佛祖歷代通載 12

English (machine translation) 12

Language: English

12.1

Compiled by Nianchang of Huating, Abbot of Dazhong Xiangfu Chan Monastery in Jiaxing Route

(1. Gengxu) Emperor Gaozong, Zhi, changed the era name to Yonghui. (Courtesy name Weishan; childhood name Zhinu; ninth son of Taizong. Passed away at the age of fifty-six and was buried in Qianling. Reigned for thirty-four years; one source says thirty-six years; another says thirty years. He again established the Duke of Zhou as the Former Sage and Confucius as the Former Teacher.)

12.4

(Xinhai) One thousand six hundred years had passed since the Bhagavān manifested cessation.

12.5

(2) The Fourth Patriarch, Great Master Daoxin, manifested cessation. The master was surnamed Sima, his family having resided in Henei for generations, and later moving to Qizhou. Exceptional from birth, as a youth he longed for the School of Emptiness and the various gates of liberation, as though through past practice. After succeeding to the patriarchal seat, he collected his mind without sleep, his ribs never touching a mat for nearly sixty years. At the end of the Daye era of the Sui, he led a congregation to Jizhou, where they encountered bands of bandits besieging the city. For seventy days the siege was not lifted, and the myriad people were terrified. The master took pity on them and instructed them to chant the Mahāprajñā[pāramitā]. Before long, when the bandit hordes looked toward the battlements, there appeared to be divine soldiers; they said to one another, 'There must be an extraordinary person in the city,' and immediately withdrew. In the Wude era, he first resided at Potou Mountain, where students flocked to him. One day along the road in Huangmei he met a young boy whose appearance and bone structure were remarkably extraordinary. The master asked, 'What is your family name (xing)?' He replied, 'I have a nature (xing), but it is no ordinary surname (xing).' The master asked, 'What nature is it?' He replied, 'It is the Buddha-nature.' The master said, 'Do you have no nature?' He replied, 'Because the nature is empty.' The master silently recognized that he was a vessel of the Dharma, and sent an attendant to his mother to request that he leave household life. Because of past affinity, the mother showed no reluctance at all. Eventually, [Daoxin] transmitted the robe and bequeathed the Dharma to him, saying in a verse: 'Flowers' seeds possess the nature of arising; / Relying on the ground, the flowers grow and arise. / When the great affinity accords with faith (xin), / That which arises, as it arises, does not arise.' He then entrusted his students to him. One day he told the assembly: 'I once traveled to Mount Lu, and climbing the highest peak to gaze toward Potou Mountain, I saw purple clouds like a canopy, beneath which white vapors horizontally branched into six paths. Do you understand?' The assembly was entirely silent. Great Master [Hong]ren said, 'Could it mean that later the Upādhyāya will branch out into a lineage of the Buddha Dharma?' The master said, 'Good!' At the end of the Zhenguan era, Taizong, yearning for the master's taste of the Dao and wishing to behold his demeanor, summoned him to the imperial capital. The master submitted a memorial declining with thanks, and after three successive attempts, ultimately excused himself on grounds of illness. On the fourth occasion, [the Emperor] commanded the envoy: 'If he will not rise, then bring his head.' When the envoy arrived at the mountain and proclaimed the decree, the master merely stretched forth his neck to receive the blade, his countenance completely serene. Marveling at this, the envoy returned to report the situation. The Emperor sighed in admiration all the more, and granted fine silks to let him fulfill his aspiration. When this time came, he suddenly offered an admonition to his disciples: 'All dharmas are entirely liberated. Each of you must guard your thoughts and transmit the transformation into the future.' Having finished speaking, he sat peacefully and passed away. His age was seventy-two. A stupa was erected on his home mountain. On the eighth day of the fourth month of the following year, the stupa door opened of itself for no reason; his demeanor and appearance were as if alive. Thereafter, the disciples dared not close it again. Emperor Daizong bestowed the posthumous title Chan Master Dayi.

12.6

(3. Renzi) The Wild Goose Pagoda was completed. In the twenty-second year of Taizong, when the Emperor was in the Eastern Palace, the sky was overcast and his palm ached. When he inquired of his attendants, they replied, 'This must be the spot where the Crown Prince inserted the needle during the Dongxuan procedure.' Thereupon, thinking to repay the boundless debt to Heaven and cultivate blessed deeds in posthumous devotion, he ordered the officials to select a site to build Ci'en Monastery for his mother, Empress Wende Shunsheng. It comprised more than ten courtyards and 1,897 bays, and ordained three hundred monks. He decreed Tripiṭaka Master [Xuan]zang to be the superior. The grand affairs were as recorded on the stele. Now, in the third year of Yonghui, the Emperor used the clothing, goods, and silks of the deceased from the seven imperial palaces to build this pagoda at Ci'en Monastery. Its base was 140 feet on each of the four sides. Modeled after the Western Regions' system, it had five tiers, and together with the parasol wheels and dew basin, stood 180 feet high. The center of every tier enshrined relics, no fewer than ten thousand grains. The top tier had a chamber made of stone, with a stele erected facing south, bearing the preface and record for the Tripiṭaka Holy Teaching composed by the Two Sages, penned by Chu Suiliang, Duke of Henan and Right Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs. (The system of the Western Regions regards stupas as square tombs. However, there are four classes: one tier for a cakravartin, four tiers for a śrāvaka, twelve tiers for a pratyekabuddha, and thirteen tiers for a bodhisattva or Tathāgata, each signifying a distinction.)

