佛祖歷代通載 18.65

18.65

(27) The Emperor composed a preface for the *Tiansheng Record of the Spreading of the Lamp* and bestowed it upon Li Zunxu, General Protecting the State, Military Commissioner, and Imperial Son-in-law Commandant. Its text read: “When the Great Hero promulgated his teachings, he took purity as his principle, and delivered the world with loving-kindness and compassion. He unloosed the painful fetters of defilements and opened the gates of skillful transformation. Residing in the Snow Mountains, his steps first ascended in the Western Regions; flying into the distant desert palaces, his path reached at last to the Eastern Dawn. How can the attainments of the Way in that land ever be fully told? Our receiving of its stream into this realm truly rests upon this. Although the Māras of the aggregates have provoked offenses or displayed supernatural powers, Śakra, Lord of the Devas, has ever offered protection so that the true mark is never impaired. From the time the Dharma-Eye bestowed the prophecy and Upagupta sealed the mind, the Buddha’s robe was no longer handed down; reaching the Sixth Patriarch, sudden enlightenment was realized. The Niutou branch diverged, continuing the myriad lamps without end. Thenceforth the torches of wisdom grew ever more manifold, and the clouds of Dharma nourished and shaded all. Sanskrit writings traced horizontally were translated into the sounds of the Han; knocking at the stillness of the Chan barrier, the path of awakening was pointed out to the deluded. Those who attain it reach the detachment from conceptual thought; those who transcend and ascend forget the fish-trap. It is the brilliance that leaves nothing unpenetrated, resting foremost among the inconceivable. Successive sagely emperors and enlightened kings have likewise placed their faith and allegiance in it. When our Taizu rode the dynastic talismans, the kingly law was extended to endure in the world. When our Taizong held the cosmic order, marvelous offerings filled all the heavens. Emperor Zhenzong secretly accorded with the mind of bodhi and deeply investigated the purports of the Sugata. The transforming influence of Śākyamuni drenched all universally like a single rain; his mind of external protection joyfully gave away the two headdresses. We, succeeding to the luminous line and nurturing the multitude of commoners, intend thereby to guide the prosperous and long-lived people, constantly honoring the foundation of the Tamer. Greatly undertaking the ancestral foundation, though We respectfully spread the mat over the dynastic charts, in guiding across the ford with provisions, We ever reverently ponder the Indian cloth. This is indeed following the Way of former kings—how could it be neglected? As for the *Tiansheng Record of the Spreading of the Lamp*, it was compiled and arranged by Li Zunxu, General Protecting the State, Military Commissioner, and Imperial Son-in-law Commandant. Zunxu received glory in the external halls and took the precepts at the fasting platform. Never relying on his nobility to be arrogant, he deeply cleansed his mind in serene vastness. Exhausting his lifelong disposition of accumulated compliance, he pursued the fundamental cause of seeking fortune. Rinsing away the emotional dust of the six faculties, he distinguished the ultimate destination of the three vehicles. Tracing the records of the patriarchs, he broadened their ancestral wind; collecting the swift dynamics of the Bodhisattvas, he gathered the elegant dialogues of the monasteries. All that roughly aided the principle was gathered into this work. He once presented the blue-bound volumes to the imperial presence and diligently requested the grant of a preface. Having commended his sincerity, We were loath to go against his wish. Furthermore, reflecting upon the purports of the Bhagavān, they truly provide shelter for sentient beings; and that a house of the imperial kin is not infected by self-conceit is indeed praiseworthy. Thus We have granted it. How could this title be given in vain? It is also the source by which a king universally delivers all things.” The record comprises thirty fascicles.