---
title: "金剛般若波羅蜜經講義 · 江味農居士傳"
description: "金刚般若波罗蜜经讲义是近代著名佛教居士江味农对《金刚经》的权威注解。江味农（1872-1938）是民国时期佛学大家，精研般若经典。该书成书于20世纪30年代，系统阐释了《金刚经》的般若空性思想，结合中国传统文化进行深入浅出的讲解。内容涵盖经题释义、科判分析、经文逐句解说及修行要旨，突出\"应无所住而生其心\"的核心理念。作为汉传佛教重要经典注疏，该讲义既保持佛教正统性，又具有现代学术特征，在教内外享有盛誉，是研习《金刚经》的必备参考著作，对当代佛教义理研究影响深远。"
url: "https://rushiwowen.co/en/r/cmawfkt7a0007ld04eflgava6"
---

### 江味農居士傳

> Biography of Lay Buddhist Jiang Weinong

蔣維喬

> Jiang Weiqiao

居士姓江氏，名忠業，字味農。法名妙煦。晚年改名杜，號定翁。於其所箸書中，或署幻住，或署勝觀。隨時取意，初無一定。先世本居江蘇江寗南鄉凌閣村。因王父樂峯公，筮仕鄂省，遂家焉。居士幼時，即隨樂峯公，持誦金剛經，終身未嘗少輟。父訒吾公，為前清循吏，有政聲。居士以光緒壬寅舉於鄉，旋得陝西補用道。然養志承歡，不樂仕進。訒吾公宦遊數十年，歷贛至蜀，居士皆隨侍贊襄。事無鉅細，必躬親之。居士中年喪偶，悟人世之無常，即潛心學佛。雖以父母之命，續娶繼室。然在家出家，其志已早決矣。辛亥之秋，訒吾公以年老致仕。居士奉父母，自蜀返鄂。值革命軍興、家產蕩然。避地東下，初居武林，後至上海。雖流離瑣尾，艱苦備嘗，而養親樂道，處之泰然。訒吾公忠貞亮節，嚴命居士，不許再入仕途。居士謹受教，不敢忘。丁巳，訒吾公卒。居士於哀毀中，乘機勸母郭太夫人長齋念佛。戊午春，禮禪宗大德微軍和尚為師，受菩薩戒。盡力參究，頗得消息。時北五省旱災慘重，居士受簡照南之託，攜款北上。參加佛教籌賑會放款十萬，全活甚眾。余以辛壬之間，始與居士相識於滬上。至是，又與相見於北京。是年夏，道友徐文霨、梅光羲等，延請觀宗寺諦閑法師北上，開講圓覺經。自編講義，分給聽眾。然法師稱性而談，於講義之外，多所發揮。余因請居士及黃士恆，各述所聞。每日筆記，由居士總其成。成後，以呈諦師。諦師印可，為取名圓覺親聞記。時京師圖書館搜藏燉煌石室寫經八千餘卷，中多祕笈，需專家校理。余乃獻議於教育部，請居士任校理之職。自戊午迄己未，先後二年，居士於殘亂卷帙中，輯成大乘稻芊經隨聽疏一卷，淨名經集解關中疏二卷。居士跋大乘稻芊經隨聽疏有云：「曩聞燉煌經卷中有稻芊經疏十餘卷，為大藏所佚。及來圖書館，亟取而閱之。蕪亂譌脫，幾不可讀。為之爬梳剔決，排比聯綴。並取重複之卷，互勘異同，亦有援據他書以校補者。其不可考者，則存疑焉。積八月之力，錄成一卷，仍闕首尾。會傅增湘購得一殘卷。所缺疏文，悉在其中。於是千年祕著，遂成完書。」是可知其搜輯之艱辛，而時節因緣之不可思議也。其敘淨名經集解關中疏有云：「此疏向叢殘萬卷中，重事搜輯。載更寒暑。竟得勘訂成書，首尾完具。止中間闕一小段，不礙大體也。夫關中淨名經疏。今猶有聞者，僅一肇注。然校以此書，往往此猶加詳，始知其已非原本。况復什門諸作，此書備載。而又為之科解，提挈分疏。及其所未及，言其所未言。譬如無上妙味，萃聚而調節之，取精用宏，飫之彌旨。此亦如是。一編之中，妙義兼羅。苟其息機靜對，即異以會通，觀心而契體。尚何經旨之不明，神智之弗啟也。」可見是疏之珍祕矣。庚申，回滬。母郭太夫人示疾，居士為誦大悲咒加持之，并令家人虔誦佛號助之。太夫人臨終起坐，向西合掌，念佛而逝。居士從此信念愈堅。嘗憾多生習氣，思藉密教神咒之力，以消除之。復至北京，適遇日本覺隨和尚，專修供養大聖歡喜天法。居士乃約同志數人，請其設壇傳授。及圓滿之日，居士頓覺現高大身，上窮無際。覺隨謂之曰：「此番修法，惟子得福最大。」既而覺隨率居士赴日本高野山，研究東密。卒以他事障礙，未克潛修。不久返國，與簡照南玉階昆仲，籌辦功德林佛經流通處於海上。搜集南北刻經處及名山各版經籍，流通全國，以弘法利生。居士嘗謂南嶽思大師之大乘止觀，為東土撰述中稀有瓌寶。智者大師之摩訶止觀，即從此出。學者不先通南嶽之義，即習摩訶止觀，難得要領。然南嶽心法，久湮海外。宋時雖傳入中國，措意者稀，深為惋惜。會辛酉之夏，海上南園居士，發起講經會。居士即獻議，啟請諦閑法師，講大乘止觀。居士每日筆記，並於幽深微妙之處，曲折譬喻，以說明之。就正諦師，再三往復。至癸亥始脫稿，名之曰述記。諦師自謙謂此書十之七八，係居士所述，不肯居箸作之名。居士則謂諦師發其端，必以箸作之名歸之，彼此謙讓。又以書中專名典句，慮有難明，復屢經修改。荏苒八年，始成書二十卷，刊板印行。諦師亦鑒居士之誠，允為居名。然其致居士之函則云：「記文不惟詞意通暢。其吃緊要關，旨趣淵微之處，透徹了明。此皆全是老維摩以精妙見地所發揮也。」乙丑夏，白普仁尊者南來。主持金光明法會。海上同人。公推居士襄助尊者宣揚。於是由滬而杭而湘而鄂而潯而寗，輾轉數千里。躬親會務，條理井然。藉此機緣，得以研究藏密。己巳秋，應閩中善信之請。赴福州，宣說佛法，三月始歸。庚午秋。在滬開講大乘止觀述記。逾年方畢。省心蓮社成立，被推為社長。從此常在社中，開講大乘經典。並領導社員念佛禮懺。余知居士於金剛經獨有心得，於甲戌之夏，請居士為余講述大意。既而省心蓮社同人，要求公開，乃正式開講。余每次為筆記，記畢，即呈居士修改。後居士乃每次自寫講義，畀余抄錄。及法會圓滿，積稿至四厚冊。居士以為尚須潤色，並將初分所缺者補足，方可成書。同人以居士在家，問道者多，不能專心撰述。因謀另闢靜室，供養居士。謝絕一切，期以一年，將金剛經講義撰補完成。然居士每歲遇黃梅時節必病，病輒數月。又以憫念南北死難眾生，啟建大悲懺，虔心超度。因此遷延，講義卒未脫稿，然已得全書十之六七矣。其解釋金剛經，多有古德所未發者。如佛說他經時，恆放大光明，六種震動，現種種瑞相。獨說金剛般若甚深經典，僅云世尊食時，著衣持鉢，入舍衛大城乞食等語。居士為之釋曰：「是經最大旨趣，是發揮不應住相之理。故開首記世尊舉動，與尋常比丘相同，是即成佛而不住佛相。弟子亦視為尋常。惟須菩提窺知其意，所以歎為希有。否者，持鉢乞食，何足令人驚歎耶。」通行之金剛經，兩周問答，皆作云何應住。居士乃依據古註及燉煌寫經，勘定前周作應云何住，後周作云何應住。兩問意義，絕不相同。而為之說曰：「前周應云何住，是問菩提心應云何安住，俾無馳散，為初發大心修行者說也。後周云何應住，是問既應離一切相發心，則菩提心云何獨應住耶。若不住此法，又何謂之發心。若不應住而應降伏者，豈非不發心耶。然則云何降伏其心耶。是為已發大心修行者說也。」其於金剛妙義，發揮精透類如此，此特略舉其一二端耳。戊寅首夏，天氣陰溼，居士依舊示疾，胃納不舒。余每隔二三日，必往省視。見其臥牀不能起，較往歲為重，甚為憂慮。居士則云：「一過黃梅病當霍然。」而其弟子等，則在隔室佛堂，為之念佛，終日佛號不斷。居士亦安臥默念，神志極清。至舊曆五月中旬，疾漸增，而神志愈清。道友朱光琪用硃書大字，勸其一心往生，勿戀塵世。居士審視數過，合掌謝朱，口稱歡喜讚歎。朱既去，則謂左右曰：「吾勤修一生，豈於此一關尚不了了，朱君殆過慮矣。」及十八之夕，自云：「金光徧照，佛來接引。」邀集諸道友，而蔡濟平因事，至十二時方至。居士猶詔之曰：「修持以普賢行願為最要。」遂合掌不復語，於諸道友及家族佛號聲中，安然而逝。壽六十有七。余與居士交二十餘年，初僅知其泛濫各宗，歸宿淨土。近年交誼益密，研討益深。方知居士一生得力於般若，從事參究，早得消息。豁然大悟，一心常在定中。晚間無夢，至今已五年餘矣。故恆自言：「教宗般若。行在彌陀。」其說法也，稱性而談。旁通曲達，自在無礙，余於經典及修持功夫，偶有懷疑，以質居士。其解答總高人一著。而其戒行之嚴，進修之密，足為一世模範。居士誠佛門龍象哉。