12.7

(4. Guichou) In the fourth year, Chan Master Huikuan died. He was born of the Yang clan. His father was a Daoist master, known as Master Sandong. His elder sister, Xinxiang, understood the Dao from birth, spending whole days in tranquil Chan absorption. When Kuan was five or six years old, he conversed daily with Xinxiang, never concerning worldly matters. His family had revered Daoism for generations, but Kuan alone took no pleasure in it. His father angrily cursed him and ordered him to bow to the Heavenly Worthy. Having no choice, Kuan knelt before it, and the iron image suddenly collapsed and shattered. The entire clan was astonished. Thereupon, they transcribed the dialogues he had held with Xinxiang. Prior to this, Chan Master Tanxiang of Longhuai Monastery, on the verge of death, said to his disciple Hui: 'My karmic retribution destines me to be born in the Yang family atop Mianzhu Peak in Guanghan. Come see me in seven years.' Having spoken, he passed away. Later, Hui largely forgot this. One night, he dreamed that Xiang reproached him for breaking the promise. Startled awake, Hui went to the mountain peak and knocked on the door. Kuan said, 'Who is knocking on the door?' Hui said at once, 'It is your disciple Hui.' Kuan smiled and said, 'How do you know me, that you call yourself disciple?' Hui said, 'Hearing the Master's voice, it is still the voice of former days.' They then met. The father brought out the recorded conversations held with Xinxiang and showed them; they were indeed treatises such as the Mahāyāna-sūtrālaṃkāra. Hui then escorted Kuan back to Longhuai Monastery to shave his head. From then on, his miraculous manifestations became increasingly prominent, and the common people called him the Holy Upādhyāya. His elder sister Xinxiang also left household life along with him. Once, an extraordinary monk at Jinghui Monastery entered samādhi, and the entire monastery was filled with blazing red flames, but no one recognized what it was. Xinxiang said, 'This is the Venerable Fire-Accumulation entering the fire-radiance samādhi.' She then entered the monastery, entered the water contemplation, and the room became completely clear and still, showing only water without her form. The extraordinary monk admired her with praise, regarding her as having attained the fruit [of the path]; at the time she was also called the Holy Nun. Kuan was a fully ordained monk for ten lifetimes, and the Record of Ten Rebirths is still extant today. Successive dynasties bestowed various posthumous titles upon him.

