佛祖統紀 44

English (machine translation) 44

Language: English

44.1

Compiled by the monk Zhipan of Donghu in Siming, in the Xianchun era of the Song.

44.2

Treatise on the Prosperity and Decline of the Dharma, Part 17, Section 11.

44.3

Zhenzong (the third son of Taizong; his mother was Empress Yuande, née Li; the second day of the twelfth month was the Chengtian Festival; Yongding Mausoleum).

In the first year of Xianping, the Emperor composed the Preface to the Holy Teachings of the Tripiṭaka and bestowed it upon Great Master Mingjiao Faxian and others, ordering that it be placed after the late Emperor's Preface to the Holy Teachings. The monk Kesheng annotated the preface and presented it to the throne. ○ An imperial decree appointed Zhu Ang, Hanlin Academician Drafter, concurrently as Polishing Official for Sūtra Translation. ○ The Emperor composed the Treatise on Exalting the Buddhist Teaching, which stated in outline: 'Upholding these ten powers (the Buddha possesses ten powers) to assist the five constant virtues; above, the ruler models himself on them to love the people, and below, the subjects follow them to turn toward goodness; truly they can shelter the common folk and bring them to benevolence and longevity.' It also stated: 'The vinaya texts of the Śākyan lineage and the works of the Duke of Zhou, Confucius, Xunzi, and Mencius differ in their outward traces but are identical in their principle. Their main purpose is to encourage good in men and restrain evil: not killing is benevolence; not stealing is integrity; not indulging in delusion is trustworthiness; not lying is rectitude; not becoming intoxicated is decorum.' ○ The monk Niweini and others of Central India came to pay court; they presented relics of the Buddha, Sanskrit sūtras, bodhi tree leaves, and bodhi-seed rosaries, and were bestowed purple robes. ○ The monk Buddhatrāta of Western India came to pay court and presented Sanskrit sūtras; he was bestowed a purple robe. ○ An imperial decree appointed Zanning, Compiler in the Historiography Institute, as Registrar of Monks of the Right Street.

44.5

In the second year, Chen Shu, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, stated: "The Institute for the Translation of Sutras has long incurred enormous expenses for provisions; I request that it be abolished." The Emperor did not grant permission, on the grounds that it was a glorious institution of the previous reign. An imperial decree ordered that Zanning, Compiler in the Historiography Institute, be promoted to Monastic Scribe of the Left Street. In the eighth month of the third year, Tianxizai, Probationary Chief Minister of the Court of Imperial Entertainments, passed away; he was posthumously titled Dharma Master Huibian. An imperial decree ordered the competent officials to provide full ceremonial rites for his funeral. Chan Master Cizhao Cong (found under Shoushan) resided at Shimen in Xiangzhou. The prefect caned him over an affair. When he returned, the head monk paid respects and asked: "The prefect wrongfully humiliated the Venerable Master without cause." The Master pointed to the ground with his finger and said: "Let him raise a mound of bones on flat ground." Thereupon, following his finger, a mound of earth arose. The prefect's entire family died of illness (Dahui wuku).

44.6

In the fifth month of the fourth year, Faxian, Probationary Chief Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, passed away; he was posthumously titled Dharma Master Xuanjue. An imperial decree ordered that his funeral be conducted according to the rites for Huibian. Zanning, Historiography Compiler and Monastic Scribe of the Left and Right Streets, passed away. Academician Wang Yucheng wrote a preface to his works, saying: "The Master was eighty-two years of age, yet his sight and hearing were not impaired. Having passed through fourteen imperial courts in the capital and four generations in Wuyue, he ultimately enjoyed the blessings of 'the five goods' embraced in the 'Great Plan' (Hongfan), occupying an eminence looked up to by all among the Buddhists. Is this not what is meant by 'one who surely attains long life and surely attains his high station'? The Master authored 150 fascicles of the Catalogue of Internal Scriptures and 49 fascicles of the Collection of External Studies. Examining his writings, one knows his Way. The Master once composed the General Treatise, in which he refuted Dong Zhongshu, censured Wang Chong, denounced Yan Shigu, authenticated Cai Yong, and criticized the Shitong. When Yucheng read it, he was greatly won over by his arguments and wrote a letter to the Master saying: 'This morning I borrowed your General Treatise and read it three times through in a day. It prevents the Way of the sages from suffering injury in Darkening of the Light, and saves the followers of the Confucian school from falling into confusion. Since the Zhou and Qin dynasties, writers have indeed been numerous. As for denouncing Yang Zhu and Mozi while honoring King Wen, the Duke of Zhou, and Confucius, there have not been lacking such men. But one who has thus censured the various thinkers point by point to manifest grandly the Way of the sages—I have never seen such a one before. For what purpose has the Master come? Could it not be that Heaven has blessed the Uncrowned King and availed itself of my Master's hand? Otherwise, how could the world be completely devoid of men wearing the Zhangfu cap and wide sleeves? (In the Book of Rites, Confucius said: 'When I was young and lived in Lu, I wore garments with wide sleeves; when grown up and living in Song, I wore the Zhangfu cap.' Feng means wide; garments with wide sleeves and unlined robes. Zhangfu was the Yin cap; Song was the successor to the Yin, and Confucius's ancestors were from Song. Feng is pronounced as Song. Ye is pronounced yè. Mei is the fan-cut of mǐ and bì; it means sleeve. Chan is the same as dān.) Although I am unworthy, I too have engaged myself in this. I have always wished to sharpen the weapons of ink to chastise the hundred schools, taking them captive into the Confucian palace; and, seizing those among their petty ways that most disrupt constant norms, execute them and their clans, so that the Way transmitted and codified from our ancestors might rival Heaven in loftiness, and only then would men know the venerability of the Master. This humble ambition of mine has endured for many a day. Now, beholding the creation of the Master's General Treatise, it is as when timely rain descends, or when the sun and moon come forth—what need is there any longer to irrigate or burn a torch? (In Zhuangzi: 'When the sun and moon have come forth, yet torches are not extinguished.' Jue is pronounced jué; a torch. See Wang's Xiaoxu ji.)' The Master authored the Outline History of the Monks in three fascicles; matters of origin, cause, and reform throughout the Dharma gate were recorded without omission. Gentlemen of the pavilions and ministries who wish to master both internal and external precedents all consult it here."

