古今譯經圖紀 3.12

3.12

沙門鳩摩羅什婆。此言童壽。本印度人。父以聰敏見稱。龜茲王聞以女妻之。而生於什。什居胎日母增辯慧。七歲出家日誦千偈。義旨亦通。至年九歲與外道論義。辯挫其邪鋒。咸皆愧伏。年十二有阿羅漢奇之。謂其母曰。常守護之。若年三十五不破戒者。當大興佛法度無數人。又習五明論四韋陀典。陰陽星算必窮其妙。後轉習大乘數破外道。遠近諸國咸謂神異。母生什後亦即出家。聰拔眾尼得第三果。什既受具母謂之曰。方等深教應大闡秦都。於汝自身無利如何。什曰。菩薩之行利物亡軀。大化必行鑪鑊無恨。從此已後廣誦大乘洞其祕奧。西域諸王請什講說。必長跪座側命什蹋而登焉。符堅建元九年歲在丁丑。太史奏云。有星現外國。當有大德智人入輔中國。堅曰。朕聞西有羅什襄陽有道安將非此耶。後果遣將軍呂光等率兵七萬西伐龜茲。光與什同來。什在道數言應變光盡用之。光於是即據西涼亦請什留。至姚秦弘始三年。興滅迺召方入長安。秦主興厚加禮之。延入西明閣及逍遙園別館安置。勅僧䂮等八百沙門諮受什旨。興卑萬乘之心尊三寶之教。於草堂寺共三千僧。手執舊經而參定之。莫不精究洞其深旨。時有僧叡興甚嘉焉。什所譯經叡並參正。什以姚秦弘始四年歲次辛丑。起譯大品經（二十七卷）。大集經（二十四卷）。放光般若經（二十卷）。小品經（十卷）。華首經（十三卷）。檢諸罪福經（十卷）。妙法蓮華經（七卷）。賢劫經（七卷）。十住經（五卷）。思益梵天問經（四卷）。大樹緊那羅王所問經（四卷）。持世經（四卷）。維摩詰所說經（三卷）。佛藏經（四卷）。菩薩藏經（三卷）。稱揚諸佛功德經（三卷）。禪經（三卷）。禪經祕要法（三卷）。禪法要解（二卷）。阿闍世經（二卷）。阿蘭若習禪法經（二卷）。禪要經（二卷）。發菩提心經（二卷）。自在王經（二卷）。善信摩訶神呪經（二卷）。新首楞嚴經（二卷）。梵網經（二卷）。大善權經（二卷）。無量壽佛經（一卷）。彌勒下生經（一卷）。彌勒成佛經（一卷）。金剛般若經（一卷）。諸法無行經（二卷）。菩提經（一卷）。仁王護國般若波羅蜜經（一卷）。遺教經（一卷）。十二因緣觀經（一卷）。菩薩訶色欲經（一卷）。雜譬喻經（一卷）。須摩提菩薩經（一卷）。文殊悔過經（一卷）。比丘應法行經（一卷）。無思議光孩童菩薩經（一卷）。大方等頂王經（一卷）。大金色孔雀王經（一卷）。莊嚴菩提心經（一卷）。佛弟子化魔子偈誦經（一卷）。太白魔王堅信經（一卷）。開化魔經（一卷）。魔業經（一卷）。過魔法界經（一卷）。佛問阿須輪大海有減經（一卷）。魔王變身經（一卷）。東方善華世界佛座震動經（一卷）。陀羅尼法門六種動經（一卷）。佛跡現千輻輪相經（一卷）。佛臍化出菩薩經（一卷）。往古生和佛國願行法典經（一卷）。佛謦咳徹十方經（一卷）。過去無邊光淨佛土經（一卷）。佛變時會身經（一卷）。無量樂佛土經（一卷）。王后為蜣蜋經（一卷）。佛心總持經（一卷）。獼猴與婢共戲致變經（一卷）。水牛王經（一卷）。雀王經（一卷）。兔王經（一卷）。菩薩身為鴿王經（一卷）。佛昔為鹿王經（一卷）。牧牛經（一卷）。虛空藏菩薩問持經幾功德經（一卷）。觀世音經（一卷）。彌勒菩薩本願待時成佛經（一卷）。燈指因緣經（一卷）。觀普賢菩薩經（一卷）。睒本起經（一卷）。觀佛三昧經（一卷）。寶網經（一卷）。文殊師利問菩提經（一卷）。樂瓔珞莊嚴經（一卷）。請觀世音經（一卷）。思惟要略法經（一卷）。持地經（一卷）。菩薩戒本（一卷）。十誦比丘戒本（一卷）。大智度論一部（一百卷）。般若經論集一部（二十卷）。成實論一部（十六卷）。十住毘婆沙論一部（十四卷）。大莊嚴論一部（十五卷）。十住論一部（十四卷）。中論（四卷）。百論（二卷）。十二門論（一卷）。馬鳴傳（一卷）龍樹菩薩傳（一卷）。提婆菩薩傳（一卷）。婆藪槃豆傳（一卷）。實相論（一卷）。至十一年戊申。凡譯九十八部經合四百二十一卷。僧叡僧肇道恒等筆受。然什詞喻婉約出言成章。神情鑒徹傲岸出群。應機領會。鮮有其匹。且篤性仁厚汎愛為心。虛己善誘終日無倦。

The śramaṇa Kumārajīva—translated here as Tongshou ("Youth-Longevity")—was originally from India. His father was renowned for his intelligence, and the king of Kucha, hearing of him, gave him his daughter in marriage, and she gave birth to [Kumāra]jīva. While [Kumāra]jīva was in the womb, his mother's eloquence and wisdom increased. At seven years old, he underwent pravrajyā; each day he recited a thousand verses, and he also penetrated their meanings. By nine years old, he debated with tīrthikas, blunting their heterodox edge, so that they all submitted in shame. When he was twelve, an arhat marveled at him and said to his mother, "Guard him constantly. If he does not break the precepts by age thirty-five, he will greatly propagate the Buddha-Dharma and save countless people." He also studied the pañcavidyā treatises and the four Vedic scriptures; he thoroughly plumbed the subtleties of yinyang and astronomy. Later, he turned to the study of the Mahāyāna and repeatedly refuted tīrthikas, so that all the countries near and far considered him divine and extraordinary. After giving birth to [Kumāra]jīva, his mother also immediately underwent pravrajyā; she surpassed all the nuns in intelligence and attained the third fruit [of anāgāmin]. After [Kumāra]jīva received the full precepts, his mother said to him, "The profound teaching of the Vaipulya ought to be broadly proclaimed in the Qin capital. Yet what benefit is there in it for yourself?" [Kumāra]jīva said, "The practice of a bodhisattva is to benefit sentient beings and forget oneself. If the great transformation is surely put into effect, I have no regret even in a cauldron of boiling oil." Thenceforth, he broadly recited