出三藏記集 10

English (machine translation) 10

Language: English

Preface to the Daodi jing, Number 1: Dharma Master Dao'an
Preface to the Commentary on the Ten Insights of the Śrāmaṇera, Number 2: Composed by Yan Fodiao
Preface to the Shifaju yi jing, Number 3: Dharma Master Dao'an
Preface to the Thirty-Seven Chapters, Number 4: Composed by Dharmarakṣa
Preface to the Śāriputrābhidharma, Number 5: Dharma Master Daobiao
Preface to the Saṃgharakṣa Sūtra, Number 6: Author unknown
Postscript to the Saṃgharakṣa Collection Sūtra, Number 7: Author unknown
Preface to the Vasumitra Sūtra, Number 8: Author unknown
Preface to the Abhidharma, Number 9: Dharma Master Dao'an
Preface to the Abhidharmahṛdaya, Number 10: Author unknown
Preface to the Abhidharmahṛdaya, Number 11: Dharma Master Huiyuan
Record of the Tridharmaka, Number 12: Dharma Master Huiyuan
Record of the Tridharmaka, Number 13: From the Postscript to the Sūtra
Separate Record following the Indriyaskandha of the Aṣṭagrantha Abhidharma, Number 14: Author unknown
Preface to the Fourteen-Fascicle Vibhāṣā, Number 15: Dharma Master Dao'an
Preface to the Sixty-Fascicle Vibhāṣā, Number 16: Dharma Master Daoting
Preface to the Samyuktābhidharmahṛdaya, Number 17: Author unknown
Preface to the Later Translation of the Samyuktābhidharmahṛdaya, Number 18: Dharma Master Jiaojing
Preface to the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa, Number 19: Composed by Dharma Master Rui
Record of the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa, Number 20: From the Postscript to the Śāstra
Preface to the Abridgement of the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa, Number 21: Dharma Master Huiyuan

10.3

Preface to the Daodi jing, Number 1

10.4

Shi Dao'an

10.5

Now, the grounds of the path are the arcane halls of the arhats, the inner chambers of ascending to transcendence. The city of rootlessness is so boundless that it is hard to scale; the walls of unconditioned action are so distant that they are hard to surpass. With subtle gates and wondrous portals, few are those who enter its courtyard. As an instrument, it is like the sea to travelers: daily dipped from without being exhausted, [receiving] countless of those who return their spirits without becoming full. As an image, it embraces greatness and is quiet and serene, continuous as if everlasting. Silent and without words, few can discern it. Traceless and intangible, seek it and it is so vast that it is difficult to fathom. The Sage saw that a flower could yield fruit and perceived that through branches one could reach the root; thus, he promulgated wordless teachings and displayed rutless tracks. He expounded calm and initiated contemplation, establishing the samādhi-truths; the finest talents, the six pairs, all proceeded along this road, returning their spirits to the Valley Spirit. How admirable it is! As for the ground, it enfolds moisture and bestows nurture so that the crops of planting and harvesting may grow; fine silver and jade treasures are all borne by it. No analogy for calm and contemplation is closer than this; hence it is called the “Grounds of the Path”. Formerly, when the Host of Blessings was present, his threefold knowledge had far-reaching insight, and with the eight sounds and four analytical knowledges, he gloriously spread the transformation. Recognizing illnesses, he cured them, and the spoken scriptures were countless. But when the Tathāgata, the Sugata, passed away, the great instructions ceased; when the five hundred unattached ones departed, the spiritual teachings diverged. Thereupon, there was a tripiṭaka śramaṇa named Sangharakṣa. Looking upward, he reflected that the various practices were scattered among the multitude of texts; looking downward, he took pity on beginners who could not fully master them. Inheriting and compiling the various sūtras, he selected the essentials to summarize the practices, organizing their sequence into one work of twenty-seven chapters. Regarding practice, it is as essential as a person's head, which must be carried for a lifetime and cannot be cast down for a moment; it is like the breath, which must circulate for a lifetime and cannot be blocked for a moment. If the breath is blocked, life is lost; if the head is cast down, the body perishes. If a practitioner abandons this teaching for even a moment, treachery and depravity will enter. There was the great being Shigao, the eldest son of the King of Parthia. He relinquished the kingdom in noble abdication, forsaking the position of myriad chariots; brilliantly manifesting lofty virtue, he changed his appearance to cultivate the Path. Crossing borders to spread transformation, he arrived in this realm. The instructions he transmitted were profound, subtle, superior, and deep. Furthermore, he selected seven chapters compiled by Sangharakṣa and translated them into the Chinese language. The phonetics were close to the refined and simple, unhewn as uncarved wood: sometimes changing plainness to follow literary style, sometimes retaining plainness without embellishment. Magnificent was Shigao; he truly grasped their essentials! For cutting off the source of cravings, extinguishing desires for glory, and calming restless striving, nothing precedes calm. For clearing away delusion, understanding the nine realms, and seeing the illusory nature of the body, nothing comes before contemplation. The Great Sage thereby developed the five faculties and ascended to the undefiled state; for propagating fine transformation and altering stubborn customs, nothing takes precedence over rectitude. None fail to arise from this. This may truly be called abundant virtue and great accomplishment, reaching the utmost! The practices from the five aggregates up to formation and dissolution are the traces of the truth of suffering and the extinction of defilements. The chapter on the bases of miraculous power is the essential for meditative contemplation and the five superknowledges. The fifty-five contemplations are the root of crossing beyond the four impermanences and abandoning the three fetters. When people dwell in the world, their ignorance is not yet dispelled; they rejoice in sensual pleasure as if feasting on a great sacrifice, having dwelt in the filthy sea and endured the dark plight for nine months. Once born, they face hardships and encounter a hundred misfortunes; turning around, old age and death arrive, entangling them in myriad sufferings, drifting and drowning in the five flows without being able to return. The Sage saw deeply and took this as the realization of suffering, letting his spirit roam the eightfold path and ascending forever to eternal peace. When one concentrates single-mindedly and studies antiquity, leisure and joy are like this; when one gives rein to emotions and indulges desires, the bitter poison is like that. The two paths are clear; one should comply with what ought to be followed. Stones are used for tempering to crush, peel away the hard, and cut through the rigid; when the plain substance is refined and deep, the five colors shine brightly. Judging from this, can one not strive? I was born at an ill-fated time, encountering the unraveling of the royal order. The northern barbarians caused disorder in the central land, and the region east of the mountains was swept away. Fleeing hardship to Huoze, my teachers perished and my companions fell away. Looking around for counsel, there was nowhere to turn. At that time, there were the śramaṇa Zhi Tanjiang of Yanmen and the śramaṇa Zhu Sengfu of the capital of Ye. These two benevolent men possessed bright intelligence, had faith, and loved antiquity. Braving hazards from afar, they arrived, and I was able to exchange views with them. Examining the chapters and scrutinizing the phrases, we composed this explanatory commentary, so that the fearful and those striving to advance might temporarily gain a slight awakening. For a mosquito or gnat to flap its wings to assist the great wind, or for an ant mound to add an earthen layer to the peak of Mount Song—how could they increase their height or force? To fathom the subtle and fathomless is difficult even for the eight classes of sages; how much more so for a late-learning youngster like me to aspire to this? However, the sacred land of Tianzhu has rugged roads and lies far away; obscure are the eminent scholars, and few come to spread transformation throughout. The former sages have passed away, and future sages have not yet arrived; advancing or retreating, I stumble like a trapped wolf, sighing with tears. Therefore, I composed these chapter-and-phrase commentaries to manifest my sincere devotion, hoping that the divine ones with supernatural powers will shine their light upon my longing gaze, and surely deign to bend their spiritual feet to illuminate errors and rectify deficiencies.

