歷代三寶紀 6.2

6.2

Regarding the Western Jin Catalogue: Sima Yan, styled Anshi, was a native of Wen in Henei. He was the crown prince of Sima Zhao, King of Jin, Generalissimo, Palace Attendant, Director of the Secretariat, and Chancellor of State under the Wei. When Zhao died, Yan succeeded him as King. Emperor Yuan, recognizing that the celestial mandate had found its rightful home, had the Grand Protector Zheng Chong present the imperial seal and abdicate the throne. Yan received the succession with folded arms; this was Emperor Wu. The dynasty was named Jin, and its capitals were Luoyang and Chang'an, the former Eastern and Western capitals. Emperor Wu of Jin reigned for fifteen years. During the Xianning era, he ordered Sima Zhou to pacify the Wu and captured Sun Hao, enfeoffing him as the Marquess Who Submits to the Mandate. From the twenty-fourth year of Yong'an of the Later Han down to the Gengzi year, the beginning of the Taikang era of the Jin, the Nine Provinces were once again united. Furthermore, early in the Huangwu era of the Wu, Lu Ji remarked: 'From now on, after another sixty years, all under Heaven will have carts running on the same gauge and writing in the same script.' When the time arrived, it was indeed just as Ji had said: from the pacification of Shu to the conquest of Wu was nearly sixty years. Twenty years later, at the beginning of the Yongning era under Emperor Hui, the way of governance fell into decay, and the warlords stood like competing peaks. The Prince of Zhao, laying the groundwork, hatched a rebellion and usurped the throne at court. Zhang Gui followed suit and, refusing to act as a vassal, arbitrarily seized the lands of Liang. Within and without, matters seethed into turmoil, steadily opening the path of chaos. It was because of this that Liu Yuan arose in Pingyang, and Li Xiong took advantage to seize the lands of Shu. Emperor Huai was caught in the dust of war at Han Pass, and Emperor Min fled in exile from Chang'an. The Path indeed relies on the times to flourish, yet the two capitals were shaken by turmoil; the Dharma is manifested through people, yet it encountered two sovereigns living in anxious flight. The myriad commoners were scattered and broken, with nowhere to place their faith; the hundred officials lost their posts, and the Śākya clan had no one to rely upon. At that time, there were śramaṇas such as Zhu Fahu and Qiangliang Louzhi who sacrificed their persons for the benefit of living beings, vowing to propagate the teachings, not fearing hardship and toil, taking the expounding of the Dharma as their dedicated task. Fahu produced the most sūtras during the Jin dynasty. Those such as Faqin, Luoxa, Nie Yuan and his son, and Zhu Falan succeeded one another in translation and transmission. Thus, over the course of fifty years, thirteen individuals—Chinese and barbarians, clergy and laity—together with the aforementioned sūtras, precepts, and other texts of lost translators, totaled four hundred and fifty-one texts in seven hundred and seventeen fascicles. They are gathered here to form the historical catalogue of the Western Jin: two capitals, four sovereigns, and fifty-two years.