續高僧傳 4.7

English (machine translation) 4.7

Language: English

4.7.1

Xuanzang wished to disseminate the basic teachings, and so gave free rein [to his wish] to open up the true Dharma. He then went to Kāmarūpa in eastern India. Because the customs there were entirely devoted to faith in heterodox paths, their adherents numbered several tens of thousands. Although the Buddha Dharma was widespread, it had not reached that land. The king served heavenly spirits and loved and valued doctrinal teachings; merely hearing of a wise man, without inquiring whether he was heterodox or orthodox, he would venerate that person all the same. Having just begun to be tinged with the Buddha Dharma, he was about to promote and propagate it, so [Xuanzang] went there to enlighten him. When he arrived, the king praised Xuanzang's superior bearing and clear, far-reaching intellect. King Kumāra, rejoicing at having the opportunity to meet him in person, sent an envoy repeatedly with invitations, and only after three times did [Xuanzang] go. When they met, it was just like a reunion with an old friend. Their discussions and conversations lasted through a whole month. At that time, heterodox practitioners gathered like clouds and asked the king to arbitrate the debate. As soon as words and arguments clashed, the heterodox disciples bent like grass before the wind. The king revered him even more and opened the gate of faith for the first time. He asked about the merits of the Buddhas, and Xuanzang praised the Tathāgata's three bodies that benefit living beings; he then composed the Treatise on the Three Bodies in three hundred verses to present to him. The king said: "This is unprecedented!" and bowed his head in refuge. The eastern border of this country adjoins the western barbarians of Shu; hearing about the route, one could arrive in two months. At that time, an official of King Śīlāditya reported: "In the realm of King Kumāra, the eastern barbarian, there is a Mahāyānadeva from China whose virtue spreads far and wide and who is revered by that king. Please send for him." "Mahāyānadeva" was the laudatory name given to Xuanzang by the Indian monks. The king said: "I have repeatedly invited him, but he declined and did not come. Why is he there?" He then sent word to King Kumāra: "You may send the Chinese Dharma master to meet me at Kajangala." King Kumāra ordered twenty thousand war elephants and thirty thousand boats, and with Xuanzang sailed up the Gaṅgā to meet Śīlāditya. Śīlāditya, together with more than one million officials and subordinates, sailed down the river eastwards, converging at the kingdom of Kajangala. When they first met, he bowed his head in homage, kissed his feet with utmost reverence, scattered flowers, recited verses, and offered immeasurable worship. Then he said: "This disciple invited you first; why did you not come?" He replied that his study of the Dharma was not yet complete, and that was why he had delayed his departure. [The king] also said: "In that country of China, there is the music and dance piece 'The Prince of Qin Smashes the Battle Formations'. What kind of person is the Prince of Qin that he inspired such songs?" Xuanzang said: "He is the Son of Heaven who now rectifies the realm. He is a great sage who quelled disorder and restored proper rule, whose grace moistens the four quarters and heaven and earth; hence there are such songs." The king said: "Truly, Heaven endowed him to be the lord of all beings!" He then invited him into his travelling palace and laid out various offerings. Xuanzang then composed the Treatise on the Destruction of Evil Views. Looking back at his court masters, [Śīlāditya] said: "When the light of the sun emerges, the firefly and torch lose their brilliance. What you masters have treasured has all been refuted by another. Try to defend it and let us see." Among the monks of the Hīnayāna, none dared to speak. The king said: "Although this treatise is excellent, it has not yet been widely heard. I wish to hold a great assembly at Kanyākubja, commanding the eloquent scholars of the five Indies to debate and reveal it before the assembly, so that the heterodox may follow the orthodox and abandon the Small to pursue the Great. Would that not be fitting?" On that day an edict was issued, proclaimed throughout the realm, summoning all śramaṇas, brāhmaṇas, and all heterodox paths to assemble at Kanyākubja. Sailing upstream from the beginning of winter, they arrived only in the twelfth month. At that time, they gathered from the four directions in tens of thousands; those who could debate doctrine numbered several thousands, each boasting great eloquence and claiming they would vanquish their opponents. They first erected temporary pavilions, each