10.6

Preface to the Chapter-and-Phrase Commentary on the Śrāmaṇera's Ten Wisdoms, No. 2

10.7

Composed by the Strict Ācārya Fudiao

10.8

Formerly, during the Buddha's time, the scriptures and teachings were not recorded in writing. The words came from the Venerable One's mouth, and the disciples recited and practiced them. The phrasing was concise yet the meanings were broad; the written records were scarce yet wondrously deep. Once the Buddha entered nirvāṇa, the subtle words ceased forever, like the waters of a valley drying up or the sun and moon falling. Thereupon, the worthy ones together tasked Ānanda with expounding what he had heard, producing twelve divisions of sūtras. Thereafter, the eminent each composed commentaries and explanations, explaining the chapters, phrases, and origins, sometimes by the dozens. There was a bodhisattva from Parthia whose name was Shigao. Magnanimous and devoted to antiquity, there was no sūtra he did not master. Pitying the ignorant commoners, he showed them a bridge. Thereupon, he proclaimed the Buddha's Dharma in the Han land, translating several million words in total, explaining some orally and transmitting some in writing. Only concerning the Śrāmaṇera's Ten Wisdoms had a profound explanation not been heard. Now, ten is the culmination of numbers, and wisdom is the foundation of the Path. Without numbers, things are not determined; without the Path, practices cannot bring deliverance. Its text is splendid, and its utility is tireless; broadly it encompasses the three realms, while closely it contemplates one's own body. I, Diao, despite my lack of talent, had the fortune to join the ranks of the worthy. Yet my learning has not become comprehensive, nor has my conduct attained the four standards. Early on I met with misfortune and caused sorrow to my preceptor; for long I lacked the benevolent guidance of family instruction. In deep sorrow and isolation, my mind had nothing to latch upon. Thereupon, forgetting to eat in my ardent resolve, taking advantage of leisure to ponder through it, I composed the Chapter-and-Phrase Commentary on the Ten Wisdoms, not daring to rely on my own authority but drawing on analogies from the sūtras—above, to reach the virtue of the Path; below, to comfort my own mind. For sages of profound and vast aspirations, it is unworthy of attention; but for those who have not yet entered the inner chamber, it may open their eyes.

