釋迦譜 1.2

1.2

蓋聞。菩提之為極也。神妙寂通。圓智湛照。道絕於形識之封。理畢於生滅之境。形識久絕。豈實誕於王宮。生滅已畢。寧真謝於堅固哉。但群萌長寢同歸大覺。緣來斯化感至必應。若應而不生誰與悟俗。化而無名何以導世。是以。標號釋迦擅種剎利。體域中之尊。冠人天之秀。然後脫屣儲宮真觀道樹。捨金輪而馭大千。明玉毫而制法界。此其所以垂跡也。爰自降胎至于分塔。瑋化千條靈瑞萬變。並義炳經典事盈記傳。而群言參差首尾散出。事緒舛駁同異莫齊。散出首尾。宜有貫一之區。莫齊同異。必資會通之契。故知。博誶難該而總集易覽也。祐以不敏業謝多聞。時因疾隙頗存尋翫。遂乃披經案記。原始要終。敬述釋迦譜。記列為五卷。若夫胤裔託生之源。得道度人之要。泥洹塔像之徵。遺法將滅之相。總眾經以正本。綴世記以附末。使聖言與俗說分條。古聞共今跡相證。萬里雖邈有若躬踐。千載誠隱無隔面對。今抄集眾經述而不作。庶脫尋訪力半功倍。敬率丹心略敷誓願。

I have heard that bodhi is the ultimate: miraculous, tranquil, and pervasive; its perfect wisdom clear and illuminating. The Way is beyond the confines of form and consciousness; its principle ends outside the realm of arising and ceasing. When form and consciousness have long been severed, could [a buddha] truly be born in a royal palace? When arising and ceasing are already ended, could he truly perish at [Kuśinagara,] the Solid [Place]? Yet living beings sleep an eternal slumber and are all to return to the Great Awakened One. When conditions arise, transformation ensues; where resonance reaches, an response is assured. If he responded without taking birth, with whom would he awaken the common world? If he transformed without a name, how could he guide the mundane realms? For this reason, he took the name Śākya and possessed the lineage of the kṣatriya, embodying the supreme honor of the realm and topping the outstanding among humans and gods. Thereafter, he cast off his shoes in the crown prince's palace and engaged in true contemplation beneath the bodhi tree, renouncing the golden wheel to govern the trichiliocosm and brightening the jade urna to regulate the dharmadhātu. This is why he left his traces [in the world]. From his descent into the womb to the dividing of the stūpa relics, marvelous transformations were a thousandfold, and spiritual omens assumed myriad forms. All of these have their meanings illuminate the scriptures and their events fill the chronicles and biographies. Yet the accounts vary, and beginnings and endings are scattered throughout; the sequence of events is tangled and divergent, and agreements and differences are inconsistent. When beginnings and endings are scattered, there must be a unifying standard; when agreements and differences are inconsistent, they must rely on an underlying harmony. Thus we know that widely scattered sayings are difficult to master, whereas a synthesized collection is easy to review. I, Sengyou, lack intelligence, and my deeds fall short of extensive learning; yet finding leisure during an illness, I indulged in searching and reflection. Thereupon I opened the scriptures and examined the records, tracing things from their origins to their conclusions, and reverently composed the *Genealogy of Śākya(muni)*, arranging the records into five rolls. These encompass the origins of the descent and births of the lineage, the essentials of attaining the Way and delivering people, the proofs of the stūpas and images of nirvāṇa, and the omens of the decline and disappearance of the bequeathed Dharma. I gathered the various sūtras to rectify the root text and joined mundane records to append to the end, separating the holy words from secular accounts and cross-referencing ancient lore with contemporary traces. Though separated by ten thousand leagues, it is as if trodden in person; though obscured by a thousand years, it is without hindrance, as if face to face. Now, excerpting and collecting the various sūtras, I transmit without innovating, hoping to spare researchers effort and achieve double the result. Reverently offering my sincere heart, I briefly set forth my vows: