[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [宋高僧傳](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2061) › 1.3 # 宋高僧傳 1.3 宋高僧傳 1.3 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [1.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2061.1.3) 臣僧贊寧等言，自太平興國七年伏奉勅旨，俾修《高僧傳》與新譯經同入藏者，臣等遐求事跡，博採碑文，今已撰集成三十卷，謹詣闕庭進上。益琅函而更廣，延玉曆以彌長。臣等誠憂誠恐，兢惕之至。臣等聞渾儀之外，別有釋天；法海之中，多生僧寶。釋天可則，阿難記事而載言；僧寶堪稱，慧皎為篇而作傳。猗歟我佛，號「大遍知」，知教法之無依，委帝王之有力。當二千載之後，屬一萬年之初，伏惟應運統天叡文英武大聖至明廣孝皇帝陛下，神龍在天，愛日升上，土疆開闢，四夷請吏而貢琛，時律均和，百穀登敖而棲畝，耕籍田而又勸，賜酺飲以咸歡，儒術特興，玄風爰振。是以麒麟非中國之物，白雉非草莽之禽，今遊苑囿之間，且類牢籠之畜。近以從澶至濮，黃河牽一帶之清；自古及今，青史載千年之應。斯蓋陛下來從不動之地，示為長壽之王。飜譯成經，製甚深之御序；迴文作頌，演無盡之法音。仍降鳳書，令編《僧史》。屬此雍熙之運，伸其貞觀之風，合選兼才，豈當末學？得不擒犀截角，搴翠刪毛，精求出類之人，取法表年之史。所恨空門寡學，釋胄何知！或有可觀，實錄聊摹於陳壽；如苞深失，戾經宜罪於馬遷。副陛下遺賢必取之心，助陛下墜典咸修之美。今遇乾明聖節，謹令弟子賜紫顯忠、同元受勅，相國寺賜紫智輪進納。伏乞叡慈，略賜御覽。恭惟聖主是文章之主，微臣非惇史之臣。儻示天機，令知凡例。如得操北斗而斟酌，或示刀圭；執南箕而簸揚，方除糠糩。臣等冒黷天顏，無任惶懼激切屏營之至，謹言。 > The subject monk Zanning and others state: In the seventh year of Taiping Xingguo \[982 CE\], we respectfully received the imperial decree ordering us to compile the Gaoseng zhuan so that it might enter the Tripiṭaka together with the newly translated sūtras. We, your subjects, sought out records from afar and collected extensively from stone inscriptions. It has now been compiled into thirty scrolls, and we respectfully approach the imperial palace to present it. May it expand the jasper cases to greater breadth, and prolong the jade calendar to greater length. We, your subjects, are truly filled with trepidation and fearful anxiety, utterly trembling with awe. We have heard that beyond the celestial sphere there lies the distinct realm of Śakra; and amid the ocean of Dharma, many saṅgharatna arise. The heavens of Śakra offer a model, as Ānanda recorded events and registered words; the saṅgharatna are worthy of praise, as Huijiao composed treatises and produced biographies. How glorious is our Buddha, styled the 'Great Omniscient One'! Knowing that the teaching would have no reliance, he entrusted it to the potent sovereign. Two thousand years after \[his demise\], at the beginning of ten thousand years \[of the Dharma\], we humbly reflect upon His Majesty the Emperor—Responsive to the Mandate, Governing Heaven, Sagely in Culture, Heroic in War, Greatly Sagely, Utmost in Brilliance, and Widely Filial: a divine dragon in the heavens, the cherished sun ascending high. The realm expands, the four barbarian tribes request officials and offer tribute, the seasons and calendar are harmonious, the hundred grains fill the granaries and cover the fields; the imperial plowing of the sacred field is encouraged, and festive banquets are bestowed so that all rejoice; Confucian studies are especially promoted, and the profound teaching is revived. Thus the qilin, which is not a beast of the Central Plains, and the white pheasant, which is not a bird of the wilderness, now wander among the imperial parks and are kept as domestic creatures. Recently, from Shan to Pu, the Yellow River has flowed clear along a single stretch; from antiquity to the present, the blue history records this response of a thousand years. This is surely because Your Majesty has come from the Immovable Ground to manifest as a king of long life. When translations are completed into scriptures, you compose profound imperial prefaces; when turning words into hymns, you proclaim the inexhaustible voice of the Dharma. Furthermore, you sent down the phoenix decree commanding the compilation of a history of the saṅgha. Meeting this fortune of Yongxi and extending the style of Zhenguan, you gathered and selected versatile talents—how could this fall upon someone of slight learning like me? Could I fail to capture the rhinoceros and cut its horn, pluck the kingfisher and trim its feathers, meticulously seeking out outstanding figures and modeling myself upon histories that chronologically record the years? What I regret is that in the empty gate my learning is scanty; what could an offspring of the Śākya clan know? If there is anything worthy of view, this authentic record merely imitates Chen Shou; if it conceals deep errors and contravenes the classics, the blame should fall upon Sima Qian. This serves to fulfill Your Majesty's mind to surely recruit neglected worthies, and assists Your Majesty's excellence in restoring fallen classics. Now, meeting the Qianming Holy Birthday, I respectfully send my disciple the recipient of the purple robe Xianzhong, who jointly received the decree from the beginning, together with the recipient of the purple robe Zhilun of Xiangguo Temple, to present and submit it. We humbly beg Your Sagely Compassion to deign to glance over it. We respectfully reflect that the Sagely Sovereign is the master of literary composition, whereas this petty subject is not a minister of honest history. If heaven's design is revealed, let the editorial principles be known. If we may handle the Northern Dipper to gauge and deliberate, or if a single measure is shown; only by holding the Southern Winnowing Basket to winnow and sift can the chaff be eliminated. We, your subjects, risk offending the Celestial Countenance, and are beyond measure trembling with terror, passionately anxious, and filled with deep apprehension. Respectfully presented. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 1.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2061.1.2) - [Next: 1.4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2061.1.4) - [Up: 1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2061.1) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2061~en-mt.1.3) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2061.1.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2061.1.3) · Pramāṇa