44.7

The commentary states: Dharma Master Daofa's preface to the Outline History of the Monks states that Wang Yucheng, Academician of the Hanlin Academy, attacked and rejected the Buddhists even more fiercely than Han Yu, yet toward Tonghui [Zanning] alone he could not praise and admire him enough. This was because his learning, conduct, talent, and insight had much to commend them. Now, examining the Xiaoxu ji, when Zanning compiled the history of monks, Wang presented him with a seven-character poem; when he compiled the Record of Sages and Worthies, Wang congratulated him with a five-character poem; when his remains returned to Qiantang for burial, Wang composed his epitaph; Wang introduced the collections of his internal and external writings with a preface; and regarding the composition of the General Treatise, Wang praised it in a letter, enthusiastically commending his refutations of Dong, censuring of Wang, denunciations of Yan, and criticisms of the Shitong, as well as his item-by-item critique of the various masters, as something unseen since the Zhou and Qin dynasties. From this we know that regarding Tonghui, Wang did not dare reject him on account of Buddhism, but uniquely esteemed the excellence of his scholarship and insight; this can indeed be called sincere submission. As for the abundance of Tonghui's virtue and spiritual realization, Wang had not studied them and was not qualified to know them—unlike Liang Jingzhi who understood Jingxi [Zhanran], or Liu Zihou who understood Chongxun.

44.8

In the sixth year, Chen Shu, Prefect of Kaifeng, stated: "Regarding monks who travel to the Western Heavens to seek sutras, I have summoned and questioned them: they have rarely practiced sutra studies, and their appearances are base and unrefined. If they go to the various barbarian realms, they will surely invite slight and contempt. From now on, their scriptural knowledge should be tested, their character and talent scrutinized, and only those deemed capable should be allowed to go." An imperial decree granted permission. In the second month, an imperial decree ordered that the classifications and teachings of Chan Master Zhizhe of the Sui dynasty be arranged by category and engraved on printing blocks, comprising 154 works in all; it was bestowed with the title General Catalogue of Tiantai. The Translation Institute requested that it be attached to the Kaiyuan Record of Eastern Scriptorium Collections and Biographies. The imperial rescript answered: "Granted."

44.9

In the first year of Jingde, the monk Jakuchō from Japan arrived and presented an image of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life, a gold-lettered Lotus Sutra, and crystal prayer beads; he was bestowed a purple square robe. The Western Heaven Tripiṭaka Master Fahū (Dharmapāla) arrived and presented relics of the Buddha and palm-leaf Sanskrit sutras; he was bestowed a purple robe and bolts of silk, and lodged in the Institute for the Translation of Sutras. The monk Jiexian (Śīlabhadra) from Northern India arrived to present Sanskrit sutras; he was bestowed purple vestments. In the seventh month, during a severe drought, Sanskrit monks from the Western Heavens were summoned to erect an altar in the middle of the waters of Jinming Pool to chant incantations to the dragons. Clouds and mist arose from the pool, and in a short while rain arrived. Thereafter, whenever there was a drought, incantation rituals were invariably performed and proved largely efficacious. The monk Daoyuan of Dongwu presented the Transmission of the Lamp of the Chan School in thirty fascicles; an imperial decree ordered the Hanlin Academician Yang Yi to edit and promulgate it.

44.10

In the third month of the second year, the monk Muluoshiji from Kaśmīra arrived to present Sanskrit sutras and bodhi-tree leaves. In the seventh month, the monk Damopo (Dharmapāla) from the Western Heavens arrived to present Sanskrit sutras; he was bestowed purple vestments. In the ninth month, the Emperor visited the Institute for the Translation of Sutras, had the Tripiṭaka monks seated, and bestowed incense, tea, silks, and polychrome fabrics according to rank. Because previously the appointments and promotions of monastic officers to abbots of various monasteries had at times not matched their abilities, the Emperor thereupon summoned them to the side hall to examine and test their conduct and practice. In the third year, Sun Shi, Reader-in-Waiting to the Princely Establishments, memorialized to request reductions in the building of monasteries and the ordination of monks. The Emperor said: "The two teachings of Buddhism and Daoism aid worldly instruction. Some people hold one-sided views and often slander and revile them. Even if monks and Daoists occasionally fail to inspect themselves, how could [these teachings] be abolished?" An imperial decree ordered that for every ten people ordained annually in Buddhism and Daoism, one person be specially exempted from the examination on scriptural knowledge. The monk Zhimeng of Wuzhou, surnamed Xu, wore brocade clothes and loved to eat pig heads. When he spoke of men's fortunes and misfortunes, none failed to come true. He called people "little brother-in-law" and styled himself "Brother-in-law Xu." One day, he passed away sitting upright at Jixiang Monastery in Sanqu. His parting words were: "I am the Buddha Dīpaṅkara." Thereafter, his true body was venerated, and prayers and divine responses never ceased. The world called him the "Pig-Head Acārya."

44.11

In the fourth year, an imperial decree ordered that all vendors of wine and meat in the capital city must be located at least one hundred paces away from monasteries and abbeys. If anyone sells wine, meat, or the five pungent roots to monks or Daoists, people are permitted to denounce and report them, and their crimes shall be severely punished.

