廣弘明集 20.10

20.10

The Emperor, not relinquishing his original vow through the quiescent Dharma-body, by spiritual potency manifested himself and responded by descending to this land. With a dragon visage and sun horn, profound eyes with double pupils, an astral balance displaying connected pearls, and heavenly patterns forming a jade dipper. From the time he accepted the woodland domain and laid the foundation, the virtue of Heaven and Earth had already been displayed; when enfeoffed at Tang and initiating his traces, the illumination of the sun and moon was made luminous beforehand. The ordering of the hundred offices equalled that of Shun; the channeling of the nine rivers matched that of Yu. Still he carried forth the posture of serving the Yin, and for a while yielded to the principle of remaining in the fields. From the time the five Pleiades flew at dawn announcing the auspicious omen of red inscriptions, and it rained for seven days receiving the tally of verdant hue, the sacred vessels found their true home and the dynastic fortunes gathered here. Jiao Gate grew weary of the virtue-abandoning ruler; upon the Wei Waters were deployed the ranks with white banners. Thereafter, receiving the gracious mandate of August Heaven, he met with the joyous acclaim of the four seas. How could he have needed to sacrifice to Chiyou at the courtyard of Pei, or rely on river ice for hegemonic kingship? At that time, the lush canopy lost its order and the azure heavens erred in degree; he thereupon selected the five-coloured stones to mend them. The earth's axis tilted and accumulated ice cracked; he thereupon regulated the nine marshes to correct them. The lunar hare was doubled and the solar crow had three feet; he thereupon settled the royal enterprise to brighten them. When the Sheti star strayed from its direction and the first month lost its calendar, he thereupon established the Pure Terrace to discern them. He sustained crowns and caps where they had fallen; he rejoined girdle jades where they had been broken. Since leaning on the jade armrest and grasping the heavenly mirror, treading the astronomical sphere with hands folded in reverent composure, dwelling in the cliff galleries in profound silence, it has now been thirty-two years. Thus heaven's virtue is unified above, and earth's number is doubled below. He restored brightness to the constellations Shen and Chen, leaving the sun and moon unswerving. The two luminaries were like joined jade discs; the five essences were like strung pearls. Sacrificing to ancestors and offering to Heaven, worshipping at the sacred mound and paying rites to the marsh, he reverently conducted the five sacrifices, his merit reaching all hundreds of spirits. Rivers and peaks presented omens; wind and mist displayed blessings. Blue clouds matched the pitch-pipes; yellow vapor issued from the wings. Hearing the majestic phoenix of Mount Yu, he fashioned the chaste bamboo of the Great Xia. The yang pitch-pipe harmonized with spring; the yin bell resonated with the pitch. The examinations of the Shanglin Park were not remiss; the divinations of the ministerial mansion were free from error. Playing the Six Excellences at Ruoshui, stretching the Xianchi tune at Lake Dongting, holding the pheasant feathers he moved the music that harmonizes with heaven; erecting the magnificent bells he proclaimed the tunes that transform customs. The Office of Music possessed a harmonious order; the director of music produced dignified rhythms. When the Classic of Poetry and Classic of History were arrayed, the turquoise and pale blue wrappers were all complete. The rush-wheeled carriage received Fu Sheng’s recitation; the tadpole script was presented from the mansion of Lu. Steaming chestnuts and preparing the bamboo slats, jade tablets and stone records piled high in the imperial libraries, their brilliance outshining the Qilin Hall. Establishing ministerial seats and bestowing ranks, the laws flowed like rivers and rested on peaks. Appointing offices and establishing departments, cloud omens and fire signs were mapped. High mountains were tranquil, red robes wound gently; their colors were as lovely as pheasant plumage, their patterns as beautiful as woven birds. The remonstrance drum hung high, and unpolished words were not discarded; the lung stone communicated grievances, and censuring words were inscribed on bridge boards. Grasses named for pointing out flattery removed fawning courtiers from the court; beasts named for butting guilt banished treacherous schemers. Therefore dragons soared and phoenixes gathered; the Yellow River became clear and the seas calm. The dew fell like maltose, and the springs welled up like sweet wine. Cinnamon firewood needed no axe, yet the cinnabar caldrons cooked spontaneously; the jade wells required no pulling, yet the silver