妙法蓮華經Fahua — Saddharmapuṇḍarīka (The Lotus Sutra)

T262 · 鳩摩羅什譯

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卷首心要Essence

一部經，從一道光開始，以一場禮拜結束。

靈鷲山上，佛從眉間白毫放光，照見東方萬八千世界。彌勒因瑞相而問，文殊以過去日月燈明佛的本事回答：佛放此光，將說大法。於是〈方便品〉開出全經最響亮的宣言——諸佛為一大事因緣出現於世，欲令眾生開、示、悟、入佛之知見；十方佛土唯有一乘，無二亦無三，三乘之說是隨機引導的方便。

但《法華》不只以概念說一乘。火宅的孩子、離家的窮子、同受一雨的草木、疲極途中所見的化城、衣裏久繫而不自知的寶珠、王髻中最後才給出的明珠、服藥與不服藥的病子——七個譬喻把「如何引人出險、令其知有佛道」一層一層展開。授記諸品又把這條路落在具名的人身上：舍利弗、四大聲聞、五百弟子、學與無學者，乃至提婆達多與龍女，都在經中被安放到成佛的遠景裏。

經的後半把視線推得更遠。從地踊出的菩薩引出如來壽量：佛所示現的出生、出家、成道與滅度，不盡於眼前短暫的一生；醫子喻說明，父言入滅不是虛妄，而是為救迷失之子所設的方便。其後功德、弘持、六根清淨與常不輕的禮拜，把久遠的佛壽收回今日行者的一念、一讀、一禮。常不輕只說一句：「我不敢輕於汝等，汝等皆當作佛。」

最後六品不再另立更高的玄理，而問這部經如何活在人間：以苦行供養、以妙音現身、以觀音救難、以陀羅尼護持、以善知識化導、以普賢勸發。普賢問佛滅後如何得經，佛答四法；全經末了，大眾歡喜，受持佛語，作禮而去。

本讀本把同一部經分為原典、白話、義疏、考據、心要五層。先讓經說自己的話，再請異譯與古德各還其位；慈恩、天台、三論的不同讀法並列而不代作裁決。讀者可從任何一品、任何一層進入，但一路所歸，仍是從聞法到受持、從受持到行。

且從那一道光開始。

A sutra that begins with a ray of light and ends with an assembly bowing in departure.

On Vulture Peak, light streams from the white hair-mark between the Buddha's brows and illumines eighteen thousand worlds in the east. Maitreya asks what the portent means. Mañjuśrī answers by recalling Sun-Moon-Lamp-Radiance Buddha: when a buddha sent forth this light, a great Dharma was about to be taught. Chapter 2 then sounds the sutra's central proclamation. The buddhas appear for one great cause: to open the Buddha's knowing-and-seeing to beings, reveal it to them, awaken them to it, and bring them into it. In the buddha-lands of the ten directions there is only One Vehicle, neither a second nor a third; the teaching of three is the skillful means by which beings are drawn onward.

The Lotus, however, does not teach the One Vehicle as an abstraction alone. Children play in a burning house. A poor son has forgotten that he is heir to a treasury. Plants of every size receive the same rain. Weary travelers rest in a conjured city. A jewel has long been sewn into a man's robe without his knowing. A king at last gives away the jewel kept in his topknot. Sick children take or refuse their father's medicine. These seven parables unfold, one after another, how beings are led out of danger and brought to recognize the buddha-way. The chapters of prediction then place that horizon upon named lives—Śāriputra, the four great listeners, five hundred disciples, those in training and beyond training, Devadatta, and the dragon girl.

The latter half of the sutra extends the horizon further. Bodhisattvas emerge from the earth, occasioning the revelation of the Tathāgata's lifespan. The Buddha's displayed birth, departure from home, awakening, and nirvāṇa are not exhausted by the brief life visible to the assembly. The parable of the physician's children explains why the father's announcement of death is neither empty nor false: it is a means of bringing deluded children to take the medicine. The chapters that follow return this distant lifespan to the reader's present act of rejoicing, reading, teaching, and bowing. The Bodhisattva Never Disparaging says only: “I would never disparage you. You shall all become buddhas.”

The final six chapters add no higher abstraction. They ask how the sutra is to remain alive in the world: through Medicine King's offering, Wonderful Sound's manifestations, Guanshiyin's rescue from peril, dhāraṇī protection, the transforming work of a good spiritual friend, and Universally Worthy's encouragement. Universally Worthy asks how the sutra may be obtained after the Buddha's passing; the Buddha replies with four dharmas. At the close, the whole assembly rejoices, receives and upholds the Buddha's words, bows, and departs.

This edition presents the same sutra in five layers: Source-Text, Vernacular, Exposition, Apparatus, and Heart-Essence. The sutra speaks first. The three Chinese translations and the ancient masters then take their own places. Cien, Tiantai, and Sanlun readings are attributed and recorded side by side without adjudication. A reader may enter through any chapter and any layer, but the movement of the book remains the movement from hearing to upholding, and from upholding to practice.

Begin, then, with that ray of light.

緒論Introduction

一、經題與底本

本版底本為姚秦鳩摩羅什譯《妙法蓮華經》（T09n0262），七卷二十八品。卷首署「後秦龜茲國三藏法師鳩摩羅什奉詔譯」，七卷皆同；本版原典層依此二十八品正文逐字分品。

窺基《法華玄贊》以古傳音寫釋題：「薩達摩奔荼利迦素呾攬」；又釋「達磨，法也」「奔荼利迦者，白蓮華也」〔T34n1723 0657c04–07〕。羅馬字題 Saddharmapuṇḍarīka 只作經題與發音座標，不取近代梵文校本為本版經文權威。

「妙法」與「蓮華」如何相繫，古德各有開釋。本版以羅什漢譯為經文根，以窺基《玄贊》為義疏之鏡，並列智顗、吉藏等古德的不同讀法；凡判教、科判與譬喻配義，皆明標所屬，不把一家之說冒充經文自說。

二、七卷二十八品

本版以羅什本二十八品為唯一切分脊樑，保持七卷次第：卷一品一至二，卷二品三至四，卷三品五至七，卷四品八至十三，卷五品十四至十七，卷六品十八至二十三，卷七品二十四至二十八。

二十八品由序品現瑞發起，〈方便品〉明一大事與一乘方便；諸喻與授記相次展開；〈法師〉至〈安樂行〉轉入弘持；〈從地踊出〉與〈如來壽量〉開顯久遠；〈分別功德〉至〈囑累〉明得益、弘持與付囑；末六品依《法華論》與古德科判，從藥王至普賢分別顯示受命流通的諸力。這些分組只作閱讀導航，穩定引用單位仍是二十八品。

