古今譯經圖紀 3

English (machine translation) 3

Language: English

3.1

Compiled by the scripture-translating śramaṇa Shi Jingmai of the Great Tang

3.2

The Fu clan of the Qin, capital at Chang'an

The śramaṇa Tanmote (which means “Dharma Ocean”) was a native of the Western Regions. He excelled at upholding the Vinaya Piṭaka and had profound entry into the sūtras. In the third year of the Jianyuan reign of Fu Qin, the year xinwei, he translated in Chang'an together with Zhu Fonian: the *Daśādhyāya-bhikṣu-prātimokṣa* (one fascicle); and the *Altar Text for Conferring [the Precepts] to Two-Year [Sikṣamāṇā] Nuns* (one fascicle); in all, two works in two fascicles, with Huize serving as scribe.

3.4

The śramaṇa Shi Huichang had strict discipline and decorum and was skilled and wise in the vinaya. Together with Tanmote, Zhu Fonian, and others, in the fourth year of the Jianyuan reign of Fu Qin, the year renshen, he translated the *Great Precepts for Bhikṣuṇīs* (one fascicle) in Chang'an.

3.5

The śramaṇa Jiumoluofoti (which means “Child Awakening”) was a native of the Western Regions. From the fifth to the seventh year of the Jianyuan reign of Fu Qin, the year yihai, he translated together with Zhu Fonian, Fohu, and others at Anyeting Monastery in Chang'an one work: the *Extracted Sūtra on the Four Āgamas* (two fascicles), with the śramaṇas Sengdao, Tanyou, Sengrui, and others serving as scribes.

3.6

The śramaṇa Saṅghabhadra (which means “Assembly Manifestation”) was a native of Jibin. Resolute, he possessed profound and noble capacity; he sought out famous teachers everywhere, completely mastered the Tripiṭaka, and read extensively across the scriptures. Memorizing the *Vibhāṣā*, he penetrated its subtle tenets. Wandering with free aspiration, he observed local customs to propagate the teachings. In the seventeenth year of the Jianyuan reign of Fu Qin, the year yiyou, he came to Guanzhong. Together with Shi Dao'an and others, he translated: the *Abhidharmavibhāṣā Śāstra* (fourteen fascicles); the *Śāstra Compiled by the Venerable Vasumitra* (ten fascicles); and the *Sūtra Compiled by Saṅgharakṣa* (three fascicles); altogether three works in twenty-seven fascicles. The work was completed in the twenty-first year of Jianyuan, the year jichou. Fotuluocha transmitted the speech, and the śramaṇa Minzhi and the Gentleman of the Yellow Gate Zhao Wenye served as scribes.

3.7

The śramaṇa Tanmopi (which means “Dharma Love”) was a native of India. His capacity was lucid and acute, and he was dedicated to widely guiding others. In the eighteenth year of the Jianyuan reign of Fu Qin, the year bingxu, he translated together with Zhu Fonian in Chang'an one work: the *Abridged Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra* (five fascicles).

3.8

The śramaṇa Dharmanandin (which means “Dharma Joy”) was a native of Tokhara. Leaving the mundane world in his childhood, his intelligence matured early. He chanted and investigated the scriptures, dedicating himself single-mindedly to his study. He comprehensively inspected the Tripiṭaka and recited the Āgamas from memory; his vast knowledge and wide learning embraced everything, and both near and far in foreign lands revered and submitted to him. From his youth he observed foreign lands, traveling everywhere through many countries, constantly making the propagation of the teachings his task. In the middle of the Jianyuan reign of Fu Qin, he reached Chang'an. Fu Jian, having heard of Nandin's reputation beforehand, received him with deep courtesy. In the twentieth year of the Jianyuan reign, the year wuzi, Fu Jian sent Dao'an to assemble scholar-monks to request Nandin to translate: the *Madhyamāgama* (fifty-nine fascicles); the *Ekottarikāgama* (fifty-one fascicles); the *Sūtra on the Causes and Conditions of King Aśoka's Son, Fayid, Having His Eyes Gouged Out* (one fascicle); the *Sūtra Compiled by Saṅgharakṣa* (three fascicles); and the *Tridharmaka Śāstra* (two fascicles); in total five works in one hundred and fourteen fascicles. The śramaṇa Zhu Fonian interpreted the language, and Huisong served as scribe.

3.9

The Yao clan of the Qin, capital at Chang'an

3.10

The śramaṇa Zhu Fonian was a native of Liangzhou. He left household life in his youth. His aspirations and conduct were pure and lofty, gentle without and bright within. Clear-sighted and sharp, he synthesized the study of numerous scriptures and was especially skilled in Chinese lexicography. For generations his family lived in Xihe, so he thoroughly comprehended regional languages, and there was nothing he did not master in both Sanskrit and Chinese pronunciations and meanings. In the Jianyuan reign of Fu Qin, he entered Chang'an together with Saṅghabhadra and others, interpreting the language for Bhadra and the rest. Across both the Fu and Yao dynasties, he stood as the ancestral master of translators. From the tenth year of the Jianyuan reign of Fu Qin, the year wuyin, through to the Yao Qin, Fonian translated: the *Yao lun* (twenty fascicles); the *Bodhisattva Yingluo jing* (twelve fascicles); the *Sūtra on Severing Fetters in the Ten Abodes* (eleven fascicles); the *Vinaya Sūtra* (ten fascicles); the *Sūtra on Severing Fetters in the Ten Stages* (ten fascicles); the *Sūtra on the Bodhisattva Dwelling in the Womb* (five fascicles); the *Vaipulya Lakṣaṇābhāva Sūtra* (five fascicles); the *Dharṇīdhara Bodhisattva Sūtra* (three fascicles); the *Sūtra on the Bodhisattva Dwelling Everywhere* (three fascicles); the *Bodhisattva Yingluo Benye jing* (two fascicles); the *Sūtra on the Causes and Conditions of Prince Fayid Having His Eyes Gouged Out* (one fascicle); the *Sūtra on the Intermediate State* (two fascicles); and the *Origin and Details of the Daśādhyāya Bhikṣuṇī Precepts* (one fascicle); in total thirteen works in eighty-two fascicles.