10.9

Preface to the Sūtra on the Meaning of the Ten Dharmapadas, No. 3

10.10

By Master Dao'an

10.11

The surging of desire undergoes a hundred turns and a thousand transformations, and its fluctuations shape the teachings; how could they be confined to a single aspect? Therefore, the Fully Awakened One, according to the shifts of the mind, gave them the name of sūtras. When deviation ceases, it is called rectitude; when distraction ceases, it is called samādhi. Square or round according to the vessel, joining or dispersing in accord with custom: being adapted to the vessel, names are established based on substance; following custom, medicine is prescribed in response to the condition. Since the establishment of names is not fixed, the names possess a spiritual path; since the prescribing of medicine is not fixed, the medicine responds and connects with the cause. Being thus adaptable and penetrating the causes, the various practices unfold and become bound through the Dharma. Whether two, three, up to ten, it depends on the person; illnesses vary in number, and individuals serve as the category. Just as medicinal formulas have single and compound remedies, taking the pulse and observing the complexion serve to prescribe medicine according to the sickness. The dharmas collaborate to complete one another—is it not so? Ever since the Buddha passed into the hidden realm, what Ānanda transmitted was divided into the three baskets, continuing the former thread and classifying the various sūtras. In the Śrāvakayāna, they are the Āgamas; among the four collections, the Madhyama-āgama is the treasury of numerical categories, and the Abhidharma is the forest of numerical categories. Among the grand scholars and learned men of Chize, those who did not study the Abhidharma were indeed deficient. For those who build a boat to cross over, their substance is secure; for those who refine numerical categories to establish themselves, their achievement is fine. Therefore, whenever the Prajñā[-pāramitā] unfolds, it inevitably analyzes all dharmas through numbers and balances categories to form scriptures. These are the collar and throat of all sūtras, the crucial pivot of the Path. Can one not attend to it? Can one not attend to it? Ah! Among the former disciples, the one who did not forget the subtle numerical categories was Śāriputra. Following in his footsteps down to the present, it has a long tradition. Those who are devoted to this enterprise may yet fail to achieve it. In the land of Jin, Shigao was the most outstanding. Magnificent! His numerical teachings had a deep source and flowed clear; embracing virtue and bringing harmony, he spread fragrance in this realm. Although I, Dao'an, aspire to his lofty traces, I have no way to reach them. Yet in turning, circling, extinguishing, and cultivating, [the teaching] has not fallen to the ground. Unifying the mind without confusion to build accumulated habit, shifting the will to tread far, and changing one's nature to pursue the lofty—though one might wish to tire, one cannot. People also have a saying: 'A sage is the accumulation of human sentiments.' Since sagehood arises from accumulated labor between the forge and hammer, how could one stop? The general principle of sūtras is that different explanations lead to the same practice: different explanations clarify the destination of a single practice; the same practice indicates that its essentials cannot dispense with one another, so that practices must be performed together. Fulfilling their destination, they abide in the same place without becoming novel; not being novel, they arrive all at once without confusion; being practiced together, they gather densely without bewilderment. What is called knowing difference and knowing identity is great comprehension; having both identity and difference is called great completeness. Examining with this, how could the meaning remain hidden? How could the meaning remain hidden? In profound contemplation, nothing is finer than discerning identity and difference, yet those who find its gate are perhaps few; in lucidity, nothing surpasses distinguishing numerical categories, yet those who enter its chamber are scarce. Formerly, Yan Diao composed the Chapter-and-Phrase Commentary on the Ten Wisdoms, and Kang Senghui compiled the Essential Items of the Six Perfections; whenever I studied their traces, I rejoiced in gaining awakening. However, there are still omissions, and long-practiced teachings that remained unrecorded. Now I have excerpted and arranged them, entitling it The Meaning of the Ten Dharmapadas. As an explanation of what is routinely practiced, or as a compilation of what was not gathered in the past to bequeath to posterity, perhaps my peers may examine it.

10.12

Preface to the Sūtra on the Thirty-Seven Items, No. 4

10.13

Composed by Śramaṇa Zhu Tanwulan

10.14

The thirty-seven items are the boat and carriage of all Buddhas of the three times; śrāvakas and ancient Buddhas all rode them and attained deliverance. The sentient beings of the three realms are all borne by them. Thus a sūtra says: 'The carriage of the Mahāyāna Path crosses over all devas and humans.' However, the thirty-seven items are sometimes separated and sometimes combined. In the Ekottarika[-āgama] four-dharma section, there are the four bases of mindfulness and the four bases of miraculous power, but not the four right exertions; the five-dharma section has the five faculties and five powers; the seven-dharma section lacks the seven factors of awakening; and the eight-dharma section has the eightfold path. Thus they form five sūtras. Following this pattern, they should properly form seven sūtras; thus they are separated. But most sūtras combine them, with only the Ekottarika[-āgama] doing otherwise. In the Madhyama-āgama, under the mindfulness of body, there is the practice of ānāpāna inhalation and exhalation; this serves as an antidote when distracted thoughts arise while practicing the four bases of mindfulness. Furthermore, the phrasing of the thirty-seven items varies across different sūtras. In my leisure, I perused the various sūtras, selecting those with complete content and skillful phrasing, arranging them in orderly clauses and settling them in their places, so that the substance of the sūtras is not damaged, while differences and agreements in content become manifest in meaning. Furthermore, I appended the samādhis to the end, so as to complete the forty items of nirvāṇa. Under the five faculties, it mentions the four dhyānas and four noble truths by name without text; therefore, I attached them to the rear, so that beginners can grasp them and easily comprehend—is that not fine? Moreover, I noted variations among the sūtras at the end of the phrases.

10.15

After the Lesser Ānāpāna and the thirty-seven items, calm and contemplation, the vinaya, and the meaning of dharmas follow in order. Next after the thirty-seven items are the four noble truths; after the Lesser Twelve Gates are the three directions, thus making forty items of nirvāṇa. Calm, contemplation, and the four noble truths are practices for accomplishing the Path that cannot dispense with one another. Therefore, I compiled calm, contemplation, the three samādhis, the four dhyānas, and the four noble truths, appending them after the thirty-seven items, desiring that practitioners may examine them with ease and put them into practice. The preface has 265 characters; the root text has 2,685 characters; the sub-commentary has 2,970 characters; totaling 5,902 characters, excluding the final six lines of 80 characters which are not counted. Composed by Śramaṇa Zhu Tanwulan in the twenty-first year of the Taiyuan era of the Jin dynasty, the year bing-shen, in the sixth month, at the Xie Zhenxi Monastery in Yangzhou.

