文殊師利所說摩訶般若波羅蜜經 文殊般若 · 卷下 · 囑累
佛先向釋提桓因印可，受持般若的善男子、善女人，當得決定諸佛菩提；文殊接著說，如是受持，得大利益，功德無量。於是大地六種震動，佛微笑放光，遍照三千大千世界。這瑞相的意思不是留給後人猜：文殊當面說是如來印般若波羅蜜相，佛也說現瑞正為印般若、使人受持。所印的是「無相法印」，不可讚毀，也使天魔不能得便。經到這裡，不以光明作終點，而以大眾聞法後「歡喜奉行」收束：佛以瑞相印成，聞者以奉行承接；法印不只是被看見，更是在受持中久住。
The Buddha first confirms to Śakra Devānām Indra that good men and good women who retain the prajñā will certainly attain the awakening of the Buddhas. Mañjuśrī then says that retaining it in this way brings great benefit and immeasurable merit. The earth therefore shakes in six ways; the Buddha smiles and releases a radiance that illuminates the entire trichiliocosm. The meaning of this auspicious sign is not left for later readers to guess: Mañjuśrī says directly that it is the sign by which the Tathāgata seals the prajñā-pāramitā, and the Buddha also says that the sign appears precisely to seal the prajñā and cause people to retain it. What is sealed is the “signless Dharma-seal,” which can neither be praised nor disparaged and which prevents the heavenly māras from finding an opportunity. The sūtra does not end by making the radiance its final point, but closes with the assembly hearing the Dharma and “rejoicing and respectfully putting it into practice.” The Buddha completes the seal through the auspicious sign, and the hearers receive it through practice; the Dharma-seal is not merely seen but abides through retention.
Shi Huijing · Zhiyue · Mañjuśrī Prajñāpāramitā · Entrustment · Heart-Essence · Summer 2026
〔T08 0732b〕 爾時佛告釋提桓因言：「憍尸迦！如是，如是！善男子、善女人，當得決定諸佛菩提。」文殊師利白佛言：「世尊！如是受持，善男子、善女人，得大利益，功德無量。」爾時以佛神力，一切大地六種震動。佛時微 〔T08 0732c〕 笑，放大光明，遍照三千大千世界。文殊師利白佛言：「世尊！即是如來印般若波羅蜜相。」佛言：「文殊師利！如是，如是！說般若波羅蜜已皆現此瑞，為印般若波羅蜜故，使人受持，令無讚毀。何以故？無相法印不可讚毀。我今以是法印，令諸天魔不能得便。」佛說是已，爾時諸大菩薩及四部眾，聞說般若波羅蜜，歡喜奉行。文殊師利所說摩訶般若波羅蜜經卷下
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.
這時，佛告訴釋提桓因：『憍尸迦，正是這樣，正是這樣！善男子、善女人一定能夠證得諸佛的菩提。』
文殊師利對佛說：『世尊，像這樣受持般若波羅蜜，善男子、善女人能得到極大的利益，所得功德無量。』
這時，由於佛的神力，所有大地出現六種震動。佛隨即微笑，放出廣大光明，普遍照耀三千大千世界。文殊師利對佛說：『世尊，這就是如來為般若波羅蜜作印證的瑞相。』
佛說：『文殊師利，正是這樣，正是這樣！每當說完般若波羅蜜，都會顯現這樣的祥瑞，是為了印證般若波羅蜜，使人受持，也使這無相法印不落入讚歎或毀謗。為什麼呢？因為無相法印不可加以讚歎，也不可加以毀謗。我現在以這法印護持，使一切天魔找不到乘隙侵擾的機會。』
佛說完這些話後，在場的諸大菩薩與出家、在家男女四類弟子大眾，聽佛宣說般若波羅蜜，都心生歡喜，依教奉行。《文殊師利所說摩訶般若波羅蜜經》卷下至此完畢。
At that time the Buddha said to Śakra Devānām Indra, ‘Kauśika, it is so, it is so! Good men and good women will certainly be able to realize the awakening of the Buddhas.’
Mañjuśrī said to the Buddha, ‘World-Honored One, by retaining the prajñā-pāramitā in this way, good men and good women gain tremendous benefit and immeasurable merit.’
At that time, through the Buddha’s spiritual power, the whole earth shook in six ways. The Buddha then smiled, released a great radiance, and illuminated the entire trichiliocosm. Mañjuśrī said to the Buddha, ‘World-Honored One, this is the auspicious sign by which the Tathāgata seals the prajñā-pāramitā.’