pitchers were filled. The river’s gleam was like a carriage canopy; trees grew into the shapes of carriages. Sweet vapors shone on all sides, radiant with the five colors. Wondrous deities stood tall and auspicious omens spread far and wide. With golden scales and iron visages, they paid tribute of blue stone arrowheads; crossing oceans and climbing mountains, envoys offered white jade rings. Those who crown the sun and crown the dipper all came to court; from Great Peace to Great Darkness, none did not submit. Ministers like Fang Shu and Shao Hu, generals answering the war drums and responding to the beat, grasped the secret strategies of dragon and tiger, holding the extraordinary plans of red and black. Receiving the sacrificial meat in the ancestral temple, they demonstrated majesty beneath the frontier passes. Exiting the Jade Gate, they pointed straight ahead; crossing Jincheng, they reported plans. They swept away the remaining demons among the heterogeneous tribes, and rescued the scorched and wretched of the Central Plains. Facing north toward the earth's veins and heading west to the heavenly channel, the Kunyi ceased their harassment, and the Susha submitted of themselves. Capturing the deer of the Quanrong, they hung the drums of Mixu; in Gao Street were captives bound with cords, and at Lake Ruoshui chieftains were seen surrendering. The four quarters were free from dust; the six directions were united as one. The imperial virtue is lofty! The winds of Great Peace permeate everything, leaving nothing outside. Within, the Son of Heaven harbors the supreme wisdom of the unborn; without, he responds to the vast traces of the Qian hexagram. Wishing to transform the provisional teachings to reveal the true path, to dispel expedient expositions and guide those lost in the conjured city, he straightened his screens in the imperial residence, sighed and said: 'Now, dreaming distantly of Huaxu, resting peacefully on Mount Gushi, donning robes in the fasting hall at Xuanhu, longing for the supreme governance of Fenyang, lightly regarding the nine cauldrons like lifting one's skirts, and viewing the ten-thousand-chariot empire like casting off worn shoes—these merely demonstrate the essential path of supreme impartiality, but do not attain transcendence of the world. As for concealing gold and jade in streams and cliffs, casting zithers into the great ravine, humbling one's person with meager food, living in thatched halls with earthen steps, without skill applied to red carriages and without ornament on deerskin robes—these merely show frugality to beings, yet do not ascend to transcendence of the world. Untying nets to release birds, digging wells to bury exposed bones, giving rise to the benevolence of weeping for the guilty, practicing the compassion of fanning the sunstruck, feeling that one's concern for those pushed into ditches is never enough, and remembering in sleepless nights those fallen into moats—these merely show humaneness to beings, yet do not ascend to transcendence of the world. The Purple Palace, the Azure Mound, Mount Ting, and the Zhang River; honoring the Daoist texts of the River Master, taking pleasure in Qibo’s verses; erecting the altar to the Great One at Ganquan, establishing the township of Fenghao at Mount Song; carving the oath of Xianmen at Mount Jieshi, and singing the song of Jiaomen at Buqi—these merely serve the love of longevity, matters concerning only oneself. If one evaluates them rigorously, they fall far short of being vast. Although one may attain the dhyāna of Longzong, one ultimately falls into the difficulty of mere longevity; in vain does one mount the joys of the Three Purities, never dispelling the sphere of the eight inversions. How could this compare to igniting the torch of wisdom to illuminate the darkness of birth and death, transcending the skandha-aggregates, boarding the vessel of the six pāramitās, floating upon the ocean of manifold virtues, and treading the shore of non-arising?' Thereupon he adorned the state, established the place of practice, widely performed beneficial acts, and opened and propagated Buddhist matters. He steered those sentient beings to ascend together to humaneness and longevity; he led these fettered ones to enter together into the Mahāyāna. The nine realms of existence turned their hearts, and the ten directions bent like grass. As though relying on a ferry, all depended on this refuge. Radiant as the morning sun opening manifold flowers, bountiful as a farmer meeting enriching rain. The wings of merit were already complete, and the gates of wisdom were fully provided. He considered that the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra is the great Dharma of the Vaipulya: loftiest without boundary, deep without bottom. It encompasses all good deeds in signlessness, and兆prefigures the