佛祖統紀 43

English (machine translation) 43

Language: English

43.1

Compiled by the Śramaṇa Zhipan of Donghu in Siming under the Song dynasty (Xianchun era).

43.2

Treatise on the Prosperity and Decline of the Dharma, Section 17, Part 10.

43.4

Taizu (the second son of Xuanzu; mother Lady Du; the sixteenth day of the second month was designated the Festival of Eternal Spring; buried in the Yongchang Mausoleum).

In the first year of the Jianlong era (gengshen), on the jiachen day of the first month, Emperor Gong of the [Later] Zhou abdicated the throne. Earlier, the Emperor [Taizu] received orders to undertake a northern expedition and lodged at the Chenqiao Postal Station. The officers and soldiers supported and acclaimed him, escorting him into the capital. At that time, the Grand Dowager Lady Du (Taizu's mother, Empress Zhaoxian) together with Lady Wang (Taizu's consort, Empress Xiaoming) were just holding a vegetarian feast at Dingli Temple to pray for blessings. Hearing of the upheaval, Lady Wang was terrified, but the Grand Dowager said, "Throughout my son's life there have been many marvels, and people say he is destined for ultimate nobility; why worry?" (from the *Tanyuan* of Duke Yang Wen). Earlier, Emperor Mingzong of the Later Tang burned incense in the inner palace and prayed to Heaven, saying, "I, your servant, am originally a barbarian, unworthy to be king over the Central Plains. I pray that a sage be born early to bring peace to the realm." On the sixteenth day of the second month in the second year of the Tiancheng era, the Emperor [Taizu] was born at the Jiama Barracks within the Grand Inner Palace of Luoyang. A divine light filled the chamber, an extraordinary fragrance did not disperse, and his body was tinged with golden color, transforming only after three days. People knew that this was in response to Mingzong's prayer (from the *Records of the August Dynasty's Auspicious Mandate*).

43.6

The appraisal says: The divine light and golden body were the auspicious signs of a Buddhist Mahāsattva. He opened an auspicious era in the midst of the prolonged distress of the Five Dynasties, and stepped onto the great throne at a time when the whole world yearned for good order. Moreover, he knew to promote the teachings and protect the Dharma, ruling over the people and things with benevolence to secure the long-lasting blessings of the altars of soil and grain. Had he not been the manifested birth of a Buddhist Mahāsattva, who could have accomplished this?

43.7

Before the Emperor entered official service, he passed by a temple in Changshou Town of Jingzhou. A monk, knowing he was no ordinary man, secretly had someone paint the Emperor's likeness upon the temple wall. Later, because this temple had the imperial portrait, it came under official protection. When he was in Luoyang, he once visited Changshou Temple, resting his head on a hall base-stone to sleep during the day. The monk Shouyan saw a red snake going in and out of the Emperor's nose. When the Emperor woke, [Shou]yan asked where he was heading. The Emperor said, "I wish to go to Chanzhou to see Grand Defender Chai, but I have no travel provisions." (This refers to Emperor Shizong of the Zhou.) [Shou]yan said, "This poor monk has a donkey you may ride to go there," and further presented him with money. When he met the Grand Defender, the latter found him extraordinary and retained him in his military headquarters. During the Kaiyun era of the Jin dynasty, there was in Songcheng an extraordinary monk with the demeanor of a knight-errant, holding copper pellets and running across the open grass. Pointing at the prefecture's land, he said, "Within twenty years, an emperor shall establish his dynastic title from here!" (from the *Tanyuan* of Duke Yang Wen. Taizu was the Military Commissioner of the Guide Army under the Zhou dynasty. Under the Tang, Guide was Songzhou. When he received the abdication, he established the dynastic title of Song accordingly).

43.8

Earlier, among the common people, someone obtained a bronze tablet inscription by Master Baozhi of the Liang dynasty, which read: "A true person will arise from Jizhou; opening the mouth and drawing the bow on the left side, his sons and grandsons shall preserve the throne for eternal years." Lord Li of Jiangnan named his son Hongji, and all the sons of King Qian of Wuyue incorporated the character *Hong* in their names (Hongzong, Hongchu, Hongyi), hoping to correspond to the prophetic chart. When the Emperor received the abdication, the taboo name of Xuanzu precisely matched it. (Taizu's imperial father was named Hongyin, posthumously titled Xuanzu; from Zhao Pu's *Records of the August Dynasty's Dragon Soaring*.) When Emperor Shizong of the Zhou destroyed Buddhist images (Shizong personally held a chisel and smashed the chest of the Great Compassion icon in Zhenzhou), an ulcer erupted on his chest and he passed away. At that time, Taizu and Taizong witnessed it with their own eyes. They once visited the divine monk, the Venerable Mayi, and said, "The current destruction of the Buddha's Dharma is by no means a blessing for the altars of soil and grain." Mayi said, "Have you not heard of the calamities of the three emperors named Wu?" They further asked, "When will the realm be settled?" He replied, "A red aura has already shown its omen; between chen and shen, a true ruler will arise, and the Buddha's Dharma will also flourish greatly." (Later, Taizu accepted the abdication in the gengshen year, in the first month on the jiachen day; this was the fulfillment of that prophecy.) The recluse Chen Tuan lived in seclusion on Mount Hua, sleeping behind closed doors without rising for months at a time. At the end of the Xiande era, riding a white mule, he was about to enter the Eastern Capital. On the way, hearing that Taizu had ascended the throne, he laughed heartily and said, "From this moment on, the realm is settled!" When the Emperor first received the mandate, he silently reflected upon the Śākya clan: by what path did they command such devotion and reverence, so great as this? Once, traveling in disguise, he went to Xiangguo Temple and saw a monk drunkenly vomiting outside the gate, spouting foul curses unbearable to hear. The Emperor was angered by him. As he happened to pass by his side, he was embraced by the drunken monk, who said, "Do not lose your temper; it is almost evening, you should return to the palace at once." The Emperor was shaken in his heart. Upon returning, he secretly ordered a small eunuch to go and spy, commanding him to collect what had been vomited. When the eunuch arrived, the drunken monk was nowhere to be seen. He collected the remaining vomit and brought it back; when the Emperor inspected it before him, it was genuine frankincense. The Emperor sighed in wonder incessantly and came all the more to revere the Buddha. (The above four matters are from Cai's *Congtan*.) An edict decreed that the imperial birthday on the sixteenth day of the second month be the Festival of Eternal Spring, bestowing a banquet for the civil and military officials at Xiangguo Temple. The Chancellor Fan Zhi composed a vegetarian prayer text for the imperial celebration, which said: "A white rainbow recorded the omen, manifesting the descent of the Enlightened Sovereign into this world; (At the Buddha's birth, a white elephant penetrated the sun; at his parinirvāṇa, there were twelve white rainbows. Chancellor Fan's allusion here is likely derived from another source.) / A dark-blue horse showed its numinous response, matching the appearance of a wheel-turning king in the world. (When a Golden Wheel-Turning King appears, the seven treasures arrive spontaneously; the dark-blue horse treasure is one of them.) / Were his majesty not such as to shake the four heavens, it would not suffice to evoke spontaneous treasures; (A Golden Wheel-Turning King governs all four continents under heaven.) / Were his position not honoured in the three realms, who could bring about such rare auspicious omens? (The Buddha is the Great Teacher of the Three Realms.) / May his life span equal a hundred billion Mount Sumerus, and his virtuous benevolence cover the three-thousandfold world system. / Though the sands of the Ganges may be counted, his heavenly blessings are inexhaustible; / though the ocean of ink may dry up, the imperial foundation will remain all the firmer." On that day, by grace of the imperial birthday celebration, an edict ordered the universal ordination of eight thousand postulants. (From the *Guochao huiyao*.)