The Buddha said, ‘Mañjuśrī, it is so, it is so! Whenever the prajñā-pāramitā has been taught, this auspicious sign appears in order to seal the prajñā-pāramitā, to cause people to retain it, and to ensure that this signless Dharma-seal does not fall into either praise or disparagement. Why? The signless Dharma-seal can neither be praised nor disparaged. I now use this Dharma-seal to protect it, so that all the heavenly māras can find no opportunity to intrude.’
After the Buddha had spoken these words, the great bodhisattvas and the fourfold assembly—the monastic and lay disciples, both women and men—heard the Buddha teach the prajñā-pāramitā, rejoiced, and respectfully put the teaching into practice. The Lower Scroll of Mañjuśrī’s Teaching of the Mahā-Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra ends here.
Shi Huijing · Zhiyue · Mañjuśrī Prajñāpāramitā · Entrustment · Vernacular · Summer 2026
經說到最後，為什麼先回到受持者？
本經最後一段先不另開新的法義，而由佛向釋提桓因印可：「當得決定諸佛菩提。」文殊隨即接著說，如是受持的善男子、善女人，能得大利益，功德無量。為什麼一部甚深般若經，最後沒有停在最深的問答，反而回到誰來受持？
因為經文要交付的，不只是一段可供聽聞的言說。佛說決定菩提，文殊說受持利益；到了末句，諸大菩薩與四部眾聞說般若，便歡喜奉行。開頭是佛的印可，末尾是大眾的奉行，中間則以如來現瑞把兩者接起來。這一段雖短，卻把所說之法從佛口交到聞法者的行持之中。
大地震動、佛放光明，究竟印成什麼？
經文說，由佛神力，一切大地六種震動；佛微笑，放大光明，遍照三千大千世界。若只讀到這裡，讀者可能會問：『這些瑞相與受持般若有什麼關係？』文殊沒有讓答案留給猜測，他當場指出：「即是如來印般若波羅蜜相。」
佛隨即說明，說般若波羅蜜後顯現此瑞，是為印般若，使人受持。於是，地動與放光不是離開經義另加的景象；它們在本段中的位置，由文殊與佛親自說成印般若之相。光遍照世界，法則交付受持者；瑞相的落點不是觀看奇特現象，而是使人受持。
僧伽婆羅本把這一層說得更展開：文殊先請佛以威神力持般若久住於世，地動與放光之後，又問這是否為持般若之相。玄奘本同樣由文殊請佛護持般若久住世間、饒益一切，再由佛說以神力護持無上法印。三本的用字不盡相同，卻都把神通瑞相與般若的受持、護持連在同一結尾義段中；細部差異不作會通判定。
無相法印，為何說不可讚毀？
佛接著說：「無相法印不可讚毀。」這句正位於印般若與天魔不得便之間。它提醒讀者，所印成的不是一個可被固定成相、再由人站在外面加以讚歎或毀謗的對象；經文自己稱它為無相法印，並說以此法印使天魔不能得便。
這裡也須守住經文的分際，不能把『不可讚毀』改寫成另一套抽象理論，只能沿本段次第說：如來現瑞以印般若，印般若為使人受持；無相法印不可讚毀，法印又使天魔不得其便。四句依次相接，受持者因此不是抓取一個新的形相，而是在無相法印的護持中奉行般若。
為什麼最後兩字不是歡喜，而是奉行？
經文最後說，大眾聞說般若波羅蜜，歡喜奉行。歡喜是聞法後的心，奉行則把這一心轉成承擔。若只停在歡喜，法仍可能停在一次聽聞；加上奉行，前文的『使人受持』才在眾會身上得到回應。
底本只用「歡喜奉行」四字。異本有「皆大歡」與「信受奉行」「頂戴奉行」等讀法，考據層如實並錄；義疏仍依底本開講，不拿異讀替換正文。就底本自己的收束看，歡喜與奉行不分家：聞般若而歡喜，正要落成依教而行。
承衍
僧伽婆羅本在相應結尾把囑付鋪得更長：佛令帝釋受持讀誦、廣宣流布，又令阿難廣為人說，最後眾會皆大歡喜、信受奉持。玄奘第七曼殊室利分則明說以神力護持般若無上法印，使法久住世間、饒益有情，最後眾會大歡喜、信受奉行。
本單元目前沒有核得古德論疏逐文實引，故承衍止於這兩部藏內平行經本。三本共同讓結經不是聲音停止，而是法印被護持、聞者來信受、眾會去奉行；「印」與「持」、「奉行」與「奉持」的細部義域不作會通判定。
At the Sūtra’s End, Why Does It First Return to Those Who Retain It?
