No. 302-A楞嚴略疏緣起
A Brief Introduction to the Shurangama Sutra
余忝學禪於講師之門，未能一顧也。迨罷參歸閩，山中無事，取大藏徧閱之，於楞嚴一經自謂獨得其關鍵，因作翼解二卷，稍抒鄙見，以佐諸疏之所未逮，時天啟甲子歲也。至崇禎丙子，余開法於泉之開元，適二雲曾公分憲泉南，公政之餘，每常命駕商略大事，間及楞嚴，以為苦於諸疏之煩亂，囑余為撰大旨。余謂治禪者多樂觀大旨，然曲折有所未晣，終不能盡掃。餘疑而遽以己意通之，其失靡細，乃為廣翼解而作略疏，間亦博採眾說，融為一家之言。大旨固不憚闡揚，而曲折亦所必晣，務使觀者觸目而爽然會心，不為經文所蔽、諸疏所亂而已。天台耶？賢首耶？固未暇問其後塵也。前三卷成於開元溽暑，中秋歸福州鼓山，繼成三卷。明年春，有浙西之行，諸鄉紳留居苕谿之真寂，後四卷始克成焉。戊寅燈節後，擕李曹愚公侍御過訪，暫一寓目，不勝嘆賞，遂命工災。木工既竣，乃謹識其歲月於此，盖一時緣起之功未可忘也。
I once studied Chan under a teacher, but at first I could not grasp even a single glimpse of it. Later, I returned to Fujian, having ceased my wanderings in search of truth. Living in the mountains without much to do, I took up the entire Buddhist canon and read through it. Regarding the *Shurangama Sutra*, I felt I had uniquely grasped its essential key, and so I composed a two-volume commentary, *Wings of Explanation*, to offer my humble insights and supplement what previous commentaries had overlooked. This was in the year of *Tianqi* 1624.
By the time of *Chongzhen* 1636, I had begun teaching at Kaiyuan Monastery in Quanzhou. It happened that my colleague, Second Cloud Governor Zeng, was serving as an official in southern Quanzhou. In his spare time from government duties, he would often visit me to discuss matters of ultimate concern. He mentioned the *Shurangama Sutra*, saying that he found the myriad existing commentaries too confusing and asked me to compose a concise guide to its core meaning. I felt that Chan practitioners often enjoy reading such guides, yet if the subtle intricacies are not clarified, they cannot fully dispel their doubts. If I rashly imposed my own interpretations, the errors would be countless. Therefore, I expanded my *Wings of Explanation* into a *Brief Commentary*, occasionally drawing widely from various sources, blending them into a unified perspective. While I certainly do not shy away from elucidating the core meaning, I also ensured that the twists and turns of the text are made clear. The aim was solely to let readers feel a clear and satisfying understanding upon opening the book, so that they are neither obstructed by the original sutra text nor confused by the various commentaries. As for whether this belongs to the Tiantai or Huayan tradition, I simply have no leisure to inquire which path they have left behind for me.
The first three volumes were completed amidst the sweltering summer heat at Kaiyuan Monastery. On Mid-Autumn Festival, I returned to Gushan (Drum Mountain) in Fuzhou and continued to finish the next three volumes. In the spring of the following year, I traveled to western Zhejiang, where several local gentry invited me to stay at Zhenji Monastery on Tiaoxi Stream, and it was there that I finally completed the last four volumes.
On the day after the Lantern Festival in 1638, Censor Cao Yugong from Xie Li visited me. He took a brief look at the work and could not help but express great admiration. He then ordered the carving of the printing blocks. After the woodblocks were finished, I carefully recorded this account of their creation. Indeed, the circumstances that gave rise to this project at that time should not be forgotten.
崇禎戊寅八月中秋日真寂釋元賢題於繼燈堂
Written by Shi Yuanxian of Zhenji Temple, at the Jideng Hall, on the Mid-Autumn Festival day of the eighth lunar month in the Wuyin year of the Chongzhen reign (1638).