華嚴經傳記 1.44

1.44

隋淨影寺慧遠法師。晚年造此經疏。至廻向品。忽覺心痛。視之乃見當心毛孔流血外現。又夢。持鎌登大山。次第芟剪。至半力竭。不復能起。覺已謂門人曰。吾夢此疏必不成。於是而止。相州休法師。聽華嚴五十餘遍。研諷文理。轉加昏漠。乃自喻曰。斯固上聖至言。豈下凡所抑度哉。詳二賢博贍。宏富振古罕儔。於此陶埏。莫能窮照。而謙之尋閱。未盡數旬。注茲鴻論。何其壯哉。蓋是大聖冥傳。不足多怪。案此經菩薩住處品云。東北有菩薩住處。名清涼山。現有菩薩。名文殊師利。與一萬菩薩。常住說法。故今此山下。有清涼府。山之南面小峯。有清涼寺。一名五臺山。以五山最高其上竝不生林木。事同積土故。謂之臺也。山周迴四百餘里。東連恒岳。中臺上有大華池。湛然清徹。蒸多徵感。又有精屋石塔。北臺上有鐵浮圖二并舍利。及文殊形像。中臺東南下三十餘里。有大浮寺。漢明所立。既年代久遠荒涼彌甚。遺基餘趾。尚能可識。中有東西二堂。像設存焉。前在華薗二三頃。綺繢交錯。百種千名。爛同舒錦。赫如霞照。至於超常絕聽之類。世所希聞者。至七月十五日。萬品齊發。次北八九里。是前王子捨身之地。現有表塔。昔北齊之日。大敝玄門。於此山中。置伽藍二百餘所。又割恒定等八洲之稅。以供山眾衣藥之資焉。今神居寶地。往往而在。案別傳云。文殊師利菩薩。常於彼講華嚴經故。自古以來迄乎唐運。西域梵僧。時有不遠數萬里。而就茲頂謁者。及此土道俗。亦塵軌相接。或遇神僧聖眾。仙閣珍臺。靈光暐曄。妙香芬馥。空鐘自響。寶偈遙聞。倏忽俄頃。抑揚千變。如清涼山記具之。山去京一千六百里代州之界。然地居邊壤。特甚寒烈。故四月已前。七月以後。堅氷積雪。暠皓彌布。自非盛夏之日。無由登踐。勗哉懷道之士。可不庶幾一往乎。

Dharma Master Huiyuan of Jinying Temple during the Sui composed a commentary on this sūtra in his later years. When he reached the chapter on Dedication, he suddenly felt pain in his chest, and upon looking, he saw blood flowing outward from the pores over his heart. He also dreamed that he held a sickle climbing a great mountain, systematically cutting and clearing; half-way through, his strength was exhausted and he could rise no more. Waking, he said to his disciples, "I dreamed that this commentary will certainly not be completed," and thereupon he ceased. Dharma Master Xiu of Xiangzhou listened to the Avataṃsaka over fifty times, yet the more he examined and recited the text and principles, the dimmer and vaguer they grew. He then reflected to himself, "These are truly the ultimate words of the supreme sage; how could an ordinary mortal fathom them?" Considering that these two worthy masters possessed vast erudition and immense learning rarely equaled since ancient times, yet even in working with this text could not exhaustively illuminate it—whereas Qianzhi, having studied it for less than several decades of days, annotated this magnificent treatise—how magnificent it is! This was truly an unseen transmission from the Great Sage, so it is not to be wondered at. According to the "Abodes of Bodhisattvas" chapter of this sūtra, in the northeast there is an abode of bodhisattvas called Mount Qingliang, where currently resides a bodhisattva named Mañjuśrī, who constantly dwells and expounds the Dharma with ten thousand bodhisattvas. Therefore, below this mountain today is the Qingliang Prefecture, and on a small peak to the south of the mountain is Qingliang Temple. Another name is Mount Wutai, because its five peaks are the highest and no forests or trees grow atop them; like mounds of piled earth, they are therefore called "terraces" (tai). The perimeter of the mountain is more than four hundred li, bordering Mount Heng to the east. Atop the central terrace is a great lotus pond, clear and pure, producing many omens. There are also refined abodes and stone stupas. On the northern terrace are two iron pagodas along with relics and images of Mañjuśrī. More than thirty li southeast down from the central terrace is Dafo Temple, established by Emperor Ming of the Han. Because of the long passage of time, it is exceptionally desolate, yet the remnants of its foundations can still be recognized. Within it are eastern and western halls where icons remain preserved. In front lies a flower garden of two or three qing, intricately interwoven with hundreds of varieties and thousands of names, dazzling like unfurled brocade and glowing like radiant clouds. As for transcendent, unheard-of varieties rarely known to the world, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, ten thousand kinds bloom all together. Next, eight or nine li to the north is the place where the former prince relinquished his body; a commemorative stupa currently stands there. Formerly in the days of the Northern Qi, widely opening the mysterious gate, more than two hundred monasteries were established on this mountain. Furthermore, the taxes of eight prefectures including Heng and Ding were allocated to supply the mountain assemblies with clothing and medicine. Today, divine dwellings and precious places are found here and there. According to a separate biography, because Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva constantly expounds the Avataṃsaka Sūtra there, from ancient times down to the Tang dynasty, Indian monks from the Western Regions have often traversed tens of thousands of li without regarding the distance to come here and pay homage, and the tracks of both monks and laypeople of this land follow one after another. At times, one may encounter divine monks and holy assemblies, immortal pavilions and jeweled terraces, brilliant spiritual lights, wondrous fragrant scents, bells sounding spontaneously in the empty air, and jeweled verses heard from afar—fleeting in an instant, shifting in thousands of variations—as fully recounted in the Records of Mount Qingliang. The mountain is one thousand six hundred li from the capital, within the borders of Daizhou. However, situated on the frontier, it is exceptionally severe and cold; hence before the fourth month and after the seventh month, hard ice and accumulated snow spread dazzlingly white. Unless it is the height of summer, there is no way to climb it. Strive, gentlemen who cherish the Path! How could one not hope to go there once?