The final passage of this sūtra does not begin another new doctrinal topic. Instead, the Buddha first confirms to Śakra Devānām Indra: 「當得決定諸佛菩提」— “They will certainly attain the awakening of the Buddhas.” Mañjuśrī immediately adds that good men and good women who retain it in this way gain great benefit and immeasurable merit. Why does a profound prajñā sūtra not end with its most profound exchange, but return instead to those who will retain it?
The reason is that what the sūtra entrusts is not merely a teaching to be heard. The Buddha speaks of certain awakening, and Mañjuśrī speaks of the benefits of retention. In the final sentence, the great bodhisattvas and the fourfold assembly hear the teaching of the prajñā, rejoice, and respectfully put it into practice. The opening is the Buddha’s confirmation; the ending is the assembly’s practice; between the two, an auspicious sign manifested by the Tathāgata joins them together. Short as it is, this passage transfers the Dharma that has been spoken from the Buddha’s mouth into the practice of those who hear it.
What, Exactly, Do the Shaking Earth and the Buddha’s Radiance Seal?
The sūtra says that, through the Buddha’s spiritual power, the whole earth shook in six ways. The Buddha smiled, released a great radiance, and illuminated the entire trichiliocosm. If the passage ended there, the reader might ask: ‘What do these auspicious signs have to do with retaining the prajñā?’ Mañjuśrī does not leave the answer to conjecture. He immediately points out: 「即是如來印般若波羅蜜相」— “This is precisely the sign by which the Tathāgata seals the prajñā-pāramitā.”
The Buddha then explains that this auspicious sign appears after the teaching of the prajñā-pāramitā in order to seal the prajñā and cause people to retain it. The shaking earth and the radiance are therefore not scenes added apart from the sūtra’s meaning. Their place in this passage is identified by Mañjuśrī and the Buddha themselves as the sign of sealing the prajñā. The light pervades the world, while the Dharma is entrusted to those who will retain it. The point of the auspicious sign is not to watch a strange phenomenon, but to cause people to retain the teaching.
The Saṅghabhara recension unfolds this dimension more fully. Mañjuśrī first asks the Buddha to sustain the prajñā through his spiritual power so that it may long abide in the world. After the shaking earth and the radiance, he asks whether this is the sign of sustaining the prajñā. Xuanzang’s recension likewise has Mañjuśrī ask the Buddha to protect and sustain the prajñā so that it may long abide in the world and benefit all beings, after which the Buddha says that he protects and sustains the unsurpassed Dharma-seal through his spiritual power. Although the wording of the three texts is not identical, all connect the miraculous signs in the same concluding movement with retaining and sustaining the prajñā. Their detailed differences are recorded without adjudicating them into a single meaning.
Why Is the Signless Dharma-Seal Said to Be Beyond Praise and Disparagement?
The Buddha next says: 「無相法印不可讚毀」— “The signless Dharma-seal can neither be praised nor disparaged.” This sentence stands directly between sealing the prajñā and preventing the heavenly māras from finding an opportunity. It reminds the reader that what is sealed is not an object that can be fixed as a mark and then praised or disparaged by someone standing outside it. The sūtra itself calls it the signless Dharma-seal and says that this Dharma-seal prevents the heavenly māras from finding an opportunity.
Here too the limits of the sūtra’s own wording must be observed. “Neither praised nor disparaged” cannot be rewritten as a separate abstract theory. One can only follow the sequence of this passage: the Tathāgata manifests the auspicious sign to seal the prajñā; the prajñā is sealed so that people will retain it; the signless Dharma-seal can neither be praised nor disparaged; and the Dharma-seal prevents the heavenly māras from finding an opportunity. These four statements follow one another. The one who retains the teaching therefore does not grasp a new mark, but respectfully puts the prajñā into practice under the protection of the signless Dharma-seal.
Why Are the Final Words Not Merely “Rejoiced,” but “Put It into Practice”?
At its conclusion, the sūtra says that the assembly heard the teaching of the prajñā-pāramitā, rejoiced, and respectfully put it into practice. Rejoicing is the mind that follows hearing the Dharma; putting it into practice turns that mind into responsibility. If the passage stopped at rejoicing, the Dharma might still remain a single occasion of hearing. Once practice is added, the earlier phrase “cause people to retain it” receives its response in the assembly.
The base text has only the four characters 「歡喜奉行」— “rejoiced and respectfully put it into practice.” Variant witnesses read 「皆大歡」, “all greatly rejoiced,” and 「信受奉行」 or 「頂戴奉行」, “trustfully received and put it into practice” or “reverently received and put it into practice.” The apparatus records them as they stand; the exposition continues to explain the base text without substituting a variant for its wording. In the base text’s own conclusion, joy and practice are inseparable: rejoicing upon hearing the prajñā is precisely to be brought to fulfillment as practice in accordance with the teaching.
Onward Transmission
The corresponding ending in the Saṅghabhara recension develops the entrustment at greater length. The Buddha instructs Śakra to retain and recite the teaching and disseminate it widely, then instructs Ānanda to expound it broadly to others; at the end, the whole assembly greatly rejoices and trustfully receives and retains it. Xuanzang’s Seventh Assembly Mañjuśrī Division explicitly says that the Buddha protects and sustains the unsurpassed Dharma-seal through his spiritual power so that the Dharma may long abide in the world and benefit sentient beings; it concludes with the whole assembly greatly rejoicing, trustfully receiving, and putting the teaching into practice.
No ancient master’s treatise or commentary has yet been verified as citing this unit word for word. Its onward transmission therefore stops with these two parallel sūtras within the canon. All three texts ensure that the sūtra’s ending is not the stopping of a voice, but the Dharma-seal being sustained, hearers coming to trustfully receive it, and the assembly going forth to put it into practice. The detailed semantic ranges of “seal” and “sustain,” and of “put into practice” and “receive and retain,” are recorded without adjudicating them into identity.
Shi Huijing · Zhiyue · Mañjuśrī Prajñāpāramitā · Entrustment · 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。本單元依底本最後四個對話輪劃分，起於佛告釋提桓因，經文殊說受持利益、佛神力令大地震動與微笑放光、文殊指出如來印般若之相、佛自釋無相法印，終於四部眾歡喜奉行及卷下題署。底本範圍為〔T08 0732b25–0732c09〕，共二百五十六字。
節名「囑累」依流通分功能而題；底本文字沒有「囑累」二字。
二、異譯對勘
（一）證據強度
本單元與僧伽婆羅本、玄奘《大般若波羅蜜多經》第七曼殊室利分的結尾，均由三枚同序密聚的唯一共文證成義段對讀，故兩軸都列為強證成。這一文本對勘只證成各本結尾可相互對讀，不等於三本逐句相同，也不把後譯本當作底本文字的裁決者。
（二）僧伽婆羅本
一、佛答帝釋
- 曼陀羅仙本：「憍尸迦！如是，如是！善男子、善女人，當得決定諸佛菩提。」〔T08 0732b〕
- 僧伽婆羅本：「如是，如是！憍尸迦！當知彼善男子、善女人，具足佛法，必定得至阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。」〔T08 0738c〕
兩本都由佛答釋提桓因，肯定受持者決定趣向菩提；一本文字較短，一本明說具足佛法、必定得至。
二、地動、放光與持經之相
- 曼陀羅仙本：「爾時以佛神力，一切大地六種震動。佛時微笑，放大光明，遍照三千大千世界。」〔T08 0732b–c〕
- 僧伽婆羅本：「文殊師利說此語時，以佛神力，大地六種震動。爾時世尊！即便微笑，放大光明，遍照三千大千世界，以威神力，持此般若波羅蜜，令久住世。」〔T08 0738c〕
兩本共有大地六種震動、世尊微笑放光、遍照三千大千世界的次第。僧伽婆羅本把神力之用明說為持般若久住世間；曼陀羅仙本則由文殊問答把瑞相解作印般若之相。
三、法印與奉持
- 曼陀羅仙本：「世尊！即是如來印般若波羅蜜相。」〔T08 0732c〕
