English
English version: Furthermore, on the northern border of Kucha (an ancient kingdom in the Western Regions), there was a non-Buddhist (a religious sect other than Buddhism) who was exceptionally intelligent and handsome. He challenged others to debates by striking the royal drum, and if he lost, he would cut off his hand as an apology. Kumārajīva (a Buddhist translator) debated with him using two principles, and the non-Buddhist was immediately confused and lost. Later, Kumārajīva's mother took him to Northern India (ancient northern India). There, an Arhat named Dharmaghoṣa (an Arhat) saw Kumārajīva and was amazed. He said to his mother, 'Please take good care of him. If he does not break the precepts before the age of thirty-five, his ability to liberate beings will be like that of Upagupta (a Buddhist Arhat). If not, his talent will still be unparalleled. Sentient beings will still need to rely on this person to cross the sea of suffering.' Kumārajīva wanted to travel east (to the East). His mother said to him, 'The profound teachings of the Vaipulya (Mahayana scriptures) will be propagated in China (ancient name for China), and this can only be done through your efforts. But for yourself, there is no benefit, so what should we do?' Kumārajīva replied, 'The Bodhisattva's path is to benefit others and sacrifice oneself. If the teachings of Mahayana Buddhism can be spread and can cleanse the ignorant and foolish people, even if I am in the suffering of [日/(?*斤)]罐 (hellish torture), I will not have the slightest resentment.' Regarding Kumārajīva's miracles and great deeds, there are detailed records in other biographies. Kumārajīva went to Guanzhong (an ancient region) from that time on. He first translated the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra and the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā (Treatise on the Middle Way). The Mūlamadhyamakakārikā is the Middle Treatise. 'Gate' refers to the Dvādaśanikāya Śāstra (Twelve Gate Treatise). 'Hundred' refers to the Śata Śāstra (Hundred Treatise). The meaning here is to explain the order of translation. The reason for first 'cultivating and dyeing with the ultimate truth, and then re-translating this scripture and the Lotus Sutra, etc.' is to explain the reason. 'Cultivating' means mixing soil to make pottery. The Records of the Grand Historian says that pottery is earthenware. There is also an explanation that 'cultivating' means nurturing, and 'dyeing' means learning. Because when Mahayana Buddhism first began to spread, people had not yet believed and understood, so first translating the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra, the Middle Treatise, and the Hundred Treatise was to cultivate right view and wisdom, and to learn the supreme truth, with the aim of ensuring that the translation does not violate the Buddhist tenets and origins, hence the word 'etc.' 'Re-translating this scripture' refers to the fact that there are six translations of this scripture (the Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra): 1. The two-volume version translated by Yan Fotiao during the Later Han Dynasty, named the Ancient Vimalakīrti Sūtra; 2. The three-volume version translated by Zhi Qian during the Wu Dynasty, named the Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra; 3. The one-volume version translated by Zhu Fahu during the Western Jin Dynasty, named the Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra; 4. The three-volume version translated by Zhu Jilan during the Western Jin Dynasty, named the Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra; 5. The three-volume version translated by the Dharma Master Kumārajīva during the Qin Dynasty, named the Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra; 6. The six-volume version translated by the Dharma Master Xuanzang during the Tang Dynasty, named the Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra. This refers to the fifth translation, the Qin Dynasty version by Kumārajīva. Because Kumārajīva re-translated the previous four translations, it is called 're-translation'. 'Therefore, the text is precise and the meaning is profound without any gap', refers to the sentences --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
