佛之智，洵難測度也哉！能測者誰？惟佛與佛矣。諸大菩薩尚不能得其彷彿，況降斯以下而許少思議者乎！嗚呼！眾生福薄，鮮具信根，甘自伶俜，難為教化，勞我釋尊大慈悲父，出世援拔，法說三乘，然而有耳曾聞、有眼曾視者，千萬人中未易多為屈指也。所謂：終日戴天，不知天之高；終日履地，不知地之厚。流離瑣尾，窮子何歸？慈父憫念而襁褓之，吾曹日在襁褓中，而竟忘其所自，而奚慚為軹耶？今夫坐井觀天者，心惟計天如許大耳，初不知其無涯涘焉。有告以無涯涘者，弗信也。告者曰：何物老嫗，產此愚人？良以見識有限，執一不通，故對醯雞而語滄海，雖費盡無量至言，終叵令其無疑也。何也？彼畢生所由不過是也。則凡囿於見聞而不信有佛道可成者，亦若是則已矣。牟子所謂：少所見，多所怪，睹馲駝，言馬腫背；莊子所謂：鵬飛九萬里而圖南，而取笑于蜩鳩者也。予不敏，身出東官，官之人，多崇佛道，予自齠齔便識佛名，稍長輒遊梵剎，麤覽佛書，頗諳佛教為最上事，遂欲作上人，弗果。洎以一官，羇縻，益不遑滿願為悵。今老矣，無能為也，惟是慕道之心未嘗少置，每歎吾生也晚，且處邊地，不獲於靈山會上，親聞佛說法為悲。更悲夫同吾生者，弁髦至道，惑於偏邪，排難繽紛，牢莫能解，思著一書解之而靡暇也。先年偶從禪者，得《解惑編》，云是鼎湖在和尚所集，撫掌欣欣，先得我心之所同然也。閱畢，翹空作禮曰：「在大師為再來大士者歟，非耶！抑天生以救斯民於未溺也？」夫惑亦眾矣，解之雖不乏人，然皆散出于各典，曾未有蒐而裒之，以為世之良導，故閱者未便得其全理，以互絕其狐疑焉！縱間或遇一二章，均不足以感發前人之趣向，惟和尚以度世婆心，而編輯之，集大成，以壽梓，流通于六合寰中，普使人人咸皆屬目，惡知不有若干頑疲舊習，被其打動，去妄歸真，而直躋于無上之域者乎？其為功也，詎不韙哉！和尚著書百餘卷，進意此為度人之妙術云。

The wisdom of the Buddha is truly beyond measure! Who can fathom it? Only a Buddha can understand another Buddha. Even the great Bodhisattvas cannot grasp it fully, let alone those of lesser attainment—how dare they attempt to comprehend it with their limited reasoning? Alas! Beings have little merit and lack the roots of faith. Willingly they wander in suffering, hard to teach and guide. This is why our compassionate Lord Shakyamuni labored to appear in the world, rescuing beings and expounding the Three Vehicles. Yet among millions, how few have truly heard with their ears and seen with their eyes!

It is as the saying goes: "All day long you look up at the sky, yet you never know how high it is; all day long you walk the earth, yet you never know how thick it is." Like a wandering, pitiful child, where can the lost son return? The compassionate father pities and cradles him, but we, who are always in that cradle, forget where we came from. Why should we be ashamed of our ignorance?

Consider the person who looks at the sky from the bottom of a well. They think the sky is only as large as the opening above them, never knowing it is boundless. If someone tells them it is limitless, they do not believe it. The one who tells them says: "What kind of old woman gave birth to such a fool?" Truly, because their vision is limited, they cling stubbornly to one view. So it is with those who speak of the vast ocean to creatures that live in a jar of vinegar—no amount of words can dispel their doubt. Why? Because their entire experience is bounded by that jar. The same applies to those who, confined by what they have seen and heard, cannot believe that Buddhahood can be attained.

This is what Master Mou meant when he said: "Seeing little, one marvels at much; seeing a camel, one calls it a horse with a hump on its back." And what Zhuangzi meant when he said: "The great roc flies ninety thousand miles heading south, only to be laughed at by the cicada and the little dove."

Though I am not intelligent, I was born in Dongguan. The people there greatly revere the Buddha's Way. From childhood I recognized the name of the Buddha. As I grew, I visited temples and read Buddhist texts extensively. I understood that Buddhism is the supreme matter, and I wished to become a renunciant—but I could not. Later, bound by official duties, I was even less able to fulfill my wish, which I always regretted. Now I am old and can do nothing, yet my longing for the Way has never diminished. I often lament that I was born late, in a remote land, unable to personally hear the Buddha's teaching on Vulture Peak. I grieve even more for those born in my time who treat the supreme Way as trivial, deluded by biases and heresies, entangled in endless disputes that cannot be resolved. I wanted to write a book to resolve these doubts, but I never had the leisure.

Years ago, I happened to obtain from a Chan practitioner the *Compendium for Resolving Doubts*, said to have been compiled by the Great Master Dinghu. I clapped my hands with joy, for it expressed exactly what was in my own heart. After reading it, I bowed reverently toward the sky and said: "Is the Great Master truly a reincarnated Bodhisattva? Or is this a gift from heaven to save beings from drowning?" There are many who have addressed doubts, but their writings are scattered across various scriptures. No one had collected them to serve as a good guide for the world. Thus, readers could not easily obtain a complete understanding to cut off their doubts entirely. Even if they encountered one or two passages, it was not enough to inspire their aspiration.

Only the Great Master, with a compassionate heart for saving beings, compiled this work, bringing together the great achievements of many, and printed it for circulation throughout the world. He did so hoping that everyone might see it. Who knows how many stubborn, misguided people will be moved by it, abandon falsehood, return to truth, and directly ascend to the supreme realm? How immense is his merit! The Great Master has written over a hundred volumes, but this one, I believe, is his finest method for liberating beings.

The Treatise on Dispelling Doubts (解惑篇)

The Treatise on Dispelling Doubts (解惑篇)