12.8

([Year] five, jiayin) In the fifth year, Mahābodhi Monastery in Central India sent a monk to convey a letter to Dharma Master Xuanzang and present local products. Its text said: "From the Mahābodhi Monastery beside the wondrous, auspicious, and adamantine seat (vajrāsana) of the Bhagavān, the Sthavira Huitian (Prajñādeva), surrounded by the assembly of great learning, sends this letter to the Ācārya Mokṣa of the great realm of Mahācīna, who has wondrously penetrated the profound subtleties of the immeasurable Sūtras, Vinayas, and Śāstras: respectfully inquiring whether you have few illnesses and few troubles. I, the bhikṣu Huitian, have now composed a verse eulogy on the Buddha's great supernatural transformations as well as inferential cognitions (anumāna) on the various sūtras and śāstras. I am now entrusting them to the bhikṣu Fachang to convey to you. The Elder, Great Virtuous Ācārya of immeasurable erudition here, Zhiguang (Jñānaprabha), also joins in sending his greetings. The upāsaka Rishou (Sūryadatta) bows his head in reverent salutation. Together we now send a pair of white cotton cloths (paṭa) to show that this is not an empty heart. Do not blame us for the small quantity because of the great distance of the road. May you deign to accept them. If there are sūtras or śāstras needed over there, send a list of their titles; we shall copy and transmit them for you. May the Ācārya Mokṣa be informed." When Fachang took his leave to return, Xuanzang replied to the letter from Elder Zhiguang. It said in brief: "In a past year, when the envoy returned, I learned that Master Zhenfazang (Śīlabhadra) had passed into impermanence. Hearing this shattered me with unending grief. Alas! In the sea of suffering the boat has sunk; the eyes of humans and devas have been extinguished. How can the pain of this loss be described? Formerly, when the Great Enlightened One hid his radiance, Kāśyapa succeeded to the grand enterprise of the lineage. When Śāṇavāsa passed away, Upagupta propagated his splendid plans. Now that the general of the Dharma has returned to the real, you, Dharma Master, are next to shoulder this responsibility. I only hope that your clear words and wondrous eloquence will flow widely together with the four seas, and that the adornments of merit and wisdom will endure as long as the five mountains. Among the sūtras and śāstras that Xuanzang brought back, I have already translated the *Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra* and others, over thirty large and small texts in all. Today the sacred person of the Son of Heaven of the Great Tang enjoys myriad blessings, and across all the lands the people are at peace. With the compassion of a cakravartin, he spreads the transformation of the King of the Dharma. The translated sūtras and śāstras have all received prefaces composed by his divine brush, and he has ordered the relevant offices to transcribe them to circulate within the realm, extending even to neighbouring states where all likewise revere them. Although we dwell at the end of the Semblance Age, the glory of the teaching is peaceful and solemn, no different from the transformation in the Jeta Grove of Śrāvastī. I humbly pray that you be aware of this. Recently, one pack load of scriptures was lost in the Indus River; their titles are listed below. If an opportunity arises, please send them along. There is also a small offering; please condescend to accept it." In this year, an exceptional imperial decree ordered that the śrāmaṇera Kuiji be ordained as a fully ordained monk and enter Da Ci'en Monastery to participate in the translation of the correct meaning of the scriptures. Kuiji was surnamed Yuchi and was a native of Dai Commandery (the nephew of Yuchi Jingde, the Duke of E, and the son of Jingzong, General of the Right Jinwu Guard). His mother, Lady Pei, dreamt that she held the lunar disc in her hand and swallowed it, whereupon she became pregnant. On the night of his birth, a divine light filled the room. At barely six years old, he could write books. Earlier, Dharma Master Xuanzang had obtained a boy in the Western Regions who was extraordinarily intelligent. He brought him to visit Jingzong. Jingzong summoned Ji to come out and pay his respects. Xuanzang had [Ji] recite a military book he had written, amounting to several thousand words. Xuanzang winked several times at the boy. When Ji finished reciting, Xuanzang deceived him, saying: "This is merely an ancient book." Jingzong did not believe it. Xuanzang ordered the boy from the Western Regions to repeat the recitation, and he did not miss a single character. Jingzong was furious, and believing that Ji had plagiarized an ancient book to deceive him, was about to kill him. Xuanzang went to beg that he be allowed to leave home. Ji said: "If you allow me to partake of meat, women, and late meals, then I will follow you into the monastic life; otherwise, I would rather fall on a sword and die than starve to death." Xuanzang loved his brilliance and agreed to it. Thereupon he followed into the path. Whenever he perused commentaries and records, he memorised them at a glance, and also understood their meanings instantaneously. He was adept in both the Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna. After participating in the translation of scriptures, he received from Xuanzang the essential tenets of Yogācāra and vijñapti-mātra. He authored around a hundred works, and at the time was called the Master of a Hundred Treatises. However, his nature was luxurious: whenever he went out, he invariably arranged for three carriages, so he was also known as the Three-Carriage Dharma Master.

