出三藏記集 7.42

7.42

曇鉢偈者。眾經之要義。曇之言法。鉢者句也。而法句經別有數部。有九百偈。或七百偈及五百偈。偈者結語。猶詩頌也。是佛見事而作。非一時言。各有本末。布在眾經。佛一切智。厥性大仁愍傷天下。出興于世開現道義。所以解人。凡十二部經總括其要。別有四部阿鋡。至去世後。阿難所傳。卷無大小皆稱聞如是處佛所究暢其說。是後五部沙門各自鈔采經中四句六句之偈。比次其義條別為品。於十二部經靡不斟酌。無所適名。故曰法句。夫諸經為法言。法句者猶法言也。近世葛氏傳七百偈。偈義致深。譯人出之。頗使其渾漫。惟佛難值。其文難聞。又諸佛興皆在天竺。天竺言語與漢異音。云其書為天書。語為天語。名物不同。傳實不易。唯昔藍調安侯世高都尉弗調。譯胡為漢。審得其體。斯以難繼。後之傳者雖不能密。猶尚貴其實。粗得大趣。始者維祇難出自天竺。以黃武三年來適武昌。僕從受此五百偈本。請其同道竺將炎為譯。將炎雖善天竺語。未備曉漢。其所傳言或得胡語。或以義出音。近於質直。僕初嫌其辭不雅。維祇難曰。佛言依其義不用飾。取其法不以嚴其傳。經者當令易曉勿失厥義。是則為善。座中咸曰。老氏稱。美言不信。信言不美。仲尼亦云。書不盡言。言不盡意。明聖人意深邃無極。今傳胡義實宜經達。是以自竭受譯人口。因循本旨不加文飾。譯所不解則闕不傳。故有脫失多不出者。然此雖辭朴而旨深。文約而義博。事鉤眾經。章有本故句有義說。其在天竺始進業者。不學法句。謂之越敘。此乃始進者之鴻漸。深入者之奧藏也。可以啟矇辯惑誘人自立。學之功微。而所苞者廣。實可謂妙要者哉。昔傳此時有所不出。會將炎來。更從諮問受此偈等。重得十三品。并挍往故有所增定。第其品目合為一部。三十九篇。大凡偈七百五十二章。庶有補益共廣聞焉。

The Tanbo (Dharmapada) verses contain the essential doctrines of the various sūtras. Tan means dharma (fa); bo means verses/phrases (ju). The Dharmapada has several distinct recensions: some have nine hundred verses, others seven hundred, and others five hundred. Gāthās are closing verses, like poetic hymns. They were uttered by the Buddha as occasions arose, not spoken at a single time; each has its origin and context, distributed throughout the various sūtras. The Buddha was all-knowing; his nature was of great benevolence, and he took pity on all under heaven. He arose and appeared in the world to open up and reveal the meaning of the Dao so as to enlighten mankind. The essential doctrines of the twelve divisions of sūtras summarize the core, and there are additionally the four Āgamas. After his parinirvāṇa, in what Ānanda transmitted, whether the fascicles were large or small, all stated 'Thus have I heard', [recording] where the Buddha fully elaborated his teachings. Thereafter, the śramaṇas of the five schools each gathered four-line and six-line verses from the sūtras, arranged their meanings, and divided them into chapters. They culled from all the twelve divisions of sūtras, and having no other specific title for it, they named it the Dharmapada. Now, the various sūtras are Dharma sayings (fayan), and 'Dharmapada' likewise means Dharma sayings. In recent times, Mr. Ge transmitted seven hundred verses; the meaning of the verses was extremely deep, but when the translator produced it, it was rendered rather vague and rambling. Truly, the Buddha is difficult to encounter, and his words are difficult to hear. Furthermore, the various Buddhas all arise in Tianzhu. The language of Tianzhu has sounds different from Chinese; their writing is called heavenly writing and their speech heavenly speech. Since names and things are different, transmission is truly not easy. Only in the past did Master Landiao, the Marquis of An, Shigao, and the Commander Fodiao translate from Hu into Chinese, accurately capturing the substance. This made it difficult to follow in their footsteps. Though later transmitters could not be as precise, they still valued accuracy and roughly captured the main idea. In the beginning, Vighna came from Tianzhu, arriving in Wuchang in the third year of the Huangwu era (224 CE). I received this five-hundred-verse text from him and requested his companion Zhu Jiangyan to translate it. Although Jiangyan was skilled in the language of Tianzhu, he was not yet fully conversant in Chinese. In what he transmitted, he sometimes followed the Hu language or gave the sound based on meaning, bordering on the crude and straightforward. At first, I disliked its lack of elegance, but Vighna said: 'The Buddha's words should rely on their meaning without need for embellishment; taking up his Dharma does not require grandeur in its transmission. In sūtras, one should make them easy to understand without losing the meaning—that is what is good.' All those seated said: 'Laozi stated, "Pleasing words are not trustworthy; trustworthy words are not pleasing." Zhongni (Confucius) also said, "Writing cannot fully express speech; speech cannot fully express thought." This clarifies that the sage's intention is profound and boundless. In transmitting the Hu meaning now, it is indeed fitting that it be thorough.' Therefore, I exerted myself to receive it from the translator's mouth, following the original intent without adding literary embellishment. What the translator did not understand was omitted and not transmitted; thus there are omissions and much that was not produced. However, although the phrasing is plain, the meaning is deep; the text is concise, but the sense is vast. The events connect to the various sūtras; each section has its origin, and each verse has an explanatory exposition. In Tianzhu, for those who begin their studies, not to learn the Dharmapada is called transgressing the order. It is indeed the gradual progress of the beginner and the profound treasury of the advanced. It can open the eyes of the ignorant, resolve doubts, and encourage people to stand on their own. The effort required to study it is slight, but that which it encompasses is vast; it may truly be called marvelous and essential. When this was translated in the past, some parts were not produced. It happened that when Jiangyan came, I again consulted him and received these verses, obtaining thirteen additional chapters. Together with collating the past [translation], some additions and revisions were made, and the chapters were ordered into a single text of thirty-nine chapters, totaling 752 verses. It is hoped that this will be of benefit and broaden the understanding of all.