出三藏記集 5

English (machine translation) 5

Language: English

1. Newly Compiled Catalogue of Excerpted Sūtras
2. Newly Compiled Master Dao'an's Catalogue of Suspect Sūtras
3. Newly Compiled Catalogue of Suspect Sūtras
4. Newly Compiled Record of Master Dao'an's Commentaries and Treatises on Miscellaneous Sūtras
5. Account of the Deviant Rites Fabricated by Zhu Fadu, a Confused Student of the Hīnayāna
6. Clarification of Doubts by Master Rui of Chang'an

5.3

Newly Compiled Catalogue of Excerpted Sūtras, Number One

5.4

As for "excerpted sūtras," they select and extract the essential principles. In the past, An Shigao excerpted and produced the *Sūtra on the Cultivation of the Great Ground of the Way* (*Xiuxing wei dadaodi jing*); precisely because an extensive translation was difficult, he simplified the text and gave an abridged exposition. When Zhi Qian translated sūtras, there were also excerpts of the *Bo jing*. These both condensed and transcribed Hu originals; they did not cut apart texts to fabricate sūtras. But later people did not reflect, and excerpts were recklessly made at will: sometimes scattering the various chapters like chess pieces, sometimes tearing the authentic text with their claws. This caused the sacred words to depart from their root, and furthermore made students pursue the branches. Even Prince Wenxuan of Jingling, with his lucid and profound discernment, could not avoid doing so. If this rivalry continues unabated, then with passing years and generations, texts will proliferate ever more extensively to sully and defile the Dharma-treasure—is this not lamentable? Once a designated title is established, it is difficult to excise. The excerpts made in Master Dao'an's time have all been appended to the main catalogue. Those collected in this new compilation are listed below, in the hope of warning future generations not to imitate them.

5.5

*Excerpts from the Avataṃsaka Sūtra* (*Chao huayan jing*), fourteen fascicles;
*Excerpts from the Mahāvaipulya Mahāsaṃnipāta Sūtra* (*Chao fangdeng daji jing*), twelve fascicles;
*Excerpts from the Bodhisattva-bhūmi Sūtra* (*Chao pusa di jing*), twelve fascicles;
*Excerpts from the Sūtra of Dharmapada Parables* (*Chao fajupiyi jing*), thirty-eight fascicles;
*Excerpts from the Akṣayamati Sūtra* (*Chao axiamo jing*), four fascicles;
*Excerpts from the Sūtra on the Pure Crossing Samādhi* (*Chao jingdu sanmei jing*), four fascicles;
*Excerpts from the Mahāmāyā Sūtra* (*Chao mohe moye jing*), three fascicles;
*Excerpts from the Embryo Sūtra* (*Chao tai jing*), three fascicles;
*Excerpts from the Aṅgulimāla Sūtra* (*Chao yangjuemolu jing*), two fascicles;
*Excerpts from the Sūtra on Repaying Kindness* (*Chao bao'en jing*), two fascicles (lacking the first fascicle);
*Excerpts on Dhūta* (*Chao d образова jing* / *Chao toutuo*), two fascicles (excerpts of matters in the vinaya);
*Excerpts from the Arthapada Sūtra* (*Chao yizu jing*), two fascicles;
*Excerpts from the Medicine King Chapter of the Lotus Sūtra* (*Chao fahua yaowang pin*), one fascicle;
*Excerpts from the Buddha-Land Chapter of the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa* (*Chao Weimojie suoshuo foguo pin*), one fascicle;
*Excerpts from the Expedient Means Chapter of the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa* (*Chao Weimojie fangbian pin*), one fascicle;
*Excerpts from the Inquiring about Illness Chapter of the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa* (*Chao Weimojie wenji pin*), one fascicle;
*Excerpts from the Ānāpānasmṛti Sūtra* (*Chao anban shouyi jing*), one fascicle;
*Excerpts from the Bodhisattva Original Actions Sūtra* (*Chao pusa benye jing*), one fascicle;
*Excerpts from the Vows and Practices Chapter of the Bodhisattva Original Actions Sūtra* (*Chao pusa benye yuanxing pin*), one fascicle;
*Excerpts of the Essential Categories of the Four Noble Truths Sūtra* (*Chao siti jing yaoshu*), one fascicle;
*Excerpts from the Vinaya Samādhi Sūtra* (*Chao falü sanmei jing*), one fascicle;
*Excerpts from the Inconceivable Matters of the Illumination Samādhi Sūtra* (*Chao zhaoming sanmei busiyishi jing*), one fascicle;
*Excerpts from the Sūtra on the Essential Assembly of All Buddhas* (*Chao zhufoyoaji jing*), one fascicle;
*Excerpts from the Mahāyāna Vaipulya Essential Wisdom Sūtra* (*Chao dasheng fangdeng yaohui jing*), one fascicle;
*Excerpts on the Repentance Method of the Samantabhadra Contemplation* (*Chao Puxian guan chanhuifa*), one fascicle;
*Excerpts from the Sūtra on the Delightful Adornment of Necklaces through Expedient Means* (*Chao le yingluo zhuangyan fangbian jing*), one fascicle;
*Excerpts from the Sūtra on Unprecedented Causal Conditions* (*Chao weicengyou yinyuan jing*), one fascicle;
*Excerpts from the Abhidharma Sūtra on the Five Dharmic Practices* (*Chao apitan wufa xing jing*), one fascicle;
*Excerpts from the Sūtra on the Non-Practice of All Dharmas* (*Chao zhufa wuxing jing*), one fascicle;
*Excerpts from the Sūtra on the Unconditioned Path* (*Chao wuwei dao jing*), one fascicle;
*Excerpts from the Sūtra of Discrimination* (*Chao fenbie jing*), one fascicle;
*Excerpts from the Crown Prince Virtuous Light Sūtra* (*Chao deguang taizi jing*), one fascicle;
*Excerpts from the Sūtra on Māra Transforming a Monk* (*Chao mohua biqiu jing*), one fascicle;
*Excerpts from the Chapter on the Reception of Precepts by Upāsakas* (*Chao youpose shoujie pin*), one fascicle;
*Excerpts on the Ritual for the Reception of Precepts by Upāsakas* (*Chao youpose shoujie fa*), one fascicle;
*Excerpts from the Sūtra on the Poor Maiden Becoming the King's Consort* (*Chao pinnü wei guowang furen jing*), one fascicle (from the *Avataṃsaka Sūtra* to *The Poor Maiden Becoming the King's Consort*, thirty-six works in total, were all excerpted by Prince Wenxuan of Jingling of the Qi; whenever the character "chao" [*excerpt*] appears at the head of a sūtra title, it was excerpted by Wenxuan);
*Collection of Doctrinal Inquiries on the Prajñā Sūtra* (*Banre jing wenlun ji*), twenty fascicles (this is the excerpt of the *Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa*, also called *Essential Treatise*, *Abridged Treatise*, or *Explanatory Treatise*).

