大唐內典錄 5.13

5.13

The heavenly mandate fell upon the Sui to embrace these Five Phases; the imperial blueprint was blessed with prosperity, making its dwelling in these Nine Provinces. Therefore, at the very beginning of [the Emperor's] birth, a spiritual light burst forth, and after his accession to the throne, miraculous omens vied to appear. Thus it was that heaven revealed signs in turtle carapaces, waters floated with five colours, the earth opened sweet springs, mountains echoed for ten thousand years, clouds brought celebration, dew turned sweet, pearls glowed, and stones transformed; the deaf heard, the blind saw, the mute spoke, and the lame walked. Birds and beasts displayed extraordinary wonders, while herbs and trees presented auspicious omens hard to record. From this one knows that what was heard in antiquity concerning the seven treasures was not confined to the gold-wheel-turning sage king; now, spiritual wonders through the four seasons harmonise especially with the jade candle. Formerly, in the chituo year, the yellow carriage took the imperial reins; earth controlled the movement of water, restoring the Sun of the Buddha that had fallen into ruin and destruction. Fire mounted the movement of wood, inaugurating the auspicious title of Kaihuang. Under Gaozu, in the second year of Dading of Emperor Jing of the Zhou, a yellow dragon descended upon the old land, and auspicious clouds appeared above the city walls. On the thirteenth day of the second month, the Zhou transferred the imperial fortune by abdication to the Sui. Once the luminous mandate arrived, yellow garments replaced the black; the Six Offices of the Zhou were abolished in favour of the Five Departments of the Han. The Sun of the Buddha shone again, and the waters of the Dharma quietly flowed. That winter, a monk of the former Zhou arrived at the opportune moment bearing over two hundred Sanskrit texts from the Western Regions. An imperial edict was issued to the relevant authorities to seek out persons and command them to translate. In the second month of the second year of Kaihuang, they immediately set about translating and transmitting. In the final month of summer, an imperial edict proclaimed: 'When the Yin moved [their capital] five times, it was feared the people would all perish. This shows that the auspicious or ominous nature of the earth determines the short or long span of life. Planning anew and discarding the old is like a farmer looking forward to autumn. Mount Longshou possesses beautiful streams and plains, where plants and trees flourish abundantly; it is fitting to establish a capital city and set the foundation for the sacrificial tripods, making the endless enterprise perpetually secure. A city may be constructed here.' The city was named Daxing City, the hall was named Daxing Hall, the gate was named Daxing Gate, the county was named Daxing County, the park was named Daxing Park, and the monastery was named Daxingshan Si. The compassionate transformation of the Three Treasures arose from this, and the benevolent influence over the myriad realms expanded far and wide because of it. Monasteries towered loftily, and halls of Dharma stood face to face; bodhisattvas rubbed shoulders, and faithful people followed one after another. When the Renshou era commenced, precious pagodas were erected, and over a hundred prefectures all reported spiritual resonances. At that time, the four seas were calm without waves, and the nine realms were free of dust. Monks and nuns granted grand ordination approached three hundred thousand; monasteries repaired and erected numbered nearly five thousand. Translators among monastics and laymen were nineteen people; the sūtras and texts produced approached five hundred fascicles. When Emperor Yang succeeded to the throne, he divined his residence in the Eastern Capital, and subsequently established a Translation Hall in Shanglin Park on the banks of the Luo, providing the four necessities throughout the seasons without lack. The newly translated sūtras are fully recorded in a separate catalogue. Now, summarising the whole dynasty of two reigns and thirty-seven years, there were more than twenty monastics and laymen; the sūtras, śāstras, teachings, and so forth produced by them amount to ninety works in five hundred and fifteen fascicles, compiled into the transmission catalogue of the former Sui as follows below.