夫真心寥廓絕言象於筌罤沖漠希夷忘境智於能所非生非滅四相之所不遷無去無來三際莫之能易但以無住為性隨派分歧逐迷悟而升沈任因緣而起滅雖復繁興鼓躍未始動於心源靜謐虛凝未嘗乖於業果故使不變性而緣起染淨恒殊不捨緣而即真凡聖致一其猶波無異溼之動故即水以辨於波水無異動之溼故即波以明於水是以動靜交徹真俗雙融生死涅槃夷齊同貫但以如來在世根熟易調一稟尊言無不懸契大師沒後異執紛綸或趣邪途或奔小徑遂使宅中寶藏匿濟乏於孤窮衣內明珠弗解貧於傭作加以大乘深旨沈貝葉而不尋羣有盲徒馳異路而莫反爰有大士厥號馬鳴慨此頹綱悼斯淪溺將欲啟深經之妙旨再曜昬衢斥邪見之顛眸令歸正趣使還源者可即反本非遙造廣論於當時遐益群品既文多義邈非淺識所闚悲末葉之迷倫又造斯論可謂義豐文約解行俱兼中下之流因茲悟入者矣。
The true mind is vast and boundless, transcending words and images, beyond the traps of concepts. It is profound, silent, and formless, forgetting both subject and object in the realm of awareness. It is neither born nor extinguished, unmoved by the four phases of existence; it neither comes nor goes, unchanged by the three times. Yet, because its nature is non-abiding, it branches into myriad differences, rising and falling with delusion and awakening, appearing and vanishing according to causes and conditions. Though it stirs and surges in countless manifestations, it never moves the source of the mind; though it remains still and serene, it never contradicts the laws of karma. Thus, while its unchanging nature gives rise to dependent origination, purity and defilement remain distinct; while never abandoning conditions, it is identical to the true—so ordinary beings and sages are one. This is like waves: there is no wetness apart from their motion, so through the waves we discern the water; there is no motion apart from the water's wetness, so through the water we illuminate the waves. Therefore, motion and stillness interpenetrate, the conventional and the ultimate merge, and birth-and-death and nirvana are aligned and unified.
When the Tathagata was in the world, beings had mature faculties and were easy to guide; once they heard the holy words, all were in perfect accord. After the Great Master's passing, divergent views proliferated—some veered into wrong paths, others rushed down lesser byways. Thus, the treasure hidden in the house was concealed from the destitute, and the jewel sewn in the garment failed to relieve the hired laborer's poverty. Moreover, the profound meaning of the Mahayana lay buried in palm-leaf scriptures, unexamined, while the blind multitude rushed along divergent roads without turning back. Then a great being, Aśvaghoṣa by name, grieved over this collapsing order and lamented this sinking and drowning. He sought to open the wondrous intent of the deep scriptures, to re-illumine the darkened crossroads, to refute the inverted views of the deluded, and to lead them back to the right path—so that those who would return to the source could do so, and those who would revert to the origin would find it near. He composed a great treatise in his time, widely benefiting all beings. But since its words were many and its meaning profound, beyond the reach of shallow understanding, he pitied the misguided in later ages and composed this present treatise. It may truly be said to be rich in meaning yet concise in words, combining both understanding and practice, by which those of middling and lower capacity may awaken and enter.