佛祖歷代通載 11.39

11.39

（二十四　丙午）　二十年七月辛卯。法師玄奘表上新譯菩薩藏經六門陀羅尼經顯楊聖教論大乘雜集論凡五部五十八卷。請帝為聖教序。降手勅曰。省書具悉雅意。法師夙標高行早出塵表。泛寶舟而登彼岸。搜妙道而闢度門。弘闡大猷蕩除眾罪。朕學淺心拙。在物猶迷。況佛道幽微。豈能仰讚。側請為序。非己所聞。奘重表請曰。伏奉墨勅猥垂獎諭。祗奉綸言精守振越。玄奘行業空疎謬參緇侶幸屬九瀛有截四海無虞憑皇靈以遠征。恃國威而訪道。窮遐冐險雖勵愚誠。纂異懷荒實資朝化所獲經論蒙遣翻譯。見成卷軸志有銓序。伏惟陛下睿思雲敷。天華景爛。理苞繫表調逸咸英。跨千古以飛聲。掩百王而騰實。切以神力無方。非神思不足銓其理。聖教玄遠。非聖藻何以序其源。故乃冐犯威嚴敢希題目。宸睠冲邈不蒙矜許。撫躬累息相顧失圖。奘聞。日月麗天。既分輝於戶牖。江河紀地。亦流潤於巖崖。雲和廣樂。不祕響於聾瞶。金玉奇珍。豈鞱彩於愚瞽。敢緣此理重有干祈。伏乞雷雨曲垂天文俯照。配兩儀而同久。與二曜而俱縣。然則鷲嶺微言。假神筆而弘遠。鷄園奧典。託英詞而宣揚。豈止區區梵眾獨荷恩榮。蠢蠢迷生方超塵累而已。制許之。

(24. Bingwu) Twentieth year [646 CE], seventh month, xinmao day. Dharma Master Xuanzang submitted a memorial presenting his newly translated Bodhisattvapiṭaka Sūtra, Six Gates Dhāraṇī Sūtra, Prakaraṇāryavācā Śāstra, and Mahāyānābhidharmasamuccaya-vyākhyā, totaling five works in fifty-eight fascicles. He requested the Emperor to compose a preface for the holy teaching. An imperial hand-written rescript was issued, stating: "We have examined your letter and fully comprehend your refined intention. The Dharma Master has long displayed lofty conduct and early departed beyond the dust. Sailing the jeweled vessel, you mounted to the other shore; searching out the wondrous Way, you opened the gate of deliverance. Broadly expounding the great principle, you wash away all offenses. Our learning is shallow and Our mind clumsy; regarding worldly matters We are still confused. How much more so for the Buddha-way, which is deep and subtle—how could We look up and praise it? Your humble request for a preface is not something We are fit to do." Xuanzang submitted a second memorial requesting it, saying: "Prostrating, I received the imperial ink rescript, which generously bestowed commendation and praise. Reverently receiving the silk words, my spirit trembled and shook. Xuanzang's practice is empty and疏sparse; I have mistakenly joined the monastic ranks. Fortunately meeting with the pacification of the nine regions and the absence of anxiety across the four seas, I relied upon the imperial spirit to journey far, and trusted in the state's majesty to seek the Way. Exhausting remote lands and braving perils, though I exerted my foolish sincerity, gathering the extraordinary and cherishing the desolate truly depended on the court's transforming power. The scriptures and treatises obtained have been graciously ordered to be translated; now completed into scrolls, I desire an introductory preface. Prostrating, I reflect that Your Majesty's sagacious thoughts spread like clouds, your heavenly blossoms shine brightly; your principles encompass what lies beyond the Appendices [of the Changes], your harmony surpasses Xianchi and Yunying. Striding across a thousand ages to let your fame soar, overshadowing a hundred kings to let reality flourish. I keenly consider that divine power is boundless; without divine thought, it is insufficient to evaluate its principles. The holy teaching is deep and far-reaching; without holy literary craftsmanship, how could one preface its source? Therefore, braving your majestic awe, I dared to hope for an imperial inscription. Your celestial gaze remained lofty and distant, not granting your gracious consent; examining myself, I sigh repeatedly, looking around at a loss. Xuanzang has heard that when the sun and moon adorn the sky, they distribute brilliance even to doors and windows; when rivers mark the earth, they also moisten crags and cliffs. The grand music of Yunhe does not conceal its sounds from the deaf; the rare treasures of gold and jade, how could they veil their luster from the blind? Daring to rely on this principle, I make petition once again. Prostrating, I beg for the thunder and rain to bend down, and the heavenly writing to illuminate below, enduring as long as the Two Principles (Heaven and Earth), and hanging together with the Two Luminaries (Sun and Moon). If so, then the subtle words of Vulture Peak will rely on the divine brush to spread far; the profound scriptures of the Deer Park will depend on splendid words to be proclaimed. How could it merely be that the humble Sanskrit assembly alone receives your gracious favor? The crawling, deluded living beings will also thereby transcend mundane burdens." An imperial decree granted it.