華嚴經傳記 1.34

1.34

The above work was compiled by the former Minister of Education of the Southern Qi, Xiao Ziliang, Prince Wenxuan of Jingling. Naturally brilliant and dwelling with his mind in the realm of truth, he set his gaze toward countless kalpas and advanced far, rising alone across a thousand years. In expounding the scriptural teachings and opening wide the works of merit, all proceeded from his spiritual core and was put into practice with his very life. In the eighth year of Yongming [490 CE], moved by a dream of the Eastern Heavenly King Tathāgata, he received unseen sacred transmission and first drafted the regulations for pure dwelling. In another dream, a monk calling himself Zhisheng guided him before the Buddha and taught him how to chant and recite, through which he transmitted the rules of scriptural chanting. Furthermore, leading the court worthies, he initiated the merit of the Three Assemblies of the Dragon Flower, and respectfully encouraged both scholars and commoners to receive the Threefold Precepts of the Bodhisattva; all these were accompanied by abundant auspicious omens, difficult to recount fully. In addition, reading the Dragon Palace [texts] and following the footprints of the elephant [of the Dharma], he aided the mysterious transformation and maintained the turning of the wheel of awakening. In total, he compiled excerpts of more than three hundred fascicles of the above scriptures, wrote more than one hundred fascicles of essays beneficial for propagation, and copied more than seventy fascicles of scriptures in his own hand. Among his writings were the Huayan yingluo jing in 2 fascicles, which marked out the techniques of world-transcendence, and the Huayan qiji in 1 fascicle, describing the purport of the Dharma gatherings. Both may serve as mirrors for future generations and indelible traces of excellence.