44.12

The commentary states: Emperor Zhenzong may well be called a benevolent and sagacious ruler. When he first ascended the throne, he composed a preface to the Sacred Teaching (the newly translated canon is called the "Sacred Teaching"; composing prefaces to the Sacred Teaching began in the Tang dynasty) and authored the Treatise on Exalting Buddhism. When Chen Shu argued for abolishing sutra translation, he did not permit it; when Sun Shi requested a reduction in monk ordinations, he did not listen. Furthermore, he was able to issue an edict that those who sell wine and meat to monks and Daoists should be prosecuted for their crimes; this was out of the intention that such impure activities ought not defile sacred precincts. Later, the monk Juecheng arrived from Tianzhu and said to Academician Yang Yi: "Entering this realm, I see the slaughter of pigs and sheep and meat hanging in the markets, which is so painful I cannot bear to watch. In Tianzhu, those who eat meat and the five pungent roots are driven outside the city, and therefore none sell it." Thus we know that the prefectures and cities of the Eastern Splendor are accustomed to eating meat, so those who see it feel no aversion; can they alone feel no shame before Juecheng? Once, discussing this matter with peers, I wished to petition for a clear and enlightened ruler to extend the laws of the dynastic ancestors, prohibiting the slaughter of beasts inside the city and forbidding the hanging of meat in the markets and streets (all butchers should only reside outside the city in remote, deserted places where no people pass; peddlers should use bamboo vessels to cover it and enter the city, pay taxes, and only then patrol the streets to sell), so that people's dwellings may be pure and clean, and their eyes not accustomed to seeing it. This would dispel the aura of killing to nourish benevolent hearts, and alter bad habits to turn toward the good path—how could this fail to benefit the state's governance and transformation?

44.13

Earlier, Pan Hua, Magistrate of Zhuji County, relying on the Samantabhadra Repentance Ritual, forbade people from catching fish in the rivers and lakes. In the tenth month of this year, he received an edict to return to the imperial palace. At night, he dreamt of tens of thousands of fish in the rivers and lakes in human form, wailing loudly to the skies, all saying: "The Elder is leaving! We shall not escape being boiled!" Pan Hua was astonished and composed the Record of the Dream of Fish to entrust it to subsequent county magistrates (Dharma Master Fazhi of Siming wrote a colophon for it, recorded in the Record of Teachings and Practices). Court officials stated: "The ignorant populace lack knowledge and flatter the Buddha to excess, claiming that relinquishing wealth can court blessings and performing offerings can extinguish sins; this harms and undermines the governance of the state and ought to be prohibited." The Emperor said to his chief ministers: "Buddhism causes people to turn toward goodness; it truly brings benefit. How could it be prohibited? Furthermore, the reach of the Buddha's Dharma is extremely vast; even the various kingdoms of the barren regions know to believe and revere it. Only Daoism exists in the Central Plains, yet it is not very flourishing." Wang Dan replied: "In recent years, when barbarian envoys ascended the Kaibao Pagoda, they paid homage with great devotion and vowed to abstain from killing; but when they arrived at the Shangqing Palace, they would not bend their knees. Thus we know that the four barbarian peoples only venerate the Buddha and do not respect Daoism." The Emperor said: "Indeed."

44.14

The commentary states: Daoism serves Heaven, and Heaven serves the Buddha. Therefore, a ruler of a state must preserve both, while the distinction between superior and inferior, great and small, has long been self-evident. Respectfully contemplating Emperor Zhenzong: his sagely mind was open and accommodating, encompassing the Dharma realm; he revered Heaven's decree and honored the Buddha Vehicle, which arose from his true nature and did not rely on learning. He avoided Emperor Wu of Liang's bias of permanently abandoning Daoism, and avoided Emperor Taizong of Tang's error of elevating Laozi above the Buddha (in the second year of the Tianjian era of Liang, Daoism was abolished; in the eleventh year of the Zhenguan era of Tang, Laozi was elevated above the Buddha). He firmly rejected the court officials' assertion that people flatter the Buddha to court blessings, and how could he have heeded Chen Shu's claim that translating sutras wastes wealth? Modeling himself above on his dynastic ancestors and bequeathing established laws below—were he not the utmost sage of the realm, who could have done this?

44.15

An edict dispatched an envoy to send a golden brocade kāṣāya to Zhongge Monastery on Mount Luofu in Huizhou to honor the auspicious image of Śākyamuni, and further established a bodhimaṇḍa to pray for blessings for the state. This moved auspicious birds of five colors to gather at the feast site. This statue was eight feet high and came from the Western Heavens. During the Kaihuang era of the Sui dynasty, the monk Huixi installed it at Longhua Monastery. During the Huichang destruction, the miraculous efficacy of the statue could not be destroyed, so Daoists hid it in Duxu Abbey. During the Xiantong era, Wei Zhou, Military Commissioner of Hainan, welcomed it to Zhongge Monastery.

44.16

In the seventh month, an imperial decree forbade the people from sitting or lying bare-chested on the hall steps of various monasteries and abbeys; violators were to be judged as committing disrespect. Wang Dan, the Chief Minister, led the civil and military officials in submitting five memorials requesting the Feng and Shan sacrifices. In the tenth month, the common people in the capital successively submitted memorials, and an imperial decree granted permission. In the eleventh month, the imperial carriage proceeded to Qufu (the old territory of the State of Lu in Yanzhou) to visit the temple of the First Sage. The officials fixed the ceremony as a solemn bow, but the Emperor specially made two full prostrations, which thereupon became an established rule. Confucius was granted the posthumous title of King Xuanxuan Wenxuan; the imperial prayer text submitted his name. His father Shuliang He was enfeoffed as Duke of the State of Qi, his mother Lady Yan as Mistress of the State of Lu, and his wife Lady Guan as Mistress of the State of Yun. Ten households were granted to maintain the tomb grounds, along with one hundred qing of land and an imperial encomium. The Grand Duke of Qi was enfeoffed as King Zhaolie Wucheng.

