佛祖歷代通載 12.12

12.12

（八）　是月壬申朝會中書令崔敦禮宣勅曰。大慈恩寺法師。玄奘新翻經論文義須精。宜令左僕射于志寧。吏部尚書來濟。禮部尚書許敬宗。黃門侍郎薛元超。中書侍郎李義府杜正倫。時為看閱。或不穩處隨事潤色。朝罷遣內給事王君德。報法師曰。承須友人助翻經。已為處分于志寧等。其慈恩寺碑。朕望自作。不知師意如何。且令相報。奘奉旨。即率眾詣闕抗表陳請。未幾高宗親製大慈恩寺碑文成。遣長孫無忌遍示群公。其辭曰蓋聞乾坤締構之初。品物權輿之始。莫不載形厚土藉覆穹蒼。然則二曜輝天靡測。盈虛之像四溟紀地。豈究波瀾之極。況乎法門虛寂。出生不滅之前。聖教牢籠。示有無形之外。故以道光塵劫化洽生靈。緬惟王宮發迹。蓮披起步之花。神沼騰光。樹曲高堤之𠏉。演德音於鹿苑。會多士於龍宮。福已罪之群生。興將滅之人代。能使下愚抱道。骨碎寒林之野。上哲欽風。身沒雪山之偈。絲流法雨。清火宅以辭炎。輪昇惠日。皎重冥而歸晝。朕逖覽緗史詳觀道義。福永劫者。其唯釋教歟。文德皇太后憑柯瓊樹疏派泉源。德照塗山道光媯汭。流芬彤管。彰懿則於八紘。垂訓紫宮。扇徽猷於萬古。遽而乾精掩月永戢貞輝。坤維絕紐長淪茂毓。撫奩鏡而增感望陟屺以何追。仲由興歎於千鍾。虞丘致哀於三失。朕之罔極。實有切於終身。故載懷興緝剏斯金地。却背邠郊點千莊之樹錦前臨終嶽。吐百仞之峯蓮。左面八川。皎池光而分鏡。右隣九達。飛羽蓋以連雲抑天府之奧區。信上京之勝地。迹其彫軒架逈綺閣凌虛。丹空曉烏。煥日宮之泛麗。素天初兔。鑒月殿而澄輝。薰徑秋蘭。疎亭佩紫。芳岩冬桂。蜜戶叢丹。燈皎繁花。焰轉心中之鶴幡標逈剎。綵縈天外之虹。飛陛參差。含文露而栖玉。輕簾舒卷。網靨面而編珠。霞班低岫之紅。池漠泛烟之翠。鳴珮與宵鍾合韻。和風共晨梵分音。豈直香積天宮遠慚輪奐。閬風仙闕遙愧彫華而已哉。有玄奘法師者。實真如之冠冕也。器宇凝邃若清風之肅長松。縟思繁蔚。如綺霞之輝逈漢。騰今照古之智。挺自生知。蘊寂懷真之誠。發乎齠齓。孤標一代邁生。遠以照前。逈秀千齡。架澄什而光後。以為淳風替古澆俗移今。悲巨夜之長昏。痛微言之永翳。遂投迹異域廣飡祕教。乘杯雲漢之外。振錫烟霞之表。滔天巨海。浸驚浪而羈游。亘地嚴霜。犯悽氛而獨逝。平郊散敘。衣單雪嶺之風。曠野低輪。肌弊流沙之日。遐征月路。影對宵而暫雙。遠邁危峯。形臨朝而永隻。思窮妙境探賾至真。心罄玄津研幾祕術。通昔賢之所不達。悟先典之所未聞。遂得金牒東流。續將絕之教。寶偈西徙補已闕之文。時睠靈基栖心此地。弘宣奧旨。葉重翠於祇林。遠闢幽關。波再清於定水。朕之虔心八正肅志雙林。冀延景福式資冥助。奉願皇太后逍遙六度。神游丹闕之前。偃息四洲。魂升紫極之境。悲夫。玉燭易往。促四序於炎涼。金箭難留。馳六龍於晷漏。恐波遷樹在。移溟海以變桑田。地是勢非。淪高岸而為幽谷。於是敬刻貞石式旌真境。銘不錄。

(8) In this month, on the renshen day, at the morning court audience, Cui Dunli, Director of the Secretariat, proclaimed an imperial edict, saying: "The newly translated sūtras and treatises by Dharma Master Xuanzang of the Great Ci'en Monastery require exquisite literary refinement and meaning. It is appropriate that Yu Zhining, Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs; Lai Ji, Minister of Personnel; Xu Jingzong, Minister of Rites; Xue Yuanchao, Attendant Gentleman of the Chancellery; and Li Yifu and Du Zhenglun, Vice Directors of the Secretariat, review them from time to time and, wherever the phrasing is inelegant, polish them according to the matter." When the court adjourned, the Palace Attendant Wang Junde was dispatched to report to the Dharma Master, saying: "We have heard that you require companions to assist in translating the scriptures; We have already arranged for Yu Zhining and the others [to do so]. As for the stele for Ci'en Monastery, We hope to compose it Ourselves; We do not know what you think, Master, so We have ordered this message sent." Xuanzang, having received the decree, immediately led his assembly to the palace gates to submit a memorial expressing his gratitude and request. Before long, Gaozong personally composed the text for the stele of the Great Ci'en Monastery, and dispatched Zhangsun Wuji to show it to all the ministers. Its text said: "Now, We have heard that at the primeval formation of heaven and earth, at the inception of the myriad things, none failed to carry their forms upon the thick earth or depend on the canopy of the azure vault. Yet the two luminaries shine in heaven, their waxing and waning defying reckoning; the four seas gird the earth, their surging billows beyond fathom. How much more so the gate of the Dharma, void and tranquil, which arose before the unceasing; the holy teachings, all-encompassing, which reveal what is beyond form and formlessness! Therefore, its path illumines dust-like kalpas, and its transformation encompasses living beings. We reflect with reverence on [the