大宋僧史略 2.8

2.8

唱導者始則西域上座凡赴請。呪願曰。二足常安。四足亦安。一切時中皆吉祥等。以悅可檀越之心也。舍利弗多辯才。曾作上座。讚導頗佳。白衣大歡喜。此為表白之椎輪也。梁高僧傳論云。夫唱導所貴。其事四焉。一聲也。二辯也。三才也。四博也。非聲則無以警眾。非辯則無以適時。非才則言無可采。非博則語無依據。此其大體也。據寄歸傳中云。焚香胡跪。歎佛相好。合是導師胡跪爾。或直聲告或詰曲聲也。又西域凡覲國王。必有讚德之儀。法流東夏。其任尤重。如見大官謁王者。須一明練者通暄涼序情意讚風化。此亦唱導之事也。齊竟陵王有導文。梁僧祐著齊主讚歎緣記及諸色呪願文。陳隋世高僧真觀深善斯道。有道文集焉。從唐至今。此法盛行于代也。

As for cantillation and chanting of vows, in the beginning, whenever a sthavira in the Western Regions attended an invitation, he pronounced vows of blessing, saying: "May bipeds always be safe, may quadrupeds also be safe, and may all times be auspicious," in order to gladden the hearts of the dānapatis. Śāriputra was endowed with great eloquence; when he once served as sthavira, his chanting of praises was so fine that the laypeople rejoiced greatly. This was the rudimentary beginning of formal announcements. The treatise in the Liang *Gaoseng zhuan* states: "What is valued in cantillation and chanting comprises four qualities: first, voice; second, eloquence; third, talent; and fourth, broad learning. Without voice, one cannot alert the assembly; without eloquence, one cannot suit the occasion; without talent, one's words will have nothing worth selecting; without broad learning, one's speech will have no authority. Such are its general features." According to the *Nanhai jigui neifa zhuan*, kneeling with the right knee touching the ground while burning incense, and praising the Buddha's physical marks, should be performed by the chanting master kneeling with the right knee touching the ground. This may be announced in a straightforward voice or in a melodious voice. Moreover, in the Western Regions, whenever one had an audience with a king, there was always a ritual of praising his virtues. When the Dharma flowed eastward to China, this responsibility became particularly important. When meeting high officials or having an audience with kings, one versed and experienced was required to exchange greetings, express warm sentiments, and praise moral influence; this too is an affair of cantillation and chanting. Prince Jingling of the Qi wrote texts for cantillation, and Sengyou of the Liang composed *Records of the Conditions of the Qi Sovereign's Praises* and various types of vow texts. In the Chen and Sui dynasties, the eminent monk Zhenguan was deeply adept in this art and had a collection of cantillation texts. From the Tang to the present, this method has flourished throughout the ages.