- 僧伽婆羅本：「世尊！放此光明，是持般若波羅蜜相？」〔T08 0738c〕；佛答：「我放此光明，是持般若波羅蜜相。」〔T08 0738c〕
一本文字用「印」，一本文字用「持」；其後僧伽婆羅本另囑帝釋與阿難受持讀誦、廣宣流布，篇幅較長。本單元只誌錄兩本實文，不自行裁定兩詞義域全同。
（三）玄奘第七曼殊室利分
- 文殊所請：「願如來以神通力，護持般若波羅蜜多久住世間饒益一切。」〔T07 0974a〕
- 如來現瑞：「佛時即現大神通力，令此三千大千世界諸山、大地六反振動；復現微笑，放大光明普照三千大千世界。」〔T07 0974a〕
- 文殊釋相：「此即如來現神通力護持般若波羅蜜多久住世間饒益之相。」〔T07 0974a〕
- 佛自印成：「如是！如汝所說。我以神力護持般若波羅蜜多無上法印，令久住世饒益有情。」〔T07 0974a〕
玄奘本同樣具足請佛護持、神通地動、微笑放光、文殊釋相、佛答護持法印與眾會歡喜奉行的次第；它把『久住世間、饒益有情』說得最明。三本細部語序與增廣不同，不作會通判定。
三、經論宗依
本單元的經眼由自身結尾直接給出。佛先印可受持者「當得決定諸佛菩提」〔T08 0732b〕；文殊繼而指出「即是如來印般若波羅蜜相」〔T08 0732c〕。佛自釋現瑞之意，是為印般若、使人受持，並以「無相法印不可讚毀」〔T08 0732c〕說明法印的義界。最後，經文不止於瑞相，而以大眾聞法後歡喜奉行收束；本單元之眼因此落在受持、印證與奉行相連，不另攀外論立義。
四、本章釋要
佛先向釋提桓因確認，善男子、善女人將決定得諸佛菩提；文殊隨即把這一確認落到受持者所得的大利益與無量功德。其後，大地六種震動、佛微笑放光，不是由讀者自行猜測其意，因為文殊當場指出這是如來印般若之相，佛也明說每次說般若後現此瑞，是為印般若、使人受持。
佛再以無相法印不可讚毀，說明這法印不落在讚與毀的相對判語中；祂以此法印護持，使天魔不能乘隙。本單元最後沒有另起新問答，而讓四部眾以歡喜奉行作答，使整部經由佛的印成回到聞法者的受持與實行。
五、術語
| 術語 | 古德傳音／發音輔助 | 本章所給的義界 |
|---|---|---|
| 釋提桓因／憍尸迦 | 兩者皆為古德所傳稱名；本單元不另列梵音 | 本單元受佛直接告語者；異譯作帝釋、天帝釋 |
| 諸佛菩提 | 「菩提」為古德音寫；本單元不另增羅馬字 | 佛說受持者當得決定諸佛菩提 |
| 印般若波羅蜜相 | 無另列古德音寫可徵者從闕 | 文殊以地動、微笑放光指為如來印般若之相 |
| 無相法印 | 無另列古德音寫可徵者從闕 | 佛自說不可讚毀，並以此令天魔不能得便 |
| 四部眾 | 無古德音寫可徵者從闕 | 本單元只總稱四部眾，未在此二百五十六字內逐項列名 |
| 奉行 | 無古德音寫可徵者從闕 | 結經句以聞說般若後歡喜奉行收束 |
六、譬喻與瑞相
本單元沒有「如……」式自有譬喻，也未檢得古德以一則可逐字核對的傳統譬喻專釋此二百五十六字。經文所具的是瑞相次第：佛神力令大地六種震動，佛微笑放光遍照，文殊指出這是印般若之相，佛隨即印可並自釋。故本目如實分清瑞相與譬喻，不把放光降作讀者自造的比方。
七、徵引承衍
截至本單元建置，未檢得古德論疏逐字徵引本單元「印般若波羅蜜相」或「無相法印不可讚毀」的實文；故不借用卷下一行三昧章的古德徵引網填充此目。
可據實列出的承衍止於藏內平行經本。僧伽婆羅本保存持般若久住世間、帝釋與阿難廣宣流布，以及大眾「皆大歡喜，信受奉持」〔T08 0739a〕的長結尾；玄奘第七曼殊室利分則以護持無上法印、除障與眾會「所說皆大歡喜、信受奉行」〔T07 0974b〕收束。兩本都為本單元受持、護持與奉行之義段提供傳承見證，不代替古德逐文疏釋。
八、校本定位
- 底本：T08n0232〔0732b25–0732c09〕，共二百五十六字。
- 僧伽婆羅對讀：T08n0233〔0738c04–0739a18〕；三枚同序密聚逐字線索強證成義段對讀。
- 玄奘對讀：T07n0220 第七曼殊室利分〔0974a13–0974b01〕；三枚同序密聚逐字線索強證成義段對讀。
- 〔T08 0732b29〕底本作「種」，宋、元、明、宮本作「反」；原典層依底本保留「種」。
- 〔T08 0732c07〕底本作「歡」，宋、元、明、宮本作「皆大歡」；原典層依底本保留「歡」。
- 〔T08 0732c08〕底本作「奉行」，宋、明、宮本作「信受奉行」，元本作「頂戴奉行」；原典層依底本保留「奉行」。
以上三筆異讀均在本單元範圍內；本檔並錄不判，不以異譯或他本改寫底本。
1 · Classificatory Placement
Mañjuśrī’s Teaching of the Mahā-Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra has no chapter divisions. This unit comprises the final four dialogue rounds in the base text. It begins when the Buddha addresses Śakra Devānām Indra, continues through Mañjuśrī’s explanation of the benefits of retention, the Buddha’s spiritual power causing the great earth to shake, his smile and release of radiance, Mañjuśrī’s identification of these events as the sign by which the Tathāgata seals the prajñā, and the Buddha’s own explanation of the signless Dharma-seal, and ends with the fourfold assembly rejoicing and respectfully putting the teaching into practice and with the title at the end of the lower scroll. The base-text range is〔T08 0732b25–0732c09〕, totaling 256 characters.
