[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [開元釋教錄](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2154) › 8.6.3 # 開元釋教錄 8.6.3 開元釋教錄 8.6.3 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [8.6.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2154.8.6.3) 從如雲。貞觀初。文帝捨終南山大和舊宮。 置龍田寺。琳性欣幽靜就而住之。眾所推美 舉知寺任。從容山服詠歌林野。三年勅波頗 三藏翻寶星經及般若燈等論。召琳令執筆 承旨兼詳覆名義。至十三年冬有黃巾秦世 英者。挾方術以要榮。遂程器於儲貳。素嫉釋 種陰陳琳論謗訕皇宗罪當誷上。帝勃然下 勅沙汰僧尼。見有眾侶宜依遺教。仍訪琳 身據法推勘。琳扼捥奮發不待追徵。獨詣公 庭輕生徇理。乃縶以縲紲。下詔問曰。周之宗 盟異姓為後。尊祖重親寔由先古。何為追逐 其短首尾兩端廣引形似之言。備陳不遜之 喻。圮毀我祖禰。謗讟我先人。如此要君罪 有不恕。琳答曰。文王大聖周公大賢。追遠慎 終昊天靡答。孝悌之至通於神明。雖有宗周 義不爭長。何者。皇天無親竟由輔德。古人黨 理而不黨親。不自我先不自我後。雖親有罪 必罰。雖疎有功必賞。賞罰理當故天下和平。 老子習訓道宗德教加於百姓。恕己謙光仁 風刑于四海。又云。吾師名佛。佛者覺一切 人也。乾竺古皇西昇逝矣。討尋老教始末可 追。日授中經示誨子弟言。吾師者善入泥洹 綿綿常存吾今逝矣。今劉李所述謗滅老氏 之師世莫能知。著茲辯正論有八卷。略對道 士六十餘條。竝陳史籍前言實非。謗毀家國。 自後辯對二十餘列。並據琳詞具狀聞奏。 勅曰。所著辯正論信毀交報篇曰。有念觀 音者臨刃不傷。且赦七日令爾自念。試及刑 決能無傷不。琳外纏桎梏內迫刑期。水火交 懷訴仰無路。乃緣生來所聞經教及三聖尊 名銘誦心府擬為顯應。至于限滿忽神思彯 勇橫逸胸懷。歡慶相尋頓忘死畏立待對 問。須臾勅至云。今赦期已滿當至臨刑。有何 所念。念有靈不。琳援筆答曰。自隋季擾攘四 海沸騰。伇毒流行干戈競起。興師相伐各擅 兵威。臣佞君荒不為正治。遏絕王路固執一 隅。自皇王弔伐載清陸海。斯寔觀音之力。咸 資勢至之恩。比德連蹤道齊上聖。救橫死於 帝庭。免淫刑於都市。琳於七日已來不念觀 音惟念陛下。勅治書侍御韋琮問琳。有詔令 念觀音。何因不念乃云惟念陛下。琳答。伏承 觀音聖鑒塵形六道。上天下地皆為師範。然 大唐光宅四海九夷奉職。八表刑清君聖臣 賢不為枉濫。今陛下子育恒品如經即是觀 音。既其靈鑒相符。所以惟念陛下。且琳所著 辯正論爰與書史倫同。一句參差任從斧鉞。 陛下若順忠順正。琳則不損一毛。陛下若刑 濫無辜。琳則有伏屍之痛。具以事聞。遂不加 罪。有勅徙于益部僧寺。行至百牢關菩提寺。 因疾而卒。時年六十九。沙門慧序經理所苦 情結斷金。曉夕同衾慰撫承接。及命將盡在 序膝上。序慟哭崩摧淚如駛雨。乃召諸關旁 道俗。葬於東山之頂。高樹白塔勒銘誌之。行 路望者知便下淚。琳所著詩賦啟頌碑表章 誄大乘教法并諸論記傳合三十餘卷。並金 石擊其風韻。縟錦繢其文思流靡雅便騰焰 彌穆。又善應機說導即事騁詞言會宮商義 符玄籍。其秦英竟以狂慝被誅公私怪其死。 晚劉李傅氏相從化往。故其遺文往行。可為 萬代錧轄矣。 大般若波羅蜜多經六百卷（見翻經圖佛於四處十六會說顯慶五年正月 一日於玉華宮寺玉華殿譯至龍朔三年十月二十日畢沙門大乘光大乘欽嘉尚等筆受） 能斷金剛般若波羅蜜多經一卷（見內典錄第四出與姚秦 羅什等出者同本貞觀二十二年十月一日於坊州宜君縣玉華宮弘法臺譯直中書杜行顗筆受） 般若波羅蜜多心經一卷（見內典錄第二出與摩訶般若大明呪經等同本貞 觀二十三年五月二十四日於終南山翠微宮譯沙門知仁筆受） 大菩薩藏經二十卷（見內典錄今編入寶積當第十二會貞觀十九年五月二日於西京 弘福寺翻經院譯至九月二日畢沙門智證筆受道宣證文） 大乘大集地藏十輪經十卷（見內典錄是大集第十三分與舊方廣十輪同 > followers gathered like clouds. At the beginning of the Zhenguan era, Emperor Taizong gave up the former Dahe Palace on Mount Zhongnan to establish Longtian Temple. By nature Lin delighted in seclusion and quiet, so he went there to reside. Recommended and praised by the community, he was elected to oversee the affairs of the temple. In unhurried ease in his mountain robes, he chanted and sang in the forests and wilds. In the third year, an imperial decree ordered the Tripiṭaka master Prabhākaramitra to translate the Bao xing jing (Ratnatārā-dhāraṇī-sūtra) as well as the Prajñāpradīpa-śāstra and other treatises, summoning Lin to serve as scribe receiving the meaning and to critically verify terms and doctrines. By the winter of the thirteenth year, there was a Daoist yellow-turban named Qin Shiying, who used occult arts to seek glory and thereby displayed his talents before the Crown Prince. Having long harboured enmity toward the Śākya lineage, he covertly submitted Lin’s treatise, asserting that it slandered the imperial lineage and that his crime constituted deceiving the sovereign. The Emperor, enraged, issued an edict to purge the monks and nuns, directing that the existing monastic assembly should abide by the posthumous teachings, and furthermore commanded that Lin himself be sought out and interrogated according to the law. Clenching his fists in vigorous resolve, Lin did not wait to be summoned, but went