法華傳記 1
English (machine translation) 1
- Language
- English
1.1
I revere and bow down to the Great Teacher of gods and humans, / Śākyamuni, the trikāya in one essence, / Who, within the sectional gates of the five Buddhas of the three periods, / Arose in the world and expounded the eka-yāna as its master; / Prabhūtaratna Buddha, who attested to the Lotus [Sūtra], / And all the Tathāgatas of the ten directions that are his emanation bodies, / Extending to the ocean of the dharmadhātu throughout all space, / The permanently abiding heroes of the world and their emanation bodies. / I bow my head to the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra, / The eighty-thousand [and] twelve holy teachings, / The great treasure-store mindfully protected by all Buddhas, / The scripture of boundless benefit and joy, difficult to fathom. / I take refuge in Mañjuśrī, Maitreya, and the others, / The eighty thousand Mahāsattvas, the Sons of the Dharma King; / All the sattvas who welled up from the earth throughout a thousand worlds, / Eighty million nayutas [in number]; / Gadgadasvara, Avalokiteśvara, Samantabhadra, and the rest, / The assembly of bodhisattvas who vowed to propagate the sūtra, / Whose five eyes, fully and completely, illumine the world, / Universally manifesting physical bodies to appear identical with the dust. / Śāriputra, Kāśyapa, Maudgalyāyana, and the others, / Ten thousand kotis of śrāvakas, the true sons of the Buddha; / Innumerable beings from our own realm and other directions, / All the assembly under conversion, both provisional and real. / As I compile [accounts of] the scripture to protect the citadel of the Dharma, / May you, out of pity and protective care, grant your august power! / May the lamp of the Dharma shine without interruption through the long night, / So that the deluded may thereby attain the Buddha's wisdom. / In the mleccha age of Śākyamuni Tathāgata, / Those who hear the Lotus [Sūtra] once and feel anumodanā / Shall have the sinful obstructions of the three periods completely extinguished, / And within three lifetimes are certain to enter the true status. / I only vow that the wondrous Dharma may abide long in the world / And circulate through all the kṣetras of the ten directions, / That all who together encounter it will rejoice in their good fortune, / And life after life ever hear and be able to practice it; / Even those who, upon seeing or hearing it, praise or revile it, / Whether conforming or opposing, may all realize anutpattika-dharma-kṣānti! / May harsh words and gentle speech alike return to the one principle, / And, without contradiction, reach the ultimate reality!
1.2
Indeed, aided by the seeds planted in former lives, Xiang's wondrous cause has hereby unfolded: to circulate the eka-yāna and praise the true text, having my eyes hear what was never heard, and my ears see what was never seen. In the past, beginning with the Yao Qin when the Way was sought, down to the present when our Great Tang possesses all under heaven, the benefits of its circulation were never seen in earlier ages. Sympathetic resonance acts without premeditation, beyond what reckoning can fathom; how could its wondrous benefits, profound and remote, be known by standard measures? Now, I briefly compile what has been seen and heard by my ears and eyes, so as to move and encourage the faith of later generations. I have arranged it into twelve categories, dividing it into ten scrolls: 'Additions and Reductions of Recensions', 'Differences in Times of Hiddenness and Manifestation', 'Dates of Transmission and Translation', 'Branch Recensions Circulating Separately', 'Differences in Treatises and Commentaries', 'Collection of Prefaces by Various Masters', 'Sympathetic Resonances of Expounding and Explaining', 'Exalted Benefits of Chanting and Reciting', 'Eradication of Sins by Revolving Recitation', 'Deliverance from Suffering by Copying', 'Benefits of Listening', and 'Internal and External Offerings'. For each, I briefly cite three to five [accounts] to organize the sections. The phrasing is plain and unadorned, wishing that those who see and hear it may easily awaken; the events are clear and factual, causing faith to be transmitted to future generations. I have further explored new and old works, records, and biographies of the various traditions that have been obtained, recording and extracting them. If later anything is obtained, I also wish to compile it accordingly. If there are omissions in my compilation, perhaps future readers may arrange them in order. Thus may the true text of the wondrous Dharma be broadly promoted, vehicle upon vehicle without end. First I list the table of contents, and subsequently follow with the compilation.
1.3
1. Additions and Reductions of Recensions
2. Differences in Times of Hiddenness and Manifestation
3. Dates of Transmission and Translation
4. Branch Recensions Circulating Separately
5. Differences in Treatises and Commentaries
6. Collection of Prefaces by Various Masters
7. Sympathetic Resonances of Expounding and Explaining
8. Exalted Benefits of Chanting and Reciting
9. Eradication of Sins by Revolving Recitation
10. Deliverance from Suffering by Copying
11. Benefits of Listening
12. Internal and External Offerings
1.4
1. Additions and Reductions of Recensions
1.5
As for the additions and reductions of recensions: the inclinations and preferences of capacities have the broad and the brief, and this consequently brought about additions and reductions of recensions. Although there are additions and reductions, they do not lose their unseen and manifest benefits. Briefly, there are seven examples: first, the sūtra-dharma of a single assembly is made into a single work, such as the Daśabhūmika and so forth; second, multiple assemblies together constitute a single work, such as the Avataṃsaka and so forth; third, the initial portion of a sūtra is made into a single work, such as the Six-Fascicle Nirvāṇa and so forth; fourth, the complete two portions constitute a single work, such as the Mahāparinirvāṇa and so forth; fifth, an abridged text is made into a single work, such as the Smaller Prajñāpāramitā and so forth; sixth, an expanded text is made into a single work, such as the Larger Prajñāpāramitā and so forth; seventh, a single chapter is made into a single work, such as the Avalokiteśvara Sūtra. Now, this Lotus [Sūtra] among them is a complete text. If based on the Sanskrit text, the text should be an abridged exposition. Why is that? This sūtra is an exposition in quiescence by the agent and object as the trikāya in one essence. The Samantabhadra Contemplation Sūtra says: 'Śākyamuni