No. 326-A觀楞伽記略科題辭
Outline of the Recorded Notes on Observing the Lankavatara Sutra
科以分經，從古製也。昔道安法師以三分科經，時人譏其離析經義。及親光論至，果以三分斷其全經，時迺嘆其雅合。蓋經經各有綱宗，科迺提挈綱要而振起之，使觀者得其要領，庶離言得義而悟入之，令捨筌蹄，殆非支分節解，逞臆斷也。後之義學，昧於離言之旨，各恃己見，駢枝其說，以取謗法之愆，使學者莫之適從，正所謂以多岐亡羊耳。茲楞伽以離言說第一義為宗，不涉唇吻，又豈可妄想分別能入？而其所以科節之，蓋以經文簡古，血脈幽潛，不得其門而入，故特提其綱領，使知問答來源，融會一貫，了然心目，冀可忘言得義，不以文言為障礙耳，非臆斷也。即此已為剩法，後之覺者，切不得以此為欠，而更增益其說，自取謗法之罪不淺矣。
The division of sutras into sections is an ancient practice. In the past, the Dharma Master Dao'an categorized sutras into three parts, and contemporaries criticized him for fragmenting the sutra's meaning. When the *Pratyutpanna-buddha-saṃmukhāvasthita-samādhi-sūtra* commentary arrived, it indeed divided the entire sutra into three parts, and only then did people sigh in admiration of its elegant coherence. Each sutra possesses its own essential framework; categorization serves to grasp the main points and bring them forth, enabling readers to apprehend the key principles. Thus, one may transcend words to grasp the meaning and awaken to it, abandoning the trap of mere literal understanding. This is certainly not a matter of arbitrarily splitting and dissecting the text or presumptuously imposing one's own judgment. Later scholars of doctrine, obscured regarding the principle of transcending words, each relying on their own views, have proliferated superfluous explanations, thereby incurring the fault of slandering the Dharma. They cause learners to have no proper guidance, which is precisely what is meant by "losing the sheep because of too many forks in the road." Now, this *Laṅkāvatāra-sūtra* takes the inexpressible ultimate truth as its essence, which does not involve verbal expression. How then can it be entered through deluded conceptual discrimination? The reason for dividing it into sections and passages is that the sutra text is concise and ancient, its inner continuity subtle and hidden. Without finding the gate of entry, one cannot proceed. Therefore, its main principles are specifically highlighted to make clear the source of questions and answers, merging them into a coherent whole, clear to the mind's eye. It is hoped that one may forget words and attain the meaning, not allowing the literary text to become an obstruction. This is not arbitrary judgment. Even this already constitutes an expedient method. Future awakened ones must on no account consider this lacking and further increase their own explanations, thereby deeply incurring the offense of slandering the Dharma.
萬歷戊戌孟夏佛成道日， 沙門德清題于五羊之青門壘壁間
On the day commemorating the Buddha's Enlightenment, in the fourth month of the Wuwu year of the Wanli reign, the monk Deqing inscribed this at the Qingmen ramparts in Wuyang.