holding a thousand persons, enshrined statues, set out offerings of incense, flowers, and music, and invited Xuanzang to ascend the seat. He immediately set forth the thesis of his treatise and bid the assembly examine it. For eighteen whole days, no one dared to challenge him. The king greatly praised and rewarded him, bestowing thirty thousand silver coins, ten thousand gold coins, and one hundred sets of fine cotton robes. He further ordered a high minister to hold Xuanzang's kāṣāya and parade before the assembly, proclaiming: "The Chinese Dharma master has triumphed in debate! For eighteen days no one has dared to question him. Let all be aware of this!" At that time, the monastic assembly was overjoyed and said: "The Buddha Dharma rises again, causing a person from the borderlands to possess such expedient wisdom!" [Xuanzang] then took his leave to return east. The king repeatedly requested that he stay to observe the seventy-five-day great arena of giving. When the affair concluded, he bid farewell to return. The king ordered his subordinate territories to escort him in relays out of the border, and bestowed upon him a green elephant and several tens of thousands of gold and silver coins each. Śīlāditya, Kumāra, and the kings of the other eighteen great kingdoms shed tears as they held his hands in parting. Xuanzang declined and would not accept [the gifts]. Because the elephant was immense in size, its daily fodder required over forty bundles, and its cakes and food required another three piculs or so. Śīlāditya further ordered all tributary states to supply the monks wherever they arrived, and urged him to accept the gift of the elephant, all saying: "This is an auspicious sign! Since the Buddha passed into extinction, although kings have revered him with various offerings, we have never heard of an elephant being offered to the followers of Śākya. An elephant is a state treasure. Now that it has been gifted to you, it represents the utmost faith." He thereupon accepted the elephant and returned the money and valuables. Now, as for this elephant, its shape was round and immense; it was about thirteen feet high and twenty feet long. It could carry eight people on its back, together with various utensils, scriptures, and elephant equipment, all placed upon it. It was like a layered tower, seemingly moving through the sky; even if it bolted, it remained stable and did not fall, nor did water in a pitcher spill. Following the states northward, he passed out of the territory of India. With Śīlāditya's prestige extending far, [Xuanzang] was everywhere received and served. He entered the country of Jāguḍa, where mountains and rivers divided the land in half, the fertile soil yielding bumper harvests; the monks numbered tens of thousands, all studying the Mahāyāna. Traveling northeast through the mountains, passing various cities and towns, he ascended the Great Snow Mountains. Reaching their summit, the other mountains were all below. Ascending for another three days, he reached the highest ridge. Looking in both north and south directions, he saw only transverse mountain ranges, each ninefold. Beyond these, all was flat land; although there were small isolated peaks without continuation, only this single ridge stretched far and high. Broadly speaking, the mountains of the entire continent of Jambudvīpa cluster in this place. How is this known? For instance, to the west, the plains of Persia are vast and boundless; seeking to the east, among towering cliffs there are none whose traces can be exhausted; to the north, the horizontal wilderness is desolate; to the south, India's lowlands are vast. This is what the sūtras call Mount Gandhamādana. Reaching the lake, it is secluded and deep, its source untraceable; the four rivers all originate from here. Is this not what the Erya calls the Ruins of Kunlun? Examining the Tribute of Yu, the River emerges from the stony desert, which merely speaks narrowly of where it issues from underground. When Zhang Qian sought it, he travelled through Daxia; that was certainly the terrain he traversed, yet he still did not speak of its ultimate source. From this it can be known. Xuanzang led his retinue, arraying his travelling party, and descended along the ridge. In three days they reached the ground, arriving at the various ancient capitals of Tokharistan. Traveling eight hundred li through the mountains, the road was extremely difficult and perilous, with biting cold winds chilling the bone, until they reached the country of Huoh. The lands traversed along the way all belonged to the Northern Di; this king was a descendant of the Tujue, who administered the various Hu peoples and governed the various small states south of the Iron Gate.