Buddha is named Vairocana Who Pervades All Places; that Buddha's dwelling place is named Ever-Tranquil Light, established by the four pāramitās.' The Dharma King set his fortune in motion; having preached the Amitārtha-sūtra, he entered the samādhi on the station of immeasurable meanings, and manifested extraordinary portents, engendering deep earnestness in the great assembly. He expounded it together with the eighty thousand Mahāsattvas such as Mañjuśrī, the tens of thousands of kotis of great śrāvakas such as Śāriputra, the eight dragons, four kiṃnaras, gandharvas, asuras, and so forth, the six desire heavens, the four dhyānas, tens of thousands of kotis of wheel-turning sage kings, kings, princes, royal women, and common people—an unspeakably, unspeakably vast ocean-like assembly. From the beginning with 'Thus [have I heard]' to the end with 'departed', all of it is the wondrous Dharma. Every character gathers wonder; not a single phrase or line fails to be the dharmadhātu; not a single word or dot fails to be the Buddha. Above, it exhausts the merits of Vairocana; below, it touches the environments and bodies of Avīci. Neither identical nor distinct, its essence is endowed with the subtle and inconceivable. This is indeed the complete sūtra, the nectar jewel of the Dharma. Western traditions relate that the text compiled during the eight years on Gṛdhrakūṭa would spread over a city of one yojana; if all had been compiled, there would be no place to contain it. He caused the boundless, limitless ocean-like assembly to attain understanding: the main teaching, grasping understanding, approving confirmation, bestowal of prophecy, joyful recitation of gāthās, praising the Buddha and making vows in this realm and other directions—every single chapter each has limitless and boundless words and meanings fully accomplished. For example, Mahābhijñā-jñānābhibhū Buddha expounded this Lotus Sūtra in verses as numerous as the sands of the Ganges; Nakṣatrarājasaṃkusumitābhijña Buddha expounded verses in kaṅkaras, bimbaras, akṣobhyas, and so forth; Bhīṣmagarjitasvararāja expounded twenty thousand kotis of verses. The present Buddha was also like this: the Puṇḍarīka also says that he expounded an immeasurable number of verses. At that time, a seven-jeweled stūpa welled up and appeared before him; before the jeweled stūpa, there were immeasurable numbers of verses. Furthermore, the multitude that welled forth praised the Buddha with the bodhisattvas' diverse methods of praise; with diverse gāthās of praise as numerous as the dust particles of a thousand worlds, who knows the number of those gāthās? Tripiṭaka Master Bodhiruci said: 'According to western tradition, the Buddha's preaching of the Lotus [Sūtra] was unspeakable. Within chapter after chapter, there are many gāthās and lines; if one heaped up Mount Sumeru as brushes and used the water of the great ocean as ink to write them, every single chapter, every single line and gāthā could not be exhausted. The Buddha is constantly on Gṛdhrakūṭa, surrounded by the great bodhisattvas and the śrāvaka assembly, preaching the Dharma, filled with gods and humans, exhausting the limits of past and future without rest. It is held only by the power of endless dhāraṇī; it is not something that brush and ink can record.' Only with reference to the capacities and conditions of a single period was it compiled into a single work over eight years. Although it was an abridged compilation, the leaves spread to the measure of one yojana. The recitation text is the most abridged, filling a ten-foot-square room, complete in the major outline of twenty-eight chapters. Furthermore, as Tripiṭaka Master Paramārtha said: 'Records transmitted in the Western Regions state that Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna went through the ocean and in the dragon palace saw this Mahāyāna Sūtra of the Lotus of Equality, having verses as numerous as the fine dust particles of a great chiliocosm, and chapters as numerous as the dust particles of the four continents. It fully recorded extraordinary portents, repeated questions and answers back and forth, appearances in the light of the eastern realm, southern, western, northern, intermediate directions, above, and below; also the deportment of the two hundred billion Candrasūryapradīpas each expounding the Lotus Sūtra; praises of the wisdom of all Buddhas of the ten directions and three periods and their great cause and condition; converting people of the three vehicles, opening them to awakening in the eka-yāna; the original causes of bodhisattvas and śrāvakas, their receiving of prophecy, the Buddha's exposition and their personal understanding, segment by segment without end, repeatedly unspeakable; making vows in this realm and other directions to propagate and uphold it, words of praise by those who welled forth, skillful means after fruition, the assembly coming from the ten directions, and other matters.' These are fully detailed under 'Hiddenness and Manifestation'. At present, the four texts transmitted in Chang'an differ: first, five thousand verses, which is that transmitted by Śubhakarasiṃha; second, six thousand five hundred verses, which is that translated by Dharmarakṣa; third, six thousand verses, which is that transmitted by Kumārajīva; fourth, six thousand two hundred verses, which is that transmitted by Jñānagupta. Three versions are on tāla leaves; Kumārajīva's version is on white cotton cloth. Even in what has been transmitted to this land, there are additions and reductions in the number of verses; what measure could the scriptures in the West have? However, tradition relates that the Sanskrit text has only twenty-eight chapters. None has a title before the text, but only says 'siddhaṃ'—here translated as 'auspicious dharma', also called 'accomplishment'—without establishing a title; they are all at the end of the chapter and the conclusion of the sūtra. That they have been moved from the end to the beginning was probably done by the translators of the sūtra following the custom of China, wishing to cause the discussion of recensions based on different titles. However, the Dharmarakṣa and Jñānagupta versions have twenty-seven chapters, with the title concluding at their end, lacking the chapter title of Devadatta. The matters of difference are as explained below in 'Transmission and Translation'. Or chapters are separated to form independent works, as distinguished below in 'Branch Recensions'. The broad and the brief depend on the vessel; though there are additions and reductions in recensions, the fundamental Dharma and great meaning suffer no loss.
