法苑珠林 100.398

100.398

太宗文皇帝。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。凡厥天授。其體自然。往潛初德。經綸天下。屬隋氏版蕩㝢內分崩。火燎崑峯。水飛滄海。皆為逐鹿之意。名開愆號之儀。河右以來。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。膺天冊之命。龔行九伍。總統六軍。莫不瓦解氷銷風從草偃。凱歌獻捷無與論功。既而氛祲廓清區宇平一。高祖凝神。毓聖馳想煙霞之外。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。脫屣之懷。無忘於靈府。釋貧之志。有形於明發。喜禘郊之可記。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。聿遵三善。爰貞萬國。及天下重啟寶曆惟新。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。貞觀元年獻春之月。受詔闔京眾僧德行之者。竝令入內殿行道。各滿七日。有司供備務在精華。至三年帝恐年穀不登。憂矜在慮。爰發綸旨。簡精誠宿德并侍者二七人。於天門街祈雨七日。聖力冥扶。稼苗重稑。家豐萬箱之斂。國富九年之資。自爾已來常豐不絕。往以初建義旗神兵剋殄矢石之下。恐結冤魂。其年冬令京城僧尼七日行道。所有衣服悉用檀那。籍此勝因竭誠懺盪。戰場之處竝置伽藍。昭仁等覺十有餘寺。至三年春。又奉詔令僧尼每月二七日行道轉仁王等經。官給齋供用為常法。又勅波頗三藏。兼閑三教。備舉十科。釋慧乘等一十九人。興善翻譯。又為太武皇帝。於終南山造龍田寺。并送武帝等身像六軀。永充供養。又為穆太后造弘福寺。寺成之後。帝親幸焉。自點佛睛極隆䞋施。因喚大德十人親到言論。于時寺主道意語。言及太后悲不自勝。掩淚吞聲久而言曰。朕以早喪慈親。無由反哺。風樹之痛。有切于懷。庶憑景福上資冥祐。朕比以老子居左。師等不有怨乎。意曰。僧等此者安心行道。何敢忘焉。帝曰。佛道大小朕以久知。釋李尊卑通人自鑒。豈以一時在上。即為勝也。朕以宗承柱下。且將老子。居先植福。歸心投誠。自別比來檀捨。僉向釋門。凡所葺修。俱為佛寺。諸法師等。知朕意焉。又為穆皇后。於慶善館側造慈德寺。沙門玄奘。振錫五天。搜揚正法。旋鑣八水。思闡微言。十有九年。奉　詔翻譯。前後褒賞。格顯常倫。中使相望。無空旬日。躬留神思。為製序之。控引經宗。褒揚佛理。所度僧眾。三萬餘人。至於金銀等身真珠像等。動過萬計。羌難備舉。今上皇帝。乃聖乃神。多能多藝。無為之政。遠嗣離連。有道之風。寔方炎昊。閑田息頌。比屋可封。山瀆効靈。中外禔福。棟梁三寶。荷負四生。宿殖善根。久修勝業。崇信之道。發自天資。孝敬之心。率由其性。昔在儲貳。明發永懷。爰遣有司。奉為文德皇太后造慈恩寺。考茲形勝。襟帶市朝。爰命鳧人。開基締搆。甫移銀牓。即此金園。法侶摩肩。朝貴延首。其地高墉負槨百雉紆餘。層成結隅九重延袤。於是廣闢寶坊。備諸輪煥。瞻星測景。置臬衡繩。玉舄垂輝。金鋪耀彩。長廊中宿。反宇于霄。浮柱繡栭。上圖雲氣。飛軒鏤檻。下帶虹蜺。影塔儼其相望。經臺欝其並架。罄丹青之鉅艧。殫藻繢之瓌奇。寶鐸鏘風。金盤承露。疏鐘夜撤。清梵朝聞。定慧之所依憑。靈異之所栖宅。又敘文帝序經意。為述

Emperor Taizong the Civil (Wen) was endowed with the vital breath of the Great Change (Taiyi) and the Great Beginning (Taichu), and possessed the spiritual efficacy of Heaven's Sovereign and Heaven's Dipper. In the dark apartments, he founded the base of Gaoyang; at the Ruins of Yao, he built the enterprise of Chonghua. Red light flooded his chambers, and purple mist soared to heaven. He possessed the countenance of a dragon and the chest of a phoenix, the portents of the sun-horn and the hanging moon, the anomalies of river-eyes and sea-mouth, and the marvel of breadth above and sharpness below. In sage discernment and profound perception, he knew what was to come and stored what had passed; he probed the secluded and entered the subtle, thoroughly fathoming spirit and exhausting human nature. All this was heaven-bestowed, its substance completely natural. In former times, when his original virtue was hidden, he regulated the realm. It was a time when the Sui dynasty fell into turmoil and disintegration, and all within the domain collapsed: fire blazed upon Mount Kunlun, and waters flooded the dark ocean. Everyone held the intent of chasing the deer, and the titles assumed brought calamity. West of the Yellow River, dragons and serpents alike perished; across the Central Plains, jade and stone burnt together. Consequently, beneath heaven and upon the earth, all vied in lamentation, hoping for revival; in the capital and its vital environs, people gave rise to the grief of having their looms emptied. Our Emperor, holding the position of the imperial son, received the mandate of Heaven's register. He marshalled the armies and commanded the six hosts. Wherever he went, foes dissolved like tiles breaking and ice melting, bending like grass before the wind. With triumphal songs he presented victories, and none could match his merits. Soon the baleful vapors were cleared away, and the realm was unified. Emperor Gaozu concentrated his spirit; the sagely progenitor let his thoughts wander beyond the mist and clouds. Formerly, because the myriad regions were submerged in chaos and the hundred deities were deprived of offerings, he had curbed his lofty aspirations at Yingyang to rescue all within the realm from drowning. The black-haired people received the virtue of re-creation; all classes of beings bore the grace of transformation and completion. Not holding the imperial canopy close to his heart, he looked downward with care for the common populace. His yearning to cast