No. 515-A仁王護國般若波羅蜜多經科疏(并敘)
T 515-A: Commentarial Outline of the Sutra on Humane Kings' Protection of the State
聞夫真際寂寥，絕染淨於色心之域；法性空廓，超修證於理智之階。冲虗靈鑑，妙粹凝常。獨露萬象而非多，卓立十方而匪異。良繇非一多之緣起，染淨齊峙以融通；惟修證之體空，因果兩忘而交徹。是以空有空空不空，有空有有不有。不有有有非常，不空空空非斷。非斷故乃真空，非當故即妙有。然則妙有真空之道，同時相容而互即，一念交攝以相含。至於含攝雙忘，容即兩立，玄同真際，妙等法性，誠勝義諦中真勝義性，逈出三乘，高超八部，乃此經窮微盡化之極譚，妙絕言思之玄唱也。故我世尊，象駕俄臨鷲嶺，龍天列侍獅床。聖眾雲擁道場，王臣風趨理窟。入定湛智海澄波，放光皎性天慧日。他方大士，妙花香燈作供；此土世主，寶幢幡葢投誠。變淨土於塵沙，現寶臺於百億。佛踞金蓮，流徧恒沙國土；共譚般若，攝歸一派靈源。斯王念請護國，吾佛言答護心。示離相以明真，觀體空而行化。達身佛同一實相，標理事總一靈玄。乃護國之樞機，安邦之要徑也。既悟護果觀空，須達修因行化。故明性與無性，本一靈知。五十二位真修，一十四門玄趣，寄位權化，伏斷證修。至於三假俱空，一相無實，頭頭聳般若妙光，步步踏實相理地。二護既明，一真當顯。故諮二諦有無，意明本非一二。斯王偈讚，如來述成，為行法所依理體，果德能照智用耳。二護理事抗行，般若體用無二，是以斯王重諮護國。如來復示真慈云：國土眾生，共業招感，禍福人心，別業變現。心正則天清地寧，心邪則災殃禍祟。欲使千災頓息，萬禍潛消，須百法師以持般若，嚴一道場，供諸聖容。故帝釋修持，頂生即退，普明講演，班足棄榮者，良有以也。然諸王領解，各各依真，獻華華變珍臺，佛佛共譚般若。或現一華多土，多土一華，大小染淨，互相攝入。誠謂罄宏廓之幽宗，盡難思之海會。故知一念淨信之福，勝化證恒沙小乘；舉心受持之功，超施七寶大德者，信不誣矣。向譚護果，未盡行因，復於五忍十地，詳示伏斷證修，度生數量，時劫短長，至令五方金剛，說呪往衛，意令因行大成，護國誠念究竟。是以依之護國，當念世道康和；仗之護果，頃刻菩提妙證。若夫祈皇圖而永固，祝聖壽以無彊，舍此般若，其孰與焉？然念請護國，先說護果者，葢以護果正念，為護國金湯，令國中七難潛消，五常彌布。即此護國深心，作轉凡妙藥，俾果上四智圓明，三身頓證。此則護國護果，無出乎忍地證修相為用矣。乃至玄微既闡當時，勝益應霑末世。如來預憂法滅，王臣力能護持，諄諄示誡，切切叮嚀。時王領誨，泣撼三千，即誓行道，不制四眾。經名甘露法藥，信服却病延年。受持功德，福等虗空。能護國王，功高城壍。可謂一極悲心，大哀曠濟者也。大哉此經，三根普攝，五味俱含。仰夫秦譯幽秘，天台疏闡玄微。竊惟唐翻靈篇，後哲未窺其奧。加以言空言有而義圓，名同有空而體異。後昆有所未達，故貴從之為解。自神祖戊午夏，因禮清涼山回，驚聞奴賊跳梁，失陷撫順。蒿目之憂，流注寤寐。誓弘此典，上報國恩。不揆膚受，筆錄成篇。時門人敬賢忠公，關中人，留心較梓。其志未滿，早作古人。去年己巳，虜薄都城。貴潛質山巖，亦被圍困。重整先心，希殄災厄。仰蒙佛庇，法孫海濶，率徒寂妙等，捨命忘軀，夜扶老體，同戒密觀，還居本寺。後有門人湛一肫公，營山人，精嚴教理。見圍厄已解，憶弘經念深。再四迫余，災木償願。遂再參詳，欲辭達義通，僭名科疏。庶覧者有秉燭之觀，無尋枝之厭。藉此以通經，經通而意得。意既得矣，則般若智體，昭昭然於心目之間，晃晃乎於色塵之內。如是則靈山不離當處，仁王即我聖皇。五忍 朝中，玉柱擎 天。十地塞外，金梁架海。四夷消氛於無何有鄉，八表歸心於大明上國。聊盡報國福民之葵誠，莊嚴聖教之丹悃也。疏成，非敢布諸講肆，取哂高明。唯便八十老人，自備遺忘耳。
This is the teaching of the Ultimate Truth, which is still, silent, and beyond the distinctions of "pure" and "impure" in the material and mental realms. The nature of reality is empty and vast, rising above the stages of practice and realization that the intellect can conceive.
This profound, spiritual radiance is wonderfully pure, solidified, and constant. It appears alone as the ten thousand things without becoming many, and stands alone throughout the ten directions without becoming different. This is because it is not produced by the causes and conditions of "one" or "many"; purity and impurity stand together, merging perfectly. It is because the very substance of practice and realization is empty; cause and effect are both forgotten and interpenetrate each other.