1.6
2. Differences in Times of Hiddenness and Manifestation
1.7
According to the Mañjuśrīparinirvāṇa-sūtra, four hundred and fifty years after the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, Mañjuśrī was still in the world. According to the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa, the various Mahāyāna sūtras were compiled by Mañjuśrī. According to the Account of the Compilation of the Dharma, there are three Ānandas: Ānanda, which here translates as 'Joy', who upheld the Śrāvaka Piṭaka; Ānandabhadra, which here translates as 'Joyous Sage', who upheld the Pratyekabuddha Piṭaka; and Ānandasāgara, which here translates as 'Ocean of Joy'. When Ānanda ascended the high seat, the assembly gave rise to three doubts: first, they doubted that the Buddha, out of great compassion, had arisen from nirvāṇa to preach the sublime Dharma; second, they doubted that another Buddha had arrived from another world and dwelt here to preach the Dharma; third, they doubted that Ānanda had transformed his body and become a Buddha to preach the Dharma for the assembly. Now, to show that the Dharma thus spoken was what I personally heard in the past when attending the Buddha for twenty-five years—not that the Buddha had arisen, nor that a Buddha from another realm had arrived, nor that [Ānanda] had transformed his body into a Buddha—all sūtras begin by stating 'Thus have I heard' in order to dispel these doubts. Tripiṭaka Master Paramārtha said: 'The Vinayasūtra clarifies that when Ānanda ascended the high seat to compile the Dharma treasure, his body was like that of the Buddhas, endowed with all the marks and signs; when he stepped down from the seat, he returned to his original form. This was truly because his provisional practice was replete with the three virtues, transmitting together both the Great and Small [Vehicles]. This sūtra was indeed compiled by Ānandasāgara.' If according to the Fohua jing, Mañjuśrī was in the assembly and first proclaimed the title, and Ānanda ascended the high seat to reiterate and compile it. The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa relies on this to say that Mañjuśrī compiled the various Mahāyāna sūtras. Having fully completed the compilation, they then wrote it upon leaf-fibres and stored it in the cave of precious leaves. Devas, humans, nāgas, spirits, kings, ministers, and the great assembly vied to make offerings. After the Buddha departed the world, the worthy and holy sequentially withdrew into concealment, like elephant calves following the departure of the great elephant. The ninety-five non-Buddhist paths arose in confusion, and the eighteen heterodox teachers exclusively revered the Lesser Canon, so that the Mahāyāna sūtras were for the most part concealed and lost, no longer circulating in the world. After this sūtra was compiled, it was kept hidden and did not circulate. According to Western tradition, there is a precious stūpa in the Great Snow Mountains that houses Sanskrit pothis of the Lotus Sūtra. As Tripiṭaka Master Paramārtha fully stated, the records of the Western Regions recount: 'At the end of the five hundred years after the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, there was a monk who deeply understood the Mahāyāna, attained the unproduced [dharma-kṣānti], and sought profound sūtras everywhere. He went to the Snow Mountains, opened the door of the precious stūpa, opened and read the Sanskrit pothis, and remained within to guard, receive, and uphold them. At the beginning of the six hundredth year, in South India, there was a man of brāhmaṇa stock who thoroughly understood the four Vedas, the great meanings of the five sciences, and the eighteen heterodox treatises; his fame galloped through the five Indias and he strode uniquely through all kingdoms, named Nāgārjuna. Renouncing the heterodox and taking refuge in the correct, he went forth from household life and received the complete precepts. In ninety days he debated and recited the Tripiṭaka, but seeking the profound Dharma he found nowhere to attain it. Thereupon he entered the stūpa in the Snow Mountains. The monk conferred the Sanskrit manuscript of this sūtra upon Nāgārjuna, who received, recited, delighted in, and quite understood its true meaning. He traveled through the various kingdoms seeking other sūtras widely, but searching everywhere in Jambudvīpa, he could not obtain them fully. While dwelling alone in a quiet room, within a chamber of crystal, reflecting upon this matter, the Great Ocean Dragon King saw him, took pity on him, and welcomed him into the eight great oceans. In his palace, opening seven-jeweled cases, he conferred upon him immeasurable sublime Dharma: the Avataṃsaka, Lotus, and various Mahāyāna cloud sūtras, the Mahāmegha, Hastikakṣya, Pratyutpanna, and various profound and esoteric Vaipulya sūtras. Nāgārjuna received and recited them for ninety days; his mind penetrated deeply and he personally realized the true benefit. The Dragon King, knowing his thoughts, asked: 'Have you finished reading the sūtras?' He answered: 'The sūtras in your cases are immeasurably many; they cannot be exhausted across kalpas. What I have read is already ten times the sūtras in Jambudvīpa.' The Dragon King said: 'Compared with the scriptures in my palace, those in other places are incalculable; each is as numerous as dust motes, unimpeded and unhindered, inconceivable.' Nāgārjuna said: 'I wish to obtain the profound sūtras and take them back to Jambudvīpa to greatly propagate the Buddha's teachings and subdue the non-Buddhists.' The Dragon King said: 'My palace has three versions of the Avataṃsaka Inconceivable Liberation Sūtra: the upper version contains verses as numerous as the dust motes of thirteen worlds and chapters as numerous as the dust motes of the four continents; the middle version contains four hundred and ninety-eight thousand eight hundred verses and one thousand two hundred chapters; the lower version contains one hundred thousand verses and thirty chapters. The Lotus Sūtra on the Great Assembly of Universal Equality contains verses as numerous as the dust motes of ten worlds and unspeakable chapters. The remaining scriptures are exceedingly vast.' Nāgārjuna said: 'I have seen that these sublime