3.11

The śramaṇa Dharmayaśas (which means “Dharma Fame”) was a native of Jibin. In youth he loved learning, and as he grew older became even more devoted. His spirit was lofty and refined, and he comprehensively surveyed the sūtras and vinaya. Refining his thought in the eight dhyānas, he set his mind roaming in the seven bodhyaṅgas; his luminous understanding surpassed the multitude, and his profound perception went beyond material forms. Desiring to practice austerities in pursuit of the fruition [of an arhat], a celestial spirit enlightened him, saying: “Why do you not travel to propagate the teachings, instead of clinging alone to a minor good?” Thereupon he traveled through various countries, ultimately cherishing the broad salvation of beings. Often holy monks, in groups of five or three, holding monk's staffs, would descend through the air to converse with Dharmayaśas. In the middle of the Long'an reign of Emperor An of the Jin, he arrived in Guangzhou. At Baisha Monastery, for the upāsikā Zhang Puming, he translated the *Chamo jing* (one fascicle). Furthermore, from the ninth year of the Hongshi reign of Yao Qin, the year bingwu, to the sixteenth year, the year guichou, he translated one work in Chang'an: the *Śāriputrābhidharma* (twenty-two fascicles). The Qin Crown Prince Yao Hong personally oversaw and savored its subtleties, and the śramaṇa Shi Daobiao composed the preface. In all, there were two works in twenty-three fascicles.

3.12

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.

3.13

The śramaṇa Buddhayaśas—translated here as Jueming ("Awakened Fame")—was a native of Jibin. His conduct was chaste and pure, and his discipline in the precepts steadfast. His deportment was auspicious and gentle, and his gaze extraordinary. In the treatises of the pañcavidyā and four Vedas, and in the scriptures of the Tripiṭaka and the twelve divisions, he had an exceptional understanding of the profound purports, and his eloquence flowed without obstruction. In the Hongshi era of the Yao Qin, he arrived in Guzang. [Kumāra]jīva, having previously studied under him, urged [Yao] Xing to invite him. [Yao] Xing then ordered that he be welcomed and sent gifts; [Buddha]yaśas smiled and declined them, saying, "Now that the clear decree has descended, I ought to travel with speed. But the dānapati treats scholars so generously that if I were to be treated like [Kumāra]jīva, I dare not heed the command." Only after [Yao Xing] repeatedly sent envoys with earnest exhortations did he arrive in Chang'an. [Yao] Xing went out in person to welcome him and established a separate new lodge for him in Xiaoyao Garden. The four requisites of support were offered, all of which he declined; when the time came, he only gathered alms (piṇḍapāta) for a single meal. [Buddha]yaśas had a red beard and was adept in the Vibhāṣā; people of the time called him the "Red-bearded Vibhāṣā." As [Kumāra]jīva had studied under him, he also called him the Great Vibhāṣā Master. All the clothing and bedding supplied by [Yao] Xing filled three rooms, but he paid them no attention; [Yao] Xing sold them to build a monastery. Beginning his translations in the fifth year of the Hongshi era of the Yao Qin, the cyclical year renyin, and continuing until the fifteenth year, the cyclical year renzi, [Buddha]yaśas translated: the Chang ahan jing (twenty-two fascicles), the Xukongzang pusa shenzhou jing (one fascicle), the Sifen jieben (one fascicle), and the Sifen lü (forty-five fascicles); in total, four works comprising sixty-nine fascicles. When the translation assembly was concluded, [Yao] Xing bestowed ten thousand bolts of cloth and silk, none of which he accepted. Zhu Fonian and others served as scribes.

3.14

The śramaṇa Puṇyatāra—translated here as Gongdehua ("Flower of Merit")—was a native of Jibin, renowned for his discipline in the precepts. He thoroughly understood the Tripiṭaka, was specifically expert in the Daśabhāṇavāra, and contemplated the four dhyānas. In the Hongshi era of the Yao Qin, he shook his staff and entered Hao[jing]. The Qin ruler [Yao] Xing treated him with the etiquette of an honored guest. The Dharma Master [Kumāra]jīva also admired his deportment and venerated him deeply, far beyond ordinary convention. On the seventeenth day of the tenth month in the sixth year of the Hongshi era, the cyclical year guimao, having gathered several hundred monks who studied the doctrine, they requested him to translate the Shisong lü in one work (fifty-eight fascicles) at the Middle Monastery in Chang'an, with Kumārajīva rendering the language.

3.15

Western Qin: of the Qifu clan; capital at Yuanchuan.