Therefore, Emptiness contains existence, Emptiness-of-Emptiness is not empty. Existence contains emptiness, Existence-of-Existence does not exist. This "not existing" of existence is not permanent. This "not empty" of emptiness is not annihilated. Because it is not annihilated, it is True Emptiness. Because it is not permanent, it is Wondrous Existence.
Thus, the principle of Wondrous Existence and True Emptiness is simultaneously compatible and inter-identical. One single thought contains and embraces both. When even the concepts of "containing" and "embracing" are forgotten, then "compatibility" and "identity" both stand. This is mysteriously identical to the Ultimate Truth, wonderfully equal to the Nature of Reality. This is truly the Ultimate Truth within the Supreme Meaning, the true nature of that truth. It completely surpasses the three vehicles and is far superior to the eight classes of beings.
This is the ultimate discourse of this sutra on exhausting subtlety and perfecting transformation—a wondrous song that is absolutely beyond words and thought.
Thus, our World-Honored One, riding the majestic presence, suddenly arrived at Vulture Peak. The Dragon and Heavenly beings stood in attendance beside the Lion Throne. The holy assembly gathered like clouds around the Dharma seat. The kings and ministers, like the wind, flocked to the cave of principle. Entering samadhi, his wisdom sea was a calm, clear wave. Emitting light, his nature-sky was the sun of wisdom. Great beings from other lands offered wondrous flowers, incense, and lamps. The lords of this world devoted themselves with jeweled canopies and banners. He transformed the Land of Dust into a Pure Land and manifested jewelled platforms in the hundreds of billions.
The Buddha sat on a golden lotus, spreading throughout lands as numerous as the Ganges' sand. Together they discussed Prajnaparamita, gathering all back to a single spiritual source.
King Prasenajit requested, through recitation, the protection of the kingdom. The Buddha responded by teaching the protection of the mind. He revealed that by parting with form, one can see the truth. He taught that by contemplating the emptiness of substance, one can practice transformation. He showed that the body and the Buddha are one single reality, marking that principle and phenomena are one single spirituality.
This is the essential pivot for protecting the kingdom, the crucial path for peace and stability.
