Tiantai Four Teachings Collected Commentary, Volume 1(Including Preface)

In the winter of the fourth year of the Zhihe era, I gave a lecture at Miaoguo Temple in the western part of the commandery. The following summer, several new students requested a written explanation to clarify the "Tiantai Four Teachings" recorded by the Korean Master Guan. At the time, I temporarily used the outline from Zha River to structure the text, gathering passages from various scriptures to explain the essential meanings. In less than twenty days, I completed three volumes, titling it "Collected Explanations of the Four Teachings." The draft was just finished and not yet refined when it was copied and circulated by students. Many people compared it to He Yan's "Collected Explanations," finding it problematic, yet they did not object to Du Yu's "Collected Explanations." Since Confucian collected explanations already include both approaches, why should this title be considered strange? Alas, those with limited insight harbor such doubts. Now, in the ninth year of the Xining era, while residing at the West Hall of Dayun Temple and lecturing, I examined the Zha River outline and found it not entirely satisfactory. Therefore, I created my own outline in one section and reviewed the earlier collected explanations, noticing many omissions. Thus, I revised and refined it into three volumes. My concern is that my knowledge is shallow and my reasoning humble, unable to fully illuminate the profound wisdom of the sages. I merely aimed to assist beginners by clarifying the punctuation. Whether from distant or nearby places, those who see this revised version need not keep the earlier, unpolished text.

Compiled by Monk Shi Congyi of Yongjia