scriptures are inconceivable. How shall they be transmitted?' The Dragon King said: 'The upper and middle versions of the Inconceivable Liberation Sūtra are by no means within the human capacity of Jambudvīpa to receive and uphold; they cannot be transmitted. The abridged version of the profound Lotus Sūtra is in Jambudvīpa, while the expanded versions are entirely kept secret in my palace.' He then conferred upon him the lower version of the Avataṃsaka along with a case of various sūtras. Having obtained the single case, Nāgārjuna deeply entered into the unproduced [dharma-kṣānti]. Nāgārjuna emerged back in South India, greatly propagated the Buddha's teachings, subdued the non-Buddhists, expanded the Mahāyāna, and composed three great treatises and a thousand separate treatises. In the great treatises, he extensively cited the Avataṃsaka, Lotus, and so forth, explaining their profound and subtle purports (and so on).' According to these records, since there were expanded versions, they were entirely kept secret in the dragon palace, hidden and not transmitted. The Western Regions Gazetteer states: 'Anciently, in the royal palace of Khotan, there was a Sanskrit text of the Lotus Sūtra consisting of six thousand five hundred verses. Over two thousand li to the southeast, there was a kingdom named Cokkuka. Its kings through successive generations revered the Mahāyāna. When eminent monks from various kingdoms entered its borders, they were all tested on their understanding: if they studied the Hīnayāna, they were dismissed and not permitted to stay; if they were Mahāyāna practitioners, they were invited and given splendid offerings. The royal palace also possessed five great scriptures: the Avataṃsaka, Mahāsaṃnipāta, Mahāprajñāpāramitā, Lotus, and Mahāparinirvāṇa, all of one hundred thousand verses. The king personally received and upheld them, holding the key to the doors with his own hands; when he would turn and read them, he opened them, making offerings of incense and flowers. Further, over twenty li to the southeast, there was an exceedingly rugged mountain. On the summit was a rock cave, narrow at the entrance and spacious within. Inside were the Avataṃsaka, Mahāsaṃnipāta, Vaipulya, Ratnakūṭa, Laṅkāvatāra, Fangguang, Śāriputradhāraṇī, Huaju dhāraṇī, Dousaluo, Mahāprajñāpāramitā, Mahāmegha, and Lotus—altogether twelve works, all of one hundred thousand verses. By state law, they were successively guarded and kept. It is also said: In the royal palace of the kingdom of Jibin, there was a Lotus Sūtra of six thousand verses (and so on).' Now calculating the time of its arising in the world: it corresponds in this land to the forty-fifth year of King Mu of Zhou, the yichou year, continuing until the fifty-second year, renshen, when [the Buddha] entered nirvāṇa after preaching it. For more than one thousand years after the parinirvāṇa, it was not cultivated or practiced at all. One thousand two hundred and thirty years later, in the Zhengyuan jiaxu year of the deposed emperor of the Wei, five thousand verses were first transmitted and placed in the Jiaozhou lodge. During the Western Jin and Yao Qin, they were brought and arrived here, as clarified in the transmission and translation records. One should know that depending on whether capacities are immature or ripe, the times of concealment and manifestation differ. According to the Record on the Abiding of the Dharma, when the Buddha, the Bhagavān, entered parinirvāṇa, he entrusted the unsurpassed Dharma to the sixteen great arhats and their retinues, commanding them to protect and uphold it so that it would not perish. The sixteen arhats protect and uphold the correct Dharma to benefit sentient beings. When the human lifespan in this continent declines to a minimum of ten years, the Buddha-Dharma will temporarily perish. Later, when the human lifespan gradually increases to the stage of forty thousand years, the arhats will together come among humans to openly preach the correct Dharma; up until the time of sixty thousand years, the unsurpassed correct Dharma will circulate in the world, flourishing without pause; at the time of seventy thousand years, the unsurpassed correct Dharma will permanently perish. However, the propagation of this sūtra mostly addresses the age of the final Dharma; the text repeatedly mentions the 'final Dharma' and the 'later five hundred years'. If one encounters it, one should forget sleep and food, and never let the time pass in vain.
1.8
Part Three: The Eras of Transmission and Translation
1.9
I respectfully examine the various sūtra catalogues and other records. The periods of translating the Lotus Sūtra roughly fall into six times: First, 1,230 years after the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, in the Ganlu era, first year, yihai, of the former Wei, which was the second year of Wufeng of the Wu [255 CE]. On the seventh day of the seventh month, the foreigner Zhi Qiangliangjie—whose name means 'Correct Fearlessness'—in the city of Jiaozhou, with the monk Daoxin serving as amanuensis, translated it into six fascicles, named the Fahua sanmei jing (Lotus Samādhi Sūtra). Second, 1,240 years [after parinirvāṇa], in the Taishi era, first year, yiyou, of the Western Jin [265 CE], the monk Dharmarakṣa from the Yuezhi kingdom—called Fahu in Jin, of the Zhi clan—having traveled throughout the Western Regions and understanding the languages and scripts of thirty-six kingdoms, brought a Sanskrit manuscript from India and translated it into six fascicles, named the Sayun fendouli fahua jing (Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Lotus Sūtra). Third, [Dharma]rakṣa further in the Taikang era, seventh year, bingwu [286 CE], broadly translated it into ten fascicles, named the Zheng fahua jing. On the twenty-eighth day of the eighth month of the first year of Yongxi [290 CE], the monk Kang Nalu finished copying it in Luoyang. At that time, together with the laymen of pure moral restraint Zhang Jibo, Dong Jingxuan, Liu Changwu, Changwen, and others, holding the text of the sūtra in hand, he went to the Baima Monastery. Facing Dharmarakṣa, they orally compared ancient glosses and explained the profound meaning. On the fourteenth day of the ninth-month root