔T08 0726a28〕the base text has 「國」— tr. “kingdom”; four witnesses omit 「國」.
- At〔T08 0726b08〕the base text has 「犍」; four witnesses read 「乾」.
The source-text layer follows the sealed wording of the base text and retains the base reading in both cases. The remaining critical notes from 0726b15 onward fall beyond the character boundary and belong to the “Seeing the Tathāgata” unit.
Shi Huijing · Zhiyue · Mañjuśrī Prajñāpāramitā · Prologue · Apparatus · Summer 2026