Introduction
i.1Named for the meditative concentration in which the Buddha is absorbed, this short sūtra explores the nature of ultimate reality. Mañjuśrī elucidates its meaning through a series of answers to questions posed by the Buddha, in which ultimate reality is referred to by terms such as very limit of reality (Skt. bhūtakoṭi, Tib. yang dag pa’i mtha’) and sphere of phenomena (Skt. dharmadhātu, Tib. chos kyi dbyings). He explains that the very limit of reality is without any location and neither comes nor goes, and he declares that he does not see any phenomenon that is not the sphere of phenomena.
i.1本經以佛陀所入的三昧命名，探討究竟實相的性質。文殊菩薩通過回答佛陀提出的一系列問題來闡明其含義，在這些回答中，究竟實相被稱為法性和法界等詞彙。他解釋說法性無有任何處所，既不來也不去，並宣說他看不到任何不是法界的現象。
i.2The sūtra was translated from Chinese, most likely in the Tibetan imperial era, but it is not listed either in any of the early catalogs or in the Chinese Tripiṭaka. It is one of a handful of sūtras found in the Degé Kangyur whose Chinese sources have not been identified. In addition to the Degé Kangyur, The Wheel of Meditative Concentration is only found in Kangyurs of the Tshalpa (tshal pa) group and in the Lhasa and Narthang Kangyurs. Among those, only the Lhasa version has a colophon, which simply identifies the Indian abbot Śīladharma and Nampar Mitokpa (rnam par mi rtog pa) as its translators from Chinese.
i.2這部經典是從漢文翻譯而來，很可能在吐蕃帝國時期進行翻譯，但在早期的目錄和漢文三藏中都沒有被列入。它是德格版甘珠爾中的少數幾部經典之一，其漢文文獻來源尚未被確認。除了德格版甘珠爾外，《禪定輪經》只在札爾巴派甘珠爾以及拉薩版和納塘版甘珠爾中出現。在這些版本中，只有拉薩版有後記，其中簡單地指出印度堪布施羅法和南帕米托克巴（意為「無分別」）是從漢文翻譯此經的譯者。
i.3Many parts of this sūtra bear substantial resemblance to passages in the larger Infinite Jewels (Ratnakoṭi, Toh 118), which was translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan by the Indian preceptor Prajñāvarman and the Tibetan translator Yeshé Dé and corresponds to two Chinese sūtras—Rufajie tixing jing 入法界體性經 (Entering the Nature of the Sphere of Phenomena, Taishō 355) and Foshuo baoji sanmei wenshushili pusa wen fashen jing 佛説寶積三昧文殊師利菩薩問法身經 (Sūtra in Which the Buddha Speaks of the Meditative Concentration Called “Infinite Jewels” and the Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī Asks about the Dharma Body, Taishō 356).
i.3本經許多部分與篇幅較大的《寶積經》（Toh 118）中的段落有實質相似之處。《寶積經》由印度堪布般若跋摩和藏譯師耶喜德從梵文譯成藏文，對應兩部漢文經典——《入法界體性經》（大正 355）和《佛說寶積三昧文殊師利菩薩問法身經》（大正 356）。
i.4A comparison of The Wheel of Meditative Concentration with Toh 118, Taishō 355, and Taishō 356 reveals differences in certain details, but these differences do not constitute contradictions in terms of the overall meaning conveyed.
i.4將《禪定輪經》與德格版甘珠爾第118函、大正藏355及356經文相比較，可以發現某些細節上存在差異，但這些差異並不構成在整體意義傳達方面的矛盾。
i.5Moreover, both The Wheel of Meditative Concentration and Infinite Jewels (Ratnakoṭi, Toh 118) have a thematically close relationship with yet a third text, The Teaching on the Indivisible Nature of the Realm of Phenomena (Dharmadhātuprakṛtyasambhedanirdeśa, Toh 52). That longer and more detailed work opens with a teaching on the realm of phenomena given by Mañjuśrī at the Buddha’s request. The short passage recounting that teaching bears a striking resemblance to the teaching on the limit of reality and the realm of phenomena in these two texts, and in that longer text too the Buddha warns that “if those who are possessed of excessive pride hear that teaching, it will frighten them.” Mañjuśrī responds to this warning in essentially the same way as in the present text, though perhaps less cryptically: “Those who become afraid … are themselves of the nature of the realm of phenomena, and the nature of the realm of phenomena does not become frightened.” Unlike the other two shorter texts, however, The Teaching on the Indivisible Nature of the Realm of Phenomena then goes on to elaborate in some detail on the theme of pride in this context. First, some “proud monks” are immediately liberated by hearing the teaching. Then, another group of proud monks leaves the scene, confused and disconcerted, and Mañjuśrī has to use his powers and bring them back by means of a further teaching. Further on still in the narrative, Mañjuśrī explains in detail what is meant by unfounded or excessive pride on many levels, culminating in its sense of dualistic, conceptual conceits that prevent one from engaging fully with the emptiness and sameness of all phenomena. Although the historical relationship of these texts remains to be determined, The Teaching on the Indivisible Nature of the Realm of Phenomena does help to throw light on the two shorter texts in which Mañjuśrī’s statements are left unexplained.
i.5此外，《禪定輪經》和《寶積經》（寶積經，Toh 118）在主題上與第三部經典《法界體性不分別經》（Toh 52）有著密切的關聯。這部篇幅較長、內容更詳細的經典以文殊菩薩在佛陀的要求下所做的關於法界的教導作為開篇。記述這一教導的短段落與這兩部經典中關於現實界限和法界的教導有著驚人的相似之處，在那部較長的經典中，佛陀同樣警告說「如果那些傲慢過度的人聽聞這個教導，它將使他們感到恐懼。」文殊菩薩對這一警告的回應方式與本經中的回應本質上相同，儘管表述的方式也許不那麼晦澀：「那些感到害怕的人……他們本身就具有法界的本質，而法界的本質是不會感到害怕的。」然而，與其他兩部較短的經典不同，《法界體性不分別經》進而詳細闡述了在這個語境中傲慢的主題。首先，一些「傲慢的比丘」通過聽聞這個教導而立即獲得解脫。之後，另一群傲慢的比丘感到困惑和沮喪而離開了現場，文殊菩薩不得不運用他的神通力量，通過進一步的教導將他們帶回來。在敘事的更後續部分，文殊菩薩詳細解釋了在許多層面上什麼是無根據的或過度的傲慢，最終涉及到其二元對立、概念性自我標榜的意義，這些妨礙了人們充分認識所有現象的空性和一體性。儘管這些經典的歷史關係仍有待確定，《法界體性不分別經》確實有助於闡明那兩部較短經典中文殊菩薩的陳述所留下的謎團。
i.6The present translation is based on the Degé Kangyur, with reference to variants in other versions noted in the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma).
i.6本翻譯以德格版甘珠爾為基礎，並參考了對勘版（dpe bsdur ma）中其他版本的異文。