續大唐內典錄 1.2

1.2

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!