佛祖歷代通載 22.185

22.185

(18. Jiayin) On the twenty-second day of the first month, the era was changed to Yanyou, and a great amnesty was proclaimed. (In the eleventh month, envoys were dispatched to manage the fields and grain in Jiangxi, Jiangzhe, and Huguang.) The Tripiṭaka Master of Propagating the Teaching and Buddha-Wisdom entered quiescence. The Master was of the Jining clan; his taboo name was Shaluoba (Shes-rab) Guanzhao. He served the Guru Zhuolichi (Chos-rje) and studied the Buddha's teachings. He was skilled in the Tibetan script and largely grasped the essentials of the Esoteric teachings. When Emperor Shizu received instruction from Imperial Preceptor 'Phags-pa, he issued an edict commanding the Master to translate the words; his expressions were clear and discriminating, fully satisfying the imperial mind. An edict bestowed upon him the title 'Dharma Master of Great Eloquence and Broad Wisdom.' The people of Hexi revered his way and did not dare utter his personal name, calling him only by his clan name, going so far as to refer to his sons and younger brothers as 'the household of Dharma Master Jining'—so greatly was he esteemed. The Master had four brothers, and he was the youngest. In the years of childhood, he took the tonsure and became a monk under Imperial Preceptor 'Phags-pa, studying the abhiṣeka methods of the various classes of tantra. At that time, there was an eminent master named Ciwenbu (Dbon-po), who was acclaimed in the world for the essentials of the Yamāntaka Vajrayāna. The Imperial Preceptor commanded the Master to go and study this method. Wenbu, considering the Master's vessel to be grand and his discernment lofty—far beyond his peers—transmitted all the secret essentials to him. Thereupon, princes, dukes, and high officials who had an aspiration for this Way all took the Master as their teacher and received it from him. Imperial Preceptor Karaspa-odzer, on account of the Master's abilities, recommended him to Emperor Shizu, and an edict commanded him to translate the various secret essentials so that they might be transmitted to the world. At that time, although the Buddhist offices were flourishing, discipline had gradually fallen into decline. The local officials could neither shield the bequeathed teachings nor repel outside insults; instead, they caused harm to the monks. Though one wished to remove the destructive parasites and lancing sores, they could not be eradicated completely. The surging wave hit Jiangnan with particular severity. For a long time, the court sought capable men, intending to have them rectify it, and consulted the Imperial Preceptor. All agreed: 'Among the various kinds of people, how could there be no one capable? But when it comes to understanding the affairs of the times, who can compare with the Master's worthiness?' By imperial decree, he was appointed General Director of the Buddhist Teachings for Jiangzhe and Other Circuits. Upon his arrival, he eliminated vexatious and harsh regulations, devoted himself to leniency, and the people were put at ease. Soon after, he was reassigned as General Director of the Buddhist Teachings for Fujian and Other Circuits. Because of his upright spirit, he repeatedly clashed with his colleagues and did not get along. The Master said: 'What great matters are there under heaven, let alone in the realm of the teachings? It is merely our own mediocrity that stirs up trouble. Indeed, the more offices are established, the more vexatious the affairs become. The distress of the monks today is precisely because the affairs are vexatious and the officials are many. With nine shepherds to ten sheep, how can the harsh disruption be fully told?' He submitted a proposal to abolish them and reported it to the throne. An edict abolished the general directorates in the circuits, and commentators praised his loftiness. Having obtained his request, the Master then retired to the hills and ridges, building a cottage and planting trees, intending to end his days there. During the Zhida era, he was summoned to the capital by order of the Crown Prince. An edict appointed him Grand Master of Glorious Happiness and Minister of Education (Situ). During the days when Emperor Renzong's dragon virtues were still hidden in the deep, he had inquired about the Dharma from the Master and knew his worthiness. After ascending the imperial throne, his favor and treatment grew even more generous: he decreed that grain rations be provided and lodged him at Qingshou Temple; he also decreed that all the Master's translations be carved on printing blocks and circulated. From childhood, the Master was perceptive and intelligent; he mastered the languages of various countries without study. From the time he was a boy, everyone considered that he would certainly become a great vessel. When he grew up, he indeed established himself and attained the rank of the Three Excellencies. Although this was due to his virtue and talents, he also encountered his proper time. At the beginning of his study of the Buddha, he chanted his words and contemplated their meanings; having traversed the shallows, he then strove toward the depths. By nature he was fond of the worthy and loved the capable; he was particularly adept at adopting what was good in others. When discussing things, as soon as the opening point was made, he had already anticipated more than half of the ideas; hence, everything he possessed was acquired through his fondness for inquiry. For this reason, the eminent and famous flocked to him, associating with him as teachers and friends. On the fifth day of the tenth month in the first year of the Yanyou era, he passed away at the age of fifty-six. When he first fell ill, an edict bestowed ten thousand strings of Zhongtong paper money to seek medical treatment, and Grand Commander the Prince of Shen went to look after his illness. After his demise, an additional ten thousand strings of cash were bestowed to provide for his funeral affairs, and envoys were dispatched to convey his remains by courier service back for burial in his native place. His disciples jointly erected a stupa to mark his sepulcher. Master Hong of the Yunlu Hermitage on Mount Shou'an composed an inscription, saying: 'The transmission of the Buddha's teachings must rely on translation. Therefore, in translating Sanskrit into Chinese, whether matching names and objects or conveying only the meaning, one must be thoroughly versed in the sutras and treatises and skilled in the languages of both sides before one can accomplish it. For this reason, Dao'an once stated that translating subtle words involves five losses of the original and three difficulties. Therefore, unless one is truly capable, one cannot undertake this work. Among the ten categories of the biographies, translation holds the first place—is this not because the task is difficult and its merit great? I once received an edict to collate the Tripiṭaka together with various gentlemen in the capital. Observing the translators from ancient times, those who translated sutras by meaning like Kumārajīva of the Qin, or translated treatises like Master Xuanzang of the Tang—the works of a dozen or so men—can truly be called flawless, just as Confucius said of Yu. As for the rest, their expressed meanings were either obscure, or their literary phrasing was crude and unpolished. An obscurity of meaning is due to the translator's failure to fully comprehend, while crudeness of phrasing is a failure of polishing. Thinking thus of Master Dao'an's words, that one of his sky-filling stature still called it