nine domains without border. It is like the branching streams flowing apart, yet possessing the same single flavor upon entering the great sea; like the manifold fragrances and diverse colors that become of a single hue upon reaching Mount Sumeru. Emptiness and emptiness do not cling; suchness and suchness meet together. Neither uniting nor dispersing, neither departing nor coming. The wisdom of all types of knowledge can be born from it—truly, it is the mother of Buddhas! The manifold scriptures cannot equal it; it is called the King of Sūtras. He then wished to utter the single sound, rain down the Dharma rain, display the five eyes, and guide through the dense darkness. In the year of Zhaoyang, when the star resided in Xuanxiao, the Jiazhong pitch-pipe corresponded to mid-spring, and Jia-shen fell on an auspicious day. He was about to visit Tongtai Temple to turn the great wheel of the Dharma. This monastery was founded by our Emperor: transforming the Bureau of the Grand Justice into a place of the saṅghārāma. He changed the iron cords into golden ponds, transformed the iron nets into an aromatic city, shone spiritual radiance upon the burning sand, and gave rise to refreshing coolness amid blazing fire. Thousands of corbels stood tall, and hundreds of brackets arched high. Crimson walls and dark beams, ornate rafters and jade stairs. The three tiers of steps stood in equal array, and the four sloping roofs flowed around. Ascending on jade eaves to touch the sky, flying silver pillars blocked the sun. A rainbow curved down to hold the ridge-pole and encircle the pillars; lotuses grew inverted in caissons, their carved characters facing the windows. The crimson jeweled pagoda equalled the seat of the Lotus Sūtra; the towering high spire matched the land of Joyful Intention. Below was dug a moat of white silver; along the sides shone bricks of gold leaf. The high gates stood wide open, requiring no decoration of copper horses; the jeweled halls opened like rosy clouds, needing no auspicious omen of phoenixes. Golden wheels illuminated the sun, surpassing the subterranean vaults of Linzi; tiered terraces and stacked balustrades exceeded the airborne flights of Wanwei. The summer halls condensed frost; the warm chambers harbored heat. Within the carved towers, the movement of an inchworm produced an echo; inside the cavernous portals, the return of a wren stirred a breeze. The banners were named maṇi; the pendants were strung with gold thread. The disc-wheels were ten fathoms in diameter; the bells measured four hu in circumference. They unfolded the intertwined branches of the seven treasures, and poured forth the pure waters of the eight virtues. Earthly fungi awaited the moon; heavenly flowers flew against the wind. The Dharma drum sounded at night, with the Dharma heard within its tone; the jade branches moved at dawn, forming music among the leaves. It was more wondrous than the palace of Deyang, more magnificent than the threshold of Weiyang. Hence the copper balustrades of thirty feet laughed at the well-sweep terraces of old, and the twelve jade towers shamed the dwellings of the immortals from afar. It may be compared to the Cool Terrace, matching the Temple of the Orchid Terrace; to the east of the Garden of Illumination in Trāyastriṃśa, and to the north of the heavenly city of Śakra. Thus, in the cycle of the heavenly stems, it was dense, obscure, dark, and gloomy—ah, it defies description! Clanging and brilliant, wondrous and variegated—so distant it cannot be named. Thereupon, the disc-like sun shed radiance, and auspicious clouds bore fine colors. A warm breeze blew gently, and deep dew hung lightly. The rearguard massed its might, and the vanguard called out to clear the road. Armed warriors lined like stars, and the great bells sounded forth. Setting in motion the Dharma carriage of the Heavenly Palace, he revealed the majestic spirits of the Heavenly Road. A hundred spirits supported him, and a thousand chariots thundered. Six dragons pulled the axletrees together, and the Seven Stars of the Dipper cast down brilliance. Cloud banners rose into the sky, and the Gouchun constellation flanked the carriage. Outstripping light and treading on shadows, the sun enveloped heaven as it wheeled around. Golden canopies and jade carriages, leopard skins and alligator drums; horses glossy and fat, heavenly steeds magnificent and tall. Green bows and yellow crossbows, elephant-decorated and fish-patterned. The flying imperial guards kept the rhythm, with no need for swords that sever dragons; the tiger-brave guards bore feather banners, requiring no shots that bring down cawing crows. Vast and splendid, rumbling and glorious, they exited the Gate of Great Penetration. The Son of Heaven descended from the honor of his carved carriage, performed the rite of touching the