妙法蓮華經玄義 私記緣起
若等到全懂才肯傳，許多法會隨人一起消失；若把一遍所聞說成無缺，傳下去的又不再是所聞。
灌頂站在這兩難之間。他走過建業、江陵、台嶺，往返近萬里，前後補接仍只聽過一遍。未聞的再也無從聞，已聞的也未盡明；老師示寂，連第二次、第三次請問都不可能。他沒有藏起這些缺口，而把缺口寫在十卷之先。
正因如此，十卷不是『我已全懂』的證書，而是『不忍斯言墜失』的承擔。樹上、石上可以寫，田間、聚落可以說；共同的界線只有一條：依自己所聞，隨力傳給尚未得聞的人。
傳承最怕的，不一定是不完整；更怕的是用想像假裝完整。灌頂既加入經論證言，也標出諸師異解，並把自己的整理明白交代。所聞、所加、未聞，各有位置，文字才不冒充老師，記者也不躲在老師身後。
所以，私記緣起留下的心要是一種克制的慈悲：不因自己未盡明便讓法墜失，也不因急著救法便越過所聞。守住這條線，十卷文字才真正成為甘露之門。
Is hearing something only once enough reason to leave behind ten fascicles? If we refuse to transmit until we understand everything, much Dharma will disappear together with the people who heard it. If we call a single hearing complete, however, what is passed on is no longer what was heard.
Guanding stood between these two dangers. He traveled through Jianye, Jiangling, and the Tiantai Mountains, journeying back and forth for nearly ten thousand li, yet after joining the fragments together he had still heard the teaching only once. What he had not heard could no longer be heard, and what he had heard he had not fully understood. The teacher had passed away, so even a second or third opportunity to ask was impossible. Guanding did not hide these gaps; he wrote them before the ten fascicles.
For that very reason, the ten fascicles are not a certificate declaring, “I understand it all.” They are an undertaking born of being unable to bear that these words should be lost. One may write upon trees and stones, and speak in fields and villages; the shared boundary is a single one: transmit to those who have not heard, according to what one has heard and to the extent of one's ability.
What threatens transmission most is not necessarily incompleteness. More dangerous is using imagination to pretend to completeness. Guanding added reliable words from scriptures and treatises, set out the differing explanations of earlier masters, and plainly disclosed his own work of arrangement. What was heard, what was added, and what remained unheard each have their place. Only then does the writing cease to impersonate the teacher, and the recorder cease to hide behind him.
The heart-essence of these privately recorded origins is therefore a compassion shaped by restraint: do not let the Dharma disappear merely because one's own understanding is incomplete, and do not overstep what was heard in the urgency to save it. When this line is kept, the ten fascicles of writing truly become a gate of ambrosia.
隋天台智者大師說《妙法蓮華經玄義》〔私記緣起＝沙門灌頂述〕· 大正藏 T33n1716〔起 T33 0681a03〕。段/行首〔T33 …〕＝大正藏頁·欄·行錨（換頁一枚）。
〔T33 0681a03〕法華私記緣起 沙門灌頂述 大法東漸，《僧史》所載，詎有幾人不曾聽講，自解佛乘者乎？縱令發悟，復能入定得陀羅尼者不？縱具定慧，復帝京弘二法不？縱令盛席，謝遣徒眾隱居山谷不？縱避世守玄，被徵為二國師不？縱帝者所尊，太極對御講《仁王般若》不？縱正殿宣揚，為主上三禮不？縱令萬乘屈膝，百高座百官稱美讚歎，彈指喧殿不？縱道俗顒顒，玄悟《法華》圓意不？縱得經意，能無文字，以樂說辯，晝夜流瀉不？唯我智者，具諸功德。 幸哉灌頂，昔於建業，始聽經文；次在江陵，奉蒙玄義；晚還台嶺，仍值鶴林。荊揚往復，途將萬里，前後補接，纔聞一遍。非但未聞不聞，亦乃聞者未了，卷舒鑽仰，彌覺堅高，猶恨緣淺，不再不三，諮詢無地，如犢思乳。並復惟念：斯言若墜，將來可悲。《涅槃》明若樹若石，今經稱若田若里，聿遵聖典，書而傳之，《玄》、《文》各十卷。或以經論誠言，符此深妙；或標諸師異解，驗彼非圓。後代行者，知甘露門之在茲。
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.
灌頂所述的記錄緣起
這一篇是沙門灌頂所述的《法華》私記緣起。
佛教大法逐漸傳到東土以來，僧人史傳所記載的人物中，哪裡真有幾位不曾先聽別人講說，便能自己領解佛乘的人呢？
即使姑且承認有人能夠由修學而開發悟解，他又能進入禪定，並在定中得到總持嗎？
即使姑且承認有人同時具足禪定與智慧，他又能在帝都把這定、慧二法弘揚開來嗎？
即使姑且承認有人法席盛大、聽眾雲集，他又能辭謝並遣散徒眾，獨自退隱山谷嗎？
即使姑且承認有人能避開世間名利、守持深玄之道，他又會受到兩個朝廷徵召，被尊為兩國之師嗎？
即使姑且承認有人受到帝王尊重，他又能在太極殿面對君主，講說《仁王般若》嗎？
即使姑且承認有人能在正殿宣揚佛法，他又能使君主親自向他行三次敬禮嗎？
即使姑且承認萬乘之主能向他屈膝，一百位高座法師與滿朝百官又會一同稱美讚歎，以彈指隨喜之聲響滿殿堂嗎？
即使姑且承認出家、在家大眾都肅然仰望，他們又能由此深深領悟《法華經》圓滿的旨意嗎？
即使姑且承認有人真正得到經意，他又能不依賴預先寫定的文字，單憑樂說無礙的辯才，使法義日夜不斷地流瀉而出嗎？
只有我的老師智者大師，具足了上面所說的種種功德。
從建業、江陵到台嶺
灌頂自念：我是何等有幸。從前在建業，我才開始聽聞《法華經》的經文講說；後來到了江陵，承蒙大師傳授《法華玄義》；再後來回到台嶺，又正逢鶴林示寂之時。
我在荊州與揚州之間來回奔波，路程約近萬里；前後所得片段彼此補接，總共也僅僅聽過一遍。不只那些尚未說出、從此再也無從聽聞的部分，終究不能聽到；即使已經聽到的內容，我也還沒有完全明白。
一次次展開、收起卷帙，反覆鑽研，向上仰求，我越讀越覺得其中義理堅實而高深。只恨自己的法緣太淺，不能再聽第二遍、第三遍；大師已逝，再也沒有地方可以請問決疑，正如幼犢思念母乳一般。
為了使所聞不墜
我又想到：這些教言若就此墜失，對將來的人實在可悲。《大般涅槃經》說，應把所聞寫在樹上、石上；現在這部《法華經》又說，應在田間、聚落，依自己所聞而隨力為人演說。我於是遵循這兩部聖典所示的傳授之法，把所聞寫下來，傳給後人，編成《法華玄義》與《法華文句》，各十卷。
在所記的大師言說之外，我有時取經論中真實可信的原句，證明這些深妙義理彼此相符；有時標出諸位舊師的不同解說，用來顯明那些解說何以未能圓滿。如此，後代行者便能知道甘露門就在此處。
Guanding's Account of How the Record Came to Be
This piece is the monk Guanding's account of the origins of his private record of the Lotus Sutra teachings.
Since the great Dharma of Buddhism gradually spread eastward, how many people recorded in the histories of the saṅgha have truly been able to understand the Buddha Vehicle by themselves, without first hearing another person explain it?
Even granting that someone could develop awakening and understanding through study and practice, could he also enter meditative concentration and, within that concentration, attain dhāraṇī?
Even granting that someone possessed both meditative concentration and wisdom, could he also propagate these two dharmas of concentration and wisdom in the imperial capital?
Even granting that someone's Dharma assemblies were grand and drew crowds of listeners, could he also take leave of and dismiss his disciples, then withdraw alone into the mountain valleys?
Even granting that someone could avoid worldly fame and profit and preserve the profound path, would he also be summoned by two courts and honored as teacher of two realms?
Even granting that someone received an emperor's esteem, could he also expound the Prajñā of the Benevolent Kings before the sovereign in the Taiji Hall?
Even granting that someone could proclaim the Buddha-Dharma in the main palace hall, could he also cause the sovereign personally to bow to him three times in reverence?
Even granting that the lord of ten thousand chariots could bend his knees before him, would a hundred eminent Dharma masters and the entire court of officials also voice their praise together, filling the hall with the sound of fingers snapped in rejoicing?
Even granting that the monastic and lay assemblies all looked up to him in solemn reverence, could they thereby deeply awaken to the complete meaning of the Lotus Sutra?
Even granting that someone had truly grasped the sutra's meaning, could he also dispense with a previously written text and, through unobstructed eloquence and delight in teaching alone, pour forth the Dharma's meaning without cease by day or night?
Only my teacher, Master Zhiyi, possessed all the virtues described above.
From Jianye and Jiangling to the Tiantai Mountains
Guanding reflected: How fortunate I am. Formerly, in Jianye, I first began to hear lectures on the words of the Lotus Sutra. Later, at Jiangling, I was graced with the master's transmission of the Fahua Xuanyi. Still later, when I returned to the Tiantai Mountains, I encountered the time of his passing into extinction, figured as the Crane Grove.
I traveled back and forth between Jingzhou and Yangzhou, covering nearly ten thousand li. The fragments I received at different times supplemented one another, yet altogether I heard the teaching only once. Not only would I never hear the portions that had not yet been spoken and now could no longer be heard; even what I had heard I still did not fully understand.