> \*\*Biography of Lay Buddhist Jiang Weinong\*\* The lay devotee, whose family name was Jiang, given name Zhongye, and courtesy name Weinong, received the Dharma name Miaoxu. In his later years, he renamed himself Du, with the sobriquet Dingweng. In his writings, he sometimes signed as Huanzhu and sometimes as Shengguan, choosing names according to circumstance without any fixed rule. His ancestors originally lived in Lingge Village, southern Jiangning, Jiangsu. Because his grandfather, Mr. Lefeng, took up an official post in Hubei Province, the family settled there. From childhood, the lay devotee accompanied his grandfather in reciting the Diamond Sutra, a practice he never discontinued throughout his life. His father, Mr. Renwu, was a virtuous official of the former Qing dynasty with a fine reputation. The lay devotee passed the provincial examinations in the Renyin year of Guangxu (1902) and was subsequently appointed to a post in Shaanxi. However, devoted to his parents' happiness, he had no interest in official advancement. For decades, as his father served in various posts from Jiangxi to Sichuan, the lay devotee accompanied and assisted him, personally attending to matters both great and small. When the lay devotee lost his wife in middle age, he awakened to the impermanence of human life and devoted himself earnestly to Buddhist study. Although he later remarried at his parents' insistence, his resolve to live as a lay practitioner had already been firmly set. In the autumn of 1911, his father retired due to age. As the lay devotee escorted his parents back from Sichuan to Hubei, the Revolution broke out, and the family's fortune was lost. They fled eastward, first living in Hangzhou and then moving to Shanghai. Though they endured hardship and displacement, the lay devotee cared for his parents with joy and remained serene amidst adversity. His father, a man of unwavering integrity, sternly instructed him never to re-enter government service. The lay devotee respectfully accepted this teaching and never forgot it. When his father passed away in 1917, the lay devotee, amid his grief, took the opportunity to encourage his mother, Lady Guo, to adopt a long-term vegetarian diet and practice Buddha recitation. In the spring of 1918, he formally took refuge under the great Chan master Venerable Weijun and received the Bodhisattva precepts, delving deeply into meditation practice. At that time, a devastating drought afflicted five northern provinces. Entrusted by Jian Zhaonan, the lay devotee traveled north with funds, participating in a Buddhist relief organization that distributed one hundred thousand yuan, saving countless lives. It was during this period that I first met the lay devotee in Shanghai, and we later met again in Beijing. That summer, fellow practitioners Xu Wenwei and Mei Guangxi invited the Venerable Dixian from Guanzong Temple to travel north and give lectures on the \*Complete Enlightenment Sutra\*. The Venerable Master spoke from his enlightened nature, expanding far beyond the printed lecture notes he had prepared. I asked the lay devotee and Huang Shiheng each to record what they heard. Daily notes were compiled by the lay devotee, and the