歷代三寶紀 12.2

12.2

The Great Sui Catalogue: Our Emperor received the mandate from the Four Heavenly Kings to protect and uphold the Three Jewels; inheriting the tally of the five movements, he resides in these Nine Provinces. Therefore, at the very beginning of his birth, a divine light illuminated the chamber; after his ascension as ruler, spiritual responses arrived in competition. For this reason, celestial portents appeared on tortoise shells, waters floated with five colors, the earth opened sweet springs, mountains echoed for ten thousand years, clouds offered congratulations, dew was sweet, pearls shone, stones transformed, the deaf heard, the blind saw, the mute spoke, and the lame walked. Birds and beasts displayed extraordinary omens; grasses and trees presented auspicious signs difficult to record. How could only the seven treasures uniquely manifest the golden wheel, or only the four seasons harmonize the jade candle? Therefore, the 'Chapter on Proper Discourse' of the *Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra* (*Jin guangming jing*) states: 'Because of the accumulation of karma, one attains birth among humans; reigning as king over a realm, he is called a king of men. While dwelling in the womb, devas protect and guard him, or they protect him first before he enters the womb. The thirty-three devas each share their own virtue with this king; because the devas protect him, he is called the Son of Heaven.' In the year of *chizhi*, driving the yellow canopy, earth overcame the movement of water, reviving what had been ruined and abolished. The Buddha-sun, with fire riding upon the movement of wood, inaugurated the year, taking Kaihuang as the reign title. It can be said that the torch of the Dharma, having been extinguished, shone brightly once more; and the time of stagnation returned to peace. That winter, śramaṇas including Zhi Zhou and others arrived in accordance with the destined time, carrying two hundred and sixty Sanskrit texts from the Western Regions. An imperial decree assigned them to the official bureau to seek personnel and have them translated. In the mid-spring of the second year, the translation began. In late summer, an imperial edict stated: 'The five moves of Yin feared that the people would all die. This was using auspicious and inauspicious locations to determine the length of life; planning for the new and casting off the old is like a farmer longing for autumn. The hills and plains of Mount Longshou are elegant and beautiful, with luxuriant vegetation; it is suitable for building a capital city. The foundation for setting the dynastic cauldrons shall be eternally secure, and an endless enterprise lies here.' Thereupon, the city was named Daxing City, the hall was named Daxing Hall, the gate was named Daxing Gate, the county was named Daxing County, the park was named Daxing Park, and the monastery was named Daxingshan Monastery. The compassionate transformation of the Three Jewels flourished greatly from this, and the benevolent influence across ten thousand states was reaffirmed through it. Saṅghārāmas loomed high, interspersed within the cities and walls; banners and canopies soared, adorning the boundaries of the realm. The Dharma halls and Buddha halls equaled celestial palaces; Cīnasthāna, the Divine Continent, returned to being like a pure land. The śramaṇas were abundant, cultivating the six perfections to perfume their minds; upāsakas were numerous, practicing the ten wholesome deeds as their conduct. The four seas thereby stilled their waves, and the nine domains thereby quieted their dust. Hence, as the virtue of earth became magnificent, celestial blessings naturally flowed brightly. White deer have already appeared, and the descent of the qilin is not far; the green bird has already taken flight, and the arrival of the phoenix is near. Thereupon, the elderly with full bellies vied to purchase Jetavana; green-collared youths, singing as they beat the earth, competed to gather the earth of King Aśoka. Stūpas arose intermittently, and precious monasteries were spread like stars. At present, monks and nuns number nearly two hundred thousand, and caityas and monasteries approach more than four thousand. All translators, whether Brāhmaṇas, monastics, or laypeople, have been compiled and assembled, along with nineteen monastics and Confucian scholars of this land. The newly translated texts, as well as the preserved old editions of treatises, biographies, and vinaya precepts, total seventy-five works in four hundred and sixty-two fascicles, compiled as the catalogue of the Great Sui Daxing Record. It is transmitted to distant generations to serve as an eternal model, radiating uniformly and enduring imperishably. It is hoped that future sages will follow this and continue the cultivation, that the divine efficacy of the Three Jewels will be expounded throughout the Sahā world, and that the teachings of the thousand Buddhas will be propagated without end throughout the Fortunate Kalpa.