成唯識論掌中樞要 1.14

1.14

基夙運單舛，九歲丁艱，自爾志託煙霞，加每庶幾緇服，浮俗塵賞，幼絕情分，至年十七遂預緇林。別奉　明詔，得為門侍。自參預三千，即欣規七十，必諧善願，後承函丈。不以散材之質，遂得隨伍譯僚。事即操觚，飡受此論。初功之際，十釋別翻，昉、尚、光、基四人同受、潤飾、執筆、撿文、纂義。既為令範，務各有司。數朝之後基求退迹，大師固問，基慇請曰：「自夕夢金容，晨趨白馬，英髦間出，靈智肩隨。聞五分以心祈，攬八蘊而遐望。雖得法門之糟粕，然失玄源之淳粹。今東出策賚，並目擊玄宗。幸復獨秀萬方，穎超千古，不立功於參糅，可謂失時者也。況群聖製作，各馳譽於五天，雖文具傳於貝葉，而義不備於一本。情見各異，稟者無依。況時漸人澆，命促惠舛，討支離而頗究，攬初旨而難宣。請錯綜群言以為一本，揩定真謬權衡盛則。」久而遂許，故得此論行焉。大師理遣三賢，獨授庸拙。

My fortune from early life was solitary and ill-fated; at the age of nine I suffered the loss of my parents. From then on my aspirations rested upon the mist and clouds, and moreover I ever longed for the monastic robes, cutting off worldly tastes and affections in my youth. By the age of seventeen, I was finally admitted to the forest of black robes. Specially receiving the brilliant imperial edict, I was able to serve as his attendant. Since participating among the three thousand, I rejoiced in modeling myself on the seventy; having surely fulfilled this good aspiration, I later received teachings directly from his platform. Not discarded for my coarse timber, I was thereupon permitted to join the ranks of the translation staff. Setting to work, I took up the brush and received this treatise. At the inception of the work, the ten commentaries were to be translated separately; Fang, Shang, Guang, and Kuiji, the four of us, jointly received, polished, took down, checked the text, and compiled the meanings. Since it was an exemplary model, each had his assigned duties. After several mornings, I requested to withdraw. The Great Master pressed for the reason, and I earnestly requested, saying: “Since in the evening one dreamed of the golden countenance and in the morning rushed to the White Horse, outstanding talents have emerged intermittently, and divine intellects have followed shoulder to shoulder. Hearing the five divisions, minds yearned; grasping the eight sections, hopes were cast afar. Although the dregs of the Dharma-gates were obtained, the purity of the profound source was lost. Now the works brought to the East allow us to witness the profound tenets directly. Fortunately, you uniquely stand out in all regions and surpass a thousand ages in brilliance; if you do not establish achievement by synthesizing and blending them, it might be called missing the opportunity. Furthermore, the compositions of the various sages each enjoy fame across the five regions of India; though the texts are preserved in their entirety upon palm leaves, the doctrines are not complete in a single volume. Minds and views differ, so students have nothing to rely upon. What is more, as the times degenerate and people become frivolous, life is short and wisdom erratic; if one examines the fragmented parts, one may hardly master them, and when grasping the original purports, they are difficult to propagate. I pray that you interweave the diverse sayings into a single volume, settling the true and false to establish a grand standard.” After some time he finally assented, and thus this treatise was circulated. Reasonably dismissing the three worthies, the Great Master entrusted it solely to this mediocre and clumsy self.