三、三譯對勘

本版逐品並觀三部漢譯：

角色	經題	譯者	藏經號	卷品
底本	妙法蓮華經	姚秦 · 鳩摩羅什	T09n0262	七卷 · 二十八品
古譯對校	正法華經	西晉 · 竺法護	T09n0263	十卷 · 二十七品
後譯對校	添品妙法蓮華經	隋 · 闍那崛多共笈多	T09n0264	七卷 · 二十七品

三譯的品目開合、品序與語詞系統多有不同。竺法護本常自成一套譯名與譬喻；《添品》多處近同羅什而補其所闕。〈提婆達多品〉的別立、〈藥草喻品〉後半、〈普門品〉重頌與〈囑累品〉位置，皆須按三譯實文分別記錄。本版對勘異同，不以單一譯本替另一譯本補文，也不替讀者裁定孰優。

四、古德之鏡

本版義疏以唐窺基《妙法蓮華經玄贊》（T34n1723，十卷）為主要骨幹。窺基逐文疏羅什本，並援引世親《法華論》建立七喻、授記、修行力與流通力等綱位。慧沼《法華玄贊義決》（T34n1724）為慈恩承衍之證。

天台智顗《法華玄義》（T33n1716）、《法華文句》（T34n1718）與三論吉藏《法華玄論》（T34n1720）、《法華義疏》（T34n1721）作並觀古德。慈恩、天台、三論對一乘、科判、壽量、譬喻與行位多有不同解釋；本版以「各家所說各還其位」為原則，逐項歸屬，並錄不判。

五、本版型制

每品有五層：原典、白話、義疏、考據、心要。原典保留羅什漢譯；其餘四層各有漢、英文本。考據固定八目，從科判、三譯、唯識義之經據、古德異釋，到術語、譬喻、互讀與校本定位，為義疏與詞彙表的典據層。

本版引據以經與古德為限。現代研究不作義理權威，近代梵文校本不作經文依據；古德明有音寫或勘梵者，羅馬字只作發音輔助。所有鏡讀皆在經義之後，明示「鏡非經」。

I. Title and Base Text

The base text of this edition is Kumārajīva's Chinese translation of the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka, the 妙法蓮華經 (T09n0262), in seven fascicles and twenty-eight chapters. Its canonical title statement attributes the translation to Kumārajīva under the Yao Qin, and the byline at the head of each fascicle reads, 「後秦龜茲國三藏法師鳩摩羅什奉詔譯」—“translated under imperial commission by the Tripiṭaka master Kumārajīva of Kucha under the Later Qin.” The Source-Text layer divides and preserves the twenty-eight chapters of this witness verbatim.

Kuiji's Profound Praise of the Lotus transmits the title in the sound-form 「薩達摩奔荼利迦素呾攬」 and glosses 達磨 with 法, “Dharma,” and 奔荼利迦 with 白蓮華, “white lotus” 〔T34n1723 0657c04–07〕. The romanized title Saddharmapuṇḍarīka serves here as a title and pronunciation coordinate. No modern Sanskrit critical edition functions as textual authority for the Chinese scripture.

The ancient masters differ in how they unfold the relation between “Wondrous Dharma” and “Lotus.” This edition keeps Kumārajīva's Chinese text as its root, takes Kuiji's commentary as the principal lens of exposition, and records the distinct readings of Zhiyi, Jizang, and other ancient masters in their own names. A doctrinal classification, structural division, or explanation of a parable is never presented as the sutra's own wording unless the sutra itself says it.

II. Seven Fascicles and Twenty-Eight Chapters

Kumārajīva's twenty-eight chapters are the sole structural spine of this edition. Their distribution is: fascicle 1, Chapters 1–2; fascicle 2, Chapters 3–4; fascicle 3, Chapters 5–7; fascicle 4, Chapters 8–13; fascicle 5, Chapters 14–17; fascicle 6, Chapters 18–23; fascicle 7, Chapters 24–28.

The portent in the Introduction occasions the teaching. Skillful Means establishes the one great cause and the relation between One Vehicle and provisional teaching. Parables and predictions then unfold in sequence. The chapters from the Dharma Teacher through Peaceful Practices turn toward upholding and teaching the sutra. Emerging from the Earth and the Lifespan of the Tathāgata disclose the Buddha's distant awakening and lifespan. Distinguishing Qualities through Entrustment set out benefits, transmission, and entrustment. Drawing on the Treatise on the Lotus Sutra and the ancient commentaries, the six final chapters from Medicine King through Universally Worthy can be read as powers by which the command to transmit the sutra is carried out. These are reading aids; the stable unit of citation remains the twenty-eight chapters.

III. The Three Chinese Translations

The apparatus collates three Chinese translations chapter by chapter:

Role	Chinese title	Translator	Canon no.	Extent
Base text	妙法蓮華經	Kumārajīva 鳩摩羅什 (Yao Qin)	T09n0262	7 fascicles · 28 chapters
Earlier collation witness	正法華經	Dharmarakṣa 竺法護 (Western Jin)	T09n0263	10 fascicles · 27 chapters
Later collation witness	添品妙法蓮華經	Jñānagupta 闍那崛多 and Dharmagupta 笈多 (Sui)	T09n0264	7 fascicles · 27 chapters

Their chapter divisions, order, detail, and systems of terminology often differ. Dharmarakṣa regularly preserves a distinct vocabulary and set of images. The supplemented edition frequently follows Kumārajīva closely while also preserving passages transmitted as supplements to lacunae in his recension. The independent standing of the Devadatta chapter, the latter half of the Medicinal Herbs chapter, the verse of the Universal Gateway chapter, and the position of Entrustment must therefore be described from the actual wording and arrangement of all three witnesses. This edition records their agreements and differences; it neither silently fills one translation from another nor adjudicates which translation is superior.

IV. The Lens of the Ancient Masters

The principal commentary for the Exposition is Kuiji's ten-fascicle 妙法蓮華經玄贊, the Profound Praise of the Lotus (T34n1723). It comments on Kumārajīva's text chapter by chapter and draws extensively on Vasubandhu's Treatise on the Lotus Sutra for the seven parables, predictions, powers of practice, and powers of transmission. Huizhao's 法華玄贊義決 (T34n1724) is used where its Cien continuation actually bears on the text.