10.16

Preface to the Śāriputrābhidharma, No. 5

10.17

By Shi Daobiao

10.18

"Abhidharma" in the language of Qin means "incomparable dharma." It issued from the Eight Tones and was composed by the Second Sage. Though its composition is concise, its ultimate precepts are thoroughly comprehensive; deeply subtle and broadly salvific, its spiritual essence is without match. It is truly the subtle breeze of the Jetavana and the grand current flowing against the stream [of saṃsāra]. However, in the darkness following the Buddha's passing, scholars vied in holding to divergent paths: some asserted the self and phenomena, while others asserted phenomena without a self. This contravened the pure tradition and obscured the noble path. There was Śāriputra—profoundly wise and deeply awakened, his spirit permeated and aided the entourage; his virtue matched the left flank, and his wisdom joined in illuminating the future. He considered that the transience of right and wrong would cause the Great Way to fade into obscurity; and since it was already the Semblance Dharma, leaving it to take its course would only cause further stagnation. Therefore, he dared to assemble what he had heard of the sūtra-teachings directly before the Buddha, personal receiving and compiling them to patrol the embankments in advance, so as to restrain aberrant currents and assist in propagating the Dharma's transformation. Hence, as a scripture, it first establishes headings to elevate the root, and later expounds broadly to clarify the substance of its meanings, which are fourfold: the Question Section, the Non-Question Section, the Section on Inclusive Correspondence, and the Thick Section. The Question Section relies on words to strike and examine, clarifying responsive encounter. The Non-Question Section employs silent communication through rhythmic phrasing, solely declaring the characteristics of phenomena. The Section on Inclusive Correspondence synthesizes self and other, explaining that characteristics are not non-existent. The Thick Section recounts conditions from afar to reveal the emptiness of intrinsic nature. When the emptiness of intrinsic nature is revealed, returning from delusion is attained; when characteristics are not non-existent, then characteristics and function operate together; when the characteristics of phenomena are proclaimed, wrong views cease; when responsive encounters are clarified, nothing of the ultimate is omitted. The four divisions are completely rounded, and the meanings of the two truths are fully provided; therefore it is called "incomparable dharma." Compared with the previously translated Abhidharmas, though its words and style are well-blended and fluent, its principles and structure are distinct. Moreover, it records intrinsic emptiness to clarify the ultimate purport; thus it was prized in its own day and handed down as a model for a thousand years. Its luminous canon stirred the distant borders, and the fourfold assembly at once looked up to it together. This enables those clinging to existence to dispel the confusion of false views, and causes those turning toward transformation to arouse an immediate, soaring impulse. Thus it is the noble lineage of the mysterious truth, towering and grand; thus it is that with which the turning of the wheel accords, ceaseless and untiring. This scripture shone forth in former eras, its spiritual nectar flowing to the western borders; its pure teaching filled Mount Langfeng, and its profound inquiries fanned the eastern ranges. The Heavenly King of Qin, endowed with a modest nature and sage wisdom, had his obscure roots planted in past ages, and reality was forged at the imperial pinnacle. His royal virtue answered the auspicious omens as he expounded the Three Treasures; upon hearing of this canon, he dreamed of and yearned to gather it. Though it was said to be far and remote, his devotion only grew more earnest. It happened that the Indian śramaṇas Dharmagupta, Dharmayaśas, and others, scholars of doctrinal learning, came on travels. The King of Qin, having harmonized with his longstanding aspiration, joined them in debating and clarifying the principles of the scripture. They initiated pure discourse in the realm of moral education, and dispersed the subtle phenomena into the realm of spontaneous non-being. Transcendent indeed was the import beyond all expression; calm and serene, it truly answered its fine reputation. Thereupon he issued an edict ordering its translation. Then the Crown Prince, an innate sage in the palace who carried on the sage's person through the Way, let the profound flavor flow afar and reached the profound extremes of wondrous crossing. Specially apprehending the luminous purport, he assisted in this enterprise. Although the master of the text originally recited it from memory, it was truly proper to be prudent and prepared. In the ninth year of the Hongshi era of the Qin, it was ordered to be written down in Fan script. In the tenth year, he was promptly commanded to produce it. Yet because the purport of the scripture is subtle and profound, not something easily met by mere passing words, if the two sides did not comprehend each other and it were directly entrusted to translators, it was feared that the essentials of the bridge would not reach perfection. It was suspended until the sixteenth year, when the master of the text had gradually grown familiar with the language of Qin and was ordered to translate it himself. The heir apparent personally oversaw the flavor of the doctrine, ensuring both words and meanings were understood and everything pursued was exhaustively clarified, after which it was recorded with the brush. Furthermore, redundancies were internally restrained and eliminated, its verbose repetitions examined, and its overarching aim grasped. Thus those attending to the style polished it, and those attending to the meaning selected and refined it, checking and collation continuing until completion in the seventeenth year. As for the efficacy beyond the text and the marvels of supreme accordance, they are truly beyond what I can attain, and I cannot describe them in full. Gathering from various sūtras and examining across the treatises, the beauty of the newly presented marvels was spontaneously declared in the text. Verily, the reality of the Dharma's enduring presence is like the outer and inner aspects of a garment. Its general outline employs both existence and non-existence; its subtle text is profound and rich, and its purports are bright and clear. This is truly the enduring pathway of the Sarvāstivāda, the sublime destination of the Mahāyāna, what early masters took as their source and later students can look up to. In marking it with nearby substance, my synthesis fails to reach far. Yet unable to restrain my feelings, I have presumptuously taken part in this scripture; with sincere yearning and gratitude, I have casually set forth this humble preface, looking up in humility to wise sages so that they may recognize my shortcomings.