Opening and closing the fascicles again and again, studying them repeatedly and looking upward in quest, the more I read, the more I found their principles firm and profound. I regretted only that my affinity with the Dharma was so shallow that I could not hear the teaching a second or third time. The master had passed away; nowhere could I put my questions and resolve my doubts, just as a young calf longs for its mother's milk.
So That What Was Heard Would Not Be Lost
I further reflected: if these teachings were now to fall away and disappear, it would be truly lamentable for people of the future. The Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says that one should write what one has heard upon trees and stones. This Lotus Sutra says in turn that one should teach others in fields and villages, according to what one has heard and to the extent of one's ability. I therefore followed the manner of transmission shown in these two sacred scriptures, wrote down what I had heard, and passed it on to later generations, compiling the Fahua Xuanyi and the Fahua Wenju, ten fascicles each.
In addition to the master's words that I recorded, I sometimes drew on genuine and trustworthy lines from scriptures and treatises to show that they accord with these profound and wondrous principles. At other times I set out the differing explanations of earlier masters to make clear why those explanations had not reached completeness. In this way, practitioners of later generations would know that the gate of ambrosia is here.
灌頂寫《法華私記緣起》，一開始沒有說自己記得多麼完整，反而先問：古來能夠不經聽講而自解佛乘，又次第具足定慧、弘法、退隱、受請、對御、受禮、感眾與無礙樂說的人，究竟有幾個？十問一路推高，末後才結在智者一人。
可是，當文章從老師轉回記者自己，語氣立刻改變。師德如此高，自己卻只在建業、江陵、台嶺之間前後補接，纔聞一遍；老師一逝，連第二次、第三次重問都不可能。這就逼出全篇真正的難題：所受既少、所疑未決，為什麼還要寫？
十重反問，問的不是十件奇事
第一問從不曾聽講而自解佛乘起。這是悟解。第二問把悟解推到入定與總持，問解是否落到身心實證。第三問再把定慧推向帝京弘化，問所得是否能成為教人之法。第四問卻忽然轉向辭眾隱居：法席盛大之後，能不能放下盛名？第五問再從避世守玄轉向兩朝徵請：不求人知的人，是否反而因德而被請？
後五問把弘法場景推到極處。太極殿上對御講經，君主親行三禮，萬乘屈膝，百高座與百官讚歎，殿中彈指聲起；然而外在盛況仍不是終點。第九問問道俗能否玄悟《法華》圓意，第十問更問能否不憑成文而以樂說辯才晝夜流瀉。由悟、證、弘、捨、徵、講、敬、感，最後落到使人悟經與自在說法，十問其實是一條不斷加深的檢驗。
所以，唯我智者不是孤立的讚語。它承接的是十次『即使前一項成立，下一項又如何』的追問。若只摘取太極、萬乘、百官等盛事，便會把文章讀成聲望記錄；十問真正要確立的，是這一部玄義所從出的師德：有悟、有證，能說、能化，也能辭榮守道。
師越高，記者為何越要自陳不足
灌頂接著說幸哉，不是自誇自己得聞最全，而是慶幸在分散因緣中仍曾親承言教。他在建業先聽經文，在江陵蒙受玄義，晚還台嶺便逢鶴林。路近萬里，所聞前後補接，總共只有一遍。空間走得很遠，聽受卻仍很少；這一反差使『幸』與『恨』同時成立。
未聞的有兩重缺口：有些教說從未聽到，此後也再無可聞；已聽到的，又未必全都明白。灌頂展卷、舒卷，反覆鑽研，越讀越見義理堅高；讀得越深，反而越知道自己尚未透徹。真正的謙辭不是把所得說成沒有，而是把已聞、未聞、已了、未了分開，不讓一遍聽受冒充無缺傳本。
如犢思乳，把這份不足變成一幅可見的圖。幼犢所求不是一般飲食，而是生命所依之乳；弟子所求也不是多添談資，而是要向老師再問義理。然而老師已入鶴林，諮詢無地。文章至此沒有以神會補問，也沒有假託師意填空，只留下欲問而無處可問的真實。
既不能再問，寫作會不會反而失真
灌頂的回答，不是說自己已能代替老師，而是把不寫的後果擺出來：這些教言若墜失，將來的人連聽見的機會都沒有。保留不完整的所聞，與把不完整偽裝成完整，是兩件相反的事。前者承認界線而救其不墜，後者抹去界線而另造所聞。
樹、石與田、里因此成為全篇的轉軸。前一部經說把所得之偈寫在石壁等處，這一部經說在聚落田里依所聞而隨力演說。寫與說的共同原則，不是越多越好，而是讓所聞抵達尚未得聞的人。灌頂由此遵循聖典，把《玄義》《文句》各成十卷。文字在這裡不是為記者立名，而是替未來保留一個仍可進入的門。
這也解釋為何他把受聞不足寫在書首。若只留下十卷而刪去『纔聞一遍』，後人會把文字的完成誤作聽受的無缺；如今缺口與成書同時傳下，讀者便知道何處可據、何處須慎。傳承的可信，正建立在記者沒有隱去自己的限度。
所加的經論與異解，為何仍屬忠實記錄
灌頂最後說，記錄中有時加入經論誠言，使之與深妙義理相符；有時標出諸師異解，用來顯示何者未圓。這不是把老師的講說與自己的整理混成一層，而是公開交代自己做過什麼：一面用聖言證成，一面保存異說以供辨別。
這一交代使全篇從口授走向可查的文字。師說不是因被寫下便免於覆核，記者也不因親承便隱去整理痕跡。經論證言、諸師異解與大師玄義各有作用；把層次說清，後代行者才不會把記者所加全當大師原話，也不會因有整理便否定所記。
末句甘露門把十問、萬里與十卷收在一處。
釋籤之眼
上來依灌頂自敘而讀。湛然《法華玄義釋籤》再把題義、名物與傳述層次照亮。
第一，私記不是祕密筆記，而是章安在江陵自記大師所說、不與他共；緣起則述所記之興致與教法所由。湛然先分師德、傳述，再把傳述分為所受功微、益於當來、添助勸信三層，故幸哉與緣淺同屬一事。
第二，發悟連大蘇道場之悟解，陀羅尼訓總持；定慧承發悟與入定，盛席是盛弘二法。山谷由釋家落到華頂、佛壟、唐溪，二國徵請落到陳、隋，太極是陳朝正殿。這些是鏡中補足，不倒作灌頂原句。
第三，將訓約近；未聞不聞兼指教說未終而終無從聞；不再不三則因大師滅後不能重聞。若樹若石指雪山童子傳半偈，若田若里指〈隨喜功德品〉在聚落田里隨力演說。
最後，湛然以實相常住如不死甘露、釋妙法能通實相而名門。鏡沒有替灌頂補成第二遍聽受，只使師德、受聞、傳述與添助各守其位；私記的可信，正在明記所傳，也明記所限。
這份分層也使後人能受其法，而不把敬信變成增飾。
When Guanding wrote the Privately Recorded Origins of the Lotus, he did not begin by claiming that his record was complete. Instead, he first asked: among people of the past, how many understood the Buddha Vehicle without having heard it taught, and then successively possessed concentration and wisdom, propagated the Dharma, withdrew into seclusion, received imperial summons, taught before the sovereign, received his reverence, moved the assembly, and spoke with unobstructed eloquence? The ten questions rise one after another; only at the end do they converge upon Zhiyi alone.
Yet when the writing turns from the teacher back to the recorder himself, its tone changes at once. The teacher's virtue was so lofty, while Guanding had received the teaching only in fragments as he traveled among Jianye, Jiangling, and the Tiantai Mountains, hearing it but once. After the teacher's passing, even a second or third opportunity to ask again was impossible. This produces the real difficulty of the whole piece: if what he received was slight and his unresolved questions remained, why write at all?
Ten Questions, Not Ten Isolated Marvels
The first question begins with understanding the Buddha Vehicle without having heard it taught. This concerns awakened understanding. The second carries that understanding into meditative concentration and dhāraṇī, asking whether understanding has taken root as realization in body and mind. The third carries concentration and wisdom onward into propagation at the imperial capital, asking whether attainment can become a Dharma that teaches others. The fourth suddenly turns toward dismissing the assembly and withdrawing into seclusion: after the Dharma seat has flourished, can one let go of renown? The fifth turns again, from avoiding the world and preserving the profound toward summons from two courts: is one who does not seek recognition instead invited precisely because of his virtue?
The final five questions press the scene of teaching to its limit. He lectures on a sutra before the sovereign in the Taiji Hall; the ruler personally bows three times; the lord of ten thousand chariots bends his knees; a hundred eminent Dharma masters and a hundred officials offer praise; and the sound of fingers snapped in rejoicing fills the hall. Yet this outward splendor is still not the destination. The ninth question asks whether monastics and laity can awaken to the complete meaning of the Lotus. The tenth asks further whether, without relying on a written text, one can pour forth the Dharma day and night through eloquence and delight in teaching. From awakening, realization, propagation, relinquishment, summons, and exposition through reverence and the moving of others, the sequence finally arrives at enabling people to awaken to the sutra and teaching it freely. The ten questions are in fact a single test that continually deepens.
Thus, “only my Zhiyi” is not an isolated expression of praise. It answers ten successive inquiries of the form, “Even if the preceding quality is granted, what of the next?” If one extracts only the grand events—the Taiji Hall, the lord of ten thousand chariots, and the hundred officials—the piece becomes a record of prestige. What the questions truly establish is the teacherly virtue from which this Profound Meaning issued: awakening and realization, the capacity to teach and transform, and the capacity to relinquish honor and preserve the path.