44.17

The author remarks: In honoring the Former Sage from antiquity, it began with Han Gaozu, who passed through Lu and performed sacrifices and enfeoffment. Later, Emperor Ping first enfeoffed him as Duke Baocheng. Emperor Wu of Liang first ordered that temples be erected throughout the realm. Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei altered the posthumous title to Duke Wenxuan. Emperor Taizong of the Tang adopted Fang Xuanling's proposal: when the Libation Sacrifice was performed at the Imperial Academy, [Confucius] was first honored as the Former Sage, with Master Yan as his companion in sacrifice. Emperor Xuanzong first advanced his title to King Wenxuan, seated facing south, using the Palace Hanging music fit for a king. Our imperial dynasty's Emperor Zhenzong added the posthumous title Most Sagely King Wenxuan; moreover, in the sacrificial prayer his personal name was advanced, and the established ceremonial protocol was specifically to make prostrations. From antiquity, the honoring of the Former Sage has never been greater than on this day. Han Changli said that across the realm all may sacrifice to Confucius; from the Son of Heaven on down, they kneel and prostrate facing north, and never has the magnificence of sacrificial rites equaled that accorded Confucius. This is because Confucius possessed virtue: though he did not obtain rank, he obtained constant sacrifice (see the Chuzhou Confucius Temple Stele). Thus we know that from Xuanzong onward he was honored with the rites of a king, wherefore the Sons of Heaven of successive generations have prostrated and sacrificed to him. Now Zhenzong's special prostration accords with antiquity; I do not know why the ritual officials of the day, out of ignorance, prescribed the ceremonial protocol of a solemn bow. How shameful!

44.18

An imperial decree ordered the repair and adornment of the various statues on Mount Tai, thirty-two figures in all. The emperor composed the Record of the Restoration of Buddhist Statues. / Mount Yandang had never been mentioned in ancient maps and genealogies. At the summit of the mountain is a great pool, traditionally called Yandang; below are two pools, which are the Dragon Pools. South of the mountain is Lotus Peak, below which is Lotus Relay Station, facing the great ocean before it. According to Western Indian texts, the Venerable Nakula resides at the southeastern maritime border of Cīnasthāna, where the mountain is named after a bird and the village after a flower. In the Tang dynasty Guanxiu had a praise: 'Where the geese flutter along the path, clouds stretch endless; / When sitting peacefully by the Dragon Pool, mist-rain falls.' In the Xiangfu era woodcutters first came upon it, and thenceforth it became famous. (The mountain is in Yueqing, Wenzhou. Nakula is one of the sixteen arhats who abide in the world. In Sanskrit, Cīnasthāna means the Eastern Land of Noble Gentlemen.) / Chan Master Benxian of Ruidu on Mount Yan passed away while seated in the seal posture. After a full month, his physical body had not decayed, and an unusual fragrance was constantly smelled. An imperial decree ordered that his Zhulin ji (Bamboo Grove Collection) be procured and stored in the Imperial Archives. (He was an heir of State Preceptor Shao.)

44.19

In the second year, in the first month, celebrating the Feng and Shan sacrifices, an imperial decree ordered that each temple and monastery throughout the realm ordain one person to participate in the imperial audience at Mount Tai; the monks and Daoists who occupied secondary positions were each to ordain one disciple. / An imperial decree granted Shengzhou's Chongsheng Temple the name Chengtian Ganlu Precept Platform. / An imperial order appointed Great Master Guangfan, Weijing, as Probationary Chief Minister of the Court of Imperial Entertainments, concurrently participating in the translation of scriptures. / In the ninth month, the Grand Princess of Wu renounced household life. Her Dharma name was Qingyu, and she was granted the title Great Master Baoci Zhengjue. She was the seventh daughter of Taizong; in her youth she did not consume meat or blood. When the Emperor visited Yansheng Temple, she held onto [the statue of] the Buddha and vowed to renounce household life as a nun. Coming to this time, she requested the shaving of her head. An imperial decree ordered the construction of the Zisheng Cloister for her to reside in. An imperial order commanded Buddhist ceremonial regalia (such as bells, drums, cymbals, banners, and streamers) and the musicians of the Imperial Academy of Music to welcome and guide her. At that time, the daughters of the Prince of Mi and the Prince of Cao, along with more than thirty palace women, all followed her in renouncing household life. An imperial decree on that day granted a general ordination of boys across the realm, ordaining one out of ten. / An imperial decree ordered that Yingtian Temple be constructed at the Jiama Barracks in Luoyang, the birthplace of Taizu, in order to revere his divine image.

44.20

In the third year, an imperial decree ordered Taiping Xingguo Temple in the capital to establish the Fengxian Ganlu Precept Platform. All circuits throughout the realm established precept platforms, seventy-two places in total. Cixiao Temple in the capital separately established a Mahāyāna Precept Platform.

44.21

The author remarks: According to Ning Tonghui's Outline of the Buddhist Monastic History, amṛta is used as a metaphor for nirvāṇa, and the precepts are the first portal for entering nirvāṇa; thus its name is manifested from the fruit. Now, what is called separately establishing a Mahāyāna precept platform means that one first receives the full śrāvaka precepts in the various regions, and later comes to this place to additionally receive the bodhisattva precepts, following the principle that in the latter age after the opening and revealing, both the vehicle and the precepts are urgent for those who have renounced household life.

