高僧傳 14

English (machine translation) 14

Language: English

14.1

Compiled by the śramaṇa Shi Huijiao of Jiaxiang Temple in Kuaiji under the Liang

Now, the Ultimate Way is silent and empty, yet made manifest through figurative traps and snares; the profound truth is deep and congealed, yet brought into application relying on guides and teachers. Thus, holy traces arose alternately, and worthy and capable persons relied on different [means]. They clarified loyalty, bravery, filial piety, and kindness to determine the way of honoring the sovereign; they illuminated the Odes, Documents, rites, and music to establish instructions for customs and manners. Some forgot achievement and cast aside affairs, prizing vacuity and stillness; others adapted themselves to glory and decline, attaching importance to resigning themselves to fate. Yet their teachings were confined solely to the mundane realm, their efficacy aimed only at immediate benefit. These were merely gradual and imperceptible methods, never penetrating deeply into spiritual nature to its ultimate end. As for the teachings of the Munificent Sage (Śākyamuni), when examining the subtle profundities of karmic fruits, they trace and cycle through the three periods of time; when speaking of the lofty subtlety of the ultimate truth, they transcend and surpass all spiritual beings. He expounded the Ten Stages to elucidate the essence of wisdom, and revealed the two truths to explain the storehouse of cognition. His principles plumb spiritual nature to the utmost, grasping the single pivotal culmination. If other teachings are compared to it, they are like the many streams returning to the great abyss, or the host of stars paying homage to the Northern Celestial Pole—how vast and distant it is! Truly it cannot be adequately praised in words. As for his teachings filling the trichiliocosm, and his physical manifestations pervading the six realms, all were means to guide the dim and benighted, bringing them great benefit. Yet because the pure and impure perceive differently, and the ascending and falling hold distinct views, the western regions first received the foundational presence of his voice and form, while the eastern lands only later received the benefits of hearing and seeing. The cloud and dragon manifested in the night's illumination; the wind and tiger became apparent in the midnight dream. Once the great gale blew forth, the immense transformation dissolved boundaries. From then on, renowned monks from the Western Regions arrived one after another, either transmitting and translating sūtras and teachings, instructing in dhyāna practice, transforming people through extraordinary deeds, or rescuing living beings with spiritual powers. From the Han to the Liang, the course of annals has been long indeed. Spanning six dynasties, the years approach five hundred. The śramaṇas of this land have brought forth their splendid brilliance, and a succession of outstanding talents has repeatedly emerged. The records of various authors recount and transmit them differently: the śramaṇa Faji exclusively narrated the single trace of the lofty and untrammeled; the śramaṇa Fa'an listed only the single conduct of determination and integrity; the śramaṇa Sengbao restricted himself to designating the single category of itinerant wandering; the śramaṇa Fajin composed comprehensive biographies and treatises. Yet in both literary style and recorded events there were omissions, displaying varying degrees of verbosity and concision, and discrepancies in inclusion and omission. When examining the deeds, one fails to see their definitive aim. The Prince of Kang of Linchuan under the Song, Yiqing's Record of Manifestations and Record of the Hidden and Manifest Worlds; Wang Yan of Taiyuan's Records of Signs from the Unseen Realm; Liu Quan of Pengcheng's Records of the Monasteries in Yibu; the śramaṇa Tancheng's Records of Monasteries in the Capital; Wang Yanxiu of Taiyuan's Biographies of Resonance and Response; Zhu Juntai's Biographies of Manifest Signs; and Tao Yuanming's Records of Searching for the Spirits—all included monks as secondary figures and described their demeanour and simplicity, yet these were all peripheral notices, excessively fraught with neglect and deficiencies. The Record and Biographies of the Three Jewels by Prince Wenxuan of Jingling under the Qi was alternately called the Buddhist History or the Monastic Catalog; since the Three Jewels were narrated together and their words and intents overlapped, it became confounded and hard to navigate, growing all the more cluttered and obscure. The Monastic History composed by Wang Jin of Langye seemed comprehensive in conception, yet deficient in literary style. The Record of the Tripiṭaka compiled by the śramaṇa Sengyou contains only thirty-odd monks, leaving out very many. The Eastern Mountain Biographies of Monks by the Secretariat drafter Xi Jingxing, the Mount Lu Biographies of Monks by the Attendant Officer Zhang Xiaoxiu, and the Biographies of Śramaṇas by the Secretariat drafter Lu Mingxia each vied to highlight a single region without connecting past and present, aiming to preserve a single virtue while neglecting other deeds. Down to the present, there have also been successive authors. However, in their praises, they exaggerated excessively in acclaim; or in their narratives, they made empty displays of wasteful verbiage. When seeking the actual truth, there was nothing worthy of commendation. Or again, disliking broad prolixity, they abridged the events, whereby much of the marvel of their aloof