Zhiyi's 妙法蓮華經玄義 (T33n1716) and 妙法蓮華經文句 (T34n1718), and Jizang's 法華玄論 (T34n1720) and 法華義疏 (T34n1721), are placed beside the Cien commentary as Tiantai and Sanlun witnesses. Their readings of the One Vehicle, the sutra's structure, the lifespan, the parables, and the stages of practice often differ. Each reading remains attributed to its house and is recorded without adjudication.

V. Form of This Edition

Every chapter has five layers: Source-Text, Vernacular, Exposition, Apparatus, and Heart-Essence. The Source-Text preserves Kumārajīva's Chinese. Each of the other four layers is available in Chinese and English. The Apparatus follows eight fixed headings, from structural placement and three-translation collation through the ancient masters, terminology, simile, cross-reading, and the placement of editions; it is the evidentiary ground for the Exposition and Glossary.

Scripture and the ancient masters define the authority base of the edition. Modern scholarship is not invoked as doctrinal authority, and modern Sanskrit editions are not used to reconstruct the Chinese text. Romanized forms appear only as pronunciation aids grounded in ancient transmission. The consciousness-only reading comes after the sutra's meaning and remains explicitly a lens rather than the source of the sutra.

讀法How to read

本編把同一部《妙法蓮華經》分作五層。源文保持羅什古漢語；白話、義疏、考據、心要各有漢、英讀本。讀者不必從最厚的一層開始，但應知道每一層能回答什麼、不能代替什麼。

一、五層分工

層	所作	不作
原典	羅什 T262 二十八品正文逐字呈現，保留頁錨。	不另作英譯，不加入義理。
白話	依原典次第作忠實現代語重述。	不把古德判釋灌入經文。
義疏	逐義開講經文，再以慈恩唯識之鏡殿後照讀。	鏡讀不冒充經說，也不立無據新義。
考據	三譯對勘、古德引文、術語、譬喻與校本定位。	不引現代學者作義理權威，不代判三家。
心要	為初讀者提供短而可進入的坡道。	不取代原典與完整義疏。

白話與義疏永不合併：白話只順文，義疏才開義。考據是引用與判讀的證據層；心要是入口，不是摘要全權本。

二、按七卷進入

卷一——序品 · 方便品：現瑞發起、一大事、十如是、一乘與方便。
卷二——譬喻品 · 信解品：火宅與窮子，從引出險處到領受家業。
卷三——藥草喻品 · 授記品 · 化城喻品：一雨普潤、四大聲聞授記與化城方便。
卷四——五百弟子受記品 · 授學無學人記品 · 法師品 · 見寶塔品 · 提婆達多品 · 勸持品：授記、弘經、多寶塔、提婆與龍女、忍難受持。
卷五——安樂行品 · 從地踊出品 · 如來壽量品 · 分別功德品：安樂行、地涌菩薩、久遠壽量與聞法得益。
卷六——隨喜功德品 · 法師功德品 · 常不輕菩薩品 · 如來神力品 · 囑累品 · 藥王菩薩本事品：隨喜、六根、禮拜授記、神力付囑與藥王本事。
卷七——妙音菩薩品 · 觀世音菩薩普門品 · 陀羅尼品 · 妙莊嚴王本事品 · 普賢菩薩勸發品：現身教化、救難、護持、善知識與結經勸發。

三、考據八目

每品考據依同一骨架編排：

科判定位——羅什品位與窺基《玄贊》科文；
異譯·三譯對勘——T262、T263、T264 的實文異同；
唯識義之經據〔眼〕——本品可由慈恩唯識照見之處，明分經文與古德；
諸家異釋——慈恩、天台、三論等古德並錄不判；
術語——漢字、古德傳梵、所徵與義；
譬喻·修辭——七喻及各品自有之譬喻結構；
互讀·承衍——經內互讀與古德、論典承衍；
校本定位——三譯、注疏、品界與成立史位置。

四、四條讀路

先讀原典：能讀古漢語者，可依七卷直讀，再按疑處回考據。
先讀白話：欲先掌握敘事與論述次第者，沿白話通讀，不先負擔注疏。
先讀心要、再上義疏：初接觸者先取每品心要，建立全品方向，再讀義疏。
按問題查考據與詞彙：遇三譯差異、古德異判、梵音或文本史問題，直接查該品考據與詞彙對照。

對一乘、壽量、龍女、燒身、觀音重頌、陀羅尼等敏感處，宜同讀原典與考據，不以單一心要或單一宗家判釋代替全證據面。

This edition presents one and the same Lotus Sutra in five layers. The Source-Text preserves Kumārajīva's classical Chinese; the Vernacular, Exposition, Apparatus, and Heart-Essence are each available in Chinese and English. A reader need not begin with the most detailed layer, but should know what each layer can—and cannot—do.

I. The Five Layers

Layer	What it does	What it does not do
Source-Text	Presents the twenty-eight chapters of Kumārajīva's T262 verbatim, with page anchors.	It is not separately translated into English and contains no added doctrine.
Vernacular	Restates the source faithfully in continuous modern prose.	It does not pour a commentator's judgment into the sutra.
Exposition	Opens out the chapter's meaning, then places the Cien consciousness-only lens at the end.	The lens does not present itself as scripture or advance unsupported doctrine.
Apparatus	Collates the three translations and documents the ancient masters, terminology, similes, and textual placement.	It does not make a modern scholar doctrinal authority or adjudicate among the houses.
Heart-Essence	Gives a short and accessible way into a chapter.	It does not replace the Source-Text or complete Exposition.

The Vernacular and Exposition are never merged. The Vernacular follows the wording; the Exposition interprets from the evidence already laid down in the Apparatus. The Heart-Essence is an entrance, not an exhaustive abstract.