44.22

An imperial decree directed all prefectures and commanderies throughout the realm that monks and Daoists who committed public offenses were permitted to use the redemption laws. An imperial order declared that ranked officials who, without cause, defamed and humiliated monks and nuns or called them 'bald' were to be suspended from their current office, while commoners were to be exiled one thousand li. / An imperial decree appointed Li Wei, drafter of edicts, to devise topics from sūtras and treatises to examine monks, in order to establish the sequence for promotion and appointments to the Left and Right Streets. (The Left Street was Xiangguo Temple; the Right Street was Kaibao Temple.) / An imperial decree accommodated Chan Master Yunhuo of Xifeng in Jizhou at the Northern Imperial Garden. He entered samādhi for more than a month, and then requested permission to return to his home mountain; an imperial decree granted this. Whenever the Master entered samādhi, a year might elapse before he emerged.

44.23

The Western Indian monk Zhongde came to court, presenting relics, Sanskrit scriptures, and a Bodhi seal. / The Central Indian monk Juejie (also called Dharma) came to court, presenting relics, Sanskrit manuscripts, a true likeness of the Vajrāsana, and leaves from the Bodhi tree. He was granted an audience in the side hall, where the imperial consolation was most generous, and he was lodged in the Scripture Translation Institute. Juejie presented verses praising the sage; an imperial decree ordered Weijing to translate them. Juejie said to Academician Yang Yi: 'Upon entering this country, I have seen the slaughter of pigs and sheep and meat hanging in the marketplaces; the pain makes it unbearable to watch. In Western India, those who eat meat and the five pungent roots are driven out of the city, so none sell them. My heart does not desire to stay here long; I wish to go to Mount Wutai to pay homage to Mañjuśrī and then return to my native land.' Ding Wei, Duke of Jin, asked him: 'Coming tens of thousands of li from afar, what else do you wish to do?' Juejie said: 'I also wish to pay homage to the stūpa of Vinaya Master Xuan.' When he returned, an imperial decree bestowed on him a gold-laced kāṣāya to enshrine at the Vajrāsana, as well as travel funds, tea, and fruit. / Dharma Master Zhili of Siming initially gathered disciples with the monk Yiwen at Bao'en in Nanhu to lecture on the teachings. In this year, the name-plaque Yanqing was bestowed. Thereupon he composed two essays of admonitory oaths to make it a perpetual place for lecturing on and transmitting the Tiantai doctrinal tradition. He said: 'If someone in our school possesses the five virtues, I shall pass it to him to reside here; the plans of later generations should also all follow this.' The five virtues are: first, being well-grounded in Tiantai and not concurrently lecturing on other schools; second, exercising precision and profound contemplation, distancing oneself from superficial falsehood; third, possessing a reputation for moral virtue, rectifying oneself in treating others; fourth, being able to distance oneself from fame and honor, never bending our path; fifth, possessing both fine rhetoric and debate, agile in guiding others.

44.24

In the fourth year, in the third month, the Emperor visited Guanghua Temple on Mount Longmen in Luoyang to view the stūpa of Tripiṭaka Master Wuxie [Śubhakarasiṃha]. He composed a eulogy, carved it on stone, and placed it at the site of the stūpa. He further visited Baima Temple to view the true body of Tripiṭaka Master Mātanga. The Emperor said to his close ministers: 'Mātanga has spanned a thousand years to the present, yet his whole body remains incorrupt. He is truly worthy of veneration. The monks of the temple should be strictly instructed to guard it diligently with care.' Thereupon he composed an imperial text to praise him. / An imperial decree bestowed three thousand ounces of gold to further renovate Puxian Temple on Mount Emei, to host a vegetarian meal for thirty thousand monks, and to ordain four monks annually. / An imperial decree summoned Practitioner Shoujian of the Lianshui Army for an audience. Palace women were all ordered to come forward and burn incense. Whenever a woman arrived before him, the Emperor deceived him, saying: 'This is the Empress.' The Master said in each case: 'No.' After several tens of women had passed, the Master suddenly rose and said: 'Your Majesty, take good care of this person; she will surely become the mistress of the house in the future.' This was Empress Dowager Zhangxian. (Zhenzong's Empress Liu. When Renzong ascended the throne, because he was young, he honored Empress Liu as Empress Dowager; she attended court and presided over the administration for eleven years.)

44.25

The Master requested permission to return to the mountain; an imperial decree granted this. On the mountain he always wore paper clothing and shut his door, seeing no one. If someone placed food in front of the courtyard, he would take it himself once the person had withdrawn.

44.26

In the fifth month, the monk Jixian of the country of Barni arrived and presented Sanskrit scriptures and a Bodhi seal; he was granted a purple robe. / In the eleventh month, Li Shiheng, the defending official of Yizhou, presented the forty-fascicle Shishi huiyao (Compendium of Buddhist History) compiled and edited by the monk Renzan of Daci Temple.

44.27

In the fifth year, in the second month, an imperial decree summoned the monk Maozhen of Mount Emei in Jiazhou for an audience. The Emperor granted him a poem and lodged him in Jingde Temple. Prince of Shu Yuancheng dreamed of a blue-clad youth holding a letter, handing it to a palace envoy, stepping on yellow clouds and gradually vanishing. The Prince asked the Master about it, and he replied: 'There will be the joyous event of the conception of an heir apparent.' Soon after, Renzong was born. / Earlier, when Yue Shi was governor of the Western Capital, he dreamed that the Celestial Emperor summoned him and said: 'The ruler of the world seeks an heir; I will select one for him.' After a short while, a person arrived, and the Emperor said: 'The Central Plains seeks an heir; you go, do not decline.' He then assented and departed. An attendant at his side said: 'This is the Barefoot Immortal Li of the Southern Marchmount.' The next year, Renzong was born. (Zhang Shizheng's Kuoyi ji.)