The Higher the Teacher, the More the Recorder Must Declare His Limits
When Guanding next says that he was fortunate, he is not boasting that he heard the teaching in its entirety. He is celebrating the fact that, amid dispersed conditions, he nevertheless directly received it. In Jianye he first heard the sutra text; in Jiangling he received the Profound Meaning; when he returned late to the Tiantai Mountains, he encountered the Crane Grove. He traveled nearly ten thousand li, yet what he heard in connected fragments amounted to only a single hearing. The great distance traveled and the small amount received stand in contrast, allowing “fortunate” and “regret” to be true at once.
What remained unheard had two dimensions: some teachings he had never heard and would never have another chance to hear; even what he had heard he did not necessarily understand completely. Guanding opened and closed the fascicles and investigated them repeatedly. The more deeply he read, the more clearly he saw the principles' firmness and height; the more deeply he read, the more he knew that he had not yet penetrated them. Genuine humility does not erase what one has received. It distinguishes heard from unheard and understood from not yet understood, refusing to let a single hearing masquerade as an unbroken transmission.
The image of a calf longing for milk makes this insufficiency visible. What the calf seeks is not ordinary food but the milk on which its life depends; what the disciple seeks is not additional material for discussion but another chance to ask the teacher about the meaning. Yet the teacher had entered the Crane Grove, and there was nowhere to make inquiries. The piece does not replace those missing questions with mystical communion, nor does it fabricate the teacher's intent to fill the gaps. It simply leaves the truth of wanting to ask and having nowhere to ask.
If He Could No Longer Ask, Would Writing Not Distort the Teaching?
Guanding's answer is not that he could now take the teacher's place. Instead, he sets out what would follow from not writing: if these teachings were lost, people of the future would not even have an opportunity to hear them. Preserving what one heard incompletely and disguising the incomplete as complete are opposite acts. The first acknowledges a boundary while saving the teaching from loss; the second erases the boundary and invents what was heard.
Trees and stones, fields and villages, therefore become the pivot of the whole piece. One scripture says to write the verse one has received on stone walls and elsewhere; this sutra says to teach in settlements and fields according to what one has heard and to the extent of one's ability. The shared principle of writing and speaking is not that more is always better, but that what was heard should reach those who have not yet heard. Guanding accordingly followed the sacred texts and made the Xuanyi and Wenju into ten fascicles each. Writing here does not establish the recorder's fame. It preserves for the future a gate through which one may still enter.
This also explains why he placed the limitations of his reception at the beginning of the book. Had he left only the ten fascicles and deleted “heard only once,” later readers might have mistaken the completion of the written work for completeness in hearing. Because the gap and the finished book have instead been transmitted together, readers know what can be relied upon and where caution is required. The transmission is trustworthy precisely because the recorder did not conceal his limits.
Why the Added Scriptural Evidence and Divergent Explanations Remain Faithful Record
At the end, Guanding says that he sometimes added trustworthy words from scriptures and treatises so that they would accord with the profound and wondrous principles; at other times he set out the differing explanations of various masters to show where they had not reached completeness. This does not mix the teacher's exposition and the recorder's editorial work into one layer. It openly states what the recorder did: on one side, using sacred words as evidence; on the other, preserving divergent accounts for discernment.
This disclosure carries the teaching from oral transmission into verifiable writing. The teacher's words do not become exempt from checking merely because they were written down, and the recorder does not hide the traces of his arrangement merely because he received them personally. Scriptural evidence, the divergent explanations of earlier masters, and the master's Profound Meaning each have their own work to do. Only when their layers are made clear will later practitioners avoid treating everything added by the recorder as the master's original words, while also avoiding the rejection of the record merely because it was arranged.
The final phrase, “gate of ambrosia,” gathers the ten questions, the ten thousand li, and the ten fascicles into one place.
Through the Eye of the Shiqian
The reading above has followed Guanding's own account. Zhanran's Fahua Xuanyi Shiqian further illuminates the meanings of the title, the names and terms, and the layers of transmission.
First, “private record” does not mean secret notes. Zhang'an Guanding recorded for himself at Jiangling what the master had taught, without sharing the work with others; “origins” states the impetus for the record and the source from which the teaching arose. Zhanran first distinguishes the teacher's virtue from the work of transmission, then divides transmission into three layers: the slightness of what was received, benefit for the future, and supplementary assistance that encourages trust. Thus, being fortunate and having shallow affinities belong to one and the same matter.
Second, the development of awakening is connected to awakened understanding at the Dasu practice site, while dhāraṇī is glossed as comprehensive retention. Concentration and wisdom follow from awakening and entering concentration, and the flourishing assembly means the vigorous propagation of these two dharmas. The mountain valleys are specified in the mirror as Huading, Folong, and Tangxi; summons from two realms are specified as Chen and Sui; and Taiji is identified as the principal hall of the Chen court. These are supplements supplied in the mirror, not words retroactively placed in Guanding's original sentence.
