釋氏稽古略 1.8

1.8

先師古今和尚承祖席之遺。主海潮寺凡二十有四年。興廢舉墜。宏暢宗風。四方來歸依者踵趾相接。咸豐壬子。先師謝事退休。傳之於清道。顧以根業淺薄。未能仰承付莂之重。復丁庚辛之難。寺燬於火。同治三年甲子。清道就舊址。結茅募緣。思為得尺得寸之計。辱海內檀越爭先佈捨。遂以次規復佛宇。增建禪堂。俾雲遊緇素得所棲息。清道不敢自詡其功能。實先師慈芘有以默相之也。復念寺眾群集。晨夕焚修。不有經典。如滅燭夜行。曷窺宗旨。而浙中五山十剎諸道場。備蒙列　聖寵頒　龍藏。悉付劫灰無一存者。光緒辛巳。銳意北行上書。政府達之　宸聽。得旨頒賜龍藏全部。儀衛副焉。敬謹捧歸建閣尊藏。以為山門之寶。時清道世臘已七十矣。朽鈍如昔。因退居別院。以承先師之遺意。重念先聖真言密諦。實儒者之經傳。景德傳鐙高僧聖僧列傳。佛祖通載諸書實。儒者之史鑑。名賢語錄箋疏。實儒者之子與集。禪宗漸頓即儒者之體用。四十二章經與中庸之澈上澈下同其功用。苟不潛心搜索。何以超入上乘。元至正初。覺岸禪師撰釋氏稽古略四卷。實竺典之叵編。吾人之寶筏。箸錄於四庫全書。而世少傳本。末學後世無從窺測。法徒寶藏此書。後附明僧大聞續略三卷。惜多損剝。復假錢塘丁氏八千卷樓藏本。斠勘精審。循翻雕古書之例。不更寫樣。以原書重付手民。敬列　欽定提要。辨之簡端。所以廣布　皇仁昭示來學。不學如清道者。藉得附名編末。實深幸焉。

My late master, the Venerable Gujin, inherited the legacy of the patriarchal seat and presided over Haichao Monastery for twenty-four years. He restored what had fallen into ruin and promoted the tradition of the school. Those from the four directions who came to take refuge arrived heel to toe. In the renzi year of Xianfeng [1852], my late master resigned from his duties and retired, transmitting [the monastery] to me, Qingdao. Yet because my roots and karmic capacity are shallow, I was unable to bear the weight of the entrusted transmission. Furthermore, encountering the calamities of the geng-xin years [the Taiping Rebellion], the monastery was destroyed by fire. In the jiazi year, the third year of Tongzhi [1864], I, Qingdao, went to the old site, built a thatched hut, and solicited funds, seeking to rebuild inch by inch. Graced by donors across the realm competing to give alms, the Buddhist halls were restored in succession and a Chan hall was added, providing a resting place for wandering monks and laity. I, Qingdao, dare not boast of any merit; it was truly the late master's compassionate protection that secretly aided me. I further considered that the monastery's assembly gathers to cultivate and burn incense morning and night; without scriptures, it is like walking at night with an extinguished lamp—how could they fathom the ancestral purport? Yet among the bodhimaṇḍas of the Five Mountains and Ten Monasteries in Zhejiang, all of which had been graced with the Dragon Canon bestowed by successive imperial sages, every single one had been reduced to ashes during the kalpa of destruction, leaving not one preserved. In the xinye year of Guangxu [1881], with determined intent I traveled north and submitted a memorial. The government conveyed it to the imperial ear, and an edict was issued bestowing a complete set of the Dragon Canon, accompanied by an imperial escort. Respectfully and cautiously I carried it back, building a pavilion to enshrine and store it as a treasure of the mountain gate. At that time, my worldly age had reached seventy. Decrepit and dull as ever, I retired to a separate cloister to carry out my late master's legacy. I reflected again that the true words and secret truths of the ancient sages are in fact the classics and commentaries of the Confucians; the Jingde Transmission of the Lamp (Jingde chuandeng lu), the Biographies of Eminent Monks, Biographies of Sagely Monks, the Comprehensive Record of the Buddhas and Patriarchs (Fozu tongzai), and other works are in fact the historical mirrors of the Confucians; the recorded sayings and commentaries of eminent sages are in fact the philosophical and literary collections of the Confucians; the gradual and sudden approaches of the Chan school are precisely the substance and function of the Confucians; and the Forty-Two Sections Sūtra and the Doctrine of the Mean share the same efficacy in penetrating from top to bottom. If one does not immerse one's mind in searching them out, how can one transcend into the Great Vehicle? In the early Zhizheng era of the Yuan dynasty, Chan Master Jue'an compiled the Brief Historical Survey of the Śākya Lineage (Shishi jigu lüe) in four fascicles. It is truly an indispensable compilation among the Indian scriptures and a precious raft for us. It was cataloged in the Siku quanshu, but few copies circulated in the world, leaving later students without means to consult it. My Dharma-disciples treasured this book, which was appended with the three fascicles of the Continued Brief Survey by the Ming monk Dawen; sadly, it was badly damaged. Borrowing the copy held in the Eight Thousand Fascicles Tower of the Ding family of Qiantang, it was meticulously collated. Following the convention of recarving ancient books without altering the calligraphy style, the original book was recommitted to the carvers. We respectfully set forth the imperially authorized abstract at the beginning of the volume to disseminate imperial benevolence and instruct future students. That an unlearned person such as myself, Qingdao, should have my name appended at the end of the volume is truly a great fortune.