43.9

The appraisal says: Duke Fan, as an eminent Confucian of abundant virtue, was the foremost of the founding ministers. His text of celebratory praise for the imperial birthday entirely drew upon the Buddhist scriptures to convey his admiration. His reverence for the Buddha and respect for his sovereign are apparent in this. Commentators state that the joyous conjunction of an enlightened sovereign and capable ministers, and the unification of all within the seas, were all auspicious signs of a Buddhist Mahāsattva manifesting in the world.

43.10

In the sixth month, an edict was issued to the monasteries across the various circuits that any which were slated for abolition in the second year of the Xiande era but had not yet been destroyed were permitted to remain. For those temples that had already been demolished, all Buddhist images were permitted to be relocated and preserved. Thereupon, the bronze statues hidden among the populace gradually emerged.

43.11

The appraisal says: Ever since there has been the Buddha's Dharma, states possessing the Way have never failed to exalt and deeply uphold the Buddhist teachings to encourage the realm. When Taizu first witnessed the destruction of statues under the Zhou dynasty, he lamented, saying, "To order the destruction of the Buddha's Dharma is by no means a blessing for the altars of soil and grain." When he ascended the imperial throne, he promptly issued edicts for restoration. Truly it can be said that a ruler possessing the Way will inevitably exalt the Buddhist teachings.

43.12

In the tenth month, [the Emperor] personally launched an expedition against Li Chongjin in Yangzhou. In the twelfth month, the city fell. Because they had obstinately resisted, the Emperor intended to execute them all. Suddenly, an extraordinary monk came to the traveling palace gate, calling himself Qingfan of Longxing Temple, and presented a memorial begging for imperial clemency. The Emperor granted it. The following day, His Majesty went in person to make inquiries, and saw on the hall an arhat holding a draft memorial in his hand. The Emperor had a great awakening, and ordered a separate hall built to enshrine his image. (From the *Guangling zhi*.) Qian Chu, King of Wuyue, was by nature devoted to Buddhism. Admiring King Aśoka's construction of stupas, he used gilded bronze and refined steel to cast eighty-four thousand stupas, inside of which was enshrined the *Karaṇḍamudrā Dhāraṇī Sūtra*. (The efficacy of this sūtra and dhāraṇī states: "One who makes images or makes stupas and enshrines this dhāraṇī will have them turn into the seven treasures, which is equivalent to enshrining the whole-body relics of the Tathāgatas of the three times.") These were distributed throughout his domain, and the work was completed in ten years. (Today Buddhist monasteries and lay households both enshrine these stupas.) Earlier, the scroll teachings of the Tiantai school had been damaged and rendered incomplete through the turmoil of the Five Dynasties. King Chu of Wuyue dispatched envoys to Goryeo and Japan to seek them. By this time, Goryeo sent the Śramaṇa Chegwan carrying treatises, commentaries, and various texts to Luoxi to pay respect to Dharma Master Ji. The canonical texts of the unified school thus returned to China. Luoxi transmitted them to Baoyun, and Yun transmitted them to Fazhi. Fazhi lectured on them extensively, and consequently gained sole renown for reviving the teachings and contemplation. (From the *Biography of the King of Wuyue*.)

43.13

In the second year: An edict decreed regarding the earlier expedition against Li Chongjin that, for all who died in the warfare, Jianlong Temple be established at the Yangzhou traveling palace to dedicate posthumous blessings for them, following the precedent of the fourth year of the Zhenguan era under Emperor Taizong of the Tang. (In the third year of the Zhidao era, the prefectural governor Wang Yucheng composed an inscription.) An edict was issued making it a statutory law that the common people were forbidden from fishing, hunting, and shooting birds from the second to the ninth months. In the fourth month, the Emperor visited Xiangguo Temple to pray for rain. He disbursed funds from the inner treasury to host a vegetarian feast for a thousand monks, after which a heavy rain fell. King Chu of Wuyue invited Chan Master Yanshou to preside over Yongming Temple (now Jingci Temple in Qiantang). The master took one hundred and eight matters as his daily curriculum. When students came to consult him, he took the mind as the essential principle and awakening as the standard. At dusk, he would go to another peak to practice the Way and recite the Buddha's name, and people heard the sound of heavenly music in the mountains. The King of Wuyue, moved by his single-minded dedication, built for him the Western Adornment Hall to fulfill his aspiration. The master, noting that the three schools of Xianshou, Cien, and Tiantai had mutual agreements and differences, accommodated those of their disciples who understood the Dharma, broadly perused the ocean of doctrines, and had them cross-examine one another. The master used the balance of the Mind School to weigh and harmonize them. Furthermore, he gathered sixty Mahāyāna sūtras and treatises, along with the sayings of three hundred sages and worthies from both lands, to corroborate and establish the principle of Mind-Only. He composed a book of one hundred fascicles entitled *The Mirror of the Source*, which was circulated in the world. (From the *Biography of Chan Master Shou*.)

43.14

In the third year, in the fifth month, there was a drought. The Emperor went to Xiangguo Temple to pray for rain, issuing an edict to suspend musical performances and commanding the imperial chefs to serve vegetarian food; shortly after, abundant rain brought relief. From the Western Regions, the Śramaṇa Shanming and seven others from the Kingdom of Khotan arrived; an edict ordered them lodged at Xiangguo Temple. Zhou Xingfeng, Prince of Chu, held Tanzhou and was decisive in slaughter; nevertheless, he knew to serve the Buddha, ordain monks, and maintain vegetarian feasts and repentances without cease. Whenever he saw a śramaṇa, he would pay homage and serve food with his own hands, saying to his attendants, "I have killed many men; without relying on the Buddha's power, how can I resolve the enmity?" In the eleventh month, the Kingdom of Gaochang sent the monk Fayuan to present a pratyekabuddha tooth and jade vessels.

43.15

In the first year of the Qiande era, Dharma Master Ji of Luoxi expounded the teaching gate of cessation and contemplation for Dharma Master Yitong.

