華嚴經傳記 1.6

1.6

依文殊般涅槃經。佛去世後。四百五十年。文殊師利猶在世間。依智度論。諸大乘經。多是文殊師利之所結集。此經則是文殊所結。佛初去後賢聖隨隱。異道競興。乏大乘器攝此經。在海龍王宮。六百餘年未傳於世。龍樹菩薩入龍宮。日見此淵府。誦之在心。將出傳授。因茲流布。開皇三寶錄云。昔于闐東南二千餘里。有遮拘槃國。彼王歷葉敬重大乘。諸國名僧入其境者。竝皆試練。若小乘學則遣不留。摩訶衍人請停供養。王宮內自有華嚴摩訶般若大集等經。竝十萬偈。王躬受持。親執戶籥。轉讀則開。香華供養。又於道場內。種種莊嚴。眾寶備具。并懸諸雜幡。時非時果。誘諸小王令入禮拜。又此國東南。可二十餘里有山甚嶮。其內置華嚴．大集．方等．寶積．楞伽．方廣．舍利弗陀羅尼．華聚陀羅尼．都薩羅藏．摩訶般若大雲等。凡一十二部。皆十萬偈。國法相傳。防護守掌。有東晉沙門支法領者。風範慷慨。邈然懷拔萃之志。好樂大乘。忘寢與食。乃裹糧杖策。殉茲形命。於彼精求。得華嚴前分三萬六千偈。齎來至此。即晉朝所譯是也。今大周于闐所進。逾四萬頌。於第一會所說。華藏世界。舊譯闕略。講解無由。今文竝具爛然可領。其十定一會。舊經有問無答。今本照然備具。是以前有七處八會。今七處九會。雖望百千而未備。然四萬之理亦無遺。且龍樹誦具本以上昇。法領獲僅半以東度。雖凡聖不一。而弘法無二。但以域壤有中邊。慧解有深淺。遂使數萬里間。見聞懸隔。闕乎大半。可不傷哉。大智度論云。不思議經。有十萬偈。攝大乘論云。有百千偈。名百千經。釋論云。即華嚴經十萬偈。為百千也。又涅槃經。名此經為雜華。然百千舉數而標目。雜華即相以彰名。舉數者失其源。即相者遣其主。不思議則推宗有在。直造其庭。佛華嚴則以人標法。曲詳其致。四名之中。後二為得矣。

According to the Mañjuśrīparinirvāṇa Sūtra, four hundred and fifty years after the Buddha departed from the world, Mañjuśrī was still in the world. According to the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa, the various Mahāyāna sūtras were mostly compiled by Mañjuśrī; this sūtra was compiled by Mañjuśrī. Soon after the Buddha departed, the worthy and holy figures followed into concealment, and heterodox paths flourished competitively. Lacking vessels of the Mahāyāna, this sūtra was collected and kept in the palace of the Dragon King of the ocean; for over six hundred years it was not transmitted to the world. Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna entered the Dragon Palace, saw this deep storehouse daily, committed it to memory, brought it out and transmitted it, and because of this it circulated. The Kaihuang Sanbao Lu states: In the past, more than two thousand li southeast of Khotan, there was the kingdom of Cakoka. Its kings throughout successive generations revered and honored the Mahāyāna. Whenever eminent monks of various countries entered its borders, they were all tested: if they studied the Hīnayāna, they were dismissed and not permitted to stay; if they were followers of the Mahāyāna, they were invited to remain and receive offerings. Inside the royal palace itself were sūtras such as the Avataṃsaka, the Mahāprajñāpāramitā, and the Mahāsaṃnipāta, each consisting of 100,000 verses. The king personally received and upheld them, holding the key in his own hand, opening [the treasury] only to chant and read them, making offerings of incense and flowers. Furthermore, within the sanctuary, all kinds of adornments and diverse jewels were fully provided, with various banners hung and fruits of both in-season and out-of-season arranged, inviting the lesser kings to enter and pay homage. Moreover, about twenty li southeast of this kingdom, there was a very steep mountain. In it were kept twelve texts, including the Avataṃsaka, Mahāsaṃnipāta, Fangdeng, Ratnakūṭa, Laṅkāvatāra, Fangguang, Śāriputradhāraṇī, Huaju Dhāraṇī, Dousaluozang, and Mahāprajñāpāramitā Dayun, all in 100,000 verses. Handed down according to the state law, they were guarded and protected. There was an Eastern Jin śramaṇa named Zhi Faling, whose demeanor was noble and magnanimous, cherishing an aspiration to stand out far above the crowd, and who loved the Mahāyāna so much that he forgot sleep and food. Thereupon, packing provisions and leaning on his staff, risking his physical life, he sought diligently there and obtained the first portion of the Avataṃsaka in 36,000 verses, which he brought back here—this is what was translated in the Jin dynasty. Now, that which Khotan presented to the Great Zhou exceeds 40,000 verses. In the first assembly, regarding the Padmagarbha World spoken of, the old translation was deficient and abridged, leaving no way to explain it; now the text is complete and radiantly intelligible. Regarding the assembly on the ten concentrations, the old sūtra had questions without answers; in the current version, it is clearly and fully provided. For this reason, formerly there were seven locations and eight assemblies, but now there are seven locations and nine assemblies. Although it is not yet complete when compared to the 100,000 verses, the principles of the 40,000 verses are without omission. Furthermore, Nāgārjuna memorized the full version to bring it upward, while Faling obtained only half to bring it eastward; although the ordinary and the holy are not the same, in propagating the Dharma they were non-dual. Yet, because territories have centers and borders and wisdom has depths and shallows, across several tens of thousands of li, what is seen and heard has been widely separated and more than half is missing—how can one not be grieved? The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says that the Acintya Sūtra has 100,000 verses. The Mahāyānasaṃgraha says that there are 100,000 verses, named the Sūtra of One Hundred Thousand. The commentary explains that this refers to the 100,000 verses of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, which make up one hundred thousand. Furthermore, the Nirvāṇa Sūtra names this sūtra Zahua. However, 'one hundred thousand' takes the number to formulate the title; 'Zahua' relies on the characteristics to manifest the name. One who takes the number misses the source; one who relies on the characteristics leaves out its sovereign. 'Acintya' points directly to the fundamental source, advancing straight to its inner courtyard; 'Buddhāvataṃsaka' indicates the Dharma through the Person, fully detailing its profound import. Among the four names, the latter two are fitting.