Buddha's] emergence from the royal palace, where lotuses unfurled beneath his stride; and on the wondrous pool gleaming with light, its trees bending over high banks. He expounded his virtuous voice in the Deer Park, and assembled many worthies in the Dragon Palace, bringing blessings to living beings burdened with sin and reviving the mortal realm on the verge of ruin. He enabled the dullest fools to embrace the Way, their bones shattered on the fields of the cold grove; and the highest sages to admire his tradition, their bodies cast down for the gāthā of the Snow Mountains. Like silk flows the rain of Dharma, quenching the burning house to dispel its fires; like a wheel ascends the sun of wisdom, brightening profound darkness to restore the day. We have surveyed the yellow-silk histories from afar and closely examined moral principles: that which brings blessings through eternal kalpas—is it not solely the teaching of Śākya? The Empress Dowager Wende rested upon the boughs of the jade tree, her lineage drawn from springs of purity. Her virtue outshone Mount Tu, her moral path illumined the Gui River. Fragrance flowed from her crimson brush, manifesting admirable models to the eight directions; her instructions handed down in the purple palace unfurled illustrious principles for ten thousand generations. Suddenly, the essence of Qian obscured the moon, forever dimming her steadfast radiance; the cord of Kun snapped, perpetually submerging her flourishing grace. Stroking the mirror-case, Our sorrow deepens; gazing upon the bare hills, how can She be pursued? Zhongyou sighed at the thousand bushels of grain; Yuqiu expressed grief at the three regrets. Our unbounded filial grief is truly felt for all Our life. Thus, harboring the wish to reconstruct and restore, We founded this golden ground. Backing onto the outskirts of Bin, it is dotted with the embroidered trees of a thousand estates; facing Mount Zhongnan, it raises lotus peaks of a hundred fathoms. On its left, it faces eight rivers, the clear pool glistening like a split mirror; on its right, it borders nine thoroughfares, where feathery canopies soar to join the clouds. Indeed, it is a secluded recess of the celestial realm, truly a scenic site of the Supreme Capital. Tracing its carved balustrades soaring high and decorated pavilions braving the void: against the vermilion sky at dawn, the crow radiates the floating splendor of the sun palace; against the white sky, the young hare reflects the moon hall with pristine luminescence. Autumn orchids line the fragrant paths, where secluded pavilions are draped in purple; winter cassia covers the fragrant crags, where dense chambers cluster in cinnabar. Lamps gleam like blooming flowers, their flames turning the cranes in their hearts; banners mark the lofty temple, their colors twining with the rainbow beyond the sky. Stepping terraces rise unevenly, holding literary dew and cradling jade; light curtains roll and unroll, netting dimpled cheeks and strung with pearls. The rosy clouds stripe the low ridges with red; the broad ponds drift with verdant mist. The tinkle of girdles harmonizes with the evening bell; the gentle breeze blends tones with the morning Sanskrit chant. How could it be that only the heavenly