景德傳燈錄 1.10

1.10

Elder monk Xiwei of the Husheng Wanrui Chan Monastery on Mount Daochang in Huzhou Route, a native of Changguo Prefecture in Qingyuan Route with the secular surname Dong, went in his youth to pay respects to Upādhyāya Juezhao of Guanyin Chan Monastery within the city of the same route as his master. Having received his Dharma name, he went to pay respects to Upādhyāya Longyuan of Kaishou Puguang Chan Monastery in Cixi County to shave his head and become a monk. He further paid respects to Upādhyāya Xueya of the Vinaya Monastery on Mount Wutai to receive the full precepts. Carrying his book satchel, he traveled westward and set down his bag at Lingyin. Later, when his former master Upādhyāya Longyuan moved to reside on this mountain, he followed the master to study and inquire, which has now been several years. Constantly mindful that the master's benevolence had not yet been repaid, he humbly observed that the thirty fascicles of the Record of the Transmission of the Lamp Compiled in the Jingde Era of the Buddhas and patriarchs from above—from the seven Buddhas to the heirs of Fayan, fifty-two generations in all—from the Jingde era to the bingchen year of Yanyou, have totaled three hundred and seventeen years. The old printing blocks have decayed and vanished, and later students admire it without being able to reach it. For this reason he made a vow to recarve it. Suddenly he obtained the ancient volumes from Wen'an of Mount Lu, preserved by Upādhyāya Songlu of Tiansheng Chan Monastery in this route. It was the finest edition, truly satisfying his longtime wish. Thereupon, on the tenth day of the first month of the bingchen year, he auctioned his robes and bowl, obtaining more than twelve thousand strings of Tongxing cash. On that day he ordered craftsmen to carve and publish it for the world to circulate the patriarchal way. This record contains a total of 367,917 characters. By the first day of the twelfth month of that year, the work was finished. He immediately printed and distributed three hundred copies to the Liangzhe region to house them in the famous mountains: one copy each for the abbot's quarters, the Meng Hall, and the common dormitories, to facilitate the study and investigation of patch-robed Chan monks practicing the Way from throughout the land. May this accumulated good benefit serve to repay the four benevolences and assist the three realms of existence.