佛祖統紀 50.46

50.46

The sage Tathāgata, transforming all under heaven and future generations by the path of opening the provisional and revealing the real, opening the trace and revealing the origin, is called the Buddha. The Buddha's disciples who successively transmit the path and serve as leaders for the world are called patriarchs. In reality, it is one single path. Therefore, when the Tathāgata was about to cease his transforming work, he entrusted the supreme Great Dharma to Piṇḍola. Piṇḍola upheld it for twenty years and entrusted it to Ānanda. Ānanda upheld the Dharma and propagated the transformation also for twenty years, entrusting it to Śāṇavāsa. Descending to the thirteenth generation, named Nāgārjuna, he first expounded in textual prajñā the path of the three contemplations that he had realized, titled the Madhyamaka-śāstra. When this was translated and transmitted to the eastern realm, the Northern Qi [master Huisi], through past awakening and present realization, established it as a method of contemplation and transmitted it to Nanyue. Nanyue received its purport, awakened to the Lotus, and purified the six senses, transmitting it to Tiantai. Tiantai first established the five periods and unfurled the eight teachings, using them to illuminate the wonder of the Lotus's opening and revealing, and broadly clarifying the purport of object and contemplation. At that time there was Zhang'an, who took up the brush to record them as commentaries and treatises, and the path thereupon became greatly illuminated. Fahua and Tiangong successively lectured across generations; the only one to succeed to their dharma was Zuoxi. Among Zuoxi's disciples, Jingxi alone was able to inherit the orthodox lineage, composing various commentaries to extol the ancestral designs, so that the divergent opinions of Qingliang were laid to rest. In using texts to propagate the supreme ultimate truth, nothing matched the flourishing of this period. For this reason, later scholars take [the line from] Nāgārjuna down as nine patriarchs to venerate with pure sacrifices; there is good reason for this. From Jingxi onward, those who transmitted by means of this path included Xingdao (Master Dao Sui) and Zhixing (Master Xiu), whose lecturing on the path never ceased. During the Huichang era, when catastrophes were numerous and the doctrinal texts were scattered and lost, across the three generations of Zhengding, Miaoshuo, and Gaolun (the two Dharma masters Xiu and Song of the Shanwai faction), only the treatise of the Zhiguan was transmitted. Coming down to Luoxi (Master Ji), the fortune of the Dharma was about to prosper; Heaven aided Wuyue (King Zhongyi Qian) to search for lost texts in the eastern seas, whereupon the doctrinal scriptures were restored. Baoyun succeeded and flourished, propagating it for two twelve-year cycles. Then Fazhi of Siming, as a son born of the Buddha who manifested his trace in a corner of the sea, fully commented on all parts of our school's teachings that the Master of Piling had not yet commented on. What others found difficult to practice among the four kinds of samādhi, he practiced entirely. This was the highest praise of Ciyun. At that time there were those who advanced heterodox theories, such as Master Zhaoyuan and others, whom the world then designated as Shanwai, whereas Fazhi alone possessed the reputation of reviving the teachings and contemplations. From Xingdao down to Siming, there were eight generations in all; that which sustained the orthodox lineage and glorified the great teaching resided in this. It is proper to elevate them step by step to accompany the ranks of the nine patriarchs, so as to venerate and magnify their path—this may well be done. If so, then among the various monasteries of our school today, whenever they lecture on the path of Tiantai and Siming, if they are able to venerate the seventeen patriarchs in collective sacrifice, from Nāgārjuna to Fazhi, and assign them equal seats, this indeed reflects the mind of later students to revere the patriarchs and honour the path. Respectfully deliberated.