the Mahāyāna, thoroughly mastering its hidden mysteries. When the kings of the Western Regions invited [Kumāra]jīva to lecture, they would kneel beside the seat and bid [Kumāra]jīva step on them to ascend. In the ninth year of the Jianyuan era of Fu Jian, the cyclical year dingchou, the Grand Astrologer memorialized, saying, "A star has appeared over the foreign lands; a man of great virtue and wisdom is destined to enter and assist the Middle Kingdom." Jian said, "We have heard that in the west there is Kumārajīva, and in Xiangyang there is Dao'an; could it not be them?" Later, he indeed dispatched General Lü Guang and others leading seventy thousand troops westward to conquer Kucha. Guang returned together with [Kumāra]jīva; along the way, [Kumāra]jīva made several predictions adapting to contingencies, and Guang made full use of them all. Guang then occupied Western Liang and also requested [Kumāra]jīva to remain. In the third year of the Hongshi era of the Yao Qin, [Yao] Xing extinguished [the Liang] and only then summoned him to enter Chang'an. The Qin ruler [Yao] Xing treated him with deep courtesy, invited him into the Ximing Pavilion and the detached lodging in Xiaoyao Garden to reside, and ordered Sengqi and eight hundred other śramaṇas to consult and receive teachings from [Kumāra]jīva. [Yao] Xing lowered his majesty as lord of ten thousand chariots to revere the teaching of the Three Jewels. At Caotang Monastery, together with three thousand monks, he held the old scriptures in hand to collate and verify them, and there was none who did not deeply probe and penetrate their profound purport. At that time, there was Sengrui, whom [Yao] Xing highly commended; Rui collated and corrected all the scriptures that [Kumāra]jīva translated. In the fourth year of the Hongshi era of the Yao Qin, the cyclical year xinchou, [Kumāra]jīva began translating: the Dapin jing (twenty-seven fascicles), the Daji jing (twenty-four fascicles), the Fangguang bore jing (twenty fascicles), the Xiaopin jing (ten fascicles), the Huashou jing (thirteen fascicles), the Jian zhu zuifu jing (ten fascicles), the Miaofa lianhua jing (seven fascicles), the Xianjie jing (seven fascicles), the Shizhu jing (five fascicles), the Siyi fantian wen jing (four fascicles), the Dashu jinnaluowang suowen jing (four fascicles), the Chishi jing (four fascicles), the Weimojie suoshuo jing (three fascicles), the Fozang jing (four fascicles), the Pusa zang jing (three fascicles), the Chengyang zhofo gongde jing (three fascicles), the Chan jing (three fascicles), the Chanjing miyao fa (three fascicles), the Chanfa yaojie (two fascicles), the Asheshie jing (two fascicles), the Alanruo xichan fa jing (two fascicles), the Chanyao jing (two fascicles), the Fa putixin jing (two fascicles), the Zizai wang jing (two fascicles), the Shanxin mohe shenzhou jing (two fascicles), the Xin shoulengyan jing (two fascicles), the Fanwang jing (two fascicles), the Da shanquan jing (two fascicles), the Wuliangshou fo jing (one fascicle), the Mile xiasheng jing (one fascicle), the Mile chengfo jing (one fascicle), the Jingang bore jing (one fascicle), the Zhufa wuxing jing (two fascicles), the Puti jing (one fascicle), the Renwang huguo bore boluomi jing (one fascicle), the Yijiao jing (one fascicle), the Shi'er yinyuan guan jing (one fascicle), the