4.7.2

From the east of this territory one enters the Congling (Pamir Mountains). The range occupies the center of Jambudvīpa, adjoining the Snowy Mountains to the south, reaching the Hot Sea to the north, sloping eastward to Wucha, and terminating westward at Persia. In both breadth and length, it forms a rugged barrier extending for several thousand li. Snow accumulates in both winter and summer, and its icy cliffs are perilous. Below mid-slope, wild mountain onions grow in abundance, hence its name. Men of old said: 'The snow that rests on Congling means it is the Snowy Mountains.' Now, having verified it in person, one knows that this is not so. The Snowy Mountains lie to the south of Congling, stretching east and west to the sea, facing the level plains to the south, and reaching the clustered mountains to the north; only then is it named Congling. Traveling east through the mountains again for over two thousand li across ten countries, one arrives at the country of Dharmasthiti (Damositidi). Its territory lies amid the mountains, sixteen hundred li from east to west, and at its widest barely four or five li from north to south. It borders the Vakṣu (Oxus) River, which flows from the south, though its source is unknown. There are over ten monasteries. In one, there is a stone image with a circular gilt-bronze canopy placed above it; when people circumambulate it, the canopy rotates in unison. One cannot fathom whether this is by mechanical ingenuity or by what means. Traveling east through the mountains again for nearly a thousand li, one arrives at the country of Śāmbī (Shangmi). Eastward one reaches a great valley over a thousand li wide and over a hundred li from north to south, utterly uninhabited. In the valley is a dragon lake, three hundred [li] from east to west and fifty [li] from north to south. This lake lies precisely within the Great Congling, the highest point in Jambudvīpa. How is this known? Two rivers issue from the lake. The one flowing west reaches Dharmasthiti and merges with the Vakṣu River; west of this, all waters flow west. The one flowing east reaches the western border of Kaśgar (Qasha) and merges with the Sītā River; east of this, all waters flow east. Thus, dividing into two rivers that each pour into two seas, its high elevation is known. By the river are large birds whose eggs are the size of jars. According to the records of the country of Tiaozhi, there are large eggs like urns; would this not be them? Moving east for another five hundred li, one reaches the country of Kabadha (Qiepantuo). To the north it backs onto the Sītā River, which is the Xituo River mentioned in the sūtras. Flowing east into the salt marsh, it sinks underground, gushes forth at Jishi, and becomes the Yellow River of the eastern Xia. This country reveres and believes in the Buddhadharma. Over three hundred li southeast of the city, there are two chambers on a great cliff, each housing an arhat who entered the meditative absorption of cessation over seven hundred years ago. Their hair and beards have grown gradually longer, and the monks of the vicinity shave them year by year. Going east for over a thousand li, one finally leaves Congling and arrives at the country of Wucha. The city borders the Sītā River. To the west is a great mountain whose cliff collapsed of itself. Within it was a monk sitting with closed eyes, of extraordinary and majestic physique, his beard and hair hanging down to his shoulders and face. When questioned in detail, he turned out to be a man of Kāśyapa Buddha's time. Recently, another collapse of the cliff buried him inside the mountain. When [Xuan]zang arrived in this country, he traveled apart from the elephant, first crossing the Snow River. The elephant arrived late, when the waters had gradually swollen. Not knowing the mountain paths, it went straight down the ridge, its tusks striking against a riverside tree. Being wild and unruly by nature, it jerked back in fright, tumbled down, and died on the spot. Xuanzang was grieved that having traversed mountain perils and being about to reach the level plains, his wishes were thus thwarted. Passing east through Shule (Kashgar) and continuing to Juqu, a distance of about a thousand li, his five hundred companions all elected Xuanzang as their great caravan leader. Stationing himself in the center of the camp, he kept watch on all four sides. Moreover, this single country of Juqu had from of old guarded ten great scriptures, each of a hundred thousand verses; as previously transmitted, the state protected them as national treasures and did not permit them to be dispersed. It is now subject to the Turks. To the south is a great mountain, where three arhats currently dwell in the meditative absorption of cessation. Traveling east for eight hundred li, one reaches the country of Khotan (Yutian). The soil is purely