翻譯名義集 1.218

1.218

[Guṇavarman] Translated in the Song as "Virtue Armor" (Gongdekai). He was the youngest son of the King of Jibin. He thoroughly understood the nine divisions of scripture, broadly mastered the four Āgamas, deeply penetrated the categories of the vinaya, subtly entered the essentials of dhyāna, and recited over a million words of sūtras. When the King of Jibin died, the assembly asked him to succeed to the throne; fearing it would become an obstacle to the precepts, he dwelt in forests and drank from valleys, wandering alone in the mountains and wilds, hiding his traces from the mortal world. His form and deportment moved beings, so that all who saw him generated the aspiration [for awakening]. During the Yuanjia reign era of Emperor Wen of Song, he arrived in Jianye. The Emperor said: "This disciple always wishes to keep the vegetarian fast and avoid killing, but pressed by devoting my person to worldly affairs, I have been unable to follow my resolve. How will the Master instruct me?" He replied: "The Way lies in the mind, not in external affairs; the Dharma stems from oneself, not from others. Moreover, what is cultivated by an emperor differs from that of a commoner. A commoner's person is humble and their reputation base, their words and commands having no authority; if they do not discipline themselves and toil with their own bodies, what can they achieve? An emperor takes the four seas as his home and the myriad folk as his children; if he utters a single good word, men and women everywhere are delighted; if he institutes a single benevolent policy, humans and spirits are brought into harmony. So long as punishments do not cut lives short and corvée labor does not exhaust people's strength, the wind and rain will arrive in season, cold and warmth will follow their periods, the hundred grains will flourish, and the mulberry and hemp will grow luxuriantly. In maintaining the fast in this way, the fast is vast indeed! In refraining from killing in this way, the virtue is manifold indeed! Must it consist in skipping half a day's meal and saving the life of a single animal before it can be considered vast salvation?" The Emperor was greatly pleased and said: "The Master's words truly open and enlighten the human mind, penetrating the principles of things and exhausting the dialogue between the realms of humans and gods!" The Shichao states: "In the seventh year of the Yuanjia reign era of Song, he arrived in Yangzhou and translated sūtras such as the Śīla-upadeśa [Shan jie]. This was the initial cause for bhikṣuṇīs receiving full ordination. Later, eight nuns arrived from the Kingdom of Siṃhala, saying: 'There have never before been bhikṣuṇīs in the land of Song; how could ordination be received from both saṅghas?' Guṇavarman said: 'If a nun does not perform the original ritual, she obtains the precepts but incurs an offense. Examining the Buddha's intended institution, the ordination ritual originates from the great monks (bhikṣus). So long as the ritual of the bhikṣu-saṅgha is perfected, she naturally obtains the precepts. The reason she is first made to perform the original ritual is simply to generate faith in her, serving as an expedient means for receiving the precepts. As for obtaining the precepts, it arises at the time of the karmavācanā of the bhikṣu-saṅgha.' The nuns earnestly pleaded to receive them again. He replied: 'Excellent! The aggregates of morality, concentration, and wisdom develop from subtle to manifest. If you wish to augment and clarify them, I rejoice exceedingly.' He then had the western nuns study the language, and sent again to India to invite nuns so as to complete the number of ten. By the tenth year of the Yuanjia reign era, there was Saṅghavarman—here translated as "Assembly Armor" (Zhongkai)—who understood the Vinaya and the Saṃyuktābhidharmahṛdaya. Having crossed the shifting sands himself, he arrived in Yangzhou. Earlier, Guṇavarman had promised the nuns to re-administer the ordination, but passed away before it was completed. Soon, Tessara and two other nuns from the Kingdom of Siṃhala arrived at the capital, completing the previous number of ten; they then invited Saṅghavarman to serve as master upon the platform, re-administering the ordination for the nuns."