唐護法沙門法琳別傳 1.3

1.3

詳夫。太極元氣之初。三光尚匿。木皇火帝之後。八卦爰興。是知。仁義漸開。假龍圖而起字。道德云廢。因鳥迹以成書。所以左史記言。夏商備於誥誓。右史記事。唐虞流於典謨。暨乃史遷綴史記之文。班固嗣班彪之作。英雄高士耆舊逸人。傳記之興其來尚矣。況乎法雲佛日。無去無來。妙有真空。離生離滅。雖復至理凝湛。而事迹應權。所以誕相西陲。周王矚五光之彩。流兆東夏。漢帝夢丈六之容。於是慷慨摩騰。應群機而入洛。抑揚僧會。體大道以遊吳。代有其人。英雄間發。爰有襄陽釋法琳者。紹迹四依。應生五濁。總八藏於襟腑。包九流於胸臆。維絕紐之將弛。纂龍樹之前徽。正頹綱之已紊。嗣馬鳴之餘烈。至若直言不諱。等折檻於朱雲。有犯無隱。邁牽衣於王象觸龍鱗而不移其志諒疾風之勁草焉。冒嚴刑而不改其節。寔季葉之忠臣也。然其文言博雅。秦懸一字無以方。事理弘敷。蜀掛千金未足比。嗟乎儒釋君子。鮮味斯道。信哉曲高和寡。幾將湮滅者歟。爰有弘福寺琮上人者。稟氣星辰。體道乘羊之歲。資靈海岳。育德撫象之年。志等澄蘭。誓摧邪而納慮。器均安遠。弘正教以為心。至若持線金章貫花玉牒。妙窮宗致。曲盡幽微。然而聽覽之餘。遊情子史。綜括黃老。包吞儒墨。每以琳公雅作分散者多。詢諸耆舊。勒成卷軸。分為上中下。目之為別傳。理致周備。捃摭無遺。刪補有則。抑亦僧中之良史也。然而記詞記事。班馬擬以多慚。直筆直言。陳范方之有愧。始驗琳公之草創。唯著美於一時。上人之潤色。乃規模於萬葉。弟子狄道李懷琳。與琮上人。志叶金蘭。義符膠漆。雖緇素有隔。而嗅味頗同。爰因頂謁。遇觀寶聚。輒申狂簡。為之序引云爾。

Considering the matter closely: In the beginning of the Great Ultimate and the primordial qi, the three luminaries were still concealed. After the Wood Sovereign and the Fire Thearch, the eight trigrams thereupon arose. From this we know that when benevolence and righteousness gradually unfolded, characters were invented based on the dragon chart; when the Dao and its virtue were said to have declined, writing was formed relying on the bird tracks. Therefore, the Left Historian recorded speeches, and the Xia and Shang [dynasties] were fully documented in proclamations and oaths; the Right Historian recorded events, and Tang and Yu [dynasties] were transmitted in canons and counsels. Coming down to the Historian Qian compiling the text of the *Records of the Grand Historian*, and Ban Gu continuing the work of Ban Biao, the rise of biographies for heroes, lofty scholars, elders, and recluses has indeed been long-standing! How much more so for the Dharma cloud and the Buddha sun, which have no coming and no going, or wondrous existence and true emptiness, which are free from arising and ceasing! Although the ultimate principle is utterly tranquil, traces of events respond expediently. Thus, manifesting the auspicious marks in the western regions, the King of Zhou gazed upon the radiance of five colors; transmitting portents to the eastern Xia lands, the Han Emperor dreamed of the sixteen-foot form. Thereupon, the impassioned Mātaṅga entered Luoyang responding to various capacities; the articulate Senghui journeyed to Wu after realizing the Great Way. In every generation there have been such men, heroes emerging from time to time. / Here there was the Śramaṇa Falin of Xiangyang. Continuing the traces of the four reliances, he arose in response to the five defilements. He grasped the eight treasuries in his bosom, and embraced the Nine Schools in his mind. Holding together the severed bonds that were about to slacken, he carried forward the former renown of Nāgārjuna; righting the collapsed discipline that had fallen into disorder, he inherited the remaining greatness of Aśvaghoṣa. As for his speaking frankly without concealment, it equaled Zhu Yun breaking the railing; offending without hiding anything, he surpassed Wang Xiang pulling the robe. Touching the dragon's scales without changing his resolve, he was truly the strong grass in a fierce wind! Braving severe punishment without altering his integrity, he was genuinely a loyal minister of the latter days. Moreover, his literary expression was wide and refined, unmatched even by Qin's hanging of a single word; his presentation of facts and principles was vast and extensive, beyond compare even with Shu's offering of a thousand pieces of gold. Alas! Gentlemen of Confucianism and Buddhism seldom savor this Way. Truly, the loftier the melody, the fewer who join in! Was it not almost on the verge of extinction? / Here was Superior Cong of Hongfu Monastery. Endowed with the spirit of the stars, he realized the Dao in the year of riding a goat; enriched by the spiritual efficacy of the seas and mountains, he cultivated virtue in the year of stroking the elephant. His resolve equaled that of [Fotudeng] Cheng and Dao[an], vowing to crush heterodoxy and direct his thoughts [to the truth]; his capacity was matched with that of [Dao]an and [Hui]yuan, taking the propagation of the correct teaching as his heart's purpose. As for holding the thread of the golden chapters and stringing the flowers of the jade tablets, he plumbed to the wondrous utmost the cardinal tenets, thoroughly exhausting their hidden subtleties. Yet beyond his listening and reading, his mind wandered through the masters and histories; he gathered together Huang-Lao, and encompassed both Confucians and Mohists. Constantly concerned that Master Falin's elegant works were mostly scattered, he consulted the elders and compiled them into scrolls, dividing them into upper, middle, and lower parts, and entitling them the *Separate Biography*. The principles and reasoning are comprehensive and complete, collected without omission, trimmed and supplemented with good standard; he is indeed a fine historian among the saṅgha! However, in recording words and recording events, Ban [Gu] and [Sima] Ma would feel much shame by comparison; in straightforward brush and forthright speech, Chen [Shou] and Fan [Ye] would be humbled beside it. This proves that Master Lin's initial draft only displayed its brilliance for a single age, while the Superior's polishing has set a model for myriad generations. / The disciple Li Huailin of Didao has a resolve that matches with Superior Cong like gold and orchids, and a bond of righteousness conforming like glue and lacquer. Although separated by black [robes] and white [lay clothes], their taste and inclination are quite identical. Thereupon, on the occasion of paying homage, having the fortune to view this treasure-trove, I have ventured to express these rash and simple words to provide this preface and introduction.