辯正論 4.7

4.7

大唐今上皇帝稟太易太初之氣。資天皇天帝之靈。幽房啟高陽之基。姚墟搆重華之業。赤光流戶紫氣衝天。龍顏鳳臆。之形日角月懸之兆。河目海口之異。豐上銳下之奇。聰聖玄覽知來藏往。探幽入微窮神盡性。厥天授其體自然龍潛之初德綸大下。屬隋氏世季㝢內分崩。火燎崑峯水飛滄海。王世充拔扈於鞏洛。竇建德趑趄於冀定。唐弼薛舉。既蟻聚於三秦。黑闥武周。亦鴟張於六郡。皆為逐鹿之意。各開僭號之儀。擁無賴之子弟。率烏合之徒眾。縱牛羊之力。發水草之山。河右已來龍蛇等斃。中原之地玉石俱焚。遂使地表天垂。競有來蘇之歎。上京要服。人興抒軸之悲。我皇居帝子之親。膺天策之命。用若勵之重。救蹈氷之危。以夕惕之深。赴倒懸之急。備行九伐總統六軍。上臨之以日旗月旗。下布之以天陣地陣。鼓聲震野氣動天門。角響鳴山威驚地戶。於是帶流星而逈入。乘奔電而前驅。莫不瓦解氷銷風行草偃。凱歌獻捷無與論功。自天皇九紀已來。五十二戰之後。凡經一百二十五代。一千三百五十九世。一千一十二萬二千一百二十七年已來。仗鉞臨戎麾旄誓眾。驅除氛祲夷剪攙槍。拯橫流之溺。救燎原之禍。平一區宇廓清天步。未有我皇之用兵也。高祖凝神毓聖。馳想煙霞之表。出窅入冥。高蹈天人之外。往以萬方昏墊百神愆祀。屈頴陽之高風。拯率土之沈溺。黔黎蒙再造之德。庶類荷裁成之恩。不以黃屋為心。俯以蒼生為念。脫躧之懷。無忘於靈府。釋負之志。有形於明發喜禘郊之可託。忻宗祐之有主。考時練日。傳大寶於少陽矣。自光膺監撫作貳春宮。德覃內外仁被幽顯。既而重光掞彩。照燭宇宙之間。副武弘仁。衍溢風雲之際。聿遵三善爰貞萬國。及天門重啟寶曆惟新。臨赤縣而大誓莊嚴。撫黔黎而廣興利益。開四等之日。遍燭堯雲。揚六度之風。橫流舜雨。寶舟沈而更涌。慈雲卷以還舒。仙臺將法苑共華。玉鏡與金輪齊轉。澤周有頂道被無垠。靈應休徵兆符先見。寬仁德孝史備後書。每以解網為心。結繩在念。意欲永空囹圄。長息烽爟。蠢蠢群生同歸仁壽。茫茫率土共奉真如。貞觀元年。獻肇夾鍾之月。高豎勝幢。少陽沽洗之辰。洞開慧殿。京城僧尼。並於當寺七日行道。齋供所須有司准給。散齋之日。總就大興善寺。貞觀二年。下詔曰。神道設教慈惠為先。玄化潛通亭育資始。朕恭膺大寶撫愛黎元。矜愍之心觸類而長。是用傍求冥貺幽贊明靈。所冀九功惟序。五福斯應。比嚴霜早降秋實不登。靜言寡薄無忘慚惕。今百穀滋茂萬實將成。猶恐風雨失時字養無寄。敢藉聰明介茲多祉。宜為溥天億兆仰祈加祐。可於京城及天下諸州寺觀。僧尼道士等七日七夜轉經行道。每年正月七月。例皆准此。玄恩咫尺聖力冥扶。景風膏雨應時戒節。嘉苗穜稑被野亘原。國富九年之資。家豐萬箱之斂。皇帝宿樹五恒曠資十善。啟興王之霸業。赴億兆之歡心。但以建義之初時逢世季。親當矢石屢總元戎。或東剪七雄。西清八水。縱神兵而戮封豕。乘天策以斬修蛇。既動赫斯之威。恐結怨魂之痛。其年季春躬發詔旨。自隋末創義志存拯溺。北征東伐所向平殄。黃鉞之下。金鏃之端。凡所傷殪難用勝紀。手所誅剪將近一千。竊以如來聖教深尚慈仁。禁戒之科殺害為重。永言此理彌增悔懼。爰命有司京城諸寺皆為建齋行道。七日七夜竭誠禮懺。所有衣服並用檀捨。冀三塗之難因斯解脫。萬劫之苦藉此弘濟。滅怨障之心。趣菩提之道。三年孟春降勅京城僧尼。於當寺每月二七日。行道轉仁王大雲等經。以為恒式。登又奉勅波頗三藏等。於大興善寺翻寶星經琳為序曰。寶星經。梵本三千餘偈。如來初證覺道。度目連身子。及降伏魔王護持國土。說此經也。自像化東漸綿歷歲時。三輪八藏之文。四樹五乘之旨。顯神光於石室。流梵響於清臺。雖鞮譯相尋尚多疑闕。我大唐皇帝。迺聖迺神允文允武。乘機撫運拯溺救焚。反上皇之風。行不言之信。去泰去甚。既掩頓於八紘。無事無為。乃朝宗於萬國。澣海天山之地。盡入堤封。龍庭鳳穴之鄉。咸霑聲教。仁踰解網治踵結繩。大德閑閑外齊八則。小心翼翼內整四儀。臨赤縣而溢慈悲。寄玄扈而敷弘誓。每以諸法非有物我俱空。眷言真要無過釋典。有中天竺國三藏法師波頗。唐言光智。誓傳法化不憚艱危。遠涉葱河來遊震旦。經塗所亘四萬餘里。以貞觀元年庚戌洎于京輦。既登上席。爰懋錦衣。有詔所司搜揚碩德兼閑三教備舉十科者一十九人。於大興善寺請波頗三藏法師。相對翻譯。沙門慧乘等證義。沙門玄謨等譯語。沙門慧明法琳等。執筆承旨慇懃詳覆。審名定義具意成文。起貞觀三年三月。訖四年四月。凡十卷十三品。用紙一百三十幅。總六萬三千八百八十二言。其年仲冬勝光寺主僧珍。奉勅就宮。迎像於勝光寺供養。四年獻肇諸寺大德四十九人。經三七日慶像行道。日滿設千僧會。王公竝來行香。琳又上皇帝繡像頌曰。緬以。八樹韜光。兩河晦迹。匿王戀仰。鑄蠟而瀉全身。迦帝翹誠。鎔金而圖具相。洎乎青精南度白馬東翻。像教欝興靈儀遍跱。於是儼神姿以登私井。屈聖體而施明珠。光烈張橋色流滬瀆。示佩日於漢后。感揮毫於晉君。或顧步而躡萬山。乍徘徊而遊夢渚。禎祥嘉瑞兆自由來。未有刺縷圖真援空範狀。我大唐皇帝。曩植四弘夙資五德。神功邁於軒昊。至治美於成康。仁勳上玄力侔大道。慶雲垂彩。金鏡含七曜之暉。瑞鳥呈祥。玉燭和四時之氣。素髮文身之長。俱請命於王庭。穿胸儋耳之酋。共獻賝於魏闕。加以留心八正篤意五乘。廣運檀那聿修淨業。永言善逝冥漠何追。爰勅上宮式摹遺景。奉造釋迦繡像一幀。并菩薩聖僧。金剛師子。備摛仙藻殫諸神變。六文雜沓五色相宣。寫滿月於雙針。託修楊於素手。妍踰蜀錦麗越燕緹。紛綸含七映之光。布護列九華之綵。日輪吐焰。藹周客之絲。蓮目凝輝。發秦姬之綫。楊侯百里之珠。慚斯百福。子羽千金之璧。愧彼千輪。華蓋陸離看疑踊出。雲衣搖曳望似飛來。何但思極迴腸。抑亦巧窮玄妙。以今歲在庚寅月居太簇。三元啟候之節。四始交泰之辰。乃降綸言於勝光伽藍。設齋慶像。四十九僧三七行道。大秦紅粟。備香積之餐。周穆金膏。陳梵王之供。四等福田生生具足。六因善報世世莊嚴。劫石碎而寶曆長存。芥城空而皇基永固。不勝慶悅。輕迺頌云。

The reigning Emperor of our Great Tang received the breath of the Great Change and the Great Beginning, and was endowed with the numinous power of the Heavenly Sovereign and the Heavenly Thearch. From the secluded chamber began the foundation of Gaoyang; at the ruins of Yao was built the enterprise of Chonghua. Red light flowed through the doors, and purple vapors shot into the heavens. He possessed the physical marks of the dragon's visage and phoenix's breast, the omens of the solar horn and lunar crescent, the wonder of river-like eyes and sea-like mouth, and the marvel of breadth above and sharpness below. With sagely and penetrating insight he knew the future and stored away the past; he explored the subtle and reached the profound, exhausting the divine and fully realizing human nature. Bestowed by heaven, his nature was spontaneous; when he was still like a concealed dragon, his virtue already encompassed all under heaven. During the closing years of the Sui dynasty, the realm fell into disunion: fire scorched Mount