Third, “nearly” is glossed as approximate. That some teachings were unheard and could no longer be heard means that the exposition ended before all its portions had been spoken. That there was no second or third hearing means that after the master's death Guanding could neither hear the teaching again nor seek clarification. “Upon trees and stones” points to the Snow Mountains youth transmitting half a verse; “in fields and villages” points to “The Qualities of Joyful Acceptance” chapter, where one teaches according to one's ability in settlements and fields.
Finally, Zhanran explains that the true mark's permanence is like deathless ambrosia, while the explanation of the Wondrous Dharma provides access to the true mark and is therefore called a gate. The mirror does not supply Guanding with a second hearing after the fact. It only keeps the teacher's virtue, the reception of the teaching, its transmission, and the added assistance in their proper places. The private record is trustworthy because it states both what was transmitted and its limits.
This layered reading enables later people to receive the Dharma without turning reverent trust into embellishment.
考據Apparatus
本單元是灌頂自述記錄《法華玄義》之緣起。它先以十重反問總敘智者之德，次誌自己從建業、江陵至台嶺受聞未周，終以兩部經所示傳法之則，說明何以筆錄《玄義》《文句》，又交代所加經論證言與諸師異解。全篇皆在「沙門灌頂述」〔T33n1716 0681a05〕之下；所敘智者功德與言教，不因此成為智者自敘。
一、科判定位
本單元在全書五章正釋以前。其題起於「法華私記緣起」〔T33n1716 0681a03〕，正文止於「後代行者，知甘露門之在茲」〔0681a24〕；下一題「序王」〔0681a25〕已屬次單元。現存節界為 0681a03–a24，共三百八十九字。
《釋籤》先釋題中私記：「章安尊者於江陵自記大師所說，不與他共，故名為私。」〔T33n1717 0815b10〕；又以緣起為「述所記之興致，序教法之所由」〔0815b11〕。全篇總科則作：「此中先序師德及傳述之意，名為總序。次正序玄文，不過五義及本迹奧旨。」〔0815b12〕。依其逐文分科，可列五節：
| 節 | 範圍 | 本文錨語 | 內容 | 語者層 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 一 | 0681a03–a05 | 「法華私記緣起」／「沙門灌頂述」 | 標目與述者 | 題署／灌頂 |
| 二 | 0681a06–a15 | 「大法東漸」至「唯我智者」 | 十德連問，結歸智者 | 灌頂敘 |
| 三 | 0681a15–a20 | 「幸哉灌頂」至「如犢思乳」 | 自歎受聞功微 | 灌頂自敘 |
| 四 | 0681a20–a23 | 「並復惟念」至「《玄》、《文》各十卷」〔0681a22〕 | 傳述以益將來 | 灌頂自敘 |
| 五 | 0681a23–a24 | 「或以經論誠言」至「甘露門之在茲」 | 誌所加證言、異解與勸信 | 灌頂自敘 |
《釋籤》於第二節先說「初序分二：初序師德」〔0815b14〕，再以幸哉以下明傳述、唯我以下結歸智者；於後三節又說「次傳述中分三」〔0815c28〕，依次判為所受功微、傳述以益當來、添助以勸信。故十問不是散列傳記，受聞、傳述、添助也不是一事三說。
二、成立與傳本
灌頂述層次
本單元題下明署「沙門灌頂述」〔T33n1716 0681a05〕。灌頂自稱「昔於建業，始聽經文；次在江陵，奉蒙玄義；晚還台嶺，仍值鶴林」〔0681a15–a17〕，並誌「荊揚往復，途將萬里，前後補接，纔聞一遍」〔0681a17–a18〕。這些句子一面說明記者所受之地與時，一面保留其自認只聞一遍、未能再三諮決的限度。
卷首後接半卷卷題，另署「天台智者大師說」〔T33n1716 0681c28〕。一署繫本單元私記緣起，一署繫全書論文；二者分層，不互相抹去。《釋籤》也明說私記是章安在江陵自記大師所說〔0815b10〕。
《玄》《文》各十卷
灌頂自誌：「聿遵聖典，書而傳之，《玄》、《文》各十卷。」〔T33n1716 0681a22–a23〕。《玄》即今 T1716《妙法蓮華經玄義》，藏經題錄作十卷；《文》即今 T1718《妙法蓮華經文句》，亦作十卷，正文署「天台智者大師說」〔T34n1718 0001b20〕。大正本將每卷分上、下而呈二十半卷，是分冊之數，不與十卷自誌相衝。
《僧史》兩系著錄
本文只說「大法東漸，《僧史》所載」〔T33n1716 0681a06〕，沒有在此署作者與卷數。《釋籤》及兩部古代經錄保存兩系異文，並列如下：
| 文獻 | 逐字著錄 | 所見形態 |
|---|---|---|
| 《法華玄義釋籤》 | 「如宋文宣王記室王簡栖所集百卷」〔T33n1717 0815b22〕 | 宋／王簡栖／百卷 |
| 《歷代三寶紀》 | 「齊僧史十卷右一部合十卷。司徒竟陵文宣王府記室王巾撰。」〔T49n2034 0096c23–c25〕 | 齊／王巾／十卷 |
| 《大唐內典錄》 | 「僧史十卷右一部。合十卷。司徒竟陵文宣王府記室王巾撰。」〔T55n2149 0263c11–c13〕 | 齊／王巾／十卷；又著錄一十卷〔0331a25〕 |
| 《法華玄義釋籤》 | 「又嘉祥皎法師所集《高僧傳》十三卷，開為十科」〔T33n1717 0815b26〕 | 另舉慧皎《高僧傳》為僧史之例 |
| 《高僧傳》 | 「梁會稽嘉祥寺沙門釋慧皎撰」〔T50n2059 0322c05〕；「凡十科所敘，皆散在眾記」〔0419a18〕；「故述六代賢異，止為十三卷」〔0419a21〕；「右十三卷十科凡二百五十七人」〔0422b20〕 | 十三卷／十科為正文自誌 |
宋／王簡栖／百卷與齊／王巾／十卷各還其本文位置，兩形並錄而不作裁決；灌頂原句究竟專指哪一部書，現文未判。
三、所引經論覆核
本目將單元所涉古籍與經引全部並錄。本文有時是傳記事語，有時是節引或撮述；凡與今本不全同者，只誌其異，不反改《玄義》底文。
十問與《智者大師別傳》
《釋籤》說縱令以下九德「已下九德並在大師《別傳》，章安撮之用序師德。」〔T33n1717 0815b29〕。今本《別傳》可對讀之場景如下：
| 《玄義》原句 | 今本對讀 | 關係 |
|---|---|---|
| 「入定得陀羅尼」〔T33n1716 0681a07–a08〕 | 《智者大師別傳》：「所入定者法華三昧前方便也。所發持者初旋陀羅尼也。」〔T50n2050 0192a05〕 | 場景同；今本細分所入定與所發持 |
| 「自解佛乘」〔0681a07〕；「發悟」〔0681a07〕 | 「思師造金字大品經竟。自開玄義命令代講。」〔T50n2050 0192a22〕 | 代講場景；《釋籤》以此解發悟 |
| 「彈指喧殿」〔0681a13〕 | 「眾咸彈指合掌皆言聞所未聞。」〔T50n2050 0192b17〕 | 彈指讚歎場景；與太極百座非同一段 |
| 「帝京弘二法」〔0681a08〕；「盛席」〔0681a09〕 | 「請住瓦官開法華經題」〔T50n2050 0192c01〕；「停瓦官八載講大智度論。說次第禪門。」〔0192c19〕 | 建業弘化之對讀，不是本文逐字引文 |
| 「謝遣徒眾隱居山谷」〔0681a09〕 | 「仍謝遣門人曰」〔T50n2050 0192c26〕；「其後徒眾轉多得法轉少」〔0193a05〕；「吾欲從吾志。蔣山過近非避喧之處」〔0193a06–a07〕 | 謝遣與避喧的連續因由 |
| 同上 | 「寺北別峯呼為華頂」〔T50n2050 0193b01〕；「先師捨眾獨往頭陀」〔0193b02〕；「旋歸佛隴」〔0193b16〕 | 華頂、佛隴場景；《釋籤》另列唐溪 |
| 「被徵為二國師」〔0681a10〕 | 「陳宣帝有勅留連」〔T50n2050 0193a10〕；《釋籤》另說「陳少主再敕頻迎，隋文帝有敕請住」〔T33n1717 0815c11〕 | 《別傳》此處證陳朝留請；二國整句由《釋籤》說明 |
| 「太極對御講《仁王般若》」〔0681a10–a11〕 | 「立禪眾於靈耀開釋論於太極。又講仁王般若百座」〔T50n2050 0194b04〕；「陳主親筵聽法」〔0194b05〕 | 場景相應；今本經題作《佛說仁王般若波羅蜜經》〔T08n0245 0825a03〕 |
| 「百高座百官稱美讚歎」〔0681a12–a13〕 | 「天子欣然百僚盡敬。」〔T50n2050 0194b08〕 | 百僚敬讚場景；百高座的道眾對讀見《釋籤》 |
| 「為主上三禮」〔0681a11–a12〕 | 「陳主於大眾內起禮三拜。俯仰殷勤以彰敬重。」〔T50n2050 0194b21–b22〕 | 三禮／三拜兩形並錄，不判改字 |
灌頂受聞路線
| 《玄義》原句 | 今本對讀 | 關係 |
|---|---|---|
| 「昔於建業，始聽經文」〔T33n1716 0681a15–a16〕 | 《國清百錄》：「金陵光宅寺。講法華經。章安其時方年二十七歲。始聽經文。」〔T46n1934 0823b22–b23〕 | 建業／金陵同一地名層；明記章安始聽經文 |
| 「次在江陵，奉蒙玄義」〔0681a16〕 | 「至荊答地恩。造玉泉寺。章安奉蒙玄義。」〔T46n1934 0823b28〕；《佛祖統紀》作「受法華玄義於江陵玉泉」〔T49n2035 0186c08〕 | 江陵／荊／玉泉同場景；後錄只作旁證 |
| 「晚還台嶺，仍值鶴林」〔0681a16–a17〕 | 《智者大師別傳》：「石城是天台西門」〔T50n2050 0196a11〕；「開皇十七年」〔0196b26〕；「十四日未時入滅」〔0196b27〕 | 台嶺與入滅場景；鶴林是佛滅典象，不另立為地名 |
| 「前後補接，纔聞一遍」〔0681a17–a18〕 | 《釋籤》：「今雖欲記，但恨一聞而已，屬大師滅度不獲重聞」〔T33n1717 0816a15–a17〕 | 直釋傳述困境；未另見更早獨立逐字證文 |
傳授典據與書名
| 《玄義》原句 | 今本對讀 | 關係 |
|---|---|---|
| 「《涅槃》明若樹若石」〔T33n1716 0681a21〕 | 《大般涅槃經》：「然後處處，若石、若壁、若樹、若道，書寫此偈」〔T12n0374 0451a05〕；前後半偈為「諸行無常，是生滅法」〔0450a16〕、「生滅滅已，寂滅為樂」〔0451a01〕 | 倒序節取若樹、若石；《釋籤》明指雪山童子傳半偈 |
| 「今經稱若田若里」〔T33n1716 0681a21–a22〕 | 《法華經》：「若在僧坊，若空閑地，若城邑、巷陌、聚落、田里，如其所聞，為父母、宗親、善友、知識，隨力演說」〔T09n0262 0046c01〕 | 撮取聚落、田里及隨力演說場景 |
| 「《玄》、《文》各十卷」〔T33n1716 0681a22–a23〕 | 《玄》為 T1716，《文》為 T1718；《文句》正文署「天台智者大師說」〔T34n1718 0001b20〕 | 兩書題錄皆十卷；所在藏卷分屬 T33、T34 |
四、釋籤釋要〔鏡〕
《釋籤》卷首〈緣起序〉末署「君山除饉男普門子屬辭」〔T33n1717 0815a05〕，是普門子敬序；卷題後另署「天台沙門湛然述」〔0815b04〕，逐文正釋自 0815b10 起。兩層不可合稱湛然自序。
十德不是履歷平列
《釋籤》以首問為不曾聽講而自解今典，後九德則從發悟、定持，推到弘法、辭眾、徵請、對御、受禮、眾讚、悟意與無礙樂說。其逐詞要點如下：
- 大法在此「通指佛教以為大法」〔0815b16〕；東漸是佛教漸被此方。
- 佛乘在此由《釋籤》指為今典〔0815b20〕；第一問所解不泛指任一佛法名目。
- 發悟是「謂於大蘇法華道場三昧開發悟解一乘」〔0815c04〕；陀羅尼則「此云總持。」〔0815c06〕。
- 定慧一語由「發悟屬慧，入定是定。」〔0815c07〕分判；二法承上發悟、入定。
- 盛席是「盛弘定慧二法。」〔0815c08〕；「自省不能益他為謝，推眾不受曰遣。」〔0815c09〕。
- 「隱居華頂佛壟唐溪。」〔0815c10〕；「陳少主再敕頻迎，隋文帝有敕請住」〔0815c11〕。
- 太極殿即「陳朝正殿名為太極。」〔0815c13〕；「初開法筵，主上親於眾中三禮。」〔0815c15〕。