feet, bowed his crown to the Golden Mountain, and took refuge in the Moon-faced One. It was as though the shouts of 'ten thousand years' were heard, and as though the movements of the six transformations were witnessed. Thereupon, donning the Tathāgata’s robe and ascending the lion seat, he harmonized the entanglement of a hundred thoughts, and took pity on the earnestness of the three requests. He revealed the profound principle of true wisdom, and illumined the vast teaching of crossing to the other shore. The two truths revealed the ferry of emptiness and existence; the two knowledges embraced the depths of provisional and real. The Mahāyāna opened wide without obstruction; the mind of the Way plumbed its ultimate shore. Cause and effect were ungraspable, yet functioned without movement; the ultimate and conventional could not be sought, yet were reached without stirring. Not taking the two dharmas, they converged in the Middle Way, exhausting the deep ocean of the Buddha and entering the Buddha’s Dharma treasury. He reached the pinnacle of the wondrous sūtras of the sūtras, and investigated the secret Dharma of the dragon palace. He proclaimed the profound principles of the Sahā world, and expounded the subtle words of all the sages. Once the water of the correct teaching had moistened, heterodox difficulties naturally ceased; as the sun of wisdom shone universally, poisonous frost entirely melted away. He eliminated darkness from the four forms of birth, and dispelled ignorance in the three realms. Lofty and imposing as Mount Meru in the great ocean! Solemn and dignified, like the host of stars surrounding the full moon! At that time, the eight classes of gods and dragons packed the air; robes were heaped into seats, and scattered flowers reached to the knees. The three thousand worlds transformed their defiled nature; those in the burning house looked to a time of parting from suffering. The evil realms received rest; the Avīci hells were all quelled. Crowds of scholars and multitudes of renowned monks all possessed eloquence like Sarasvatī and wisdom like Śāriputra, surpassing those of green eyes and black teeth, towering over those of broad knees and red beards. All corresponded to the mind pouring from vase to vase; all were soaked in the dyeing of the cloth. Like gold refined anew, like jade carved again, they heard what they had never heard and attained what they had never attained. Deeply moved, their expressions stirred, they asked for instruction without wearying. The hundred officials were fully arrayed, caps and shoes hastening together; luxuriant sables shone brilliantly, and ornate sashes fluttered gently. One would say that the assembly at Śrāvastī and the preaching in the Great Forest could not surpass this! He would cause each and every Buddha-nature, upon meeting the revealing cause, to emerge together; and each and every Buddha-land to discard the two and eliminate the three. In comparison to singing the South Wind, esteeming the Huang-Lao, attending the Biyong Academy, or lecturing on the texts of Confucius’s mansion—how could such petty things even be mentioned? Coming to the Jia-chen day of the third month, the Dharma assembly was complete. The Tathāgata emitted a great light, manifesting rare phenomena. Blazing, it radiated color, incomparable even to the pearl-fire; glowing, it shone upward, vermilion and purple competing to burst forth. The Winged River would be shamed by its auspicious moisture; Fenyin would appear base before its radiant shadow. It eclipsed the purple clouds entering the palace, and surpassed the wondrous vapor of Hongmen. Formerly, when the Lotus Sūtra was first proclaimed, the ray from between the brows illuminated all; when the Prajñā was first expounded, the entire body smiled. The auspicious omens of the Royal City were met again after a thousand years! Was this not because the Sage Lord, sharing the same body as all Buddhas, manifested these wondrous signs, matching all the powers of the Buddhas as if by tally? Yet he still maintained the modesty of profound silence, magnifying the supreme caution of trepidation. Acting without claiming mastery, yielding without dwelling upon it, taking the heart of the common people as his heart, it concerned not himself; shouldering burdens without wearying, he gathered in the four forms of birth. The Crown Prince, your subject Gang, serving meals in the eastern chamber and personally receiving the great Dharma, considers that when kings journeyed west or hunted east, praises and odes were raised; and when they performed the burnt offering on mountains gazing in sacrifice, songs and chants were composed. How much more so when the crown of the head is opened to receive the nectar, and bowing low one hears the Way! I venture to describe the appearance of his magnificent virtue, and make this hymn: