解深密經 品一 序品
一部大經，從哪裡起筆？
這一品，世尊不忙說理，先讓我們看見一處境界：最清淨的光明、七寶的莊嚴、無邊的大殿。但細看一句——那一切，並非識外別有的實物，而是「最極自在淨識為相」：是清淨心所現之相。唯識的脈，早已伏在這開場的莊嚴裡，只待人認出。
其下，十位菩薩列坐為首。他們不是陪襯：這份名單預示後七品的主要問答人物——解甚深義密意菩薩在品二作答，其餘多為後品問主；但名單並非問主全表，品二第四位問者長老善現便不在十名之中。
序，從來不只是序。且看這座淨識所現的大殿如何揭幕，十位上首如何預張後文主要問答人物，引出一部唯識的根本經。
A great sūtra — where does it set its first stroke?
In this chapter the World-Honoured One is in no hurry to speak doctrine; first He lets us behold a realm: light most pure, the adornment of the seven jewels, a great hall without bound. But look closely at a single clause — all of that is no real thing standing apart from consciousness, but "having for its mark the utmost-sovereign pure consciousness": it is what the pure mind manifests. The vein of Consciousness-Only already lies hidden within this opening adornment, waiting only to be recognized.
Below it, ten bodhisattvas are seated foremost. They are no mere accompaniment: their presence anticipates the principal interlocutors and the arc of the seven chapters to come — mind-and-consciousness, the three natures, the three non-natures, calm and insight, the grounds and perfections, and the fruit of Buddhahood.
An introduction is never merely an introduction. See, then, how this great hall manifested by pure consciousness lifts its curtain, and how the ten leaders anticipate the principal interlocutors of the later chapters. He Who Unravels the Hidden Intent of the Profound Meaning is a respondent in Chapter Two, most of the others are questioners, and the list is not exhaustive—Elder Subhūti, the fourth Chapter Two interlocutor, is not among the ten.
唐玄奘奉詔譯《解深密經》T16n0676，逐字原文，依底本斷句；逐字校 CBETA。
〔T16 0688b06〕 如是我聞： 一時，薄伽梵住最勝光曜七寶莊嚴，放大光明，普照一切無邊世界，無量方所妙飾間列，周圓無際，其量難測，超過三界所行之處，勝出世間善根所起，最極自在淨識為相。如來所都，諸大菩薩眾所雲集，無量天、龍、藥叉、健達縛、阿素洛、揭路茶、緊捺洛、牟呼洛伽、人、非人等，常所翼從，廣大法味喜樂所持，作諸眾生一切義利，滅諸煩惱災橫纏垢，遠離眾魔、過諸莊嚴，如來莊嚴之所依處，大念、慧、行以為遊路，大止妙觀以為所乘，大空、無相、無願解脫為所入門，無量功德眾所莊嚴，大寶花王眾所建立大宮殿中。 是薄伽梵最清淨覺，不二現行，趣無相法。住於佛住逮得一切佛平等性，到無障處，不可轉法，所行無礙，其所成立不可思議。遊於三世平等法性，其身流布一切世界，於一切法智無疑滯，於一切行成就大覺，於諸法智無有疑惑，凡所現身不可分別，一切菩薩正所求智，得佛無二住勝彼岸，不相間雜。如來解脫妙智究竟，證無中邊佛地平等，極於法界，盡虛空性窮未來際。 與無量大聲聞眾俱，一切調順，皆是佛子，心善解脫，慧善解脫，戒善清淨，趣求法樂；多聞、聞持，其聞積集；善思所思，善說所說，善作所作；捷慧、速慧、利慧、出慧、勝決擇慧、大慧、廣慧、及無等慧，慧寶成就；具足三明，逮得第一現法樂住；大淨福田，威儀寂靜，無不圓滿；大忍柔和，成就無減，已善奉行如來聖教。 復有無量菩薩摩訶薩，從種種佛土而來集會。皆住大乘，遊大乘法，於諸眾生其心平等，離諸分別及不分別種種分別，摧伏一切眾魔怨敵，遠離一切聲聞、獨覺所有作意，廣大法味喜樂所持，超五怖畏，一向趣入不退轉地，息一切眾生一切苦惱所逼迫地，而現在前。其名曰：解甚深義密意菩薩摩訶薩、如理請問菩薩摩訶薩、法涌菩薩摩訶薩、善清淨慧菩薩摩訶薩、廣慧菩薩摩訶薩、德本菩薩摩訶薩、勝義生菩薩摩訶薩、觀自在菩薩摩訶薩、慈氏菩薩摩訶薩、曼殊室利菩薩摩訶薩等，而為上首。
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.
如是我聞
這是我親自聽聞的。
那時，薄伽梵安住在一座最為光明、由七寶莊嚴的大宮殿中：那裡放出大光明，普照一切無邊的世界；無量的方所，以種種妙好的裝飾交錯排列，周遍圓滿、無邊無際，它的大小難以測度。這住處超過了三界一切所行之處，是由勝出世間的善根所生起的，以最極自在的淨識為它的體相。這是如來所都之處，眾多大菩薩都在此雲集；無量的天、龍、藥叉、健達縛、阿素洛、揭路茶、緊捺洛、牟呼洛伽，以及人、非人等，常常隨侍翼從。這住處由廣大的法味喜樂所持，能成就眾生一切的義利，能滅除眾生種種煩惱、災橫、纏垢；它遠離一切魔事，超過種種莊嚴，是如來莊嚴之所依處；以大念、大慧、大行為遊行的道路，以大止、妙觀為所乘，以大空、無相、無願三解脫為所入的門。它由無量功德眾所莊嚴，是由大寶花王眾所建立的大宮殿。
佛德
這位薄伽梵，是最清淨的覺者：祂的一切行，不落兩邊，趣向無相之法；安住於佛所住的境界，證得了一切佛平等的體性；到達無障礙之處，證得不可動轉之法，所行無有滯礙，祂所成立的一切不可思議。祂遊行於三世平等的法性之中，其身遍布一切世界；對於一切法，智慧無有疑滯；對於一切行，成就大覺；對於諸法，智慧無有疑惑；凡所示現之身，都不可分別。祂證得一切菩薩所正求的智慧，得佛無二之住，超越彼岸而不相間雜。如來解脫的妙智究竟圓滿，證得無中、無邊的佛地平等，窮極於法界，盡虛空之性，直到未來際無有窮盡。
聲聞眾德
與祂同在的，有無量的大聲聞眾：他們一切調順，都是佛子，心已善得解脫，慧已善得解脫，戒已善得清淨，趣求法樂；他們多聞、聞而能持，所聞積集深厚；善於思惟所思，善於宣說所說，善於作所應作；具足捷慧、速慧、利慧、出慧、勝決擇慧、大慧、廣慧以及無等慧，種種智慧之寶都已成就；具足三明，證得第一現法樂住；他們是眾生的大淨福田，威儀寂靜，無不圓滿；以大忍而柔和，成就無有減失，已善能奉行如來的聖教。
菩薩眾德
又有無量的菩薩摩訶薩，從種種佛土前來集會：他們都安住於大乘，遊於大乘之法，對於一切眾生其心平等；遠離種種分別、不分別以及種種分別之心，摧伏一切眾魔怨敵，遠離一切聲聞、獨覺所有的作意；由廣大的法味喜樂所持，超越五種怖畏，一向趣入不退轉地，安住於能止息一切眾生苦惱逼迫之地，而現在佛前。
十菩薩上首
這些菩薩的名字是：解甚深義密意菩薩摩訶薩、如理請問菩薩摩訶薩、法涌菩薩摩訶薩、善清淨慧菩薩摩訶薩、廣慧菩薩摩訶薩、德本菩薩摩訶薩、勝義生菩薩摩訶薩、觀自在菩薩摩訶薩、慈氏菩薩摩訶薩、曼殊室利菩薩摩訶薩等——以這十位為上首。
Thus Have I Heard
This is what I myself heard.
At that time the Bhagavān was dwelling in a great palace, most radiant and adorned with the seven jewels: a place that cast forth a great light illumining all the boundless worlds; a place whose measureless quarters were arrayed and interlaced with every kind of fine and lovely adornment, all-pervading and complete, without bound or limit, its expanse beyond measuring. This dwelling surpassed all the courses of the three realms; it arose from supramundane roots of goodness, and had for its mark the utmost-sovereign pure consciousness. It was the seat of the Tathāgata, where the host of great bodhisattvas gathered like clouds; and measureless devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, and mahoragas, together with humans and non-humans, ever attended and followed in train. This dwelling was upheld by the joy and gladness of the vast savour of Dharma; it could accomplish for beings their every benefit and good, and could extinguish in beings their every affliction, calamity, and defiling bond; it was apart from all the works of Māra, surpassing all adornments — the very ground on which the Tathāgata's adornment rests; with great mindfulness, great wisdom, and great conduct for the road it travels, with great calm and wondrous insight for what it rides upon, and with the three liberations — the great emptiness, the markless, and the wishless — for the gate it enters by. It was adorned by a host of measureless merits, a great palace raised up by a host of great jewel-flower kings.