43.16

In the third year, the Śramaṇa Daoyuan of Cangzhou, who had traveled through the Five Indias for eighteen years back and forth, arrived at the capital together with envoys from Khotan, presenting Buddha relics, palm-leaf manuscripts, and Sanskrit scriptures. The Emperor summoned him to the side hall for an audience, inquiring about the customs of the Western regions, and bestowed upon him a purple square robe, vessels, and silk fabrics. Li Tuo, Grand Master for Thorough Counsel, submitted a memorial stating that Ruan Shaozhuang, Judicial Officer of Xiongwu, dreamed of Chan Master Yunmen instructing him to present a memorial requesting the opening of his stupa. An imperial decree was issued, and the garrison officials of Shaozhou opened and inspected it, seeing the master's true body looking as if alive. They thereupon welcomed it to the court for offerings, and after over a month escorted it back to the mountains. An imperial edict posthumously conferred the title Chan Master of Great Compassion, Primal Truth, and Vast Illumination. (Hereafter, entries that do not note a source are generally mostly from the *Guochao huiyao*.)

43.17

In the fourth year [of Qiande, 966], an imperial edict stated that since Qin and Liang were now open, monks could be sent to Western Tianzhu to seek the Dharma. At that time, the śramaṇa Xingqin and one hundred fifty-seven others responded to the edict. As for the states through which they would pass—such as Yanqi, Kucha, and Kaśmīra—imperial letters of instruction were bestowed on all of them, directing them to dispatch guides to lead the way. Furthermore, each [monk] was granted thirty thousand in travel funds (thirty strings of cash for travel provisions). / The Emperor had earlier commanded the Fiscal Commissioner of Xichuan, Shen Yilun, to write out the Diamond Sūtra in gold and silver characters in Yizhou and present it to the throne. At this point, the śramaṇa Chongyun of Tianqing Temple was summoned to the imperial palace to give lectures. / The Commissioner of Military Affairs, Shen Yilun, served the Buddha and maintained a perpetual vegetarian fast. In the middle of summer, he would sit upright to feed the mosquitoes. When someone considered this painful, he said: 'Starving mosquitoes come to me; how could I bear to brush them away?' At that time, most chief ministers petitioned to build their own mansions, but Yilun alone begged to restore a monastery for his mother. The Emperor sighed in admiration and granted it. / An imperial order directed the Palace Attendant Zhang Chongjin to proceed to Samantabhadra Monastery on Mount Emei to adorn the Buddha images, because Jia Prefecture had repeatedly reported that the form of Samantabhadra had appeared at Baishui Monastery. The Mount Emei Gazetteer states: 'In the past, there was Old Man Pu. Gathering medicinal herbs, he entered the mountain and gazed toward the summit. Five-colored clouds emitted white light, and suddenly a deer led him forward onto a cliff, where he saw the true form of the Great Being Samantabhadra. From this time onward, manifestations were revealed.' / The jinshi scholar Li Ai of Henan Prefecture composed the Collection on Eradicating the Heterodox to slander the Śākya teachings, and secretly used Buddhist scriptures to make a quilt. When the matter was reported, the Emperor considered that he had maligned the sacred Way and deluded the common people. He ordered that he be tattooed and exiled to the island of Shamen (which lies in the sea off Dengzhou. Under the old regulations, when the quota was exceeded, one who had resided there the longest was cast into the sea. During the reign of Shenzong, Ma Mo governed the commandery and requested that henceforth those exceeding the quota be transferred to the jurisdiction of Dengzhou, and the Emperor agreed).

43.18

The author remarks: When Confucians reject Buddhism, it is simply because they have never read Buddhist scriptures. Had they even slightly perused them, they would surely submit to the marvel of its Way. Li Ai composed a treatise branding the Buddha as heterodox, which was merely an afterwave of Fu Yi and Han Tuizhi reviling Buddhism as barbarian. Had there not been an enlightened ruler, who could have seen through his wild posturing? That he was merely exiled to an island in the sea was not unfortunate for him.

43.19

In the fifth year [967], an imperial edict stated: 'Since the prohibition and smelting [under the Later Zhou], many throughout the realm have carted Buddha statues to the capital. Yet considering that the Image Teachings have long been revered by the world, to suddenly melt and destroy them greatly violates devotion and respect. Wherever there are bronze statues in the various commanderies, let them be preserved as before; but casting new images is not permitted.' / The Court-Attending śramaṇa of the Right Street, Wensheng, received an imperial decree to compile and edit the In Search of the Esoteric Accordant with the Cases of the Great Tripiṭaka, in a total of six hundred sixty fascicles. / An imperial decree appointed the Daoist priest Liu Ruozhuo of Laizhou as Daoist Registrar of the Right Street, directing him to assemble the Daoist priests of the capital to examine their learning and undertakings; those who did not meet the standard were all dismissed.

43.20

In the second year of Kaibao [969], on the Changchun Festival, an edict summoned the śramaṇas of the empire to palace examinations on ten points of the sūtras, vinaya, and treatises; those who answered all correctly were granted purple robes.

43.21

In the fourth year [971], in the third month, the Emperor personally campaigned against Liu Jiyuan of Taiyuan. His route passed by the courtyard of the Hemp-Clothed Master (Mayi Heshang) in Lu Prefecture. He personally prayed to the Buddha, saying: 'This expedition is solely for the purpose of chastising the rebellious and condoling the people; I vow not to indiscriminately kill a single person.' When Jiyuan heard of this, he resisted with utmost effort. The imperial carriage arrived beneath the city walls, and the armies attacked. At that time the defense of Taiyuan was still firm. The Erudite Li Guangzan urged the Emperor to turn the imperial carriages back (luan: pronounced luan, a bell; on the imperial grand carriage's crossbar, a golden sparrow holding a bell in its beak is called a luan); the Grand Councilor Zhao Pu agreed, and the army was subsequently withdrawn. / The retired scholar Chen Tuan received the Changes from the Daoist of the Hemp-Clothed [Master], obtaining forty-two chapters of the Mind-Dharma of the Correct Changes composed by him. Its principles fully encompassed heaven and man, successively refuting the errors of former Confucians. Tuan first wrote a commentary on it. When he also received the secrets of the Yellow River Chart and the Luo River Writing, he revealed the mystery of the Way of the Changes, which was unknown to the various Confucians of the Han and Jin, such as Zheng Kangcheng, Jing Fang, Wang Bi, and Han Kangbo. Its formula runs: 'Wear nine, step on one; three on the left, seven on the right; two and four form the shoulders; six and eight form the knees. Vertically and horizontally it is always fifteen, with five dwelling in its central chamber.' This chart—vertically, horizontally, inverted, upright, combined, and crossed—however one counts it at will, always yields fifteen. Liu Mu said it was not something human wit could forge. Tuan first transmitted it to Chong Fang; Fang transmitted it to Li Gai; Gai transmitted it to Xu Jian; Jian transmitted it to Fan Echang; Echang transmitted it to Liu Mu, who first made the Chart of the Hidden Unhooked to expound it.

