Introduction
i.1The Single Stanza is a praise to the Buddha in one verse. It states that there is no ascetic equal to the Buddha, neither among the gods nor in the ordinary world.
i.1《單偈》是讚頌佛陀的一首偈頌。它闡述了沒有任何修行者能與佛陀相等，無論是在諸天還是在凡間世界。
i.2The Single Stanza is quoted in the Mahāvibhāṣā, so it must have been composed by the third century. It is cited in Vasubandhu’s Gāthāsaṃgrahaśāstra (Toh 4102), the Abhidharmakośabhāṣya (Toh 4090), and several other Abhidharma works, and it also appears in the Avadānaśataka (Toh 343). Moreover, there are two Indian commentaries on The Single Stanza in the Tengyur, one attributed to Vasubandhu and the other to Dignāga, which further attests to its importance.
i.2《單偈》在《大毘婆沙論》中被引用，所以它必定成於第三世紀之前。《世親》的《頌集論》（Toh 4102）、《阿毘達磨俱舍論釋》（Toh 4090）和其他幾部阿毘達磨著作中都引用了它，它也出現在《百喻經》（Toh 343）中。此外，在《丹珠爾》中有兩部關於《單偈》的印度註釋，一部歸屬於《世親》，另一部歸屬於《陳那》，這進一步證明了它的重要性。
i.3Kano concludes that The Single Stanza was part of a set of five texts used for recitation in India. Others in the set were The Dhāraṇī of the Six Gates (Toh 141, 526, 916), The Two Stanza Dhāraṇī (Toh 143, 611, 918), The Four Stanzas (Toh 324), and The Prayer of Good Conduct (Toh 1095, 4377). Initially, these five texts circulated individually. However, they had become popular in India as a set by the time of Advayavajra or Ratnākaraśānti (eleventh century) and were later incorporated into the dhāraṇī collections of Nepal.
i.3加野推斷《單偈》是印度用於誦讀的五部文獻組合之一。該組合中的其他文獻分別是《六門陀羅尼》、《二偈陀羅尼》、《四偈》和《善行祈願文》。最初，這五部文獻各自獨立流傳。然而，到了無二金剛或寶海寂的時代（十一世紀），這些文獻已在印度作為一個整體而廣為流行，後來又被納入尼泊爾的陀羅尼彙編中。
i.4The Sanskrit text of The Single Stanza is extant in several manuscripts from Nepal. Gergely Hidas edited one of these manuscripts as part of his edition of two dhāraṇī collections. Kazuo Kano has also published a critical edition of the Sanskrit text of The Single Stanza, together with a Japanese translation. The Sanskrit text aligns closely with the Tibetan translation of The Single Stanza.
i.4《單偈》的梵文文本在尼泊爾的多部手稿中保存至今。格格利·希達斯在編輯兩部陀羅尼集合的過程中，編訂了其中一部手稿。加藤一正也出版了《單偈》梵文文本的關鍵版本，並附有日文翻譯。梵文文本與《單偈》的藏文翻譯密切相符。
i.5The canonical version of The Single Stanza closely matches the version found in the Tibetan translation of Vasubandhu’s commentary, which is listed in both the Denkarma and Phangthangma catalogs. Therefore, it is likely that the Tibetan translation of The Single Stanza was also completed by the early ninth century. The Single Stanza is found in the Sūtra section of the Kangyurs of the Tshalpa, Thempangma, and mixed lines, and in that of the Phukdrak Kangyur. Some Western Tibetan collections also include The Single Stanza. It is not known who translated The Single Stanza into Tibetan, for neither the colophons nor Tibetan historical works mention the translators.
i.5《單偈》的規範版本與世親論著的藏文翻譯中所見的版本非常接近，該版本同時列在《鄧喀瑪》和《邦唐瑪》目錄中。因此，《單偈》的藏文翻譯很可能也是在九世紀初完成的。《單偈》出現在察普派、丹彭瑪以及混合傳承的甘珠爾《經》部分中，也出現在普德瑪甘珠爾的《經》部分。一些西藏地區的文献集中也包含《單偈》。由於尾文和藏族歷史著作都沒有提及譯者，因此不清楚誰將《單偈》翻譯成藏文。
i.6The Tibetan scholar Tāranātha (1575–1634) composed a commentary on The Single Stanza as well as sequential commentaries on three of the other five texts in the above-mentioned set, corroborating Kano’s view that these texts were seen as related. The importance of The Single Stanza and the other texts in the set for recitation is evident. In Tibet, they are included in extracts from sūtra and tantra (gces btus), collected liturgical texts (chos spyod), collections of mantras and dhāraṇīs for recitation, and collections of sādhanas. They are also sometimes mentioned as texts for recitation in preliminary practices.
i.6藏族學者塔拉那他（1575－1634）為《單句》撰寫了評註，並為上述五部文獻中的其他三部撰寫了連貫的評註，這印證了卡諾認為這些文獻之間存在關聯的觀點。《單句》及該組其他文獻對於誦持的重要性很明顯。在西藏，這些文獻被納入了經續的精要匯編（gces btus）、編纂的儀軌文獻（chos spyod）、咒語和陀羅尼的誦持集、以及成就法的集合中。這些文獻有時還在初步修習的誦持文獻中被提及。
i.7This English translation is based on the Degé print and Kano’s Sanskrit edition, in consultation with the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma), the Phukdrak and the Stok Palace manuscripts, as well as Vasubandhu’s commentary on The Single Stanza.
i.7此英文翻譯以德格版和狄野勝雄的梵文版本為基礎，並參考了對勘本、普德瑪本與斯托克宮藏本，以及世親對《單偈》的注疏。