婉切理诣实相。康法师云。文生像外理在缘中。诣者至也。由先陶染至理妙游真宗。是以翻译此经。词精理诣。文同钩锁。义等连环。不为异文隔绝故云无间然矣。深经既演。大观方传。讽诵溢于寰区。感应盈于传记。普贤居诵人之室。文殊入译者之心。是使微言利济多矣。 从此第二明述释所以。文则为二。初明述释之由。次正明。述释前中复二。初复今失旨为远由。次叹古诸真为近由。此初也。日者传习多疏道尚学以瞻异端者。道谓至理。学谓传文。瞻者博也。端谓端绪义。不合理故云异端。意明今者传经习听之徒疏于道理尚于学问。深至理为真知。繁法相为博学。故曰以瞻异端。论语云。攻乎异端斯害也。已攻治也。谓善道有统故殊途而同归。异端不同归故治之也 致使大宗芜蔓真极者。芜蔓秽草也。真极者真如至极之理也。芜蔓之草荒秽嘉苗。琐语繁词而翳真理也 二叹古诣真为近由 而关中先制言约旨深将传后进或惮略而难通者。什公门徒三千。升堂八百。入室唯四。生肇融睿。皆精奥真乘英声振古。时居秦地故曰关中制作也。言词简约意旨深玄故曰言约旨深 盖时移识昧岂先贤之阙欤者。近代学徒时浇见薄。忌惮古人语略而云释义未周。盖云圣时遥识性闇昧。岂先贤制作而有阙遣去哉。欤者语助也 现代汉语译本： ‘婉切理诣实相’，康法师解释说：‘文字生动于形象之外，真理蕴含于因缘之中。’ ‘诣’是到达的意思。因为事先受到至理的熏陶，才能巧妙地游历于真宗之中。因此翻译这部经书，用词精准，道理透彻，文字如同钩锁般紧密相连，意义如同连环般环环相扣，不会因为不同的文字而产生隔阂，所以说是没有间隙的。深刻的经义得以阐扬，伟大的见解得以流传，讽诵之声遍布天下，感应事迹充满史册。普贤菩萨居住在诵经人的房间，文殊菩萨进入翻译者的内心。这使得精微的语言能够利益更多的人。 接下来第二部分说明阐释的原因。内容分为两部分。首先说明阐释的缘由，然后正式进行阐释。在说明阐释缘由的部分又分为两部分。首先说明现在失去宗旨是遥远的原因，然后赞叹古代的各位圣贤是接近的原因。这里是第一部分。现在的人传习经典大多疏忽道理，崇尚学问，用来炫耀自己，认为与众不同。‘道’指的是至高的真理，‘学’指的是传授的文字。‘瞻’是博的意思，‘端’指的是端绪，意义不合道理，所以说是与众不同。意思是说现在传经学习的人疏忽了道理，崇尚学问，认为深刻的道理是真正的知识，繁琐的法相是博学。所以说用它来炫耀自己，认为与众不同。《论语》中说：‘攻乎异端，斯害也。’ ‘攻’是攻治的意思。意思是说善道有一个统一的归宿，所以即使道路不同也能达到同一个目标。异端不能达到同一个目标，所以要攻治它。导致伟大的宗旨被芜杂的蔓草所覆盖，真正的极理被遮蔽。芜蔓是秽草，真极是真如至极的道理。芜蔓的草荒废了嘉苗，琐碎的言语和繁杂的词语遮蔽了真正的道理。 第二部分赞叹古代圣贤精通真理是接近的原因。关中的先贤们制定了言辞简约、意旨深刻的经典，想要传给后人，但有些人害怕过于简略而难以理解。鸠摩罗什（Kumārajīva）(人名，意为童寿)的门徒有三千人，能登堂入室的有八百人，真正进入内室的只有四人：僧肇（Sengzhao），道生（Daosheng），僧融（Sengrong），道睿（Daorui）。他们都精通深奥的真乘佛法，英名远扬，震动古今。当时居住在秦地，所以说是关中制作。言辞简约，意旨深玄，所以说是言约旨深。大概是因为时代变迁，见识浅薄，所以才会忌惮古人语言简略，认为解释的意义不够周全。大概是说圣人的时代遥远，认识的本性暗昧，难道是先贤的制作有什么缺失遗漏吗？ ‘欤’是语气助词。
English
English version: 'The subtle and thorough understanding reaches the true reality.' Dharma Master Kang explained, 'The words come alive beyond the image, and the truth lies within the conditions.' 'Reaching' means arriving. Because of prior cultivation in the ultimate truth, one can skillfully wander in the true essence. Therefore, in translating this scripture, the words are precise, and the reasoning is thorough. The words are as closely linked as hooks, and the meanings are as interconnected as rings. There is no separation due to different languages, hence it is said to be without gaps. The profound teachings are expounded, and the great views are transmitted. The chanting echoes throughout the world, and the responsive events fill the records. Bodhisattva Samantabhadra (普贤) resides in the room of the chanter, and Bodhisattva Manjusri (文殊) enters the heart of the translator. This enables the subtle words to benefit many. Next, the second part explains the reasons for the commentary. The content is divided into two parts. First, it explains the reasons for the commentary, and then it formally proceeds with the commentary. The part explaining the reasons for the commentary is further divided into two parts. First, it explains that the current loss of the main purpose is a distant reason, and then it praises the ancient sages as a close reason. This is the first part. Nowadays, those who transmit and study the scriptures mostly neglect the principles, valuing learning to show off and considering themselves different. 'Principle' refers to the supreme truth, and 'learning' refers to the transmitted words. 