Having awakened to the goal of protection and the emptiness of forms, one must then cultivate the causes for practice and transformation. Therefore, it clarifies that nature and non-nature are fundamentally one spiritual knowledge. The fifty-two stages of true cultivation, the fourteen gates of wondrous meaning, the provisional stages and transformations, the subduing, severing, realizing, and cultivating—all of these, until the three falsehoods are all empty and the one characteristic is without reality—everywhere they raise the wondrous light of Prajna, and every step they tread on the true ground of reality.
Having clarified the two protections, the One Truth should then be revealed. Therefore, the inquiry about the two truths—the ultimate and the conventional, and their existence or non-existence—was meant to clarify that they are fundamentally not one or two. King Prasenajit praised in verse, and the Tathagata confirmed his words. This served as the principle upon which conduct and the Dharma rely, and the wisdom-function capable of illuminating the resulting virtue.
The two protections (protection of the kingdom and protection of the mind/heart) are observed in parallel conduct, yet the essence and function of Prajna are non-dual. Therefore, King Prasenajit again asked about protecting the kingdom. The Tathagata, revealing his true compassion, replied: "The country and its beings are brought forth by collective karma. Misfortune and fortune arise from the minds of people, manifested by their individual karma. When the mind is upright, the heavens are clear and the earth is peaceful. When the mind is deviant, calamities and disasters arise. To instantly stop a thousand calamities and silently eliminate ten thousand disasters, you must have a hundred Dharma Masters uphold the Prajna. Set up a single place of practice and make offerings to the holy images."
Thus, when Shakra (Indra) cultivated and upheld this teaching, King Sagara retreated. When Samantabhadra expounded it, King Bhadra abandoned his glory. This is truly the reason.
Then, the kings each attained understanding and, each according to their truth, made offerings of flowers. The flowers transformed into precious platforms. The Buddhas all together discussed Prajna. Sometimes one flower manifested many lands; sometimes many lands manifested in one flower. The large and small, the pure and impure, mutually interpenetrated and contained each other. This is truly to exhaust the vast and profound source, to completely realize the inconceivable ocean-like assembly.
Therefore, know that the merit of a single thought of pure faith surpasses the merit of converting and realizing beings as numerous as the Ganges' sand within the Lesser Vehicle. The merit of raising one's mind to accept and uphold this teaching surpasses the great virtue of giving the seven treasures. This is truly not false!
The previous discussion was on protecting the goal, but had not fully explained practicing the cause. So again, within the Five Tolerances and the Ten Grounds, it details subduing, severing, realizing, and cultivating, the measure of beings saved, and the length of time. Finally, the Five Direction Vajras were instructed to recite a spell for protection. This was intended to cause the practice of the cause to be fully accomplished, so that the sincere intention of protecting the kingdom becomes perfect.
Therefore, if one protects the kingdom through this principle, one should think of the peace and harmony of the world. If one relies on it to protect the goal, then wondrous enlightenment is realized in an instant. For those who pray for the eternal stability of the empire and wish for the limitless life of the sage emperor, if they abandon this Prajna, what else could they rely on?
Why, when asked about protecting the kingdom, did the Buddha first teach the protection of the goal? It is because the right mindfulness of protecting the goal is the "golden wall" for protecting the kingdom. It causes the seven calamities in the country to silently disappear and the five constant virtues to pervade everywhere. This very profound mind of protecting the kingdom serves as the wondrous medicine for transforming the ordinary, enabling the four wisdoms of the fruit to be perfectly bright and the three bodies to be suddenly realized.
Thus, this protection of the kingdom and protection of the goal are fundamentally inseparable from the mutual support of realization and cultivation within the Tolerances.
When this profound and subtle teaching was thus expounded in that time, its supreme benefit should also be bestowed upon the beings of the final age. The Tathagata, foreseeing the decline of the Dharma, instructed the kings and ministers on how to uphold and protect it, earnestly showing and warning them, repeatedly urging them. The King, receiving this instruction, wept, shaking the thousand-fold universe. He immediately vowed to practice the path and not to restrict the four assemblies.
This sutra is named the "Nectar of the Dharma," the medicine. Believing in it and taking it cures disease and prolongs life. The merit of receiving and upholding it is as vast as empty space. It can protect the king, and its merit is as high as the city walls and moats. This can be called the ultimate compassionate mind, the great pity that broadly saves all beings.
Great is this sutra! It encompasses the three capacities (low, medium, high) and contains all five flavors (stages of teaching).
I observe that the ancient Qin translation is profound and mysterious, while Tiantai's commentary expounds upon its subtlety. I think that the Tang translation, a spiritual text, has not had its profundity penetrated by later scholars. Furthermore, it speaks of emptiness and existence while its meaning is perfect, but the names for "emptiness" and "existence" are the same while their substance differs. Later students were unable to understand this, so I considered it important to make a commentary.
Since the summer of the year *Wuwu* during the Shenzong era (1578 AD), when I returned from making offerings at Mount Qingliang, I was alarmed to hear of the slave-like rebels jumping around and the fall of Fushun. My troubled, penetrating gaze and worry flowed into my sleeping and waking hours. I vowed to propagate this sutra broadly, to repay the kindness of the nation from above. Without considering my own superficial understanding, I took up my brush and wrote out these chapters. At that time, my disciple, the respected and loyal Master Jing, a man from the Guanzhong region, carefully prepared the blocks for printing. His intention was not fulfilled, and he passed away early.
Last year, in the year *Jisi* (1629 AD), the barbarians besieged the capital. I, Guangui, was hiding in the mountains and was also besieged. I rekindled my former intention, hoping to quell the disasters and afflictions. Relying on the Buddha's protection, my Dharma-grandson Haikuo, leading disciples Miaomei and others, risking their lives and forgetting their own safety, supported my old body through the night. Together with the precept-holder Guan Mi, I returned to my own temple. Later, my disciple, the sincere and upright Master Zhanyi, a man from the Yingshan area, was refined and strict in his study of doctrine. Seeing that the siege was already lifted, and recalling the depth of my intention to propagate the sutra, he pressed me again and again to publish the text to fulfill my vow. So I consulted the text again, intending to make the meaning clear and the expression smooth. I have presumed to call it a "Systematic Explanation (Ke Shu)."
I hope that those who see it will have the experience of viewing by candlelight, and have no annoyance from groping at branches. Relying on this commentary to penetrate the sutra, once the sutra is penetrated, the meaning is attained. If the meaning is attained, then the Wisdom Essence of Prajna will be perfectly clear before our eyes and mind, and shine brightly within the realm of material forms. In this way, Vulture Peak is not separate from this very place, and the Benevolent King is no other than our own Emperor. The Five Tolerances will be inside the court, like a jade pillar supporting the sky. The Ten Grounds will be beyond the borders, like a golden beam bridging the sea. The four barbarian tribes will dispel their aggressive tendencies and dwell in the realm of nothingness. The eight regions will turn their hearts towards the great Ming Empire. This is but my small, sincere attempt to repay the nation and bless the people, and my earnest devotion to adorn the holy teaching.
Having completed this commentary, I dare not present it in the lecture halls, for fear of being laughed at by the wise. I have only done it for myself, an eighty-year-old man, prepared as a reminder in case of forgetfulness.
時明崇禎三年歲次庚午佛成道日京師慈慧寺開山嗣賢首宗第二十五代前欽依皇壇承旨講經論賜紫玉環比丘蜀東普真貴謹序
In the third year of the Chongzhen era, during the year of Gengwu, on the day of the Buddha's enlightenment, I, the monk Pu Zhen Gui from Eastern Sichuan, respectfully write this preface at the founding of the Cihui Temple in the capital. As the twenty-fifth generation successor of the Xianshou lineage, formerly entrusted with the imperial throne and granted the purple jade ring, I deliver this discourse on the scriptures and treatises.