10.19

Preface to the Saṅgharakṣa Scripture, Sixth (in Qin, "Zhonghu" [Protected by the Saṅgha])

10.20

Author Unknown

10.21

Saṅgharakṣa was a native of the country of Surāṣṭra. He was born in this country seven hundred years after the Buddha's parinirvāṇa. Leaving home to study the Way, he traveled to teach throughout various lands. Arriving in Jiantuoling in the land of Gandhāra, he became the master to the king of Kapiśa. Eminent and unmatched in his generation, he wrote and compiled extensively; the Yogācārabhūmi-sūtra and the Great Sūtra on the Stages of the Path of this land were compiled by him. He also authored the regulations of this scripture: from the World-Honoured One's initial attainment of the Way until his entry into the void, no deed was too large or small not to be expounded in connection with its circumstances, and his travels and rains retreats were all comprehensively detailed. Although scriptures such as the Lalitavistara and the Crossing the World record the Buddha's daily activities, this one is exceedingly detailed and thorough. Now surveying this scripture, what one realizes is even greater. Tradition says that when he was about to pass away, he said: "If my establishment of the faculties and attainment of the powers as a great being is truly not in vain, I shall stand beneath this tree, hand over its leaves, and cast off this body, so that even the strength of Nārāyaṇa and the force of great elephants will not be able to move me by a single hair. Even when brought to cremation, this leaf shall not be scorched." Having spoken thus, he passed away standing. The King of Kapiśa came in person but could not move him, and even hauling him with giant ropes and elephants failed to shake him in the slightest. When they proceeded to cremation, the leaf in the flames was undamaged. Soon he ascended to Tuṣita to engage in elevated discourse with the Great Being Maitreya; in that palace, he will fill the position of a Buddha as the eighth in the Auspicious Kalpa. In the twentieth year of the Jianyuan era, the Kapiśa śramaṇa Saṅghabhadra brought the original manuscript of this scripture and arrived in Chang'an. Zhao Wenye, the Grand Protector of Wuwei, requested that it be produced. Zhu Fonian translated it, and Huisong was the scribal recorder. It happened to coincide with Murong's revolt in the near suburbs, but the translation was not abandoned. I collated and verified it together with Fahe, and it was finished on the thirtieth day of the eleventh month. In this year, the Madhyama-āgama in sixty fascicles and the Ekottarika-āgama in forty-six fascicles were also produced. Amidst the beating of war drums and sounding of night-watches, these 105 fascicles were produced; that our calm composure did not alter whether in adversity or prosperity—how could this not be the legacy of our late master?

10.22

Postscript to the Scripture Compiled by Saṅgharakṣa, Seventh

10.23

Author Unknown

10.24

On the thirtieth day of the eleventh month in the twentieth year of the Jianyuan era of the Great Qin, the Kapiśa monk Saṅghabhadra recited this scripture and the Vibhāṣā by memory at Shiyang Monastery in Chang'an. The translation by Fotuoluosha into the Qin language was not refined. The śramaṇa Shi Dao'an and the court worthy Zhao Wenye scrutinized the principles, constantly seeking to capture them with subtle perfection, which led to delays. It was only completed on the ninth day of the second month in the twenty-first year. Furthermore, for the Vasumitra Scripture, as well as the Ekottarika-āgama and the Māyājāla-sūtra recited by Dharmanandin, Zhu Fonian was engaged as translator. Fonian was learned in both internal and external texts, possessing a genius for debate with many rare talents. He often suspected that the language of the Western Regions was verbose and plain, while believing this land favoured ornamentation; he always sought to polish the sentences and excise redundancies, which was deeply abhorred by Master Dao'an and Gentleman Zhao. Exerting every effort in collation and verification, they insisted on the essential core of the scriptures. Given that regional customs differ, they permitted him the "five losses of the Hu text"; beyond this, not a hair's breadth of discrepancy was allowed. The five losses are as recorded in Master Dao'an's Preface to the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā. Having participated at the tail end of the assembly, I have casually made this note at the end of the fascicle, so that others may know the utmost devotion of Shi and Zhao to the Dharma.

