鍥華嚴五十要問答序
Preface to the Fifty Essential Questions of the Avatamsaka Sutra
五十要問答二冊者。華嚴第二祖雲華尊者。撮略雜華之要義。往復徵責以解其肎綮者五十餘條。實可稱義學之龜鑑者也。抑儼公者受稱性之說於帝心大師。其製述頗多。所謂搜玄孔目十玄及此章等竝皆末學據此作蹊徑者不為少。雖然本邦之俗祕書不輒許印刻。好古之徒為之搔首。予嚮過名剎討尋而得此章。雖思弘通其本大半脫誤不足為徵。棄置篋底者久矣。今年幸得善本。對讀挍讎補其脫簡正其偽誤。傍附倭訓乃諭之剞劂。庶幾遐方終古大教遍播。使學者見鎔融於毛海證法界於當下耳。
The fifty essential questions and answers in these two volumes were compiled by the Venerable Yunhua, the second patriarch of the Huayan school. He extracted the core meaning of the Avatamsaka Sutra and posed over fifty questions and answers to clarify its subtle and profound points. This work truly deserves to be called a guide to doctrinal inquiry.
Moreover, the Venerable Yan received the theory of intrinsic nature from the Great Master Dixin and authored many works. Among them are the *Souxuan*, *Kongmu*, *Ten Mysteries*, and this text. Many later scholars have relied on them as a pathway for study. However, in our country, sacred texts are often kept secret and not readily permitted for printing, which vexes those who cherish antiquity.
Previously, while visiting a famous monastery, I searched for and found this text. Although I wished to widely propagate it, most of the original was missing or corrupted, unreliable for citation. So I set it aside in a chest, where it remained for a long time.
This year, I was fortunate to obtain a good edition. By collating and comparing, I supplemented the missing sections and corrected errors. I also appended Japanese readings and submitted it for woodblock printing. I hope that far and wide, across remote regions and through the ages, this great teaching will be disseminated, enabling students to realize the interpenetration of all phenomena and directly witness the Dharma Realm in the present moment.
元祿八年乙亥五月穀旦
Yuanlu Eighth Year, Year Yi-Hai, Fifth Month, Auspicious Dawn
東奧仙臺龍寶住持比丘長與實養題於洛之智積輪下
At the foot of Mount Lu's Zhiji Temple, a resident monk from the Dragon Treasure Monastery in Sendai, Japan, humbly inscribed this.
華嚴五十要問答初卷
Huayan Fifty Essential Questions and Answers, First Volume
大唐終南太一山至相寺沙門智儼集
Collection by Shramana Zhiyan, Zhixiang Temple, Taiyi Mountain, Zhongnan, Great Tang Dynasty
今建五十要問答以顯一乘文義節。
Now we have established fifty essential questions and answers to illuminate the meaning and structure of the One Vehicle teaching.