Lèngyán jīng bǎojìng shū xuántán 楞嚴經寶鏡疏懸談
“Suspended Discussion” Prolegomenon to the “Precious-Mirror” Commentary on the Śūraṃgama-sūtra by 溥畹 (述)
About the work
A one-fascicle (1卷) prolegomenon (xuántán 懸談, “suspended discussion”) to Lángǔ Pǔwǎn 蘭谷溥畹 溥畹’s ten-fascicle Lèngyán jīng bǎojìng shū (KR6j0724). Preserved as X16 no. 315 in the Xùzàngjīng. The genre — xuántán — is a classic Huáyán-school prolegomenon-format introduced by Qīngliáng 澄觀 Chéngguān: a discussion that “hangs” before the main text and surveys the doctrinal preconditions for reading it.
Abstract
The Xuántán opens with a moving autobiographical declaration: Pǔwǎn relates that for twenty years (廿年翫味) he has “savored” the Sūtra, contemplating it “by moonlight on the meditation cushion” and “with text in hand on the rock among pines”; he has “comprehensively gathered the essence of all the various commentaries and directly probed the cardinal purport of the original sūtra,” producing the present commentary. He then organizes the prolegomenon under the canonical Xiánshǒu Ten Gates (shímén 十門, attributed to Xiánshǒu 賢首 = 法藏 Fǎzàng): (1) jiàoqǐ yīnyuán 教起因緣 (causes for the teaching’s arising); (2) zàngshèng fēnshè 藏乘分攝 (canonical-vehicle classification); (3) jiàoyì fēnqí 教義分齊 (doctrinal levels); (4) suǒbèi jīyí 所被機宜 (intended audience); (5) néngquán tǐxìng 能詮體性 (the substance of expression); (6) suǒquán zōngqù 所詮宗趣 (the cardinal purport expressed); (7) jiàojì qiánhòu 教迹前後 (chronological-doctrinal placement); (8) chuányì shínián 傳譯時年 (translation history); (9) tōngshì míngtí 通釋名題 (general explanation of the title); (10) biéjiě wényì 別解文義 (running commentary, which is the Bǎojìngshū proper).
The first mén in particular is structured as ten sub-causes (shíbié yīnyuán 十別因緣) covering the sūtra’s pedagogical functions: stimulating those who have heard much; revealing the true samādhi; distinguishing true from false; directly pointing at the human mind; uprooting craving; upholding the precepts; demonstrating practice; revealing the stages of realization; resolving doubts; and revealing the right while breaking the wrong. The whole prolegomenon thus presents a richly integrated Huáyán-school doctrinal frame for reading the Lèngyán. Composition: 18th century (Kāngxī through Qiánlóng era), based on the author’s stated twenty-year period of contemplation.
Translations and research
No substantial secondary literature located.