Pusa he seyu jing (one fascicle), the Za piyu jing (one fascicle), the Xumoti pusa jing (one fascicle), the Wenshu huiguo jing (one fascicle), the Biqiu yingfaxing jing (one fascicle), the Wusiyi guang haitong pusa jing (one fascicle), the Dafangdeng dingwang jing (one fascicle), the Dajinse kongquewang jing (one fascicle), the Zhuangyan putixin jing (one fascicle), the Fodizi hua mozi jisong jing (one fascicle), the Taibai mowang jianxin jing (one fascicle), the Kaihua mo jing (one fascicle), the Moye jing (one fascicle), the Guo mofajie jing (one fascicle), the Fo wen axulun dahai you jian jing (one fascicle), the Mowang bianshen jing (one fascicle), the Dongfang shanhua shijie fozuo zhendong jing (one fascicle), the Tuoluoni famen liuzhong dong jing (one fascicle), the Foji xian qianfulun xiang jing (one fascicle), the Foqi huachu pusa jing (one fascicle), the Wanggu shenghuo foguo yuanxing fadian jing (one fascicle), the Fo qinghai che shifang jing (one fascicle), the Guoqu wubian guangjing fotu jing (one fascicle), the Fo bian shihui shen jing (one fascicle), the Wuliangle fotu jing (one fascicle), the Wanghou wei qianglang jing (one fascicle), the Foxin zongchi jing (one fascicle), the Mihou yu bi gongxi zhibian jing (one fascicle), the Shuiniu wang jing (one fascicle), the Que wang jing (one fascicle), the Tu wang jing (one fascicle), the Pusa shen wei gewang jing (one fascicle), the Fo xi wei luwang jing (one fascicle), the Muniu jing (one fascicle), the Xukongzang pusa wen chijing ji gongde jing (one fascicle), the Guanshiyin jing (one fascicle), the Mile pusa benyuan daishi chengfo jing (one fascicle), the Dengzhi yinyuan jing (one fascicle), the Guan puxian pusa jing (one fascicle), the Shan benqi jing (one fascicle), the Guanfo sanmei jing (one fascicle), the Baowang jing (one fascicle), the Wenshushili wen puti jing (one fascicle), the Yue yingluo zhuangyan jing (one fascicle), the Qing guanshiyin jing (one fascicle), the Siwei yaolüe fa jing (one fascicle), the Chidi jing (one fascicle), the Pusa jieben (one fascicle), the Shisong biqiu jieben (one fascicle), the Dazhidulun in one work (one hundred fascicles), the Borejing lunjji in one work (twenty fascicles), the Chengshilun in one work (sixteen fascicles), the Shizhu piposha lun in one work (fourteen fascicles), the Dazhuangyan lun in one work (fifteen fascicles), the Shizhu lun in one work (fourteen fascicles), the Zhonglun (four fascicles), the Bailun (two fascicles), the Shi'ermen lun (one fascicle), the Maming zhuan (one fascicle), the Longshu pusa zhuan (one fascicle), the Dipo pusa zhuan (one fascicle), the Posoupandou zhuan (one fascicle), and the Shixiang lun (one fascicle). Up through the eleventh year, wushen, he translated in total ninety-eight works of scriptures, comprising four hundred and twenty-one fascicles. Sengrui, Sengzhao, Daoheng, and others served as scribes. [Kumāra]jīva's phrasing and metaphors were graceful and restrained, and his spoken words formed refined compositions. His spirit was penetrating and clear, aloof and outstanding among the crowd. He grasped teachings in accordance with the capacity [of the listener], with rarely an equal. Moreover, he was deeply kind and generous by nature, holding universal love at heart; humble and skillful in guiding others, he was untiring all day long.