廣弘明集 2.7

2.7

後漢明帝夢金人。項有日光飛行殿庭。傅毅始以佛對帝。遣郎中蔡愔博士秦景等。使於天竺寫浮圖遺範。仍與沙門迦攝摩滕竺法蘭還雒陽。又得經四十二章及釋迦立像。帝令畫工圖之。置清涼臺及顯節陵上。緘經於蘭臺石室浮圖。或言佛陀。聲相轉也。譯云淨覺。言滅穢成明道為聖悟也。凡其經旨。大抵言生生之類皆因行業而起。有過去當今未來。歷三世識神常不滅也。凡為善惡必有報應。漸積勝業陶冶麁鄙。經無數劫藻練神明。乃致無生而得佛道也。其間階次心行等級非一。皆緣淺以至深。藉微而為著。率在於積仁順蠲嗜慾。習虛靜而成通照也。故其始修心則依佛法僧。謂之三歸。若君子之三畏也。又有五戒。去殺盜婬妄言飲酒。大意與仁義禮信智同。云奉持之則生天人勝處。虧犯則墜鬼畜諸苦。又善惡生處凡有六道焉。

Emperor Ming of the Later Han dreamed of a golden man with sunlight around his neck flying in the palace courtyard. Fu Yi first identified him as the Buddha to the Emperor. The Emperor dispatched Gentleman of the Palace Cai Yin, Erudite Qin Jing, and others as envoys to Tianzhu to copy the handed-down model of the Futu, whereupon they returned to Luoyang with the śramaṇas Kāśyapa Mātaṅga and Dharmaratna. They also obtained the Scripture in Forty-Two Sections and standing statues of Śākya[muni]. The Emperor ordered artisans to paint them and placed them on the Qingliang Terrace and atop the Xianjie Tomb, locking the scriptures away in the stone chamber of the Orchid Terrace. "Futu" is sometimes pronounced "Fotuo," which is an alternation of phonetic sounds, translated as "Pure Awakening," meaning the eradication of defilement to achieve clarity, a path of holy awakening. As for the general purport of its scriptures, it broadly states that all forms of living beings arise on account of their actions and karmic deeds. With past, present, and future, traversing the three periods of existence, the conscious spirit is forever indestructible. In all cases, doing good or evil must bring retribution. Gradually accumulating superior karma and refining away the crude and base, across countless kalpas polishing and training the spiritual brightness, one thereby arrives at non-arising and attains the Buddha-way. Along the way, the stages and mental practices are not singular; all proceed from the shallow to the deep, relying on the subtle to reach the manifest. In general, it lies in accumulating benevolence and compliance, eliminating cravings and desires, and practicing emptiness and tranquility to achieve penetrating illumination. Thus, when one first cultivates the mind, one relies upon the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha, which are called the Three Refuges, akin to the three awe-inspirations of the gentleman. There are also the five precepts: abstaining from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and drinking alcohol. Their general meaning is the same as benevolence, righteousness, propriety, trustworthiness, and wisdom. It is said that upholding them leads to rebirth in superior places among gods and humans, while breaching them causes one to fall into the various sufferings of ghosts and beasts. Furthermore, the places where good and evil are reborn comprise in total the six realms of rebirth.