3.16

The śramaṇa Fajian, also called Jian Gong, had a mind vast and universal, with a disciplined intention to benefit sentient beings. During the Taichu era of the Qifu Western Qin, he translated for Qifu Gangui in the Henan State: the Fangdeng wang xukongzang suowen jing (five fascicles), the Yandao suye jing (one fascicle), the Pusa suoshengdi jing (one fascicle), the Bo jing (one fascicle), the Xianshou jing (one fascicle), the Taizi xudana jing (one fascicle), the Tong jiaye jienan jing (one fascicle), the Shanzi jing (one fascicle), the Wuyaji chi famen jing (one fascicle), the Guanfo jing (one fascicle), the Chukong zaihuan jing (one fascicle), the Qinü ben jing (one fascicle), the Furen yugu jing (one fascicle), and the A'nan wenshi fo jixiong jing (one fascicle); in total, fourteen works comprising eighteen fascicles. As for texts such as the Xudana jing, they were translated at Xin Monastery in Jiangling, with Yu Shuang serving as scribe; the remaining ten works appear in the Shixing lu, so they were not translated solely in the Western Qin.

3.17

Northern Wei: of the Yuan clan; capital at Zhongshan.

3.18

The śramaṇa Shi Tanjue, also called Huijue, was a native of Liangzhou. His stature reached the skies, and his bearing and spirit were perceptive and bright. The ground of his precepts was pure and eminent, and his discerning wisdom penetrated the subtle. In the kingdom of Khotan, he obtained the Sanskrit text of the Damamūkanidāna Sūtra. In the sixth year of the Taipingzhenjun era of Emperor Taiwu of the Wei, the cyclical year yiyou, he translated it in one work (fifteen fascicles) at Tian'an Monastery in Gaochang Commandery.

3.19

The śramaṇa Shi Tanyao was a monk of the Tongle Monastery at the Heng'an grottos. Having undertaken pravrajyā from his youth, his capacity and demeanor were towering and prominent; his demeanor and discernment were calm and reserved, and his moral conduct firmly resolute. In the seventh year of the Taiping Zhenjun era of Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei, [the emperor] believed the heterodox flattery of Cui Hao and venerated Kou Qianzhi, persecuting the Shakyan line and abolishing the Buddha's Dharma. Before a few years had passed, Taiwu was afflicted with a foul disease. Full of personal remorse and shame, he had Cui Hao executed and buried in the capital's marketplace, using his mouth as a latrine and commanding the multitude to defile it. When Emperor Taiwu died, his son Wencheng succeeded him, designated the first year of Xing'an, and revived the Buddha's Dharma. In the third year of the Heping era, the year ren-yin, Tanyao served as the Controller of Clerical Affairs (zhaoxuan tong). Lamenting the previous oppression and ruin, yet delighting in the present resurgence, he himself assembled eminent monks facing Indian śramaṇas at the Cave-Temple of the Northern Terrace and translated: the Jingdu sanmei jing (one fascicle), and the Fu fazang zhuan (four fascicles). In total, two works in five fascicles.

3.20

The śramaṇa Kiṃkārya (translated as "What Purpose" [Heshi]) was a man from the Western Regions. Traveling to teach with disciplined reflection, guiding sentient beings was his inward concern. In the second year of the Yanxing era of Emperor Xiaowen of the Wei, the year ren-zi, he translated for the Monk-General (sengtong) Tanyao the Saṃyuktaratnapiṭaka Sūtra and other texts, in total five works in twenty-five fascicles, with Liu Xiaobiao as scribe. He translated: the Saṃyuktaratnapiṭaka Sūtra (thirteen fascicles), the Fu fazang yinyuan jing zhuan (six fascicles), the Chengyang zhofo gongde jing (three fascicles), the Dafangguang pusa shidi jing (one fascicle), and the Fangbian xin lun (two fascicles).

3.21

The Northern Liang of the Juqu Clan, Capital Guzang

3.22

The śramaṇa Shi Daogong was broadly receptive in mind and took the propagation of benefit as his path. In the Shenxi and Yongchu reign periods of the King of Hexi of the Northern Liang, he translated for Juqu Mengxun at Zhangye: the Karuṇāpuṇḍarīka Sūtra, one work (ten fascicles), and the Baoliang jing, one work (two fascicles).

3.23

The śramaṇa Fazhong was a man from Gaochang Commandery. Also during the Yongchu era of the Juqu clan of the Northern Liang, he translated for the King of Hexi, Mengxun, at Zhangye: the Dafangdeng dande tuoluoni jing, one work (four fascicles).

3.24

The śramaṇa Saṅghada was a man from the Western Regions. His intention was to bring universal salvation, holding the conversion and guidance [of beings] in his heart. During the Yongchu era of the Juqu clan of the Northern Liang, he translated for Mengxun at Zhangye: the Huishang pusa wen da shanquan jing, one work (two fascicles).