The one work above in twenty fascicles. Śramaṇa Shi Huiyuan of Mount Lu, considering that the text of the treatise was so voluminous that students found it difficult to investigate thoroughly, excerpted its essentials.

*Excerpts from the Tattvasiddhi Śāstra* (*Chao chengshi lun*), nine fascicles (in the twelfth month of the seventh year of the Yongming era of Emperor Wu of the Southern Qi [489 CE], Prince Wenxuan of Jingling invited Shi Sengrou of Upper Dinglin Monastery, Shi Huici of Minor Zhuangyan Monastery, and others to jointly make these excerpts at Puhong Monastery);
*Excerpts from the Pure Crossing Samādhi* (*Jingdu sanmei chao*), one fascicle;
*Miscellaneous Excerpts from Vinaya and Sūtras* (*Lüjing za chao*), one fascicle;
*Excerpts from the Sūtra on the Origin of the Buddha's Deeds* (*Benqi chao jing*), one fascicle;
*Excerpts from the Śyāma Sūtra* (*Shan chao jing*), one fascicle (recorded in an old catalogue);
*Excerpts from the Vinaya Sūtra of the Five Hundred Brahmans* (*Wubai fanlü jing chao*), one fascicle (recorded in an old catalogue);
*Excerpts from the Deep and Perilous Ocean Sūtra* (*Dahai shenxian chao jing*), one fascicle (the six excerpted sūtras above are old excerpts, and their manuscripts are now all missing);
*Excerpts from the Sūtra on Renouncing the Body for the Dharma* (*Chao wei fa sheshen jing*), six fascicles (with the word *chao* at the top, it appears to have been excerpted by Prince Wenxuan; this sūtra is now missing);
*Garden of Dharma Sūtra* (*Fayuan jing*), one hundred and eighty-nine fascicles (this single sūtra was compiled in recent times by extracting from various sūtras and grouping them by category; although titled *Garden of Dharma*, it ultimately belongs to the category of excerpts; this sūtra is now missing).

The above excerpted sūtras total forty-six works in 352 fascicles. For thirty-eight works in 151 fascicles, the sūtras are extant; for eight works in 201 fascicles, they are now missing.

5.6

Newly Compiled Master Dao'an's Catalogue of Suspect Sūtras, Number Two

5.7

Compiled by Master Dao'an

5.8

In foreign countries, the monastic method of learning is always to kneel and receive instruction orally. Transmitted through teachers for ten or twenty generations to be conferred upon later students, if there is even a single variant character, they investigate and collate it together; once verified, [the error] is discarded. The monastic method allows no laxity. It has not been long since the sūtras arrived in the land of Jin, yet meddlesome individuals mark sand as gold, presenting an elegant surface without any rectification; how could one discern the genuine from the spurious? When weeds and grain grow together for the farmer, Houji sighs in sorrow; when uncut stones are enclosed together in the same coffer as gold, Bian He harbors grief. How could I, Dao'an, daring to be counted among students of learning and seeing the rivers Jing and Wei mingling their streams or dragons and snakes advancing together, not feel shame? Now I set forth those texts which in my estimation are not authentic Buddhist sūtras as follows, in order to show future scholars so that they may jointly know what to disdain and what to trust.

5.9

Bao rulai jing (Sūtra of the Precious Tathāgata), two fascicles (composed by a Hu person from the South Seas; also called Bao rulai sanmei jing [Sūtra on the Samādhi of the Precious Tathāgata]);
Dingxing sanmei jing (Sūtra on the Samādhi of Settled Practice), one fascicle (also called Fo yi dingxing momujian suo wen jing [Sūtra Questioned by Mahāmaudgalyāyana on the Settled Practice Bequeathed by the Buddha]);
Zhendi biqiu Huiming jing (Sūtra of the Bhikṣu Huiming on Ultimate Truth), one fascicle (also called Huiming biqiu jing [Sūtra of the Bhikṣu Huiming] or Qingjing zhendi jing [Sūtra on Pure Ultimate Truth]);
Nizha guowang jing (Sūtra of King Nizha), one fascicle (also called Nizha huangluo guowang jing [Sūtra of King Nizha of the Huangluo Kingdom] or Huangluo wang jing [Sūtra of King Huangluo]);
Xiong you wanzi jing (Sūtra on the Ten-Thousand Character on the Chest), one fascicle (also called Xiong xian wanzi jing [Sūtra on the Ten-Thousand Character Appearing on the Chest]);
Sahe pusa jing (Sūtra of the Bodhisattva Sahe), one fascicle (the old catalogue calls it Guowang Sahe pusa jing [Sūtra of King and Bodhisattva Sahe]);
Shanxin nü jing (Sūtra of the Woman of Virtuous Faith), two fascicles (also called Shanxin jing [Sūtra of Virtuous Faith]);
Hushen shi'er miao jing (Twelve Marvellous Sūtras for Protecting the Body), one fascicle (another title is Dushi hushi jing [Sūtra on Crossing Over the World and Protecting the World]);
Duhu jing (Sūtra on Salvation and Protection), one fascicle (also called Duhu fa jing [Dharma Sūtra on Salvation and Protection]);
Poluo sanmei jing (Sūtra on the Vira Samādhi), two fascicles;
Shanwang huangdi jing (Sūtra of the Virtuous King and Emperor), two fascicles (also called Shanwang huangdi gongde zun jing [Venerable Sūtra on the Merits of the Virtuous King and Emperor]; sometimes in one fascicle);
Weiwu sanmei jing (Sūtra on the Weiwu Samādhi), one fascicle (also written as Weiwu sanmei);
Aluohe gong jing (Sūtra of Duke Aluohe), one fascicle (also called Xiangguo Heluohe gong jing [Sūtra of Chancellor Duke Heluohe]);
Huiding pubian shentong pusa jing (Sūtra of the Bodhisattva of Omnipresent Wisdom, Samādhi, and Spiritual Superknowledges), one fascicle (the old catalogue calls it Huiding pubian guotu shentong pusa jing [Sūtra of the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, Samādhi, and Spiritual Superknowledges Omnipresent across Lands]);
Yinmacang jing (Sūtra on the Sheathed Organ of the Horse), one fascicle (also called Yinmacang guangming jing [Luminous Sūtra on the Sheathed Organ of the Horse]);
Da Ayuwang jing (Great Sūtra of King Aśoka), one fascicle (the one stating the Buddha was in Vārāṇasī);
Sishi jietuo jing (Sūtra on the Fourfold Liberation), one fascicle (also called Sishi jietuo duren jing [Sūtra on the Fourfold Liberation for Saving People]);
Da Analu jing (Great Sūtra of Aniruddha), one fascicle (not the one on the eight recollections; missing);
Pin nüren jing (Sūtra of the Poor Woman), one fascicle (the one named Nandā; the old catalogue calls it Pinnü N陀 jing [Sūtra of the Poor Woman Nandā]; missing);
Zhu jinxiang jing (Sūtra on Casting Golden Statues), one fascicle (missing);
Sishen jing (Sūtra on the Four Bodies), one fascicle (missing);
Puhui sanmei jing (Sūtra on the Samādhi of Universal Wisdom), one fascicle (missing);
Aqiuna jing (Sūtra of Arjuna), one fascicle (the old catalogue calls it Aqiuna sanmei jing [Sūtra on the Samādhi of Arjuna]; missing);
Liangbu duzheng jing (Sūtra on the Independent Realization of the Two Divisions), one fascicle (missing);
Faben zhai jing (Sūtra on the Uposatha of the Root of Dharma), one fascicle (came from West Liangzhou; missing);
Mili suo chuan da biqiuni jie (Precepts for Great Bhikṣuṇīs Transmitted by Mili), one fascicle (missing).
The above are twenty-six works in thirty fascicles.