finished work, presented to Venerable Dixian for his approval, was named \*Record of Personal Hearings on the Complete Enlightenment Sutra\*. Around this time, the Beijing Library had acquired over eight thousand scrolls of Buddhist manuscripts from the Dunhuang cave library, many of them rare texts requiring expert cataloging. I recommended to the Ministry of Education that the lay devotee be appointed to this task. From 1918 to 1919, working among the fragmented scrolls, he reconstructed the \*Commentary on the Mahayana Rice Seedling Sutra\* in one scroll and the \*Collected Commentaries on the Vimalakirti Sutra from Guanzhong\* in two scrolls. In his postscript to the former, he wrote: "I had heard that among the Dunhuang scrolls were over ten fascicles of commentary on the Rice Seedling Sutra, missing from the canonical collection. When I came to the library, I eagerly examined them. They were so jumbled and corrupted as to be nearly unreadable. I combed through them, organized the fragments, and collated duplicate scrolls to determine textual variants, consulting other books to supply corrections. Where verification was impossible, I left the questions open. After eight months of effort, I produced one complete scroll, though it lacked opening and closing sections. Then Fu Zengxiang acquired a fragmentary scroll that contained all the missing commentary, and thus this text, hidden for a thousand years, became whole again." This shows both the difficulty of his labors and the wonder of conditions arising in due time. In his preface to the \*Collected Commentaries on the Vimalakirti Sutra from Guanzhong\*, he wrote: "This commentary was re-assembled from tens of thousands of scattered fragments, requiring repeated seasons of work before it could be collated into a complete text, whole from beginning to end, with only a small gap in the middle that does not affect the whole. Of the Guanzhong commentaries on the Vimalakirti Sutra that are still discussed today, only Sengzhao's annotation survives. Comparing it with this work, this text is often more detailed, revealing that Sengzhao's version is not the original. Moreover, this book preserves all the works of Kumarajiva's disciples, adding structural analysis and clarification, expanding upon what was previously untreated, and articulating what was previously unsaid. It is like gathering the finest flavors of the world, blending them into a sublime feast—the more one tastes, the more exquisite it becomes. Within this single volume, profound meanings are gathered. If one quietly contemplates it, finding unity in diversity and awakening the mind to reality, how could the sutra's meaning remain unclear or one's wisdom remain unopened?" In 1920, he returned to Shanghai. When his mother, Lady Guo, fell ill, the lay devotee recited the Great Compassion Mantra for her and had the family devoutly recite the Buddha's name to assist her. In her final moments, Lady Guo sat up, faced west with palms together, and passed away reciting the Buddha's name. From then on, the lay devotee's faith deepened. Lamenting the karmic habits accumulated over many lives, he wished to use the power of esoteric mantras to eliminate them. He returned to Beijing, where he met the Japanese monk