10.25

Preface to the Vasumitra Compilation, Eighth

10.26

Author Unknown

10.27

The Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Vasumitra will succeed Maitreya to become a Buddha named Lion Tathāgata. During the descent and birth of Śākyamuni, he was born in the country of Videha as Uttara, the son of the great brāhmaṇa Brahmāyu. His father commanded him to observe the Buddha, and he immediately attended upon him for four months, fully witnessing his marks, awe-inspiring transformations, and comportment. Returning, he reported what he had seen; his father attained the stage of a non-returner. Vasumitra, having already left home to study the Way, changed his name to Vasumitra. After the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, he traveled to teach in the kingdoms of Caidyaka and Parṇā. With towering talent surpassing his age, he outstripped all others and compiled this scripture. Taking seven chapters as one skandha, up to thirteen skandhas were compiled by him; the latter four chapters in one skandha explain and interpret the Buddha's verses, making eleven chapters and fourteen skandhas in all. Broad, profound, and vast, it flourished alongside the Abhidharma. In foreign lands, it was comprehensively versed in the Mahāyāna, especially elucidating the exhaustion of outflows; widely traversing the ten dharmas, the capabilities of the hundred practices were fully accomplished. Searching into it, it is vast and boundless like the shoreless ocean—how could it not be called wide? Climbing it, one gazes in awe as at the peakless Kunlun mountains—how could it not be called high? Its jewel islets reach the limits of sight, like the gems of the luminous pearl; its crags and caves appear before one's eyes, like the jades of divine wisdom. In its inexhaustible richness, what could surpass this scripture? In foreign lands, those who ascended the high seat never fell to the ground. Having compiled this scripture, he entered into samādhi; in the space of a finger-snap, his spirit ascended to Tuṣita. Maitreya, Maitreya's retinue, and Saṅgharakṣa had just arrived at that heavenly palace. These several gentlemen are all persons who will next fill the place of Buddhahood: Maitreya is the Radiant Flame Tathāgata, and Saṅgharakṣa is the Gentle and Benevolent Buddha. These four great beings gathered in one hall, expounding provisional wisdom while the worthies and sages listened in silence. Grandly filling the ears, is this not a joy? The Kapiśa śramaṇa Saṅghabhadra brought a copy of this scripture and arrived in Chang'an in the twentieth year of the Jianyuan era of the Qin. Zhao Zheng, whose courtesy name was Wenye, the Grand Protector of Wuwei, was a scholar tireless in learning; he requested that it be produced. Zhu Fonian translated and transmitted it; Saṅghabhadra, Nanda, and Deva, three men, held the Hu text; and Huisong was the scribal recorder. It began on the fifth day of the third month and was finished on the thirteenth day of the seventh month. The Hu text was twelve thousand ślokas. I collated and polished it together with Fahe, and the Grand Protector of Wuwei embellished it to some extent. This scripture expounds the Three Vehicles as nine grades, and is especially skilled in practice, detailing the sixteen stages of śamatha and vipaśyanā most comprehensively. Whenever I contemplate this superior man's noble style, I never fail to forget mundane pleasures. My only regret is looking through the gates several fathoms high, fearing that I am too late and will lose the beauty of its ancestral temple and the richness of its hundred officials.

10.28

Preface to the Abhidharma, Ninth

10.29

Shi Dao'an

10.30

"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?

10.31

Tenth: Preface to the Abhidharma-hṛdaya

10.32

Author Unknown

10.33

When the Master Shi [Dao'an] was formerly in Guanzhong, he ordered Kumārabodhi to produce this scripture. That man was not conversant in the Jin language; the verses seemed difficult to translate, so he suppressed them without transmission, and when dividing sections, he simply called them sūtras. When Saṅghadeva was met, it was then known that these verses existed. When the verses were used to inspect the previous translation, beginnings and ends were largely obscured, mutually encroaching upon one another; what the translator could not convey was widespread. For this reason, he was encouraged to produce it anew. In the sixteenth year of Taiyuan of the Jin dynasty, the year being danyan and the zhen being chongguang (391 CE), in the winter of that year at the Southern Mountain Vihāra in Xunyang, Saṅghadeva himself held the Hu scripture, first reciting the original text, and then translating it into the Jin language. The bhikṣu Daoci acted as scribal recorder. By the autumn of the following year, he collated and corrected it once more with Saṅghadeva to establish it as the definitive version. At that time, the elders of the monastic assembly, Zhu Senggen, Zhi Sengchun, and others, eighty people in all, together with the local master, the Inspector of Jiangzhou Wang Ningzhi, and the upāsaka Prefect of Xiyang Ren Guzhi as dānapatis, all jointly encouraged and assisted in establishing it.

