憨山大師曾經說過這樣的兩句話：「不讀《法華》，不知如來救世之苦心；不讀《楞嚴》，不知修心迷悟之關鍵。」的確是這樣的情形，因為《楞嚴經》無法不備，無機不攝，乃是一代法門的精髓，成佛作祖之正印。所以參禪打坐的人，必須要熟讀研究這部經，才能明悉「五十種陰魔」的境界，不會上魔王的圈套。否則，境界認識不清，不管什麼境界來臨，就執著它，便容易入魔境，成為魔王的眷屬。這是一件十分危險的事！

The Great Master Han Shan (Silly Mountain) once said: "Unless you read the Lotus Sutra, you won't know of the pains the Thus Come One took to save the world. Unless you read the Shurangama Sutra, you won't know the key to cultivating the mind and awakening from confusion." This says it exactly right, because every dharma that exists is found within the Shurangama Sutra, so there are no potentials it fails to attract. It is the essential Dharma for all generations: It is the right seal for becoming a Buddha or a Patriarch. A Chan cultivator must thoroughly master this text and understand the Fifty Skandha-demon States that it explains, in order to escape the snares of the demon-kings. Otherwise, he won't recognize states when they arise, and he will become attached to them and join the retinue of demons. This is extremely dangerous!

不但〈楞嚴咒〉要背得出來，就是《楞嚴經》也要背熟。所謂「熟能生巧」，到時候便有無窮的受用，有不可思議的感應。凡是研究中國文學的人，《楞嚴經》是必讀之書，因為此經文辭優美，義理豐富，是一部最理想的經典。

We want to be able to recite the Shurangama Mantra from memory, and we also want to memorize the Shurangama Sutra. As the saying goes, "Familiarity leads to expertise." When the time comes, we will gain infinite advantages and inconceivable responses. Anyone who studies Chinese literature simply must read the Shurangama Sutra. The literary quality of this Sutra is excellent, and its meanings are profound; it is the most perfect Sutra.

有些自命不凡的學者，對於佛學未曾深入研究，就認為自己是佛學專家、佛學權威，似是而非，不徹底瞭解佛教的真諦，亂加批評，貿然提出《楞嚴經》是偽經的謬論。別有用心的人，就隨聲附和；這是盲從，實在可憐！

There are some pretentious scholars who possess no deep understanding of Buddhism and yet consider themselves experts in the field. They see themselves as authorities when they are not. Without a thorough grasp of the principles of Buddhism, they freely criticize the Shurangama Sutra, recklessly asserting that it is an inauthentic Sutra. Still others who may be more conscientious, nonetheless, parrot the false claims of the scholars, like the blind following the blind. The situation is truly pathetic!

為什麼有人說，《楞嚴經》不是釋迦牟尼佛所說的法門呢？因為這部經所說的道理太真實了，把人的毛病說得太徹底了，令妖魔鬼怪、牛鬼蛇神，無法橫行，原形畢露。所以他們要故意破壞，宣傳是偽經，令大家不相信《楞嚴經》，他們才有生存的機會。如果承認是佛說的法，他們做不到。第一、對「四種清淨明誨」不能守，第二、對「二十五聖圓通」的法門不能修，第三、不敢面對「五十種陰魔」的境界。

Why would anybody claim that the Shurangama Sutra was not spoken by Shakyamuni Buddha? It's because the principles explained in this Sutra are simply too true. They thoroughly describe people's problems, thus preventing the goblins, demons, "cow-faced ghosts," and "snake-bodied spirits" from running amok and exposing them for what they are. That's why certain individuals defame the Sutra by claiming that it is fraudulent, destroying people's faith in the Shurangama Sutra so that they themselves have a chance to survive. If they acknowledged that the Sutra was, in fact, spoken by the Buddha, they would have no way to follow its Dharma. First, they cannot uphold the Four Unalterable Aspects of Purity. Second, they cannot cultivate the Dharma-doors of Perfect Penetration of the Twenty-five Sages. Third, they cannot face the Fifty States of the Skandha-demons.

如果人人讀《楞嚴經》，明白《楞嚴經》，外道的神通則失去靈光，毫無效用，使人不再相信他有神通。所以天魔外道只好妄言破壞，大肆宣傳，說《楞嚴經》是偽經。

If everyone reads the Shurangama Sutra and understands it, then the spiritual powers of the externalists will lose their magical gleam; they will seem powerless and people will no longer believe that they possess spiritual powers. That's why the celestial demons and externalists have no recourse but to slander the Shurangama Sutra and circulate the spurious claim that it is an unauthentic text.