5.10

Newly Compiled Miscellaneous Record of Suspect Sūtras and Apocryphal Compositions: Number 3

5.11

The Dīrghāgama states: when the Buddha was about to enter nirvāṇa, he expounded the four great authorities to the bhikṣus: if one hears the teachings of the Dharma and vinaya, one must examine their authenticity against the sūtras; if it contradicts the Dharma, it is not spoken by the Buddha. Furthermore, the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra states: after my extinction, groups of bhikṣus will copy and fabricate scriptures, causing the Dharma to dwindle away. What the omniscient knowledge illuminates has been verified in our own time! Ever since the degenerate end of the Semblance Dharma period, superficial and contentious people have been many. Some fabricate falsities relying on the genuine; others embellish vacuity to confuse reality. In the past, Master Shi Dao'an singled out twenty-six apocryphal sūtras, and also pointed to the cleric Huida as a grave warning. Since it happened in antiquity, it should naturally be addressed today as well. I, Sengyou, have collated the various scriptures, broadly gathered similarities and differences, and measured them against the sūtras and vinaya, thereby coming across quite a few suspect cases. Genuine sūtras are profound and far-reaching in style and purport, while fabricated texts are shallow and disorderly in phrasing and meaning; just like jade and common stone, or vermilion and purple, their true forms cannot be concealed. Now, I distinguish what is suspect and note it in this catalogue, and also append the spurious compositions of recent generations at the end. All of them rely on miscellaneous sūtras to invent their own titles. Looking forward, one never hears of them having travelled far from foreign lands; looking backward, one never sees them having been received and translated from Western guests. The words "Thus have I heard" originate merely behind doors and windows; approvals come solely from their own minds. Deceiving and misleading later students, it is truly chilling to the heart. Having witnessed and heard this myself, how could I dare remain silent? Ah, people of future generations, examine them with caution!

5.12

Biqiu yinggong faxing jing (Sūtra on the Dharma Practices of Bhikṣus Deserving Offerings), one fascicle (The front title of this sūtra says: translated by Kumārajīva. Sengyou observes: the old sūtra scrolls did not have the translator's name, and furthermore this sūtra is not among those translated by Kumārajīva; therefore, it is entered into the record of suspect texts);
Jushi qing seng futian jing (Sūtra on the Householder Inviting the Saṃgha, the Field of Merit), one fascicle (The front title of this sūtra says: translated by Dharmakṣema. Upon investigation, this sūtra is not among those translated by Dharmakṣema; therefore, it is entered into the record of suspect texts);
Guanding duxing zhaohun duanjue fulian jing (Sūtra on Consecration, Deliverance of the Stars, Summoning the Soul, and Severing Repeated Afflictions), one fascicle;
Jueding zuifu jing (Sūtra on Determining Sins and Blessings), one fascicle;
Wuwei dao jing (Sūtra on the Path of the Unconditioned), two fascicles;
Qingli youzui jing (Sūtra on Transcending Guilt), one fascicle;
Shaoxiang zhouyuan jing (Sūtra of Incense-Burning and Spoken Vows), one fascicle (also called Zhouyuan jing [Sūtra of Spoken Vows]);
Anmu zhou jing (Incantation Sūtra for Pacifying Graves), one fascicle;
Guan Yueguang pusa ji (Record on Contemplating Candraprabha Bodhisattva), one fascicle;
Fobo jing (Sūtra of the Buddha's Bowl), one fascicle (also called Fobo ji [Record of the Buddha's Bowl], concerning the great flood in the jiashen year and the advent of Candraprabha Bodhisattva);
Miledi jiao (Maitreya's Descending Teachings), one fascicle (appended after the Record of the Bowl);
Jiushiliu zhong dao (Ninety-Six Paths), one fascicle.
The above twelve works of sūtras and records either run contrary to doctrine and principle, or have vulgar and shallow prose and verses. Therefore, they are entered into the record of suspect texts, in the hope of weeding out tares and chaff to reveal the Dharma-jewel.
Guanding jing (Consecration Sūtra), one fascicle (also called Yaoshi liuliguang jing [Bhaiṣajyaguru-vaiḍūryaprabhā Sūtra] or Guanding bachu guozui shengsi dedu jing [Consecration Sūtra on Eradicating Faults and Sins to Attain Deliverance from Birth and Death]).
The above one work: In the first year of the Daming era of Emperor Xiaowu of the Song dynasty, the bhikṣu Huijian of Luye Monastery in Moling compiled and composed it based on sūtras. (At the end of this sūtra there is a method for prolonging life, which is why it circulates widely in the world.)
Tiwei Boli jing (Sūtra of Trapuṣa and Bhallika), two fascicles (previously there was a separate Tiwei jing [Sūtra of Trapuṣa] in one fascicle).
The above one work: During the time of Emperor Xiaowu of the Song dynasty, composed by the bhikṣu Tanjing of the Northern Country.
Baozhe jing (Sūtra of the Precious Carriage), one fascicle (also called Miaohao baozhe pusa jing [Sūtra of Bodhisattva of the Exquisite Precious Carriage]).
The above one work: Composed by the bhikṣu Tanbian of Huaizhou in the Northern Country; revised by the bhikṣu Daoshi of Qingzhou.
Puti fucang fahua sanmei jing (Sūtra on the Samādhi of the Dharma-Transformation of the Bodhi Merit-Storehouse), one fascicle.
The above one work: Composed during the time of Emperor Wu of the Qi dynasty by the bhikṣu Daobei (Daobei changed his name to Daohuan).
Fofa you liuyi diyi yingzhi (First Knowledge to Be Attained: The Six Meanings in the Buddha's Dharma), one fascicle (text not yet obtained);
Liutong wu'ai liugen jingye yimen (Doctrinal Approaches to the Unhindered Six Superknowledges and the Purification of the Six Senses), one fascicle (text not yet obtained).
The above two works: Excerpted and gathered from sūtra doctrines by the bhikṣu Shi Fayuan during the time of Emperor Wu of the Qi dynasty. Although his propagation of sūtra doctrines is different from fabrication, since he established separate titles as independent works, I feared later generations might be confused and suspicious; hence, I have clearly noted them in the catalogue.
Fo suo zhi mingshu jing (Sūtra on Numerical Categories Instituted by the Buddha), five fascicles.
The above one work: Composed during the time of Emperor Wu of the Qi dynasty by the bhikṣu Shi Wangzong. His excerpting from various scriptures resembles a forest of numerical categories, but because the title claims it was "instituted by the Buddha," I feared it would confuse name and reality; hence, it is noted in the catalogue.
Zhongjing yaolan fajie ershiyi shou (Essential Survey of Various Sūtras: Twenty-One Dharma Verses), one fascicle.
The above one work: Composed in the second year of the Tianjian era of the Liang dynasty by the bhikṣu Shi Daohuan. The above items make a total of twenty works in twenty-six fascicles. Combining the two catalogues of suspect sūtras, there are forty-six works in fifty-six fascicles. Thirty-eight of them have lost their provenance, while eight have the names of individuals.