The title 「囑累」— “Entrustment” — is assigned according to the function of the circulation division; the two characters 「囑累」 do not occur in the base text.
2 · Collation with Other Translations
(1) Strength of Evidence
The concluding passages in this unit, the Saṅghabhara recension, and Xuanzang’s Seventh Assembly Mañjuśrī Division of the Mahā-Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra each contain three unique shared-text cues in the same order and in a dense cluster. Both axes are therefore strongly established as parallel sense-passages. This textual collation establishes only that the endings of the respective texts can be read in parallel. It does not mean that all three are identical sentence by sentence, nor does it make the later translations arbiters of the base text’s wording.
(2) Saṅghabhara Recension
1. The Buddha’s answer to Śakra
- Mandrasena recension: 「憍尸迦！如是，如是！善男子、善女人，當得決定諸佛菩提。」〔T08 0732b〕. tr. “Kauśika! It is so, it is so! Good men and good women will certainly attain the awakening of the Buddhas.”
- Saṅghabhara recension: 「如是，如是！憍尸迦！當知彼善男子、善女人，具足佛法，必定得至阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。」〔T08 0738c〕. tr. “It is so, it is so, Kauśika! Know that those good men and good women, complete in the buddha-dharmas, will certainly reach unsurpassed perfect awakening.”
Both texts have the Buddha answer Śakra and confirm that those who retain the teaching will certainly proceed toward awakening. The wording of one is briefer; the other explicitly says that they are complete in the buddha-dharmas and will certainly reach awakening.
2. The shaking earth, the radiance, and the sign of sustaining the sūtra
- Mandrasena recension: 「爾時以佛神力，一切大地六種震動。佛時微笑，放大光明，遍照三千大千世界。」〔T08 0732b–c〕. tr. “At that time, through the Buddha’s spiritual power, the whole earth shook in six ways. The Buddha then smiled, released a great radiance, and illuminated the entire trichiliocosm.”
- Saṅghabhara recension: 「文殊師利說此語時，以佛神力，大地六種震動。爾時世尊！即便微笑，放大光明，遍照三千大千世界，以威神力，持此般若波羅蜜，令久住世。」〔T08 0738c〕. tr. “When Mañjuśrī spoke these words, through the Buddha’s spiritual power the great earth shook in six ways. At that time the World-Honored One immediately smiled, released a great radiance, and illuminated the entire trichiliocosm. Through his majestic spiritual power, he sustained this prajñā-pāramitā and caused it to abide long in the world.”
Both texts share the sequence of the great earth shaking in six ways, the World-Honored One smiling and releasing radiance, and the light illuminating the entire trichiliocosm. The Saṅghabhara recension explicitly identifies the use of spiritual power as sustaining the prajñā so that it will long abide in the world. The Mandrasena recension instead uses Mañjuśrī’s question and the Buddha’s answer to explain the auspicious sign as the sign of sealing the prajñā.
3. The Dharma-seal and respectful retention
- Mandrasena recension: 「世尊！即是如來印般若波羅蜜相。」〔T08 0732c〕. tr. “World-Honored One! This is precisely the sign by which the Tathāgata seals the prajñā-pāramitā.”
- Saṅghabhara recension: 「世尊！放此光明，是持般若波羅蜜相？」〔T08 0738c〕. tr. “World-Honored One! Is the release of this radiance the sign of sustaining the prajñā-pāramitā?” The Buddha answers: 「我放此光明，是持般若波羅蜜相。」〔T08 0738c〕. tr. “My release of this radiance is the sign of sustaining the prajñā-pāramitā.”