12.9

([Year] six, yimao) In May of the sixth year, Dharma Master Xuanzang translated the *Hetuvidyā-śāstra*. The śramaṇa Shentai and others each composed commentaries to explain it. A certain Dharma Master Xixuan showed the treatise to the Grand Physician (Shangyao Fengyu) Lü Cai. Cai was a man of deep erudition in the arts, but he greatly disparaged its text, composing *Annotations on Hetuvidyā* with diagrams refuting its tenets. Frivolous people believed him. In autumn, the seventh month, the scripture-translating Dharma Master Huili sent a letter to the Left Vice Director Yu Zhining denouncing his errors. The letter said: "I have heard that when the various Buddhas establish their teachings, the language is profound and distant, and the purports and meanings are deep and subtle; they equal the vastness of the vaulted sky and resemble the boundless expanses of the deep blue ocean. When speaking of the nature and characteristics of True Suchness, those dwelling on the tenth bhūmi are still bewildered; when explaining the causes and conditions of a tiny plant, those abiding in non-arising are still ignorant. How much more so for one entangled in the net of the eight perversions and submerged in the current of the four inverted views—yet wishing to fathom the thesis (pakṣa) and reason (hetu) and to elucidate their principles! Is that not delusion indeed? I have recently seen that Dharma Master Huiji of Da Ci'en Monastery, who translates the scriptures, early on established the power of wisdom and formerly perfected pure conduct. With integrity surpassing the pine and cypress, he was able to travel in person to the sacred realm and inquire into the subtle words. He holds the Tripiṭaka in his breast and encompasses the four Āgamas in his palm. Continuing the pure fame of ancient sages, he spreads the enduring model in the present day. Truly he is a vessel for the degraded world and a dependable exemplar for the monastic grove. The holy teachings he has translated already exceed three hundred scrolls. Among them is a short treatise entitled *Hetuvidyā*, which clarifies the ultimate purport of debates and objections, and sets forth the standard formulas for destroying heterodoxy. Although it is not the most essential mystery of the profound gate, it is nevertheless not something to be comprehended in an instant. Recently I heard that the Court Physician Lü, with the endowment of an ordinary man, plundered the explanations of various masters and made diagrams on hetuvidyā explaining the meanings of thesis and reason. Unable to thoroughly comprehend them, he is fond of raising unorthodox views; seeking fame for the sake of it, he fabricates forced interpretations. Discarding the correct explanations of all the virtuous ones, he indulges his conceited mind of arrogance. Showing himself off in front of dukes and ministers, making noisy clamour beside the village alleys, he is neither ashamed of his thick-skinned impudence nor tired of exhausting his spirit; though the seasons of heat and cold have changed several times, his mind has not yet rested. Now, because the Court Physician has a brief leisure from worldly affairs, he claims that the true tenets can be understood. How is this different from a tiny field-mouse who, seeing that a cooking-stove can be climbed, claims that Mount Kunlun is not difficult to scale? Or a spider that, seeing a thorn bush is easy to entangle, claims that the Fusang tree can be netted? Without measuring one's limits, it is no different from this. Moreover, great sound has little resonance, and great eloquence seems like stammering. This is why Vimalakīrti accorded with the principle by closing his mouth in Vaiśālī, and Confucius, of lofty virtue, was cautious in his home village. I have never heard of someone bragging and promoting himself who gained the esteem and reverence of gentlemen." When Huili sent the letter, the affair subsided somewhat.

12.10

In winter, the tenth month, on the day dingyou, Liu Xuan, an Erudite of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, because the affair had died down, composed a "Letter of Taking Refuge" along with verses, dispatching a summons to the Great Virtues who translated the scriptures, seeking to exhaustively resolve their arguments. Thereupon Dharma Master Mingjun replied by composing verses and a letter, maintaining great dignity and admonishing Lü Cai for his rash actions. When Liu Xuan received the letter, he immediately impeached Lü Cai and memorialised the matter to the throne. An imperial decree was issued to assemble the dukes, ministers, and erudites, and to lead Cai to Ci'en Monastery. Having met the Dharma Master and received his reproof, he apologized and withdrew.

12.11

([Year] seven, bingchen) In the first month of the change of reign to Xianqing, on the day bingyin, Hong, King of Dai, was made Crown Prince. On this day, five thousand monks were provided a meal at Ci'en Monastery. An imperial order was issued to the Vice Director of the Chancellery Xue Yuanchao to oversee the affair. He subsequently asked Dharma Master Xuanzang about the formats of translation of scriptures in previous eras. [Xuanzang] replied: "Since the Han and Wei dynasties are distant, they cannot be discussed in detail. From the Jin and Song onwards, translation of scriptures has always had officials who supervised the reading and carefully compiled [the texts]. Therefore, when Dharmanandin translated scriptures under Fu Jian, the Gentleman of the Yellow Gate Zhao Zheng held the brush. When Kumārajīva translated scriptures under Yao Xing, Xing and Yao Song held the brush. When Bodhiruci translated scriptures under the Later Wei, Attendant Officer Cui Guang received and recorded the text with the brush. This continued all the way through the Liang, Chen, Zhou, and Sui dynasties; all were likewise. In the early years of the Zhenguan era, when Prabhākaramitra translated scriptures, the late Emperor decreed that Xiao Gong, Prince of Zhaojun, and Du Zhenglun, Supervisor of the Household of the Crown Prince, oversee and protect [the project]. Currently, this is peculiarly lacking. Moreover, the grandeur and beauty of the buildings of Da Ci'en Monastery are rarely rivalled in ancient or modern times, yet a stele has not yet been erected. This poor monk harbours these two matters in mind and wishes to bring them to the attention of His Majesty." Yuanchao memorialised his words, and an imperial decree granted approval.

12.12

(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.