Venerable Kaku-zu, who specialized in the practice of offering to the Great Holy Joyful Heavenly Deity. The lay devotee invited several like-minded friends and asked the monk to establish an altar and transmit the practice. On its completion, the lay devotee suddenly experienced a vision of his body expanding to tremendous height, extending beyond all limits. Kaku-zu told him, "In this practice session, only you have received the greatest blessing." Afterward, Kaku-zu led the lay devotee to Mount Koya in Japan to study Japanese esoteric Buddhism. However, due to various obstacles, he was unable to complete his intensive training and soon returned to China. He then collaborated with brothers Jian Zhaonan and Jian Yujie to establish the Gongdelin Buddhist Scripture Distribution Center in Shanghai, collecting editions from various provincial carving centers and sacred mountains to distribute across the country, spreading the Dharma for the benefit of all beings. The lay devotee once remarked that the great master Nanyue Huisi's \*Mahayana Calming and Contemplation\* was a rare gem among texts written in China. Master Zhiyi's \*Great Calming and Contemplation\* had emerged from it. He felt that students who did not first understand Nanyue's teachings could not grasp the essentials of the later work. Yet Nanyue's mind teachings had long been obscured overseas. Although they had been transmitted back to China during the Song dynasty, few had appreciated them—a fact he deeply regretted. In the summer of 1921, when the lay practitioner Nanyuan of Shanghai initiated a lecture society, the lay devotee suggested inviting Venerable Dixian to lecture on the \*Mahayana Calming and Contemplation\*. He recorded each day's teachings and, for the more subtle and profound points, offered vivid analogies for clarification. After repeated rounds of revision with Venerable Dixian, the manuscript was completed in 1923 and titled \*Narrative Commentary\*. Venerable Dixian humbly insisted that seventy to eighty percent of the work was the lay devotee's own contribution and refused to take authorship credit. The lay devotee, in turn, insisted that since Venerable Dixian had originated the teachings, the authorship must be his. Their mutual deference continued. Furthermore, concerned that the text's specialized terms and classical references might be difficult for readers, the lay devotee revised it repeatedly. After eight years of painstaking work, a twenty-fascicle work was finally completed and printed. Venerable Dixian, moved by the lay devotee's sincerity, consented to having his name attached. Yet in a letter to the lay devotee, he wrote: "Your records are not only smooth in wording. The crucial points, where the profundity lies hidden, you have illuminated with complete clarity. All of this comes from the old Vimalakirti's own exquisite insight." In the summer of 1925, the Venerable Bai Puren came south to lead the Golden Light Dharma Assembly. The Buddhist community of Shanghai unanimously asked the lay devotee to assist him in the ministry. Traveling from Shanghai to Hangzhou to Hunan to Hubei to Jiujiang to Nanjing, they covered thousands of miles, with the lay devotee personally managing affairs with impeccable organization. Through