3.25

The śramaṇa Dharmakṣema (also styled Tanwuchen, translated as "Dharma-Abundance" [Fafeng]) was a man from Central India. He undertook pravrajyā at age six and daily recited ten thousand words. Initially he studied Hīnayāna and treatises of the pañcavidyā. Later he encountered a white-haired meditation master who instructed him in the Mahāyāna; after ten days of disputation, he only then realized its great import. Thereupon he specialized in the Mahāyāna. Dharmakṣema clearly understood incantatory arts (spellcraft), and wherever he applied them, they proved effective; the Western Regions called him the Great Master of Divine Dhāraṇī. In the first year of the Xuanshi era of Juqu of the Northern Liang, the year ren-zi, he arrived at Guzang, carrying the earlier portion of the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra (ten fascicles) and the Bodhisattva-śīla, lodging at a post-house. Anxious lest he lose the scriptures, he slept using them as a pillow. At night a divine being pulled Dharmakṣema down to the floor. Dharmakṣema thought it was a thief. When this occurred for three nights, he heard a voice in the sky say: "This is the treasury of the Tathāgata's liberation; why do you use it as a pillow?" Ashamed, Dharmakṣema had an awakening and placed it on a high shelf. Sure enough, thieves arrived at night and tried to lift it, yet in the end they could not raise it; the next morning, Dharmakṣema carried it and did not consider it heavy. The thieves regarded him as a sage and all came to prostrate and apologize. When Mengxun heard of Dharmakṣema's reputation, he treated him generously and invited him to translate. Thereupon, beginning translation in the third year of Xuanshi, the year jia-yin, down to the tenth year of Xuanshi, the year xin-you, he translated: the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra, one work (forty fascicles); the Mahāvaipulya Mahāsaṃnipāta Sūtra, one work (thirty-one fascicles); the Karuṇāpuṇḍarīka Sūtra, one work (ten fascicles); the Bodhisattvabhūmi Sūtra, one work (ten fascicles); the Pusa jie jing, one work (eight fascicles); the Upāsaka-śīla Sūtra, one work (six fascicles); the Fangdeng dayun jing, one work (six fascicles); the Xukongzang jing, one work (five fascicles); the Fo benxing jing, one work (five fascicles); the Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra, one work (four fascicles); the Hai longwang jing, one work (four fascicles); the Lengqie jing, one work (four fascicles); the Xinshan jing, one work (two fascicles); the Wuwei dao jing, one work (two fascicles); the Shengman jing (one fascicle); the Luomojia jing (one fascicle); the Xuzhen tianzi jing (one fascicle); the Jushi qing seng futian jing (one fascicle); the Tuodajie wang jing (one fascicle); the Gongde baoguang pusa jing (one fascicle); the Fuzhong nü ting jing (one fascicle); the Jueding zuifu jing (one fascicle); the Pusa jieben jing (one fascicle); and the Pusa jietan wen (one fascicle). In total, twenty-three works in one hundred forty-eight fascicles. Huisong served as scribe. Several hundred monks and laymen raised challenging questions; Dharmakṣema resolved doubts and difficulties, his lucid eloquence flowing like a stream. The Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra was completed across three translation sessions.

3.26

The Marquis of Anyang, Juqu Jingsheng, was a paternal cousin of Mengxun. He was widely learned, well read in the classics and histories, dedicated his mind to Buddhist texts, upheld the five precepts, abstained from marriage, and was not constrained by glory or profit. He frequently accompanied Dharmakṣema in translating scriptures. Traveling west to Khotan, he consulted the Indian master Buddhasena on the principles of the path. Buddhasena possessed brilliant natural talent: he recited fifty million verses of scriptures and was thoroughly enlightened in the methods of dhyāna; the countries of the West called him the Lion Among Men. Anyang received and studied dhyāna practices from Buddhasena, committed the various secret and essential methods to memory from the Sanskrit texts, and returned east to Liang. During the Yonghe era of the Northern Liang, he translated: the Chanfa yaojie, one work (two fascicles). After the Wei destroyed Liang, he fled south to Jiankang, arriving at the capital in the first year of the Xiaojian era of Emperor Xiaowu of the Song. In the second year of Xiaojian, the year yi-wei, at the Zhuyuan Monastery in the capital and the Upper Dinglin Monastery on Mount Zhong, he further translated: the Zhi chanbing mifa (two fascicles), the Jingfan wang ban niepan jing (one fascicle), the Baguan zhai jing (one fascicle), the Puming wang jing (one fascicle), the Fo da seng da jing (one fascicle), the Shengsi bianshi jing (one fascicle), the Fenhotan wang jing (one fascicle), the Zhangzhe yinyue jing (one fascicle), the Xianzhe lüyi jing (one fascicle), the Jinxue jing (one fascicle), the Youposai wujie jing (one fascicle), the Yeji jing (one fascicle), the Moda jing (one fascicle), the Wubai fanzhi jing (one fascicle), the Zhantuoyue jing (one fascicle), the Wu fanfu dayi jing (one fascicle), the Jiaye jinjie jing (one fascicle), the Dizi si fusheng jing (one fascicle), the Dizi shi fo jixiong jing (one fascicle), the Wuku zhangju jing (one fascicle), the Shizhong wen youposai jing (one fascicle), the Boseni wang sang mu jing (one fascicle), the Pusa shi jing (one fascicle), the Zhongyin jing (one fascicle), the Fomu ban nihuan jing (one fascicle), the Tuoyi biqiu jing (one fascicle), the Fanmohuang jing (one fascicle), the Youposai wufa jing (one fascicle), the Wu kongbu shi jing (one fascicle), the Moluo wang jing (one fascicle), the Guan Mile pusa shangsheng Doshuai tian jing (one fascicle), the Guan Guanshiyin guan jing (one fascicle), the Jian wang jing (one fascicle), the Qingshinshi Aiyishan jing (one fascicle), and the Dizi man wei Qiyu shu jing (one fascicle). In total, thirty-five works in thirty-six fascicles. Meng Yi, the Governor of Danyang, met him, marveled at him, and provided generous support. Having chanted and recited the sūtras he translated for a long time, he expounded them before the multitude with fluid and unobstructed phrasing.