12.13

In the third month, on the gengshen day, the hundred officials submitted a memorial praising and extolling the imperial composition. A separate edict was issued to Xu Jingzong, Minister of Rites, to deliver the stele text and show it to Dharma Master Xuanzang. On the jiazi day, Xuanzang led his disciples to the palace gates to present a memorial of thanks, saying: "The merit of Creation, having nurtured things, forms instruction; the Dao of the Sage is also revealed through words to manifest emotion. However, drawing hexagrams and setting down texts merely gives empty expression to physical forms; establishing lines and delineating emblems in truth does not surpass the mortal realm. The virtue of the Sovereign Fuxi was indeed praised in high antiquity; the manner of the Zhou kings was also uniquely exalted in later ages. Yet how could they compare with opening up phenomena and achieving undertakings, expounding the Eightfold Path through literary composition; explicating the Dao and establishing teachings, certifying the Threefold Knowledge to guide the worldly? The principle exhausts what lies beyond heaven and earth; the emotion embraces what is outside the sun and moon. Weighing their merits, this is the most magnificent! We respectfully contemplate Your Majesty: the Golden Wheel is in motion, the Jade Calendar accords with the times. Your transformation reaches the four continents; Your benevolence spreads across the nine regions. Your Dao encompasses the former sages; Your achievements surpass the divine. Giving free rein to Your versatile talents born of innate knowledge, Your natural gifts stem entirely from heavenly endowment. When You first grieved over the mirror-case, You founded this monastery; soon, having raised the banner of victory, You laid out these literary regulations. Indeed, heavenly flowers gracefully blossom, and wise prose rises like waves, swallowing the ocean of brushes to harbor the Dragon Palace, overshadowing the grove of letters to encompass the Crane Trees. Internally, it embraces the Eight Pitakas; externally, it examines the Six Classics. It is profound yet canonical, vast yet meticulous. It causes the remaining traces of the Jetavana to rise ever higher by relying on Your precious thoughts, and the lingering fragrance of the mango grove to become imperishable by receiving Your jade composition. How could it merely uplift the dream realm and illuminate the bewildered path? Truly, it shapes the four heavens and encompasses the three realms!" Xuanzang, believing that this text should be transcribed by the imperial brush itself, submitted a memorial requesting it; the edict did not grant it. Upon a second memorial, it was finally granted.

12.14

On the eighth day of the fourth month, Xuanzang led the monks and nuns of the capital, equipped with banners, jeweled carriages, incense, flowers, and Sanskrit ceremonial implements, knocking at the Fanglin Gate to welcome the imperially composed stele. An edict ordered the nine ensembles of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, the entertainment troupes of Chang'an and Wannian counties, and the imperial relatives, marquis, princes, and elders to escort it. On that day, because of rain, it could not proceed. On the fourteenth day, it was finally welcomed. The Imperial Annals of the Old History states: "The Emperor proceeded to the tower of the Anfu Gate to watch. Dharma Master Xuanzang welcomed the imperially composed stele of the Great Ci'en Monastery and led the procession using Tianzhu ritual forms. His followers were exceedingly numerous, and the Emperor looked upon them with great joy."

12.15

(9) In the fifth month, Dharma Master Xuanzang fell ill. An edict commanded Jiang Xiaozhang, Court Physician of the Palace Medical Service, and the acupuncturist Shangguan Cong to give their full attention to treating his illness. Messengers of the Northern Gate were also dispatched to monitor his condition and relay reports. Xuanzang took the opportunity to explain that during the previous reign, the ranks of the Buddhists had been placed below those of the Daoists, and that the late Emperor in his later years had promised to rectify this; furthermore, that at the beginning of Yonghui, an edict had ordered that monks and nuns whose offenses were difficult to determine should be investigated according to secular law. Fearing that his illness might leave him decrepit and forever separated from the heavenly countenance, Xuanzang had these matters reported through an inner messenger. On the same day, an imperial messenger reported back, saying: "Regarding what was stated: the ranks of Buddhists and Daoists were determined by the previous reign, so the matter must be deliberated. As for the edict on conforming to secular law, it shall immediately be abolished. You should put your mind at ease and convalesce, Master." Xuanzang's illness soon recovered.

12.16

In the eleventh month, it coincided with the Empress's difficult month of childbirth. [Xuanzang] was ordered into the palace to pray for blessings. When the delivery took place, a divine light filled the palace, shining from the courtyard up to the heavens; hence he was named Prince Foguang (that is, Zhongzong). Previously, the Emperor had said to Xuanzang: "If a boy is born, We will permit him to undergo pravrajyā." When this occurred, Xuanzang presented a memorial requesting permission for Prince Foguang to undergo pravrajyā to continue and exalt the Three Jewels. An edict granted this.

12.17

(10 Ding-si) In the second month, [the Emperor] visited Luoyang, and an imperial decree summoned Xuanzang to accompany the imperial retinue. In the fifth month, Xuanzang took his leave to return to Chenliu to rebury his parents. An edict ordered the relevant authorities to provide the funeral paraphernalia.

12.18

In the sixth month, Dharma Master Huili and the Daoist Zhang Huixian were summoned to debate the precedence between the two teachings. High officials attended as witnesses, and Huixian was defeated in debate.

