佛祖歷代通載 5.65

5.65

論曰。牟子理惑三十有七篇。梁僧祐律師載之宏明集。可謂所從來遠矣。觀其崇德辨惑閒邪御侮。發揮大教之耿光。蓋閎覽博物之君子也。當是時。吾佛法源濫觴之初。凡西域沙門至中國者。由騰蘭而下不過十人。所新出經三百餘卷。俱小乘教。若微妙大乘諸經。皆所未至。牟子乃能玄鑑頴悟契佛心宗。得法味若是之深。比夫漢末禰衡陳元龍孔北海諸公。虛負奇資終於不聞道。不過為一俗士而死矣。然則牟子賢矣哉。惜其書不能備載。聊取二十篇輔成通論。大抵世之惑也者。雖世尊在世。尚莫能無。矧今去聖逾二千載。欲天下之廓廓皆正信。其可得哉。雖然是書正不可不以垂世也。

The treatise states: Master Mou's Treatises on Settling Doubts has thirty-seven chapters, and Vinaya Master Sengyou of the Liang recorded them in the Hongming ji, so it may truly be called of ancient origin. Observing how he esteemed virtue, resolved doubts, warded off depravity, and withstood insults, displaying the brilliant radiance of the great teaching, he was indeed a gentleman of vast learning and extensive knowledge. At that time, when the source of our Buddhist Dharma was just beginning to stir, of all the monks from the Western Regions who arrived in China, from Shemoteng and Zhu Falan down, there were no more than ten individuals. The newly translated scriptures numbered more than three hundred scrolls, all belonging to the teachings of the Hīnayāna. As for the subtle and wondrous scriptures of the Mahāyāna, none of them had yet arrived. Yet Master Mou was able through profound insight and keen awakening to accord with the Buddha's mind-essential and attain the flavor of the Dharma to such a depth. Compared to such figures as Mi Heng, Chen Yuanlong, and Kong Beihai at the end of the Han, who vainly bore extraordinary talents but ultimately never heard the Dao and died as nothing more than common worldly scholars, Master Mou was truly worthy! It is regrettable that his book cannot be recorded in full, so I have merely selected twenty chapters to supplement and complete this general discussion. In general, as for the delusions of the world, even when the Bhagavān was in the world, they could not be entirely absent; how much less can one expect the entire world to be uniformly full of correct faith now that we are more than two thousand years removed from the Sage? Is that even possible? Even so, this book must by no means fail to be transmitted to future generations.