this opportunity, he also began studying Tibetan esoteric Buddhism. In the autumn of 1929, at the invitation of faithful believers in Fujian, he traveled to Fuzhou to expound the Dharma, returning after three months. In the autumn of 1930, he began giving lectures on his \*Narrative Commentary\* in Shanghai, completing the course a year later. When the Shengxin Lotus Society was established, he was elected its president, and thereafter frequently lectured on Mahayana scriptures there, leading members in Buddha recitation and repentance practices. Knowing that the lay devotee had unique insights into the Diamond Sutra, I asked him in the summer of 1934 to explain its essential meaning to me. When members of the Lotus Society requested that he present it publicly, he formally began a lecture series. I took notes at each session and presented them to him for revision. Later, he began writing his own lecture notes for me to copy. By the time the Dharma assembly concluded, the accumulated manuscripts filled four thick volumes. The lay devotee felt they still needed polishing, and the opening section required completion before a book could be published. With so many visitors seeking his guidance, the society members arranged a quiet retreat space for the lay devotee, where he could devote himself exclusively to the work. They hoped that within a year he would finish the Diamond Sutra commentary. However, each year during the rainy season he fell ill, and the illnesses lingered for months. Additionally, moved by compassion for the countless dead in the north and south, he established Great Compassion Repentance ceremonies, further delaying his work. Though the commentary was never finished, he had completed sixty to seventy percent of the entire book. His interpretation of the Diamond Sutra contained insights never expressed by ancient masters. For instance, when the Buddha taught other sutras, he typically emitted great light, caused the six kinds of tremors, and displayed various auspicious signs. But when teaching this profound Diamond Wisdom Sutra, the text merely says: "When it was time for the meal, the World-Honored One put on his robe, took his bowl, and entered the great city of Shravasti to beg for food." The lay devotee explained: "The central message of this sutra is the principle of not dwelling in appearances. Thus, the opening records the World-Honored One's ordinary conduct, identical to that of any monk—demonstrating that even after attaining Buddhahood, he did not cling to the appearance of a Buddha. Even his disciples took his behavior for granted. Only Subhuti, perceiving the deeper significance, exclaimed how rare this was. Otherwise, what is extraordinary about carrying a bowl and begging for food?" Regarding the two rounds of questions and answers in the standard edition of the Diamond Sutra, both are phrased as "How should one abide?" Based on ancient commentaries and Dunhuang manuscripts, the lay devotee determined that the first round should read "Where should one abide?" and the second "How should one abide?"