寺沙門玄奘上表記 1.64

1.64

沙門玄奘言。伏見恩勅。除僧尼等依俗法推勘條。喜戴之誠。莫知准譬。竊尋正法隆贊。隨若上而抑揚。彝倫薄厚。儷玄風以興缺。自聖運在璿明皇執粹。甄崇道藝。區別玄儒。開不二之鍵。廣唯一之轍。寫龍宮於蓬閣。接鷲壤於神臯。俾夫鍾梵之聲洋溢區宇。福善之業濯沐黎萠。寔法門之嘉會。率土之幸甚。項為僧徒不整。誨馭乖方。致使內虧佛教。外犯王法。一人獲罪。舉眾蒙塵。遂觸天威。令依俗法。所期清肅。志在懲誡。僧等震懼。夙夜慚惶。而聖鑒天臨。仁澤昭被。篤深期於玄妙。掩纖垢於含弘。爰降殊恩。釋茲嚴罰。非其人之足惜。顧斯法之可尊。遂令入網之魚復游江漢。觸籠之鳥。還颺杳冥。法水混而更清福田鹵而還沃。僧等各深荷載。人目知勉。庶當勵情去惡。以副天心。專精禮念。用答鴻造。伏願皇帝皇后以紹隆之功永凝百福。乘慈悲之業。端拱萬春。震域締祥。維城具美。不勝舞躍感荷之至。謹重附表陳謝以聞。輕黷冕旒。伏增惶恐。謹言。

The śramaṇa Xuanzang states: I respectfully have received the gracious imperial decree revoking the regulation that investigated monks and nuns according to secular law. My sincere joy and veneration know no parallel. I humbly observe that the promotion and flourishing of the correct Dharma rises or falls according to the ruler; whether human moral norms are meager or generous waxes or wanes in tandem with the profound teaching. Ever since the sacred line has held the jade tally and the brilliant ruler has maintained perfection, You have honored and elevated the Daoist arts and distinguished the Buddhist and Confucian traditions, opening the gate of non-duality and widening the track of the One Vehicle. You have copied the nāga palace in the fairy halls and joined the Gṛdhrakūṭa peaks to the imperial soil, causing the sounds of bells and Sanskrit chanting to brim over the realm, and deeds of blessing and goodness to cleanse the common people. This is truly an auspicious gathering of the Dharma gate, the supreme fortune of the entire land! Previously, because the monastic community was disorderly and its guidance and regulation went astray, Buddhism was inwardly compromised and the King’s law was outwardly violated. One person incurred guilt, and the whole assembly was covered in dust; You then encountered the imperial wrath, which commanded that they be judged according to secular law. What was intended was purity and reverence, with the aim of warning and reprimand. The monks and nuns were trembling with fear, day and night ashamed and alarmed. Yet Your sacred discernment descends from Heaven, and Your benevolent moisture shines down: You hold profound expectations for the profound mystery and conceal petty flaws within Your vast tolerance. Thereupon You sent down extraordinary grace and released this severe punishment. It is not that these persons were worthy of pity, but out of respect that this Dharma is venerable. Thus the fish caught in the net have returned to swim in the Yangtze and Han rivers; the bird that struck the cage flies back into the distant azure. The waters of the Dharma, once muddied, become clear again; the field of merit, once barren, is made fertile again. The monks and nuns each deeply bear Your favor, and everyone knows to exert themselves. We shall spur our minds to cast away evil so as to match the mind of Heaven, and concentrate single-mindedly on rites and mindfulness to repay Your vast creation. I humbly pray that the Emperor and Empress, through the merit of continuing and exalting the Dharma, may eternally consolidate a hundred blessings, and riding on the deeds of compassion, sit with folded hands through ten thousand springs. May auspicious signs gather in the realm, and every excellence grace the imperial house! Unable to bear the utmost of leaping for joy and grateful thanks, I respectfully submit this memorial again to express my gratitude and inform You. For rashly defiling the imperial presence, I prostrate myself with ever-increasing fear. Respectfully stated.