續大唐內典錄 1.2

1.2

夫以大聖者體辯而長幽寂。普霑動植同熟氣而登焉。幽蔽而不光。能異變而不養不謂親相歸於在相有道或藏嵯峨住於巖演登般若雙林虛空有六十萬億百千說涅槃會菩薩樂眾生者。于時廣大盡城於在此國。著於秦漢俄臨之會初存使賢僧白象驅連立域於帝京中道場念心乃翻聖跡石舍安然降曾多述。仍廣度群萌難以盡算。至於華香而設集大眾之流。二十七譯雜增阿含等經。凡為二十八譯。良是前王後帝譯出民人之輩各變於斯。新別前翻不譯相似不同者多或有是非交橫不失得部帙深大卷。多言廣切轉者微薄成不登於崇誦力勞不盡有新不終實此之行實則鼓手腹心在也意淨。云何齊身結誓敬登一經見得之教筆紙淨院語將初首以其大歌足沈吟眾會住院名僧盡宣律師。執杖尋庠修行遊憶法師之意性若物不下茂愛識多解學集古今多能多才集句說演經等煩須讀廣億言一紙一顧顏容似華不飲兩端愛德三衣無著淨染。棄時俗如棄洟不絕為懷。輕綿帛如客塵未能留惜。而所妙哉兩臂不偷卷聖圖筆不停操律建跡於總持寺之院東西修房寔所留意畫像序讚一體不隱集遠無餘定秀每人前後相繼於賢難方卓異絕群。是法師之曠度耳者也。

Now, the Great Sage embodies eloquence while forever abiding in serene quietude. Universally moistening the sentient and insentient alike, they mature together in his breath and ascend thereby. Obscurely concealed without ostentation, he transforms extraordinarily yet does not preserve self-regard; not clinging to personal forms, he returns to the true nature of all forms. Having the Way, he may conceal it within towering crags, dwelling in caves to expound the ascent to prajñā; in the Twin Grove and in empty space, amidst sixty trillion assemblies expounding the Nirvāṇa, he is a Bodhisattva who delights sentient beings. At that time, its vastness filled cities throughout this land. Reaching the times of the Qin and Han, at that moment of sudden arrival, he first caused worthy monks with white elephants to drive forward in succession, establishing their domain within the imperial capital's bodhimaṇḍa. With mindful intention, holy traces were translated; peacefully deposited in stone chambers, many treatises and narratives descended. Moreover, they broadly delivered the multitudes of beings in numbers difficult to count. Coming to the scattering of flowers and incense and the assembly of the vast streams of people, through twenty-seven translations of the Saṃyuktāgama, Ekottarikāgama, and other sūtras—amounting altogether to twenty-eight translations—truly earlier kings and later emperors translated them forth, each group of people introducing variations. New and distinct from previous translations, yet untranslated ones share similarities; their differences are many, and right and wrong cross in confusion, not lacking in deep and great fascicles and cases. Redundant words and overly broad language make the subtle and profound appear slight and meager, failing to ascend to revered recitation; their efforts and toil are unending, leaving new works unfinished. The practice of this truly relies on inner sincerity and pure intent. How can one align oneself, form a resolve, and reverently take up a single sūtra, receiving its teachings through brush and paper in a pure cloister, to narrate its initial beginnings? With great praise and profound meditation, the prominent monks dwelling within the assemblies, all Vinaya masters of broad renown, grasped their staves and sought places of learning; practicing the path and roaming in contemplation, the intent and nature of the Dharma masters showed that if any matter was deficient, they deeply cherished and broadly understood it. Gathering learning from ancient and modern times, endowed with multiple talents and capacities, compiling verses and expounding sūtras, they painstakingly read through billions of words on each sheet of paper; with a single glance, their countenances bloomed like flowers, never wavering between two extremes, cherishing virtue and wearing the three robes without attachment to purity or defilement. Casting aside worldly conventions as one casts away nasal mucus, they harbored no lingering attachments; treating fine silks lightly as mere guest-dust, they felt no regret to leave them behind. How wonderful it was! With both arms tirelessly unrolling holy diagrams, brushes never ceasing to write the Vinaya, they established their tracks within the cloisters of Zongchi Temple. The eastern and western chambers received their meticulous care; portrait images, prefaces, and eulogies were made unified and unobscured. Gathering the distant without omission, continuously manifesting excellence, each person succeeded the other, outstanding and matchless among the worthy. Such was the Dharma Master's magnificent breadth of mind!