宋高僧傳 3.28

3.28

Shi Prajñā was a native of the country of Jibin. He had a stalwart physique and maintained the precepts with rigor and rectitude. While staying in the capital, he served as a śramaṇa dedicated to the study of doctrine. Emperor Xianzong held the Buddhist teachings in deep reverence and gave serious thought to the translation of scriptures. However, there were military operations in the region of Shu, with Liu Pi defying imperial commands, and Wang Chengzong had not yet been subdued, so the court faced manifold difficulties. By the fifth year of the Yuanhe reign period, a gengyin year (810), an imperial edict was issued to Gui Deng, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, Meng Jian, Liu Bochu, Xiao Mian, and others to translate an eight-fascicle scripture at Liquan Temple titled Scripture on the Mental Ground of Former Lives (Bensheng xindi guan jing). These Sanskrit birch-bark leaves were those presented during the reign of Emperor Gaozong by the country of Siṃhala. When the copying was completed, it was presented to the throne. The Emperor examined it and issued an edict stating, "We wish to compose a preface for it." Soon afterward, the text was promulgated and placed at the head of the scripture. The Tripiṭaka master was bestowed bolts of silk, and the various śramaṇas who verified the doctrinal meaning were rewarded with graded gifts. Prior to this, during the Zhenyuan reign period, he translated the later portion of the Avataṃsaka-sūtra in forty fascicles, which had been presented by the king of the country of Oḍra; at that time, he was bestowed a purple robe. Later, during the Dazhong reign period, Grand Master Fabao, Xuanchang, submitted a memorial requesting its inclusion in the Tripiṭaka.