The Buddha's Virtues
This Bhagavān is the most purified Awakened One: His every act falls into neither of the two extremes, tending toward the markless Dharma; abiding in the abode wherein all Buddhas abide, He has realized the nature shared in common by all Buddhas; having reached the place free of all obstruction, He has realized the Dharma that cannot be turned back, His every act unhindered, and all that He has established beyond conceiving. He roams within the Dharma-nature that is equal throughout the three times, His body pervading all the worlds; toward all dharmas His wisdom is without hesitation or doubt; toward all conduct He accomplishes the great awakening; toward the dharmas His wisdom is without doubt; and whatever body He manifests cannot be told apart. He has realized the wisdom that all bodhisattvas rightly seek; He has won the Buddhas' non-dual abode and crossed beyond to the far shore without admixture. The Tathāgata's wondrous wisdom of liberation is ultimate and complete; He has realized the equality of the Buddha-ground that has no middle and no bound, reaching to the very limit of the Dharma-realm, exhausting the nature of empty space, on to the farthest reach of the future without end.
The Virtues of the Śrāvaka Assembly
Together with Him were measureless great śrāvakas: all of them tamed and pliant, all of them sons of the Buddha; their minds had won good liberation, their wisdom had won good liberation, their precepts had won good purity, and they sought after the joy of Dharma; they were learned, and what they heard they could hold, the things they had heard amassed deep within; well did they ponder what was to be pondered, well did they proclaim what was to be proclaimed, well did they do what was to be done; they were furnished with nimble wisdom, swift wisdom, sharp wisdom, emergent wisdom, surpassing-discernment wisdom, great wisdom, broad wisdom, and unequalled wisdom, every kind of jewel of wisdom already accomplished within them; they were furnished with the three knowledges, and had realized the foremost abode of ease in the present Dharma; they were a great field of pure merit for beings, their bearing serene, lacking nothing in completeness; gentle and mild through great patience, accomplished without falling short, well able to carry out the Tathāgata's holy teaching.
The Virtues of the Bodhisattva Assembly
There were also measureless bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, come together in assembly from every kind of Buddha-land: all of them abiding in the Great Vehicle, ranging through the Dharma of the Great Vehicle, their minds even toward all beings; apart from every sort of discriminating thought — discrimination, non-discrimination, and every kind of discrimination — they crushed all the hosts of Māra and its foes, and were apart from all the attentions of the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas; upheld by the joy and gladness of the vast savour of Dharma, they had passed beyond the five fears, and had wholly entered the stage of no turning back, abiding in the stage that can quiet the pang and pressure of all beings' suffering — and so they stood there before the Buddha.
The Ten Bodhisattva Leaders
The names of these bodhisattvas were: the bodhisattva-mahāsattva He Who Unravels the Hidden Intent of the Profound Meaning, the bodhisattva-mahāsattva Who Asks in Accord with Principle, the bodhisattva-mahāsattva Dharma-Welling-Forth, the bodhisattva-mahāsattva Well-Purified Wisdom, the bodhisattva-mahāsattva Broad Wisdom, the bodhisattva-mahāsattva Root-of-Virtue, the bodhisattva-mahāsattva Born of the Ultimate Meaning, the bodhisattva-mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara, the bodhisattva-mahāsattva Maitreya, the bodhisattva-mahāsattva Mañjuśrī, and the rest — and these ten stood foremost among them.
序分何以不只是序
一切經都有序分，往往一讀而過。但這一品的序分，不是泛泛的開場：它一上來所鋪敘的薄伽梵住處、佛德、二眾德，與末了所列的十位菩薩上首，恰恰為這一整部經張了本。圓測判全經為三分，序品即首段「教起因緣分」——一部經何以而起、由誰而說、於何處說、為誰而說，都在這序分中交代。而它交代的方式，又自有深意：佛安住在一座以「最極自在淨識為相」的大宮殿中說此經——還沒進入正宗，唯識的脈已經伏在這住處的境界裡了。所以這一品，是進入這部唯識根本經的門。
佛地依正莊嚴所顯的境界
佛要說這一部唯識最深的經，何以開口之前，先用一長段鋪敘祂所安住的那座宮殿？序分一上來，便細細寫薄伽梵的住處：最為光明、七寶莊嚴的大宮殿，放大光明普照無邊世界，超過三界所行，勝出世間善根所起。這不是寫景——圓測依《佛地經論》判這住處的十九句，正顯佛淨土的「十八圓滿」：顯色、形色、分量、方所、因、果、主、輔翼、眷屬、住持、事業、攝益、無畏、住處、路、乘、門、依持，由這十九句次第顯這十八種圓滿，所莊嚴的宮殿便名為佛淨土。
接著一段是佛德：最清淨覺、不二現行、趣無相法，住於佛住、逮得一切佛平等性，乃至證無中邊佛地平等，盡虛空性、窮未來際。前一段顯佛所依的淨土之莊嚴，這一段顯佛能依之身智之圓滿；依正二嚴，把佛地的境界鋪陳得分明。這不是閒筆——正因為這部經要開顯的，是唯識最深的義理，它便先把開顯者（佛）與開顯所依的境界（淨土）立在最圓滿的高處。
「最極自在淨識為相」如何已伏唯識之脈
住處十九句中，第六句「最極自在淨識為相」最當留意——它是十八圓滿中的「果圓滿」，而圓測特地引《佛地經論》親光釋來顯它的唯識義：「謂大宮殿最極自在，佛無漏心以為體相，唯有識故，非離識外別有寶等，即佛淨心如是變現似眾寶等，此即如來大圓鏡智相應淨識。」
這一句說得透徹：這座七寶莊嚴的大宮殿，並不是離識之外另有寶等實物擺在那裡；它正是佛無漏淨心——大圓鏡智相應的淨識——所變現的、似眾寶莊嚴之相。換句話說，連佛淨土這樣最圓滿的境界，也不外乎識所現。經還在序分，還沒正式立唯識義，而「唯有識故，非離識外別有寶等」的宗旨，已經藏在這住處莊嚴的一句裡。這使本句成為後世唯識佛土義的重要經據；至於各論如何取用，仍須依各自明文另作互讀。
十八圓滿之義
這十八個面向一一排開，何以獨第六「果」一面最當著眼？因為正是這一面，把整列淨土的莊嚴翻成了一句唯識。十八圓滿，是把佛淨土的圓滿析為十八個面向來顯：顯色、形色、分量、方所，是就淨土之相狀、大小、處所說；因、果，是就淨土由何善根所成（因）、以何為體相（果）說；主、輔翼、眷屬，是就此土之主（如來）與所雲集的菩薩、隨從說；住持、事業、攝益、無畏，是就此土能持法味、成眾生義利、滅煩惱災橫、遠離眾魔說；住處、路、乘、門、依持，則正是經文諸句之所顯——「如來莊嚴之所依處」顯住處、「大念慧行以為遊路」顯路、「大止妙觀以為所乘」顯乘、「大空無相無願解脫為所入門」顯門、「大寶花王眾所建立」顯依持。
十九句經文，如其次第，顯這十八事。而這十八面當中，第六「果圓滿」便是「最極自在淨識為相」一句——它不只是十八之一，更是這一整列莊嚴的樞紐：顯色形色分量說盡了淨土之相，到「果」這一面纔點出這相從何而有——唯佛淨識所變現。序分鋪敘之繁，看似只是把佛地的圓滿境界一一立出，為下文的開演立一最圓滿的說處；其實在這十八面的中央，已悄悄安下了「淨識為相」這一句唯識的伏脈。
何以列此十菩薩為上首
序分之末，列出十位菩薩為上首：解甚深義密意、如理請問、法涌、善清淨慧、廣慧、德本、勝義生、觀自在、慈氏、曼殊室利。這份名單不是隨意的眷屬列名——它預示後七品的主要問答人物，卻不是問主全表。
解甚深義密意菩薩是品二的答主，如理請問、法涌、善清淨慧是品二前三位問主；品二第四位問者長老善現並不在十名之中。廣慧菩薩問出品三的心意識義，德本菩薩問出品四的三相義，勝義生菩薩問出品五的三無性義；其後慈氏問止觀（品六）、觀自在問地度（品七）、曼殊室利問佛果（品八）。所以十位上首預張了後文主要問答人物，卻既非全數問主，也不是十人各問一題。這份名單仍是全經結構的重要伏筆，藏在序分裡。
序而非泛
合起來看：這序分以佛地的依正莊嚴開端，於「淨識為相」一句已伏唯識之脈；以佛德顯開演者之圓滿；以二眾德顯與會者之殊勝；末以十菩薩上首，預張後七品的主要問答人物。一座唯識根本經的門，便這樣立起來了——讀這序分，不是讀過場，是讀這部經何以而起、從何處說、由哪些人物展開問答的全局。
Why the Introduction Is Not Merely an Introduction
Every sūtra has its introduction, and one tends to read past it. But the introduction to this chapter is no idle opening: what it lays out at the very start — the dwelling of the Bhagavān, the Buddha's virtues, the virtues of the two assemblies — together with the ten bodhisattva leaders it names at the end, is precisely what sets the ground for the whole sūtra. Woncheuk [圓測] divides the entire sūtra into three parts, and the Introduction is the first of them, the "part on the causes and conditions of the teaching's arising": why a sūtra arises, by whom it is spoken, where it is spoken, and for whom it is spoken — all of this the introduction makes known. And the way it makes this known has its own deep import: the Buddha dwells in a great palace that has "for its mark the utmost-sovereign pure consciousness" and there speaks this sūtra — before we have even entered the main teaching, the vein of Consciousness-Only already lies hidden within the realm of this dwelling. And so this chapter is the door through which one enters this root sūtra of Consciousness-Only.