5.13

Newly Compiled Catalogue and Records of Master Shi Dao'an's Commentaries and Miscellaneous Sūtras: Number 4

5.14

Now, the sun and moon cling to the heavens while the myriad stars assist their radiance; rain descends from dragons while swollen pools assist in moistening. It is for this reason that abundance thoroughly drenches and the great light shines brilliantly. Yet there are still those who hold torches in cloudy nights, and those who carry jars to draw water in Hanyin, because the circumstances still have deficiencies. When the Buddha established his teachings, perfected persons set them in motion; their grand circulation in foreign countries certainly had its origins. Reaching this land, it coincided with the end of the Han and the flourishing virtue of the Jin. However, local languages have different sounds, and elegance and unadornment vary accordingly. Translating Hu into Jin was not the work of a single person: some were skilled in Hu but unadorned in Jin; others were skilled in Jin but not fully accomplished in Hu. The myriad scriptures are luminous and vast, making it hard to find the middle ground. Taking liberties beyond my station, I have ventured to count myself among the saṃgha. Since I bear the name of assisting in transformation, how could I eat the bread of idleness all day? Accordingly, in the leisure time left from sweeping and sprinkling, I have commented on various scriptures as listed below. I do not dare presume that I must match the sage's intent; I only hope that upon examining the text, it may occasionally accord with the principle. I pray that future good spiritual friends will not fault my unyielding adherence, and hope that like carrying a jar or holding a torch, it might perhaps be of some slight benefit.

5.15

Guangzan zhezhong jie (Compromise Exposition on the Guangzan [prajñāpāramitā]), one fascicle.
Guangzan chaojie (Exposition on the Excerpts of the Guangzan), one fascicle.
As for the "Fangguang chapter" of the Prajñā[-pāramitā], it distinguishes the exhaustion of outflows without yet realizing the eighth stage (bhūmi). Its source and stream are vast and boundless, its meaning profound and recondite; it is not something whose ancestral temple can be seen in haste. Dao'an made the Zheyi zhun (Norms for Resolving Doubts), one fascicle; the Zheyi lüe (Summary for Resolving Doubts), two fascicles; and the Qijin jie (Exposition on the Genesis and Conclusion), one fascicle.
As for the Daoxing pin, it is an excerpt of the Prajñā[-pāramitā]. After the Buddha passed away, an eminent and discerning person of a foreign country compiled it. Its phrasing is unadorned and repetitious, its beginning and end obscure to one another. He composed the Jiyi zhu (Collected Annotations on Discrepancies), one fascicle.
As for the Greater and Lesser Twelve Gates (Shi'ermen), they are the deep storehouse of meditative contemplation. He composed commentaries for each:
He composed a commentary on the Greater: the Da shi'ermen [zhu], two fascicles; and the Xiao shi'ermen [zhu], one fascicle (extant today).
As for the Liaoben shengsi [jing], it is the mysterious marshland of the four truths and four faiths. He composed a commentary, one fascicle (extant today).
Miji jinggang jing (Guhyakādhipati-vajracakra-sūtra); Chixin fantian jing (Viśeṣacinti-brahma-paripṛcchā-sūtra).
The above two sūtras were produced by Master Zhu Fahu. They contain much hidden meaning. He composed the Zhenjie (Discerning Exposition), one fascicle.
As for the Xianjie bawan siqian duwuji [jing], it is a wondrous overview of the Great Vehicle. He composed an exposition, one fascicle.
As for the Ren benyusheng jing, it is the wondrous essential of the nine resting places and eight liberations. He composed a commentary and condensed exposition, one fascicle (extant today).
The Anban shouyi [jing] is the essential medicine for multiple reflections. He composed an exposition, one fascicle (extant today).
As for the Yin chi ru [jing], it is an incomplete sūtra produced by An Shigao; its deep stream is exquisite and delightful, a straight path to the ultimate Way. He composed a commentary, two fascicles (extant today).
As for the Da daodi [jing], it is an excerpt of the [Yogācāra]bhūmi, excerpted in a foreign country. He composed a commentary, one fascicle.
Where the practices of the various sūtras were perhaps not harmonized, Dao'an gathered them into the Shifaju yi (Meaning of the Ten Dharma-Phrases), one fascicle, bound together with miscellaneous expositions in the same scroll.
As for the Yizhi (Points of Meaning), it is the doctrines transmitted in this land by foreign śramaṇas. It states that the instructions of the various schools differ, and aims to broaden the hearing and seeing of future scholars. He augmented it into a commentary, one fascicle.
As for the ninety-eight fetters, they are the essential doctrine of the Abhidharma. He composed an exposition, one fascicle, bound together with the condensed general exposition in the same scroll.
He also composed the Sanshierxiang jie (Exposition on the Thirty-Two Marks), one fascicle.
The various heavens of the three realms were commingled and disordered; Dao'an made a catalogue, one fascicle (extant today).
The sūtras in this land were not produced at the same time: from the Guanghe era of Emperor Ling of the Han down to the present, the second year of the Kangning era of the Jin, is nearly two hundred years. Meeting fragments, they produced fragments; encountering completeness, they produced completeness. Not being the work of a single person, it is difficult to synthesize and organize them immediately. He made a catalogue for them, one fascicle (extant today).
Da shatai nan (Reply to Objections on the Purge), two fascicles.
Da fazhang nan (Reply to Objections on the Dharma General), one fascicle.
Xiyu zhi (Records of the Western Regions), one fascicle.
In total twenty-seven fascicles. The Catalogue of Heavens, the Catalogue of Sūtras, down to the Reply to Objections on the Purge and the Records of the Western Regions, although not commentaries on sūtras, are now appended to the end following Dao'an's old catalogue.