Kunlun, and water billowed across the vast ocean. Wang Shichong acted insolently in Gong and Luo; Dou Jiande hesitated in Ji and Ding. Tang Bi and Xue Ju swarmed like ants in the Three Qin regions, while Liu Heita and Liang Shidu strutted like birds of prey across the Six Commanderies. All harbored the intent to hunt the deer, each setting up spurious titles. Gathering shiftless scoundrels and leading ragtag mobs, they unleashed the brute force of cattle and sheep and set out from mountains of mere water and grass. West of the River, dragons and snakes perished together; in the Central Plains, jade and stone were both consumed. Consequently, beneath heaven and upon the earth, all vied in sighing for a saviour; throughout the capital and the royal domains, people gave rise to the lament of destitute weavers. Our Emperor, being the son of the sovereign, received the mandate of Heavenly Strategy. Bearing the gravity of deep responsibility, he rescued them from the peril of treading on thin ice; with deep nightly vigilance, he rushed to relieve the agony of hanging upside down. Fully executing the nine punitive campaigns and commanding the six royal armies, he was covered above by the banners of sun and moon, and deployed below the battle formations of heaven and earth. Drums shook the wilderness, and their vigor moved the gates of heaven; horns echoed through the mountains, and their majesty startled the terrestrial doors. Thereupon, girding himself with shooting stars, he penetrated far; riding rushing thunderbolts, he charged in the vanguard. None failed to crumble like tiles and melt like ice, yielding like grass before the wind. In triumphant songs of victory, none could contest his merit. Since the nine eras of the Heavenly Sovereign and after fifty-two battles—through a total of one hundred and twenty-five generations, one thousand three hundred and fifty-nine ages, and ten million one hundred and twenty-two thousand one hundred and twenty-seven years—among all who held the battleaxe to face the foe and waved the flags to vow their hosts, purging baleful vapors, cutting down baneful comets, saving the drowning from overflowing currents, and rescuing people from the disaster of prairie fires, unifying the world and clearing the heavenly paths, none has ever matched our Emperor's conduct of warfare. Gaozu concentrated his spirit and nurtured his sagacity, letting his thoughts roam beyond the mists and clouds, entering the profound and ascending the unseen, treading high beyond the realm of devas and humans. Formerly, when the myriad regions were drowned in dark misery and the hundred deities suffered neglect of their offerings, he yielded the lofty style of Yingyang to rescue the drowning populace across the land. The black-haired people were blessed with his virtue of recreation, and all creatures were indebted to his grace of complete ordering. He did not set his mind on the imperial carriage, but looked down in concern for the common folk. The intention to cast off the empire like an old sandal never faded from his heart; the resolve to lay down the burden was manifested at each daybreak. Glad that the ancestral sacrifices could be entrusted, and rejoicing that the clan’s ancestral blessing had a master, he chose an auspicious time and selected the day, passing the great jewel of the empire to the Crown Prince. Since gloriously receiving the regency as heir apparent in the Spring Palace, his virtue