—two questions of entirely different significance. He explained: "In the first round, 'Where should one abide?' asks where the Bodhi mind should dwell so that it does not scatter—this is taught for those just beginning the path. In the second round, 'How should one abide?' asks: if one must develop the mind without clinging to any appearances, then why should the Bodhi mind uniquely abide? If it should not dwell anywhere, what does it even mean to develop the mind? And if it should not abide but be subdued, does that mean one should not develop the mind at all? Then how does one subdue one's mind? This is taught for those who have already embarked on the Great Vehicle path." His explanations of the Diamond Sutra's subtle truths were consistently profound and penetrating; these are but a few examples. In the early summer of 1938, during humid weather, the lay devotee again fell ill, unable to digest his food properly. Every two or three days I would visit him. When I saw him bedridden—more severely than in previous years—I grew deeply concerned. He only said, "Once the rainy season passes, I shall recover." Meanwhile, his disciples and students sat in an adjacent Buddha hall reciting the Buddha's name, the chanting continuing throughout the day. The lay devotee lay quietly, reciting silently within, his mind perfectly clear. By mid-May of the lunar calendar, his condition had worsened, yet his mind remained even clearer. His fellow practitioner Zhu Guangqi, in large red characters, urged him to focus single-mindedly on rebirth in the Pure Land and not cling to the mundane world. The lay devotee examined the message several times, pressed his palms together in gratitude to Zhu, and said, "Delightful and praiseworthy." After Zhu left, he said to those around him, "I have diligently cultivated all my life. Should I fail in this final pass? Zhu was overly concerned." On the evening of the eighteenth, he announced, "Golden light is filling everything; the Buddha has come to receive me." He invited his fellow practitioners to attend him. Cai Jiping, detained by business, did not arrive until midnight. Even then, the lay devotee told him, "In cultivation, the Practice and Vows of Samantabhadra are most essential." Then he pressed his palms together, spoke no more, and, amid the Buddha recitation of his friends and family, passed away peacefully at the age of sixty-seven. I had known the lay devotee for over twenty years. At first, I knew only that he had studied many traditions and ultimately taken refuge in the Pure Land. In recent years, as our friendship deepened and our discussions grew more profound, I discovered that throughout his life he had drawn strength from Prajna wisdom, that he had attained insight through contemplation early on, that he had been awakened, and that his mind had remained constantly in meditation. He had not dreamed at night for over five years. Thus he often said: "Teachings in Prajna; practice in Amitabha." When expounding the Dharma, he spoke from his enlightened nature, weaving through elaborate connections with freedom and ease. Whenever I had doubts about scriptures or cultivation practice, I would present them to him, and his answers always surpassed one's expectations. The strictness of his precepts and the depth of his practice made him a model for the age. Indeed, the lay devotee was truly a great elephant of the Dharma—a lion among the Buddhist community.