Sūtras Recited and Produced by the Nun Sengfa, Entered into the Catalogue of Suspect Works:
Baoding jing (Jewel Crown Sūtra), one fascicle. Produced in the first year of the Yongyuan era, when she was nine years old.
Jingtu jing (Pure Land Sūtra), one fascicle. Produced in the first year of the Yongyuan era, when she was nine years old.
Zhengding jing (Correct Crown Sūtra), one fascicle. Produced in the first year of the Yongyuan era, when she was nine years old.
Fahua jing (Lotus Sūtra), one fascicle. Produced in the first year of the Yongyuan era, when she was nine years old.
Yaocao jing (Medicinal Herbs Sūtra), one fascicle. Produced in the second year of the Yongyuan era, when she was ten years old.
Taizi jing (Crown Prince Sūtra), one fascicle. Produced in the second year of the Yongyuan era, when she was ten years old.
Jiayebo jing (Kāśyapa Sūtra), one fascicle. Produced in the second year of the Yongyuan era, when she was ten years old.
Poluonai jing (Vārāṇasī Sūtra), one fascicle. Produced in the first year of the Zhongxing era, when she was twelve years old.
Youloupin jing (Uruvilvā Sūtra), one fascicle. Produced in the first year of the Zhongxing era, when she was twelve years old.
Yiyi jing (Benefiting Intent Sūtra), two fascicles. Produced in the first year of the Tianjian era, when she was thirteen (transcribed under direction by Zhiyuan).
Borede jing (Attaining Wisdom Sūtra), one fascicle. Produced in the first year of the Tianjian era, when she was thirteen (transcribed under direction by Zhiyuan).
Huayan yingluo jing (Avataṃsaka Garland Sūtra), one fascicle. Produced in the first year of the Tianjian era, when she was thirteen (transcribed under direction by Zhiyuan).
Yutuowei jing (*Yodhāveya? Sūtra), one fascicle. Produced in the Huaguang Hall within the Imperial Palace in the fourth year of the Tianjian era, when she was sixteen.
Anahan jing (Anāgāmin Sūtra), two fascicles. Produced in the fourth year of the Tianjian era, when she was sixteen.
Miaoyin shizihou jing (Wondrous Sound Lion's Roar Sūtra), three fascicles. Produced in the fourth year of the Tianjian era, when she was sixteen (borrowed from the Zhang family).
Chucheng shizihou jing (Producing the Vehicle Lion's Roar Sūtra), one fascicle. Produced in the third year of the Tianjian era, when she was fifteen.
Shengman jing (Śrīmālā Sūtra), one fascicle. Produced in the first year of the Yongyuan era, when she was nine years old.
Youdan jing (Udumbara Sūtra), one fascicle.
Miaozhuangyan jing (Wondrous Adornment Sūtra), four fascicles.
Weimo jing (Vimalakīrti Sūtra), one fascicle (produced by the Jiang family).
Xu qishi jing (Preface on the Seven Generations Sūtra), one fascicle.
The above twenty-one sūtras, thirty-five fascicles in all.
These sūtras were produced as listed above by Nizi, the virgin daughter of Jiang Mi, an Erudite of the National Academy at the end of the Qi dynasty. At first, when Nizi was of an age when she shed her milk teeth, she would at times close her eyes and sit in quietude, reciting these sūtras. She would claim to have ascended to heaven, or say that they were bestowed by spirits. Her speech was fluent and unhindered, as though she had practiced it in a previous life. She had people transcribe them; after a short while she would stop, but after days or a month had passed she would resume as before. The monastics and laity in the capital all spread word of this wonder. Our present Emperor issued an edict to grant an audience and questioned her about the reasons. She answered according to the facts, appearing no different from an ordinary person. Yet she had deep faith in the correct Dharma and cultivated pure practice from an early age. Her parents wished to marry her off, but she took a vow and refused. Later she left the household, taking the name Sengfa, and resided at the Qingyuan Temple. As I, Sengyou, have gathered the canonical scriptures and investigated unusual reports, the matter reached my ears and eyes, and I went to request to examine them. Her family kept them secret and concealed, refusing to show them to me; I obtained only the Miaoyin shizihou jing in three fascicles to provide for this catalogue of suspect sūtras. This nun passed away in the third month of the […th] year of the Tianjian era. Some curious people obtained the texts and commentaries produced across time, fixing them at over twenty fascicles. Her maternal uncle Sun Zhi considered them genuine sūtras, circulating commentaries to promote and convert people, and collecting copies to transmit and transcribe them. Having already been written down on brush and tablet, they will inevitably be preserved in the world. Formerly, at the end of the Jian'an era of the Han, the wife of a certain Ding of Jiyin suddenly seemed to fall ill with a stroke, whereupon she could speak the Hu language. She then asked for paper and brush and wrote Hu script by herself. Furthermore, there was a Hu person from the Western Regions who saw her writing and said it was a scriptural prophecy. When investigating ancient times, such events are not entirely absent; however, their meaning did not come from the Golden Mouth, nor was there a master who translated them. Since acceptance and rejection both weigh on the mind, they are accordingly attached to the category of suspect texts.