reached internal and external realms, and his benevolence covered the seen and unseen. Soon his doubled brilliance shone forth, illuminating the universe; assisting martial power and magnifying benevolence, his glory overflowed amid wind and clouds. Faithfully following the three excellences, he brought rectitude to the myriad realms. When the gates of heaven were reopened and the precious calendar was renewed, he looked down upon China and made great vows of adornment; consoling the black-haired people, he widely promoted benefits. Opening the sun of the four immeasurables, he universally illumined with the clouds of Yao; raising the wind of the six perfections, he caused the rains of Shun to flow everywhere. The precious vessel, having sunk, rose again; the cloud of compassion, having rolled up, unfolded anew. The immortal terraces flourished alongside the Dharma parks; the jade mirror revolved in unison with the golden wheel. His grace reached the peak of existence (bhavāgra); his Dao extended beyond all bounds. Auspicious omens and fortunate signs were foretold in advance; his broad benevolence, virtue, and filial piety are fully chronicled in later histories. Constantly taking the opening of the hunting net to heart, and keeping the knotted-cord governance in mind, he wished to empty the prisons forever and permanently extinguish the beacon fires, so that the bustling multitude of living beings might together attain benevolence and longevity, and the vast expanse of the whole land might jointly venerate Tathatā. In the first year of the Zhenguan reign era, in the first month (Jiazhong), he raised high the victory banner; at the time of the third month (Guxi), he threw wide the halls of wisdom. The monks and nuns of the capital all practiced the path for seven days in their respective monasteries; whatever was needed for vegetarian feasts and offerings was provided by the officials according to regulation. On the day the fast concluded, they assembled together at Daxingshan Monastery. In the second year of Zhenguan, an edict was issued saying: 'The spirit realm establishes teaching with loving-kindness and beneficence coming first; the mysterious transformation operates secretly, serving as the source that rears and nurtures all things. Having reverently received the great jewel of the throne, we cherish the common people; our mind of pity and sympathy grows whenever it encounters living beings. For this reason, we widely seek invisible blessings and secretly assist the luminous spirits. We hope that the nine accomplishments will be in order and the five blessings will respond accordingly. Recently, severe frost descended early, and the autumn crops did not ripen. Reflecting quietly on our own meager virtue, we never cease to feel ashamed and apprehensive. Now the hundred grains are flourishing and the myriad fruits are about to ripen; yet we still fear that untimely wind and rain will leave their nourishing growth with no support. We dare to rely on the all-seeing powers to confer abundant blessings. It is proper to pray on behalf of the myriad millions under heaven for their protective blessings. Let the monks, nuns, and Daoist masters in the monasteries and abbeys of the capital and of all prefectures throughout the empire recite scriptures and practice the path for seven days and seven nights. Every year, in the first month and the seventh month, let this be the regular standard.' The