The Realm Displayed by the Adornment of the Buddha-Ground, in Both Its Supporting and Supported Aspects
To speak this deepest of Consciousness-Only sūtras, why, before He opens His mouth, does the Buddha first take a long passage to lay out the very palace in which He abides? At the very start, the introduction writes out, clause by clause, the dwelling of the Bhagavān: a great palace most radiant and adorned with the seven jewels, casting forth a great light that illumines the boundless worlds, surpassing the courses of the three realms, arisen from supramundane roots of goodness. This is no scene-painting — following the Buddhabhūmi-śāstra [佛地經論], Woncheuk takes the nineteen clauses of this dwelling to display precisely the "eighteen perfections" of the Buddha's pure land: perfection of visible colour, of shape, of measure, of locale, of cause, of fruit, of lord, of retinue-in-attendance, of company, of upholding, of activity, of benefiting, of fearlessness, of abode, of road, of vehicle, of gate, and of support — these nineteen clauses displaying, in their order, these eighteen kinds of perfection, so that the palace they adorn is named the Buddha's pure land.
The passage that follows is the Buddha's virtues: the most purified awakening, conduct that falls into neither extreme, the tending toward the markless Dharma, abiding in the abode wherein Buddhas abide, the realizing of the nature shared by all Buddhas, on to the realizing of the equality of the Buddha-ground that has no middle and no bound, exhausting the nature of empty space, reaching to the farthest limit of the future. The former passage displays the adornment of the pure land on which the Buddha rests; this passage displays the perfection of the body and wisdom by which the Buddha rests upon it. With these two adornments — the supporting and the supported — the realm of the Buddha-ground is laid out plainly. This is no idle stroke of the brush: precisely because what this sūtra means to disclose is the deepest doctrine of Consciousness-Only, it first sets the one who discloses (the Buddha) and the realm on which the disclosing rests (the pure land) at the most perfect of heights.
How "Having for Its Mark the Utmost-Sovereign Pure Consciousness" Already Conceals the Vein of Consciousness-Only
Of the nineteen clauses on the dwelling, the sixth — "having for its mark the utmost-sovereign pure consciousness" — most deserves notice: it is the "perfection of fruit" among the eighteen perfections, and Woncheuk expressly cites Bandhuprabha's [親光] commentary in the Buddhabhūmi-śāstra to bring out its Consciousness-Only sense: "That is, the great palace, utterly sovereign, has the Buddha's untainted mind for its very substance and mark — because there is consciousness only, and apart from consciousness there are no jewels and the like standing separately outside it; it is the Buddha's pure mind that thus transforms-and-manifests what seems to be the host of jewels and so forth — this, then, is the pure consciousness conjoined with the Tathāgata's Great Mirror Wisdom."
This one clause says it through and through: this great palace adorned with the seven jewels is not a case of jewels and the like, real things, set out there apart from consciousness; it is precisely what the Buddha's untainted pure mind — the pure consciousness conjoined with the Great Mirror Wisdom — transforms-and-manifests as a semblance of jewel-adornment. In other words, even a realm as perfect as the Buddha's pure land is nothing other than what consciousness manifests. The sūtra is still in its introduction, has not yet formally established the doctrine of Consciousness-Only — and yet the statement "because there is consciousness only, and apart from consciousness there are no jewels and the like standing separately" is already stored within this clause on the adornment of the dwelling. This makes the clause important scriptural material for later Yogācāra accounts of Buddha-lands; how each treatise uses it remains a matter for comparison at that treatise's explicit passage.
The Meaning of the Eighteen Perfections
These eighteen aspects are ranged out one by one — why is it that the sixth alone, "fruit," most deserves the eye? Because it is just this aspect that turns the whole array of the pure land's adornment into a single clause of Consciousness-Only. The eighteen perfections analyse the perfection of the Buddha's pure land into eighteen aspects for display: visible colour, shape, measure, and locale speak of the pure land in its appearance, its size, and its place; cause and fruit speak of the roots of goodness from which the pure land is formed (cause) and of what it has for its substance and mark (fruit); lord, retinue-in-attendance, and company speak of the lord of this land (the Tathāgata) and of the bodhisattvas and the followers gathered like clouds within it; upholding, activity, benefiting, and fearlessness speak of how this land can uphold the savour of Dharma, accomplish the benefit of beings, extinguish affliction and calamity, and stand apart from the hosts of Māra; and abode, road, vehicle, gate, and support are precisely what the sūtra's clauses display — "the ground on which the Tathāgata's adornment rests" displays the abode, "with great mindfulness, wisdom, and conduct for the road it travels" displays the road, "with great calm and wondrous insight for what it rides upon" displays the vehicle, "with the great emptiness, the markless, and the wishless liberations for the gate it enters by" displays the gate, and "raised up by a host of great jewel-flower kings" displays the support.
The nineteen clauses of the sūtra, in their order, display these eighteen matters. And among these eighteen aspects, the sixth, "perfection of fruit," is just the clause "having for its mark the utmost-sovereign pure consciousness" — it is not merely one of the eighteen, but the pivot of this whole array of adornment: visible colour, shape, and measure have spoken the pure land's appearance to the full, and only at this aspect of "fruit" is it pointed out from where that appearance comes to be — solely what the Buddha's pure consciousness transforms-and-manifests. The fullness of the introduction's laying-out looks to be only a setting-up, one by one, of the perfect realm of the Buddha-ground, establishing a most perfect place from which what follows may be expounded; yet in truth, at the very centre of these eighteen aspects, the one clause of Consciousness-Only — "pure consciousness for its mark" — has already been quietly laid down as a hidden vein.
Why These Ten Bodhisattvas Are Named as Leaders
At the end of the introduction, ten bodhisattvas are named as leaders: He Who Unravels the Hidden Intent of the Profound Meaning, Who Asks in Accord with Principle, Dharma-Welling-Forth, Well-Purified Wisdom, Broad Wisdom, Root-of-Virtue, Born of the Ultimate Meaning, Avalokiteśvara, Maitreya, and Mañjuśrī. This list is no casual roll-call of retinue: it anticipates principal interlocutors in the chapters that follow, but is not an exhaustive list of questioners.
The bodhisattva He Who Unravels the Hidden Intent of the Profound Meaning is the respondent in Chapter Two; Who Asks in Accord with Principle, Dharma-Welling-Forth, and Well-Purified Wisdom are its first three questioners. Elder Subhūti, the fourth Chapter Two interlocutor, is not among the ten. Broad Wisdom asks about mind, thought, and consciousness in Chapter Three; Root-of-Virtue about the three characteristics in Chapter Four; Born of the Ultimate Meaning about the three non-natures in Chapter Five; thereafter Maitreya asks about calm and insight (Chapter Six), Avalokiteśvara about the grounds and perfections (Chapter Seven), and Mañjuśrī about the fruit of Buddhahood (Chapter Eight). The ten leaders therefore anticipate the principal interlocutors of the later chapters, but they are neither an exhaustive list of questioners nor ten people each asking one question. The list remains an important structural foreshadowing stored within the introduction.
An Introduction, and No Idle One
Taken together: this introduction opens with the adornment of the Buddha-ground in both its supporting and supported aspects, and in the one clause "having for its mark the pure consciousness" already conceals the vein of Consciousness-Only; with the Buddha's virtues it displays the perfection of the one who expounds; with the virtues of the two assemblies it displays the excellence of those in attendance; and at the end, with the ten bodhisattva leaders, it anticipates the principal interlocutors of the later chapters without exhausting their questioners. The door of a root sūtra of Consciousness-Only is in this way set up — to read this introduction is not to read past an opening scene, but to read the whole compass of the sūtra: why it arises, from what place it is spoken, and among which principal interlocutors its questions and answers unfold.
