國清百錄 4.38

4.38

吳州會稽縣嘉祥寺吉藏稽首和南。伏聞山號崔嵬，道安登而說法；峯名匡岫，慧遠棲以安禪。未若茲嶺宏麗接漢連霞，𤀹壑飛流衝天灌日。赤城丹水仙宅隩區，佛隴香罏聖果福地，復經擅美孫賦稱奇。智者棲憑二十餘載，禪慧門徒化流遐邇。昔同壽英彥纔解通經，法淨俊神正傳禪業，若非道參窮學德侔補處，豈能經論洞明定慧兼照。至如周旦歿後孔丘命世，馬鳴化終龍樹繼後，如內外不墜信在人弘，光顯大乘開發祕教，千年之與五百實復在於今日。南嶽叡聖天台明哲，昔三業住持、今二尊紹係，豈止灑甘露於震旦，亦當振法鼓於天竺。生知妙悟，魏晉以來典籍風謠實無連類。釋迦教主童英發疑，盧舍法王善財訪道，敢緣前迹諦想崇誠，謹共禪眾一百餘僧，奉請智者大師演暢《法華》一部。此典眾聖之喉襟、諸經之關鍵，伏願開佛知見耀此重昏，示真實道朗茲玄夜。庶以三千國土來稟未聞，百劫後生奉遵大義，築場戒節析木將臨，搖落山莊玄黃均野，桂巖玉蘂菊岸華榮，彌切聲聞之心，頗傷緣覺之抱。吉藏仰謝前達、俯愧詢求，兢懼唯深，但增戰悚。謹請。開皇十七年八月二十一日。

Jizang of Jiaxiang Monastery in Kuaiji County, Wuzhou, bows his head in reverent salutation. I have heard that where mountains are high and steep, Dao'an ascended them to preach the Dharma; where peaks bear the name of Kuang, Huiyuan dwelt in them to practice dhyāna in peace. Yet they are not like this range, whose vast grandeur joins the Milky Way and connects with the sunset clouds, whose plunging gorges and flying cascades soar into the sky and bathe the sun. The cinnabar waters of Chicheng are the secluded domain of immortals; the fragrant censers of Folong are the blessed land of sage fruits; and Sun Chuo's rhapsody praised its wonders, celebrating its singular beauty. Zhizhe has dwelt here for over twenty years, and the influence of his dhyāna and wisdom disciples flows both near and far. In the past, the outstanding scholar Tongshou merely understood and penetrated the sūtras, while the refined spirit Fajing only transmitted the practice of dhyāna; had their path not plumbed the depths of learning, and their virtue not equaled that of [bodhisattvas] in their final birth, how could they have thoroughly illuminated both sūtras and treatises, shedding light alike on samādhi and wisdom? Even as Confucius arose in his era after Dan of Zhou had passed away, and Nāgārjuna succeeded Aśvaghoṣa after the latter's transformation ended, the preservation of inner and outer teachings truly relies on humans to propagate them; bringing the Mahāyāna to bright prominence and disclosing the esoteric teachings—matters of a thousand years or five hundred—truly lie once more in the present day. Nanyue's sage of penetrating wisdom and Tiantai's luminous philosopher: in the past, their threefold action maintained [the lineage], and now the two revered ones carry it on; how could they merely sprinkle sweet dew across China, when they should also beat the drum of the Dharma in India! With innate knowledge and wondrous awakening, since the Wei and Jin dynasties the records and popular songs indeed have nothing that could be compared to them. Śākyamuni, master of the teachings, was a brilliant youth when he raised doubts; Vairocana, king of the Dharma, was sought along the path by Sudhana. Daring to rely on these past traces and holding profound sincerity in my contemplation, I, together with more than one hundred monks of the dhyāna assembly, respectfully invite the Great Master Zhizhe to expound and proclaim the single text of the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra. This scripture is the throat and collar of all the sages, the pivot and key of all the sūtras. We pray you will open the Buddha's knowledge and vision to illuminate this profound darkness, and show the true path to brighten this murky night. We hope that the three thousand lands will come to receive what they have never heard, and that future beings for a hundred kalpas will revere and follow its great meaning. As the arena is built and the seasonal fast observed, the Ximu constellation is about to approach; the fallen leaves carpet the mountain dwellings, and dark yellow tones evenly cover the wilds; on the cassia cliffs jade blossoms bloom, and on the chrysanthemum banks flowers flourish. The yearning of the śrāvakas grows ever more acute, and the feelings of the pratyekabuddhas are deeply moved. Looking up, I express gratitude to former masters; looking down, I feel ashamed to seek and inquire; my trepidation is profound, only adding to my shaking and trembling. Respectfully invited. Twenty-first day of the eighth month, seventeenth year of Kaihuang.