Introduction
i.1The Questions of Brahmaviśeṣacintin is an important Mahāyāna sūtra that enjoyed significant popularity in Buddhist India, China, and Tibet over the centuries. The setting for this teaching is the Veṇuvana on the outskirts of Rājagṛha, the capital city in the kingdom of Magadha. The teaching itself takes the form of a lively discussion between the Buddha and several bodhisattvas, such as Brahmaviśeṣacintin, Jālinīprabha, and Mañjuśrī, as well as elders, such as Śāriputra and Mahākāśyapa, and even various gods who attend the teaching. This sūtra blends practical and theoretical strands of Mahāyāna and emphasizes how bodhisattvas should practice the Dharma—a training that transcends both the mundane and the supramundane. Indeed, although this sūtra stresses the importance of “donning the armor of diligence,” this practice must unfold within the context of the view of emptiness. The bodhisattva is therefore directed to make every effort to help all beings, while realizing that ultimately there is no action, no actor, and no beneficiary. As with many Mahāyāna sūtras, this text does not aim at a systematic presentation of doctrine, but rather at evoking the nature and scope of awakening by means of pertinent conversations and illustrations. The text presents many well-known Dharma topics, including the four truths, the six perfections, and the Three Jewels, all from a Mahāyāna perspective that emphasizes the view of emptiness.
i.1《梵勝心所問經》是一部重要的大乘經典，在佛教印度、中國和西藏各地享有長期的廣泛流傳。這部經教的說法地點是在摩揭陀王國首都王舍城郊外的竹林園。教法本身採取了生動活潑的對話形式，參與者包括佛陀與多位菩薩，如梵勝心所、髮光菩薩和文殊菩薩，以及長老如舍利弗和摩訶迦葉，還有參與聽聞教法的各種天神。這部經典將大乘的實踐層面與理論層面相互融合，強調菩薩應當如何修習法教，這種修行超越了世間和出世間的二分法。實際上，雖然這部經典重視「披上精進鎧甲」的重要性，但這種修行必須在空性觀的基礎上展開。因此，菩薩被引導要盡力幫助所有眾生，同時認識到究竟而言，不存在行為、行為者和受益者。如同許多大乘經典一樣，這部經文並不旨在系統地闡述教義，而是通過相關的對話和譬喻來啟發眾生對於菩提的性質和範圍的理解。經文呈現了許多知名的法教主題，包括四聖諦、六波羅蜜和三寶，這一切都是從強調空性觀的大乘角度來闡述的。
i.2No Sanskrit manuscript of The Questions of Brahmaviśeṣacintin appears to have survived. In addition to the Tibetan translation, the text is also extant in three Chinese translations by Dharmarakṣa (Taishō 585), Kumārajīva (Taishō 586), and Bodhiruci (Taishō 587). The oldest Chinese translation is that by Dharmarakṣa, which is dated as early as 286 ᴄᴇ. This suggests that this scripture is a fairly early example of Indian Mahāyāna literature. The fact that the three Chinese translations of this scripture were made over several centuries indicates that the sūtra enjoyed a sustained popularity in China. Kumārajīva’s translation was also translated into Korean (K. 143), and a manuscript in Sogdian has been found.
i.2《梵勝心所問經》沒有現存的梵文手稿。除了藏文譯本外，該經文還現存三個漢文譯本，分別由法護（大正藏585）、鳩摩羅什（大正藏586）和菩提流支（大正藏587）所譯。最古老的漢文譯本是法護所譯，時代可追溯至西元286年。這表明該經文是印度大乘文獻中較早的典範。三個漢文譯本在數個世紀內相繼完成，說明該經在中國享有長久的流行度。鳩摩羅什的譯本也被譯成韓文（韓藏143），同時還發現了一份粟特文手稿。
i.3The Tibetan translation, which we have rendered into English here, was completed several centuries later during the early translation period of the ninth century, when most Mahāyāna sūtras were translated in Tibet. This dating may be inferred from the text’s inclusion in the Denkarma (ldan dkar ma) imperial inventory of early Tibetan translations, which is dated to c. 812 ᴄᴇ. In the colophon of the Tibetan translation, we find no less than three Tibetan translators listed (Dharmatāśīla, Devendrarakṣita, and Kumārarakṣita) as well as three Indian preceptors (Śākyaprabha, Dharmapāla, and Jinamitra). Among the Tibetan translators, Dharmatāśīla is the best known, as he was a senior editor of several sūtra translations and one of the main editors involved in the compilation of the first authoritative Sanskrit–Tibetan dictionary, the Mahāvyutpatti. This English translation was prepared based on the Tibetan translation in the Degé Kangyur in consultation with the Comparative Edition (Tib. dpe bsdur ma) and the Stok Palace manuscript.
i.3藏文翻譯完成於幾個世紀之後，即九世紀初期的早期翻譯時期，當時大多數大乘經典都在西藏被翻譯。這個年代可以從該文本被收錄於《丹噶目錄》（藏文：ldan dkar ma）中推斷出來。丹噶目錄是皇帝的早期藏文翻譯清冊，年代可追溯至西元前後812年。在藏文翻譯的跋文中，我們可以看到不少於三位藏文譯者被列出（法護、天護和童受），以及三位印度法師（釋迦光、法護和勝友）。在藏文譯者中，法護最為知名，他是多部經典翻譯的資深編輯，也是編纂第一部權威梵藏辭典《大乘百法明門論》的主要編輯之一。本英文翻譯是根據德格甘珠爾中的藏文翻譯準備的，並參考了《對照版》（藏文：dpe bsdur ma）和斯托克宮殿藏本。