肇論新疏 2.314

2.314

The author of the treatise rejoices for himself: an enlightened era is hard to encounter yet he encountered it; true friends are hard to meet yet he met them; the profound rules, vinaya, and treatises of the vaipulya he has seen throughout. Having encountered such flourishing circumstances, his gratitude and celebration are truly manifold. He only regrets that his person was not present in the Jetavana and his eyes did not behold the sage's glorious visage, standing alongside Śāriputra to hear the complete voice together. From "Yet I lament" downward: earlier he lamented that he himself could not receive pure instruction from Master Yuan, and here he laments that Liu Yimin also could not participate admirably in this auspicious gathering. However, looking at the two letters, it seems as if each rivaled the beauty of his own region, yet both also conveyed their actual situations. These rich and vibrant traces of the past shine brightly in the biographies; how scarce is their lingering fragrance in this degenerate age!