Saposuoduojuan shu zhuangyan jing (Sarvajña-parivāra-alaṃkāra-sūtra), one fascicle (over twenty sheets of paper).
The above single work. In the ninth year of the Tianjian era of the Liang, Miaoguang, an ascetic itinerant monk of Yingzhou who had seven monastic years since ordination, fraudulently feigned extraordinary marks. The nuns and elderly women all proclaimed him to have attained the holy path. The Rectifier of Monks (saṃghanāyaka) of that province deliberated and intended to expel him; he thereupon slipped down to the capital and resided at Puhong Temple, where he fabricated this sūtra. Moreover, he wrote it onto folding screens, covered them behind red gossamer, and made offerings of incense and flowers. The fourfold assembly gathered like clouds, and donations and offerings piled up like thick smoke. When the origin of the affair came to light, an imperial decree remanded him to Jiankang to interrogate the suspect circumstances. It was said that he had excerpted various sūtras, incorporating much of his private notions, and that he had falsely engaged Lu Yan, a copyist, to compose the phrasing and polish the text. The judicial file reported that Miaoguang's deceitful fraud warranted execution, while Lu Yan was an accomplice, sentenced to ten years of penal military servitude. Thereupon, on the twenty-first day of the fourth month of that year, an imperial decree ordered the Rectifier of Monks, Huichao, to summon twenty elder masters capable of lecturing on the great Dharma in the capital, such as Sengyou and Tanzhun, to go together before the Jiankang magistrate to interrogate Miaoguang's affair. Huichao then received the decree and, together with twenty men including Tanzhun, Sengyou, Fachong, Huiling, Huiji, Zhizang, Sengmin, and Fayun, conducted the interrogation at the county office. Miaoguang confessed to his crime, every detail conforming to the official report. The assembly of monks deliberated carefully and decided to banish and penalize him in accordance with the Vinaya; through imperial clemency his life was spared, but fearing that he would stir up delusion and chaos again in outlying regions, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in the Dongzhi jail. Thereupon over twenty copies of this sūtra along with the folding screens were gathered up and burned at the county office. Yet some scattered copies still remain; fearing they may confuse future generations, I have therefore recorded a brief summary of the matter (the elder Sapuosuoduohu [Sarvajña] was the name of Miaoguang's father; Miaoguang's younger brother was named Jingangdeti [Vajraguṇakāya]; and his disciple was named Shizi [Siṃha]).

Fayuan jing (Scripture of the Dharma Garden), one hundred eighty-nine fascicles.
Excerpted as the Fa sheshen jing (Scripture on Renouncing the Body for the Dharma), six fascicles.
The above two works were probably compiled in recent times; the date and the compiler's name are unknown. They completely gathered the various sūtras together and grouped them by category. Since it was given the title "Fayuan jing", it might be suspected of being a distinct sūtra; therefore, I have recorded its title to show future scholars. Although the number of fascicles is large, they are still the various sūtras of the preceding catalogues; hence they do not enter the numerical count of the sections.

5.16

Record 5: Record of Zhu Fadu, a Confused Student of the Hīnayāna, Fabricating Deviant Rites

5.17

Now, when the Perfected One responds to the world, he observes the capacities of sentient beings. Because their capacities and faculties are unequal, he institutes diverse teachings. Thus the three vehicles establish ordinances that arise in response to aptitudes; the five periods preach the Dharma to transform them according to what accords with their inclinations. Advancing from coarse to subtle, proceeding through the small to reach the great, gradual stages at diverse times are the very embodiment of the teaching. Since the True Dharma gradually receded, receiving and learning have grown discordant. Diverse states in the outer regions have sometimes obstinately clung to the Hīnayāna. The final Nirvāṇa [Sūtra] made manifest and clear the Buddha-nature, yet some still cling to the initial teaching: one might well call them people who play the zither with the bridge glued down. In the Yuanjia era, a foreign merchant named Zhu Pole had long resided in Guangzhou, frequently traveling back and forth in pursuit of profit. In Nankang commandery he had a son, whom he accordingly named Nankang. When he grew up, his courtesy name was changed to Jinquie. Later he was able to enter the Path, becoming a disciple of Dharmayaśas, and changed his name to Fadu. Although this man's countenance was foreign, he was actually born in the land of Han. The regulations and ordinances of Tianzhu were not what he was familiar with; but by nature he harbored an inclination to feign singularity, desiring thereby to gather followers. Therefore, he obstinately studied the Hīnayāna, asserting that there are no buddhas of the ten directions and that one should pay homage only to Śākyamuni. He did not permit the chanting and recitation of Mahāyāna scriptures, and had his robes worn wrapped backwards, taking this as his rule. He always used copper almsbowls, having no other vessel of response. He even ordered the nuns to make "shoulder-pressing robes" that resembled niṣīdanas, sewing them into sacks to wear constantly on their shoulders without using them to sit upon, so as to display a mark distinct from the congregation. Whenever they went out on the road, they walked holding hands. During the poṣadha repentance, they merely prostrated themselves facing each other without kneeling in the foreign manner. Fadu was well versed in the Chinese language, yet when conferring the precepts, he first spoke in the Hu language, not letting the Chinese understand. In accordance with the explicit texts of the Vinaya, conferring the Dharma relies upon comprehension: if the words are not understood, the legal act is invalid. Yet Zhu Fadu practiced deceit and openly conducted deceptive arts, so that those of clear discernment all held him in alarm and rejected him. Only the daughter of the late Song Prefect of Danyang Yan Jun, the nun Fahong of Xuanye Monastery, and the daughter of Zhang Mu, Regional Inspector of Jiaozhou, the nun Puming of Hongguang Monastery, and others believed in and received his teachings, taking them to be authentic. Although born into noble clans, their discernment was deficient in wisdom: having slandered the Vaipulya scriptures, they cut themselves off from the rain of Dharma; falsely learning deceptive rules, they turned against the monastic discipline. Their future suffering will be deep indeed, truly worthy of pity and sorrow! Ever since the correct conversion flowed eastward, the Mahāyāna has shone like the sun. Outstanding and wise people receive it on the crowns of their heads, and all in the realm take it to heart. Yet to let a deluded and spurious person exclusively propagate a partial teaching without anyone putting a stop to it—how extreme this is! Formerly, Huidao was rigidly confined and doubted the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-sūtra; Tanle was obstinate and rejected the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra. Belittling the illumination of the world, they trusted in the errors of their own sentiments. The great assembly of Guanzhong already pointed them out as destined for the Avīci Hell. As for Sengyuan of Pengcheng, who slandered the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra, the root of his tongue melted and rotted, visibly displaying his misfortune in this life. That the Mahāyāna cannot be deceived can also be verified by this. Examining the delusion of these three men, their evil stopped with themselves; but Zhu Fadu's perversion poisoned others. In general, the nature of women is weak in wisdom and strong in credulity: once they receive a spurious teaching, the mutually deluded shape one another. Consequently, several monasteries in the capital were befouled by this deviant Dharma, and the assembly of nuns in the eastern regions was also tainted by this trend from time to time. One must fear that the deviant path is easily opened and the defilement will not cease. Alas! Could it be that Māra, desiring to sever the Mahāyāna, first took advantage of women? This is truly something over which the Great Being grieves, and which the Master of the Dharma ought to rectify and regulate. The Mahā-upāyakauśalya-sūtra states: "In the past, Śākyamuni Tathāgata was a monk who exclusively used the four Āgamas to teach and convert, slandering and reviling the Vaipulya scriptures. For innumerable kalpas he suffered great retributions of torment; emerging from Avīci, he gave rise to the Mahāyāna aspiration and thereby attained complete enlightenment." Worthies of later generations ought to contemplate preventing and severing such paths. How could one not be cautious before the clear warnings of past and present?