43.22

The author remarks: The 'Appended Phrases' say: 'The River brought forth the Chart'—this indicates its name. 'Multiplying and grouping in fives to change and interweaving its numbers'—this indicates its substance. This is the text in which the Master openly displayed the Yellow River Chart. In Han times there was a book discussing the Yellow River Chart that said: 'The Great One took it to traverse the Nine Palaces; the four cardinal and four intercardinal directions are all fifteen.' This is the detailed presentation of the numbers of the Yellow River Chart in the Apocrypha to the Changes (Yici). At the time of the Five Dynasties, there was a man in monk's garb who wore hemp; having marvelously penetrated the Way of the Changes, he first revealed the secret of the Yellow River Chart and transmitted it to Xiyi [Chen Tuan]. Xiyi first wrote the formula to transmit it to the world. Yet people of the world can only repeat Xiyi's words, without knowing that their meaning fundamentally derives from the 'Appended Phrases' and the Apocrypha to the Changes. If one now takes the composed formula, it tallies above with the text of the Nine Palaces and fifteen in the Apocrypha to the Changes; and if one takes the Apocrypha to the Changes to reverently consult the explanation of 'multiplying and grouping in fives to change' in the 'Appended Phrases', they completely correspond. The text of the 'Appended Phrases' and apocrypha is brief and veiled, hence ordinary people cannot comprehend it; only the Hemp-Clothed [Master] awakened to this marvel after two thousand years—this was surely bestowed by Heaven! (The texts of the River and Luo are now seen before the Book of Changes.)

43.23

When Chen Tuan resided on Mount Hua, Qian Ruoshui went to visit him before he had passed the examinations. Tuan invited him into his mountain study, where he saw an old monk wrapped in a patched robe sitting near the fire. Ruoshui bowed to him, but the monk merely opened his eyes. After sitting for a long time, Tuan asked, 'How is he?' The monk said, 'He has no frame for the bones of an immortal.' Ruoshui withdrew, and Tuan cautioned him, saying, 'You may return after three days.' When he went as appointed, Tuan said: 'At first, seeing that your spirit and demeanor were pure and unblemished, I thought you could study immortality, so I sought a determination from the old monk. The monk said that you lack the bones of an immortal, but may become a noble minister of state, bravely retiring mid-stream.' When asked who the monk was, Tuan said: 'He is my teacher, the Daoist of the Hemp-Clothed [Master]' (Xiangshan yelu; the Dongwei zhi states that the monk was the Daoist of the Baige [Monastery], Zongyi). / The śramaṇa Jiansheng returned from Western Tianzhu, proceeded to the imperial court, and presented palm-leaf Sanskrit sūtras. He arrived accompanied by the Indian monk Mañjuśrī. This Śrī was a prince of Central Tianzhu. By imperial decree he was lodged at Xiangguo Temple; he held to the vinaya with great precision. The people of the capital bestowed wealth upon him until it filled the room, yet he made no use of it at all. / An imperial decree commanded the High-ranking Attendant Zhang Congxin to go to Yizhou to carve the printing blocks for the Great Tripiṭaka.

43.24

In the fifth year [972], an imperial edict decreed concerning Buddhist monks and Daoist priests: Whenever attending court assemblies, monks are to take precedence and Daoists follow, standing together in the palace courtyard, monks on the east and Daoists on the west, interspersed with subordinate officials. When attending the sacrifice to Heaven in the suburbs, Daoists are on the left and monks on the right (Sengshi lüe).

43.25

Monks on the East / Daoists on the Left

43.26

North / Sovereign's Position / Monks first, Daoists after / Palace Courtyard / Suburban Sacrifice / South

43.27

Daoists on the West / Monks on the Right

43.28

The author remarks: Left and right are east and west. On the day of the sacrifice to Heaven in the suburbs, the reason Daoists stood on the left was that, following behind the court ranks, it was convenient for performing prostrations, so they were temporarily ordered to stand on the left. This was not a regular, standard rule. This explanation was heard from Wankong, who obtained it from an official of the Ministry of Rites.

43.29

An edict ordered the eminent and virtuous Xuanchao and others of the capital to enter the imperial palace to recite the gold-lettered Tripiṭaka. The Emperor arrived in person, and bestowed purple square robes on them all. / An imperial edict stated: 'The lack of separation between monks and nuns truly disrupts the Dharma of the teachings. From now on, altars shall be established in nunneries for receiving the precepts, and Greatly Virtuous nuns shall preside over them.'

43.30

The author remarks: The court deliberations merely sought to distinguish monks from nuns, without knowing the vinaya rule that a nun receiving ordination must rely upon the great monks (mahāsaṅgha) and cannot set up an altar to transmit it herself. This was a temporary remedy for an abuse and cannot be taken as a standard rule. Today it is no longer used.

43.31

An imperial edict stated: 'The foundation of the Śākya gate values purity and tranquility; how could impurity and confusion be fitting within Sanskrit monasteries? Now when we are promoting and expounding it, purity and strictness are especially required. It has been heard that at bodhimaṇḍas and vegetarian assemblies, men and women gather by night, which is a grave desecration and offers no benefit to cultivation and practice. Let the Office of Merits and the Ministry of Rites instruct all circuits to strictly prohibit this.' / An imperial decree placed both Buddhist monks and Daoist priests under the Commissioner of Merits. When leaving home to seek ordination, they were tested on their scriptural learning, and the Ministry of Rites issued their ordination certificates. / Three śramaṇas of Western Tianzhu—Kezhi, Fajian, and Zhenli—came to court; they were granted purple square robes. / The śramaṇa Sugata of Western Tianzhu arrived and presented relics and Mañjuśrī flowers; he was granted purple garments and gold coins. / In the sixth month, National Preceptor Deshao of Tiantai manifested nirvanic quiescence. A great star fell upon the mountain peak, and heavy snow fell from the sky. The Master had received the Dharma from Qingliang Fayan (the tenth generation below Qingyuan). / The śramaṇa Mīla and others of Western Tianzhu, fourteen people in total, came to court and were all granted purple garments.

43.32

In the sixth year [973], in the eighth month, Chan Master Yanzhao of Fengxue in Ru Prefecture manifested nirvanic quiescence. The Master had received the Dharma from Nanyuan (the eighth generation below Nanyue). / The Administrator of Fu Prefecture (pronounced fu; Fuyan Circuit), Wang Guicong, submitted a memorial stating that the Tripiṭaka Master Fatian of Central Tianzhu had arrived, and translated the Sūtra of the Noble Immeasurable Longevity and the Praises of the Seven Buddhas. The Sanskrit-studying śramaṇa Fajin of Hezhong Prefecture took up the brush and compiled the text, and Guicong polished the style. An imperial edict summoned Fatian to the palace for an audience, where he was consoled and granted a purple square robe.