10.34

Eleventh: Preface to the Abhidharma-hṛdaya

10.35

Shi Huiyuan

10.36

The Abhidharma-hṛdaya contains the essential verses of the tripiṭaka, the subtle words of chant and song. It brings together all scriptures and commands their essential assembly; therefore the author took "Heart" (Hṛdaya) as its title. There was a renunciant mahāsattva named Dharmaśrī. With profound knowledge and far-reaching vision, he investigated the deepest subtleties; like a dragon submerged in the red marshes, his brilliance was solitary and unique. That master considered the Abhidharma scripture's sources and currents to be so vast that they could hardly be explored all at once; without abundant wisdom and broad talent, none could integrate it entirely. Therefore, having probed its profound depths, he separately compiled this work, beginning with the Chapter on the Dhātus and ending with the Inquiries and Treatises, totaling 250 verses, making it an essential commentary and titling it "The Heart". Its versified sounds imitate the likeness of heavenly music, as if clouds and flutes sounded of themselves; its demeanor embodies all categories of phenomena, attaching to things wherever it touches. When chanted or recited, it depicts the steps of birds and the movements of beasts; when struck or drawn out, it resembles worldly sentiments. As sentiment shifts with kinds, the voice follows nine variations to become a song; as breath harmonizes with numerical patterns, the tones concord with the pitches and rise together. Striking metal and stone to it, the hundred beasts lead each other in dance; playing it on winds and strings, humans and spirits are moved alike. This indeed exhausts the wondrous meeting of sounds and reaches the peak of nature's varied impulses, beyond what words can convey. Furthermore, as a scripture, it presents verses to establish the root, and elaborates the root to expand the meaning. It first promotes the internal to clarify the external, like tracing branches from their roots; it can truly be called beauty bursting forth from the centre and smoothly flowing to the four limbs. The essential way of bursting from the centre consists of three points: first, revealing the marks of dharmas to clarify the root; second, fixing one's own nature in spontaneity; third, recognizing that the arising of mental dharmas must occur together and respond alike. Occurring together, they necessarily respond alike; thus one illuminates the mutual dependence of the assembly of conditions. With one's own nature fixed in spontaneity, one penetrates the limits of ultimate fitness. With the marks of dharmas revealed in the true realm, one knows that straying passions can be reversed. When the root of mind is clarified in the three contemplations, one perceives the mysterious path that can be traversed. Thereafter, refining the spirit and mastering contemplation, one mirrors the six faculties like clear water; washing the mind and purifying wisdom, one patterns one's steps on the gate of the sages. Tracing the numbers of mutual conditioning, one uses existence to awaken to non-existence; pushing to the limit of ultimate fitness, one moves into the subtle. The śramaṇa Saṅghadeva from Kapiśa enjoyed this text in his youth and savoured it for a long time; moreover, having patterned himself on authentic models, his insights touched upon the spiritual essentials, and his understanding had already traversed its ferry. Happening to arrive on his travels, we consequently requested him to translate it. Saṅghadeva then held the Hu text in hand and proclaimed the Jin words orally. Facing the text with care and fear, he repeated each section thrice. I, Yuan, also respected and valued it, being reverent and cautious without error. However, regional dialects have different rhythms, and it is difficult to exhaustively convey them all; should there be any inaccuracies, we await future worthies, and hope all enlightened masters will correct its major errors. Translated in the sixteenth year of Taiyuan of the Jin dynasty.

10.37

Twelfth: Preface to the Tridharmaka-śāstra

10.38

Dharma Master Shi Huiyuan

10.39

The Tridharmaka-sūtra originates from the Four Āgamas. The Four Āgamas are the sūtras of the tripiṭaka, the profound treasury of the twelve divisions. Taking the three dharmas as its thread and the awakened dharma as the Way, it unfolds to match the names and varies to become ever broader. Although the dharmas are three, no category is unexhausted; although awakening is one, no wisdom is incomplete. It observes all dharmas to gather their essentials, and distinguishes the manifold streams to unite their source. This is the gradual advance of the beginner, and the flourishing garden of former scholars. There was an arhat mahāsattva named Giribhadra. His serene thoughts lingered in tranquil domains, and his wisdom encompassed all transformations. Moved by the foreknowledge of the discerning, and pitying the lack of awakening among the unenlightened who followed, he compiled these three dharmas, naming it accordingly. From the Chapter on Virtue down to What Is Relied Upon, there are altogether three chapters and nine true passages (dharmas); this was his creation. Afterward, there was a Mahāyāna upāsaka named Saṅghasenā. Believing that although the words and principles compiled by Giribhadra were lofty and concise, the text remained obscure, he followed the predecessor's chapters and verses to provide an explanatory transmission, expanding upon the original text to broaden its meaning and illustrating categories of events to propagate its beauty. With this, the merit of obscure praise was fully realized. From that time forth, the Way shone upon the world and its teachings were practiced. Thereupon, those who shook the staff to seek contentment looked up to this profound breeze and walked tall; those whose dhyāna contemplation penetrated the subtle scooped from this pure stream to cleanse their minds. Gentlemen conversing on the high seat made reference to it before speaking; visitors of broad knowledge and profound learning relied on it to enrich their learning. There was an itinerant śramaṇa originating from Kapiśa, of the Gautama clan, named Saṅghadeva. Formerly in his home country, he had heard this Way beforehand; elegantly enjoying its spiritual import, he carried it with him as he traveled. Although that man did not personally receive the oral instruction of the two worthies, he chanted and savoured the bequeathed words of the tripiṭaka. His aspiration was to share virtue, teaching others without fatigue; whenever he reached lecture and debate, his praise and chanting lingered. I, Yuan, together with the assembly, urged him to proclaim and translate it. Saṅghadeva then held the Hu scripture himself and converted it into the Jin language. Although the pronunciations were not completely exhaustive, the phrasing did not harm the meaning; relying on substance and discarding ornament, he strove to preserve its original. From the rise of the Han down to the Jin, both renunciants and laymen of reknown have engaged the sacred scriptures. Among those who broadly propagated the Buddhist teachings, those who transmitted and translated were very numerous; some let style exceed meaning, while others let principle surpass language. Comparing this translation to those, it virtually combines the merits of earlier scriptures. If future worthy scholars can bridge Jin and Hu and be skilled in translating regional dialects, we hope they will once again examine its overarching purport to judge what is balanced.

10.40

Thirteenth: Record of the Tridharmaka-sūtra

10.41

Appended to the End of the Scripture

10.42

The bhikṣu Shi Saṅghasenā originally aspired to the Mahāyāna, studied the tripiṭaka and mahāvibhāṣā-vyākaraṇa, and was conversant with all texts. He recorded these three chapters and nine true passages (dharmas) of the Tridharmaka, compiling and explaining this scripture. May the merit derived from this benefit all sentient beings, enabling them to attain peace from suffering and achieve liberation through seeing the truths.

