高僧傳 1.55

1.55

初僧伽跋澄出《婆須蜜》及曇摩難提所出二《阿含》、《毘曇》、《廣說》、《三法度》等凡百餘萬言。屬慕容之難，戎敵紛擾，兼譯人造次，未善詳悉，義旨句味，往往不盡。俄而安公棄世，未及改正。後山東清平，提婆乃與冀州沙門法和俱適洛陽。四五年間，研講前經，居華稍積，博明漢語，方知先所出經，多有乖失。法和慨歎未定，乃更令提婆出《阿毘曇》及《廣說》眾經。頃之姚興王秦，法事甚盛，於是法和入關，而提婆渡江。先是，廬山慧遠法師。翹懃妙典，廣集經藏，虛心側席，延望遠賓，聞其至止，即請入廬岳。以晉太元中請出《阿毘曇心》及《三法度》等。提婆乃於般若臺手執梵文，口宣晉語，去華存實，務盡義本，今之所傳，蓋其文也。

Earlier, the *Vasumitra* produced by Saṃghabhadra and the two *Āgamas*, the *Abhidharma*, the *Vibhāṣā* (Extensive Exposition), and the *Tridharmaka* produced by Dharmanandin totaled more than a million words. But owing to the calamity caused by the Murong and the turmoil of the barbarian enemies, and because the translators had acted in haste without being thorough and detailed, the meanings and phrasing were often incomplete. Soon afterward the venerable Dao'an passed away, before corrections could be made. Later, when the area east of the mountains became peaceful, Saṃghadeva and the śramaṇa Fahe of Jizhou went together to Luoyang. Over four or five years, they investigated and expounded the previous scriptures. Having lived in China for some time, Saṃghadeva became extensively versed in the Chinese language, and only then realized that the previously translated scriptures contained many errors and omissions. Fahe sighed with regret that they had not been settled, and thereupon asked Saṃghadeva to retranslate the *Abhidharma* and the *Vibhāṣā* along with other texts. Shortly thereafter, Yao Xing ruled as king of Qin and Buddhist activities flourished greatly; thereupon Fahe entered the passes, while Saṃghadeva crossed the Yangtze River. Prior to this, Dharma Master Huiyuan of Mount Lu had diligently sought subtle texts and extensively gathered the scriptural canon; with an open mind and sitting on the edge of his mat, he eagerly awaited guests from afar. Hearing that Saṃghadeva had arrived, Huiyuan immediately invited him to enter Mount Lu. In the Taiyuan era of the Jin dynasty, he requested him to translate the *Abhidharmahṛdaya* and the *Tridharmaka*, among others. Saṃghadeva then held the Sanskrit text in his hands at the Prajñā Platform and proclaimed it orally in Chinese, removing superfluity and preserving the essential, striving to exhaust the original meaning; what is transmitted today is indeed that translation.