43.33

In the seventh year [974], in the second month, Chan Master Shou of Yongming manifested nirvanic quiescence; he was posthumously granted the title Zhijue. The Master had received the Dharma from National Preceptor Shao. The King of Goryeo sent thirty-six monks to receive the Way and Dharma from him. Thereupon, the Fayan lineage flourished overseas, while in China it subsequently died out.

43.34

In the eighth year [975], in the third month, the Emperor visited Luoyang and went to Guanghua Monastery on Mount Longmen, where he opened the stūpa of Tripiṭaka Master Wuwei to gaze upon and revere the true body. In the fourth month, when the Emperor was about to perform the suburban sacrifice to Heaven, rain would not cease; he sent an envoy to pray at Wuwei's stūpa, and when the appointed time came, the weather cleared (Tripiṭaka Master Wuwei came from Western Tianzhu in the fourth year of Kaiyuan of the Tang; he was the leader of the teachings in Chang'an for twenty-three years, and his stupa of extinction is at Longmen in Luoyang). / Returning from Luoyang to the capital, the Emperor personally hand-copied the Diamond Sūtra and constantly read and recited it. Grand Councilor Zhao Pu saw it while submitting a memorial. The Emperor said: 'I do not want the armored soldiers to know of this; simply tell them that I constantly read military treatises.'

43.35

The eulogy states: Emperor Gaozu of the Han took the world together with Han [Xin] and Peng [Yue]; when evaluating merits and distributing rewards, he enfeoffed them as kings of dozens of cities, yet they successively rebelled and were ultimately executed. Emperor Guangwu enfeoffed meritorious ministers such as Deng Yu and his peers, the largest of which did not exceed several counties; because they were easy to control, superiors and subordinates had no divergent aims. How wise! In how our Taizu skillfully handled heroes: he caused Shi Shouxin and the other ten brothers of the Righteous Association to relinquish their military authority amid wine cups and smiling conversation, enjoying stipends in their private residences and preserving the rest of their lives. Above, he did not fail imperial benevolence; below, they did not fail their duties as ministers—far surpassing the rulers and ministers of the two Han dynasties! As for living secluded deep within the palace, constantly reciting Buddhist scriptures yet wishing to let the armored troops know only that he read military treatises, this was yet another benevolent art of maintaining majesty and protecting the realm. How wise!

43.36

Taizong (the third son of Xuanzu, and younger brother of Taizu by the same mother. His mother dreamed that a spirit being held the sun and placed it in her bosom, whereupon she conceived. The seventeenth day of the tenth month was the Qianming Festival; he was buried at Yongxi Mausoleum).

43.37

In the first year of the Taiping Xingguo era, an edict ordered an empire-wide tonsure of novices, totaling one hundred and seventy thousand people (*Compendium of Administrative Law of the Dynastic Court*). \n The *Account of the True Lord* transmits nine methods for constructing altars. The upper three altars are for the state. The upper one is called the Altar for Accompanying Heaven and Flourishing the State, with 3,600 astral seats, serving as the Great Offering for the Whole Heaven. The middle one is called the Altar for Prolonging the Dynasty's Blessings and Protecting Life, with 2,400 astral seats, serving as the Great Offering for the Circulating Heaven. The lower one is called the Altar for Praying for Grains and Blessing the Seasons, with 1,200 astral seats, serving as the Great Offering for the Net of Heaven. The middle three altars are for ministers and officials. The upper one is called the Yellow Register Altar for Prolonging Life, with 640 astral seats. The middle one is called the Yellow Register Altar for Attaining Felicity, with 490 astral seats. The lower one is called the Yellow Register Altar for Expelling Evil, with 360 astral seats. The lower three altars are for scholars and commoners. The upper one is called the Altar for Continuing Life, with 240 astral seats. The middle one is called the Altar for Gathering Blessings, with 120 astral seats. The lower one is called the Altar for Averting Calamities, with eighty-one astral seats. Banners, pennants, mirrors, swords, bows, arrows, and ritual implements are all arrayed according to protocol, each with differing grades and heights, and so forth. The True Lord said, 'The myriad spirits of all the heavens, assemblies of immortals, and Brahmā-buddhas all pay court to the Sovereign on High in the Hall of Penetrating Brightness.' He also said, 'Buddhas reside within the Three Purities; there is a distinct Brahmā Heaven where they dwell. Toward the Sovereign on High, they are like the Nine Ministers serving the Son of Heaven.'

43.38

The commentary states: Whenever the two schools of Buddhism and Daoism speak of the heavens, their names may differ, but their substantial reality cannot differ. The sage Tathāgata knows and sees the three realms in accordance with reality; one cannot say he does not fathom them completely. Yet the various Daoist texts are shallow, absurd, and ignorant; hence both their names and substantial reality differ [from the truth]. For instance, Daoist texts such as the *Scripture of Salvation* sometimes speak of thirty-six heavens, claiming there are six heavens of the desire realm, eighteen heavens of the form realm, and four heavens of the formless realm. These twenty-eight are within the three realms and subject to birth and death. Above them, they further claim there are four Brahmā Heavens outside the three realms, where birth and death and the single calamity are severed. Further above them are the heavens of the Three Purities, and the highest is the Heaven of Grand Net (Daluo). Although these [Daoists] wish to equate [their scheme] with the words of the Buddhist scriptures concerning the three realms, they are completely unaware that the four Brahmā Heavens and the Three Purities actually possess no real stations. Generally speaking, those said to sever birth and death outside the realms are merely the Three Vehicles and the Buddhas. How could they possibly refer to the heavens of the Three Purities, which are mere retinues within the cycle of transmigration? Zhang Wujin authored the *Treatise on Quelling Disputes*, citing the *Inner Scripture of the Yellow Thearch*, which states: 'The Great One is the pneumatic vapor of the Primordial One, originating above the Great Void. There is Mount Yujing. In each of the four directions there are eight heavens and thirty-two thearchs. Above Yujing are Jade Purity, Highest Purity, and Grand Purity. Above the Three Purities are the ten heavens of the Void Sovereign, inhabited by the Primordial Elder, Primordial Lord, Primordial Sovereign, and the Heavenly Realized Nine Thearchs. The Realized Person of the Heavenly Sovereign sends down the nine pneuma of the heavenly realized, dividing the six primordials, forming the likeness of chaos,' and so on. Wujin judged this, saying: 'The thirty-two thearchs of Mount Yujing mentioned here are precisely what the Buddha called the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven atop Mount Sumeru. The Heaven of the Void Sovereign is precisely what the Buddha called the Mahābrahmā Heaven. The heavens of the Three Purities are precisely what the Buddha called the heavens dwelling in empty space. The Mahābrahmā Heaven is the master of the world; not knowing that the heavens of Ābhāsvara and above exist, he claims: "I can engender beings." If he engenders beings, then pneuma descends; this is why the Heavenly Realized Nine Thearchs descend their pneuma to create the world. Since pneuma possesses yīn and yáng, human beings have male and female. Just like the Daoist Three Purities, who are attended by golden youths and jade maidens, these heavens dwelling in the empty space of the desire realm are the heavens of the Three Purities.' (Those dwelling in empty space are: Yāma as Grand Purity, Tuṣita as Highest Purity, Nirmāṇarati as Jade Purity, and Paranirmitavaśavartin as the Heaven of Grand Net. However, Daoist texts contain many contradictions when speaking of the heavens, making it difficult to determine a single system.) Furthermore, Wang Qinruo composed the *Account of the True Lord Assisting the Sagely* by imperial edict. Its discussions of the Buddha miss the mark most severely. For instance, the Assisting Sagely [True Lord] said that the myriad spirits of all the heavens, assemblies of immortals, and Brahmā-buddhas all come to pay court to the Sovereign on High. Now, the Buddha is the teacher of the three realms and the most venerable among the devas. Wherever the Buddha dwells, Brahmā and Śakra all come to protect and escort him. This clearly shows that the heavenly sovereigns revere the Buddha. Now the *Account* claims that the Buddha comes to pay court to the Sovereign, which is utterly improper. Since the Assisting Sagely [True Lord] spoke of himself as an imperial assistant, his rank was high; he should not have uttered such unreasonable words. Qinruo was moderately reputed to know Buddhism; his words in drafting the *Account* would not necessarily have contained this statement. One fears especially that Daoists, ignorant of heavenly ranks, falsely invented these words and inserted them into the *Account*. Though they wished to exalt Heaven and belittle the Buddha, it precisely resulted in slandering Heaven and slighting the Buddha. Let this be a warning!