3.27

The śramaṇa Buddhavarman (also written Foutuo, rendered here as "Armor of Awakening" [Juekai]) was a man from the Western Regions. His character was upright and straightforward, his intelligence surpassing the ordinary. Although he was thoroughly versed in the Tripiṭaka, he was particularly proficient in the Vibhāṣā-śāstra, constantly reciting this work and taking it as his spiritual essential. In the fifth year of the Yonghe era of the Northern Liang, the year yi-hai, he translated for Juqu Ziqian, prince of Hexi: the Vibhāṣā-śāstra, one work (one hundred fascicles), with Daotai as scribe. When Wei extinguished Liang, the scriptures were burned and forty fascicles were lost; currently, only sixty fascicles survive.

3.28

The śramaṇa Shi Daotai translated: the Mahāpuruṣa-śāstra (Dazhangfu lun), one work (two fascicles), and the Madhyamaka-praveśa-śāstra (Ru dacheng lun), one work (two fascicles).

3.29

The śramaṇa Shi Zhimeng was a native of Xinfeng County in Yongzhou. By nature upright and strict, his illustrious conduct was pure and flawless. Taking up monastic robes in his youth, he cultivated the practice with complete sincerity, his voice of chanting continuing from night into day. His resolve and magnanimity were vast, and his deep affection for the Buddha's Dharma prompted him to travel west in search of holy sites. Returning from the west during the Yonghe era of the Northern Liang, his route passed through the Jade Gate (Yumen), and right there in the Liang lands he translated: the Ban nihuan jing, one work (twenty fascicles).

3.30

Sūtras whose translators' names are lost: five works (seventeen fascicles). Both Sengyou's Xinji and Shi Dao'an's Liangtu lu state that these were translations of the Liang era whose translators' names are lost. They are now appended back into the catalogue of the Liang era; though the translators' names are unknown, one may at least know the era of translation: the Da renru jing (ten fascicles), the Butuizhuan jing (four fascicles), the Jingang sanmei jing (one fascicle), the Jinlun wang jing (one fascicle), and the Xianjie wubai foming (one fascicle).

3.31

The Song of the Liu Clan, Capital Jiankang

3.32

The śramaṇa Buddhabhadra [Buddhata/Buddhaxi] (translated as "Awakened Longevity" [Jueshou]) was a native of the country of Kashmir. In his youth he studied under the Mahīśāsaka school, specializing in the vinaya rules while also being versed in the essentials of meditation. In the seventh month of the first year of the Jingping era of the Deposed Emperor, Prince of Xingyang, of the Song dynasty, the year gui-hai, he arrived in the capital. Faxian had earlier obtained the Mahīśāsaka Vinaya in Siṃhala, but died before translating it. When the monastic assembly of the capital heard that Buddhajīva was skilled in vinaya, the community requested that he translate it. That winter, at the Longguang Monastery, it was translated into thirty-four fascicles, together with a Prātimokṣa (one fascicle) and Karmavācanā (one fascicle), making thirty-six fascicles in all. The Khotanese śramaṇa Zhisheng interpreted the language, while the śramaṇas Zhu Daosheng, Huiyan, and others served as scribes. Attendant-in-ordinary Wang Lian served as dānapati.

3.33

The śramaṇa Dharmamitra (translated as "Dharma-Grace" [Faxiu]) was a native of the country of Kashmir. He was born with connected eyebrows. By nature deep and profound, he possessed great wisdom and discernment. Benign deities constantly concealed their forms to protect him secretly; whenever he arrived at the borders of a kingdom, the deities would invariably appear in dreams to inform its king, and so it was when he departed. He vowed to take wandering abroad to teach and transform as his purpose, unconstrained by fame or profit. When he first arrived in Dunhuang, he immediately established a dhyāna pavilion, planted a thousand apple trees, and opened a hundred-mu garden. Those studying dhyāna meditation gathered like clouds. In the eighteenth year of the Yuanjia era of Emperor Wen of the Song, the year jia-zi, he came to Jianye and translated at the Jetavana (Zhihuan) Monastery: the Chan miyao jing (five fascicles), the Wumen chanyao fa (one fascicle), the Guan Puxian pusa xingfa jing (one fascicle), the Xukongzang pusa guan jing (one fascicle), the Zhufa yongwang jing (one fascicle), the Fo sheng Daolitian wei mu shuofa jing (one fascicle), the Zhuan nüshen jing (one fascicle), the Xiangye jing (one fascicle), the Youjia zhangzhe suowen jing (one fascicle), and the Xukongzang pusa shenzhou jing (one fascicle); in total, ten works in twelve fascicles. He was skilled in incantatory arts and passed down the drawn likeness and form of Kapila.

3.34

The śramaṇa Kālayaśas (translated as "Renowned in Time" [Shicheng]) was a man from the Western Regions. His nature was staunch and upright, with few desires. Skilled in the Tripiṭaka, he knew much by heart, and was particularly adept at meditative reflection. In the first year of the Yuanjia era of Emperor Wen of the Song, the year jia-zi, he arrived at the capital. The emperor favored him deeply and ordered him to dwell at the Daolin Hermitage on Mount Zhong. He translated the Guan Yaowang Yaoshang er pusa jing (one fascicle) and the Wuliangshou guan jing (one fascicle). The śramaṇa Senghan served as scribe.

