“catvāri pratiśaraṇāni| tadyathā-arthapratiśaraṇatā na vyañjanapratiśaraṇatā| jñānapratiśaraṇatā na vijñānapratiśaraṇatā| nītārthapratiśaraṇatā na neyārthapratiśaraṇatā| dharmapratiśaraṇatā na pudgalapratiśaraṇatā ceti||”
[Vaidya, P.L., ed Buddhist Sanskrit Texts-No.17 Darbhanga : The Mithila Institute, 1961./ Dharmasangraha - Online Digital Sanskrit Canon (see stanza 53).]
“Four reliances: that is, reliance on the Dhamma not (merely) reliance on the person; reliance on the meaning not (merely) reliance on the phrasing; reliance on the suttas whose meaning is already drawn out not (merely) reliance on those suttas whose meaning is to be drawn out (interpreted); reliance on extraordinary-knowledge* not (merely) reliance on (intellectual) discrimination.”
The order in the translation has been changed to accord with that in the Abhidharmakośavyākhyā (p.704 in U. Wogihara's edition) which Lamotte takes as representative of the eight or so texts in which it is found or quoted. See E. Lamotte's paper “Textual Interpretation in Buddhism” in “Buddhist Hermeneutics” ed. Donald S. Lopez, Jr., ISBN 81-208-0840-1 for an excellent discussion of this Sutra with abundant references.
* “extraordinary-knowledge”: the kind of 'higher-knowledge' (abhiññā) or insight that occurs as a result of samādhi. It probably implies here the meditative realisations resulting in the attainments of the noble paths and fruits.
Bhikkhu Santi
Oct 2549 BE