43.39

Earlier, Emperor Shizong of the Later Zhou abolished Longxing Temple and turned it into an official granary. At the beginning of our dynasty, the monks of the temple beat drums to request its restoration, continuing without end up to this time. The Emperor sent an envoy holding a sword to interrogate them, saying, 'It has been a granary for a long time under the previous dynasty. Why do you trouble and defile the heavenly court?' Moreover, he secretly instructed [the envoy] to behead them if they showed fear. The monk's words were composed as he said, 'The previous dynasty was unprincipled, destroying statues and demolishing temples. We solely rely on today's sagely brilliance to revive and restore it. Why would a poor monk fear death?' The inner envoy reported this to the Emperor. The Emperor sighed in great admiration and issued an edict to restore it as a temple (*Leiyuan*).

43.40

In the second year, an envoy was sent to change the name of Longxing Temple to Taiping Xingguo Temple, and the Kaixian Hall was erected to enshrine the imperial portrait of Taizu. \n The Western Indian monk Jixiang (Śrī?) arrived and presented Sanskrit scriptures on palm leaves.

43.41

In the third month of the third year, plaques were bestowed upon unnamed temples throughout the empire, reading 'Taiping Xingguo' and 'Qianming'. \n The monk Jicong and others of Kaibao Temple returned from Western India and offered Sanskrit scriptures, a Buddha-relic stupa, bodhi tree leaves, and a peacock-feather whisk. They were all bestowed purple square robes. \n In the fourth month, an edict posthumously conferred upon Dharma Master Yuan of Mount Lu the title 'Complete Enlightenment' (Yuanwu) and his stupa 'Condensed Serenity' (Ningji); and upon Dharma Master Yong the title 'Enlightened Serenity' (Jueji) and his stupa 'True Wisdom' (Shizhi). \n The Central Indian monk Panuomo (Padma?) arrived and offered a Buddha-relic stupa and a yak-tail whisk. \n The Western Indian prince Mañjuśrī requested to return to his native country; an edict granted this (he had arrived here in the fourth year of the Kaibao era). \n Hanlin Academicians Li Fang, Xu Xuan, and others presented the *Taiping guangji*. Within it, thirty scrolls recorded the Buddhist Dharma, beginning above from Emperor Ming of the Han down to the Five Dynasties. Assemblies of those who awakened to the mind and attained the Way throughout ancient and modern times, divine monks, scriptural treatises, studies of concentration and wisdom, and portents of belief, slander, fortune, and misfortune among rulers and ministers—there was nothing that was not recorded. \n An edict ordered Court Attendant Zhao Rong to go to Wuyue to receive the King Aśoka Buddha-relic stupa of Mingzhou. \n King Qian Chu of Wuyue submitted his territory and returned to the court. He ordered the Monastic Controller Zanning to escort the Śākyamuni relic stupa for an audience in the Zifu Hall. The Emperor had long heard of his renown, summoning him seven times in a single day, and bestowed upon him the title 'Grand Master of Pervasive Wisdom' (Tonghui). (While in the kingdom, Ning served as Monastic Controller of the Two Zhe circuits, with the title 'Grand Master of Clarifying Righteousness and Esteeming Culture'.) He was appointed to the Hanlin Academy, ranking alongside Academician Tao Gu. Someone mocked him, saying, 'How can these blue latticed windows and vermilion pillars accommodate such a creature?' When talking with him, however, the master cited and verified from the classics and histories in an unending flow; the mocker was awed into submission. Whenever the Academicians Wang Yucheng and Xu Xuan had doubts, they would approach and consult him, all bowing down before him and serving him with the etiquette due a teacher. The Zifu Hall was where Buddha images and scripture canons were placed, and where banners were erected and bells were struck; it was the inner bodhimaṇḍa (*Compendium of Administrative Law of the Dynastic Court*).