One text uses 「印」, “seal,” and the other uses 「持」, “sustain.” The Saṅghabhara recension then additionally entrusts Śakra and Ānanda with retaining, reciting, and widely disseminating the sūtra, and its ending is longer. This unit records only the wording of the two texts and does not itself adjudicate the complete semantic ranges of the two terms as identical.
(3) Xuanzang’s Seventh Assembly Mañjuśrī Division
- Mañjuśrī’s request: 「願如來以神通力，護持般若波羅蜜多久住世間饒益一切。」〔T07 0974a〕. tr. “May the Tathāgata, through his spiritual power, protect and sustain the prajñā-pāramitā so that it may long abide in the world and benefit all.”
- The Tathāgata manifests the auspicious signs: 「佛時即現大神通力，令此三千大千世界諸山、大地六反振動；復現微笑，放大光明普照三千大千世界。」〔T07 0974a〕. tr. “The Buddha then manifested great spiritual power, causing the mountains and earth throughout this trichiliocosm to shake in six ways; he again manifested a smile and released a great radiance that universally illuminated the trichiliocosm.”
- Mañjuśrī explains the signs: 「此即如來現神通力護持般若波羅蜜多久住世間饒益之相。」〔T07 0974a〕. tr. “This is precisely the sign of the Tathāgata manifesting spiritual power to protect and sustain the prajñā-pāramitā so that it may long abide in the world and bring benefit.”
- The Buddha himself confirms it: 「如是！如汝所說。我以神力護持般若波羅蜜多無上法印，令久住世饒益有情。」〔T07 0974a〕. tr. “It is so, just as you have said. Through my spiritual power I protect and sustain the unsurpassed Dharma-seal of the prajñā-pāramitā, causing it to abide long in the world and benefit sentient beings.”
Xuanzang’s recension likewise contains the sequence of asking the Buddha to sustain the sūtra, the earth shaking through spiritual power, the Buddha smiling and releasing radiance, Mañjuśrī explaining the signs, the Buddha answering that he sustains the Dharma-seal, and the assembly rejoicing and respectfully putting the teaching into practice. It states “long abide in the world and benefit sentient beings” most explicitly. The detailed wording, ordering, and expansions of the three texts differ and are recorded without adjudicating them into a single reading.
3 · Scriptural and Treatise Ground
The essential scriptural statement of this unit is supplied directly by its own ending. The Buddha first confirms that those who retain the teaching 「當得決定諸佛菩提」— “will certainly attain the awakening of the Buddhas”〔T08 0732b〕. Mañjuśrī then identifies the event as 「即是如來印般若波羅蜜相」— “precisely the sign by which the Tathāgata seals the prajñā-pāramitā”〔T08 0732c〕. The Buddha himself explains that the auspicious signs appear to seal the prajñā and cause people to retain it, and defines the Dharma-seal with 「無相法印不可讚毀」— “the signless Dharma-seal can neither be praised nor disparaged”〔T08 0732c〕. Finally, rather than stopping with the auspicious signs, the text closes with the assembly rejoicing and respectfully putting the teaching into practice after hearing the Dharma. The eye of this unit thus lies in the connection among retention, confirmation, and practice; it does not reach for an external treatise to establish another claim.
4 · Essential Explanation of This Passage
The Buddha first confirms to Śakra Devānām Indra that good men and good women will certainly attain the awakening of the Buddhas. Mañjuśrī immediately connects this confirmation with the great benefit and immeasurable merit gained by those who retain the teaching. The whole earth then shakes in six ways, and the Buddha smiles and releases radiance. The reader need not guess the meaning: Mañjuśrī identifies it on the spot as the sign by which the Tathāgata seals the prajñā, and the Buddha explicitly says that this auspicious sign appears after the teaching of the prajñā to seal it and cause people to retain it.
The Buddha further says that the signless Dharma-seal can neither be praised nor disparaged, showing that this Dharma-seal does not fall within the oppositional judgments of praise and disparagement. He protects it with this Dharma-seal, preventing the heavenly māras from finding an opportunity. The unit begins no further dialogue at its end. Instead, the fourfold assembly answers by rejoicing and respectfully putting the teaching into practice. The entire sūtra thus returns from the Buddha’s completion of the seal to retention and actual practice by those who hear the Dharma.