考據Apparatus
本品為序分，圓測判「教起因緣分」；薄伽梵住處依正莊嚴（十八圓滿·「最極自在淨識為相」）· 佛德 · 二眾德 · 列十菩薩上首為全經張本。序分無破立、無喻，考據本薄；寧薄而純，不浮充。
一、科判定位
| 科判系統 | 此品之位 |
|---|---|
| 玄奘 T676 八品 | 第一 序品（卷一首；〔T16 0688b06〕起—〔T16 0688c17〕「而為上首」訖，品二〔0688c18〕起） |
| 圓測科文（X21n0369·主錨） | 教起因緣分（一部三分之首；圓測「解三中第二為正」〔X0180a06〕，序品即教起因緣分／序分） |
| 流支 T675 十一品 | 第一 序品（〔T16n0675 0665b15〕起—〔0665c27〕「不可數菩薩眾俱」訖，品二〔0665c28〕起；流支序品無十菩薩上首列名） |
| 真諦《佛說解節經》T677 | 不涵蓋序品（圓測：「初之二品，無序品名，開勝義諦以為四品」〔X0179b03–05〕；此經完整對應 T676 品2，分為四品，只就整部《解深密經》而言屬部分譯本） |
| 攝決擇分 T1579 | 序分無平行，從闕（攝決擇分明引《解深密經》自品二勝義諦相段起，序分不引） |
圓測判全經三分，序品繫於首段「教起因緣分」：
「然判此經有其三釋：一云此經唯有二分：一教起因緣，即初序品；二聖教正說，謂後七品…一云一部總有三分：初一品名教起因緣分，次有七品名聖教正說分，後第五卷末爾時曼殊室利下依教奉行分…雖有三釋，且依初說無有一部通奉行故。又解三中第二為正，具足三分義不違故。」〔X21n0369 X0179c20–0180a06〕
圓測釋「教起因緣」名義，並判序品唯證信、無發起：
「今言教起因緣等者，以薄伽梵說經本主名之為因，顯已聞等非正說故名之為緣，故說序分名因緣分…就因緣分有其二義：一證信分、二發起…今此經文及佛地等，唯有證信而無發起，於證信中義說發起理亦無違。」〔X21n0369 X0180a08–21〕
教起因緣分終、正說分始，圓測明標：
「釋曰：第二正釋經文。上來已釋教起因緣分訖，自下第二聖教正說分。」〔X21n0369 X0203b19–20〕
二、異譯·論中明引／同譯者平行對勘
序品要句之漢譯校本：玄奘 T676（底本）· 流支 T675（全本主對校）。攝決擇分 T1579 序分無平行，從闕（攝決擇分明引《解深密經》自品二勝義諦相段起）；真諦《佛說解節經》T677、求那 T678／T679 不涵蓋序品，從闕（真諦《佛說解節經》完整對應 T676 品2，分為四品；只就整部《解深密經》而言屬部分譯本，無序品名；求那二本當解深密最後二品）。
句一 住處依正莊嚴（薄伽梵住處）
| 版本 | 逐字 | 出處 |
|---|---|---|
| 玄奘 T676 | 一時，薄伽梵住最勝光曜七寶莊嚴，放大光明，普照一切無邊世界…超過三界所行之處，勝出世間善根所起，最極自在淨識為相。如來所都，諸大菩薩眾所雲集…大止妙觀以為所乘，大空、無相、無願解脫為所入門…大寶花王眾所建立大宮殿中。 | T16n0676 0688b07–19 |
| 流支 T675 | 一時婆伽婆住法界殿如來境界處——眾寶赫焰一切莊嚴第一之處…過諸一切三界境界、出世間、上上善根境界成就之處；善得清淨、自在解脫、無礙之處…奢摩他、毘婆舍那大乘之處；入空、無相、無願大解脫樂處；無量功德眾大寶蓮華王之所莊嚴處——婆伽婆住如是等不可思議自在之處。 | T16n0675 0665b17–c02 |
異文所繫：（甲）住處名，玄奘作「最勝光曜七寶莊嚴…大宮殿」，流支作「法界殿如來境界處…眾寶赫焰一切莊嚴第一之處」。（乙）「最極自在淨識為相」一句為玄奘系所獨顯（屬十八圓滿之第六「果圓滿」，見目三·目四）；流支住處句中無此一句之對譯，作「出世間、上上善根境界成就之處」一系列「之處」句，未別立「淨識為相」之果相句。（丙）玄奘「薄伽梵」、流支「婆伽婆」（同 bhagavat 之異音寫）。
句二 佛德（最清淨覺·佛地平等）
| 版本 | 逐字 | 出處 |
|---|---|---|
| 玄奘 T676 | 是薄伽梵最清淨覺，不二現行，趣無相法。住於佛住逮得一切佛平等性…如來解脫妙智究竟，證無中邊佛地平等，極於法界，盡虛空性窮未來際。 | T16n0676 0688b19–27 |
| 流支 T675 | 諸佛如來善覺所覺，離於二行，到無相處；行諸佛行，得諸如來一切平等，到無障礙之所去處…能到無邊無中三昧，境界廣大如法界、究竟如虛空；盡未來際。 | T16n0675 0665c03–12 |
異文所繫：玄奘「最清淨覺，不二現行，趣無相法」、流支「善覺所覺，離於二行，到無相處」（玄奘「最清淨覺」對流支「善覺所覺」；「不二現行」對「離於二行」；「趣無相法」對「到無相處」）；玄奘「證無中邊佛地平等」、流支「能到無邊無中三昧」（玄奘繫於「佛地平等」，流支繫於「三昧」）。
句三 二眾德·十菩薩上首
| 版本 | 逐字 | 出處 |
|---|---|---|
| 玄奘 T676 | 與無量大聲聞眾俱，一切調順，皆是佛子…已善奉行如來聖教。復有無量菩薩摩訶薩，從種種佛土而來集會…其名曰：解甚深義密意菩薩摩訶薩、如理請問…慈氏菩薩摩訶薩、曼殊室利菩薩摩訶薩等，而為上首。 | T16n0676 0688b27–c17 |
| 流支 T675 | 盡未來際與諸無量聲聞眾俱——心善調伏，皆是佛子…能如說行。時諸無量大菩薩眾，皆從無量種種佛土而來集會…如是等，不可說、不可思、不可稱、不可量、不可數菩薩眾俱。 | T16n0675 0665c12–27 |
異文所繫：聲聞眾、菩薩眾二段大義相應；惟流支序品菩薩眾止於「不可數菩薩眾俱」，無玄奘系「解甚深義密意…曼殊室利…而為上首」之十菩薩上首列名（流支全本將諸菩薩問答人物散見於後諸品之品題，序品不別出上首）。玄奘系十上首列名，預示全經後七品主要問答人物（見目三），但並非問主全表。
三、唯識義之經據（眼）
本品為序分，所立非教義正宗；然其依正莊嚴一段、列十上首一段，於唯識義有二脈：
（一）佛地依正莊嚴·「最極自在淨識為相」——〔T16n0676 0688b10–11〕住處依正莊嚴十九句（圓測·佛地論判為「十八圓滿」，見目四），其第六句「最極自在淨識為相」顯佛淨土唯識所現之義：淨土非離識外別有寶等，乃佛大圓鏡智相應淨識之所變現。此唯識義之伏脈：
- 佛地經論釋此句：「謂大宮殿最極自在，佛無漏心以為體相，唯有識故，非離識外別有寶等，即佛淨心如是變現似眾寶等…此即如來大圓鏡智相應淨識」〔T26n1530 0294a27–b03〕。
- → 攝大乘論〈彼果智分〉佛身土 · 成唯識論卷十佛果三身四智·自受用／他受用淨土。
（二）列十菩薩上首·為全經張本——〔T16n0676 0688c12–17〕「其名曰：解甚深義密意菩薩摩訶薩…曼殊室利菩薩摩訶薩等，而為上首」：十上首預示後七品主要問答人物——解甚深義密意為品二答主；如理請問、法涌、善清淨慧為品二前三位問主；廣慧（品三）、德本（品四）、勝義生（品五）、慈氏（品六）、觀自在（品七）、曼殊室利（品八）為後六品問主。但品二第四位問者長老善現不在十名中，故此表既非全數問主，也不是十人各問一題。序品列名，是全經唯識義次第（賴耶·三性·三無性·止觀·地度·果）的主要人物伏筆。
四、諸家異釋（古德·標宗）
藏經內現存古德源涉本品者二家：圓測《解深密經疏》（主·現存專疏主錨，釋序品教起因緣分及十八圓滿科文）· 親光等《佛地經論》（圓測判十八圓滿所本，釋「住處圓滿」十八事及「淨識為相」果相）。
圓測《解深密經疏》X21n0369（主）
判序品為教起因緣分，住處之中十九句顯十八圓滿（科文所本即佛地論）：
「就釋此經，住處之中有十九句，顯彼淨土十八圓滿。十八圓滿即十八段。言十八者，如佛地論第一卷云：論曰：此顯如來住處圓滿，謂佛淨土。如是淨土復由十八圓滿事故說名圓滿，謂顯色圓滿、形色圓滿、分量圓滿、方所圓滿、因圓滿、果圓滿、主圓滿、輔翼圓滿、眷屬圓滿、住持圓滿、事業圓滿、攝益圓滿、無畏圓滿、住處圓滿、路圓滿、乘圓滿、門圓滿、依持圓滿。由十九句如其次第顯示如是十八圓滿，即此圓滿所嚴宮殿名佛淨土。」〔X21n0369 X0185c17–0186a01〕
釋「最極自在淨識為相」為第六果圓滿，引親光釋顯唯識義：
「釋曰：此顯第六果圓滿也。親光釋云：謂大宮殿最極自在，佛無漏心以為體相，唯有識故，非離識外別有寶等，即佛淨心如是變現似眾寶等，此即如來大圓鏡智相應淨識。」〔X21n0369 X0188a09–12〕
辨序之諸古德分判（真諦七事·龍猛六義·親光佛地論五種）：
「辨事多少者，自有三說：一者真諦般若記中開為七事…二依龍猛大智度論，於序分中開為六義：一信、二聞、三時、四主、五處、六眾…三依親光佛地論中攝多五種：一總顯已聞、二說經時、三者說主、四顯說處、五顯聽眾。」〔X21n0369 X0180a22–b10〕
親光等《佛地經論》T26n1530（圓測十八圓滿所本）
釋「住處圓滿」十八事（圓測十八圓滿科文所本）：
「論曰：此顯如來住處圓滿，謂佛淨土。如是淨土復由十八圓滿事故，說名圓滿，謂顯色圓滿、形色圓滿、分量圓滿、方所圓滿、因圓滿、果圓滿、主圓滿、輔翼圓滿、眷屬圓滿、住持圓滿、事業圓滿、攝益圓滿、無畏圓滿、住處圓滿、路圓滿、乘圓滿、門圓滿、依持圓滿。由十九句如其次第顯示如是十八圓滿，即此圓滿所嚴宮殿名佛淨土，佛住如是大宮殿中說此契經。」〔T26n1530 0292b25–c03〕
釋第六「果圓滿」即「最極自在淨識為相」，顯佛淨土唯識所現：
「果相云何？最極自在淨識為相。謂大宮殿最極自在，佛無漏心以為體相，唯有識故，非離識外別有寶等，即佛淨心如是變現似眾寶等…此即如來大圓鏡智相應淨識，由昔所修自利無漏淨土種子因緣力故，於一切時遍一切處，不待作意任運變現，眾寶莊嚴受用佛土，與自受用身作所依止處。」〔T26n1530 0294a27–b06〕
五、術語
| 漢 | 古德傳梵（羅馬字·發音輔助） | 古德音寫所徵 | 唯識精確義 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 薄伽梵 ／ 婆伽婆（流支） | bhagavat | 〔玄奘譯名 T16n0676 0688b07·流支音寫 T16n0675 0665b17〕 | 世尊；說此經之本主（圓測：「以薄伽梵說經本主名之為因」〔X0180a09〕） |
| 最極自在淨識為相 | — | 〔本經 T16n0676 0688b10–11〕 | 第六果圓滿：佛淨土唯佛大圓鏡智相應淨識所變現，非離識外別有寶等（佛地論〔T26n1530 0294a27–b03〕） |
| 十八圓滿 | — | 〔佛地論 T26n1530 0292b25–c03·圓測引 X0185c18〕 | 顯色·形色·分量·方所·因·果·主·輔翼·眷屬·住持·事業·攝益·無畏·住處·路·乘·門·依持——住處依正莊嚴十九句所顯之十八事（佛地論立·圓測判序品住處段） |