'Showing off' means being broad, and 'different' refers to the beginnings, the meaning not aligning with the principle, hence it is said to be different. It means that those who transmit and study the scriptures nowadays neglect the principles, valuing learning, considering profound principles as true knowledge, and complex Dharmas as broad learning. Therefore, it is said that they use it to show off and consider themselves different. The Analects say, 'Attacking different doctrines is harmful.' 'Attacking' means governing. It means that the good path has a unified destination, so even if the paths are different, they can reach the same goal. Different doctrines cannot reach the same goal, so they must be governed. This leads to the great purpose being covered by tangled weeds, and the true ultimate principle being obscured. Tangled weeds are foul grass, and true ultimate refers to the ultimate principle of true suchness. The weeds waste the good seedlings, and trivial words and complex terms obscure the true principle. The second part praises the ancient sages' mastery of the truth as a close reason. The ancient sages of Guanzhong (关中) formulated scriptures with concise words and profound meanings, wanting to transmit them to future generations, but some people feared that they were too brief and difficult to understand. Kumārajīva's (鸠摩罗什) disciples numbered three thousand, eight hundred could enter the hall, and only four truly entered the inner chamber: Sengzhao (僧肇), Daosheng (道生), Sengrong (僧融), and Daorui (道睿). They were all proficient in the profound Mahayana Buddhism, and their fame spread far and wide, shaking ancient and modern times. At that time, they lived in the Qin region, so it is said to be the production of Guanzhong. The words are concise, and the meaning is profound, so it is said to be concise in words and profound in meaning. Perhaps it is because times have changed and knowledge is shallow, so they are afraid of the ancient people's brief language and think that the explained meaning is not comprehensive enough. It probably means that the age of the sages is distant, and the nature of knowledge is obscure. Could it be that there are any omissions in the works of the ancient sages? 'Yu' (欤) is a modal particle. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 。
Chinese
从此第二正明述释。文三。初述谦辞。二记年号。三彰功益 液不揆庸浅趣加裨广净名以肇注作本法华以生疏为凭者。揆谓揆度。庸者家语云。身无慎终之规口无训格之语。故言也。浅从识浅。皆谦辞也。裨以精巧广以略言。故云裨广。述净名增肇公之注。释法华广生公之文。庶宿昔之迷一决悟生肇盛迹。具如抄中 然后傍求诸解共通妙旨者。纂天台之注释。集关中之微言。深以精华务存切当也 虽述而不作者。论语云。述而不作信而好古。意云。作圣作法余但依数述诸而已 终愧亡羊者哉。解释既多深惭失理。如三年者。跋路怀疑即阳朱之事也。又庄子之藏与谷牧羊俱失问咸奚事挟荣读书问博塞以游事叶有异。而亡羊不殊。申释虽多恐乖圣旨也。上元元年岁次困赖者。尔雅云子年号也 永泰初记又于菩提道场夏再治定。时居元年故曰初记。记者年之异称。殷曰祀也。于菩提寺夏中删定。再呈妙曲私者绝音。其犹龙剑断物。鸾镜鉴像。凡诸学者疑网皆除 庶法镜转明惠灯益照者矣。庶者望也。法有应照之能。故况之以镜。教有可传之义。故喻之于灯。故经云。譬如一灯然百千灯。暝者皆明。明终不尽。所谓修持演说旷劫传通。教典有济物之能。苍生有返流之分 余永泰二年时居资圣传经之暇。命笔真书自为 现代汉语译本 从此第二部分正式开始阐述解释。分为三个部分。首先是谦虚的措辞，其次是记录年号，最后是彰显功德和益处。‘液’（作者自称）自知才识平庸浅薄，所以希望能增补和扩展《净名经》（《维摩诘所说经》）的注释，因为肇法师的注释已经完成，而以对《法华经》（《妙法莲华经》）的生疏理解作为依据。‘揆’是衡量、估量的意思。‘庸’，《家语》中说，‘身无慎终之规，口无训格之语’，就是指平庸。‘浅’指见识浅薄。这些都是谦辞。用精巧来增补，用简略的语言来扩展，所以说是‘裨广’。阐述《净名经》是为了增补僧肇法师的注释，解释《法华经》是为了扩展道生法师的文句，希望能够彻底消除过去长久的迷惑，领悟僧肇和道生的盛德遗迹，这些都详细地记载在抄本中。 然后广泛寻求各种解释，融会贯通其中的精妙旨意。编纂天台宗的注释，收集关中地区的精微言论，深入研究其中的精华，务求切合实际。虽然是阐述而不是创作，正如《论语》所说：‘述而不作，信而好古’。意思是说，创作圣人之道和法则，我只是依照前人的说法来阐述而已。最终还是会惭愧自己像丢失了羊一样（找不到正确的方向）。因为解释得越多，越是深深地惭愧自己可能会偏离真理。就像‘三年者，跋路怀疑’，就是杨朱的故事。又如庄子的故事，藏和谷两个人一起放羊都把羊丢了，问他们都在做什么，一个挟着书本游玩，一个玩博塞游戏，虽然事情不同，但丢失羊的结果却是一样的。申述解释虽然很多，但恐怕会违背圣人的旨意。上元元年，岁在困敦（子年），这是《尔雅》中记载的用子来纪年的方法。永泰初年，又在菩提道场（菩提树下的道场）的夏天再次进行修订。当时是永泰元年，所以说是‘初记’。‘记’是年号的另一种称谓，殷朝称之为‘祀’。在菩提寺的夏天进行删改修订，再次呈现精妙的曲调，消除个人的偏见。这就像用龙泉剑斩断物体，用鸾鸟镜照鉴影像一样，所有学习者的疑惑和迷网都能够消除。 希望佛法之镜能够更加明亮，智慧之灯能够更加照耀。‘庶’是希望的意思。佛法具有能够照亮一切的能力，所以用镜子来比喻。教义具有可以传承的意义，所以用灯来比喻。所以经中说：‘譬如一灯，然百千灯，暝者皆明，明终不尽。’这就是所谓的修持演说，经过漫长的时间传遍各地。教典具有济世救人的能力，众生具有返本归源的机缘。我在永泰二年，在资圣寺传经的空闲时间，亲笔用真书写下序言。