不但在家人這樣誹謗《楞嚴經》是假的，就是出家人也如是云云。為什麼？因為一般出家人所受的教育有限，甚至還有目不識丁的，也看不懂經典，尤其這部《楞嚴經》，文又深，義又妙，所以更無法了解，無法辨別真偽。有人一說某某經是假的，某某經是偽的，這些人便不加考慮，人云亦云，所以《楞嚴經》便受到不白之冤。

Not only do laypeople slander the Shurangama Sutra as false, even left-home people perpetuate the rumor. Why? Because most left-home people have received limited education; some are even illiterate and cannot understand the Buddhas' Sutras. This is especially the case with the Shurangama Sutra: its text is deep, its principles are profound, so many cannot understand it or judge its authenticity. Thus, whenever someone claims that a certain Sutra is unauthentic, these ignorant people simply repeat what they hear without giving it any consideration. This is how the Shurangama Sutra has comes to receive its undeserved bad reputation.

古時在印度，《楞嚴經》被列為國寶，禁止運出國外，凡是出境者，都要嚴格檢查，因為深恐這部經流到國外。所以海關對出境的僧人，都特別注意。

In the past, the rulers of India considered the Shurangama Sutra a national treasure and forbade its being carried out of India. Travellers were stopped at the borders and thoroughly searched, out of fear that the Sutra would circulate. Sangha members who were leaving the country were especially subject to the scrutiny of the border guards.

當時（唐朝時代）印度有位高僧，名叫般剌密諦，他費盡心機，想盡辦法，將《楞嚴經》藏在臂內，瞞過檢查人員，帶到中國，從廣州登陸。當時，有一位被武則天所貶的宰相房融，在廣州做太守，房融於是請般剌密諦法師翻譯這部經，而他自己為潤色，此經遂成為文學的巨著，並獻於武則天。因為在當時有《大雲經》偽造的風波，所以武則天將此經存在宮中，沒有流通。

In those days (during the Tang Dynasty in China) the eminent monk, Master Paramiti of India, after racking his brains and thinking up every possible means, finally hid the Sutra beneath the skin of his arm to fool the customs inspectors so that it could come to China. He arrived in Canton, and met a Prime Minister named Fang Rong, who had been exiled by the Empress Wu Zetian and was serving as a Magistrate in Canton. Magistrate Fang Rong requested the Venerable Paramiti to translate the Sutra. He himself acted as editor and turned out a masterpiece of literature, which he then presented in offering to the Empress Wu Zetian. Just at that time, China was experiencing a scandal regarding the Great Cloud Sutra, a fraudulent text. Empress Wu Zetian concealed the translation in the palace and did not allow it to circulate.

後來神秀禪師為國師時，在宮中受供養，有一天發現此經，神秀大師認為此經對於禪宗有價值，乃將其流通於世。所以這時，中國才流通《楞嚴經》。據傳說，《楞嚴經》是最後來到中國的經典，但在末法時代，《楞嚴經》最先毀滅，其他經典，則接著漸漸被毀滅，到最後，只剩下一部《阿彌陀經》。

Later, when Dhyana Master Shenxiu was appointed as National Master, he sat in the palace to receive offerings. One day he discovered the Sutra, realized its value for meditators in the Chan School, and put it into circulation. Only then did the Shurangama Sutra finally become known in China. The Shurangama Sutra is said to be the last of the Buddha's Sutras to reach China, but during the Dharma-ending Age, it will be the first Sutra to disappear into oblivion. Following it, the other Sutras will gradually disappear as well, until only the Amitabha Sutra will be left.

【編按】：宣公上人極力主張《楞嚴經》是千真萬確的諸佛心印。所以上人來到美國之後，就講《楞嚴經》。為什麼？因為佛法傳到美國，擬將末法變成正法。這是上人為續佛慧命，費的一番心血。玆將《楞嚴經淺釋》，在《萬佛城金剛菩提海》雜誌分期刊出，以供讀者研究，中、英單行本，已出版問世，特此告知讀友。

Note: The Venerable Master Hua endorses the Shurangama Sutra's absolute authenticity, and strongly asserts that it bears, without question, the "mind-seal" of all Buddhas. Upon arriving in America, the first major Sutra he explained was the Shurangama Sutra. Why did he choose that Sutra? Because when the Dharma is transmitted to America it transforms the Dharma-ending Age into the Proper Dharma Age. It represents the Venerable Master's lifeblood, given for the purpose of carrying on the Buddha's "wisdom-life." The Buddhist Monthly－Vajra Bodhi Sea has been serializing A Brief Explanation of the Shurangama Sutra in Chinese and English, and will continue to offer this text to readers.