mysterious grace was close at hand; the sagely power provided unseen support. Gentle breezes and fertile rains arrived in due season and measure; fine sprouts and late grains covered the plains and fields. The state attained the wealth of nine years' provisions, and families were blessed with harvests of ten thousand baskets. The Emperor had long planted the five constants and from afar was endowed with the ten virtues; he inaugurated the hegemon-like enterprise of a rising king and responded to the joyous hearts of the myriad millions. However, because at the start of raising righteous troops he encountered the end of an age, he personally faced arrows and stones, repeatedly commanding the grand armies. Whether cutting down the seven heroes in the east or pacifying the eight rivers in the west, he unleashed divine troops to slaughter the wild boars, and rode his heavenly strategy to decapitate the great serpents. Having stirred such majestic wrath, he feared the lingering pain of resentful spirits. In the late spring of that year, he personally issued an imperial edict: 'Since raising righteous forces at the end of the Sui, our intention was to rescue the drowning; whether campaigning north or marching east, wherever we went, all were pacified and exterminated. Under the yellow battleaxe and at the tips of metal arrows, those slain and killed are beyond count; those slain by our own hand approach nearly one thousand. We privately reflect that the holy teaching of the Tathāgata profoundly values loving-kindness and benevolence, and in the rules of the precepts, killing is the heaviest offense. Long pondering this principle, our regret and fear only increase. We therefore command the officials that all monasteries in the capital hold vegetarian feasts and practice the path, exhausting their sincerity in repentance and worship for seven days and seven nights; all clothing and provisions are to be donated through dāna. We hope that through this, beings may be freed from the hardships of the three destinies, and the suffering of myriad kalpas may be broadly alleviated, extinguishing minds of enmity and obstruction, and turning them toward the path to bodhi.' In the first month of the third year, an imperial order was issued commanding the monks and nuns of the capital to practice the path and recite the Benevolent King Sūtra and the Great Cloud Sūtra in their respective monasteries on the fourteenth day of every month, making this a permanent rule. Furthermore, by imperial order, Tripiṭaka Master Prabhākaramitra and others were instructed to translate the Ratnatārā Sūtra at Daxingshan Monastery. Falin wrote the preface, which stated: 'The Ratnatārā Sūtra consists of over three thousand verses in the Sanskrit text. It was spoken by the Tathāgata when he first attained the path of awakening, converted Maudgalyāyana and Śāriputra, subdued the demon king, and protected the realm. Since the image teaching gradually spread eastward across many years, the texts of the three wheels and eight piṭakas, and the tenets of the four trees and five vehicles, displayed their divine radiance in the stone chambers and transmitted their Sanskrit resonances at the astrological towers. Yet though successive translations followed one another, many doubts and omissions remained. Our Emperor of the Great Tang is holy and divine, truly civil and martial; seizing the opportunity and controlling fortune, he rescued the drowning