fast, they held a grand assembly of dāna in the Dongniu Monastery, lecturing on and reciting this sūtra day and night to the end, and all were filled with joy; it was collated and finalized again. Fourth, 1,284 years [after parinirvāṇa], in the Xiankang era, first year, yiwei, of the Eastern Jin [335 CE], the monk Zhi Daolin translated it into six fascicles, named the Fangdeng fahua jing (Vaipulya Lotus Sūtra). Fifth, 1,353 years [after parinirvāṇa], namely the Hongshi era, seventh year, jiachen, of the Yao Qin [405 CE], the Indian monk Kumārajīva—called Tongshou in Qin—in the Xiaoyao Garden at Chang'an, translated it into seven or eight fascicles, named the Miaofahua jing (Sublime Lotus Sūtra). Kumārajīva was separated from Dharmarakṣa by slightly over a hundred years. Sixth, 1,550 years [after parinirvāṇa], namely the Renshou era, first year, xinyou, of the Sui [601 CE], the monk [Jñāna]gupta and [Dharma]gupta, at Xingshan Monastery, translated it into seven fascicles, named the Tianpin fahua jing (Additional Chapters Lotus Sūtra). The preface of the sūtra states: 'Examining the two translations of [Dharma]rakṣa and Kumārajīva, they were certainly not from the same manuscript. [Dharma]rakṣa's resembles a tāla leaf [manuscript], while Kumārajīva's resembles a text from Kucha. What was lacking in [Dharma]rakṣa's was the verses of the "Universal Gate" chapter. What was lacking in Kumārajīva's was half of the "Medicinal Herbs" chapter, the beginnings of the two chapters "Pūrṇa" and "Dharma Master", the "Devadatta" chapter, and the verses of the "Universal Gate" chapter. Kumārajīva also moved the "Entrustment" chapter before "Bhaiṣajyarāja", and placed the dhāraṇīs of both versions after the "Universal Gate". The differences between them cannot be fully recounted.' At the request of the monk Shangxing of Pulao Monastery, together with the two Tripiṭaka Dharma Masters [Jñāna]gupta and Dharmagupta at Da Xingshan Monastery, they re-examined the Indian tāla-leaf manuscript. The beginnings of the two chapters 'Pūrṇa' and 'Dharma Master' were still lacking in the collated manuscript. For the 'Medicinal Herbs' chapter, they further added its [missing] half; 'Devadatta' was incorporated into the 'Treasure Stūpa' chapter; after 'Dhāraṇī' and 'Divine Transcendent Powers', 'Entrustment' was returned to conclude it at the end. The wondrous meanings of thousands of myriads of koṭis of verses are hard to exhaust. When re-examining it, they roughly employed three principles: First, rearranging chapters, such as 'Divine Transcendent Powers', 'Entrustment', and so forth. Second, adding text, such as the half of 'Medicinal Herbs', the verses of 'Universal Gate', and so forth. Third, altering wording, such as the spells of the two chapters. All the other passages fully relied on Kumārajīva's text, without any alteration. Among the six translations, three are extant and three are lost. Among the three extant, the Sublime [Kumārajīva] version is the best: Samantabhadra instructed its phrasing in a dream, and it contains no error in phrasing or meaning. Nanshan asked the deity, 'Why is it that the sūtras translated by Master Kumārajīva during his generation remain fresh down to the present day, and their upholding is ever more flourishing?' The reply was, 'That man was intelligent and adept at understanding the Mahāyāna. Those below him are all later men, though he was the treasure of a generation. Leaving nothing behind and illuminating what went before, others cannot catch up with looking up to him. Therefore, in translating sūtras he took awakening and understanding as paramount; he obtained the Buddha's bequeathed high station, ranked among the three grades of worthies. Having produced the sūtras with his own hands, their chanting down to the present is flourishing and has never fallen into disuse. Unseen auspicious resonances descend, growing ever newer across successive generations. By this verification, he deeply conformed to the purport of the sūtras. Moreover, Mañjuśrī gave him direct instruction, causing his revisions to be uniquely extraordinary among his peers. How could he, because of being ridiculed over a separate chamber, suddenly forget the profound principle? It is truly not worth speaking of.' (End of quotation.) Furthermore, relying on the Biographies of Monks, separate biographies, and sūtra catalogues, Kumārajīva's lineage is briefly recounted. He was originally a native of India. For generations his family had been state ministers. His father, Kumārāyana, was intelligent and possessed excellent character. When about to inherit the position of minister, he resigned to renounce household life and crossed east of the Congling Mountains. The king of Kucha, hearing that he had abandoned worldly glory, deeply revered and admired him, making him the National Preceptor. The king had a younger sister, just twenty years old, of bright and sharp intelligence; whatever passed before her eyes she could certainly grasp, and hearing something once, she would recite it. Moreover, her body had a red birthmark, indicating she would give birth to a wise son. When various kingdoms sought her in marriage, none were granted. When she saw [Kumār]āyana, she wished in her heart to take him, and so forced him to marry her. For a long time she did not conceive. The king personally asked his sister, 'What technique does your husband use?' She replied, 'When engaging in desire, he recites a verse: "Dwelling in the world is like empty space, / like a lotus flower unattached to water." Perhaps it is by the power of this verse?' The king said, 'You should cultivate bewitching feelings.' Soon she was pregnant with Kumārajīva. While Kumārajīva was in the womb, his mother's wise understanding doubled above normal. An arhat named Dharmaghoṣa said, 'She must be carrying a wise son,' and explained to them the proof of Śāriputra being in the womb. When Kumārajīva was born, she forgot her earlier words. Kumārajīva's mother renounced household life, studied, and attained the first fruit [of stream-entry]. When Kumārajīva was seven years old, he also renounced household life together with her. Receiving sūtras from his teacher, he recited a thousand verses a day; each verse had thirty-two syllables, totaling