II. Reading by the Seven Fascicles

Fascicle 1 — Introduction · Skillful Means: the portent, the one great cause, the ten suchnesses, the One Vehicle, and skillful means.
Fascicle 2 — The Parable · Faith and Understanding: the burning house and the poor son, from rescue out of danger to receiving the family treasury.
Fascicle 3 — The Parable of the Medicinal Herbs · Bestowal of Predictions · The Parable of the Conjured City: the one rain, predictions for the four great listeners, and the provisional city of rest.
Fascicle 4 — The Five Hundred Disciples Receive Their Predictions · Predictions for Those in Training and Beyond Training · The Dharma Teacher · Beholding the Jeweled Stūpa · Devadatta · Exhortation to Uphold the Sutra: prediction, transmission, the stūpa of Many Treasures, Devadatta and the dragon girl, and the vow to endure hardship.
Fascicle 5 — Peaceful Practices · Emerging from the Earth · The Lifespan of the Tathāgata · Distinguishing Qualities: peaceful practice, the earth-emerging bodhisattvas, the distant lifespan, and the benefits of hearing it.
Fascicle 6 — The Qualities of Joyful Acceptance · The Qualities of the Dharma Teacher · The Bodhisattva Never Disparaging · The Supernormal Powers of the Tathāgata · Entrustment · The Former Affairs of the Bodhisattva Medicine King: rejoicing, purification of the six faculties, reverent bowing and prediction, displays of supernormal power and entrustment, and Medicine King's former practice.
Fascicle 7 — The Bodhisattva Wonderful Sound · The Universal Gateway of the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds (Guanshiyin) · Dhāraṇī · The Former Affairs of King Wonderful-Adornment · The Encouragement of the Bodhisattva Universally Worthy (Samantabhadra): manifested bodies, rescue from peril, protection, the work of a good spiritual friend, and the sutra's conclusion in practice.

III. The Eight Headings of the Apparatus

Each chapter's Apparatus follows the same documentary spine:

Doctrinal-Outline Placement — the chapter in Kumārajīva and in Kuiji's outline;
Alternate Translations · Collation of the Three Translations — the actual wording of T262, T263, and T264;
Scriptural Grounds for the Consciousness-Only Meaning — where the Cien lens bears on the chapter, with scripture and commentary distinguished;
Explanations of the Various Masters — Cien, Tiantai, Sanlun, and other ancient readings, attributed and not adjudicated;
Terminology — Chinese, ancient-transmitted Sanskrit, attestation, and meaning;
Similes · Rhetoric — the seven great parables and each chapter's own figures;
Cross-Reading · Carrying Forward — links within the sutra and into ancient reception;
Placement of the Editions — translation witnesses, commentaries, chapter bounds, and formation history.

IV. Four Paths Through the Edition

Read the Source-Text whole. Readers of classical Chinese may follow the seven fascicles and consult the Apparatus only where questions arise.
Read the Vernacular whole. This gives the narrative and argumentative sequence without first carrying the weight of the commentaries.
Begin with Heart-Essence, then climb to Exposition. This is the gentlest entry for a first encounter with the sutra.
Use the Apparatus and Glossary by question. For a variant translation, an ancient disagreement, a sound-form, or a formation-history problem, consult the relevant chapter and the Glossary.

At sensitive passages—the One Vehicle, the lifespan, the dragon girl, the burning of the body, the textual history of the Universal Gateway verse, and the dhāraṇīs—read Source-Text and Apparatus together. No single Heart-Essence or one school's interpretation should stand in for the full evidentiary surface.

凡例Conventions

一、底本與對校本

底本：姚秦鳩摩羅什譯《妙法蓮華經》T09n0262，七卷二十八品。本版原典層以二十八品正文為範圍。
古譯對校：西晉竺法護《正法華經》T09n0263，十卷二十七品。
後譯對校：隋闍那崛多共笈多《添品妙法蓮華經》T09n0264，七卷二十七品。
三譯只在各自實有的品段內對勘。品目開合、品序、詳略與譯名差異如實並列，不以後譯靜默補入底本，也不以底本詞形覆蓋異譯。

二、正文與附文

原典層收 T262 二十八品正文，不把大正藏冠首、卷末與附綴的序文混入正文。道宣〈妙法蓮華經弘傳序〉、僧叡後序、明代御製二序及單行〈普門品〉相關附文，按其實際位置作文本史資料，必要時在考據目八說明。

〈提婆達多品〉別立、〈藥草喻品〉後半、〈普門品〉重頌與〈囑累品〉位置，皆屬傳本成立史問題。只傳所見證據，不把後來編排冒充羅什原譯狀態。

三、梵文政策

不以近代梵文校本作本版文字權威。
羅馬字只作發音輔助，須繫於古德音寫、古德勘梵或本版已立之古傳形式。
古德無傳者從闕，不為陀羅尼、專名或術語杜撰還原形。
經題、通行人名與書目標籤的羅馬字只作導航，不據以裁定漢譯異文。

四、引文與義理

權威引文只取經與古德，逐字保留並繫實際藏經號與頁欄行。
中文「」內為逐字引文；省略須標〔……〕，不得以今語改寫後仍冒充原文。
義疏據考據開講；經文自說、古德判釋與本版編輯說明必須分層。
慈恩、天台、三論等不同讀法各自歸屬，並列而不代作裁決。
本版以窺基《玄贊》為主要義疏鏡，但「鏡非經」：唯識讀法置於經義之後，不倒灌入經文。

五、語言與層次

原典只存古漢語；白話、義疏、考據、心要各有中文與英文。
中文讀文使用全形中文標點；英文層保留漢字 canonical 引文，並緊接英譯。
白話只順文；義疏才開義；考據負責證據；心要只作入口。
章次以羅什二十八品為穩定座標。天台迹本二門、慈恩科判等皆是古德讀法，不取代本版品脊。

六、名稱與術語

人名、佛名、菩薩名以本版既定漢名英譯為主，首見得附古傳羅馬字。
一詞跨品服從同一術語鎖；若漢字本身不同，不因英文近義而強行合併。
《詞彙對照》完整彙集各品〈術語〉原表；它不另立新義，也不補現代梵形。

七、題署

中文各層以「釋慧鏡 · 指月 · 法華 · 品名 · 層名 · 2026 夏」題署；英文用相應英題。引用時以品次、品名、層與 T262 頁錨共同定位。

I. Base Text and Collation Witnesses

Base text — Kumārajīva's 妙法蓮華經, T09n0262, in seven fascicles and twenty-eight chapters. The Source-Text layer is bounded by the text of those chapters.
Earlier collation witness — Dharmarakṣa's 正法華經, T09n0263, in ten fascicles and twenty-seven chapters.
Later collation witness — the supplemented 添品妙法蓮華經, T09n0264, by Jñānagupta and Dharmagupta, in seven fascicles and twenty-seven chapters.
The witnesses are collated only where each actually has corresponding material. Differences of chapter division, order, relative fullness, and terminology are recorded as transmitted. A later translation never silently fills the base, and the base never overwrites the vocabulary of an alternate translation.

II. Scripture and Paratext

The Source-Text contains the twenty-eight chapters of T262, not the prefaces and appended matter arranged around them in the Taishō record. Daoxuan's preface to the transmission of the Lotus, Seng Rui's postface, the two Ming imperial prefaces, and the paratext associated with the stand-alone Universal Gateway are treated according to their actual locations as witnesses to textual history.