sandy and loamy, and there are over a hundred monasteries with five thousand monks, all studying the Mahāyāna. In the mountain monastery west of the city, the Buddha once walked. There is a great stone chamber where an arhat entered meditation, its stone door sealed shut. Earlier, when Xuanzang had crossed Congling, he first dispatched an attendant to carry a memorial reporting his arrival and seeking to communicate with the imperial court. An imperial decree was issued inquiring after him and ordering an early audience. Having reached Khotan, because the elephant had died and the scriptures and images he carried could not be transported, he submitted another memorial requesting assistance. Soon a separate imperial decree was issued instructing the king of Khotan to provide him with mounts and saddles. Having received this strict imperial order, camels and horses were lined up one after another all the way to Shazhou. He was further granted a separate imperial decree providing that the hire and wages for the entire journey be calculated and disbursed. From then on, traveling by post-relays with some twenty carriages, he arrived west of the capital suburbs on the twenty-fourth day of the first month in the nineteenth year of Zhenguan (645). Clergy and laity rushed out together, flocking and crowding the roads, hundreds of thousands of people gathering as if encountering the descent of Maitreya. As he was about to enter the capital, the crowds were so clamorous and packed that he could make no headway. Consequently, he lodged at a separate hostel. Guards kept watch throughout the night, stationed to clear the route and maintain order along the roadside. From southwest of the old city to the Duting Relay Station on Zhuque Street in the capital, a distance of over twenty li, the gathered crowds stood in rows to pay homage, so thick that none could turn around. At that time, the imperial carriage had departed for Luoyang. Xuanzang left the scriptures and images to be conveyed to Hongfu Monastery. The monastic assembly of the capital vied with one another to display banners and canopies to assist in the magnificent procession; the tumult of the fourfold assembly was double that of his first arrival. At that very moment, auspicious clouds again manifested north of the sun, round as a canopy, red and white reflecting upon each other, projecting radiant wheels of light directly above the images. As it was not encircling the sun, everyone gazed up and sighed in admiration from noon until late afternoon. Only when the images entered Hongfu Monastery did it finally fade away. For five days, the four classes of commoners in the capital abandoned their occupations, and the sevenfold assembly took refuge and paid reverence. At this juncture, the height of devotion and admiration was rarely paralleled in antiquity. Although Xuanzang met with glorious imperial favor, he kept alone to his lodgings, abiding in quiet seclusion. Fearing that he might provoke public gossip, he declined to meet with visitors. When he arrived on the banks of the Luo River, he received special imperial inquiries of solace, and he presented rare items from the various countries packed on horseback. A special imperial decree led him into the inner halls of the deep palace, where he came face to face with the imperial countenance. They conversed on both the ultimate and the conventional without deviating from the Emperor's intentions; from the morning hour of mao to the evening hour of you, neither noticed the passing of time, continuing right until the closing drums. The Emperor was then setting out on a military campaign to punish crimes east of the Liao River. Intending to depart the next morning, he issued a decree asking Xuanzang to accompany him. Xuanzang firmly declined on account of illness and infirmity, while also pleading his translation work. The Emperor did not override his request, and decreed that Fang Xuanling, the Duke of Liang and Regent of the Capital, should take sole charge of supervising and protecting him, providing all necessary supplies directly from the imperial treasury. Earlier, when Xuanzang was in India, his fame resonated through the Five Indias. When he praised China's people and culture as magnificent and flourishing, the great king Śīlāditya and the monks of the Bodhi Monastery had long yearned to hear of this land; yet lacking trustworthy envoys, they had no means to rely upon. In that land, it is commonly transmitted that the single continent of Jambudvīpa is governed by four kings: the east is called Zhina (China), ruled by the King of Men; the west is called Persia, ruled by the King of Treasures; the south is called India, ruled by the King of Elephants; and the north is called Xianyun (the nomads), ruled by the King of Horses. All say that these four countries govern by relying on these assets.