3.35

The śramaṇa Īśvara (which means "Sovereign"), a native of the Western Regions, was thoroughly conversant with the Tripiṭaka and understood the four Āgamas from end to end. During the Yuanjia era of Emperor Wen of the Song, he traveled to Pengcheng. For Wang Zhongde, who was then Regional Inspector of Xuzhou, he translated one work, the Saṃyuktābhidharmahṛdaya Śāstra (eleven fascicles). The regional inspector personally served as scribe.

3.36

The śramaṇa Shi Zhiyan was a native of Liangzhou. He underwent pravrajyā when he came of age, taking diligent practice as his life's pursuit. Wearing patched garments, he sat in peaceful contemplation and subsisted on a vegetarian diet year after year. He never accepted private invitations, sustaining himself solely by almsround. In the thirteenth year of the Yixi era of the Jin, when Emperor Wu of the Song returned from subduing Yao Hong, Wang Hui, Duke of Shixing, accompanied the imperial entourage to view the mountains and saw Zhiyan in meditative contemplation; he immediately invited him to return to the capital. Indeed, the reach of Zhiyan's spiritual transformation made both the unseen and visible realms submit. Earlier, he had obtained Sanskrit texts of scriptures in the Western Regions that were not yet translated. In the fourth year of the Yuanjia era of Emperor Wen of the Song, the year dingmao, he translated together with Baoyun and others at Zhiyuan Monastery in the capital Yangdu: the Lalitavistara Sūtra (eight fascicles), the Akṣayamati Bodhisattva Sūtra (six fascicles), the Jātaka Sūtra (five fascicles), the Vipulavyūhaviśuddhāvaivartikacakra Sūtra (four fascicles), the Bodhisattvabhūmi Mūlakarma Sūtra (two fascicles), the Vira Samādhi Sūtra (two fascicles), the Anāgāmin Sūtra (two fascicles), the Four Heavenly Kings Sūtra (one fascicle), the Sūtra of the Brāhmaṇa *Bhadratejas Inquiring of Devadatta (one fascicle), the Sūtra of Revealing the Correct Dharma through One Sound (one fascicle), the Sūtra on the Karma of Taming Sentient Beings (one fascicle), the *Bhadratejas Upāsaka Sūtra (one fascicle), the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Samādhi Sūtra (one fascicle), and the Sūtra of the Samādhi of Pure Deliverance (one fascicle)—fourteen works in total, thirty-six fascicles altogether. Before Zhiyan entered monastic life, however, he had received the five precepts and committed some transgression; after later receiving the full ordination, he doubted whether he had truly obtained the precepts. He thereupon sailed across the sea to India to consult an arhat monk. The arhat could not resolve it at the time, so he went on his behalf to Maitreya. Maitreya replied, "He has obtained the precepts," and Zhiyan was overjoyed.

3.37

The śramaṇa Guṇavarman (which means "Armor of Merit") was a native of Kaśmīra, being the youngest son of the king of that country. He possessed a penetrating comprehension of the ninefold scriptures and was widely learned in the four Āgamas; he had deep insight into the sections of the vinaya and exquisite mastery of the essentials of dhyāna, chanting over one million words of sūtras from memory. When the king of Kaśmīra died, the assembly asked him to succeed to the throne. Fearing it would obstruct his precepts, he took up residence in the forests, drank from the valleys, walked alone through mountains and wilderness, and hid his traces from the human world. His deportment moved all beings, and those who saw him generated the aspiration [for awakening]. During the Yuanjia era of Emperor Wen of the Song, he arrived in Jianye. Emperor Wen earnestly inquired of him: "I have always wished to observe fasts and refrain from killing, but constrained by worldly duties, I have been unable to follow my inclination. What would the Dharma master instruct me?" Guṇavarman said, "The Way resides in the mind, not in outer matters; the Dharma comes from oneself, not from others. Moreover, the practices of an emperor and those of a commoner are each different. A commoner is lowly in status and inferior in reputation; his commands carry no authority. If he does not restrain himself and subject his body to hardship, what else could he do? An emperor, by contrast, takes the four seas as his home and the millions of people as his children. When he issues one good word, men and women all rejoice; when he spreads one virtuous policy, humans and spirits are brought into harmony. When punishments do not cut short lives and corvée labor does not exhaust strength, then the wind and rain are timely and the cold and warmth accord with the seasons; the hundred grains flourish and the mulberry and hemp grow luxuriantly. In this manner, keeping the precepts is indeed grand, and refraining from killing is indeed widespread! Must one only skip half a day's meal and save the life of a single fowl before it counts as great salvation?" The emperor was greatly pleased, saying, "Dharma Master Guṇavarman is enlightened and thoroughly perceptive; one may converse with him on the boundary between Heaven and man!" An imperial order bade him reside at Zhihuan Monastery, where he was provided for lavishly. Thus, in the Yuanjia era, he translated in the capital Yangdu: the Bodhisattva-śīla Sūtra (twenty fascicles), the Saṃyuktābhidharmahṛdaya Śāstra (twelve fascicles), the Dharmaguptaka Bhikṣuṇī Karmavācanā (one fascicle), the Abridged Treatise on the Five Precepts for Upāsakas (one fascicle), the Three Refuges and Upāsaka Precepts (one fascicle), the Dignified Deportment of Śrāmaṇeras (one fascicle), the Essentials and Practice of the Five Gates of Dhyāna (one fascicle), and the Record of Distinctions between Sūtras and Vinayas (one fascicle)—seven works in total, thirty-eight fascicles altogether. He attained the second fruit [of the śramaṇa].