- 「天子為萬乘之主」〔0815c16〕；「百高座為道，百官為俗。」〔0815c20〕。
- 玄悟一語由「五義釋經，統收五味，故名為玄。」〔0815c21〕說明。
- 「如懸河流瀉晝夜不竭。」〔0815c23〕；「此之十德通舉悟解弘經之相」〔0815c24〕。
這一科的讀法，是讓每一問承接前問而再進一層；末句才把十德一併結歸智者。
受聞之少與傳述之必要
地名與語義方面，《釋籤》說建業「亦云建康」〔0816a02〕、「江陵即荊州也」〔0816a04〕；又以將為「猶當也」〔0816a05〕，所以「途將萬里」是約近萬里，不是將要行萬里。「非但未聞不聞」所歎，包括諸部說未終而終無從聞〔0816a08〕；「今雖欲記，但恨一聞而已」〔0816a15〕，則說明再治時無從重聞諮決。
傳述的正面理由，先是「若不記其所聞，念彼當來有不聞佛乘之苦」〔0816a19〕，再以雪山童子與隨喜品傳說聖言為證。末句「甘露門」則釋為：「實相常住如天甘露，是不死之藥。今釋妙法能通實相，故名為門。」〔0816a24〕。這裡的門，是能通入實相之教，不只是甘美的譬詞。
五、諸家異釋
清代智銓述《法華經玄籤證釋》X28n0592 是後出古注，卷一署「苕上沙門 智銓 述」〔X28n0592 0557b12〕；其逐文自「私記緣起」〔0558b13〕起，續釋雪山童子與甘露〔0560a16–a23〕。於《釋籤》「宋文宣王等」下，又夾註「〔攷史，止有齊竟陵文宣王，名子良，好佛教。簡栖，名巾。〕」〔0558c09〕。此說與前列宋／王簡栖／百卷、齊／王巾／十卷兩形並錄，不作裁決。現存《智者大師別傳》《國清百錄》及兩部經錄另提供傳記與書目對讀。
六、術語
私記。 《釋籤》以章安自記大師所說、而不與他共為私〔0815b10〕。這是筆錄關係，不是祕密著作。
緣起。 所記之興致與教法所由〔0815b11〕。本篇所說的由，正落在師德、受聞與傳述三層。
大法、佛乘。 大法在此通指佛教〔0815b16〕；佛乘在首問則由《釋籤》指向今典〔0815b20〕。兩者範圍不同。
玄義。 本文以「奉蒙玄義」〔T33n1716 0681a16〕指所受之教義；《釋籤》以「五義釋經，統收五味，故名為玄」〔T33n1717 0815c21〕說其綱攝。正文後列釋名、辨體、明宗、論用、判教五章〔T33n1716 0681c29–0682a01〕，序中只先見其傳授，不宜倒置後文全套內容於此。
陀羅尼。 《釋籤》直訓「此云總持」〔0815c06〕；《別傳》又記所發持為初旋陀羅尼〔T50n2050 0192a05〕。本段不是呪語場景。
鶴林。 本文以「仍值鶴林」〔T33n1716 0681a17〕婉誌智者入滅。它取佛滅雙樹之典，不是與建業、江陵、台嶺並列的第四處遊方地名。
甘露門。 甘露取不死，門取能通；《釋籤》以實相常住與釋妙法相連〔0816a24〕。00c 末又見「最勝脩多羅甘露之門」〔T33n1716 0681c19–c20〕，前後互照。
七、譬喻、互讀與承衍
本單元的意象集中在記法與失法。「如犢思乳」〔T33n1716 0681a20〕寫師滅後欲問無從；若樹若石、若田若里，則把聖言從石壁推向聚落田里；末以甘露之門收束，從保存文字轉為令後人得入。
與《法華經》互讀，〈隨喜功德品〉不是泛稱傳播，而明說在聚落田里「如其所聞」〔T09n0262 0046c02〕而「隨力演說」〔0046c02〕，正與灌頂自守一聞之限相應：所傳不可越過所聞。
與《摩訶止觀》互讀，兩部論的卷前序都由灌頂交代說、記、傳三層。《摩訶止觀》緣起誌玉泉敷揚與後分未宣；本篇則誌建業聽經文、江陵蒙玄義、台嶺逢入滅。二序共同保存教說因緣，卻各守本書實況，不能互借傳本結論。
《天台宗綱要》第五章以後代綱目整理判教，第六章則從正文「釋名第一 辨體第二 明宗第三 論用第四 判教第五」〔T33n1716 0681c29–0682a01〕說明五問讀經之法。這兩章可作全書讀路；其中後代綱目只是導讀名稱，不是本單元十問或傳述段的原詞證據。
灌頂此序的承衍，在於把一次未周的聽受轉成可重讀的十卷文字，同時把自己的不足寫進傳本。傳承由此不靠抹去缺口成立，反以明記缺口守住所聞的邊界。
八、校本定位
一、本單元以大正藏 T33n1716 為底，題起 0681a03，正文自 0681a06，止 0681a24；下一題 0681a25 不入本單元。
二、卷前題首附原版來源註「【原】增上寺報恩藏明本」〔錨 0681a03；註號 0681001〕。這是版本來源註，不是正文異讀。
三、0681a03–0681c23 的三序範圍內，正文沒有大正本異讀標記；本書第一處正文異讀標記在 0683b01，已越過三序。此負項以三序節界及下一異讀錨雙重定位。
四、本論開章列「辨體第二」〔0681c29〕、「論用第四」〔0682a01〕、「判教第五」〔0682a01〕，後文章首另見「顯體」〔0779a06〕、「明用」〔0796c02〕、「釋教相」〔0800a19〕。兩組都是本書現存題形，各守其位置，不互相整飭。
五、頁錨以引句首字最近之行號為準；跨行引句標起訖行。題署、正文、後釋及旁證各標其藏號，不以鄰近段落代替原文位置。
This unit is Guanding's own account of the circumstances in which the Fahua Xuanyi was recorded. It first surveys Zhiyi's virtues through ten cumulative questions; it then records how Guanding heard portions of the teaching at Jianye and Jiangling before returning to the Tiantai Mountains, without ever receiving the whole. Finally, by citing principles of Dharma transmission from two sutras, it explains why he wrote down the Xuanyi and Wenju and notes his additions of scriptural and treatise evidence and the differing explanations of earlier masters. The entire piece stands under the attribution 「沙門灌頂述」 tr. “accounted by the monk Guanding”〔T33n1716 0681a05〕. Its descriptions of Zhiyi's merit and teaching do not thereby become Zhiyi's own autobiographical words.
1. Doctrinal-Outline Placement
This unit precedes the main explanation of the work's Five Chapters. Its title begins with 「法華私記緣起」 tr. “Privately Recorded Origins of the Lotus”〔T33n1716 0681a03〕, and its text ends with 「後代行者，知甘露門之在茲」 tr. “practitioners of later generations will know that the gate of ambrosia is here”〔0681a24〕. The next title, 「序王」 tr. “Sovereign Preface”〔0681a25〕, already belongs to the following unit. The present boundary is 0681a03–a24, comprising 389 graphs.
The Shiqian first explains “private record” in the title: 「章安尊者於江陵自記大師所說，不與他共，故名為私。」 tr. “The Venerable Zhang'an personally recorded at Jiangling what the Great Master had taught and did not share it with others; therefore it is called ‘private’”〔T33n1717 0815b10〕. It then explains “origins” as 「述所記之興致，序教法之所由」 tr. “stating the impetus for what was recorded and setting forth the source of the teaching”〔0815b11〕. Its general outline of the whole piece is: 「此中先序師德及傳述之意，名為總序。次正序玄文，不過五義及本迹奧旨。」 tr. “Here it first prefaces the teacher's virtue and the intent of transmission, called the general preface. Next it properly prefaces the text of the Profound Meaning, which does not go beyond the five meanings and the profound purport of Origin and Trace”〔0815b12〕. Following its line-by-line analysis, the piece may be divided into five sections:
| Section | Range | Anchor in the Base Text | Content | Voice-Layer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0681a03–a05 | 「法華私記緣起」 tr. “Privately Recorded Origins of the Lotus”／「沙門灌頂述」 tr. “accounted by the monk Guanding” | Title and authorial attribution | title／Guanding |
| 2 | 0681a06–a15 | 「大法東漸」 tr. “the great Dharma gradually spread eastward” to 「唯我智者」 tr. “only my Zhiyi” | Ten questions on virtue, brought to their conclusion in Zhiyi | Guanding's narration |
| 3 | 0681a15–a20 | 「幸哉灌頂」 tr. “fortunate indeed is Guanding” to 「如犢思乳」 tr. “like a calf longing for milk” | His lament over the slightness of what he received | Guanding's self-account |
| 4 | 0681a20–a23 | 「並復惟念」 tr. “I further reflected” to 「《玄》、《文》各十卷」 tr. “the Xuanyi and Wenju, ten fascicles each”〔0681a22〕 | Transmitting it to benefit the future | Guanding's self-account |
| 5 | 0681a23–a24 | 「或以經論誠言」 tr. “sometimes with trustworthy words from scriptures and treatises” to 「甘露門之在茲」 tr. “the gate of ambrosia is here” | Notes the evidence and differing explanations he added, and encourages trust | Guanding's self-account |
Within the second section, the Shiqian first says, 「初序分二：初序師德」 tr. “The opening preface is divided in two: first, the preface to the teacher's virtue”〔0815b14〕. It then takes the passage beginning with “fortunate indeed” as clarifying transmission and the passage beginning with “only my” as the conclusion that returns the virtues to Zhiyi. In the final three sections it further says, 「次傳述中分三」 tr. “Next, the account of transmission is divided in three”〔0815c28〕, analyzing them in sequence as the slightness of what was received, transmission for the benefit of those to come, and supplementary assistance that encourages trust. The ten questions are therefore not a scattered biography; receiving, transmitting, and supplementing are likewise not three ways of stating a single act.
