Preface to the Commentary on the Renwang Huguo Perfection of Wisdom Sutra, Edition A

The *Prajnaparamita Sutra for Benevolent Kings Protecting the Nation* is the concluding sutra of the eight divisions of Prajnaparamita. The discourse on Prajna is profound in its duration and thorough in its principles, always aimed at dispelling emptiness and dissolving obstructions, cutting off attachments and removing afflictions. This is truly because sentient beings have long been deeply entrenched in delusion and clinging, making it difficult for their true nature to manifest. Therefore, the Buddha does not discriminate between good and evil, purity and defilement, nature and characteristics—he refutes them all. Although true nature and wondrous function are not non-existent, he provisionally speaks of them as empty. Only when afflictions are forgotten and conceptual reasoning is abandoned, leaving no trace, does he then introduce the questions of the hidden king and broadly cast the net of the five forbearances. With utmost compassion and skillful use of the hammer and chisel, he secretly connects the initial capacities of the specific and the general, refining the profound path that purifies the ordinary and the sage. Arriving at the Lotus Sutra’s revelation and bestowal of the family legacy, he points out that Prajna’s transcendence of characteristics all becomes the true reality of all phenomena. In examining the merit of true reality, the merit arises from Prajna. The essence of Prajna lies in wondrous awakening. Thus it is said: “The immeasurable meanings arise from a single dharma.”

Only our Tiantai master Zhiyi, deeply compassionate toward the declining kalpas and the firmness of conflict in the future, when conditions for Prajna would become sparse, spoke of this. The sutra states: “If a nation is about to fall into chaos, the spirits and deities will first become chaotic. Because the spirits and deities are chaotic, the people will become chaotic. When all such difficulties arise, one should uphold, recite, and explain this Prajnaparamita.” The essential method for protecting the nation lies especially in explaining this sutra. This is why the master composed his commentary on the sutra. It is regrettable that this commentary flourished in the eastern seas but was lost in the Central Plains. In the past, the Venerable Siming sought the *Commentary on the Benevolent Kings Sutra* but could not obtain it, just as the Tiantai master bowed before the *Shurangama Sutra* but did not receive it. The shared earnestness in seeking the Dharma across generations is indeed aligned.

Fortunately, the Song dynasty elder monk Ruxun obtained it, and the merchant Chao Shuozhi wrote a preface. Although it is now included in the Dragon Treasury, it is rarely heard in lecture halls. It happened that the Tiantai elder master Min, at the invitation of the gentry of Wumen, resided at the North Temple of Bao’en in the winter of the Wuxu year. At that time, the borders were troubled, and the officials and people were unsettled. Thus, in the spring of the Jihai year, he entrusted Chenglian to lecture on the *Prajnaparamita Sutra for Benevolent Kings Protecting the Nation*, seeking the Buddha’s protection and peace. However, the version Chenglian lectured on was the commonly circulated translation by Amoghavajra of the Tang dynasty, while the master’s commentary was based on Kumarajiva’s translation. The texts differ in some places, but their main intent complements each other. Moreover, in the Dragon Treasury edition, the sutra and commentary are bound separately, making study difficult. Following the format of the Tiantai major works and the example of the threefold combination in the Huayan tradition, we have divided the sutra and matched it with the commentary, combining them into a single volume. The sutra text is arranged first, with the commentary attached afterward. Punctuation has been added anew, making the structure clear and easy to follow upon opening the book. Chenglian further collated it once against the Northern Treasury edition, then joined his palms in reverence and spoke this verse:

At the time of the Guangxu reign, twenty-sixth year, in the month of lotus flowers, on the day of the universal manifestation of Guanyin, the later student of the Tiantai school, Bhikshu Chenglian, composed this preface in the Western Chamber of the Bao'en North Temple in Wumen.