conduct was left out and deleted, claiming that renouncers of household life, dwelling in a realm as guests of the king, ought not to hold themselves aloof and independently transcendent. But looking into their renunciation of glory and abandonment of affection, they were considered worthy precisely because they differed from the secular world. If this is not discussed, what is there left to record? During my leisure days, I happened to read through these diverse works. Thereupon, I searched and gathered through several dozen miscellaneous records, as well as the spring-and-autumn annals and histories of the Jin, Song, Qi, and Liang, the irregular chronicles and false annals of Qin, Zhao, Yan, and Liang, miscellaneous geographical treatises, and fragmentary documents and brief notices. I also widely consulted the elders of old, extensively interviewed senior luminaries, collated what was present and absent, and extracted their agreements and differences. Beginning with the tenth year of the Yongping era of Emperor Ming of the Han, and ending in the eighteenth year of the Tianjian era of the Liang, covering altogether 453 years, there are 257 principal figures, plus over two hundred persons who appear peripherally as secondary notices. Setting forth their virtues and achievements, they are broadly divided into ten categories: first, Translators of Sūtras; second, Exegetes; third, Wonder-workers; fourth, Practitioners of Dhyāna; fifth, Masters of the Vinaya; sixth, Self-immolators; seventh, Cantors of Sūtras; eighth, Promoters of Merit; ninth, Sūtra Lectors; and tenth, Changers of Intonation (Hymnodists). Now, the flow of the Dharma into the Eastern Land was truly due to the merit of transmission and translation. Whether crossing the perils of deserts or drifting across vast waves, they all forgot their bodies and sacrificed their lives for the Way, dedicating their lives to propagating the Dharma. The enlightenment of China relied entirely upon this. This virtue is venerable, and is therefore placed at the head of the chapters. As for when insightful understanding opens the spirit, the Way embraces ten thousand myriad [phenomena]; when communion and spiritual response adapt to bring transformation, the violent and tyrannical are pacified; when calming thoughts and resting in dhyāna, merits flourish luxuriously; when broadly extolling the Vinaya, disciplinary conduct remains pure and unblemished; when forgetting the physical frame and abandoning the body, the arrogant and stingy transform their minds; when chanting and reciting Dharma words, both the unseen and visible realms partake in joy; when establishing and promoting blessed goodness, surviving images can be handed down. These eight categories all follow distinct tracks, and their transformative influences permeate differently. Yet all their virtues correspond to the Four Reliances, and their achievements reside in the three modes of action (thought, word, deed); hence they are praised by the various sūtras and extolled by the holy ones. As for examining their origins and developments, and weighing what to select and what to discard, these are all laid out in the appraisals and treatises, provided in the subsequent text. The phrasing adopted in these treatises differs slightly from the conventional style: initially indicating the overarching meaning, it resembles a preceding preface; but at the end, discussing contemporary figures, the matter is like a concluding deliberation. If inserted between the beginning and the end, it would seem confusing and disorganized. Therefore, they are uniformly placed at the end of each category, collectively termed treatises. As for chanting, reading, and preaching, although their origins are not ancient, their adaptation to capacity and enlightenment of the vulgar truly possessed a distinct efficacy. Hence, the miscellaneous records of Qi and Song all listed the outstanding figures. Those selected now must have excelled beyond compare in composition and execution, and have possessed a degree of divine communion, before being compiled at the end of the biographies. If they differed, they were not retained. What is narrated across all ten categories was originally scattered throughout various records. Now, I have merely excised and gathered them in one place, thus 'transmitting without inventing'. This is to enable those who peruse this single work to hold all essentials together. Where there were verbose words, empty eulogies, or virtue insufficient to be commended, all have been omitted. Thus, narrating the worthy and extraordinary of the six dynasties, it comprises only thirteen fascicles, which together with the preface and table of contents make fourteen rolls in total, entitled Biographies of Eminent Monks. In the writings of previous eras, they were mostly titled 'Renowned Monks'. But fame is merely the guest of reality. If real practice conceals its light, then one is eminent without being renowned. If meager in virtue but adapting to the times, one is renowned without being eminent. The renowned but not eminent were originally not fit to be recorded; the eminent but not renowned are fully included in the present catalog. Therefore, I have removed the word 'renowned' and substituted it with the word 'eminent'. In the course of drafting, there may have been omissions. These fourteen scrolls, complete with appraisals and treatises, represent my intended definitive form. If there are things not yet refined or corrected, let the readers examine them with care.

Linked texts (1)

高僧傳 — 慧皎, Classical Chinese