4.7.3

[…] then made a statement on this basis. When Xuanzang arrived safely, what he related tallied exactly [with previous accounts]. King Śīlāditya and the monks each dispatched court envoys carrying scriptures and treasures to present from afar to the Eastern Xia. Thus, diplomatic communications with Tianzhu were opened up through Xuanzang; it was brought about by his expounding of the imperial prestige. After the envoys returned to the west, [the emperor] further decreed Wang Xuance and more than twenty others to accompany them to Daxia, and bestowed over a thousand bolts of damask and silk, with differing amounts for the king and the monks. He also summoned masters of granulated sugar from the monks of the Mahābodhi Monastery; thereupon, two craftsmen and eight monks were dispatched, and all arrived in the Eastern Xia. Soon an edict ordered them to proceed to Yuezhou to produce it from sugar cane, and all succeeded. Earlier, when three monks of the Mahābodhi Monastery first arrived escorting scriptures, an edict was issued universally inviting [the sangha of] the capital to hold a vegetarian feast, and to translate the Da yan and other sūtras at Hongfu [Monastery]. Shortly after, Xuanzang's message also arrived, so [the emperor] ordered them to pause and wait until [Xuanzang] arrived before translating. His Majesty earnestly looked forward [to his return] and repeatedly issued imperial edicts commanding Xuanzang to come quickly. But because of various affairs, he was delayed and did not complete his journey early. Once they met in the Luoyang palace, [the emperor's] longing was profoundly satisfied. [Xuanzang] immediately set forth [his plan for] translation, selecting the worthy and bright. The emperor said, "The Dharma Master is fully versed in both Chinese and Indic, and his phrasing and comprehension of principles are fluent and acute. I fear that merely promoting the obscure and uncultivated might ultimately compromise the sacred scriptures." Xuanzang said, "In ancient times, the translation bureaus of the two Qin dynasties numbered three thousand [members]. Although they translated and transmitted, they still feared that later generations would hear nothing of it and harbor doubts contrary to faith. If we do not select and recommend [talents] to uphold the profound standards together, how could I, with my narrow abilities, presume to take part in the court's commission?" He repeatedly and firmly petitioned, and finally received imperial consent. The emperor said, "Since the Dharma Master departed, Hongfu Monastery was built. Although that place is small, its dhyāna compound is quiet and spacious; it may serve for translation. As for the necessary personnel and scribal assistance, discuss it with [Fang] Xuanling, ensuring that generous provisions are supplied." Having received the imperial command, he returned to the capital. Thereupon he summoned the śramaṇas Huiming, Lingrun, and others to verify the meaning; the śramaṇas Xingyou, Xuanze, and others to compile and edit; the śramaṇas Zhizheng, Bianji, and others to scribe the texts; the śramaṇa Xuanmo to verify the Indic language; and the śramaṇa Xuanying to determine orthographic correctness. In the fifth month of that year, the translation commenced: the Great Bodhisattvapiṭaka Sūtra in twenty fascicles, for which I took up the brush and edited the phrasing and principles. This sūtra extensively explains the six perfections, the four means of embracing, the ten powers, the four fearlessnesses, and the thirty-seven constituents [of awakening], covering the practices of all bodhisattvas, comprising twelve chapters across nearly four hundred sheets of paper. Concurrently, he translated the Aryavācā-prakaraṇa-śāstra in twenty fascicles, with Zhizheng and others transcribing the text in turns, and the śramaṇa Xingyou closely examining the phrasing and sentences; Master Xuanzang again thoroughly refined the treatise. Next he translated the Mahāyāna-abhidharma-samuccaya-vyākhyā in fifteen fascicles, with the śramaṇa Xuanze taking it down by brush. In slight spare moments, he also produced the Records of the Western Regions in twelve fascicles, with the śramaṇa Bianji personally taking down contemporary events and weaving together their sequence; along with this, he produced the Buddhabhūmi Sūtra, the Six Gates Divine Dhāraṇī Sūtra, and others, totaling about eighty fascicles. In the scriptural translations from previous eras, they would first invert and write down the original text from the Indic language, next adapt it to conform with our local customs, and only then would the scribes irregularly smooth out the phrasing, during which additions and deletions often lost the full meaning. The current translations all stemmed from Xuanzang's own intention; exercising his own independent judgment, his spoken words formed polished prose. When stylists transcribed them, they were immediately ready to be perused. They surpassed the various texts translated during