廬山蓮宗寶鑑 10.69

10.69

禮云「其人存則其政舉」，旨哉斯言。三宗聖人垂世立教，覺斯民之未覺，途殊而歸同。中古以降，支分派列，愈出而愈政，失其本旨者可勝道哉。蓮教自東晉廬山尊者啟其端，當時名流如劉雷諸賢皆在社中，其盛集概可想見矣。逮至宋末，群不逞輩指蓮宗而聚眾，不知本旨，有玷前賢，為世所嗤久矣。東林祖堂優曇大師，憫斯教之湮微、救流俗之邪舛，搜集善言纂成一編，目曰蓮宗寶鑑，使佛祖之道復還舊貫，確然正論皎如日星。願諸佛子見自性彌陀悟本來清淨，又何獨稱揚聖號、想念西方然後得生淨土耶？作如是見者，辜負廬山尊者不少矣。至大改元良月立冬日，翰林學士承旨資善大夫知制誥兼修國史疇齋張仲壽書。

The *Liji* says, 'When the right persons exist, their governance flourishes'—how profound these words are! The sages of the three schools established teachings and handed them down to the world to awaken those of these people who were not yet awake; though their paths differed, they returned to the same destination. From the middle ages downward, branches divided and schools diverged, growing ever more numerous and erratic; how can those who lost the original purpose be fully described? The Lotus teaching had its beginning when the Mount Lu Venerable of the Eastern Jin initiated it; at that time, famous figures such as Liu [Yimin] and Lei [Cizong] were all in the society, and the grandeur of their gathering can well be imagined. Coming down to the end of the Song, unruly mobs gathered under the banner of the Lotus School without knowing the fundamental purpose, bringing disgrace upon the former worthies, and have long been derided by the world. Great Master Youtan of the Donglin Patriarchal Hall pitied the decline and obscuration of this teaching, and saved the vulgar world from heterodox errors; he collected fine words into a single compilation, entitled *Precious Mirror of the Lotus School*, causing the way of the Buddhas and patriarchs to return to its old standards, an undeniably correct discourse as bright as the sun and stars. I wish that all disciples of the Buddha would see the Amitābha of their own nature and awaken to their original purity; why should one only recite the holy name and contemplate the Western direction before being able to be born in the Pure Land? Those who hold such a view do no small injustice to the Venerable of Mount Lu. On the day of the Beginning of Winter in the fine month [tenth month], the first year of the Zhida era [1308 CE], written by Zhang Zhongshou (Chouzhai), Hanlin Academician Recipient of Edicts, Grand Master for Pure Virtue, Drafter of Edicts, and Concurrently Historiographer of the State History.