| 教起因緣分 | — | 〔圓測 X21n0369 X0179c23·X0180a08–10〕 | 一部三分之首；序品即此分（唯證信無發起，圓測〔X0180a20–21〕） |
| 上首 | — | 〔本經 T16n0676 0688c17〕 | 列名菩薩中為首者；十上首預示後七品主要問答人物，其中解甚深義密意為答主，且品二長老善現不在十名中 |
六、譬喻·修辭
本品無喻。 序分為依正莊嚴及二眾德之鋪敘（描述句、贊嘆句為體），無「譬如」喻體；住處段之「大寶花王」「如來莊嚴之所依處」「廣大如法界、究竟如虛空」（流支）等，係莊嚴狀辭與極量之喻飾，非立喻顯義之喻體喻依結構，故不別錄為喻條。本經立喻顯唯識義者，自品三瀑流喻、鏡面喻始。
七、互讀
本經為唯識系經源；本品住處依正莊嚴（淨識為相·十八圓滿）可與後論佛果身土明文作主題互讀。以下只列與本品實相關者：
- 攝大乘論〈彼果智分〉：佛三身·受用／變化身土，可與本品「最極自在淨識為相」之佛淨土義互讀；不據此宣稱直接承自本品。
- 成唯識論 卷十：究竟位四智三身轉依·自受用淨土／他受用淨土·大圓鏡智相應淨識，可與本品「淨識為相」互讀。本品此句的古德直釋仍據圓測所引《佛地經論》「大圓鏡智相應淨識…任運變現，眾寶莊嚴受用佛土」。
互讀為主題指引；只有條目明列之藏經號與行號才作來源主張。
八、校本定位
- 玄奘 T676（底本）：序品〔T16n0676 0688b06〕起—〔0688c17〕「而為上首」訖（品二〔0688c18〕起）。住處依正莊嚴 0688b07–b19（淨識為相 0688b10–11）· 佛德 0688b19–b27 · 聲聞眾 0688b27–c05 · 菩薩眾 0688c06–c12 · 十菩薩上首 0688c12–c17。
- 流支 T675（全本主對校）：序品第一〔T16n0675 0665b15〕起—〔0665c27〕「不可數菩薩眾俱」訖（品二〔0665c28〕起）。住處 0665b17–c02 · 佛德 0665c03–c12 · 聲聞眾 0665c12–c19 · 菩薩眾 0665c19–c27（無十菩薩上首列名）。
- 圓測 X0369（主·專疏）：序品釋〔X21n0369 X0171b16〕起；教起因緣分判文 X0179c20–0180a06 · 教起因緣名義 X0180a08–21 · 辨序三說 X0180a22–b10 · 十八圓滿科文 X0185c17–0186a01 · 淨識為相釋 X0188a08–17 · 教起因緣分訖 X0203b19–20。
- 佛地經論 T1530（古德·圓測十八圓滿所本）：住處圓滿十八事〔T26n1530 0292b25–c03〕· 果圓滿（淨識為相）釋 0294a27–b06。
- 真諦《佛說解節經》T677 · 求那 T678／T679 · 攝決擇分 T1579：序分皆不涵蓋，從闕（真諦《佛說解節經》完整對應 T676 品2，分為四品；只就整部《解深密經》而言屬部分譯本，圓測〔X0179b03–05〕；攝決擇分明引《解深密經》自品二勝義諦相段起，序分不引）。
This chapter is the introductory portion, which Woncheuk judges to be "the section on the conditioning cause of the teaching's arising"; the perfectly adorned dwelling-place of the Bhagavān (the eighteen perfections · "having for its mark the utmost-sovereign pure consciousness") · the Buddha's virtues · the virtues of the two assemblies · the listing of the ten bodhisattva leaders set up the whole sūtra. The introductory portion has no refutation-and-establishment and no simile; the apparatus is by nature thin — better thin and pure than padded out.
I. Doctrinal-structural placement (科判定位)
| Structural system | Position of this chapter |
|---|---|
| Xuanzang T676, eight-chapter scheme | First, the Introduction Chapter (序品; opening of scroll one; beginning at 〔T16 0688b06〕, ending at 〔T16 0688c17〕 "而為上首," with Chapter Two opening at 〔0688c18〕) |
| Woncheuk's structural outline (X21n0369 · primary anchor) | The section on the conditioning cause of the teaching's arising (教起因緣分; the first of the one sūtra's three stretches; Woncheuk: "of the three readings, the second is the right one" 〔X0180a06〕; the Introduction Chapter is the section on the conditioning cause of the teaching's arising / the introductory portion) |
| Bodhiruci T675, eleven-chapter scheme | First, the Introduction Chapter (序品; beginning at 〔T16n0675 0665b15〕, ending at 〔0665c27〕 "不可數菩薩眾俱," with Chapter Two opening at 〔0665c28〕; Bodhiruci's Introduction Chapter has no listing of the names of the ten bodhisattva leaders) |
| Paramārtha's Foshuo Jiejie jing (佛說解節經) T677 | Does not cover the Introduction Chapter (Woncheuk: "the first two chapters bear no Introduction-Chapter name; the ultimate truth is opened out into four chapters" 〔X0179b03–05〕) |
| Saṃdhinirmocana-section T1579 (攝決擇分) | No parallel to the introductory portion; left blank (the Saṃdhinirmocana-section's explicit quotation of the Saṃdhinirmocana begins with the Chapter Two ultimate-truth passage; the introductory portion is not quoted) |
Woncheuk judges the whole sūtra into three stretches, with the Introduction Chapter tied to the first stretch, "the section on the conditioning cause of the teaching's arising":
「然判此經有其三釋：一云此經唯有二分：一教起因緣，即初序品；二聖教正說，謂後七品…一云一部總有三分：初一品名教起因緣分，次有七品名聖教正說分，後第五卷末爾時曼殊室利下依教奉行分…雖有三釋，且依初說無有一部通奉行故。又解三中第二為正，具足三分義不違故。」〔X21n0369 X0179c20–0180a06〕
[Now there are three readings by which to divide this sūtra: one says this sūtra has only two parts — first, the conditioning cause of the teaching's arising, namely the opening Introduction Chapter; second, the right exposition of the holy teaching, namely the latter seven chapters… One says the one sūtra has three stretches in all: the first chapter is named the section on the conditioning cause of the teaching's arising; the next seven chapters are named the section of the holy teaching's right exposition; and from "At that time Mañjuśrī…" at the end of the fifth scroll onward is the section on practising in accord with the teaching… Though there are three readings, by the first one there is no one part that is throughout a practising-in-accord [section]. And of the three readings the second is the right one, since it lacks nothing in the meaning of the three stretches being fully present.]