the Wu and Wei eras. However, because Western Indic places great value on phrasing, interlocking and linking parallel clauses are repeatedly laid out; in Chinese, this would be rather redundant and repetitive, so stylists were specially appointed to this post to ensure that expressions and meanings flowed continuously, moderating and trimming them. Once the fair copies were completed, the Imperial Library transcribed them. At that time, the imperial carriage returned to the Western Capital. Xuanzang then submitted a memorial presenting them and requesting an imperial preface. Soon a handwritten imperial edict descended, saying: "The Dharma Master has long manifested exalted conduct and early on transcended the dust of the world, sailing the precious vessel to reach the other shore, exploring the marvelous Dao to open the Dharma gates, broadly propagating the grand principles and washing away all defilements. Therefore, when the clouds of compassion were about to roll away, he spread them to shelter the four skies; when the sun of wisdom was about to dim, he brightened it to illuminate the eight extremities. Could anyone other than the Dharma Master be the one to spread and brighten them? Our learning is shallow and our mind is clumsy; We are still bewildered by worldly things, not to mention the subtle and profound teachings of Buddhism—how could We dare presume to fathom them? Requesting an imperial preface for the scriptures is not something within Our knowledge. As for the newly compiled Records of the Western Regions, We shall peruse it Ourselves." When the envoys to the west returned again, [the emperor] further decreed more than twenty people to accompany them to India. Earlier, when state directives were debated in the Secretariat, it was decreed that because of the foreign vernaculars, one must ensure exact correspondence, and unless it were that person [Xuanzang], who could discuss the edifying teachings? Therefore, all diplomatic communications relied upon Xuanzang, who translated the Chinese words based on Western Indic, balancing the weight of the phrasing so that those who read it would revere the Eastern Xia. Soon another imperial edict was issued, commanding him to translate Laozi's five thousand words into Indic to send to the Western Regions. Xuanzang thereupon summoned the Daoists to expound its profound mysteries, taking in and collating their terminology and intentions before translating it. The Daoists Cai Huang, Cheng Ying, and others vied to cite the profound ideas of the Madhyamaka and Śata treatises to communicate the Daoist scriptures. Xuanzang said, "The two teachings of Buddhism and Daoism have intents as far apart as heaven and earth; why use Buddhist terminology to convey Daoist doctrines? If we examine your commentaries exhaustively, their origins have no basis." Huang, expressing his heartfelt sentiment, said, "From of old it has been handed down that our ancestors relied upon Buddhist teachings; as for the Sanlun treatises, which I follow and venerate, when interpreted in accord with their meanings, there are profound connections and no lack of commonalities. Thus I cited them to explain. Just as Sengzhao composed treatises abundantly quoting Laozi and Zhuangzi, he still clarified his points without anyone finding it strange. If the words of the Buddha resemble the Dao, how would that violate the imperial decree?" Xuanzang said, "When Buddhism was newly opened [in China], its profound texts were still obstructed; Laozi's discussion of mystery vaguely approximated the Buddhist words, so what Sengzhao's treatises transmitted was cited by way of parallel association. How could metaphorical terms establish ultimate comprehension? Today, sūtras and treatises are rich and abundant, each having its own compass. Laozi has only five thousand words, and no exegetical treatises; the rest of the thousand scrolls are mostly medical prescriptions. As for the luminaries of this land, such as He Yan, Wang Bi, Zhou Yong, Xiao Yi, and Gu Huan, numbering several dozen authors who commented on Laozi, why do you not cite them, but instead cross over to Buddhism? Is this not straying from the original track?" Once the translation was completed according to this and about to be sealed, the Daoist Cheng Ying said, "The scripture of Laozi is profound and abstruse; without a preface, how could it be understood? We request that you translate it." Xuanzang said, "Looking at Laozi's text on governing the person and governing the state, the diction is complete. But the prefaces on gnashing teeth and swallowing saliva are vulgar in phrasing. I fear that when heard in foreign lands in the west, they will bring shame upon our homeland." Ying and the others reported the matter to the ministers. Xuanzang also stated his views clearly. Ma Zhou of the Secretariat asked, "Are there doctrines like Laozi and Zhuangzi in the Western Regions?" Xuanzang said, "All ninety-six non-Buddhist paths wish to transcend rebirth."