thirty-two thousand words. He understood them on his own, with nothing hidden that was not mastered. At age nine, following his mother, he crossed the Indus River to Kaśmīra and met Bandhudatta, who was the king's cousin. Possessed of brilliant talent and broad learning, he had thoroughly mastered the Tripiṭaka and the nine divisions of scriptures, and his fame spread across kingdoms, with people near and far taking him as teacher. When Kumārajīva arrived, he revered him with the etiquette of a teacher, and received from him the Dirghāgama and Madhyamāgama of the miscellaneous piṭaka, totaling four million words. The king invited him into the palace and gathered non-Buddhist disputants to debate together. Kumārajīva took advantage of their weaknesses and crushed them: once the dark mountain collapsed, the bright sun was fully revealed. The king was greatly delighted and made offerings with the finest provisions of foreign lands. The monks of the monastery where he stayed assigned five fully ordained monks and ten novices to attend to him and sweep and sprinkle, so revered was he. At age twelve, his mother took him back to Kucha. Various kingdoms all sought him with fine titles, but Kumārajīva paid no attention and accepted none. Later, Kumārajīva's mother took him to Yuezhi. On the North Mountain there was an arhat who saw him, marvelled at him, and told his mother, 'You must constantly guard and protect him. If he reaches age thirty-five without breaking his precepts, he will greatly propagate the Buddhadharma and deliver countless people; his uplifting transformation will be no different from that of Upagupta.' Kumārajīva proceeded to the kingdom of Kašgar. Carrying the Buddha's alms-bowl on his head, it felt light or heavy according to the thoughts of his mind. He stayed in Kašgar for a year, reciting and mastering the Abhidharma, the Twelve Gates [Treatise], and so forth, without any hindrance. There was a monk of three years' standing named Xijian, who said to the king, 'This novice should not be taken lightly. The king should invite him to open the Dharma-gate, which will bring two benefits: first, the monks in the kingdom, ashamed of falling short of him, will surely exert themselves; second, the king of Kucha will surely say, "Kumārajīva came from my kingdom and was born of my sister, yet they revere him; this is revering me," and will surely come to establish friendly relations.' The king agreed. He then held a grand assembly, inviting Kumārajīva to ascend the high seat to preach the Dharma and turn the wheel. Kucha indeed sent important envoys to reciprocate friendly relations. In his leisure from preaching the Dharma, Kumārajīva searched for non-Buddhist scriptures, thoroughly understanding the four Vedas, the eighteen great scriptures, and the treatises on the five sciences. At that time, there were two brothers, Prince Caoche and Prince Canjun, who abandoned their kingdom and asked to follow him as monks; their talents and skills were peerless. The elder brother was named Sūryabhadra, and the younger was named Sūryasoma. They focused on using the Mahāyāna for transformation, especially propagating the Lotus Sūtra. The elder brother and all fellow students took him as teacher. Kumārajīva also honoured and served him. He preached the Anavatapta-sūtra to Kumārajīva. Hearing the principle of emptiness, Kumārajīva had a startling awakening and only then knew that the truth had its destination. Devoting himself to the Vaipulya teachings, he sighed and said, 'In the past I studied the Hīnayāna, like a man who did not recognise gold and took brass to be wondrous.' Thereupon he broadly sought the essentials of meaning, traveling throughout the kingdoms of the five regions of India, reciting the Lotus, the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā, the Śūraṅgama-samādhi, and other Mahāyāna sūtras, and receiving the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, the Śataka-śāstra, the Dvādaśamukha-śāstra, the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa, and so forth. The scholars of doctrine from various kingdoms all yielded in admiration and studied under him. Following his mother, he returned to the kingdom of Wensu, which was the northern border of Kucha. At that time, there was a Daoist master whose fame shook various kingdoms. Kumārajīva examined the Daoist doctrine with two arguments [and refuted it]. Thereupon his renown was heard across kingdoms and his praise spread beyond the seas. The king of Kucha went in person to welcome Kumārajīva back to the kingdom. He broadly preached various sūtras, and no proponent of the four Vedas could withstand him. His mother had already attained the second fruit [of once-returner]. Before long, she bade farewell to go to India, saying to the king, 'Your kingdom will soon decline; I shall depart.' Reaching India, she advanced to attain the third fruit [of non-returner]. As his mother was about to leave, she told Kumārajīva, 'The profound teachings of the Lotus, the Vaipulya, and the Mahāprajñāpāramitā should be widely propagated in China and transmitted to the Eastern lands. Only you have the power to do so; yet for your own person there will be no benefit. What will you do?' Kumārajīva replied, 'The way of a great being is to forget oneself and benefit others. If only the great transformation can be spread abroad and awaken the deluded world, even if my body should face the suffering of the furnace and cauldron, I shall have no regret.' Thereupon he remained and stayed at the New Monastery. Later, in the old palace beside the monastery, he first obtained the emission of light and dwelt in subduing the heavenly Māra. Staying for three years, he broadly recited Mahāyāna sūtras and treatises, penetrating their secret treasuries and profound meanings. The king made a golden lion throne for him, spread with a cushion of Daqin brocade, and bade Kumārajīva ascend to preach the Dharma. Kumārajīva said, 'My teacher Bandhudatta has not yet awakened to the Mahāyāna; I wish to go in person to convert him and cannot remain here.' Soon the master arrived from not far away, and they debated the Mahāyāna emptiness teachings. After more than a month, he was finally convinced, sighing, 'The