Woncheuk explains the meaning of the name "conditioning cause of the teaching's arising," and judges the Introduction Chapter to have only the attestation of trust, with no occasioning [of the discourse]:
「今言教起因緣等者，以薄伽梵說經本主名之為因，顯已聞等非正說故名之為緣，故說序分名因緣分…就因緣分有其二義：一證信分、二發起…今此經文及佛地等，唯有證信而無發起，於證信中義說發起理亦無違。」〔X21n0369 X0180a08–21〕
[Now, as for the words "conditioning cause of the teaching's arising" and so forth: because the Bhagavān, the root-master who speaks the sūtra, is named the "cause," and because the "thus have I heard" and the rest, not being the right exposition, are named the "condition" — therefore the introductory portion is called the section of the conditioning cause… Within the section of the conditioning cause there are two senses: first, the portion attesting trust; second, the occasioning… Now this sūtra-text, and the Buddhabhūmi and the rest, have only the attestation of trust and no occasioning; and to speak of an occasioning in sense within the attestation of trust does not run contrary to principle either.]
Where the section on the conditioning cause ends and the section of the right exposition begins, Woncheuk marks plainly:
「釋曰：第二正釋經文。上來已釋教起因緣分訖，自下第二聖教正說分。」〔X21n0369 X0203b19–20〕
[Commentary: Second, the right explanation of the sūtra-text. The foregoing has already finished explaining the section on the conditioning cause of the teaching's arising; from here, second, the section of the holy teaching's right exposition.]
II. Cross-translation and explicit treatise quotation / same-translator parallel (異譯·論中明引／同譯者平行對勘)
The Chinese collation-witnesses for the key sentences of the Introduction Chapter: Xuanzang T676 (base text) · Bodhiruci T675 (the full-text primary cross-collation). The Saṃdhinirmocana-section T1579 has no parallel to the introductory portion and is left blank (its explicit quotation of the Saṃdhinirmocana begins with the Chapter Two ultimate-truth passage); Paramārtha's Foshuo Jiejie jing (佛說解節經) T677 and Guṇabhadra T678/T679 do not cover the Introduction Chapter and are left blank (Paramārtha's Foshuo Jiejie jing (佛說解節經) is the full counterpart to T676 Chapter 2, divided into four chapters, and partial only relative to the sūtra as a whole; it bears no Introduction-Chapter name; Guṇabhadra's two texts correspond to the last two chapters of the Saṃdhinirmocana).
Sentence 1 — The perfectly adorned dwelling-place (the Bhagavān's dwelling)
| Witness | Verbatim | Locus |
|---|---|---|
| Xuanzang T676 | 一時，薄伽梵住最勝光曜七寶莊嚴，放大光明，普照一切無邊世界…超過三界所行之處，勝出世間善根所起，最極自在淨識為相。如來所都，諸大菩薩眾所雲集…大止妙觀以為所乘，大空、無相、無願解脫為所入門…大寶花王眾所建立大宮殿中。 | T16n0676 0688b07–19 |
| Bodhiruci T675 | 一時婆伽婆住法界殿如來境界處——眾寶赫焰一切莊嚴第一之處…過諸一切三界境界、出世間、上上善根境界成就之處；善得清淨、自在解脫、無礙之處…奢摩他、毘婆舍那大乘之處；入空、無相、無願大解脫樂處；無量功德眾大寶蓮華王之所莊嚴處——婆伽婆住如是等不可思議自在之處。 | T16n0675 0665b17–c02 |
English of the base text (Xuanzang T676): "At one time, the Bhagavān was dwelling in a great palace, most radiant and adorned with the seven jewels, casting forth a great light illumining all the boundless worlds… a place surpassing all the courses of the three realms, arising from supramundane roots of goodness, having for its mark the utmost-sovereign pure consciousness. It was the seat of the Tathāgata, where the host of great bodhisattvas gathered like clouds… with great calm and wondrous insight for what it rides upon, and with the liberations of the great emptiness, the markless, and the wishless for the gate it enters by… a great palace raised up by a host of great jewel-flower kings."
Variant-significance: (a) The name of the dwelling-place: Xuanzang writes 「最勝光曜七寶莊嚴…大宮殿」 ["most radiant and adorned with the seven jewels… a great palace"], Bodhiruci writes 「法界殿如來境界處…眾寶赫焰一切莊嚴第一之處」 ["the Dharma-realm hall, the place of the Tathāgata's domain… a place of every jewel ablaze, foremost in all adornment"]. (b) The clause 「最極自在淨識為相」 ["having for its mark the utmost-sovereign pure consciousness"] is distinctively displayed by the Xuanzang line alone (it belongs to the sixth of the eighteen perfections, "the perfection of fruit," see Headings III and IV); within Bodhiruci's dwelling-place sentence there is no corresponding rendering of this one clause — he writes a series of "place" phrases, 「出世間、上上善根境界成就之處」 ["a place where the supramundane, the most-supreme roots of goodness, and the domain are accomplished"], and does not separately set up a fruit-mark clause of "having pure consciousness for its mark." (c) Xuanzang writes 「薄伽梵」, Bodhiruci writes 「婆伽婆」 (different transliterations of the same bhagavat).
Sentence 2 — The Buddha's virtues (the most purified awakening · the equality of the Buddha-ground)
| Witness | Verbatim | Locus |
|---|---|---|
| Xuanzang T676 | 是薄伽梵最清淨覺，不二現行，趣無相法。住於佛住逮得一切佛平等性…如來解脫妙智究竟，證無中邊佛地平等，極於法界，盡虛空性窮未來際。 | T16n0676 0688b19–27 |
| Bodhiruci T675 | 諸佛如來善覺所覺，離於二行，到無相處；行諸佛行，得諸如來一切平等，到無障礙之所去處…能到無邊無中三昧，境界廣大如法界、究竟如虛空；盡未來際。 | T16n0675 0665c03–12 |
English of the base text (Xuanzang T676): "This Bhagavān is the most purified Awakened One: His every act falls into neither of the two extremes, tending toward the markless Dharma. Abiding in the abode wherein Buddhas abide, He has realized the nature shared in common by all Buddhas… The Tathāgata's wondrous wisdom of liberation is ultimate; He has realized the equality of the Buddha-ground that has no middle and no bound, reaching to the very limit of the Dharma-realm, exhausting the nature of empty space, on to the farthest reach of the future without end."
Variant-significance: Xuanzang 「最清淨覺，不二現行，趣無相法」 ["the most purified awakening, His every act falling into neither of the two extremes, tending toward the markless Dharma"], Bodhiruci 「善覺所覺，離於二行，到無相處」 ["the well-awakened awakening, apart from the two courses, reaching the markless place"] (Xuanzang's 「最清淨覺」 ["the most purified awakening"] corresponds to Bodhiruci's 「善覺所覺」 ["the well-awakened awakening"]; 「不二現行」 ["His act falling into neither of the two extremes"] to 「離於二行」 ["apart from the two courses"]; 「趣無相法」 ["tending toward the markless Dharma"] to 「到無相處」 ["reaching the markless place"]); Xuanzang 「證無中邊佛地平等」 ["He has realized the equality of the Buddha-ground that has no middle and no bound"], Bodhiruci 「能到無邊無中三昧」 ["He can reach the samādhi that has no bound and no middle"] (Xuanzang ties it to "the equality of the Buddha-ground," Bodhiruci ties it to "samādhi").
Sentence 3 — The virtues of the two assemblies · the ten bodhisattva leaders
| Witness | Verbatim | Locus |
|---|---|---|
| Xuanzang T676 | 與無量大聲聞眾俱，一切調順，皆是佛子…已善奉行如來聖教。復有無量菩薩摩訶薩，從種種佛土而來集會…其名曰：解甚深義密意菩薩摩訶薩、如理請問…慈氏菩薩摩訶薩、曼殊室利菩薩摩訶薩等，而為上首。 | T16n0676 0688b27–c17 |
| Bodhiruci T675 | 盡未來際與諸無量聲聞眾俱——心善調伏，皆是佛子…能如說行。時諸無量大菩薩眾，皆從無量種種佛土而來集會…如是等，不可說、不可思、不可稱、不可量、不可數菩薩眾俱。 | T16n0675 0665c12–27 |
English of the base text (Xuanzang T676): "Together with measureless great śrāvakas: all of them tamed and pliant, all of them sons of the Buddha… well had they carried out the Tathāgata's holy teaching. There were also measureless bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, come together in assembly from every kind of Buddha-land… whose names were: the bodhisattva-mahāsattva He Who Unravels the Hidden Intent of the Profound Meaning, the bodhisattva-mahāsattva Who Asks in Accord with Principle… the bodhisattva-mahāsattva Maitreya, the bodhisattva-mahāsattva Mañjuśrī, and the rest — and these stood foremost among them."
