宋高僧傳 1.3

1.3

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.