off his sandals like worn shoes was never forgotten in his inner heart; his intent to relieve poverty was manifest from early dawn. Rejoicing that the di and jiao sacrifices were attended to, and delighting that the ancestral altars had an heir, he examined the seasons and chose the day, passing the great treasure to the Crown Prince. From the time he gloriously undertook the regency as the secondary lord of the Spring Palace, he followed the three goods and brought rectitude to the ten thousand states. When the world once more opened and the jewel-like calendar was renewed, he looked upon the Red County and made a great vow to adorn it; he fostered the black-haired people and widely promoted benefit. Opening the days of the four immeasurables, he shone universally like the clouds of Yao; raising the wind of the six pāramitās, he poured down abundantly like the rain of Shun. In the first month of spring in the first year of Zhenguan, an imperial edict was received commanding monks of virtuous practice throughout the entire capital to enter the inner palace to practice the Path, each completing seven days. The relevant offices prepared offerings, striving for the finest and best. In the third year, the Emperor feared that the grain harvest would fail and held deep solicitude in his mind. Thereupon he issued an imperial decree selecting fourteen monks of sincere, venerable virtue along with attendants to pray for rain on Tianmen Street for seven days. Through the unseen assistance of holy power, the crops grew in double ears of grain: families were enriched with harvests of ten thousand hampers, and the state grew wealthy with provisions for nine years. From then on, there was continuous and uninterrupted abundance. Previously, when the righteous banner was first raised, divine soldiers had slain enemies beneath arrows and stones, and it was feared that wronged spirits might harbor resentment. In the winter of that year, the monks and nuns of the capital were ordered to practice the Path for seven days, all their robes and accoutrements being provided by dāna (donations). Relying on this superior karmic cause, they purified through sincere repentance; saṃghārāmas were established at all the battlefields, numbering more than ten temples, including Zhaoren and Dengjue. In the spring of the third year, another imperial edict was received commanding monks and nuns to practice the Path and chant the Renwang Jing and other scriptures on the fourteenth and twenty-eighth days of each month, with vegetarian offerings provided by the state as a permanent rule. Furthermore, Tripiṭaka Master Prabhākaramitra—who was fully conversant in the Three Teachings and thoroughly qualified in the ten subjects—together with nineteen monks, including monk Huicheng, was ordered to carry out translations at the Xingshan Temple. Moreover, on Mount Zhongnan, Longtian Temple was built for Emperor Taiwu, and six life-sized statues of Emperor Wu were sent there to serve as perpetual offerings. Again, for Empress Dowager Mu, Hongfu Temple was constructed. After the temple was completed, the Emperor visited it in person. He personally painted the Buddha’s pupils and bestowed lavish donations. Thereupon he summoned ten Great Virtues to hold a personal conversation. At that time, the abbot of the temple, Daoyi, spoke with him. Mentioning the Empress Dowager, the Emperor could not contain his grief; hiding his tears and choking back his sobs, after a long pause he said, 'Having lost my loving mother early in life, I had no means to repay her care. The sorrow of the wind blowing through the trees cuts deeply into my heart. I only hope to rely on great blessings above to aid her in the unseen realm. I recently placed Laozi to the left—do the masters harbor any resentment?' Daoyi replied, 'We monks have set our minds upon practicing the Path here; how could we dare harbor resentment?' The