palace of Xiangji feels humbled from afar by such magnificence, or that the immortal terrace of Langfeng pales in shame before such carved splendor? There is the Dharma Master Xuanzang, who is truly the crown of Tathatā. His bearing is profound and serene, like the pure wind bracing tall pines; his intricate thoughts are dense and lush, like brocaded clouds shining across the far Milky Way. His wisdom illuminating past and present stems from innate knowledge; his sincere devotion, harboring tranquility and cherishing truth, manifested from childhood. He stands alone, preeminent in his era, surpassing [Dao]sheng and [Hui]yuan to illumine the past; towering above a thousand ages, he eclipses [Fotudeng] and [Kumāra]jīva to shed light on the future. Considering that the unadorned ways had waned and that the decadent customs had altered the present, grieving over the long darkness of the great night, and lamenting the permanent obscurity of the subtle words, he thereupon went abroad to foreign lands to feed extensively on the secret teachings. Riding his bowl beyond the clouds, shaking his staff above the misty hazes: across the vast ocean touching the sky, he was immersed in fearful waves during his wandering; amid severe frost covering the earth, he faced dismal vapors in his solitary journey. On flat plains where seasons unfolded, his robes were thin in the winds of the Snow Mountains; across vast wastes where the sun dipped low, his flesh was worn beneath the sun of the drifting sands. On his long trek beneath the moon, his shadow briefly doubled his form against the night; traversing distant, perilous peaks, his form remained ever solitary before the morning sun. His mind probed the wondrous realm to explore the subtleties of the ultimate truth; his heart plumbed the profound ford to examine the secrets of the esoteric techniques. He penetrated what past sages could not reach, and awakened to what ancient scriptures had not yet expressed. Thus the golden tablets flowed east, continuing the teachings that were about to end; and the precious verses traveled west, supplementing the texts that were missing. At this time, looking upon this spiritual foundation, he settled his mind in this place, proclaiming the profound purports so that leaves doubled their green in the Jeta Grove, and opening far-off hidden barriers so that ripples cleared anew in the waters of samādhi. With Our heart devoted to the Eightfold Path and Our will reverent toward the Twin Trees, We hope to extend vast blessings to provide unseen aid. We reverently pray that the Empress Dowager may wander freely through the Six Pāramitās, her spirit roaming before the vermilion gates; and rest across the four continents, her soul ascending to the realm of the Purple Ultimate. Alas! The jade candle easily passes, hastening the four seasons through heat and cold; the golden arrow is hard to detain, racing the six dragons against the clepsydra. We fear that while the waves shift, the trees remain, and the vast ocean changes into mulberry fields; that places stay while their aspects alter, and high cliffs sink into deep valleys. Thereupon, We reverently carve this steadfast stone to commemorate this true realm." The inscription is not recorded here.