12.19

(11) Chan Master Farong of Mount Niutou in Jinling was a native of Yanling in Runzhou. His secular surname was Wei. At the age of nineteen, he had mastered the classics and histories. Soon after, he read through the great Prajñā collection and thoroughly comprehended true emptiness. One day, he suddenly sighed, saying: "The secular scriptures of Confucianism and Daoism are not the ultimate teaching. The correct contemplation of prajñā is the raft to transcend the world." Thereupon, he retired to Mount Mao, took a master, and had his hair shaved. Later, he entered a stone chamber at the northern crag of Youqi Temple on Mount Niutou. There was the wondrous sign of hundreds of birds holding flowers in their beaks. During the Zhenguan era of the Tang, the Fourth Patriarch observed the spiritual atmosphere from afar and knew that there was an extraordinary person in that mountain. He personally went to seek him out and asked the temple monks: "Is there a man of the Dao here?" They replied: "Which one of those who have left the household is not a man of the Dao?" The Patriarch said: "Which one is the man of the Dao?" The monks had no reply. Another monk said: "About ten li from here into the mountains, there is a Lazy Rong. When he sees someone, he neither rises nor joins his palms. Could he be the man of the Dao?" The Patriarch then went into the mountain and saw the Master sitting upright and composed, not paying any attention. The Patriarch asked, "What are you doing here?" The Master said, "Contemplating the mind." The Patriarch asked, "Who is the contemplator? What thing is the mind?" The Master had no reply. He rose and asked, "Where does the Master come from? Have you ever known Great Master Daoxin?" [The Patriarch] replied, "I am that poor monk." Farong bowed twice and requested the mind-dharma. The Patriarch said: "The hundreds of thousands of Dharma gates all return to the square-inch [of the heart]; wonderful virtues as numerous as the sands of the Ganges are all within the source of the mind. All the gates of precepts, meditation, and wisdom, as well as divine transformations, are fully complete of themselves and not separate from your mind. All defilements and karmic obstacles are fundamentally empty and quiet. All cause and effect are like illusions and dreams. There are no three realms to escape from, and no bodhi to be sought. The natures and characteristics of humans and non-humans are equal. The Great Dao is vast and empty, beyond thought and beyond reflection. You have already attained such a Dharma now; with nothing lacking, how are you different from a Buddha? You need only let your mind be free and spontaneous: do not engage in contemplative practice, nor quiet the mind. Do not give rise to greed or anger; do not harbor sorrow or worry. Vast and unobstructed, follow your will in every direction. Do not do various good deeds, nor commit various evil deeds. Walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, whatever meets the eye or encounters conditions is the wondrous function of the Buddha, joyful and carefree. Therefore it is called the Dao." Farong asked: "Since the mind is already complete, who is the Buddha, and who is the mind?" The Patriarch said: "Were it not for the mind, one would not ask about the Buddha; when asking about the Buddha, it is not not the mind." Farong asked: "Since contemplative practice is not permitted, when objects arise, how should they be countered?" The Patriarch said: "Objects and conditions have no good or bad; good and bad arise in the mind. If the mind does not forcefully attach names, whence could delusive feelings arise? Once delusive feelings do not arise, the true mind freely knows all. You need only follow the mind in spontaneity without any further countermeasures; this is called the permanently abiding Dharmakāya, without change. I received the sudden-teaching Dharma gate of Great Master Sengcan, and now I transmit it to you. You should faithfully accept my words and remain in this mountain. There will be five great masters who will succeed your profound transformation." Having transmitted the Dharma, the Patriarch returned to Shuangfeng. On the twenty-third day of the intercalary first month in the second year of the Xianqing era, the Master passed away at Jianchu Temple, at the age of sixty-four, with forty-one monastic years. He was buried at Mount Jilong. More than ten thousand people gathered for his funeral. This is fully recorded in the Transmission of the Lamp.

12.20

(12; wuwu) In the fourth month of summer, twice seven monks and Daoists each were summoned into the palace to debate. The Daoist Li Rong established a thesis based on the "original limit" (benji). Dharma Master Yibao questioned him, saying: "Since you designate the original limit, does the Dao originate in the limit, or does the limit originate in the Dao?" Rong said: "Both obtain mutually." Bao said: "If the Dao originates in the limit, making the limit the origin of the Dao, then can the limit also originate in the Dao, making the Dao the source of the limit?" Rong said: "That also holds." Bao said: "If the original limit and the Dao mutually obtain and reverse each other, then could nature (ziran) and the Dao also mutually emulate each other?" Rong said: "The Dao emulates nature; nature does not emulate the Dao." Bao said: "If so, then the Dao originates in the limit, but the original limit does not originate in the Dao." Realizing the fault in his earlier words, Rong no longer defended his thesis and mocked Bao with other remarks. Bao said with a stern expression: "Establishing a thesis before the Lord of Ten Thousand Chariots is meant to elucidate the heterodox and the orthodox to inform the Emperor's mind. How can one sully the heavenly ears with frivolous talk?" Rong was ashamed and submitted. The Emperor commended Bao and ordered that Rong be led down from the dais. He invited Huang Yi to debate with Bao, and they concluded only at nightfall.