2. Formation and Transmission
Guanding's Layer of Account
The attribution immediately beneath this unit's title reads 「沙門灌頂述」 tr. “accounted by the monk Guanding”〔T33n1716 0681a05〕. Guanding says of himself, 「昔於建業，始聽經文；次在江陵，奉蒙玄義；晚還台嶺，仍值鶴林」 tr. “Formerly at Jianye I first heard the words of the sutra; next, at Jiangling, I was graced with the Profound Meaning; late I returned to the Tiantai Mountains and encountered the Crane Grove”〔0681a15–a17〕. He also records, 「荊揚往復，途將萬里，前後補接，纔聞一遍」 tr. “Traveling back and forth between Jingzhou and Yangzhou, over a route nearly ten thousand li, I joined together what I received earlier and later, yet heard it only once”〔0681a17–a18〕. These sentences establish both the places and times at which the recorder received the teaching and the limit he himself declares: he heard it only once and could not consult the teacher repeatedly to settle his questions.
Later in the opening material, the half-fascicle title carries the separate attribution 「天台智者大師說」 tr. “spoken by the Tiantai Master Zhiyi”〔T33n1716 0681c28〕. One attribution belongs to this unit's privately recorded origins; the other belongs to the treatise as a whole. The two layers do not erase one another. The Shiqian likewise expressly says that the private record is Zhang'an's own record at Jiangling of what the Great Master taught〔0815b10〕.
Ten Fascicles Each of the Xuanyi and Wenju
Guanding records: 「聿遵聖典，書而傳之，《玄》、《文》各十卷。」 tr. “Thereupon, following the sacred texts, I wrote it down and transmitted it: the Xuanyi and the Wenju, ten fascicles each”〔T33n1716 0681a22–a23〕. The Xuanyi is the present T1716, the Miaofa Lianhua Jing Xuanyi, catalogued in the canon as ten fascicles. The Wen is the present T1718, the Miaofa Lianhua Jing Wenju, likewise in ten fascicles; its main text bears the attribution 「天台智者大師說」 tr. “spoken by the Tiantai Master Zhiyi”〔T34n1718 0001b20〕. The Taishō edition presents twenty half-fascicles by dividing every fascicle into an upper and lower part. That is a count of physical divisions and does not conflict with the record of ten fascicles.
Two Lines of Cataloguing for the Sengshi
The base text says only, 「大法東漸，《僧史》所載」 tr. “The great Dharma gradually spread eastward, as recorded in the histories of the saṅgha”〔T33n1716 0681a06〕; it names neither an author nor a fascicle count here. The Shiqian and two ancient Buddhist catalogues preserve two different forms, set out side by side below:
| Work | Verbatim Catalogue Entry | Recorded Form |
|---|---|---|
| Fahua Xuanyi Shiqian | 「如宋文宣王記室王簡栖所集百卷」 tr. “for example, the one hundred fascicles compiled by Wang Jianqi, secretary to Prince Wenxuan of the Song”〔T33n1717 0815b22〕 | Song／Wang Jianqi／one hundred fascicles |
| Lidai Sanbao Ji | 「齊僧史十卷右一部合十卷。司徒竟陵文宣王府記室王巾撰。」 tr. “History of the Saṅgha of the Qi, ten fascicles. The one work at right comprises ten fascicles. Written by Wang Jin, secretary in the office of the Minister of Works, Prince Wenxuan of Jingling”〔T49n2034 0096c23–c25〕 | Qi／Wang Jin／ten fascicles |
| Datang Neidian Lu | 「僧史十卷右一部。合十卷。司徒竟陵文宣王府記室王巾撰。」 tr. “History of the Saṅgha, ten fascicles. The one work at right comprises ten fascicles. Written by Wang Jin, secretary in the office of the Minister of Works, Prince Wenxuan of Jingling”〔T55n2149 0263c11–c13〕 | Qi／Wang Jin／ten fascicles; another ten-fascicle entry appears at〔0331a25〕 |
| Fahua Xuanyi Shiqian | 「又嘉祥皎法師所集《高僧傳》十三卷，開為十科」 tr. “Also, the thirteen-fascicle Biographies of Eminent Monks compiled by Dharma Master Hui-Jiao of Jiaxiang is divided into ten categories”〔T33n1717 0815b26〕 | Hui-Jiao's Biographies of Eminent Monks is offered as another example of a history of the saṅgha |
| Gaoseng Zhuan | 「梁會稽嘉祥寺沙門釋慧皎撰」 tr. “Written by the Liang monk Shi Huijiao of Jiaxiang Monastery in Kuaiji”〔T50n2059 0322c05〕; 「凡十科所敘，皆散在眾記」 tr. “All that is narrated in the ten categories was dispersed among many records”〔0419a18〕; 「故述六代賢異，止為十三卷」 tr. “Therefore I recounted the distinguished worthies of six dynasties, making only thirteen fascicles”〔0419a21〕; 「右十三卷十科凡二百五十七人」 tr. “The thirteen fascicles and ten categories at right contain 257 persons in all”〔0422b20〕 | The main text itself records thirteen fascicles and ten categories |
The forms Song／Wang Jianqi／one hundred fascicles and Qi／Wang Jin／ten fascicles are each kept in the location where the witness transmits them and are recorded side by side without adjudication. The extant text does not determine which work Guanding's original sentence specifically meant.
3. Scriptures and Treatises Cited by Zhiyi
This section records all the ancient works and scriptural citations involved in the unit. At times the base text uses biographical phrasing; at others it excerpts or condenses a source. Where it does not fully agree with the extant text of that source, the difference is simply recorded without rewriting the base text of the Xuanyi.
The Ten Questions and the Biezhuan of Master Zhiyi
Concerning the nine virtues after the opening question, the Shiqian says: 「已下九德並在大師《別傳》，章安撮之用序師德。」 tr. “The following nine virtues are all found in the Great Master's Biezhuan; Zhang'an excerpted them for his preface to the teacher's virtue”〔T33n1717 0815b29〕. The corresponding scenes in the extant Biezhuan are as follows:
| Original Line in the Xuanyi | Extant Parallel | Relationship |
|---|---|---|
| 「入定得陀羅尼」 tr. “entered concentration and attained dhāraṇī”〔T33n1716 0681a07–a08〕 | Biezhuan of Master Zhiyi: 「所入定者法華三昧前方便也。所發持者初旋陀羅尼也。」 tr. “The concentration he entered was the preliminary skillful means of the Lotus Samādhi; the retention he developed was the initial revolving dhāraṇī”〔T50n2050 0192a05〕 | Same scene; the extant text distinguishes the concentration entered from the retention developed |
| 「自解佛乘」 tr. “understood the Buddha Vehicle by himself”〔0681a07〕; 「發悟」 tr. “developed awakening”〔0681a07〕 | 「思師造金字大品經竟。自開玄義命令代講。」 tr. “When Master Si had finished producing the gold-lettered Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra, he himself opened its profound meaning and ordered Zhiyi to lecture in his place”〔T50n2050 0192a22〕 | The scene of lecturing in another's place; the Shiqian uses it to explain the development of awakening |
| 「彈指喧殿」 tr. “the snapping of fingers resounded through the hall”〔0681a13〕 | 「眾咸彈指合掌皆言聞所未聞。」 tr. “The assembly all snapped their fingers, joined their palms, and said that they had heard what they had never heard before”〔T50n2050 0192b17〕 | The scene of praise through finger-snapping; not the same passage as the one hundred seats at Taiji |
| 「帝京弘二法」 tr. “propagated the two dharmas in the imperial capital”〔0681a08〕; 「盛席」 tr. “flourishing assembly”〔0681a09〕 | 「請住瓦官開法華經題」 tr. “He was invited to reside at Waguan and expound the title of the Lotus Sutra”〔T50n2050 0192c01〕; 「停瓦官八載講大智度論。說次第禪門。」 tr. “He remained at Waguan for eight years, lectured on the Dazhidu Lun, and taught the sequential Dharma gate of meditation”〔0192c19〕 | A parallel for propagation at Jianye, not a verbatim citation in the base text |
| 「謝遣徒眾隱居山谷」 tr. “took leave of and dismissed his disciples, then dwelt secluded in the mountain valleys”〔0681a09〕 | 「仍謝遣門人曰」 tr. “He then took leave of his disciples, saying”〔T50n2050 0192c26〕; 「其後徒眾轉多得法轉少」 tr. “Thereafter the disciples became increasingly numerous, while those who attained the Dharma became increasingly few”〔0193a05〕; 「吾欲從吾志。蔣山過近非避喧之處」 tr. “I wish to follow my own intent. Mount Jiang is too near and is not a place for avoiding clamor”〔0193a06–a07〕 | The continuous reasons for dismissing the assembly and avoiding clamor |
| Same as above | 「寺北別峯呼為華頂」 tr. “A separate peak north of the monastery is called Huading”〔T50n2050 0193b01〕; 「先師捨眾獨往頭陀」 tr. “The former master left the assembly and went alone to practice dhūta”〔0193b02〕; 「旋歸佛隴」 tr. “Soon he returned to Folong”〔0193b16〕 | The Huading and Folong scenes; the Shiqian separately lists Tangxi |
| 「被徵為二國師」 tr. “was summoned to serve as teacher of two realms”〔0681a10〕 | 「陳宣帝有勅留連」 tr. “Emperor Xuan of Chen issued an edict urging him to remain”〔T50n2050 0193a10〕; the Shiqian separately says 「陳少主再敕頻迎，隋文帝有敕請住」 tr. “The latter ruler of Chen issued repeated edicts and frequently summoned him; Emperor Wen of Sui issued an edict inviting him to reside”〔T33n1717 0815c11〕 | The Biezhuan here attests the Chen court's effort to retain him; the full phrase “two realms” is explained by the Shiqian |