44.28

The country of Japan dispatched envoys presenting tribute, who reported: 'In the east of our realm, an auspicious light appeared. According to ancient tradition, if the Son of Heaven in the Central Plains is sagely and luminous, then this omen will be manifested.' The Emperor was delighted. He ordered that a temple be built in Japan, bestowed on it the name-plaque Shengguang, and commanded literary ministers to compose a record for the temple.

44.29

In the sixth year, in the second month, an imperial decree ordered officials throughout the realm to examine postulancy novices in their scripture study before permitting tonsure. / In the fifth month, a golden light appeared above the wheel finial of Fusheng Pagoda at Kaibao Temple, and there was also a holy monk circumambulating the pagoda. The next day, five-colored relics were obtained. The Emperor personally visited to reverently view them. He saw the relics on the exterior of the pagoda, as large as the moon and the same color as crystal, flying and moving back and forth above the bell cords. Gentry and commoners gazed at them together; on the ground bricks, they obtained more than five thousand relic grains. An imperial decree bestowed the title Linggan Pagoda (Pagoda of Miraculous Response). At that time, the Xingci Pagoda of Tianqing Temple in the capital also had relics appear above its wheel finial. The Emperor said: 'The auspicious signs of the image teaching are the blessings of the common people.' / In the eighth month, Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and Polish-and-Embellish Editor of Translated Scriptures Zhao Anren compiled and edited the catalog of the Great Canon under imperial decree, completing it in twenty-one fascicles; the title Dazhong Xiangfu fabao lu was bestowed. The Emperor also bestowed an imperial preface stating: 'Since the Taiping Xingguo era, four hundred and thirteen fascicles of sūtras, vinayas, and treatises have been translated.'楊億 (Director of the Palace Library Yang Yi), Great Master Guangfan Weijing, and others arranged and classified them. They further requested that the imperial collections of Buddhist writings from the two courts be incorporated into the Great Canon; an imperial decree praised and granted this. / An imperial decree granted Mahāsattva Sangha of Sizhou the posthumous title Great Master Puzhao Mingjue; public and private persons were not permitted to directly utter his personal name. / In the ninth month, the Western Indian monk Zhixian and others arrived to present relics and Sanskrit scriptures; they were granted purple robes. / In the eleventh month, relics appeared in the Mingqing Hall of the Sagely Ancestor at Yuqing Zhaoqing Palace. Some considered that within the Daoist gate there was no such thing as relics. The Emperor said to Chancellor Wang Dan: 'The establishment of the three teachings has a single purport. In general, they all encourage people to do good. Only scholars of understanding and insight can integrate them into a single thread. Clinging sentiments and biased attachments only lead farther away from the Way.'

44.30

The author remarks: The Dharma-body relics are nowhere absent. When a great resonant response occurs, they may be found even in inanimate emptiness or decaying earth. How could they be restricted by a Daoist palace or hall? Only our Zhenzong revered Heaven and served the Buddha, his virtue stirring the unseen and the manifest. Recently, pagodas and temples have repeatedly obtained relics, and now they appear again in the hall of the Sagely Ancestor. Truly, this serves to manifest our sage sovereign's heart in reverently serving both teachings, which has brought this about through the resonant response of pure sincerity.

44.31

The Western Indian monk Manxian from Vārāṇasī presented Sanskrit scriptures and leaves of the aśoka tree. / Dharma Master Chongju of Fushi (a disciple of Fazhi of Siming) arrived in the capital. The Emperor heard of his name, summoned him to the inner palace, and had him lecture on the Sūtra of Forty-Two Chapters. He spoke extensively on nominal principles; the Emperor's heart was greatly pleased, and he bestowed a purple robe, gold coins, incense, and medicine.

44.32

In the eighth year, in the first month, ministers submitted: 'Every year at the Lantern Festival, the imperial carriage visits more than thirty temples and monasteries, making over a hundred prostrations. We hope that from now on, close ministers will be ordered to make prostrations in the various halls on your behalf.' The Emperor said to Wang Dan: 'I pray for blessings for both within and without, reverently and respectfully prostrating and rising without ever slacking. Your desire to reduce them does not accord with my intention' (Guochao huiyao).

44.33

The commentary states: According to the Record of Returning to the Fields (Guitian lu), Emperor Taizu entered a monastery and asked Zanning Tonghui, "Should the Buddha be bowed to?" He replied, "A present Buddha does not bow to past Buddhas." But Zanning first returned to the capital along with the King of Wuyue during the reign of Emperor Taizong; he had never seen Taizu. What Ouyang [Xiu] recorded is false. Now observing that Emperor Zhenzong bowed more than a hundred times and did not wish to delegate this to his close ministers, it was because he was well practiced in the ancestral family precepts. Later, just as Emperor Huizong bowed to the Buddha's tooth and the emperors throughout the Southern Song bowed to the Great Being [Guanyin], we know that since the founding of the state there has never been any principle of not bowing to the Buddha. Ouyang disparaged the Buddha, and not wishing the ruler of men to show reverence, he fabricated this account. His nonsensical talk of "present and past" slandered the sovereign above and slandered Master Zanning below. How extreme!