4.7.4

their lineage of instruction was hindered, leading them to drown in the states of existence. As for doctrines such as the Lokāyata arts of the four elements and the Pradhāna school of the six categories, these have never been spoken of in the Eastern Xia. Were we to translate Laozi's preface, I fear they would consider it a forest of mockery.' Thus it was not translated. Xuanzang, holding that nothing surpassed the sovereign in widely promoting and praising [the Dharma], and that opening conversion and dissemination had been valued since antiquity, submitted another memorial, saying: 'Prostrating, I received the imperial ink decree, which humbly bestowed praise and encouragement; reverently receiving these silken words, my concentrated resolve was profoundly stirred. My learning is shallow and unsubstantial, and having falsely joined the clerical company, I was fortunate to meet with an age when the nine continents are pacified and the four quarters are free of danger. Relying on the imperial spirit, I journeyed far afield; trusting in the state's majesty, I sought out the Way. Though I exerted my foolish sincerity in exhausting the remote and braving perils, collecting wonders and cherishing the desolate truly depended upon the civilizing influence of the court. The sūtras and treatises I obtained have been translated by imperial decree. They now form scrolls, yet they still lack an interpretive preface. I humbly reflect that Your Majesty's sagacious thoughts spread like clouds and your heavenly floridity shines brightly. Your principles encompass the hexagrams and imagery [of the Yijing], and your melodies surpass the Xianchi and Da’ying. You span a thousand ages to send forth your renown; you eclipse a hundred kings to manifest your achievements. I venture to think that the divine power is boundless—without divine thought, one cannot interpret its principles; the sacred teachings are profound and far-reaching—without sacred literary craft, how could one preface their source? Hence I braved your majestic awe, daring to request an inscription, but your imperial gaze was aloft and distant, not deigning to grant pity and consent. Striking my chest and sighing repeatedly, we looked at one another at a loss. I have heard that the sun and moon cling to heaven and share their radiance with doors and windows; rivers and streams demarcate the earth and send their moisture to crags and cliffs. The grand music of Yunhe does not conceal its sounds from the deaf and dull; the rare treasures of gold and jade do not hide their luster from the foolish and blind. Daring to rely on this principle, I entreat you again: I prostrate myself and beg that thunder and rain bend down to grant [favor], and the celestial literature shine upon me, lasting as long as the two poles and hanging aloft like the two luminaries. For then the subtle words of Vulture Peak will rely on the divine brush to spread far and wide, and the profound meaning of the Jetavana will depend on brilliant words to be openly proclaimed. How could it be merely that the humble Indic assembly alone bears this gracious honor? It would also enable the teeming, deluded living beings to transcend the dust of worldly entanglements.' On the day the memorial was presented, an imperial decree granted it. The emperor addressed his son-in-law Gao Luxing, saying: 'You previously asked me to compose an epitaph for your father. Now my energy is not what it used to be. I wish to perform merit by composing a preface for the Master of the Law, but I cannot compose an epitaph. You should understand this.' In the twenty-second year of Zhenguan, he visited Yuhua Palace and summoned Xuanzang to arrive. He asked what scriptures and treatises he was translating. He replied: 'I am currently translating the Yogācāra.' The emperor asked: 'What sage composed it, and what doctrine does it clarify?' After he replied in detail, the emperor ordered that the treatise be brought so he could peruse it himself. He then issued a decree: 'Produce nine copies of the newly translated scriptures and treatises and distribute them to the nine major prefectures of Yong, Luo, Xiang, Yan, Jing, Yang, and so forth.' Xuanzang again requested a title for the scriptures, and the emperor thereupon produced it, titled 'Preface to the Holy Teachings of the Tripiṭaka of the Great Tang'. In the Mingyue Hall, he commanded the scholar of the Hongwen Hall, Shangguan Yi, to read it out before the assembled officials. Its text stated: 'Now, I have heard that the two forms [Heaven and Earth] have images, clearly covering and bearing so as to nurture living beings; the four seasons are formless, imperceptibly alternating cold and heat to transform things. For this reason, in peering into heaven and reflecting on earth, even the common and foolish recognize their beginnings; yet in comprehending yin and penetrating yang, even sages and philosophers rarely exhaust their workings. However, that Heaven and Earth enclose yin and yang and are easy to know is because they possess forms; that yin and yang reside within Heaven and Earth and are difficult to fathom is because they lack forms. Thus we know that when forms are manifest and verifiable, even the foolish are not confused; when forms are hidden and cannot be seen, even the wise remain bewildered. How much more so with the Buddhist Way, which esteems emptiness, rides the profound, and harnesses stillness, vastly saving the myriad kinds and governing the ten directions! Raising its awesome spirit, there is none above; pressing down its divine power, there is none below. At its greatest, it fills the universe; at its finest, it gathers within a hair's breadth. Without extinction and without arising, it traverses a thousand kalpas without growing old; appearing now hidden, now manifest, it exercises a hundred blessings and endures forever. Its wondrous Way condenses the profound—following it, none knows its bounds; its stream of Dharma is deep and tranquil—dipping into it, none fathoms its source. Thus we know that as for the teeming masses and humble commoners, when approaching its purport, how could they be without doubts? Now then, the rise of the great teaching was grounded in the Western Lands; it soared into the Han court as a bright dream and illuminated the eastern regions with flowing compassion. In former times, when the form and traces were divided, before the words sped forth conversion was accomplished; during the era when the constant was manifested, the people looked up to its virtue and knew to comply. But when its shadow darkened and it returned to truth, changing its deportment and passing beyond the world, the golden countenance concealed its color, no longer reflecting the light of the three thousand worlds; the fine image unfolded its portrait, vainly displaying the forty-eight marks. Thereupon the subtle words were broadly disseminated to rescue beings in the three bad destinies; the bequeathed instructions were proclaimed far and wide to guide the multitudes into the ten stages. However, the true teaching is difficult to look up to, and none could unify its purport; perverse learning is easy to follow, and the heterodox and orthodox became entangled therein. Therefore, debates over emptiness and existence took custom as right or wrong; the Greater and Lesser Vehicles alternately flourished or declined with the times. There is the Master of the Law Xuanzang, a leader of the Dharma gates. In youth he cherished purity and acuity, early awakening to the mind of the three types of emptiness; in adulthood he accorded with the divine spirit, first embracing the practice of the four patiences. The wind in the pines and the moon over water are not enough to compare with his pure elegance; fairy dew and bright pearls cannot match his lustrous brilliance. Thus, with his wisdom penetrating without impediment and his spirit fathoming what has not yet taken shape, he transcended the six dusts and soared far beyond, unmatched across a thousand ages. Concentrating his mind on the inner realm, he grieved that the correct Dharma had declined; lodging his thoughts in the profound gate, he lamented that the deep texts were corrupt and erroneous. He wished to distinguish the branches and analyze the principles, broadening what had been heard before; to sever falsehood and continue the true, opening the path for future students. Therefore, yearning for the pure lands, he went to travel through the Western Regions. Braving danger he journeyed far, leaning on his staff on a solitary expedition. The snow accumulated, flying in the morning, so that along the way the ground was lost; startling sand arose in the evening, blinding the sky beyond the void. Across ten thousand leagues of mountains and rivers, he parted the mists and clouds to advance his shadow; through a hundred cycles of cold and heat, he trod through frost and rain to press his footsteps forward. His sincerity was weighty and his toil light; his quest was deep and his resolve reached its goal. He traveled throughout the Western Realms for seventeen years, thoroughly visiting lands of the Way to inquire after the correct teachings. At the Twin Trees and the Eight Rivers, he savored the Way and feasted on the wind; at the Deer Park and Vulture Peak, he gazed upon wonders and revered the extraordinary. He received supreme words from the former sages and took in the true teaching from superior worthies. Exploring the profound and wondrous gate, he thoroughly investigated the esoteric teachings. The path of the One Vehicle and the Five Vinayas galloped through the field of his mind; the texts of the Eight Stores and Three Baskets surged like waves in the sea of his mouth. Thereupon, from the countries he traversed, he brought together essential texts of the Tripiṭaka totaling six hundred and fifty-seven works, to translate and disseminate in the Central Xia and proclaim this supreme endeavor. He drew compassionate clouds from the western extremity and poured down Dharma rain onto the eastern border. The sacred teachings, once deficient, were made complete again; the common people, once sinful, returned to blessings.

4.7.5

Moistening the dry flames of the burning house, together they pull beings out of the path of delusion; illuminating the dark waves of the river of desire, together they reach the other shore. Thus we know that evil falls due to karma, while good ascends by condition; the cause of ascending or falling depends solely on what man relies upon. For instance, when cinnamon grows on a high ridge, only then can the clouds and dew moisten its blossoms; when the lotus emerges from clear waves, flying dust cannot soil its leaves. It is not that the lotus's nature is intrinsically pure and the cinnamon's substance is originally steadfast; it is truly because when that to which one attaches is high, petty things cannot encumber it, and when that upon which one relies is pure, turbid kinds cannot contaminate it. Now, if insensate plants and trees still depend on goodness to achieve goodness, how much more so should conscious human beings not rely on felicitous conditions to seek felicities? We now hope that the dissemination of these scriptures will be endless like the sun and moon, and this blessing broadly extended will be eternally vast alongside Heaven and Earth.' The civil and military officials offered congratulations, and Xuanzang submitted a memorial expressing gratitude, saying:

Linked texts (1)

續高僧傳 — 道宣, Classical Chinese