出三藏記集 10.30

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?