3.38

The śramaṇa Baoyun was a native of Xiliangzhou. He underwent pravrajyā from his youth, being diligent and vastly learned. His character and air were resolute and pure, not consorting with the worldly crowd. With earnest devotion in seeking the Dharma, he forgot his physical self to dedicate his life to the Way. Thus, in the beginning of the Long'an era of the Jin, he journeyed west in search of holy traces. Passing through the wilderness of rākṣasas, he heard the sound of heavenly drums; paying homage to the shadow-trace of Śākyamuni, he received the words of arhats. Traveling through the Western regions, he became skilled in Sanskrit script and language; he thoroughly understood the sounds of Indian characters and the semantic glosses of expressions and sentences. Later, he returned to Chang'an and then went to Jiangzuo. Among all the translators rendering Sanskrit into Chinese, Baoyun was foremost. At first, he translated scriptures together with Zhiyan; after Zhiyan passed away, Baoyun proclaimed and translated on his own. During the Yuanjia era of Emperor Wen of the Song, at Liuhe Mountain Monastery, he translated: the Biography of the Sūtra of the Praise of the Buddha's Deeds (seven fascicles), the Sūtra on the Transmission of the Dharma Pitaka (six fascicles), the Biography of the Buddhacarita Sūtra (five fascicles), the New Amitāyus Sūtra (two fascicles), and the New Sūtra of the Samādhi of Pure Deliverance (two fascicles)—four works in total, fifteen fascicles altogether. The śramaṇa Huiguan and others befriended and held him in high esteem.

3.39

The śramaṇa Saṅghavarman (which means "Armor of the Saṅgha") was a native of India. In his youth, he abandoned the secular life; his precept-conduct was pure and severe. He had a deep understanding of the Vinaya Piṭaka and was especially skilled in the Saṃyuktābhidharmahṛdaya. His demeanor was magnanimous and solemn, commanding respect and admiration from both monastics and laity. The scriptures he translated were detailed and faithful in both text and meaning, without discrepancy between the Sanskrit and the Chinese. Liu Yikang, Prince of Pengcheng, revered his standards of discipline and invited him to become his master; his reputation carried great weight in the capital. In the tenth year of the Yuanjia era of the Song, the year guiyou, he translated at Changgan Monastery: the Abhidharma Vibhāṣā Śāstra (fourteen fascicles), the Sarvāstivāda Mātṛkā Vinaya (ten fascicles), the Abridged Collection of Bodhisattva Mahāvīrya's Distinctions of Karmic Retribution (one fascicle), Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna's Essential Verses Exhorting Kings (one fascicle), and the Text for Inviting the Holy Saṅgha to Bathe (one fascicle)—five works in total, twenty-seven fascicles altogether. Baoyun conveyed the spoken translation, and Huiguan of Daochang Monastery served as scribe.