44.34

An edict was issued to build the Jingling Palace at the bing position within the imperial palace to venerate the Sacred Ancestor. ○ An imperial decree renamed Nan'an Cliff in Tingzhou as Junqing Cloister and bestowed one hundred and twenty scrolls of Emperor Taizong's imperial calligraphy. Prior to this, the monk Zicheng resided on the cliff, possessing unfathomable supernatural powers, and was said to be an incarnation of the Buddha Dīpaṅkara. Seeing that a water monster in the Hairen River was harming people, he wrote a verse and threw it into the deep pool; sand surged with the water and blocked the pool, turning it into an islet, and the monster was thereupon eliminated. Passing through Huangyang Gorge in Meizhou, the people lacked water to drink; Zicheng pointed his staff at a stream and moved it near the road. Whenever there was a drought in a year, he wrote a verse and cast it, and wind and rain would arrive immediately. At the end of his verses he always wrote the four characters "Bestowed into the midst of it" (zeng yi zhi zhong), the meaning of which no one in the world understood. ○ An edict ordered that Emperor Taizong's imperially composed Collection of Wondrous Enlightenment (Miaojue ji) in five fascicles be delivered to the Institute for Translating the Dharma and incorporated into the Tripiṭaka.

44.35

The commentary states: As for the followers of Daoism, their learning consists of the Daodejing and the Yinfujing, which are the basis for governing the mind and cultivating the self. When it comes to the oral instructions on the inner elixir, outer elixir, and the regulation of the furnace fire, they are not transmitted to unworthy individuals. The rest of their peripheral methods, such as the practice of embryonic respiration and herbal prescriptions, were all laid down by superior sages to teach below and save the mortal world; they cannot be called nihilism. As for erecting altars and transmitting registers, which began with the Celestial Master, these are also methods from high heaven for protecting the state, protecting people, governing ghosts, and subduing demonic evils; all can assist in transforming all under heaven. It is for this reason that this path is ranked within the state, forming the three teachings equally alongside Confucianism and Buddhism. As for the meaning of minor and major, superiority and inferiority, inner and outer, they are clearly discernible. Thus, Kan Ze said in reply to the King of Wu: "Daoism serves Heaven, and Heaven serves the Buddha." Li Shiqian, discussing the three teachings, said: "Confucianism is the five planets; Daoism is the moon; Buddhism is the sun." If one can grasp this meaning, the positions of the three teachings are determined. When people say "Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism", it is based on this. That Confucian scholars and Daoist priests do not distinguish the root from the branch and wish to slight and usurp the Buddhists is entirely the fault of superficial scholars. If Daoists help perpetuate the old falsehood that Laozi converted the barbarians with the Buddha serving as his attendant, slandering Laozi and defiling the Bhagavat, what should their guilt be?

44.36

The kingdom of Chola in the Southern Sea sent envoys to pay tribute and present Indian Sanskrit scriptures. The envoys said: "For the past forty years the sea has been without wind and waves; we surmised that a sage had appeared in China." In the second month of the ninth year, the monk Tiangue from the kingdom of Udyāna in North India, the monk Miaode from the Lion Kingdom (Siṃhala) in South India, and monks from the kingdom of Kacchapa in West India arrived, each presenting relics and Sanskrit scriptures. Each was bestowed purple robes and gold coins. ○ In the fourth month, the monk Tongshou (Kumārajīva) from the kingdom of Savara in Central India arrived to present Sanskrit scriptures; he was bestowed purple robes. ○ In the fifth month, the monk Puji from the kingdom of Varendra in East India arrived to present Sanskrit scriptures; he was bestowed purple robes.

44.37

The commentary states: Many Sanskrit monks have arrived from the Western regions in an unbroken stream, but as for the monks of the Five Indias vying to gather at the imperial court, none was as magnificent as this time. How could it not be that the flourishing of the fortunes of the Dharma was also evoked by the Emperor's virtue? Checking the names of the kingdoms of the Five Indias against the Records of the Western Regions, only the Lion Kingdom can be identified; the rest cannot be verified. This is because events change across ancient and modern times, just as what was previously Han and Tang is now Song; in reality, they belong to the same realm.

44.38

The monk Jiquan returned from the Western regions with Buddha relics and built a stupa in Yangzhou. ○ The stone-shrine Buddhas on Mount Longmen in the Western Capital had fallen into decay over a long period. The Emperor ordered the monk Qiyan to supply workers to restore and embellish them, totaling 17,339 images. ○ In the ninth month it did not rain. An edict summoned the monk Zhiwu of Mount Gui in Sizhou to enter the capital and reside at Kaibao Monastery to pray for rain. Zhiwu had previously prayed for rain in Sizhou with efficacious results, having cut off one of his arms. When it came to this occasion, he said again, "If it rains within seven days, I will sacrifice another arm." On the fifth day, there was heavy rain, and he severed his arm. The Emperor sent an envoy to bestow medicine. Zhiwu said, "There is no harm." People saw that the severed arm did not bleed, and were greatly amazed. The governor of Sizhou and the people of the commandery all dreamed that Sangha told them: "Wu is one of the five hundred arhats, who came here to save the world."