| 「太極對御講《仁王般若》」 tr. “before the sovereign at Taiji, lectured on the Prajñā of the Benevolent Kings”〔0681a10–a11〕 | 「立禪眾於靈耀開釋論於太極。又講仁王般若百座」 tr. “He established the meditation assembly at Lingyao, expounded the treatise at Taiji, and also lectured on the Prajñā of the Benevolent Kings in one hundred seats”〔T50n2050 0194b04〕; 「陳主親筵聽法」 tr. “The ruler of Chen personally attended the mat to hear the Dharma”〔0194b05〕 | The scene corresponds; the extant title is Foshuo Renwang Bore Boluomi Jing〔T08n0245 0825a03〕 |
| 「百高座百官稱美讚歎」 tr. “a hundred eminent Dharma masters and a hundred officials offered praise and acclaim”〔0681a12–a13〕 | 「天子欣然百僚盡敬。」 tr. “The Son of Heaven rejoiced, and the hundred officials all showed reverence”〔T50n2050 0194b08〕 | The scene of the hundred officials' reverence and praise; for the monastic assembly of one hundred eminent seats, see the Shiqian |
| 「為主上三禮」 tr. “received three bows from the sovereign”〔0681a11–a12〕 | 「陳主於大眾內起禮三拜。俯仰殷勤以彰敬重。」 tr. “The ruler of Chen rose within the great assembly and bowed three times; his earnest motions of bending and rising displayed his reverence and esteem”〔T50n2050 0194b21–b22〕 | “Three bows” and “bowed three times” are recorded side by side without changing the wording |
The Route by Which Guanding Received the Teaching
| Original Line in the Xuanyi | Extant Parallel | Relationship |
|---|---|---|
| 「昔於建業，始聽經文」 tr. “Formerly at Jianye I first heard the words of the sutra”〔T33n1716 0681a15–a16〕 | Guoqing Bailu: 「金陵光宅寺。講法華經。章安其時方年二十七歲。始聽經文。」 tr. “At Guangzhai Monastery in Jinling the Lotus Sutra was lectured upon. Zhang'an was then twenty-seven years old and first heard the words of the sutra”〔T46n1934 0823b22–b23〕 | Jianye and Jinling are two toponymic layers for the same place; it expressly records that Zhang'an first heard the sutra text there |
| 「次在江陵，奉蒙玄義」 tr. “Next, at Jiangling, I was graced with the Profound Meaning”〔0681a16〕 | 「至荊答地恩。造玉泉寺。章安奉蒙玄義。」 tr. “He reached Jing to repay his debt to the land, built Yuquan Monastery, and Zhang'an was graced with the Profound Meaning”〔T46n1934 0823b28〕; the Fozu Tongji says 「受法華玄義於江陵玉泉」 tr. “received the Fahua Xuanyi at Yuquan in Jiangling”〔T49n2035 0186c08〕 | Jiangling, Jing, and Yuquan refer to the same setting; the later record serves only as supporting evidence |
| 「晚還台嶺，仍值鶴林」 tr. “Late I returned to the Tiantai Mountains and encountered the Crane Grove”〔0681a16–a17〕 | Biezhuan of Master Zhiyi: 「石城是天台西門」 tr. “Shicheng is the western gate of Tiantai”〔T50n2050 0196a11〕; 「開皇十七年」 tr. “the seventeenth year of Kaihuang”〔0196b26〕; 「十四日未時入滅」 tr. “entered extinction during the wei hour on the fourteenth day”〔0196b27〕 | The Tiantai region and the scene of his passing; the Crane Grove is an image for the Buddha's passing, not a separate place-name |
| 「前後補接，纔聞一遍」 tr. “joining together what I received earlier and later, I heard it only once”〔0681a17–a18〕 | Shiqian: 「今雖欲記，但恨一聞而已，屬大師滅度不獲重聞」 tr. “Although he now wished to record it, he regretted having heard it only once; because the Great Master had entered extinction, he could not hear it again”〔T33n1717 0816a15–a17〕 | A direct explanation of the difficulty of transmission; no earlier independent verbatim evidence has been identified |
Scriptural Grounds for Transmission and the Titles of the Works
| Original Line in the Xuanyi | Extant Parallel | Relationship |
|---|---|---|
| 「《涅槃》明若樹若石」 tr. “The Nirvāṇa Sūtra speaks of trees and stones”〔T33n1716 0681a21〕 | Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra: 「然後處處，若石、若壁、若樹、若道，書寫此偈」 tr. “Then, in every place—on stones, walls, trees, and paths—write down this verse”〔T12n0374 0451a05〕; the two half-verses are 「諸行無常，是生滅法」 tr. “All conditioned activities are impermanent; they are dharmas of arising and ceasing”〔0450a16〕 and 「生滅滅已，寂滅為樂」 tr. “When arising and ceasing have ceased, quiescence and extinction are bliss”〔0451a01〕 | It excerpts “trees” and “stones” in reverse order; the Shiqian identifies the Snow Mountains youth's transmission of the half-verse |
| 「今經稱若田若里」 tr. “This sutra speaks of fields and villages”〔T33n1716 0681a21–a22〕 | Lotus Sutra: 「若在僧坊，若空閑地，若城邑、巷陌、聚落、田里，如其所聞，為父母、宗親、善友、知識，隨力演說」 tr. “Whether in a monastery, an open and quiet place, a city, lanes and roads, settlements, fields, or villages, according to what one has heard, one should explain it to the extent of one's ability for parents, relatives, good friends, and acquaintances”〔T09n0262 0046c01〕 | A condensation of the setting of settlements, fields, and villages and teaching according to one's ability |
| 「《玄》、《文》各十卷」 tr. “the Xuanyi and Wenju, ten fascicles each”〔T33n1716 0681a22–a23〕 | The Xuanyi is T1716 and the Wenju T1718; the main text of the Wenju is attributed 「天台智者大師說」 tr. “spoken by the Tiantai Master Zhiyi”〔T34n1718 0001b20〕 | Both works are catalogued as ten fascicles; their canonical locations are T33 and T34 respectively |
4. Essential Explanations from the Shiqian [the Mirror]
The preface on the origins of the Shiqian ends with the attribution 「君山除饉男普門子屬辭」 tr. “Composed by the famine-removing son Pumenzi of Junshan”〔T33n1717 0815a05〕 and is Pumenzi's reverential preface. After the fascicle title there is a separate attribution, 「天台沙門湛然述」 tr. “accounted by the Tiantai monk Zhanran”〔0815b04〕; the line-by-line exegesis begins at 0815b10. The two layers must not be combined and called Zhanran's own preface.
The Ten Virtues Are Not a Flat Biography
The Shiqian takes the first question as understanding the present scripture without previously hearing a lecture. The subsequent nine virtues proceed from developed awakening and meditative retention through propagation, departure from the assembly, imperial summons, teaching before the sovereign, receiving reverence, the assembly's praise, awakening to the meaning, and unobstructed delight in teaching. Its key explanations of the individual terms are as follows:
- Here “great Dharma” 「通指佛教以為大法」 tr. “generally designates the Buddha's teaching as the great Dharma”〔0815b16〕; its eastward spread is Buddhism's gradual dissemination into this region.
- Here the Shiqian identifies the Buddha Vehicle as the present scripture〔0815b20〕; what is understood in the first question does not refer generically to any item of Buddhist teaching.
- Developed awakening is 「謂於大蘇法華道場三昧開發悟解一乘」 tr. “the opening and development, at the Dasu Lotus practice site and in samādhi, of awakened understanding of the One Vehicle”〔0815c04〕; dhāraṇī is explained as 「此云總持。」 tr. “Here it is called comprehensive retention”〔0815c06〕.
- “Concentration and wisdom” are distinguished by 「發悟屬慧，入定是定。」 tr. “Developed awakening belongs to wisdom; entering concentration is concentration”〔0815c07〕; the two dharmas continue the preceding developed awakening and entry into concentration.
- A flourishing assembly means 「盛弘定慧二法。」 tr. “vigorously propagating the two dharmas of concentration and wisdom”〔0815c08〕; 「自省不能益他為謝，推眾不受曰遣。」 tr. “Examining oneself and finding oneself unable to benefit others is ‘taking leave’; refusing the assembly when it presses forward is ‘dismissing’”〔0815c09〕.
- He 「隱居華頂佛壟唐溪。」 tr. “dwelt secluded at Huading, Folong, and Tangxi”〔0815c10〕; and 「陳少主再敕頻迎，隋文帝有敕請住」 tr. “the latter ruler of Chen issued repeated edicts and frequently summoned him, while Emperor Wen of Sui issued an edict inviting him to reside”〔0815c11〕.
- The Taiji Hall was 「陳朝正殿名為太極。」 tr. “the principal hall of the Chen court, named Taiji”〔0815c13〕; 「初開法筵，主上親於眾中三禮。」 tr. “When he first opened the Dharma mat, the sovereign personally bowed three times amid the assembly”〔0815c15〕.
- 「天子為萬乘之主」 tr. “The Son of Heaven is the lord of ten thousand chariots”〔0815c16〕; 「百高座為道，百官為俗。」 tr. “The hundred eminent seats are monastic, and the hundred officials are lay”〔0815c20〕.
- Profound awakening is explained by 「五義釋經，統收五味，故名為玄。」 tr. “The five meanings explain the sutra and comprehensively gather the five flavors; therefore it is called profound”〔0815c21〕.
