出三藏記集 5.4

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.