As with Surangama, the same trend applies to most other sutras – people tend to bypass the commentaries. They don’t want to be bound by preconceived notions but wish to directly investigate the subtleties in the original text. This approach certainly is understandable. However, if it becomes a common practice for latecomers to always try interpreting the sutras differently and thereby display their own ingenuity and flaunt their superiority over the ancients, at the expense of distorting the original teachings, then such approach does a grave disservice to the narrow-sighted novices, who tend to be easily misled.
In truth, the ancients are superior to the moderns in most respects, falling short in perhaps only one case out of ten. Conversely, while the moderns may occasionally excel – perhaps one case out of a hundred – they generally lag behind the ancients in almost all aspects. In a word, we can learn a great deal from the commentaries by the ancients.
Consider an apprentice learning a craft: one must first adhere strictly to the master’s instructions, as nothing could be accomplished without norms and standards. Once he becomes more skillful than the teacher, he may then exercise his free will to his heart’s content; no one is going to stop him.
So, there is no need to be hasty in seeking to outdo the ancients – especially since, ultimately one rarely gets to really step beyond the boundaries established by them.
by Grand Master Lian Chi (蓮池大師), the Eighth Patriarch of Pure Land Buddhism
楞嚴 (二) – 錄自明末蓮池大師《竹窗隨筆》(初筆)
不獨楞嚴，近時於諸經大都不用注疏。夫不泥先入之言，而直究本文之旨，誠為有見; 然因是成風，乃至逞其胸臆，冀勝古以為高，而曲解僻說者有矣! 新學無知，反為所誤。且古人勝今人處極多，其不及者十一; 今人不如古人處極多，其勝者百一。則孰若姑存之。喻如學藝者，必先遵師教以為繩矩，他時後日，神機妙手，超過其師，誰得而限之也? 而何必汲汲於求勝也? 而況乎終不出於古人之範圍也!
Buddha Mind 