出三藏記集 10.30

10.30

阿毘曇者。秦言大法也。眾祜有以見道果之至賾。擬性形容執乎真像。謂之大也。有以道慧之至齊。觀如司南察乎一相。謂之法。故曰大法也。中阿含世尊責優陀耶曰。汝致詰阿毘曇乎。夫然。佛以身子五法為大阿毘曇也（戒定慧名無漏也）佛般涅槃後。迦旃延（義第一也）以十二部經浩博難究。撰其大法為一部八揵度四十四品也。其為經也。富莫上焉。邃莫加焉。要道無行而不由。可不謂之富乎。至德無妙而不出。可不謂之邃乎。富邃洽備故。故能微顯闡幽也。其說智也周。其說根也密。其說禪也悉。其說道也具。周則二八用各適時。密則二十迭為賓主。悉則昧淨遍遊其門。具則利鈍各別其所以。故為高座者所咨嗟。三藏者所鼓舞也。其身毒來諸沙門。莫不祖述此經憲章鞞婆沙詠歌有餘味者也。然乃在大荒之外。葱嶺之表。雖欲從之未由見也。以建元十九年。罽賓沙門僧迦禘婆。誦此經甚利。來詣長安。比丘釋法和請令出之。佛念譯傳。慧力僧茂筆受。和理其指歸。自四月二十日出。至十月二十三日乃訖。其人檢挍譯人頗雜義辭。龍蛇同淵金鍮共肆者。彬彬如也。和撫然恨之。余亦深謂不可。遂令更出。夙夜匪懈四十六日而得盡定。損可損者四卷焉。至於事須懸解起盡之處。皆為細其下。胡本十五千七十二首盧（四十八萬二千三百四言）秦語十九萬五千二百五十言。其人忘因緣一品。云言數可與十門等也。周攬斯經。有碩人所尚者三焉。以高座者尚其博。以盡漏者尚其要。以研機者尚其密。密者龍象翹鼻鳴不造耳。非人中之至恬。其孰能與於此也。要者八忍九斷巨細畢載。非人中之至練。其孰能致於此也。博者眾微眾妙六八曲備。非人中之至懿。其熟能綜於此也。其將來諸學者遊槃於其中。何求而不得乎。

"Abhidharma" is in the language of Qin "Great Dharma". That by which all blessings see the utmost profundity of the fruit of the Way, pattern its nature and form, and hold fast to the true likeness—this is called "Great". That by which the utmost equality of the wisdom of the Way observes like a south-pointing chariot and discerns the single mark—this is called "Dharma". Hence it is called "Great Dharma". In the Madhyama-āgama, the World-Honoured One rebuked Udāyin, saying: "Do you bring challenges regarding the Abhidharma?" Indeed, it is so: the Buddha took Śāriputra's five dharmas to be the Great Abhidharma (morality, concentration, wisdom, [deliverance, and] the knowledge [and vision of deliverance] are named the undefiled). After the Buddha entered parinirvāṇa, Kātyāyana (the foremost in meaning), because the twelve divisions of scripture were vast and difficult to exhaustively examine, compiled their Great Dharma into one work of eight skandhas and forty-four chapters. As a scripture, nothing surpasses its wealth, and nothing exceeds its profundity. There is no practice of the essential Way that does not proceed from it—how could it not be called wealthy? There is no subtlety of the supreme virtue that does not emerge from it—how could it not be called profound? Because it is comprehensively endowed with wealth and profundity, it can illuminate the subtle and make clear the obscure. Its exposition of wisdom is comprehensive; its exposition of faculties is meticulous; its exposition of dhyāna is exhaustive; its exposition of the Way is complete. Being comprehensive, the two and the eight each adapt their use to the proper time; being meticulous, the twenty alternate as guests and hosts; being exhaustive, the obscure and the pure roam entirely through its gates; being complete, the sharp and the dull each differentiate their bases. Thus it is praised by those of the high seat and acclaimed by masters of the tripiṭaka. Among the various śramaṇas who have come from Shendu, none fail to transmit this scripture as their standard, take the Vibhāṣā as their model, and chant it with lingering resonance. Yet it lay beyond the great wilderness and outside the Pamirs; though one wished to follow it, there was no way to encounter it. In the nineteenth year of Jianyuan, the śramaṇa Saṅghadeva from Kapiśa, who recited this scripture with great fluency, came to Chang'an. The bhikṣu Shi Fahe requested him to bring it forth. Zhu Fonian translated and transmitted it; Huili and Sengmao acted as scribal recorders; and Fahe rectified its main import. Bringing it forth began on the twentieth day of the fourth month and was completed on the twenty-third day of the tenth month. When that man examined it, the translators had mixed in quite a few extraneous meanings and words; dragons and snakes shared the same pool, and gold and brass were displayed in the same shop—it was confusedly variegated. Fahe felt regretful, and I also deeply considered it unacceptable. We therefore caused it to be brought forth anew. Working tirelessly morning and night, it was completely settled in forty-six days, reducing by four fascicles what could be reduced. Where matters required a preliminary understanding of their beginnings and ends, annotations were added in small script below. The Hu text comprised 15,072 ślokas (482,304 words), while the Qin translation comprised 195,250 words. That man had forgotten the one chapter on Conditioned Arising (Pratītyasamutpāda), saying its word count was roughly equal to the ten gates. Taking a comprehensive view of this scripture, there are three things prized by great scholars: those of the high seat prize its breadth; those who have exhausted the taints prize its essentials; and those who investigate subtle mechanics prize its meticulousness. In meticulousness, even the trumpeting of dragons and elephants lifting their trunks does not reach its ears—unless one is of the utmost serenity among men, who could participate in this? In essentials, the eight patiences and the nine abandonments are fully recorded in both large and small aspects—unless one is of the utmost refinement among men, who could attain this? In breadth, the myriad subtleties and myriad wonders of the six and the eight are fully provided in detail—unless one is of the utmost excellence among men, who could integrate this? For future scholars who roam and abide within it, what could they seek and not find?