Upādhyāya is my Mahāyāna teacher, and I am the Upādhyāya's Hīnayāna teacher.' The kingdoms of the Western Regions all admired Kumārajīva's divine pre-eminence. Whenever he lectured, the kings would all kneel beside the seat, having Kumārajīva step upon them to ascend; so highly was he respected. As Kumārajīva's renown spread through the Western Regions and reached the eastern lands, Fu Jian had usurped the title [of emperor] in the Guanzhong region. The king of the Qianbu kingdom and the younger brother of the king of Kucha both came to pay court. [Fu] Jian said, 'The Western Regions produce many rare treasures; let us send troops to conquer them and seek them out.' In the thirteenth year of Jianyuan of Fu Jian, dingchou, the first month [377 CE], the Grand Astrologer reported, 'A star has appeared in the astronomical field of foreign kingdoms; a person of great virtue and wisdom is destined to enter and assist the Middle Kingdom.' [Fu] Jian said, 'I have heard that in the Western Regions there is Kumārajīva, and in Xiangyang there is the monk Dao'an; could it not be them?' He immediately sent envoys to seek them. In the eighteenth year, the ninth month [382 CE], [Fu] Jian dispatched Lü Guang and others, commanding seventy thousand troops, to march west to attack Kucha and Karasahr. When [Lü] Guang captured Kumārajīva, not knowing his true capacity and seeing that he was young, he took him for an ordinary man. Teasing him, he forced him to take the Kucha king's daughter as his wife; Kumārajīva refused, his pleas full of anguish. On the return journey, [Lü] Guang stationed the army at the foot of a mountain when the commanders and soldiers had already rested. Kumārajīva said, 'We must not stay here; we will certainly meet with disaster. We should move the army onto the Long mountain.' [Lü] Guang did not accept the admonition. At night, heavy rain indeed fell, causing a flood several zhang deep, killing several thousand people. [Lü] Guang then secretly marveled at him. [Lü] Guang followed him to Liangzhou, where he heard that Fu Jian had already been killed by Yao Chang. Soon after, [Lü] Guang also died. His son Shao inherited the position for only a few days when [Lü] Guang's illegitimate son Zuan killed Shao and established himself, taking the era name Xianning. While playing chess with Kumārajīva, when capturing a piece Zuan said, 'I cut off the barbarian slave's head!' Kumārajīva said, 'You cannot cut off the barbarian slave's head; the barbarian slave is about to cut off someone's head.' These words had a hidden meaning: [Lü] Guang's younger brother Bao had a son named Chao, whose childhood name was 'Barbarian Slave'. Later Chao indeed killed him; only then did people of the time verify Kumārajīva's words. Kumārajīva remained in Liang[zhou] for many years. Since Lü Guang and his son did not promote the Way, there was nothing to propagate. Fu Jian was already dead, so in the end they never met. When it came to Yao Chang, the various members of the Lü clan, knowing that Kumārajīva had many wise plans and deep understanding, feared he would plan for Yao [Chang], and would not permit him to enter the east. When [Yao] Chang died, his son [Yao] Xing succeeded to the throne and repeatedly sent polite invitations. In the third year of Hongshi of [Yao] Xing, the third month [401 CE], trees with interlocking branches grew in the spacious courtyard, and the scallions in the Xiaoyao Garden transformed into fragrant plants. These were considered auspicious omens, showing that a wise man was about to enter. In the fifth month, he attacked Lü Long, and only then was he able to welcome Kumārajīva into the pass. On the twentieth day of the twelfth month of that year, he arrived at Chang'an. [Yao] Xing received him with the etiquette of a National Preceptor, and invited him to enter the Ximing Pavilion and the Xiaoyao Garden to translate various sūtras. The monks Senglüe, Sengrui, Sengzhao, and others—over eight hundred persons—consulted and received Kumārajīva's instructions. When ordered to produce the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā, Kumārajīva held the foreign text and [Yao] Xing held the old translation to compare and examine the new. [Yao] Xing, having a spiritual mind, revered the Buddhadharma and constantly offered provisions to three thousand monks in the Grass Hut of the Great Monastery, collating new and old sūtras together with Kumārajīva. In the winter of the seventh year of Hongshi [405 CE], they retranslated the Lotus Sūtra. [Yao] Xing held Dharmarakṣa's sūtra for comparison; Kumārajīva recited the Sanskrit text, and Sengrui and others took it down in writing. Reaching the 'Prediction for the Five Hundred Disciples' chapter, Kumārajīva said, 'In the past [Dharma]rakṣa translated it as "gods see men, men see gods." These words agree with the meaning in the Western Regions, but the phrasing is overly unadorned.' Rui answered in response, 'Could it not be "men and gods meet and interact, both being able to see one another"?' Kumārajīva was delighted. In total, he translated ninety-eight works in 425 fascicles of sūtras and treatises; composed the Shixiang lun (Treatise on the True Mark) and the Commentary on the Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa; compiled biographies of Aśvaghoṣa, Nāgārjuna, Āryadeva, and others; and wrote the Meaning of the Land of Peace and Bliss, the Biographies of Rebirth, the Meaning of Bodhicitta, and so forth. Ever since the Buddhadharma gradually spread eastward, the broad nourishment of its great transformation has mostly been due to the power of Lord Kumārajīva. Tradition holds that Master Kumārajīva was an emanation of Mañjuśrī: having formerly initiated [the assembly] at Gṛdhrakūṭa, he was now translating sūtras. Whenever he held the brush, light radiated from the brush, and within the light sometimes appeared the form of Mañjuśrī, or the body of the Buddha; the Four Heavenly Kings added their protection, among whom the Knowledgeable One [Vaiśravaṇa] accompanied his person (and so forth). I see that Lord Kumārajīva was fundamentally a great sage, and also ranked among the three grades of worthies; there was indeed a reason for the sympathetic resonances of the sublime scriptures he translated.