5 · Terms
| Term | Ancient-master transliteration / pronunciation aid | Scope supplied by this passage |
|---|---|---|
| 釋提桓因／憍尸迦 · Śakra Devānām Indra / Kauśika | Both are names transmitted by ancient masters; this unit supplies no additional Sanskrit | The one whom the Buddha directly addresses in this unit; alternate translations use 帝釋, “Śakra,” or 天帝釋, “Śakra, Lord of the Gods” |
| 諸佛菩提 · awakening of the Buddhas | 「菩提」 is an ancient transmitted transliteration; this unit supplies no additional romanization | The Buddha says that those who retain the teaching will certainly attain the awakening of the Buddhas |
| 印般若波羅蜜相 · sign of sealing the prajñā-pāramitā | No separately attested ancient-master transliteration; left blank | Mañjuśrī identifies the shaking earth, the Buddha’s smile, and the radiance as the sign by which the Tathāgata seals the prajñā |
| 無相法印 · signless Dharma-seal | No separately attested ancient-master transliteration; left blank | The Buddha himself says that it can neither be praised nor disparaged and uses it to prevent the heavenly māras from finding an opportunity |
| 四部眾 · fourfold assembly | No attested ancient-master transliteration; left blank | This unit refers only to the fourfold assembly as a whole and does not list its four classes separately within these 256 characters |
| 奉行 · respectfully put into practice | No attested ancient-master transliteration; left blank | The concluding formula closes the sūtra with the assembly rejoicing and respectfully putting the teaching into practice after hearing it |
6 · Simile and Auspicious Signs
This unit has no simile in the form 「如……」— “like . . .” — and no ancient master has been found giving a traditional simile that can be verified word for word as a specific explanation of these 256 characters. What the sūtra does contain is a sequence of auspicious signs: through the Buddha’s spiritual power the great earth shakes in six ways; the Buddha smiles and releases radiance everywhere; Mañjuśrī identifies this as the sign of sealing the prajñā; and the Buddha immediately confirms and explains it himself. This section therefore distinguishes the auspicious signs from simile as they stand and does not reduce the radiance to an analogy fabricated by a reader.
7 · Citations and Onward Transmission
As of the construction of this unit, no ancient master’s treatise or commentary has been found citing the wording 「印般若波羅蜜相」— “the sign of sealing the prajñā-pāramitā” — or 「無相法印不可讚毀」— “the signless Dharma-seal can neither be praised nor disparaged” — word for word. The citation network of ancient masters for the earlier single-practice samādhi chapter is therefore not borrowed to fill this section.
The onward transmission that can be listed on the evidence stops with parallel sūtras in the canon. The Saṅghabhara recension preserves a longer ending in which the prajñā is sustained so that it may long abide in the world, Śakra and Ānanda disseminate it widely, and the assembly 「皆大歡喜，信受奉持」— tr. “all greatly rejoice and trustfully receive and retain it”〔T08 0739a〕. Xuanzang’s Seventh Assembly Mañjuśrī Division closes by sustaining the unsurpassed Dharma-seal, removing obstructions, and the whole assembly 「所說皆大歡喜、信受奉行」— tr. “all greatly rejoicing in what was taught, trustfully receiving it, and putting it into practice”〔T07 0974b〕. Both texts bear witness to the passage’s transmission of the sense-movement of retaining, sustaining, and putting into practice. Neither substitutes for a word-for-word commentary by an ancient master.
8 · Witness Placement
- Base text: T08n0232〔0732b25–0732c09〕, totaling 256 characters.
- Saṅghabhara parallel: T08n0233〔0738c04–0739a18〕; three unique shared-text cues in the same order and in a dense cluster strongly establish the parallel sense-passage.
- Xuanzang parallel: the Seventh Assembly Mañjuśrī Division in T07n0220〔0974a13–0974b01〕; three unique shared-text cues in the same order and in a dense cluster strongly establish the parallel sense-passage.
- At〔T08 0732b29〕the base text has 「種」— tr. “ways”; the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Imperial Palace editions read 「反」— tr. “times.” The source-text layer retains 「種」 from the base text.
- At〔T08 0732c07〕the base text has 「歡」— tr. “rejoiced”; the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Imperial Palace editions read 「皆大歡」— tr. “all greatly rejoiced.” The source-text layer retains 「歡」 from the base text.
- At〔T08 0732c08〕the base text has 「奉行」— tr. “respectfully put it into practice”; the Song, Ming, and Imperial Palace editions read 「信受奉行」— tr. “trustfully received and put it into practice,” while the Yuan edition reads 「頂戴奉行」— tr. “reverently received and put it into practice.” The source-text layer retains 「奉行」 from the base text.
All three variant readings fall within this unit. They are recorded together without adjudication; neither another witness nor another translation is used to rewrite the sealed base text.
Shi Huijing · Zhiyue · Mañjuśrī Prajñāpāramitā · Entrustment · Apparatus · Summer 2026