Variant-significance: The two passages, the śrāvaka assembly and the bodhisattva assembly, correspond in broad sense; but Bodhiruci's Introduction-Chapter bodhisattva assembly stops at 「不可數菩薩眾俱」 ["together with bodhisattvas beyond all counting"] and has none of the Xuanzang line's listing of the names of the ten bodhisattva leaders 「解甚深義密意…曼殊室利…而為上首」 ["He Who Unravels the Hidden Intent of the Profound Meaning… Mañjuśrī… stood foremost"] (Bodhiruci's full text scatters the principal interlocutors across the chapter-titles of the later chapters and does not separately set out the leaders in the Introduction Chapter). Xuanzang's list anticipates the principal interlocutors of the later seven chapters, but is not an exhaustive list of questioners (see Heading III).
III. The Yogācāra doctrinal warrant (唯識義之經據 · the eye)
This chapter is the introductory portion; what it establishes is not the doctrine proper. Yet its passage on the perfectly adorned dwelling-place and its passage listing the ten leaders carry two veins for the Yogācāra meaning:
(i) The perfectly adorned Buddha-ground · "having for its mark the utmost-sovereign pure consciousness" — 〔T16n0676 0688b10–11〕 the nineteen clauses of the perfectly adorned dwelling-place (which Woncheuk · the Buddhabhūmi-śāstra judge to be "the eighteen perfections," see Heading IV); their sixth clause, 「最極自在淨識為相」 ["having for its mark the utmost-sovereign pure consciousness"], displays the meaning that the Buddha's pure land is the manifestation of Consciousness-Only: the pure land is not a thing of jewels and the rest existing apart from consciousness; it is the transformation-manifestation of the pure consciousness that accords with the Buddha's great mirror-wisdom. This is the hidden vein of the Yogācāra meaning:
- The Buddhabhūmi-śāstra glosses this clause: 「謂大宮殿最極自在，佛無漏心以為體相，唯有識故，非離識外別有寶等，即佛淨心如是變現似眾寶等…此即如來大圓鏡智相應淨識」 ["that is, the great palace is utmost-sovereign, having the Buddha's untainted mind for its essence-mark, because there is consciousness only; it is not that there are jewels and the rest existing apart from consciousness; rather the Buddha's pure mind thus transforms-and-manifests what resembles a host of jewels… this is precisely the pure consciousness that accords with the Tathāgata's great mirror-wisdom"] 〔T26n1530 0294a27–b03〕.
- → Mahāyāna-saṃgraha, Division on the Wisdom of the Fruit, the Buddha's body-and-land · Cheng Weishi Lun, scroll 10, the fruit-Buddhahood's three bodies and four wisdoms · the self-enjoyment / other-enjoyment pure land.
(ii) The listing of the ten bodhisattva leaders · setting up the whole sūtra — 〔T16n0676 0688c12–17〕 「其名曰：解甚深義密意菩薩摩訶薩…曼殊室利菩薩摩訶薩等，而為上首」 ["whose names were: the bodhisattva-mahāsattva He Who Unravels the Hidden Intent of the Profound Meaning… the bodhisattva-mahāsattva Mañjuśrī, and the rest — and these stood foremost"]: the ten leaders anticipate the principal interlocutors of the later chapters. He Who Unravels the Hidden Intent of the Profound Meaning is the respondent in Chapter Two; Who Asks in Accord with Principle, Dharma-Welling-Forth, and Well-Purified Wisdom are its first three questioners; Broad Wisdom (Chapter Three), Root-of-Virtue (Chapter Four), Born of the Ultimate Meaning (Chapter Five), Maitreya (Chapter Six), Avalokiteśvara (Chapter Seven), and Mañjuśrī (Chapter Eight) ask in the later chapters. The list is not exhaustive: Elder Subhūti, the fourth Chapter Two interlocutor, is not among the ten. It therefore foreshadows the principal actors in the sūtra's Yogācāra sequence without making all ten into questioners.
IV. The ancient masters' readings (諸家異釋 · 古德 · marking the lineage)
Two surviving 古德 sources within the canon bear on this chapter: Woncheuk's Commentary on the Saṃdhinirmocana-sūtra (圓測《解深密經疏》 · the principal extant dedicated commentary, glossing the Introduction Chapter's section on the conditioning cause and the structural division of the eighteen perfections) · Bandhuprabha and others' Buddhabhūmi-śāstra (親光等《佛地經論》 · the source on which Woncheuk's eighteen perfections rest, glossing the eighteen items of "the perfection of dwelling-place" and the fruit-mark "having pure consciousness for its mark").
Woncheuk, Commentary on the Saṃdhinirmocana-sūtra X21n0369 (primary)
Judging the Introduction Chapter to be the section on the conditioning cause of the teaching's arising, and the nineteen clauses within the dwelling-place to display the eighteen perfections (the structural division resting on the Buddhabhūmi-śāstra):
「就釋此經，住處之中有十九句，顯彼淨土十八圓滿。十八圓滿即十八段。言十八者，如佛地論第一卷云：論曰：此顯如來住處圓滿，謂佛淨土。如是淨土復由十八圓滿事故說名圓滿，謂顯色圓滿、形色圓滿、分量圓滿、方所圓滿、因圓滿、果圓滿、主圓滿、輔翼圓滿、眷屬圓滿、住持圓滿、事業圓滿、攝益圓滿、無畏圓滿、住處圓滿、路圓滿、乘圓滿、門圓滿、依持圓滿。由十九句如其次第顯示如是十八圓滿，即此圓滿所嚴宮殿名佛淨土。」〔X21n0369 X0185c17–0186a01〕
[In explaining this sūtra: within the dwelling-place there are nineteen clauses, displaying the eighteen perfections of that pure land. The eighteen perfections are eighteen segments. As for the "eighteen," the first scroll of the Buddhabhūmi-śāstra says — The treatise says: this displays the perfection of the Tathāgata's dwelling-place, namely the Buddha's pure land. Such a pure land, again by reason of the eighteen perfection-items, is called perfect: namely, perfection of visible color, perfection of shape, perfection of measure, perfection of region, perfection of cause, perfection of fruit, perfection of master, perfection of helpers, perfection of retinue, perfection of upholding, perfection of activity, perfection of benefit-bestowing, perfection of fearlessness, perfection of dwelling-place, perfection of road, perfection of vehicle, perfection of gate, perfection of support. By the nineteen clauses, in their order, these eighteen perfections are displayed; and the palace adorned by these perfections is named the Buddha's pure land.]
Glossing 「最極自在淨識為相」 ["having for its mark the utmost-sovereign pure consciousness"] as the sixth perfection of fruit, and citing Bandhuprabha's gloss to display the Yogācāra meaning:
「釋曰：此顯第六果圓滿也。親光釋云：謂大宮殿最極自在，佛無漏心以為體相，唯有識故，非離識外別有寶等，即佛淨心如是變現似眾寶等，此即如來大圓鏡智相應淨識。」〔X21n0369 X0188a09–12〕
[Commentary: this displays the sixth, the perfection of fruit. Bandhuprabha's gloss says — that is, the great palace is utmost-sovereign, having the Buddha's untainted mind for its essence-mark, because there is consciousness only; it is not that there are jewels and the rest existing apart from consciousness; rather the Buddha's pure mind thus transforms-and-manifests what resembles a host of jewels — this is precisely the pure consciousness that accords with the Tathāgata's great mirror-wisdom.]
The ancient masters' several divisions in distinguishing the introduction (Paramārtha's seven items · Nāgārjuna's six senses · Bandhuprabha's Buddhabhūmi-śāstra five kinds):
「辨事多少者，自有三說：一者真諦般若記中開為七事…二依龍猛大智度論，於序分中開為六義：一信、二聞、三時、四主、五處、六眾…三依親光佛地論中攝多五種：一總顯已聞、二說經時、三者說主、四顯說處、五顯聽眾。」〔X21n0369 X0180a22–b10〕
[As to distinguishing the number of items, there are of themselves three readings: first, Paramārtha's Prajñā-record opens it out into seven items… second, following Nāgārjuna's Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra, within the introductory portion it is opened out into six senses: first, trust; second, hearing; third, time; fourth, master; fifth, place; sixth, assembly… third, following Bandhuprabha's Buddhabhūmi-śāstra, it is gathered into five kinds: first, the over-all display of "thus have I heard"; second, the time of speaking the sūtra; third, the master who speaks; fourth, the display of the place of speaking; fifth, the display of the listening assembly.]