Emperor said, 'I have long known the relative greatness of Buddhism and Daoism. Wise men naturally perceive the nobility and inferiority of the Buddha and Li [Laozi]. How could a temporary precedence be considered superior? It is merely that because my clan traces its lineage to the Pillar Archivist (Laozi), I temporarily place him first. When planting blessings and turning the mind with utmost sincerity, that is another matter. Lately, my donations are all directed toward the Buddhist order; all the buildings and repairs are entirely for Buddhist temples. You Dharma masters should understand my intent.' He also built Cide Temple beside Qingshan Lodge for Empress Mu. The śramaṇa Xuanzang had shaken his staff throughout the Five Indias, seeking out and promoting the saddharma, and returned his reins to the Eight Rivers, intending to elucidate the subtle teachings. In the nineteenth year, he received an imperial edict to translate texts. The commendations and rewards bestowed upon him before and after surpassed all standard precedent. Palace emissaries looked toward one another on the road, with not ten days passing without a visit. The Emperor personally applied his divine intellect to compose a preface for the translations, which drew upon the tenets of the sutras and praised the Buddha's principles. More than thirty thousand monks were ordained. As for statues made of gold, silver, life-sized proportions, or pearls, they readily exceeded tens of thousands, such that they can hardly be listed in full. The Present Emperor is sagely and divine, multitalented and skilled. His governance of non-action reaches far to succeed the ancient sovereigns; his wind of the Way truly matches Yandi and Taihao. Fallow fields end all disputes, and every household could be enfeoffed. Mountains and rivers manifest their spiritual responsiveness; inside and outside the capital, auspicious blessings abound. He serves as a pillar and beam for the Three Jewels, bearing the burden of the catur-yoni. Having planted good roots in the past, he has long cultivated superior karma. The path of veneration and faith arose from his natural endowment; his filial and reverent heart followed entirely from his nature. Formerly, when he was Heir Apparent, he harbored eternal yearnings at early dawn. Thereupon he dispatched the relevant officials to construct Ci'en Temple on behalf of Empress Wende. Appraising the contours of this scenic site, bordering the markets and the court, he ordered builders to lay the foundations and erect the structures. No sooner had the silver plaques been mounted than this golden grove was established. Dharma companions rubbed shoulders, and court notables stretched their necks to behold it. Its high ramparts supported by enclosures extended over a hundred zhang; the tiered corners and nine stories stretched out far and wide. Thereupon he opened widely the precious precincts, providing every magnificent adornment. He observed the stars and measured the shadows, fixing the gnomons and leveling strings. Jade shoes cast brilliance, and golden door-rings shone with color. Long corridors provided quarters, and upturned eaves reached the skies. Suspended pillars and embroidered brackets were painted above with clouds; flying eaves and carved railings were encircled below by rainbows. The shadow-pagodas looked solemnly upon each other; the sutra terraces stood densely side by side. He exhausted all the cinnabar and malachite of grand paintings, and drained the marvelous splendors of patterned silks. Precious wind-bells chimed in the wind; golden dew-plates caught the dew. Sparse bell-strokes ceased at night; clear Sanskrit chanting was heard in the morning. It was a foundation upon which samādhi and prajñā relied, a dwelling where spiritual marvels resided. Furthermore, recounting Emperor Wen's intent in writing the preface to the scriptures, he composed the