The independent standing of the Devadatta chapter, the latter half of the Medicinal Herbs chapter, the verse of the Universal Gateway, and the placement of Entrustment are questions of formation history. The edition transmits the evidence without presenting a later arrangement as though it were simply Kumārajīva's original state.

III. Sanskrit Policy

No modern Sanskrit critical edition serves as textual authority for this edition.
Romanization is a pronunciation aid and must be tied to an ancient transliteration, an ancient comparison with a Sanskrit witness, or another form established in the ancient transmission.
Where the ancient transmission supplies no form, none is reconstructed—especially for dhāraṇīs, proper names, and technical terms.
Conventional romanized titles and names may serve as navigation labels, but never decide a Chinese variant.

IV. Quotation and Interpretation

Authoritative quotation comes from scripture and the ancient masters, preserved verbatim and tied to an actual canon number and page-column-line locus.
Chinese text inside 「」 is a verbatim quotation. Any omission is marked 〔……〕; modern restatement is not placed inside those quotation marks.
The Exposition opens out the chapter from the evidence of the Apparatus. The sutra's wording, an ancient master's judgment, and the edition's explanation remain distinct.
Cien, Tiantai, Sanlun, and other ancient readings are attributed to their sources and recorded side by side without adjudication.
Kuiji's Profound Praise is the principal lens of exposition, but the lens is not the sutra. Consciousness-Only interpretation follows the chapter's own meaning and is not poured back into the scriptural voice.

V. Language and Layers

The Source-Text remains in classical Chinese. The Vernacular, Exposition, Apparatus, and Heart-Essence are each available in Chinese and English.
Chinese reading prose uses full-width Chinese punctuation. The English Apparatus preserves canonical Chinese quotations and places English translations immediately beside them.
The Vernacular follows the wording; the Exposition interprets; the Apparatus documents; the Heart-Essence introduces.
Kumārajīva's twenty-eight chapters are the stable navigation spine. Tiantai's Trace and Origin Gates and the Cien structural outlines remain attributed ancient readings rather than replacement chapter divisions.

VI. Names and Terms

Personal, buddha, and bodhisattva names follow the edition's established English renderings; an ancient-transmitted roman form may be added at first occurrence.
A term recurring across chapters follows the same English lock. Distinct Chinese terms are not forcibly collapsed merely because their English senses are near.
The Glossary gathers the complete Terminology tables of all chapters. It advances no new definition and supplies no modern Sanskrit reconstruction.

VII. Colophon

Chinese layers close with the corresponding Chinese title, chapter, layer, and Summer 2026. English layers use the corresponding English form. A citation should identify chapter number, title, layer, and the T262 locus.

譯者Translator

根本漢譯者——鳩摩羅什

本版底本為《妙法蓮華經》T09n0262。其藏經題署作「姚秦鳩摩羅什譯」，每卷卷首署「後秦龜茲國三藏法師鳩摩羅什奉詔譯」。本頁只依底本題署確認譯者身分，不以未繫出處的傳記數字作校勘證據。

羅什本七卷二十八品，是本版逐品切分與引用的根。原典層逐字保持此漢譯；白話、義疏與英文鏡譯也以此本的句義、品次與專名為起點。凡今傳本涉及後補或編次形成者，另在考據中說明，不把整部傳世文本一概簡化為單一時點的譯出。

對校譯者

竺法護——西晉譯《正法華經》T09n0263，十卷二十七品。譯名、品題與譬喻系統多與羅什不同，作古譯對校。
闍那崛多、笈多——隋代《添品妙法蓮華經》T09n0264，七卷二十七品。此本校補羅什本，許多段落近同羅什，亦保存補闕與品序資料。

三譯同在一張對勘桌上，各守自身文字。差異本身就是考據內容；本版不把一譯的詞靜默改成另一譯，也不以流暢為由抹平不同。

本版譯注者——釋慧鏡

本版白話、義疏、考據、心要及英文鏡譯由釋慧鏡（Shi Huijing）譯注。

編纂次第是：先守羅什原典，再以三譯逐段對勘，以窺基《法華玄贊》為主要義疏鏡，並取智顗、吉藏等古德異釋作旁證。所有術語取捨、英譯句法、義理分層與文本史表述，均由本版譯注者負責；古德之語必明標歸屬，不借古德權威遮蔽本版的編輯責任。

Translator of the Base Chinese Text — Kumārajīva

The base of this edition is the 妙法蓮華經, T09n0262. Its canonical title statement attributes the translation to Kumārajīva under the Yao Qin; the head of each fascicle reads, 「後秦龜茲國三藏法師鳩摩羅什奉詔譯」—“translated under imperial commission by the Tripiṭaka master Kumārajīva of Kucha under the Later Qin.” This page relies on the base witness for his translator identity and does not use uncited biographical numbers as collation evidence.

Kumārajīva's seven fascicles and twenty-eight chapters supply the stable divisions and citation coordinates of this edition. The Source-Text preserves his Chinese verbatim. The Vernacular, Exposition, and English mirror all begin from this witness's sequence, wording, and names. Where the received text preserves evidence of supplementation or later arrangement, the Apparatus records it separately rather than flattening the entire transmitted text into a single moment of translation.

Translators of the Collation Witnesses

Dharmarakṣa 竺法護 — translator of the Western Jin 正法華經, T09n0263, in ten fascicles and twenty-seven chapters. Its distinct vocabulary, chapter titles, and system of images make it the earlier collation witness.
Jñānagupta 闍那崛多 and Dharmagupta 笈多 — translators associated with the Sui supplemented 添品妙法蓮華經, T09n0264, in seven fascicles and twenty-seven chapters. It revises and supplements Kumārajīva's recension, often following it closely while preserving evidence about additions and chapter order.

The three translations share one collation table but retain their own words. Their differences are evidence. This edition does not silently replace the expression of one with that of another merely to produce smoother agreement.

Translator and Annotator of the Present Edition — Shi Huijing

The Vernacular, Exposition, Apparatus, Heart-Essence, and English mirror of this edition are the work of Shi Huijing (釋慧鏡).

The editorial order is to preserve Kumārajīva first, collate the three translations passage by passage, take Kuiji's Profound Praise of the Lotus as the principal lens, and place the distinct readings of Zhiyi, Jizang, and other ancient masters beside it. Shi Huijing is responsible for the edition's terminology, English syntax, separation of doctrinal layers, and statements of textual history. Every ancient reading remains attributed; the authority of the masters does not conceal the present editor's responsibility for editorial choices.