and saved them from fire. Restoring the style of the ancient sovereigns, he practiced the trust that goes without speaking. Removing excess and extremity, he subdued all within the eight bounds; doing nothing and practicing wuwei, he received the tribute of the myriad nations. The lands of the Lake of Sand and the Heaven Mountains have all been brought within the imperial frontiers; the realms of dragon courts and phoenix nests are all moistened by his moral teaching. His benevolence surpasses opening the hunting net; his governance follows the ancient knotted cords. His great virtue is magnanimous, outwardly keeping the eight rules; his reverent caution is meticulous, inwardly ordering the four deportments. Looking upon China, his loving-kindness overflows; lodging his trust in the sacred documents, he spreads his grand vows. Constantly considering all dharmas to be non-existent and matter and self to be both empty, he reflected that for the true essentials nothing surpasses the Śākya scriptures. There was the Tripiṭaka Master Prabhākaramitra of Central India—in the Tang language known as Guangzhi ('Light of Wisdom')—who vowed to transmit the transformation of the Dharma without fearing hardship or peril. Journeying far across the Pamir Mountains, he came to visit China, traveling a route of more than forty thousand li. In the cyclical year gengxu, the first year of Zhenguan, he reached the imperial capital. Once he had been granted an audience, he was bestowed fine brocade garments. An imperial edict ordered the officials to select nineteen men of grand virtue, who were well-versed in both the three teachings and all ten categories, to translate in dialogue with Tripiṭaka Master Prabhākaramitra at Daxingshan Monastery. The śramaṇa Huicheng and others verified the meaning; the śramaṇa Xuanmo and others translated the language; the śramaṇas Huiming, Falin, and others held the brushes, received the dictates, and meticulously reviewed them, verifying terms, determining meanings, and rendering the full sense into finished text. Beginning in the third month of the third year of Zhenguan and ending in the fourth month of the fourth year, the work comprised ten fascicles and thirteen chapters, using one hundred and thirty sheets of paper, totaling sixty-three thousand eight hundred and eighty-two characters.' In the middle of winter of that year, the abbot of Shengguang Monastery, Sengzhen, received an imperial order to enter the palace and escort an image to Shengguang Monastery for veneration. In the first month of the fourth year, forty-nine men of great virtue from various monasteries practiced the path to celebrate the image for three weeks of seven days. When the days were complete, a feast of one thousand monks was held, and the princes and dukes all came to offer incense. Falin also presented to the Emperor a eulogy on the embroidered image, which said: 'Remembering afar: When the eight trees hid their light and the two rivers veiled their traces, King Prasenajit, longing in veneration, cast wax to pour his full body; King Udayana, displaying sincere devotion, melted gold to portray his complete form. Later, as the cyan spirit traversed south and the white horse came east, the image teaching flourished and numinous statues arose everywhere. Thus, with majestic demeanor, an image emerged from a private well; bending the sacred body, it bestowed bright pearls. Its light was brilliant at the