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4. Offshoot and Independent Circulation
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I respectfully note that the scripture catalogues state: Regarding the offshoot and independent circulation of the Lotus Sūtra, how could it be measured in the Western regions? What has been transmitted to the Eastern lands is merely a fraction. Tradition says that in the West the Sanskrit text covered one yojana, and its corresponding separate circulations were likewise so (and so forth). As for those that have come to this land: The Amitārtha-sūtra in one fascicle is the introductory section. In the second year of Jianyuan in the reign of Emperor Gao [of Southern Qi], the Indian monk Dharmagatayaśas—translated into Qi as Fashengcheng—translated it with his own hand at Chaoting Monastery in Guangzhou. The recipient was the monk Huibiao, who, in the third year of Yongming, brought it to the capital, Yangdu. The Guan Puxian xingfa jing in one fascicle forms its conclusion. In the first year of Yuanjia under the Song, Dharmamitra—also called Dharmamitra, translated into Song as Faxiu—a man of Jibin, translated it at Yangdu. Later, Dharma Master Paramārtha composed a separate record, which circulated in the world. As for those circulating independently: The Fo yi sanche huan zi jing in one fascicle, translated by Zhi Qian of the Wei dynasty, is a duplicate translation of the "Parable" chapter in the main text. The Guangshiyin jing in one fascicle was translated in the second year of Yongjia under the Western Jin by Dharmarakṣa. The Pumenpin jing in one fascicle was translated during the Eastern Jin dynasty by the monk Qiduomi. The Guanshiyin jing in one fascicle was translated under the Later Qin by Kumārajīva at Xiaoyao Park in Chang'an. The Guanshiyin jing in one fascicle was translated under the Song dynasty by Jingsheng, the Marquis of Anyang, at Gaochang. The Pumen chongsong ji in one fascicle was translated under the reign of Emperor Wu of Liang at Longquan Monastery in Yizhou by the monk Jñānagupta from Gandhāra in North India, together with Prince Qiao of Liang, Yuwen. The above five texts are duplicate translations of the "Universal Gate" chapter in the main text. There is also a Pumenpin jing in one fascicle of fifteen sheets, which is a duplicate translation of the Mañjuśrī Assembly in the Mahāratnakūṭa, and not an offshoot of the Lotus Sūtra. The Miaofa lianhua jing t婆daduo pin in one fascicle was translated by Kumārajīva; palace officials in Chang'an extracted it from within the large corpus for independent circulation. The Miaofa lianhua jing t婆daduo pin in one fascicle was revised, supplemented, and embellished by the Chen dynasty monk Paramārtha from Kumārajīva's text. Another version of the same chapter in one fascicle: during the Yongming era of the Xiao Qi, the monk Faxian obtained a Sanskrit text from Khotan, and translated it together with Baoyi at Waguan Monastery in Yangzhou. The above three texts are a single chapter from the main text. The Fahua guangrui pusa xianrui jing in three fascicles was translated at Jiaozhou by the monk Zhi Jiangliang; it is a duplicate translation of the "Introduction" and "Lifespan" chapters of the main text. The six spells of Bhaiṣajyarāja Bodhisattva and others of the Lotus Sūtra were translated in the Yonghui era of the Great Tang by the Tripiṭaka Master Xuanzang. Most of these have lost their texts. Only Kumārajīva's "Universal Gate" chapter circulated independently in the Western Sea region. Why is this? Dharmakṣema—translated here as Fafeng—a man of Central India of the brāhmaṇa caste, also called Ipalekha Bodhisattva, had the dissemination of teachings as his aspiration, traveled and taught across the Congling Mountains, and arrived in Hexi. The King of Hexi, Juqu Mengxun, took refuge in the correct Dharma and was also afflicted with an illness. When he spoke to the bodhisattva, [the bodhisattva] said: "Avalokiteśvara has karmic affinities with this land." He instructed him to recite [the chapter], and his suffering from illness was immediately dispelled. For this reason, this one chapter was transmitted separately and circulated outside the main corpus. Furthermore, there is the Fahua sanmei jing, which is an offshoot and not a separate composition. There is also the Sa-tan f陀li jing in one fascicle, the "Treasure Stūpa and Devadatta Chapters", which is rarely seen circulating in the world and is not upheld by people; ancient catalogues note it as translated by Dharmarakṣa, while Tang dynasty catalogues attach it to the catalogue of lost translations. There is also the Gaowang Guanshiyin jing; although it possesses unseen resonances, it did not originate from transmission and translation, so it cannot be counted as an offshoot, nor is it a separate composition.
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5. Divergences in Treatises and Commentaries
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Tripiṭaka Master Paramārtha said: It is traditionally said in the West that the great teaching of the Lotus Sūtra spread across the five regions of India, and more than fifty masters composed upadeśas to explain its text and meaning. At the end of five hundred years after the Buddha's nirvāṇa, Nāgārjuna Bodhisattva composed a commentary on the Lotus Sūtra; at the beginning of six hundred years, Sthiramati Bodhisattva composed an explanatory treatise. Neither has come to this land, and their central imports cannot be fathomed. In the middle of nine hundred years, the state preceptor of the Country of Men in North India, the great brāhmaṇa Kauśika's son Vasubandhu—translated here as Tianqin—also composed a commentary on the Lotus Sūtra, explaining its great meaning through sixty-four Dharma approaches. The Central Indian monk Ratnamati—translated into Wei as Baoyi—was rich in erudition and insight into phenomena and principles, and fully versed in the Tripiṭaka; he had recited a total of one hundred million verses, each verse containing thirty-two syllables. Intending to travel and transform beings, he first arrived in Luoyang in the fifth year of Zhengshi, a wuzi year, under Emperor Xuanwu, and translated the Lotus Sūtra Commentary into one fascicle. The Palace Attendant Cui Guang, the monk Senglang, and others served as scribes. On the day of translating the scripture, in the Inner Palace of Luoyang, Bodhiruci transmitted the text while Ratnaśānta participated in clarifying it afterward. The three virtuous ones, however, followed rumors; each transmitted his own master's tradition without consulting the others. The Emperor, considering the flourishing of the Dharma's dissemination, briefly set forth their petty grievances and ordered them to translate at three different places. After each finished translating, they compared and cross-checked the hidden omissions between them, and there were discrepancies that resulted in divergences in phrasing and intent. Later generations combined them to form a single continuous work. Furthermore, the North Indian monk Bodhiruci—translated here as Daoxi, newly translated as Jue'ai—was comprehensively versed in the Tripiṭaka, profoundly entered into dhāraṇīs, and had his heart set on spreading the Dharma far and wide. He thus journeyed through the night carrying the Dharma, arriving from afar to the west of the Congling. In the Yongping era of the Wei, he arrived in the Eastern Cathay. Emperor Xuanwu issued an edict offering attentive respects and comfort, and later accommodated him at the great Yongning Monastery, treating him with great generosity; seven hundred foreign monks were all fully provided for. By imperial decree, Bodhiruci was appointed the chief master of scripture translation. He retranslated it into two fascicles. Tanlin took it down and composed a preface, titled Miaofa lianhua jing youpotishe; it begins with verses of homage. It largely agrees with Ratnamati's translation, with minor differences. That one is likewise titled Miaofa lianhua jing youpotishe, but lacks verses of taking refuge. In this land there have also been authors of commentaries, such as Hu Jizang's Xuanlun and others, which cannot be recounted in full.
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- 法華傳記 — Classical Chinese