書目Bibliography

本書目列本版實際依憑的底本、三譯與主要古德典籍。各品偶引之經論，仍以該品考據目七、目八所列藏經號與頁錨為準。本版以經與古德為權威範圍，不列現代研究作義理依據。

一、底本與異譯

題名	譯者·朝代	藏經號	卷品	本版角色
妙法蓮華經	姚秦 · 鳩摩羅什	T09n0262	七卷 · 二十八品	底本；原典層與全版穩定品次
正法華經	西晉 · 竺法護	T09n0263	十卷 · 二十七品	古譯對校；譯名、品目、開合與譬喻異文
添品妙法蓮華經	隋 · 闍那崛多共笈多	T09n0264	七卷 · 二十七品	後譯對校；校補羅什本、保存補闕與品序資料

二、論本與慈恩義疏

撰譯	題名	藏經號	卷	本版角色
婆藪槃豆釋 · 後魏菩提留支共曇林等譯	妙法蓮華經憂波提舍（法華論）	T26n1519	二卷	七喻、增上慢、授記、無上與流通力等論本
唐 · 窺基	妙法蓮華經玄贊	T34n1723	十卷	義疏主鏡；逐文疏羅什本、科判與術語主錨
唐 · 慧沼	法華玄贊義決	T34n1724	一卷	慈恩承衍與決疑旁證；只在實際所及處引用
唐 · 窺基	大乘法苑義林章	T45n1861	七卷	五重唯識觀、三性、種姓與相關義林座標
唐 · 窺基	般若波羅蜜多心經幽贊	T33n1710	二卷	五重唯識觀之慈恩旁證

三、天台古德

撰者	題名	藏經號	本版角色
隋 · 智顗說	妙法蓮華經玄義	T33n1716	釋名、五重玄義、迹本等天台判釋旁證
隋 · 智顗說	妙法蓮華經文句	T34n1718	逐品科文、譬喻與四意消文旁證
隋 · 智顗說	摩訶止觀	T46n1911	實際出現之觀心與天台行門互讀
唐 · 湛然述	法華文句記	T34n1719	智顗《文句》承衍旁證
唐 · 湛然述	止觀輔行傳弘決	T46n1912	《止觀》承衍旁證

四、三論古德

撰者	題名	藏經號	本版角色
隋 · 吉藏	法華玄論	T34n1720	品次、宗旨與三論判釋旁證
隋 · 吉藏	法華義疏	T34n1721	逐品異釋、譬喻、行位與文本次第旁證

五、附序與文本史資料

T262 大正藏編排另存道宣〈妙法蓮華經弘傳序〉、僧叡後序、明代御製二序與單行〈觀世音普門品〉相關附文。它們不混入二十八品正文；涉及羅什本補闕、普門重頌譯者題署或大正藏編排時，才在考據目八按實際位置引用。

六、梵文與藏譯範圍

本版不以近代梵文校刊或現代學者為經文校勘權威。古德明言音寫、勘梵或釋名者，羅馬字只作發音輔助。藏譯與近代寫本材料不進入本版文字裁決；若只作版本存佚說明，必明標其有限角色。

This bibliography lists the base text, the three Chinese translations, and the principal ancient works actually used in the edition. Incidental scriptures and treatises cited in a particular chapter remain identified by their canon numbers and loci under that chapter's Cross-Reading and Placement of the Editions. Scripture and the ancient masters define the authority base; modern scholarship is not listed as doctrinal authority.

I. Base Text and Alternate Translations

Title	Translator · period	Canon no.	Extent	Role in this edition
妙法蓮華經	Kumārajīva 鳩摩羅什 · Yao Qin	T09n0262	7 fascicles · 28 chapters	Base text; Source-Text and stable chapter order
正法華經	Dharmarakṣa 竺法護 · Western Jin	T09n0263	10 fascicles · 27 chapters	Earlier collation witness; terminology, chapter divisions, and variant images
添品妙法蓮華經	Jñānagupta 闍那崛多 and Dharmagupta 笈多 · Sui	T09n0264	7 fascicles · 27 chapters	Later collation witness; revision, supplementation, and chapter-order evidence

II. Treatise and Cien Commentaries

Author / translator	Work	Canon no.	Extent	Role in this edition
Vasubandhu 婆藪槃豆; trans. Bodhiruci 菩提留支 with Tanlin 曇林 and others	妙法蓮華經憂波提舍 (法華論), Treatise on the Lotus Sutra	T26n1519	2 fascicles	Treatise-source for the parables, overweening pride, predictions, unsurpassables, and powers of transmission
Kuiji 窺基 (Tang)	妙法蓮華經玄贊, Profound Praise of the Lotus	T34n1723	10 fascicles	Principal lens of exposition; chapter-by-chapter commentary, structure, and terminology
Huizhao 慧沼 (Tang)	法華玄贊義決	T34n1724	1 fascicle	Cien continuation and resolution of questions, used only where the extant text bears on a chapter
Kuiji 窺基 (Tang)	大乘法苑義林章, Forest of Categories of the Mahāyāna Dharma-Garden	T45n1861	7 fascicles	Fivefold consciousness-only contemplation, three natures, lineages, and related doctrinal coordinates
Kuiji 窺基 (Tang)	般若波羅蜜多心經幽贊	T33n1710	2 fascicles	Cien witness for the fivefold consciousness-only contemplation

III. Tiantai Ancient Masters

Author	Work	Canon no.	Role in this edition
Zhiyi 智顗 (Sui)	妙法蓮華經玄義	T33n1716	Tiantai interpretation of the title, fivefold analysis, and Trace/Origin structure
Zhiyi 智顗 (Sui)	妙法蓮華經文句	T34n1718	Chapter-by-chapter outline, parables, and fourfold modes of interpretation
Zhiyi 智顗 (Sui)	摩訶止觀	T46n1911	Tiantai contemplation and practice where actually cross-read
Zhanran 湛然 (Tang)	法華文句記	T34n1719	Continuation of Zhiyi's Words and Phrases
Zhanran 湛然 (Tang)	止觀輔行傳弘決	T46n1912	Continuation of the Great Calming and Contemplation

IV. Sanlun Ancient Masters

Author	Work	Canon no.	Role in this edition
Jizang 吉藏 (Sui)	法華玄論	T34n1720	Sanlun discussions of structure, purport, and chapter placement
Jizang 吉藏 (Sui)	法華義疏	T34n1721	Chapter-by-chapter explanations, parables, stages, and textual sequence

V. Prefaces and Formation-History Material

The Taishō arrangement of T262 also preserves Daoxuan's preface to the transmission of the Lotus, Seng Rui's postface, two Ming imperial prefaces, and paratext associated with a stand-alone Universal Gateway. They do not enter the twenty-eight-chapter Source-Text. They are cited at their actual locations only where they bear on supplementation, the translator attribution of the Universal Gateway verse, or the arrangement of the canon record.