12.21

(13) In this year, Dharma Master Xuanzang submitted a memorial requesting leave to retire to Shaolin Temple on Mount Song to concentrate on translating scriptures. An imperial rescript was issued in response, stating: "Examining your memorial, We learn of your wish to conceal your traces among crags and springs, emulating Dun and Yuan to surpass the past, and resting your thoughts in spiritual stillness, taking Cheng and Shen as models to set a standard for the present. Looking up with admiration to your demeanor and character, We revere them deeply. Our own accomplishments are void and Our learning meager, unable to fathom height and depth; yet with Our shallow knowledge and scant hearing, We do not see this as permissible. Dharma Master, you are a bridge across the three realms, drawing forth the four kinds of beings; the lamp of your mind shines with wisdom, and the water of your intent is settled in meditation. It is not something that the dust of emotions can obscure, nor can the waves of consciousness disturb it. Where the Dao and virtue reside, why must it be amidst the folded peaks of Taihua? Where emptiness and quiescence are housed, why should it only be among the tiered ridges of Shaoshi? Fortunately, keep your words to yourself and do not petition again. Thus, the 'great recluse in the market and court' is not prized only among the worthies of old; the vast benefit of what is seen and heard can be even more treasured in our own generation." Xuanzang submitted a memorial of gratitude, which said in brief: "Formerly, Ji Zhong received the courtesies of the Wei ruler, who spoke only of their separation; Huiyuan was humbled by the letter of the Jin emperor, which merely ordered the provision of rice. Never was there seen an expression combining the principle that 'emptiness and quiescence can be housed' or instructing on the spirit of 'the great recluse in the market and court.' Thus we know that the sovereign's mind exhausts the ultimate and the conventional, comprehending existence and encompassing non-existence, rising higher than Fuxi and Xuanyuan, and surpassing Cao and Sima by far." At that time, Master Xuanzang's renown shook the empire, and he intended to ban the old translations of the scriptures and promulgate only the new texts. There was a Chan master named Fachong who was skilled in the essential teaching of the Laṅkāvatāra and was deeply esteemed by Duke Fang of Liang. Coming to see Xuanzang, he admonished him, saying: "I hear that you intend to discard the old scriptures and forbid their propagation. This cannot be permitted. Dharma Master, you entered the Dao relying on the old scriptures; if you now cast aside the old to venerate the new, then should you not also return to the beginning and enter monastic life anew relying on the new scriptures?" Xuanzang realized his error and stopped.