43.42

In the first month of the fifth year, an edict commanded the inner attendant Zhang Tingxun to go to Mount Wutai in Daizhou to cast a gilded bronze statue of Mañjuśrī with ten thousand bodhisattvas, enshrining it in the Zhenrong Cloister. An edict ordered the restoration of the ten temples of Mount Wutai, appointing the monk Fangrun as the Monastic Rectifier of the ten temples. The ten temples were: Zhenrong, Huayan Shouning, Xingguo, Zhulin, Jin'ge, Fahua, Mimi, Lingjing, and Daxian. The *Record of Mount Wutai* states: 'The mountain's shape has five towering peaks, with a circumference of five hundred li. Looming precipices and overlapping ridges; flying springs breathe out mist. The Central Peak is forty li high, and the level ground atop its summit has a circumference of six li. To the northwest is the Taihua Pool, a stone vihāra, and stone statues of Mañjuśrī and Maitreya. To the southeast is the Dafu Temple, built by Emperor Wen of the Wei, its eastern and western halls being where the sages dwell. Further to the northeast is the Prince Temple and a King Aśoka stupa. Between the three peaks to the northeast is the Vajra Cave, containing the Dharma treasury of the Buddhas of the three periods of time. Southeast of the Central Peak is the Qingliang Temple; its deepest recess is where Mañjuśrī dwells, which humans dare not approach. On the western cliff is the Secret Demon Cliff, and west of the cliff is Foguang Temple.' \n An edict commanded the inner attendant Zhang Renzan to go to Chengdu to cast a gilded bronze statue of Samantabhadra, two zhang in height, and enshrine it at the Baishui [Cloister] of the Samantabhadra Temple on Mount Emei in Jiazhou, building a great pavilion to cover it. An edict ordered the restoration of the five temples of Emei: Baishui Samantabhadra, Heishui Huayan, Zhongfeng, Qianming, and Guangxiang. The three peaks of Emei soar high above the Five Sacred Mountains, their preeminent beauty being the best in the nine provinces. The Thousand-Year Upādhyāya of Western India said, 'This is the foremost mountain in the country of Cīnasthāna.' \n The monk Fajin of Hezhong Prefecture requested the Tripiṭaka Master Fatian to translate scriptures at Pujin (Puzhou, Hezhong Prefecture). The garrison officials submitted a memorial presenting this; the Emperor read it and was greatly pleased, summoning him to enter the capital to begin translation activities. \n In the second month, the Tripiṭaka Master Tianxizai (Devaśāntika?) of the country of Kaśmīra in Northern India and the Tripiṭaka Master Shihu (Dānapāla) of the country of Uḍḍiyāna arrived. They were summoned for an audience and bestowed purple robes. An edict ordered the two masters to examine Sanskrit manuscripts together. At that time, the Emperor had a grand intention to translate, so he ordered the inner envoy Zheng Shoujun to establish the Institute for Translating Scriptures to the west of the Taiping Xingguo Temple, consisting of three halls: the center was for translating scriptures, the eastern wing was for polishing the text, and the western wing was for verifying the meaning. \n In the fifth month, the Central Indian monk Hula arrived and presented Sanskrit scriptures on palm leaves; an edict bestowed purple vestments upon him. \n The monk Zhize submitted his authored commentary on the *Aparimitāyus Sūtra*; he was bestowed the title 'Grand Master for Expounding the Teaching'. \n An edict ordered the construction of the Kaisheng Chan Temple at the birthplace [of the Emperor], enshrining the auspicious sandalwood image of King Udayana (brought back by Hao Qian when sent to India by Emperor Wu of the Liang), the Śākyamuni Buddha tooth personally sealed by Taizu inside a silver stupa (offered by a heavenly being to Vinaya Master Xuan of the Tang), and the true body, pewter staff, knife, and ruler of Baozhi of the Liang. \n An edict commanded the inner attendant Wei Qin to go to Sizhou to repair the stupa of Grand Master Saṅgha, with a total of thirteen storeys, and changed the name of Puzhaowang Temple to Taiping Xingguo.

43.43

In the first month of the seventh year, the Weilu Army memorialized, stating that while building the city wall and excavating the earth, they obtained a stone casket, an iron casket, a copper casket, a silver casket, and a gold casket—a total of five layers, within which was a lapis lazuli bottle containing Buddha relics. There was an inscribed stone record stating: 'In the twenty-first year of the Zhenguan era, the Buddha relics were interred.' They respectfully sent a military clerk to report this. \n The Controller-general of Jiazhou, Wang Gun, memorialized: 'Recently, I went to Mount Emei to inspect the construction at Baishui Temple, and saw Mount Wawu entirely turn golden. Within it was a sixteen-foot golden-bodied Samantabhadra. At noon the next day, I saw two arhats riding purple clouds, traveling through the sky.'