5.18

Formerly, Master Huirui long sighed over such folly and delusion, and composed this "Clarifying Doubts" to guard against what has occurred today. Therefore it is preserved at the end of the catalogue. Although it is not of the same category as the catalogue, its clear proof is of the same import.

5.19

"Clarifying Doubts", Number Six

5.20

By Master Rui of Chang'an

5.21

Now, responding without quiescence comes when those who stimulate reach out. Stimuli have the fine and the coarse, and responses likewise are not one: this is the principle of shadow and echo. If one uses this to square off against that, not only will one diverge from its roundness, one will also lose its squareness. Therefore, drawing upon the awakening of full learning, I illustrate that which is doubted. Where doubt is not deep in the vitals, the coarse must surely be treated. If treatment does not reach it, how then could an illustration avail? One may examine previous illustrations in full. In the past, during the restoration of the Han dynasty in the reign of Xiaoming, the light of endless illumination first began to shine upon this land. In terms of the illumination of two [periods of] five [hundred years], that must have been the beginning of the semblance Dharma. From then on, renowned persons of the Western Regions, the like of Marquis An, arrived in succession. The written words of the Great Transformation gradually attained profound illumination, and the frontier vulgarity had its coarseness and perversity refined away. At the end of the Han and the beginning of the Wei, the two chancellors of Guangling and Pengcheng left household life, and both were able to uphold the great illumination. Sages who sought its flavour began to arrange lectures, broadening them with generous interpretations and expanding them with matching expositions. Down to the likes of Fazu, Mengxiang, Faxing, and Kang Senghui, they compiled various sūtras to promulgate the profound purports, roughly managing to satisfy earlier listeners up to the present. Adhering to the texts to seek the purport, their meanings did not stray far from the ancestral source, and their words did not contradict reality—this began with my late master. And when it came to Fu [Jian] annexing Kucha and the three kings coming to court, the masters who upheld the Dharma also assembled together with the sūtras. Dharma Master Kumārajīva arrived from Kucha; tripiṭaka masters who upheld the vinaya gathered from Kapiśa; and dhyāna masters and their followings soon also assembled together. For more than ten years, the Guanzhong region was flourishing; this must have been the height of the Great Dharma's latter revival. I, Sengrui, have ordinary and base talents, yet was fortunate to take part. Facing the master craftsmen, refining and translating the esoteric scriptures, not a day passed without hearing the words of the Dharma; of what I heard, there was no essential point I failed to record. Therefore, I dare to rely upon what I heard and commit it to paper and ink to proclaim what I cherish. Master Kumārajīva said: 'The Great Teaching has flourished in the world for more than fifty years; no word of it is untrue, and in truth nothing fails to benefit. Uttered for benefit, nothing is not teaching; declared as truth, nothing is not a jewel. The jewel is illustrated by the wish-fulfilling [gem]; the teaching takes rectifying faults as its substance. If one can embody its purport of adapting to what is appropriate, then no word is not profound; but if one clings to one single illumination, then no delusion will fail to arise. Now this world is named "turbid" (saṃkirṇa), so one knows that it was originally detached and thin. Being originally detached and thin, it easily produces winds and waves. Winds and waves are easily stirred; what is unrefined is easily dissipated. Being easily stirred and easily dissipated, the Great Sage therefore advanced by adapting to what was appropriate. He did not advance by a single path, and the diversified transformation of the three vehicles arose from this. The Tripiṭaka dispels its defilements and stagnations; the Prajñā removes its illusions and falsehoods; the Lotus opens the single ultimate; and the Nirvāṇa expounds its real transformation. These three fords open illumination, and illumination leaves nothing out.' Yet excellence and inferiority lie in the person; depth and shallowness reside in one's awakening. One practices according to one's measure, without praise or blame. In the first five hundred years, during those five hundred years, many attained the Way and few did not; speaking in terms of the majority, it was called the true Dharma. In the latter five hundred years, there was only mutual censure and disputation filling the paths; few attained the Way and many did not; likewise, characterizing it by the majority, it is named the semblance Dharma. It resembles it yet is not true; the failure arises from human beings. Arising from human failure, there were even those who overturned true words, brandished axes and halberds against the real transformation, with indiscriminate [judgments] arising in their chests and irremediable [words] coming from their lips—these were the Hīnayāna people of the thirty-six kingdoms. This trouble spread to the land of Qin, and the followers of Huiduo then further disbelieved the Larger Chapter [of the Prajñāpāramitā]. After receiving Master Kumārajīva's entry through the pass to open and entrust the true illumination, the light of prajñā was able to shine once again. When the latter-day vulgarity was enlightened by this real transformation, the Lotus was subsequently produced to open the gate of expedient means, expanding its fords and paths so that the single reality became ultimate. Families who rejoiced looked up to it and bathed in it, truly unaware that old age was about to arrive. Yet the monk Tanle, clinging to a biased view, saw it and condemned it, cutting himself off in dark paths, forever unteachable. Now as for the Great Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra, the monk Faxian sought the authentic text afar and obtained it in India; bringing it to the capital at Yangdu, he held a great gathering of more than a hundred monks learned in doctrine from the capital. The master held the text, collated and translated it, and produced it in full detail. This sūtra says: 'Nirvāṇa is imperishable, the Buddha has a true self, all sentient beings have Buddha-nature, and having Buddha-nature, through learning they can become Buddhas. Because the Buddha has a true self, the mirror of the sage is particularly revered and he is the king among all sages. Nirvāṇa endures forever, serving as the basis of responsive illumination. The Great Transformation does not perish, and the authentic foundation is preserved therein.' Yet people again give rise to doubts, content with gradual illumination while rejecting true instruction, indulging their biased attachments and abandoning themselves to darkness beyond rescue. How can this be right? This is precisely the Lotus opening the Buddha's knowledge and vision. The opening of the Buddha's knowledge and vision can now for the first time be understood; like gold polished to brightness, its manifest appearance can be recognized. Yet they condemn it again! To have such a mind from the source of the Great Transformation—the sūtra's words about the icchantika are truly not in vain! These three gates of the Great Dharma all have confirmed proofs. Formerly, Zhu Shixing inherited the true models and took the Great Dharma as his own task. When lecturing on the Middle and Smaller Chapters [of the Prajñāpāramitā] in Luoyang, there were often places he could not comprehend; he therefore went out beyond the shifting sands to seek the Larger Chapter. Arriving in Khotan, he