辯正論 4.5

4.5

纂堯居晉契武基周。雲起龍騰撫期命世。叶一匡以興運。因九合而樂推。發自參墟克定京室。弔俗之規已布。約法之教便申。井集五星化覃四表。地紐還正天維重張。自東自西遠安邇肅。而義旗初指經彼華陰。望祀靈壇以求多祉。其地乃萬國朝宗之路。六合交會之區。可以瞻仰儀形栖遲禪誦。乃於神祠之右。式建伽藍造靈仙寺。一所碑文李庶子百藥製。藻黼交映金碧相暉。引曜朝夕之光。煥爛虹蜺之彩。花臺窈窕近對蓮峯。畫觀岧嶢斜臨貝闕。又造像書經備修禔福。京師造會昌寺勝業寺。慈悲寺。證果尼寺。集仙尼寺。又捨舊第為興聖尼寺。并州造義興寺。並堂宇輪奐像設嚴華。複拱圖星重楣畫月。高窓蕩霧洞戶延風。慧苑禪林莫不周備。武德元年。於朱雀門南通衢之上。普建道場設無遮大會。繽紛羽客執板來儀。容與福田揚煙總萃。步虛纔引殆遏行雲。清梵徐迴堪留度鳥。芬芳妙供。形五淨而擎來。照灼名花。麗三山而捧至。於是車馬偪側士女軿填。若湊峴山如爭禊飲。假令日光通夢。唯傳白馬之徵。菩薩應生。徒聞赤烏之歲。比之今日。良有愧哉。又為太祖元皇帝。元貞皇太后。造栴檀等身像三軀。相好奇特莊嚴希有。於慈悲寺供養。武德元年仲春之月。于時韶景揚暉青祇獻祉。兩儀交泰萬物咸亨。應多福之宜。布惟新之澤。命沙門道士各六十九人。於太極殿七日行道。散席之日設千僧齋。法琳以釋老二教同處弘宣。冀神功將三景連衡。寶命與二儀齊久。乃課鄙詞上頌云爾。

He inherited the mantle of Yao and dwelt in Jin; he matched King Wu in laying the foundations of Zhou. Rising like clouds and soaring like a dragon, he took charge of the destined era to bring order to the world. Fulfilling the role of uniting and rectifying to inaugurate fortune, he was joyfully elevated as leader of nine assemblies. Setting forth from the asterism Shen, he successfully established order in the imperial capital. The model for consoling the people had already been promulgated, and the code of simplified laws was forthwith proclaimed. The five stars gathered in the constellation Well, and transforming virtue spread across the four quarters. The terrestrial knot was straightened, and the celestial cord was drawn taut again. From east and west, distant regions were pacified and nearby lands were brought to order. When his righteous banner was first raised and passed through Huayin, he offered sacrifice toward the numinous altar to seek manifold blessings. That place is a thoroughfare for myriad states to pay homage, a juncture where the six directions converge. It is well suited for gazing reverently upon holy images and abiding in meditation and chanting. Thereupon, to the right of the divine shrine, he solemnly erected a saṅghārāma and constructed Lingxian Monastery, with a stele text composed by the Crown Prince’s Mentor Li Baiyao. Refined patterns and colorful embroidery reflected one another; gold and jade-blue shone together, catching the radiance of morning and evening, gleaming with the luster of a rainbow. The exquisite flower terraces directly faced Lotus Peak, while the painted towers loftily overlooked the shell-inlaid towers. Furthermore, he crafted statues, copied scriptures, and fully cultivated blessedness. In the capital, he built Huichang Monastery, Shengye Monastery, Cibei Monastery, Zhengguo Convent, and Jixian Convent. He also donated his former residence to become Xingsheng Convent, and in Bingzhou he built Yixing Monastery. All their halls were magnificent and grand, their images adorned and resplendent. Paired brackets depicted the constellations, and doubled lintels were painted with the moon. High windows dispersed the mist, and open doors welcomed the breezes; the groves of wisdom and forests of meditation lacked for nothing. In the first year of the Wude era (618), on the thoroughfare south of the Vermilion Bird Gate, he universally established a place of enlightenment and hosted a great unrestricted assembly (pañcavārṣika). Daoist masters in profusion came holding their tablets to attend; freely and gracefully, fields of merit gathered amidst rising clouds of incense. When the hymns of pacing the void were first intoned, they almost halted the drifting clouds; when the pure Sanskrit chants slowly echoed, they could detain passing birds. Exquisite, fragrant offerings, prepared according to the five pure foods, were borne aloft; radiant and famed blossoms, fair as those from the three divine mountains, were respectfully presented. Thereupon, carriages and horses pressed together, and men and women crowded shoulder to shoulder, like crowds gathering at Mount Xian or contending at the Spring Purification feast. Even if the sun's radiance manifested in Emperor Ming's dream, it only passed down the omen of the white horse; even if a bodhisattva was said to be born into the world, it was merely heard of in the era of Chiwu. Compared with today, they must truly feel ashamed! Furthermore, on behalf of the Grand Ancestor, Emperor Yuan, and Empress Dowager Yuanzhen, he crafted three life-sized sandalwood statues, their marks exceptionally wondrous, their adornment exceedingly rare; they were enshrined and venerated at Cibei Monastery. In the second month of the first year of the Wude era, just as the fair spring cast its bright rays and the spirits of the earth offered blessings, the two forces of heaven and earth harmonized and the myriad creatures completely prospered. In keeping with the auspicious gathering of manifold blessings, he dispensed renewed royal grace. He commanded sixty-nine śramaṇas and sixty-nine Daoist masters to practice the Way for seven days in the Taiji Palace. On the day the assembly concluded, he hosted a feast for a thousand monks. Because the two teachings of Śākya and Laozi were promoted together, Falin hoped that their spiritual efficacy would join with the sun, moon, and stars, and that the imperial destiny would endure as long as heaven and earth; thus, he composed this humble hymn and offered it up in praise: