---
title: "湛然圓澄禪師語錄 · 般若經敘品偈論都敘序"
description: "湛然圆澄禅师语录由明代禅宗高僧湛然圆澄所述，其门人明凡记录，丁元公与祁骏佳编撰。该书成书于明末佛教复兴时期，收录圆澄禅师的开示、法语、公案及书信，集中体现其禅学思想与修行指导，倡导直指人心、见性成佛的曹洞宗风。作为明代禅宗重要文献，该语录不仅传承了临济与曹洞宗的精髓，对后世禅修者具有深远影响，是研究明清佛教禅宗思想与实践的重要典籍。"
url: "https://rushiwowen.co/en/r/cmcxr5xst00lii9049umdlbnv"
---

### 般若經敘品偈論都敘序

> Preface to the Prajna Sutra: Verses and Commentary

夫般若無知而無所不知。雖無所不知。究其所以知。則未甞知也。般若無為而無所不為。雖無所不為。究其所以為。則未甞為也。葢繇般若淵深若海。窮之莫究其底。巍峩如山。登之莫達其頂。故云不可以知知。不可識識。諸佛之慧命。諸菩薩之達道。諸眾生之安宅。實乃十界之棲托。莫不繇之也。故知是經。以常見論之。三乘二時所說。大根會通。融九會皆是初成。而後世有聞此。不生信心者。皆繇宿世不種靈根故也。或曰。般若乃方等之後。佛欲帶小說大。而諸子未明父旨。雖云領知眾物。猶住門外。止宿草菴。不敢希取一飡。豈同法華面付家財。聞成佛記。何得頓類大乘。而過贊若此耶。答曰。既云帶小轉大。寧不欲付家財。若曰廢權入實。成佛何非前法。聲聞不悟。徒自愚癡。落後發明。方知本有。葢得失在人。豈法有大小耶。所以法華會三歸一。實乃即小之大。無別有大。涅槃義一名五。曾非一外別有五名。故曰。般若涅槃佛性金剛三昧首楞嚴定。皆一義也。是知般若一法。徹始徹終。盡凡盡聖。皆繇此一門。成其出入階降之差。諸佛之所以諄諄教誡。學者當深窮其旨趣矣。奈六百卷浩瀚之文。小聖尚非其分。豈凡下之能易窺哉。所以古人深慨未來根鈍難堪。刪削定制放光光贊摩訶等經。雖多少不同。莫不皆繇大經之所流出。而龍樹菩薩內懷祖印。兼闡教乘。因念後世於諸部般若。彼此不能會歸。小大不能通貫。繇是註大智度論若干卷。冀開其迷。惜乎經簡論繁猶莊子之註郭象。亡羊泣岐。開悟須得其要門。何幸時當末季。至人再來。有大沙門蘊空曉禪師者。慨大藏之重繁。參考再四。較南北之本。類明重單之譯。撮其大意緊要之言。會成一部。題曰彚目。削智論之餘文。錄其最要。名曰箋釋。前代哲人。如生肇慧遠等。諸大法師。所作放光光贊般若等經之序文。大經五十五卷九十品之題目。撮彼品內之大意。註於題下。稱曰撮錄使後來見者。一藏之奧典。示如指掌。六百卷之大義。曉若日星。嘔心血二十餘年。成部帙數十餘卷。撮大經入於微塵。一多並現。擲須彌於芥內。小大何妨。圓融無礙。自在縱橫。此恩此德。世莫加焉。苟非龍樹之再來。必是靈山之受囑者矣。不爾。則何能忘疲倦。入藏海。處龍宮。搜至寶。刪繁文。撮要義。無非皆為佛之慧命也。可謂道越羣情。思超過半。其猶獅子之哮吼。無畏勇猛。作決定說。亦如象王之遊步。縱涉恒河。直窮其底。如是作略。如是大用。欲知其深奧者。請觀數帙之文。則知如來一代之教。如探囊取寶。使大小是非。皎然莫隱。邪僻戲論難逃其跡。真所謂擲大千於界外。移妙喜於此方。若非淨名之流。應居童壽之亞。功侔上古。利及將來。經云。足動大千。草入劫火。未足為難。如來滅後能持此經。是則為難。此如來之明證。故予無得而贊焉。天啟六年丙寅仲春日序。

> Prajna is without knowledge, yet it knows all things. Though it knows all things, if one examines the nature of this knowing, it is not really knowing at all. Prajna is without action, yet it accomplishes all things. Though it accomplishes all things, if one investigates the nature of this accomplishment, it is not really doing anything at all. Why is this? Because Prajna is as deep and vast as the ocean—dive into it and you will never reach its bottom. It is as towering and majestic as a mountain—climb it and you will never attain its peak. Therefore, it is said that it cannot be known through ordinary knowing, nor can it be recognized through ordinary recognition. It is the lifeblood of all Buddhas, the direct path of all Bodhisattvas, and the peaceful abode of all sentient beings. In truth, it is the dwelling place of the Ten Realms, and all beings rely upon it. Thus we know this sutra. From a conventional perspective, the Buddha expounded the Three Vehicles for two periods of time. Those with great capacities penetrated and understood it all. The Nine Assemblies are all integrated into the initial enlightenment. Yet later generations may hear this and fail to develop faith. This is entirely because they failed to plant spiritual roots in previous lives. Some may say: "Prajna was taught after the Vaipulya period. The Buddha wished to use the Greater Vehicle to guide those attached to the Lesser Vehicle, but his disciples did not understand the Father's intention. Although they were told to manage the household affairs, they still lingered outside the gate, sleeping in a grass hut, not daring to hope for a single meal. How can this be compared to the Lotus Sutra, where the Buddha personally handed over the family wealth and predicted enlightenment? Why would you equate it with the Greater Vehicle and praise it so excessively?" The answer is: Since it was taught to guide the lesser toward the greater, how could the Buddha have been unwilling to entrust his family wealth? If it is said that the provisional teachings were abandoned in favor of the ultimate truth, how is the attainment of Buddhahood different from the earlier teachings? The Hearers simply failed to awaken—they were only foolish on their own. When they later attained realization, they understood what had always been theirs. For gain and loss lie in the individual—how could the Dharma itself be either great or small? This is why the Lotus Sutra unites the Three into One—it is truly the lesser becoming the greater, with no separate greater existing. The Nirvana Sutra gives one principle five names, yet there is no principle apart from these five names. Thus it is said: "Prajna, Nirvana, Buddha Nature, Diamond Samadhi, and the Śūraṅgama Samadhi—all are the same principle." Therefore, know that the single Dharma of Prajna pervades beginning and end, encompasses ordinary beings and sages. All enter through this one gate, and through it they depart and arrive, ascending and descending, differentiating in stages. It is for this reason that all Buddhas earnestly teach and admonish. Practitioners should deeply investigate its meaning and purpose. Unfortunately, the Prajna Sutra in six hundred fascicles is vast. Even lesser sages could not fully penetrate it, so how could ordinary beings easily glimpse its depths? Thus the ancients, deeply aware that beings of later ages would have dull faculties and could not endure it, abridged and ordered it, producing the \*Fangguang\*, \*Guangzan\*, and \*Mahāprajñā\* sutras. Though in varying lengths, all flowed from the great sutra. Nāgārjuna Bodhisattva, inwardly holding the Patriarch's seal while outwardly propagating the teachings, considered that later generations would be unable to harmonize the various Prajña scriptures with each other, and would fail to connect the greater and lesser into a unified flow. Therefore, he composed the \*Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra\* (Great Treatise) in several fascicles, hoping to open their confusion. Alas, the sutra is concise but the Treatise is verbose—much like Zhuangzi's commentary on Guo Xiang—leading people astray at crossroads. To attain awakening, one must grasp the essential gate. How fortunate that in an age nearing decline, a sage came again. The great monk Kong Kong Chan (Śunyatā Master) deeply regretted the weighty volume of the canon. He consulted and revised it repeatedly, comparing northern and southern editions, distinguishing between single and double translations. He gathered essential points and key phrases, compiling them into one work, entitled "Collected Gems." He deleted redundant passages from the Great Treatise, recording only the most vital parts, titling it "Annotation." The ancient masters—such as Shengzhao, Huiyuan, and others—wrote prefaces to the \*Fangguang\* and \*Guangzan\* Prajñā sutras. The great sutra, in fifty-five fascicles and ninety chapters, has each chapter summarized and its meaning noted beneath the title. This collection was called "The Gist," enabling later readers to see the entire hidden canon as if pointing to the palm, and the great meaning of the six hundred fascicles as clear as sun and stars. Through more than twenty years of exhausting effort and blood, he produced a work of several dozen fascicles, condensing the great sutra into a single atom—many and one appearing simultaneously—tossing Mount Sumeru into a mustard seed—small and great neither hindering each other. Perfectly interfused and unobstructed, free and at ease, no blessing in the world surpasses this compassion and virtue. Were he not Nāgārjuna reborn, he must have received a commission from Vulture Peak. Otherwise, how could he have forgotten weariness, entered the ocean of the canon, visited the Dragon Palace, sought the supreme gems, pruned the thicket of words, and extracted the essential meaning? All this was solely for the sake of the Buddhas' lifeblood. He may be said to have transcended ordinary sentiment, soaring beyond the halfway point. Like a lion's roar—fearless, courageous, speaking with finality. Like a king of elephants strolling, wading even the Ganges straight to its depths. Such is his conduct, such his great function. To know its profound meaning, please read these few fascicles. Then you will see that all the teachings of the Tathāgata throughout his lifetime are as easy as reaching into a bag and picking out a jewel. Great and small, right and wrong stand out clearly, hiding nothing. False views and frivolous arguments cannot escape exposure. Truly it may be said: he cast the great trichiliocosm beyond the universe, and brought the Land of Wonderful Bliss right here. Were he not of the lineage of Vimalakīrti, he must stand as worthy as Kumārajīva. His merit matches that of the ancients; his benefit extends to those yet to come. The sutra says: "To move the great trichiliocosm with a foot, or to consume it with the fire of a blade of grass—these are not difficult. But to uphold this sutra after the Tathāgata's parinirvāṇa—that is truly difficult." This is the Tathāgata's clear testimony. Therefore, I can add no further praise. Preface on a spring day, the second month of the year Bingyin, in the 6th year of the Tianqi reign (1626 CE).