44.39

In the fourth month of the first year of Tianxi, an edict stated: "The teachings bequeathed by the Golden Immortal truly benefit living beings; the texts recorded on palm leaves should rely on translation. If the lineages of transmission differ, the heterodox and orthodox will inevitably become mixed. Having lost precision, errors have gradually formed. Furthermore, sacrifices of meat and blood greatly defile the True Vehicle, and words of curses and sorcery especially run counter to the wondrous principle. The newly translated four-fascicle Vināyaka Sūtra shall not be permitted to enter the canon. From now on, texts like this must not be translated." ○ In the seventh month, an edict bestowed 4,620 printed fascicles of the Master of Zhiyi's teachings from Mount Dongye in Taizhou. Benru, the abbot of the mountain, urged the people of the commandery to build a Teaching Canon Pavilion to enshrine them. ○ In the ninth month, Grand Councilor Wang Dan died. One day prior, he instructed Hanlin Academician Yang Yi, saying: "I deeply detest this weary life, and wish in a future life to become a monk, sitting peacefully in the forest and delighting in the contemplation of the mind. Please invite a monk of great virtue for me to administer the precepts, shave my beard and hair, dress me in the three robes, and cremate me; do not place gold and jewels in the coffin." Yi discussed this with the orphans, saying: "His Excellency was one of the Three Ducal Ministers; how could the conferred ducal robe bestowed for his enshrouding be placed on the body of a monk?" They merely placed the three robes in the coffin and did not inter jewels and jade (Xiangshan yelu). ○ Grand Councilor Wang Qinruo concurrently held the post of Translation and Polishing Commissioner. ○ In the eleventh month, an edict ordered the commanderies and prefectures throughout the realm to restore ponds for releasing life. In places without ponds, fishing was prohibited for five li upstream and downstream near cities along the Yangzi and Huai Rivers (Emperor Suzong of Tang established eighty-one ponds for releasing life, and Yan Zhenqing composed a stele recording his virtue). ○ Dharma Master Zhili of Yanqing in Siming assembled ten monks to cultivate the Lotus Repentance for a three-year period, intending to burn his body as an offering to the Dharma. Yang Yi, Supervisor of the Palace Library, who had always admired his virtuous demeanor, sent a letter urging him to remain in the world, stating that just as the Tiantai teachings were being revived, the transmission relied precisely on him to be a good guide for the world. He also wrote letters to the Commandery Governor Li Yigeng and Ciyun of Tianzhu, asking them to dissuade him as well. Shortly after, Imperial Son-in-law Li Zunxu also sent a letter adding his persuasion. Due to the earnest appeals from both public and private quarters, the master ultimately gave up his former resolve; he then assembled ten monks again to cultivate the Great Compassion Repentance Method for three years to fulfill his supreme vow. In the second year, an imperial decree renamed Changgan Monastery in Jiangning Prefecture (Shengzhou) as Tianxi, and its stupa was named "Sacred Response" (Shenggan), which was one of the nineteen Aśoka relic stupas preserved in the Eastern Land (the stupa was outside the city).

44.40

In the eighth month of the third year, with respectful thanks to the Sacred Ancestor, a general amnesty was declared throughout the realm. The text of the proclamation stated: "The wondrous Dao of the Ethereal Sovereign and the True Vehicle of the Western Indias both originate from the source of transformation; how could we dare forget to venerate them? All monks, nuns, Daoist priests, Daoist nuns, registered novices, and postulants throughout the realm shall be universally ordained." Lin Te, Right Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs, supervised the ordination certificates of the Bureau of Sacrifices. In that year, 230,127 monks, 15,643 nuns, 7,081 Daoist priests, and 89 Daoist nuns were ordained. ○ An edict ordered that an altar be established in the Tian'an Hall to give thanks to Heaven and Earth, gathering a great assembly of 13,086 monks and Daoist priests. The Emperor personally bestowed large coins of "medicinal silver" to them in person (medicinal silver is mercury; silver is commonly referred to as dried cinnabar/quicksilver). ○ The monk Daocheng of Mount Yuelun in Qiantang, on account of the court's extended grace of universal ordination, composed the Essentials of the Śākya Clan (Shishi yaolan) in three fascicles as a necessary guide on the community's monastic regulations for those who had left household life, circulating it in the world. ○ The translation tripiṭaka master Dharmapāla and others requested that the Imperially Commented Scripture in Forty-Two Sections and the Imperially Commented Bequeathed Teachings Sūtra be entered into the canon and promulgated. An edict granted permission. ○ Grand Councilor Wang Qinruo departed to govern Qiantang. Leading his subordinate officials, he went to Ling Mountains in Tianzhu to pay respects to Dharma Master Ciyun Zunshi, requesting him to preach the Lotus Sūtra. He sighed and said: "This doctrine is something I have never heard; this person is someone I have never seen!" He immediately petitioned to restore the old name of Tianzhu. The Master petitioned to designate West Lake as a pond for releasing life; every year on the eighth day of the fourth month, the people of the commandery would gather at the lake to release fish and birds, wishing longevity for the sovereign. ○ In the eleventh month, the Eastern Jurchen kingdom came to present tribute and begged to be bestowed the Tripiṭaka. An edict granted it to them. In the first month of the fourth year, Miyen and others, Lecturers on the Scriptures of the Right Street, requested that the imperially composed Collection of the Dharma Sound of Buddhist Canonical Texts (Shidian fayin ji) be annotated by monks in thirty fascicles and begged that it be appended to the Tripiṭaka. An edict granted permission. Initially, Yang Yi supervised the affair. In the collection there was the phrase "six kinds of tremors"; one monk annotated it with nearly three hundred characters, which was obscure, fragmented, and unsightly. Yi deleted it and added his own note: "The substance of the earth is inherently still; when it moves, there must be a change." People admired his conciseness. ○ The Western Indian monk Pushan arrived to present Sanskrit scriptures; he was bestowed purple robes. ○ Imperial Son-in-law Commandant Li Zunxu reported the lofty conduct of Dharma Master Zhili of Siming in giving up his life. The Emperor praised and admired him ceaselessly, specially bestowing the title "Fazhi" (Wisdom of the Dharma), and further proclaimed an imperial decree ordering him to remain in the world to propagate the teachings, forbidding him from giving up his life. At that time, Jianzhang and others from the Translation Institute, twenty-three people in all, each sent verses praising his moral virtue (the poems can be seen in the Record of Teachings and Practices of Siming, and are carved on stone at South Lake). ○ In the twelfth month, Hanlin Academician Yang Yi died. Yi had devoted his mind to Chan contemplation; from the time he fell ill, he abstained from meat and all pungent plants. On the day of his death, he composed a verse of the Emptiness Gate to reveal his aspiration. Those of discernment knew that he had attained the learning of the Buddha.

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佛祖統紀 — 志磐, Classical Chinese