出三藏記集 10.48

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.