大唐內典錄 10.24

10.24

序曰。名教設位戡濟淪亡。將使真偽分流邪正異轍。所以歷代道俗崇重教門。皆敦編次㳂時無替。考挍存沒三十餘家。銓定人代皆遵安錄。然彌天亞聖道洽幽明。感神僧而示慈天。蒙印定而明注解。故能徵覈教旨。輕斵鑿而重淳風。商度句義。宗質文而排鄙野。致使遺文餘行。經累代而逾新。其德孔明固略標擬。自餘後作皆號命家。詞什繁略難為通簡。然相乘置位代出新經。法俗贊述無時不有。比多惰學無暇博觀。競撮本經少有通贍。所以傳述義解斯文蓋闕。然夫開信適道權謀率先。導達化源理兼俗典。故慧遠釋桓玄之疑。道林開郄超之信。僧會啟吳王之惑。次道弘宋主之心。㳂彼迄今代有其事。莫不雅引三際。陳報應如指掌。綜襲六經。明殃咎之倚伏。傍括子史統詳譬喻。以近徵遠用俗悟道。知幾其神在斯一舉。豈得埋名削迹而不列挺者乎。今所撰錄該括眾氏勘閱正偽研訪遺逸偽無所取。非目無以定名遺篇。所求列卷以彰可錄。敢敘由來用陳有寄。想諸來鑒復織組焉。

Preface: The doctrines and moral teachings established their ranks to overcome and rescue the drowning and fallen, intending to let the true and the counterfeit flow apart and the heterodox and orthodox part their tracks. For this reason, the monastics and laity across dynasties revered and prioritized the doctrinal lineages, zealously compiling them in succession throughout the ages without interruption. Examining the extant and lost among more than thirty authors, all followed Dao'an's catalogue in determining figures and historical periods. Indeed, Dao'an, whose talent filled Heaven as a second Sage, possessed a Way communicating with both the hidden and the manifest; moved by a divine monk, he was shown Maitreya's heaven, and receiving confirming endorsement, he clarified the commentaries. Thus, he was able to scrutinize the doctrinal tenets, disdaining artificial carving while valuing pure and genuine virtue, and weighing phrases and meanings, he took substance and refined prose as the standard while rejecting the vulgar and rustic. As a result, the transmitted texts and remaining practices became ever fresher through successive dynasties; his virtue being so brilliant, it is only roughly outlined here. Other later authors are all styled masters of renown, but their diction and compositions are so dense or terse that it is difficult to extract a comprehensive summary. Yet succeeding one another in their positions, every generation brought forth new scriptures; panegyrics and commentaries by monastics and laity existed at all times. Lately, many are indolent in their studies, lacking the leisure for wide perusal, eagerly grasping only the root scriptures while rarely possessing comprehensive erudition; hence in transcribing accounts and expounding doctrines, such writings have largely been wanting. Now, in opening faith and approaching the Way, expedient stratagems take the lead; in guiding access to the source of transformation, principles simultaneously encompass secular classics. Thus Huiyuan resolved the doubts of Huan Xuan; Daolin inspired the faith of Xi Chao; Senghui dispelled the perplexity of the King of Wu; next Daohong [enlightened] the mind of the Song sovereign. From then down to the present, every generation has had such affairs: all gracefully cite the three times, presenting retribution as clearly as pointing to one's palm; they synthesize the Six Classics, clarifying how misfortunes and blessings lurk within each other; broadly gathering the philosophers and histories, they comprehensively examine metaphors and analogies, drawing on the near to verify the distant, and using the mundane to awaken to the Way. Knowing the subtle stirrings with divine acumen lies in this single undertaking; how could their names be buried and their traces erased without being prominently set forth? Now this compiled catalogue embraces the diverse authors, checking the orthodox and spurious and investigating what was lost; nothing false has been retained. Without titles, there is no way to fix the names of missing texts; I have sought to list the fascicles to demonstrate what is worthy of recording. I venture to narrate the origins to present what may be entrusted, hoping that future discerning minds will re-weave this fabric.