出三藏記集 10.36

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.