43.44

Shenzhou reported: "Wang Xu, a resident of Luze County, was herding cattle in the fields when he saw a white rabbit. Chasing it into an earthen burrow, he probed the burrow and discovered fifty stone Buddha statues. Their style was extraordinarily ancient, and all were over a foot in length." An imperial decree ordered them to be enshrined in a local monastery. The statues regularly emitted white light. In the sixth month, the Institute for Translating Sutras was completed. An imperial decree ordered Tianxizai and the others to reside there. The title Master of Illuminating the Teaching was conferred upon Tianxizai, Master of Transmitting the Teaching upon Fatian, and Master of Manifesting the Teaching upon Dānapāla, and they were commanded each to translate one scripture from the Sanskrit manuscripts they had brought. An imperial decree appointed Sanskrit-scholar monks Fajin, Changjin, Qingzhao, and others as transcribers and stylists; Director of the Banqueting Court Yang Yue and Vice Director of the Ministry of War Zhang Ji as polishers; and Palace Attendant Liu Su as supervisor. Tianxizai set forth the ritual procedures for translating sutras: in the eastern hall facing west, a sacred altar was arranged with powder (arranging an altar with powder ornamentation is recorded in the canon). Four gates were opened, each overseen by a Sanskrit monk. Secret mantras were recited for seven days and nights. A wooden altar was also set up displaying the wheel of the names of the sages and worthies (the shape of the altar was a perfect circle, on which the names and titles of the Buddhas, great beings, and devas were arranged in tiers encircling it above like a cartwheel), termed the Great Dharma Maṇḍala (translated here as 'great assembly'). The sages and worthies were invited for argha ablutions (argha is translated here as 'vessel'; all vessels used for offerings are termed argha; here argha refers to an ablution vessel), and offerings of incense, flowers, lamps, water, delicacies, and fruits were presented. They bowed and circumambulated, praying for unseen assistance to eradicate demonic hindrances. First, the Principal Translator sat upright facing outward, reciting and expounding the Sanskrit text. Second, the Certifier of Meaning sat at his left, assessing and weighing the Sanskrit text together with the Principal Translator. Third, the Certifier of the Text sat at his right, listening to the Principal Translator read the Sanskrit aloud to check for errors. Fourth, the Sanskrit-writing monk carefully listened to the Sanskrit text and wrote it out in Chinese characters, still retaining the Sanskrit phonetics (e.g., hṛdaya was initially transliterated as helidiye; sūtra as sudalan). Fifth, the Transcriber translated the Sanskrit phonetics into the Chinese language (helidiye was re-translated as 'mind' [xin]; sudalan was translated as 'sutra' [jing]). Sixth, the Stylist arranged the words to form coherent sentences and meanings (e.g., when the Transcriber gave 'contemplated the five skandhas their intrinsic nature empty saw this,' it was now phrased as 'contemplated that the five skandhas are all empty.' As a rule, Sanskrit phonetics often place the active before the passive, as 'recite Buddha' [nian fo] becomes 'Buddha recite' [fo nian], or 'strike bell' [da zhong] becomes 'bell strike' [zhong da]; hence it is necessary to arrange the words and phrases to conform with the literature of this land). Seventh, the Collator compared the texts of the two lands to ensure there were no errors. Eighth, the Editor pruned redundancies and fixed the sentential meaning (such as deleting two redundant characters from 'wuwuming wuming' [no ignorance, ignorance], or supplying a missing character 'wu' [un-] before 'shang zhengbianzhi' [anuttarasamyaksaṃbodhi]). Ninth, the Polishers—officials seated facing south in front of the saṅgha—deliberated and polished the literary style (for instance, the line 'saved all from suffering and adversity' in the Heart Sutra originally had no Sanskrit text; likewise, in the line 'therefore, in emptiness,' the two characters 'therefore' originally had no Sanskrit text). The monks bathed daily, donned their three robes and sitting mats, maintaining orderly and dignified deportment; all their necessary provisions were supplied by the state. Tianxizai said: "Where the translated text coincides with imperial personal names or ancestral taboos, earlier dynasties did not avoid them. If the text is altered to avoid them, it is feared the meaning of the scripture will be compromised. We now wish to follow the model of the Nine Classics at the Imperial Academy and merely omit strokes." An imperial rescript replied: "Characters used in the Buddhist scriptures should follow the authentic text; ancestral taboos and imperial names need not be avoided." In the seventh month, Tianxizai submitted his newly translated Holy Mother of the Buddhas Sutra; Fatian submitted the Auspicious Vasudhārā Sutra; Dānapāla submitted the Tathāgata Alaṃkāra Sutra, each in one fascicle. An imperial decree ordered the two avenues of the capital to select one hundred doctrinal scholar-monks to examine and verify the meaning of the sutras. At that time, Shenyao, Registrar of Monks of the Left Avenue, and others stated: "The translation hall has long been defunct, and transmission and translation are extremely difficult." Tianxizai and the others immediately took the Sanskrit text, first translated the Sanskrit meaning, and verified it with the Chinese text; Shenyao and his group were then convinced. An imperial decree ordered that the new scriptures be entered into the canon and carved on printing blocks for circulation. The imperial carriage made a personal visit to the Institute for Translating Sutras; he summoned the monks, granted them seating, and offered comforting words. He bestowed bedclothes, silks, and utensils, ordained ten novices of the institute, and took all the Sanskrit manuscripts preserved in the imperial palace, ordering them to translate them. In the twelfth month, an imperial decree ordered the selection of Sanskrit-scholar monks as transcribers and ten doctrinal scholar-monks as certifiers of meaning. From this time forth, on every imperial birthday, new scriptures were invariably presented; the monks were always summoned to be seated and granted a feast, and the scriptures were committed to the canon. An imperial edict stated: "We are currently exalting the teachings of the Dharma to bring blessings upon the state. Postulants and novices both inside and outside the various prefectures are all permitted to be tonsured and ordained." Monk Guangyuan of Chengdu returned from his travels in the Western Heavens; he went to the palace and presented a memorial from Prince Mutuonang of Western India, a Buddha's crown seal, and pattra leaves and leaves of the Bodhi tree. An imperial decree ordered Tripiṭaka Master Dānapāla to translate the memorial, which read: "I have respectfully heard that in the land of Cīna (the Western Heavens refer to the Great Tang as Cīna; here it is used in continuation of the old convention) there is a Great Son of Heaven, supremely sage and supremely divine, possessed of sovereign wealth and nobility. Ashamed of my own meager merit, I have had no means to pay audience at court. From afar I received the imperial favor bestowing a kāṣāya of Śākyamuni Tathāgata from the Diamond Throne, which I have already donned and made offerings to. I humbly pray that the Emperor of Cīna may have blessings and wisdom perfected, life extended, and all sentient beings delivered from their drownings. Respectfully, I send Śākyamuni's relics along with Monk Guangyuan to be presented." (As for the bestowal of the Buddha's kāṣāya from the Diamond Throne, no actual record of its dispatch is seen in the records of the two reigns; examining it now, in the fourth year of Qiande [966], Xingqin and others responded to an imperial edict to seek the Dharma in the Western Heavens, and imperial letters were bestowed upon all states; it must have been presented in connection with that year.) In the eighth year, in the sixth month, an imperial decree ordered Hanlin Academician Zanning to compile the Song Biographies of Eminent Monks. Ning begged to return to Qiantang to compose it; an imperial decree granted permission. An imperial decree renamed the Institute for Translating Sutras the Institute for Transmitting the Dharma, and an Institute for Printing Sutras was established on its western wing (the present Transmitting the Dharma Institute in Lin'an is the former Institute for Translating Sutras of the Eastern Capital; today it merely serves the ritual affairs of the inner palace chapel). Chengdu had previously carved the printing blocks for the Great Canon in accordance with the decree of Emperor Taizu; they were now completed and presented. An imperial decree ordered Taiyuan and Chengdu to cast bronze bells and bestow them upon the famous mountains Wutai and Emei. On the day they were sent to be hung, more than ten Sanskrit monks appeared in the sky on both mountains to welcome the bells; their sound was heard for a hundred li. Tianxizai and the others stated: "Translations across successive dynasties have all relied on Sanskrit monks. If distant obstacles prevent them from coming, the translation of scriptures will cease. We wish to have the two avenues select fifty novices to study Sanskrit characters." An imperial decree commanded High-ranking Eunuch Wang Wenshou to select Weijing and nine others and usher them into the side hall for an audience, decreeing that they be sent to the Institute for Translating Sutras to receive instruction. Weijing was a nephew of Li Yu of Jiangnan; when taught Sanskrit verses orally, he immediately grasped their meaning. After a year or so, he was ordained as a monk, promoted to Sanskrit Transcriber, and granted the purple robe and the title Master of Luminous Sanskrit. Monk Fayu arrived from the Western Heavens and presented relics of the Buddha's crown and palm-leaf Sanskrit scriptures. Fayu solicited donations among the multitudes to make a dragon-jeweled canopy and a gold-brocade kāṣāya, intending to travel again to the Diamond Throne in Central India to make offerings; he begged for letters of safe-conduct to the various states he would pass through. An imperial decree granted imperial letters addressed to Śrīvijaya, Geguoluoke, Lan, and other countries to dispatch him. Sizhou reported that the pagoda of Master Sangha emitted light during the broad daylight; more than a thousand gentlemen and commoners offered incense by burning their scalps and arms daily. An imperial decree sent an inner attendant to take Śākyamuni relics and enshrine them beneath the pagoda. The Emperor showed the newly translated scriptures to the grand councilor, saying: "The Buddha's teaching is of aid to government and principle, universally benefiting all living beings. Those who attain it naturally awaken to its source; fools willfully give rise to slander. In this Way, We faintly understand its core: whenever a ruler rectifies his mind without selfishness, that is the practice of self-benefit; whenever he performs a good deed to pacify the realm, that is the practice of benefiting others. When Emperor Wu of Liang gave up his body to become a monastery slave, this was the biased view of the Hīnayāna, not a model to be followed by later generations." Zhao Pu replied: "Your Majesty governs the world by the Way of Yao and Shun, and cultivates the mind through the practice of the Tathāgata. Your sacred wisdom is lofty and profound, beyond what ministers can know." An imperial decree promulgated the imperially composed Palindrome Gāthā on the Lotus Heart, Explication of the Secret Treasury, and Chants of Carefree Wandering to be shown to the close ministers. An imperial decree ordered Inner Attendant Zhang Chenggui to go to Mount Tiantai to rebuild Shouchang Monastery, in accordance with the petition of monk Zixun.

First 44 of 71 passages. Read on

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佛祖統紀 — 志磐, Classical Chinese