Bandhuprabha and others, Buddhabhūmi-śāstra T26n1530 (the source of Woncheuk's eighteen perfections)
Glossing the eighteen items of "the perfection of dwelling-place" (the source for Woncheuk's eighteen-perfections structural division):
「論曰：此顯如來住處圓滿，謂佛淨土。如是淨土復由十八圓滿事故，說名圓滿，謂顯色圓滿、形色圓滿、分量圓滿、方所圓滿、因圓滿、果圓滿、主圓滿、輔翼圓滿、眷屬圓滿、住持圓滿、事業圓滿、攝益圓滿、無畏圓滿、住處圓滿、路圓滿、乘圓滿、門圓滿、依持圓滿。由十九句如其次第顯示如是十八圓滿，即此圓滿所嚴宮殿名佛淨土，佛住如是大宮殿中說此契經。」〔T26n1530 0292b25–c03〕
[The treatise says: this displays the perfection of the Tathāgata's dwelling-place, namely the Buddha's pure land. Such a pure land, again by reason of the eighteen perfection-items, is called perfect: namely, perfection of visible color, perfection of shape, perfection of measure, perfection of region, perfection of cause, perfection of fruit, perfection of master, perfection of helpers, perfection of retinue, perfection of upholding, perfection of activity, perfection of benefit-bestowing, perfection of fearlessness, perfection of dwelling-place, perfection of road, perfection of vehicle, perfection of gate, perfection of support. By the nineteen clauses, in their order, these eighteen perfections are displayed; and the palace adorned by these perfections is named the Buddha's pure land — the Buddha, dwelling in such a great palace, spoke this sūtra.]
Glossing the sixth, "the perfection of fruit," namely 「最極自在淨識為相」 ["having for its mark the utmost-sovereign pure consciousness"], displaying that the Buddha's pure land is the manifestation of Consciousness-Only:
「果相云何？最極自在淨識為相。謂大宮殿最極自在，佛無漏心以為體相，唯有識故，非離識外別有寶等，即佛淨心如是變現似眾寶等…此即如來大圓鏡智相應淨識，由昔所修自利無漏淨土種子因緣力故，於一切時遍一切處，不待作意任運變現，眾寶莊嚴受用佛土，與自受用身作所依止處。」〔T26n1530 0294a27–b06〕
[What is the fruit-mark? Having for its mark the utmost-sovereign pure consciousness. That is, the great palace is utmost-sovereign, having the Buddha's untainted mind for its essence-mark, because there is consciousness only; it is not that there are jewels and the rest existing apart from consciousness; rather the Buddha's pure mind thus transforms-and-manifests what resembles a host of jewels… this is precisely the pure consciousness that accords with the Tathāgata's great mirror-wisdom, which, by the power of the cause-and-condition of the formerly cultivated seeds of the self-benefiting untainted pure land, at all times and pervading all places, without depending on intention, spontaneously transforms-and-manifests the jewel-adorned enjoyment Buddha-land, serving as the supporting ground for the self-enjoyment body.]
V. Terms (術語)
| Chinese | 古德-transmitted Sanskrit (Roman · pronunciation aid) | 古德 transliteration attested | Precise Consciousness-Only meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 薄伽梵 / 婆伽婆（流支）[Bhagavān] | bhagavat | 〔Xuanzang's rendering T16n0676 0688b07 · Bodhiruci's transliteration T16n0675 0665b17〕 | World-Honoured One; the root-master who speaks this sūtra (Woncheuk: 「以薄伽梵說經本主名之為因」 ["because the Bhagavān, the root-master who speaks the sūtra, is named the 'cause'"] 〔X0180a09〕) |
| 最極自在淨識為相 [having for its mark the utmost-sovereign pure consciousness] | — | 〔this sūtra T16n0676 0688b10–11〕 | The sixth perfection of fruit: the Buddha's pure land is the transformation-manifestation of the pure consciousness alone that accords with the Buddha's great mirror-wisdom; it is not that there are jewels and the rest existing apart from consciousness (Buddhabhūmi-śāstra 〔T26n1530 0294a27–b03〕) |
| 十八圓滿 [the eighteen perfections] | — | 〔Buddhabhūmi-śāstra T26n1530 0292b25–c03 · Woncheuk's citation X0185c18〕 | Visible color · shape · measure · region · cause · fruit · master · helpers · retinue · upholding · activity · benefit-bestowing · fearlessness · dwelling-place · road · vehicle · gate · support — the eighteen items displayed by the nineteen clauses of the perfectly adorned dwelling-place (established by the Buddhabhūmi-śāstra; Woncheuk judges them to the Introduction Chapter's dwelling-place passage) |
| 教起因緣分 [the section on the conditioning cause of the teaching's arising] | — | 〔Woncheuk X21n0369 X0179c23 · X0180a08–10〕 | The first of the one sūtra's three stretches; the Introduction Chapter is this section (only the attestation of trust, no occasioning; Woncheuk 〔X0180a20–21〕) |
| 上首 [leader / foremost] | — | 〔this sūtra T16n0676 0688c17〕 | The foremost among the bodhisattvas listed by name; the ten anticipate the principal later interlocutors, including one respondent, and do not exhaust the questioners |
VI. Similes & figures (譬喻·修辭)
This chapter has no simile. The introductory portion is a setting-forth of the perfect adornment and of the virtues of the two assemblies (descriptive sentences and sentences of praise are its substance); there is no "it is like" simile-body. The dwelling-place passage's 「大寶花王」 ["great jewel-flower king"], 「如來莊嚴之所依處」 ["the ground on which the Tathāgata's adornment rests"], 「廣大如法界、究竟如虛空」 ["vast as the Dharma-realm, ultimate as empty space"] (Bodhiruci), and the like are adorning epithets and figures of utmost extent — not the vehicle-and-tenor structure of a simile set up to display a meaning — and so they are not separately recorded as simile-entries. This sūtra's setting up of similes to display the Yogācāra meaning begins from Chapter Three, with the torrent-simile and the mirror-simile.
VII. Cross-readings (互讀)
This sūtra is a scriptural source of the Consciousness-Only system. The perfectly adorned dwelling-place in this chapter (pure consciousness as mark · the eighteen perfections) may be compared thematically with identified later passages on the Buddha-fruit's body-and-land. Only genuinely related texts are listed:
- The Mahāyāna-saṃgraha, Division on the Wisdom of the Fruit: the Buddha's three bodies and the enjoyment / transformation bodies-and-lands, for thematic comparison with this chapter's 「最極自在淨識為相」 ["having for its mark the utmost-sovereign pure consciousness"]; no direct dependence on this chapter is asserted.
- The Cheng Weishi Lun, scroll 10: the four wisdoms, three bodies, and transformation-of-basis of the ultimate stage · the self-enjoyment and other-enjoyment pure lands · the pure consciousness that accords with great mirror-wisdom, for thematic comparison. The ancient direct exegesis of this chapter's 「淨識為相」 remains the Buddhabhūmi-śāstra passage cited by Woncheuk: 「大圓鏡智相應淨識…任運變現，眾寶莊嚴受用佛土」 ["the pure consciousness that accords with the great mirror-wisdom… spontaneously transforms and manifests a jewel-adorned enjoyment Buddha-land"].
Cross-readings are thematic pointers; only canon numbers and loci printed in an item are source claims.
VIII. Witness collation (校本定位)
- Xuanzang T676 (base text): the Introduction Chapter, beginning at 〔T16n0676 0688b06〕, ending at 〔0688c17〕 "而為上首" (Chapter Two opening at 〔0688c18〕). Perfectly adorned dwelling-place 0688b07–b19 (pure consciousness as mark 0688b10–11) · Buddha's virtues 0688b19–b27 · śrāvaka assembly 0688b27–c05 · bodhisattva assembly 0688c06–c12 · ten bodhisattva leaders 0688c12–c17.
- Bodhiruci T675 (full-text primary cross-collation): the First, the Introduction Chapter, beginning at 〔T16n0675 0665b15〕, ending at 〔0665c27〕 "不可數菩薩眾俱" (Chapter Two opening at 〔0665c28〕). Dwelling-place 0665b17–c02 · Buddha's virtues 0665c03–c12 · śrāvaka assembly 0665c12–c19 · bodhisattva assembly 0665c19–c27 (no listing of the names of the ten bodhisattva leaders).
- Woncheuk X0369 (primary · dedicated commentary): the gloss on the Introduction Chapter, beginning at 〔X21n0369 X0171b16〕. The judging-text of the section on the conditioning cause X0179c20–0180a06 · the meaning of the name "conditioning cause of the teaching's arising" X0180a08–21 · distinguishing the introduction, three readings X0180a22–b10 · the eighteen-perfections structural division X0185c17–0186a01 · gloss on pure consciousness as mark X0188a08–17 · the section on the conditioning cause finished X0203b19–20.
- The Buddhabhūmi-śāstra T1530 (古德 · the source of Woncheuk's eighteen perfections): the eighteen items of the perfection of dwelling-place 〔T26n1530 0292b25–c03〕 · gloss on the perfection of fruit (pure consciousness as mark) 0294a27–b06.
- Paramārtha's Foshuo Jiejie jing (佛說解節經) T677 · Guṇabhadra T678/T679 · the Saṃdhinirmocana-section T1579: none of them cover the introductory portion, left blank (Paramārtha's Foshuo Jiejie jing (佛說解節經) is the full counterpart to T676 Chapter 2, divided into four chapters, and partial only relative to the sūtra as a whole, Woncheuk 〔X0179b03–05〕; the Saṃdhinirmocana-section's explicit quotation begins with the Chapter Two ultimate-truth passage).