續高僧傳 1.13

1.13

Shi Tanyao: it is not known where he was from. He underwent pravrajyā in his youth. His practice was firm and chaste, and his discernment refined and restrained. During the Heping era of the Northern Wei, he resided at the Northern Terrace as the Director of the Zhaoxuan Office. He pacified and unified the saṅgha, winning their hearts admirably. He resided at the Grotto of Heng'an, Tongle Temple, which had been built by the Wei emperor. Thirty li northwest of Heng'an, in the valley of Mount Wuzhou, on the northern face of the stone cliff, they carved into it and established a Buddhist temple named Lingyan. The largest of the niches rises over twenty zhang in height and can hold about three thousand people. On each face they carved images of consummate skill and beauty, each niche presenting an extraordinary appearance that startled human and divine beings alike. They are linked continuously like the teeth of a comb for over thirty li. The Buddhist monastery at the eastern end always supported a thousand people; the stone stele still survives, but its details have not yet been fully set down. Prior to this, in the seventh year of the Taiping Zhenjun era of Emperor Taiwu, Minister of Education Cui Hao used wicked flattery to induce the emperor to venerate the Daoist Kou Qianzhi, conferring on him the title of Celestial Master and paying ever greater reverence to Laozi; they slaughtered the Śākya clan and burned monasteries and stūpas. By the gengyin year, Emperor Taiwu contracted a virulent disease and only then came to his senses; moreover, a 'white-footed' dhyāna master came to enlighten him. The emperor, repentant in heart, executed the Cui clan, as is recorded across various biographies. In the renchen year, Emperor Taiwu died, and his grandson Wencheng was enthroned; he immediately erected stūpas and temples and searched for the scriptural texts. After seven years of the Dharma's destruction, the triratna flourished once again. Tanyao, lamenting the past decline and ruin and rejoicing in its present restoration, assembled virtuous monks at the grottos of the Northern Terrace and, facing Tianzhu śramaṇas, translated the Fu fazang zhuan and the Pure Land scriptures to circulate them among future worthies, intending that they never be interrupted. At that time, there was also a śramaṇa named Tanjing: because the sun of the Buddha had just begun to rise again and the previously translated scriptures had all been burned, leaving no basis for guiding people in the world, he produced the Tiwei Boli jing in two fascicles. His intention was to bring about understanding, yet his words contained many absurd fabrications. Thus the text says, 'Mount Tai of the east, in the Han language, means Daiyue, because yin and yang take turns replacing [dai] each other.' But the term 'Daiyue' arose in the Wei era, yet he called it 'Han language', failing to distinguish the eras: this is the first absurdity. 'Mount Tai' is a term of this land, yet he translated it as 'Daiyue', rendering two [local] terms for each other and failing to distinguish Indic from Wei: this is the second absurdity. Such examples are very numerous, fully evident in the text of the scripture, and can be grasped upon examination. In the old catalogues there was separately a one-fascicle Tiwei jing that agreed with the other scriptures, but Tanjing added the five directions and five elements, mixing stones with gold; it is suspected to be a forgery. Nothing further is known of his end. During the Kaihuang era of the Sui, in the regions around the passes, ordinary people still practiced according to the Tiwei [jing] here and there; religious associations each held their robes and bowls and held fasting ceremonies twice a month, following proper models of the Vinaya and inspecting one another, congregating in great solemnity.