VI. Sanskrit and Tibetan Scope

No modern Sanskrit edition or modern scholar functions as textual authority for this edition. Where an ancient master explicitly transmits a sound-form, compares a Sanskrit witness, or explains a title, romanization may serve as a pronunciation aid. Tibetan and modern manuscript materials do not decide the wording of this edition; if noted for inventory, their limited role must be stated.

索引Indices

本索引依羅什本七卷二十八品與本版實際檔路編成，只供導航，不另立科判。點品名可進入該品五層讀本。

一、七卷二十八品

卷	品	主題速覽
一	一序品	現瑞、彌勒問、文殊答、日月燈明佛本事
一	二方便品	一大事、十如是、一乘與方便
二	三譬喻品	火宅喻、三車一車、舍利弗授記
二	四信解品	窮子喻、四大聲聞領解
三	五藥草喻品	一雨普潤、三草二木
三	六授記品	四大聲聞別別授記
三	七化城喻品	大通智勝佛、宿世結緣、化城喻
四	八五百弟子受記品	五百弟子授記、衣珠喻
四	九授學無學人記品	阿難、羅睺羅與二千人授記
四	十法師品	五種法師、衣座室、弘經
四	十一見寶塔品	多寶塔、二佛並坐、勸持
四	十二提婆達多品	提婆授記、龍女成佛、成立史
四	十三勸持品	菩薩發願、忍難弘經
五	十四安樂行品	四安樂行、髻珠喻
五	十五從地踊出品	地涌菩薩、彌勒疑問
五	十六如來壽量品	久遠實成、醫子喻、非實非虛
五	十七分別功德品	聞壽量得益、信解與受持
六	十八隨喜功德品	五十展轉隨喜、功德校量
六	十九法師功德品	六根清淨、八百與千二百功德
六	二十常不輕菩薩品	禮拜四眾、皆當作佛
六	二十一如來神力品	神力、四句要法、勸信付囑
六	二十二囑累品	摩頂付囑、品次異同
六	二十三藥王菩薩本事品	燒身燃臂、真法供養、聞品功德
七	二十四妙音菩薩品	十六三昧、現種種身
七	二十五觀世音菩薩普門品	稱名脫難、普門示現、重頌文本史
七	二十六陀羅尼品	五番陀羅尼、護持法師
七	二十七妙莊嚴王本事品	二子化父、善知識、功德勝力
七	二十八普賢菩薩勸發品	四法、六牙白象、勸發護經、結經

二、每品固定檔路

每品目錄名為 NN_slug，其中 NN 即羅什品次。每一目錄固定有九檔：

NN_slug_source.md——原典；
NN_slug_baihua_zh.md／_en.md——白話；
NN_slug_yishu_zh.md／_en.md——義疏；
NN_slug_apparatus_zh.md／_en.md——考據；
NN_slug_xinyao_zh.md／_en.md——心要。

三、卷首導航

四、典據速查

類	藏經號	用途
底本	T09n0262	羅什七卷二十八品
異譯	T09n0263	竺法護十卷二十七品
添品	T09n0264	闍那崛多共笈多七卷二十七品
論本	T26n1519	世親《法華論》
慈恩主疏	T34n1723	窺基《法華玄贊》
慈恩承衍	T34n1724	慧沼《法華玄贊義決》
天台	T33n1716 · T34n1718	智顗《玄義》《文句》
三論	T34n1720 · T34n1721	吉藏《玄論》《義疏》

This index follows the seven fascicles and twenty-eight chapters of Kumārajīva's recension and the edition's actual file paths. It is a navigation surface, not a new doctrinal outline. Select a chapter title to enter its five-layer reading set.

I. Seven Fascicles · Twenty-Eight Chapters

Fascicle	Chapter	Guide to content
1	1. Introduction	Portents; Maitreya's question; Mañjuśrī's answer; Sun-Moon-Lamp-Radiance Buddha
1	2. Skillful Means	One great cause; ten suchnesses; One Vehicle and skillful means
2	3. The Parable	Burning house; three carts and one cart; Śāriputra's prediction
2	4. Faith and Understanding	Poor-son parable; understanding of the four great listeners
3	5. The Parable of the Medicinal Herbs	One rain; three herbs and two trees
3	6. Bestowal of Predictions	Individual predictions for the four great listeners
3	7. The Parable of the Conjured City	Great-Penetrating-Wisdom-Victory Buddha; past affinities; conjured city
4	8. The Five Hundred Disciples Receive Their Predictions	Predictions for five hundred disciples; jewel in the robe
4	9. Predictions for Those in Training and Beyond Training	Predictions for Ānanda, Rāhula, and two thousand others
4	10. The Dharma Teacher	Five kinds of Dharma teacher; robe, seat, and chamber; transmission
4	11. Beholding the Jeweled Stūpa	Many Treasures' stūpa; two buddhas seated together; exhortation to uphold
4	12. Devadatta	Devadatta's prediction; the dragon girl's buddhahood; formation history
4	13. Exhortation to Uphold the Sutra	Bodhisattvas' vows; enduring hardship to transmit the sutra
5	14. Peaceful Practices	Four peaceful practices; jewel in the topknot
5	15. Emerging from the Earth	Bodhisattvas emerging from below; Maitreya's question
5	16. The Lifespan of the Tathāgata	Distant awakening; physician's children; neither empty nor false
5	17. Distinguishing Qualities	Benefits of hearing the lifespan; faith, understanding, and upholding
6	18. The Qualities of Joyful Acceptance	Fifty successive hearers; comparison of qualities
6	19. The Qualities of the Dharma Teacher	Purification of the six faculties; eight hundred and twelve hundred qualities
6	20. The Bodhisattva Never Disparaging	Bowing to the fourfold assembly; “you shall all become buddhas”
6	21. The Supernormal Powers of the Tathāgata	Supernormal powers; four essential statements; entrustment
6	22. Entrustment	Touching the crown; threefold entrustment; differences in chapter order
6	23. The Former Affairs of the Bodhisattva Medicine King	Burning of the body and arms; true Dharma-offering; qualities of hearing
7	24. The Bodhisattva Wonderful Sound	Sixteen samādhis; manifesting many bodies
7	25. The Universal Gateway of the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds (Guanshiyin)	Rescue through calling the name; universal manifestation; textual history of the verse
7	26. Dhāraṇī	Five sets of dhāraṇī; protection of Dharma teachers
7	27. The Former Affairs of King Wonderful-Adornment	Two sons transform their father; good spiritual friends; power of qualities
7	28. The Encouragement of the Bodhisattva Universally Worthy (Samantabhadra)	Four dharmas; six-tusked white elephant; protection and conclusion

II. Fixed Files in Every Chapter

Each chapter directory is named NN_slug, where NN is Kumārajīva's chapter number. Every directory contains nine files:

NN_slug_source.md — Source-Text;
NN_slug_baihua_zh.md / _en.md — Vernacular;
NN_slug_yishu_zh.md / _en.md — Exposition;
NN_slug_apparatus_zh.md / _en.md — Apparatus;
NN_slug_xinyao_zh.md / _en.md — Heart-Essence.