Zhang Bridge; its radiance shone over the Hu river. It showed the sun worn by the Han ruler; it inspired the brushwork of the Jin sovereign. Sometimes looking back and treading over myriad mountains, or strolling and roaming beside the Dream Marsh, auspicious omens and fine portents have arisen from the beginning, yet none has ever sewn threads to depict the true form or leaned on empty space to pattern the sacred image. Our Emperor of the Great Tang previously planted the four grand vows and was long endowed with the five virtues. His divine deeds surpass Xuan[yuan] and Hao[tian]; his perfect governance outshines Cheng and Kang. His benevolent merit reaches the high heavens, and his power equals the Great Dao. Auspicious clouds cast colorful radiance, and the golden mirror contains the luster of the seven luminaries; auspicious birds display good fortune, and the jade candle harmonizes the vapors of the four seasons. Chiefs with white hair and tattooed bodies all sue for orders at the royal court; chieftains with pierced chests and hanging ears together offer tribute at the palace gates. Moreover, he fixes his mind on the eightfold path and devotes his intentions to the five vehicles; broadly exercising dāna, he diligently cultivates pure karma. Lamenting that the Sugata has long vanished into darkness, impossible to pursue, he ordered the Inner Palace to model the transmitted image, respectfully producing an embroidered image of Śākyamuni on a single hanging scroll, along with bodhisattvas, holy monks, vajra-wielders, and lions. Exhibiting divine elegance and exhausting all spiritual transformations, the six kinds of text were interwoven and the five colors displayed one another. Painting the full moon with paired needles, slender willows were entrusted to pristine hands. More exquisite than the brocades of Shu and more splendid than the silks of Yan, its billowing textures hold the glow of sevenfold brilliance, and its spreading patterns array the colors of nine splendors. The solar disk spits radiance, veiled by the silk of Zhou guests; the lotus eyes focus their luster, set forth by the threads of Qin maidens. The hundred-li pearl of Lord Yang yields in shame to these hundred blessings; the thousand-gold jade of Ziyu feels humbled before those thousand wheels. Its multicolored parasol seems on the verge of springing forth; its fluttering cloud-robes appear about to fly down. How could this be merely thought stretched to the limits of winding intestines? Truly, its craftsmanship exhausts the dark and subtle! Now in this year of gengyin, in the month of Taicu, at the season when the three origins commence and the time when the four beginnings unite in harmony, the imperial silk decree was sent down to the monastery of Shengguang, establishing a feast to celebrate the image, where forty-nine monks practiced the path for three weeks of seven days. The red grain of Da Qin provided meals for the storehouse of fragrance; the golden balm of King Mu of Zhou was presented as offerings to the King of Brahmā. The fields of merit of the four immeasurables are fully complete life after life; the virtuous retributions of the six causes are adorned age after age. May the precious calendar long endure even when the kalpa stone is ground to dust, and may the imperial foundation remain ever firm even when the mustard-seed city is emptied! Unable to bear my joyful celebration, I venture to present this eulogy.'