宋高僧傳 1.7

1.7

Your subject has heard that the bhadrakalpa is vast and long, and the world is expansive; heaven and time are inexhaustible, and earth receives abundance without bound. The utmost spiritual pneuma fills within, and the great sagely teacher abides above. How great! Śākyamuni has just withdrawn, and Maitreya has not yet arrived; between them emerge people who command the era, and at this juncture are many sages of divided bodies who freely display the monastic appearance and delight in manifesting as śramaṇas. Their words and deeds are worthy of view, and tablets and slips competed to record them. Hence Wang Jin's Sengshi and Sun Chuo's Daoxian imitation of the Liezhuan circulated widely, modeling the Shijia and spreading afar, so that those who would aspire to Yan Yuan and emulate Lin Xiangru might become arhats with flying staves or superior beings who carry mountains. At that time, Pei Ziye composed the Zhongsong zhuan, Śramaṇa Faji compiled the Gaoyi shamen zhuan, Lu Gao wrote the Shamen zhuan, and Śramaṇa Baochang established the Mingseng zhuan; these were all primitive timber-carts anticipating the Hongfan, and earthenware drums preceding the Xianchi music. How could they know that those who followed would not leave such figures empty? Huijiao edited and emended, using headings of authentic practice and concealed light; Daoxuan gathered and wove, continuing the style of the lofty rather than the famous, ensuring that those who practiced the Way over six hundred years did not fall into oblivion. Ever since the composition of chapters under the Zhenguan era, and since the brush fell silent at Ximing Temple, such works have ceased to be heard of, and these writings were about to lapse. Yet times return again: once the harsh frost passes, lush blooms arrive; the world does not remain long desolate: once heaven and earth are in harmony, holy brilliance emerges. His Majesty our Emperor—Responsive to the Mandate, Governing Heaven, Sagely in Culture, Heroic in War, Greatly Sagely, Utmost in Brilliance, and Widely Filial: his yang-dragon virtue rises forth, and his authority matches the lightning of the Dipper. In treading the Great Way, Fu Xi and the Yellow Emperor yield the service of holding the reins; in possessing manifold heavenly talents, the Duke of Zhou and Confucius perform the duties of disciples. He discourses on good faith and cultivates harmony, exalts virtue and rewards merit; his unification leaves nothing omitted, shaming the hundred kings; the four seas seem to be viewed within his palm, and the myriad affairs all issue from the imperial heart. Yet on the Mysterious Female he keeps his mind, and on the Heaven of Śakra he rests his contemplation. Imparting the arts of longevity, he repeatedly opens the altar of the Great Unity; prolonging the duration of the continuous Dharma, the monks ordained have doubled the thousandfold vows. Stūpas rise toward the Han River; Sanskrit leaves are translated into Chinese, bringing the customs of the Buddha-land to align with the Jade Capital. Mourning that among these monastic companions there have been such persons in every generation, while longing for their luminous deeds went unheard, the records were indeed long deserted. We, your subjects, were erroneously favored with this worthy selection, yet all lack historical talent; the empty gate does not produce a Dong Hu, and our feeble hands find it hard to probe the cave of Yu. Nevertheless, we followed the old model of the ten categories and collected new names of the myriad practices. At times we examined eulogies and inscriptions; at times we verified records and gazetteers; at times we inquired of emissaries on light carriages, or consulted senior elders. In grinding and polishing, it roughly corresponds with sūtras and treatises; in collation and correction, it matches the historical texts. Inscribed into three sets, it fulfills above the expectation of the Ninefold Court, displaying the magnificence of the saṅgharatna and revealing the riches of the Buddhist house. Formerly, Jiaxiang wielded the editorial brush, exhausting beauty and goodness in the southeast; Chengzhao compiled and edited, bringing together the talents of the Guanzhong region. Was this not a confinement to local corners, passing on what was not widely practiced? How can that compare to our august dynasty, where the net is spread across the eight extremes, and when raised, nothing fails to arrive; the four barbarian tribes are subdued, and when sought, what matter is not provided? We, your subjects, searched in diverse directions and gathered materials from varied routes, as though seeing the harmony of a single family, without distinction among diverse lands. Thus, the completion of the ten categories was as easy as picking things up from the ground. Its main biographies number 533 persons, with 130 persons appended. Furthermore, at the end of each category, we modeled upon historical 'treatises' to express our judgment; based on events and speaking of their times, we provided the genealogical determinations of biographical masters. Its title is the You Song gaoseng zhuan. We hope it may serve like the bronze horse as a model to select swift coursers of a thousand li, or as writings seen on bamboo slips that constitute a chronicle of the Six Harmonies. May those who view it strive to advance, and those who awaken to it aspire to emulate, all ascending the mountain of samyak[-saṃbodhi] and entering the ocean of sarva[jña], eternally aiding the sagely calendar and jointly assisting the imperial brilliance, matching the radiant light of the cherished sun and answering the cries of long life on Mount Song. Respectfully presented on the Qianming Festival in the first year of Duangong by the subject monk Zanning and others.