III. Front-Matter Navigation

IV. Canonical Sources at a Glance

Class	Canon no.	Use
Base	T09n0262	Kumārajīva's 7 fascicles and 28 chapters
Alternate translation	T09n0263	Dharmarakṣa's 10 fascicles and 27 chapters
Supplemented translation	T09n0264	Jñānagupta and Dharmagupta's 7 fascicles and 27 chapters
Treatise	T26n1519	Vasubandhu's Treatise on the Lotus Sutra
Principal Cien commentary	T34n1723	Kuiji's Profound Praise of the Lotus
Cien continuation	T34n1724	Huizhao's 法華玄贊義決
Tiantai	T33n1716 · T34n1718	Zhiyi's Profound Meaning and Words and Phrases
Sanlun	T34n1720 · T34n1721	Jizang's Profound Treatise and Commentary on the Meaning

題署Colophon

一、題署

《妙法蓮華經》譯注

底本　姚秦鳩摩羅什譯《妙法蓮華經》，T09n0262，七卷二十八品。
譯注　釋慧鏡（Shi Huijing）。
叢書　指月 · 漢傳經論譯注。
成書　二〇二六年夏。
型制　逐品五層讀本：原典、白話、義疏、考據、心要；原典存古漢語，其餘四層各具中、英文本。
狀態　二十八品及雙語卷首資料建竣之工作版；最終全卷通讀與出版印可尚未完成。
授權　CC BY-NC-SA 4.0（姓名標示 · 非商業性 · 相同方式分享）。

二、引用格式

完整格式請具品次、品名、層名與底本頁錨：

釋慧鏡《妙法蓮華經譯注》品十六〈如來壽量品〉· 義疏 · 指月 · 二〇二六夏〔T09 0042b〕。

略式：

釋慧鏡《妙法蓮華經譯注》品〔品次〕〈品名〉·〔層〕· 指月 · 二〇二六夏〔T09 PPPP〕。

層名：原典／白話／義疏／考據／心要。
底本：全書藏經號作 T09n0262；引用實句另加實際頁欄行。
異譯或古德：引用考據層中的 T263、T264 或古德引文時，應保留該條自身藏經號與頁錨，不改寫為 T262。

三、版本說明

本版以羅什 T262 為唯一底本，以竺法護 T263 與《添品》T264 為對校本；以窺基《法華玄贊》T1723 為主要義疏鏡，並列智顗、吉藏等古德異釋。考據只以經與古德作權威典據。羅馬字只作發音輔助，不以近代梵文校本重建經文或陀羅尼。

本版雖已備齊二十八品與雙語卷首資料，檔案齊備仍不能代替譯者的全卷通讀或義理裁決。因此本題署如實標作工作版，不以「建竣」代稱 v1.0。

本版不是重譯以取代羅什，也不把一家注疏取代經文；所作是守住原典，使三譯與古德的證據各還其位，並為今人建立可分層進入、可回查出處的讀本。

釋慧鏡 · 指月 · 法華 · 卷首題署 · 2026 夏

I. Colophon

Saddharmapuṇḍarīka (Lotus Sutra): A Translation with Annotation

Base text — Kumārajīva's 妙法蓮華經, T09n0262, in seven fascicles and twenty-eight chapters.
Translation and annotation — Shi Huijing 釋慧鏡.
Series — Zhiyue 指月 · Han-canon Translations with Annotation.
Compiled — Summer 2026.
Form — A five-layer reading set for each chapter: Source-Text, Vernacular, Exposition, Apparatus, and Heart-Essence. The Source-Text remains in classical Chinese; the other four layers are available in Chinese and English.
Status — A complete working edition of the twenty-eight chapters and bilingual front matter. The final holistic reading and publication approval have not yet been completed.
License — CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (Attribution · NonCommercial · ShareAlike).

II. Citation

A full citation should identify chapter number, chapter title, layer, and base-text locus:

Shi Huijing, Miaofa lianhua jing yizhu (The Lotus Sutra: A Translation with Annotation), ch. 16, “The Lifespan of the Tathāgata” · Exposition · Zhiyue · Summer 2026 〔T09 0042b〕.

Short form:

Shi Huijing, Miaofa lianhua jing yizhu, ch. N, “{chapter title}” · {layer} · Zhiyue · Summer 2026 〔T09 PPPP〕.

Layer — Source-Text / Vernacular / Exposition / Apparatus / Heart-Essence.
Base text — T09n0262 identifies Kumārajīva's complete recension; a quotation should also give its actual page-column-line locus.
Alternate translations and masters — when citing T263, T264, or an ancient commentary from the Apparatus, retain that item's own canon number and locus rather than recasting it as T262.

III. Edition Note

This edition takes Kumārajīva's T262 as its sole base text, Dharmarakṣa's T263 and the supplemented T264 as collation witnesses, and Kuiji's T1723 as the principal lens of exposition, alongside the distinct readings of Zhiyi, Jizang, and other ancient masters. Scripture and ancient commentary define the authority base. Romanization serves only as a pronunciation aid and is not used to reconstruct scripture or dhāraṇī from a modern Sanskrit edition.

The twenty-eight chapters and bilingual reader materials are complete, but completeness cannot replace the translator's holistic reading or a doctrinal decision. This colophon therefore names the present state as a working edition; completion of its files is not represented as a v1.0 seal.

The purpose is neither to replace Kumārajīva nor to make one commentary stand in place of the sutra. It is to preserve the source, keep the three translations and ancient masters in their proper places, and offer a layered reading whose evidence remains open to inspection.

Shi Huijing · 指月 · Saddharmapuṇḍarīka · Colophon · Summer 2026