indeed obtained the authentic text, and immediately dispatched ten disciples to deliver it to Luoyang to be translated into the language of Jin. Before they departed, the Hīnayāna scholars of that land reported it to the king, saying: 'The śramaṇa of the land of Han intends to confuse and disrupt the true words with Brahmanical books. As ruler of the land, if Your Majesty does not stop him, you will cut off the Great Dharma and blind and deafen the land of Han—this will be Your Majesty's fault!' The king therefore would not permit it. Thereupon Zhu Shixing requested that the scripture be burned as proof. The king also complied with his request, stacking ten cartloads of firewood below the palace steps and setting it ablaze. Standing before the steps, Shixing made a sincere vow: 'If the Great Transformation is meant to spread in the land of Han, the scripture must not burn. If it is not meant to be, what can be done about fate?' Having spoken, he threw it in; the fire was immediately extinguished, without damaging a single character. Thus they were able to have this authentic text of the Lotus! In the great country of Khotan, its glory shone upon the double soil and leapt into the air, and thus it was able to circulate here. After this Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra was produced, there were those who disliked its phrasing as awkward and altered it to make it more convenient, following the petty delusions of human sentiments. There was a monk named Huiyou who privately hired someone to copy the authentic text. At the copyist's home, a fire suddenly broke out, and more than thirty houses were wiped out at once. Searching for bronze and iron utensils amid the ashes and flames, the copyist suddenly saw that the copied text remained in the fire unburned; while the outer margins of the paper he had written on were burned, the characters were not harmed at all, whereas all the other cloths, papers, and bamboo tubes for copying scriptures had been turned to ash. As Master Kumārajīva said, these three scriptures are the three gates of the Great Transformation and the limitless true body; all have spiritual confirmations, leaving no room for doubt. Although in Master Kumārajīva's time the text of the Mahāparinirvāṇa had not yet arrived, there was already the Dharmakāya Sūtra explaining that the Buddha's dharmakāya is precisely nirvāṇa, matching the present translation as if fitting two halves of a tally. If this master had been able to hear that the Buddha has a true self and that all sentient beings have Buddha-nature, it would surely have been like the bright sun clearing his breast and sweet dew moistening his four limbs, without any doubt. How is this known? Whenever he was earnestly asked whether the true lord of the Buddha is also false and unreal, and who is the foundation of freedom from delusion after accumulating merits and virtues, he would sometimes say: 'If the Buddha is false and unreal, who is real? If it is false and unreal, after accumulating merits and virtues, who is their master?' According to what he explored, now to say that the Buddha has true karma and sentient beings have a true nature—even though he had not seen this scripture, when verifying and evaluating the intent, it does not diverge. Moreover, he was once asked: 'In this land there were previously sūtras saying that all sentient beings shall become Buddhas. What about this?' He replied: 'The Lotus opens the Buddha's knowledge and vision; this may also mean that all possess the nature to become Buddhas. If they have the Buddha-nature, why should they not all become Buddhas? However, what this Lotus explains is to explain that there is only the Buddha-vehicle, without a second or a third; it does not explain that all sentient beings shall become Buddhas. As for "all shall become Buddhas," I have not seen it, nor do I insistently deny it.' If he had been able to hear these true words, they would truly have accorded with his innermost mind. Therefore we know that if he heard them, he would have deeply believed and accepted them. Those who study the true Dharma in our company might lightly open their robes and listen again to past illustrations. Just like those attached to the Hīnayāna in the thirty-six kingdoms, who also thought of themselves as having the brilliance of the sun and the moon, with none surpassing them—yet those whose great minds were vast and bright were able to disesteem their madness and biased attachment, which brought upon themselves heavy guilt. Huidao's rejecting the Larger Chapter while revering the Tripiṭaka was likewise not done because he considered his illumination incomplete. Tanle's rejecting the Lotus, relying on his overbearing spirit, considering himself right and the rest of the world drifting in folly, thinking only he alone was correct, in his mind also conceded nothing to anyone. Now those who doubt the Mahāparinirvāṇa, seeking it from afar, must surely take 'all sentient beings have Buddha-nature' as failing to penetrate true illumination. True illumination can naturally illuminate what is false and unreal; why would the real again require it to illuminate all sentient beings? Since there is falsehood, there is separately a true nature as the unchangeable foundation; therefore, only when cultivation and refinement are thorough does the true nature manifest. One constantly uses the light of great wisdom to eliminate falsehood; when falsehood is exhausted, the dharmakāya alone remains, serving as the basis of responsive transformation. Responding to the conditions that can be brought to completion in those to be transformed, 'if one person is not delivered, I will never abandon them.' Since this doctrine has such confirmation, why should there be any doubt? If one further harbors doubts regarding the true nature and dharmakāya, I fear that this perverse mind will be deluded in every respect. If one even gives rise to doubt concerning the Buddha's true self, one might as well disbelieve that the Buddha has the illumination of correct awakening and possesses the knowledge of all aspects (sarvākārajñatā). The brilliance of prajñā is naturally a divine vessel for illuminating what is false and unreal; what does it have to do with [denying] the Buddha's true self, the eternal existence of the dharmakāya, and all beings possessing the true Buddha-nature? With the true nature present, does not learning avoid overstepping its bounds, and does not completion avoid departing from the foundation? Yet some wish to claim that true illumination has no unreal words, that words are also non-existent, that the Buddha's self is also non-existent, and that nirvāṇa is a heterodox view! They only know how to cling to this light that illuminates delusion, not knowing that the nature free from delusion is not that illumination. They wish to use this to deceive the world, but how can the people of the world be deceived? The reason I have broken silence and repeatedly elucidated this illumination is out of regret that in a single marketplace there should be talk that melts metal, or that in a single market three men should report a tiger: easily deluded followers will then be tainted by it, and all become beings who do not refrain from killing. It was only because I could not bear it that I spoke out; how could I take pleasure in pointing out other people's faults? It is truly like a viper biting the hand: one cannot but cut it off. Fortunately, those of deep discernment will embody the intent behind my not keeping silent; those who have not entered deeply may pursue it and awaken, thereby seeking the path to self-purification. If they are already beyond illustration, what more can I do?

First 21 of 23 passages. Read on

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出三藏記集 — 僧祐, Classical Chinese