3.40

The śramaṇa Guṇabhadra (which means "Virtuous Worthy") was a native of Central India. In his youth, he studied the pañcavidyā and the treatises on the four Vedas. By nature sharp and perceptive, his breadth of mind was comprehensive. Later, encountering the Saṃyuktābhidharmahṛdaya, he could not fathom its limits; only then did he awaken to the loftiness and depth of the Buddha's Dharma, casting aside his hairpin and cutting off his finery. Dedicated in mind and endeavor, he had a broad mastery of the Tripiṭaka. Gentle, harmonious, respectful, and reverent, he served his masters with utmost propriety. Renouncing the Hīnayāna to study the Mahāyāna, he deeply awakened to its subtle principles. In the twelfth year of the Yuanjia era of Emperor Wen of the Song, he came to the capital Yangdu. The emperor respected him deeply and ordered him to reside at Zhihuan Monastery. In the twentieth year of the Yuanjia era of the Song, the year guiwei, he translated at Waguan Monastery in Yangdu: the Saṃyuktāgama Sūtra (fifty fascicles), the Prakaraṇapāda Abhidharma (twelve fascicles), the Laṅkāvatāra Jewel Sūtra (four fascicles), the Aṅgulimāla Sūtra (four fascicles), the Sūtra on Past and Present Causes and Effects (four fascicles), the Sūtra Explaining the Sixty-Two Views (four fascicles), the Mahāvaipulya Jewel Casket Sūtra (two fascicles), the Present Buddhas Sūtra (three fascicles), the Sūtra on the Bodhisattva's Expedient Practice of Supernatural Transformations (three fascicles), the Sūtra of the Samādhi of Pure Deliverance (three fascicles), the Definitive Sūtra of Continuous Liberation (three fascicles), the Mahābherīhāraka Sūtra (two fascicles), the Āraṇyaka Meditation Practice Sūtra (two fascicles), the Śrīmālādevī Lion's Roar One Vehicle Great Expedient Sūtra (one fascicle), the Amitāyus Sūtra (one fascicle), the Sūtra of Piṇḍola Bhāradvāja Preaching the Dharma to King Udayana (one fascicle), the Parinirvāṇa Sūtra (one fascicle), the Eight Auspicious Sūtra (one fascicle), the King Aśoka Sūtra (one fascicle), the Sūtra on Emerging from Immeasurable Dhāraṇī-Doors (one fascicle), the Three Minor Kalpas Sūtra (one fascicle), the Four Foods Sūtra (one fascicle), the Twelve Wandering Sūtra (one fascicle), the Twelve Dhūtas Sūtra (one fascicle), the Three Conditions Sūtra (one fascicle), the Different Places, Seven Stations, and Three Contemplations Sūtra (one fascicle), the Eleven Contemplations of Mindful Recollection of the Tathāgata Sūtra (one fascicle), the Twelve Chapters on Birth and Death Sūtra (one fascicle), the Sūtra on the Ten Retribution Dharmas and Three Summaries (one fascicle), the Sūtra on Karmic Retribution of Sins and Blessings (one fascicle), the Six Fasts and Eight Precepts Sūtra (one fascicle), the Sūtra on Four Persons Appearing in the World (one fascicle), the Four Chapters of Dharma Studies Sūtra (one fascicle), the *Śindu Origin Sūtra (one fascicle), the Maternal Uncle Sūtra (one fascicle), the Nāgasena Sūtra (one fascicle), the Difficult Sun Sūtra (one fascicle), the Ruler and Minister Sūtra (one fascicle), the *Vimasuk Sūtra (one fascicle), the Parrot Sūtra (one fascicle), the Sūtra on Becoming an Ox to Repay Debts (one fascicle), the *Vaineya Sūtra (one fascicle), the *Nārāyaṇa Sūtra (one fascicle), the Two Wandering Scholars Sūtra (one fascicle), the Original Story of Mahānāma Sūtra (one fascicle), the Araṇa Sūtra (one fascicle), the Old Mother Sūtra (one fascicle), the Jyotiṣka Sūtra (one fascicle), the *Asutta Sūtra (one fascicle), the Great Intention Sūtra (one fascicle), the Maudgalyāyana Subduing the Dragon King Sūtra (one fascicle), the Ānanda Seeing Music and Weeping over Impermanence Sūtra (one fascicle), the Śāriputra and Other Monks Attaining Bodily Realization Sūtra (one fascicle), the Buddha Visiting to Console Kāśyapa's Illness Sūtra (one fascicle), the Sūtra on Inviting the Monk Panthaka (one fascicle), the Buddha Ordering Ānanda to Visit the Foremost Elder Sūtra (one fascicle), the Sūtra on Maudgalyāyana's Brother Giving Alms in Expectation of Reward (one fascicle), the Śāriputra Parinirvāṇa Sūtra (one fascicle), the Mahākāśyapa Liberating the Poor Mother Sūtra (one fascicle), the Aniruddha Seven Mindful Reflections Sūtra (one fascicle), the Miscellaneous Piṭaka Sūtra (one fascicle), the Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva Sūtra (one fascicle), the Bodhisattva Rebuking Desires Sūtra (one fascicle), the Amitābha Sūtra (one fascicle), the Non-Action of All Dharmas Sūtra (one fascicle), the Poor Son Surata Sūtra (one fascicle), the Immeasurable Meanings Sūtra (one fascicle), the Sūtra on Slaying the Dragon to Save a Country (one fascicle), the Boundless Dhāraṇī-Door Sūtra (one fascicle), the Pearl Dropped into the Sea Sūtra (one fascicle), the Future Selection of Evil Realms Sūtra (one fascicle), the Ānandamukha-nirhāra Sūtra (one fascicle), the Buddha Entering the Nectar of Amṛta to Regulate the Correct Mind Sūtra (one fascicle), the Past Practice of Dānapāramitā Sūtra (one fascicle), the Fundamental Practice of the Six Pāramitās Sūtra (one fascicle), and the Abridged Collection of the Five Marks of the Ultimate Truth (one fascicle)—seventy-eight works in total, one hundred and sixty-one fascicles altogether. Huiguan and others served as scribes, and the disciple Fayong conveyed the spoken translation. Liu Yixuan, Prince of Nanjiao and Regional Inspector of Jingzhou, once invited him to lecture on the Avataṃsaka Sūtra. Bhadra felt ashamed that he was not yet fluent in the Chinese spoken in the Song, so he bowed in repentance day and night, praying to Avalokiteśvara. Suddenly he dreamed of a person in white clothes carrying a sword and holding up a man's head, who came and said to Bhadra, "Why are you troubled?" Bhadra replied with his thoughts. The person said, "No need to worry so much," and immediately with the sword exchanged Bhadra's head, mounting the new head in its place, asking, "Does it hurt?" He replied, "It does not hurt." Once he awoke, his mind and spirit were joyful. Thereupon he delivered the lecture, his eloquence pouring forth like a flowing stream. Later he returned to the capital Yangdu. It happened to be an imperial banquet, with princes and dukes all assembled. The emperor wished to test his quick-witted eloquence and whether he understood the human mind. Seeing his white hair, the emperor said to him, "Master, today you do not disappoint the purpose of your journey from afar; but aside from that, how is it with you? There is only one [thing] left." Guṇabhadra immediately replied, "Yearning for transformation, I came from afar, and have received the Son of Heaven's favor for nearly thirty years. Today I am seventy-one; only death remains." The emperor was greatly pleased and ordered him to sit close to the imperial presence. Moreover, he was skilled in incantations and expert in the Mahāyāna, so the people of the time dubbed him 'Mahāyāna'."

First 40 of 51 passages. Read on

Linked texts (1)

古今譯經圖紀 — Classical Chinese