10.43

Fourteenth: Separate Record Appended to the Chapter on Faculties of the Aṣṭagrantha-abhidharma

10.44

Author Unknown

10.45

The preface to this scripture states: 'That man forgot the one chapter on Conditioned Arising, and so the text was missing.' Recently, the śramaṇa Dharmapriya came from Kapiśa carrying the scripture from Michuan, and Saṅghadeva translated it; the text of this chapter and the eight skandhas was thereby completed. Dharmapriya, however, said: 'The eight skandhas are merely the body; separately there are the six feet (ṣaḍ-abhidharma-pāda), which amount to a million words.' Dharmapriya could recite two feet, but now there was no translator to produce them, which was a source of deep regret. Recorded on the nineteenth day of the first month of the fifteenth year of Taiyuan, at the Pagoda of Waguan Temple in Yangzhou.

10.46

Fifteenth: Preface to the Vibhāṣā (the Fourteen-Fascicle Version)

10.47

Dharma Master Shi Dao'an

10.48

The twelve divisions of scripture produced by Ānanda were transmitted within ninety days during the Buddha-intention samādhi. Later, separating its branches down to the Śrāvakayāna teachings resulted in the four Āgamas; Ānanda's merit concluded with this. Kātyāyanīputra extracted its essential practices, quoting sūtras to expound and interpret them into forty-four chapters of Abhidharma; concise, subtle, and lucid, it is highly valued in foreign lands. What Upāli arranged from its sources became the Vinaya. Together with the Abhidharma and the four Āgamas, they constitute the Tripiṭaka. Shendu treasures it dearly; it has never fallen to the ground. Later, Dharmatrāta compiled the *Practices* (Dharmatrāta-dhyāna-sūtra), which also circulated widely in the world. Furthermore, there were three arhats: the first was named Śītavani, the second named Daśī, and the third named Vairāṇī. They compiled the *Vibhāṣā*, extensively citing sacred attestations, in every word relying on ancient authorities to explain the Abhidharma. Those whom they cited and relied upon were all great beings and true men stamped with the Buddha's seal. Daśī was confused and approached verbosity; Vairāṇī was concise and approached brevity; Śītavani struck the finest middle course. When in Shendu, he ascended the fearless throne and proclaimed among the Saṅgha: 'Why should one not follow this path?' This scripture is like a great ocean, deep, vast, and boundless, from which a thousand treasures emerge; it is like the Kunlun Mountains, towering, secluded, and lush, a thicket of a hundred rarities, wherein the means of sustenance abide. Such is this scripture; what could one seek that is not found therein? There was the Gentleman of the Palace Secretariat Zhao Zheng, an accomplished man of letters who loved antiquity and searched into the hidden. He had often heard that foreign lands especially valued this scripture, and he longed and yearned to see it. However, it was to the right of the Kunlun Mountains and west of the desolate wilds, far off in a remote region, with no way to reach it. It happened that in the nineteenth year of Jianyuan, the Kapiśa śramaṇa Saṅghabhadra, who could chant forty-two sections of this scripture—namely, the compilation by Śītavani—came to Chang'an. Gentleman Zhao, thirsting [for the teaching], went to ask him to produce it. The śramaṇa Dharmanandin of that country served as scribal recorder for the Fan text; Buddharakṣa translated and transmitted it; Minzhi served as scribal recorder for this Qin language; and Gentleman Zhao rectified the meaning. From beginning to end, the translation began in the fourth month and was completed on the twenty-ninth day of the eighth month. The Hu text comprised 11,752 ślokas of five syllables each, totaling 376,064 words. In the Qin language it came to 165,975 words. The original scriptures were very numerous, but the man had forgotten them; there were only forty sections, which were the original text explaining the ten gates of the Abhidharma. Fifteen sections were divided into the Lesser Chapter and placed at the beginning; twenty-five sections formed the Greater Chapter and were placed at the end. These two chapters, Greater and Lesser, are entirely undamaged. The two sections after them were the remnants of what had been forgotten, and were ordered sequentially. Gentleman Zhao said to the translators: 'In the *Erya*, there are "Explaining the Old" and "Explaining Words," which clarify that antiquity and the present differ. Translators of scriptures in the past have mostly disliked the unadorned directness of Hu language and altered it to suit contemporary custom. This is not what I, Zheng, accept. Why? In transmitting Hu into Qin, it is only because we do not understand the regional language that we seek to grasp the direction of the phrases. Why dislike simplicity or ornament? Whether plain or ornate, it is best not to change it at this time. The scripture's skill and plainness have their own sources. Only when the transmission of the matters is incomplete is it the translator's fault.' Everyone praised this, saying, 'These are truly authentic words.' They then transmitted it according to the original text without letting anything be lost; only occasionally altering redundant expressions or transposed sentences, everything else was faithfully recorded. I rejoice that the land of Qin suddenly has this scripture, as though lifting an ocean and moving a mountain to suddenly be in this realm. Studying and chanting it, I wished to tire but could not. I then assisted in proofreading for one month and four days. Only then did I realize how rich the masters of the Great Way are, and how extremely narrow my previous view had been. I regret that only in my eighties or nineties have I opened its window. May those who wish to seek the wish-fulfilling jewel be sure to make firm preparations and strong companions, lest they lack the provisions of Cangruo.

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Linked texts (1)

出三藏記集 — 僧祐, Classical Chinese