- His speech was 「如懸河流瀉晝夜不竭。」 tr. “like a suspended river pouring forth without exhaustion by day or night”〔0815c23〕; 「此之十德通舉悟解弘經之相」 tr. “These ten virtues collectively present the marks of awakened understanding and propagation of the sutra”〔0815c24〕.
The reading of this section lets each question continue the preceding one and then move one level further. Only the last line gathers all ten virtues and returns them to Zhiyi.
The Slightness of What Was Heard and the Need to Transmit It
Regarding place-names and wording, the Shiqian says Jianye is 「亦云建康」 tr. “also called Jiankang”〔0816a02〕 and that 「江陵即荊州也」 tr. “Jiangling is Jingzhou”〔0816a04〕. It also glosses jiang as 「猶當也」 tr. “approximately”〔0816a05〕. Thus, 「途將萬里」 tr. “a route nearly ten thousand li” means approaching ten thousand li, not that he was about to travel ten thousand li. His lament in 「非但未聞不聞」 tr. “not only had what was unheard not been heard” includes portions of the various expositions that ended before they were completed and could therefore never be heard〔0816a08〕. The words 「今雖欲記，但恨一聞而已」 tr. “Although he now wished to record it, he regretted having heard it only once”〔0816a15〕 explain that when he later arranged the material, he had no way to hear it again or consult the teacher to settle it.
The positive reason for transmission is first that 「若不記其所聞，念彼當來有不聞佛乘之苦」 tr. “if he did not record what he had heard, he reflected that those in the future would suffer from not hearing the Buddha Vehicle”〔0816a19〕. It is then supported by the Snow Mountains youth and the sacred words from the chapter on rejoicing that enjoin transmission. The final expression 「甘露門」 tr. “gate of ambrosia” is explained as follows: 「實相常住如天甘露，是不死之藥。今釋妙法能通實相，故名為門。」 tr. “The true mark abides permanently like heaven's ambrosia, a medicine of deathlessness. The present explanation of the Wondrous Dharma provides access to the true mark and is therefore called a gate”〔0816a24〕. Here the gate is a teaching that provides entrance into the true mark, not merely an image of sweetness.
5. Explanations of Various Masters
The Qing monk Zhiquan's Fahua Jing Xuanqian Zhengshi, X28n0592, is a later ancient commentary. Fascicle one is attributed 「苕上沙門 智銓 述」 tr. “accounted by the monk Zhiquan of Tiaoshang”〔X28n0592 0557b12〕. Its line-by-line commentary begins with 「私記緣起」 tr. “privately recorded origins”〔0558b13〕 and later explains the Snow Mountains youth and ambrosia〔0560a16–a23〕. Under the Shiqian's phrase 「宋文宣王等」 tr. “Prince Wenxuan of the Song and so forth,” it inserts the note 「〔攷史，止有齊竟陵文宣王，名子良，好佛教。簡栖，名巾。〕」 tr. “On examining the histories, there is only Prince Wenxuan of Jingling in the Qi, named Ziliang, who favored the Buddha's teaching. Jianqi was named Jin”〔0558c09〕. This explanation is recorded side by side with the two forms listed above—Song／Wang Jianqi／one hundred fascicles and Qi／Wang Jin／ten fascicles—without adjudication. The extant Biezhuan of Master Zhiyi, Guoqing Bailu, and two Buddhist catalogues offer additional biographical and bibliographic parallels.
6. Terminology
Private record. The Shiqian explains this as Zhang'an personally recording what the Great Master taught and not sharing it with others〔0815b10〕. It describes the relationship of written transmission; it does not mean a secret work.
Origins. The impetus for what was recorded and the source of the teaching〔0815b11〕. In this piece, that source lies precisely in three layers: the teacher's virtue, reception of the teaching, and its transmission.
Great Dharma and Buddha Vehicle. Here “great Dharma” generally designates the Buddha's teaching〔0815b16〕, while in the opening question the Shiqian identifies the Buddha Vehicle with the present scripture〔0815b20〕. Their scopes are different.
Profound Meaning. The phrase 「奉蒙玄義」 tr. “was graced with the Profound Meaning”〔T33n1716 0681a16〕 refers to the teaching Guanding received. The Shiqian explains its comprehensive reach with 「五義釋經，統收五味，故名為玄」 tr. “The five meanings explain the sutra and comprehensively gather the five flavors; therefore it is called profound”〔T33n1717 0815c21〕. The main text later lists the Five Chapters—explaining the name, discerning the substance, clarifying the purport, discussing the function, and classifying the teaching〔T33n1716 0681c29–0682a01〕. Here in the preface, only the transmission of that teaching has appeared; the complete framework of the later text should not be projected backward into this passage.
Dhāraṇī. The Shiqian directly glosses it as 「此云總持」 tr. “Here it is called comprehensive retention”〔0815c06〕. The Biezhuan further records that the retention developed was the initial revolving dhāraṇī〔T50n2050 0192a05〕. This is not a scene of incantation.
Crane Grove. The phrase 「仍值鶴林」 tr. “encountered the Crane Grove”〔T33n1716 0681a17〕 is Guanding's indirect record of Zhiyi's passing. It draws on the image of the Buddha's extinction between the twin trees and is not a fourth place of travel listed alongside Jianye, Jiangling, and the Tiantai Mountains.
Gate of ambrosia. Ambrosia signifies deathlessness; a gate provides access. The Shiqian connects the abiding true mark with the explanation of the Wondrous Dharma〔0816a24〕. At the end of 00c, the related phrase 「最勝脩多羅甘露之門」 tr. “the gate of ambrosia of the most excellent sutra”〔T33n1716 0681c19–c20〕 appears again, illuminating this phrase across the two passages.
7. Similes · Cross-Reading · Carrying Forward
The imagery of this unit gathers around recording the Dharma and losing it. 「如犢思乳」 tr. “like a calf longing for milk”〔T33n1716 0681a20〕 portrays the impossibility of asking again after the teacher's passing. Trees and stones, fields and villages, carry the sacred words outward from stone walls into settlements and fields. The close gathers these images into the gate of ambrosia, moving from the preservation of writing to an entrance opened for people of later generations.
In cross-reading with the Lotus Sutra, “The Qualities of Joyful Acceptance” chapter does not speak only in general terms of dissemination. It expressly says that in settlements, fields, and villages one should teach 「如其所聞」 tr. “according to what one has heard”〔T09n0262 0046c02〕 and 「隨力演說」 tr. “explain it to the extent of one's ability”〔0046c02〕. This precisely accords with Guanding's declared limit of a single hearing: what is transmitted must not exceed what was heard.
In cross-reading with the Mohe Zhiguan, the opening prefaces of both treatises have Guanding distinguish the layers of speaker, recorder, and transmission. The origins of the Mohe Zhiguan record the exposition at Yuquan and that the later portion remained untaught; this piece records hearing the sutra text at Jianye, receiving the Profound Meaning at Jiangling, and encountering the master's passing in the Tiantai Mountains. Both prefaces preserve the conditions under which the teaching was spoken, yet each remains faithful to the facts of its own work. Conclusions about their textual transmission cannot be borrowed from one to fill the other.
Chapter Five of the Outline of the Tiantai School arranges the classifications of the teaching through later systematized categories, while Chapter Six uses the main text's sequence 「釋名第一 辨體第二 明宗第三 論用第四 判教第五」 tr. “first, explaining the name; second, discerning the substance; third, clarifying the purport; fourth, discussing the function; fifth, classifying the teaching”〔T33n1716 0681c29–0682a01〕 to explain five questions for reading a sutra. The two chapters can serve as a route through the complete work. The later systematized categories used there are names for guidance, not evidence for the original wording of this unit's ten questions or its account of transmission.
What this preface carries forward is its transformation of a single, incomplete hearing into ten fascicles that can be read repeatedly, while inscribing the recorder's insufficiency into the transmitted text. The transmission does not establish itself by erasing the gap. It preserves the boundary of what was heard precisely by making the gap explicit.
8. Placement of the Editions
First, this unit uses Taishō T33n1716 as its base text. Its title begins at 0681a03, its main text at 0681a06, and it ends at 0681a24; the next title at 0681a25 is not part of this unit.
Second, the opening title carries the source note 「【原】增上寺報恩藏明本」 tr. “Original: the Ming edition from the Hōon Collection at Zōjōji”〔anchor 0681a03; note 0681001〕. This is a note on the source edition, not a textual variant in the main text.
Third, within the range of the three prefaces, 0681a03–0681c23, the main text contains no Taishō variant marker. The first variant marker in the work's main text occurs at 0683b01, beyond the three prefaces. This negative finding is anchored both by the boundary of the three prefaces and by the location of the next variant.
Fourth, the opening list of chapters in this treatise has 「辨體第二」 tr. “second, discerning the substance”〔0681c29〕, 「論用第四」 tr. “fourth, discussing the function”〔0682a01〕, and 「判教第五」 tr. “fifth, classifying the teaching”〔0682a01〕. At the beginnings of the later chapters it separately has 「顯體」 tr. “revealing the substance”〔0779a06〕, 「明用」 tr. “clarifying the function”〔0796c02〕, and 「釋教相」 tr. “explaining the characteristics of the teaching”〔0800a19〕. Both sets are extant title forms in the work. Each is retained in its own location; they are not regularized into one another.
Fifth, a page anchor follows the line nearest to the first graph of the quoted passage; quotations crossing lines are marked with the opening and closing lines. Titles and attributions, the main text, later exegesis, and parallel evidence each carry their own canonical number. The location of a neighboring paragraph is not substituted for the source text's own position.