12.22

(14; jiwei) In the fourth year, the Emperor was at Hebi Palace and summoned monks and Daoists to debate doctrine. Dharma Master Huiyin established the thesis of the five aggregates (skandhas). Dharma Master Shentai established the thesis of the nine cessations and knowledges. The Daoists Li Rong and Huang Shou did not understand the terminology and meaning, and were as bewildered as if adrift on a sea of dreams; though words went back and forth, they were completely lost with nowhere to turn. The Emperor then commanded the Daoists to establish a thesis. Thereupon, Li Rong established the thesis that "the Dao generates the myriad things." Dharma Master Huili asked: "Sir, you establish that the Dao generates the myriad things; I wonder whether this Dao has consciousness or is without consciousness?" Rong said: "Man emulates Earth, Earth emulates Heaven, and Heaven emulates the Dao. Since it is that which Heaven and Earth emulate, how could it be said to be without consciousness?" Li said: "If it indeed has consciousness, it should generate only what is good. Why does it also generate what is evil? Since good and evil rise and fall, mixed and confounded in birth, it must be without consciousness. Pray allow me to explain in detail. In high antiquity, before Heaven and Earth opened up, why did it not generate today's sagely and enlightened ruler early on to nurture the common people and bestow glory and joy upon them, but instead first gave birth to the likes of Gonggong, Chiyou, Jie, Zhou, You, and Li to ravage and harm the people? Among ministers, why did it not generate only the likes of Ji, Xie, Kui, and Long, but instead caused the cohorts of Feilian, Elai, Jin Shang, and Xin Mang to flatter their sovereigns and bring ruin to the state? Among feathered creatures, why did it not generate only luan-phoenixes and auspicious birds, but further generated owls and jing-birds, which are evil birds? Among furred beasts, why did it not generate only qilin and hualiu steeds, but also generated jackals, wolves, porcupines, and hedgehogs? Down to grasses and trees, their beauty and ugliness differ; since they are born mixed together without distinguishing good from evil, the Dao is without consciousness and cannot generate things. How can it be said that Heaven and Earth take it as a model and generate the myriad things? According to the teaching of the Buddha, the Bhagavān, who thoroughly fathomed principle and exhausted nature, Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things are karma. Sentient beings, by the power of karma, experience different results: for those whose good karma is superior, lapis lazuli forms the ground, yellow gold forms the roads, jade trees shade the paths, jade leaves hang over pavilions, sweet dew serves as food, and brocade garments serve as seats. For those whose evil karma is abundant, sand and soil form the ground, tiles and rubble form the streets, millet chaff serves to satisfy hunger, hempen garments cover the body; they walk in mud and lodge in the rain, reap in frost and plow in heat. All these are brought about by one's own karma, with no one causing them. Sir, your mind is deluded and does not understand; to falsely claim that the Dao generates them—how pitiful!" Rong was flabbergasted and did not know how to respond. Huili seized the chance to mock him; Rong fell silent and retreated from his seat in embarrassment. Huang Shou was invited to take the front seat to establish the thesis of Laozi's name and title. Dharma Master Huiyin, considering that Laozi was the imperial ancestor and fearing that refuting his name might cause offense, immediately memorialized: "Huang Shou belongs to the Daoist priesthood yet does not know taboos. Even foxes in city walls and rats in altars rely on something. The dynasty traces its distant lineage back to the dragon's virtue, and Your Majesty is a descendant of the Lao clan. How can one openly discuss the ancestral taboo name before his descendants? As for the five thousand words, they contain many excellent doctrines; yet Shou cannot present them, speaking instead of the Sage's personal name. If his offense were weighed and punished according to law, he would deserve more than death!" The Emperor nodded and said: "Indeed, he should establish a different thesis." Shou, having been thwarted, broke out in a cold sweat of shame and lost his bearings; though he offered responses, the order of his points was confused and erratic. When they finished, the Emperor said: "We observe that in the debates between the two schools, the essential tenets were ultimately never clarified." Dharma Master Huili immediately responded: "That the essential tenets of the two schools' debates were not clarified is truly as the bright edict states. Why is this? When the monks established their theses, the Daoists did not understand their origins; ashamed at lacking words, they uttered deceitful and clamorous nonsense. For instance, when Huiyin established the thesis of the five aggregates (yun), Huang Yi used the name 'obscuration' (yin) to raise objections. Now, 'obscuration' takes covering as its principle, whereas 'aggregate' (yun) takes accumulation as its meaning. For example, form has eleven kinds, gathered under the name of form; consciousness has eight kinds, accumulated within a single name. A single comprehensive term is set up to gather them, which is called the meaning of 'aggregate.' If one raises objections using the name 'obscuration,' the doctrinal principle is completely missed. Furthermore, when Shentai established the thesis of the nine cessations and knowledges, the Daoists had never heard this term in their whole lives; though they mounted the debate seat, they did not even know where to pose a question. Unable to hide their shame, they recklessly engaged in irrelevant talk. Therefore the essential tenets were not clarified and sullied the heavenly ears; the fault lies with the Daoists. However, within the great doctrine of the Buddha's Dharma, causes and conditions (pratītyasamutpāda) are paramount. Thus it is said: 'Never has there been a single phenomenon that does not arise from causes and conditions.' For example, for the eyes to see a palace pillar, five conditions must be complete: first, the conscious mind is not distracted; second, the visual faculty is undamaged; third, it relies on light; fourth, an object is present before it; fifth, there is no obstruction in between. Only when these conditions are complete can one see the pillar. If the sunlight has set and the dragon candles are not yet lit, even if there is a vermilion pillar, how could it be seen? Again, like good grain in the month of warm spring, it can sprout relying on water, soil, and human labor; if stored in a jar in summer or kept in a pit in winter, because conditions are incomplete, it will never sprout. Man is also like this: internally, karmic resonance serves as the cause; externally, parents serve as the conditions—only then can the body be born. If the parents are discordant, there is ultimately no principle for birth. Down to feathered and furred creatures and the myriad varieties, all are likewise. Therefore the scripture says: 'Entering deeply into dependent origination cuts off all heterodox views.' It is because the Buddha's wisdom completely fathoms the true characteristic of dharmas that he is called the Unsurpassed Right Enlightenment and the Teacher of Gods and Humans. The cohorts of externalists are not like this: some assert that all dharmas are of nature (ziran), which is identical to Zhuangzi and Laozi here; some claim there is no cause; some say everything is predetermined by past actions. All of these are heterodox traditions that do not understand the root of dharmas." He also expounded the doctrine of the three natures—other-dependent, imagined, and consummate—before the throne. When they took leave and exited the palace, an imperial attendant shortly transmitted an imperial rescript through Wang Junde, saying: "The Masters' doctrine of causes and conditions is very fine; why was it not debated earlier?" He went to the Daoist Li Rong and others to transmit the rescript, saying: "Why do you not study the Buddhist scriptures?" Thereupon Rong and the others shrank back in shame, rendered speechless.

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佛祖歷代通載 — Classical Chinese