alone to the official court, holding his life lightly in sacrifice for the truth. He was then bound in fetters. An imperial decree was issued demanding: > “In the ancestral alliances of the Zhou, those of different surnames came second; revering ancestors and honouring kin indeed stem from antiquity. Why have you pursued shortcomings, wavering between both ends, extensively quoting superficial words, and fully setting forth disrespectful analogies, defaming my ancestors and reviling my forebears? Seeking favour from the sovereign in this manner is a crime that cannot be pardoned.” > Lin replied: > “King Wen was a great sage, and the Duke of Zhou a great worthy; in revering ancestors and performing funeral rites with caution, even August Heaven could not match their devotion. When filial piety and fraternal affection reach their utmost, they communicate with the spiritual luminaries. Although there was the ancestral Zhou, in righteousness they did not contend for seniority. Why so? August Heaven has no favourites; ultimately it only aids virtue. The ancients were partial to principle, not to kin; they did not start from what preceded them, nor from what succeeded them. Though a relative commits a crime, they must be punished; though an unrelated person has merit, they must be rewarded. When rewards and punishments are principled and just, the realm is at peace. > Laozi cultivated instructions and made the Dao the ancestral source; his teaching of virtue extended to the common people; he showed tolerance toward others, kept his light humble, and his benevolent breeze served as a model for the four seas. Furthermore, he said: ‘My teacher is named the Buddha; the Buddha is one who awakens all people. The ancient sovereign of Tianzhu ascended to the west and departed.’ If one examines the teachings of Laozi, their beginning and end can be traced. In the Scripture Handed Down by the Sun, he instructed his disciples, saying: ‘My teacher has entered well into nirvāṇa, ceaselessly and constantly enduring; I now depart.’ Nowadays, what is expounded by Liu and Li slanders and destroys the master of Master Lao, yet the world cannot recognize it. I composed this Bianzheng lun (Treatise on Discerning the Correct) in eight fascicles, summarily answering the Daoists in over sixty items, all citing the prior words of the historical records; it was truly not meant to slander the imperial family.” > Thereafter he debated more than twenty items, and a memorial was fully submitted according to Lin’s statements. An imperial decree stated: > “In the chapter ‘Mutual Retribution of Faith and Slander’ of your Bianzheng lun, it says: ‘One who is mindful of Avalokiteśvara will not be harmed when facing the blade.’ We now grant you a reprieve of seven days to let yourself be mindful \[of him\], and shall test whether you can remain unharmed when the execution arrives.” > Lin was fettered in bonds without and pressed by the date of execution within. Tormented by fire and water in his heart, he had no way to appeal upwards. He therefore brought to mind the scriptures and teachings he had heard in his lifetime and the sacred names of the Three Sages, inscribing and reciting them in the chamber of his heart, aiming for a manifest response. When the time limit expired, suddenly his mental thoughts surged with swift boldness and overflowed in his breast. Joy and celebration followed one another; he abruptly forgot the fear of death, standing and waiting to be questioned. Before long the decree arrived, stating: > “Now the reprieve has ended and the execution is at hand. What have you been mindful of? Has your mindfulness had efficacy?” > Lin took up his brush and replied: > “Since the turmoil of the late Sui, the four seas have seethed. Calamity and poison spread abroad; shields and spears arose in contention. Armies were mobilized to attack one another, each presuming military might. Ministers were flattery-ridden and sovereigns profligate, failing to govern correctly; they severed the royal roads and obstinately held their own corners. Since the August Sovereign waged righteous punitive campaigns, he has cleansed the lands and seas; this was truly the power of Avalokiteśvara, and all relied on the grace of Mahāsthāmaprāpta. Matching virtues and following in their footsteps, your Way equals the highest sages; you save people from untimely death in the imperial court, and spare them from excessive punishments in the metropolis. During the past seven days, I have not been mindful of Avalokiteśvara; I have only been mindful of Your Majesty.” > An imperial decree directed the Attendant Censor of the Department of Justice Wei Cong to question Lin: > “There was an imperial edict ordering you to be mindful of Avalokiteśvara. Why were you not mindful of him, but instead say you were only mindful of His Majesty?” > Lin replied: > “I humbly understand that Avalokiteśvara’s holy discernment manifests worldly forms throughout the six destinies; above the heavens and below the earth, he is a model teacher to all. Now the Great Tang illuminates the four seas, and the nine barbarian tribes submit to their duties; punishments are clear across the eight quarters, the sovereign is sage and ministers are worthy, without committing injustice. Today Your Majesty nurtures the ordinary beings as children, which according to the scriptures is indeed Avalokiteśvara. Since the spiritual discernment corresponds, I was therefore only mindful of Your Majesty. Furthermore, the Bianzheng lun I composed is of the same category as the historical records; if a single phrase is erroneous, I submit to the axe. If Your Majesty accords with loyalty and righteousness, Lin will not lose a single hair; if Your Majesty metes out punishments recklessly to the innocent, Lin will suffer the grief of a fallen corpse.” > The matter was reported in full, and in the end no punishment was inflicted. There was an imperial edict exiling him to a Buddhist monastery in Yizhou. When he reached Bodhi Temple at Bailao Pass, he died of illness, aged sixty-nine. The śramaṇa Huixu took care of his suffering; their bond of feeling was as sharp as severing gold. Morning and night sharing a blanket, he comforted and attended to him. When Lin’s life was about to end, his head rested on Xu’s lap. Xu wept bitterly in grief, his tears falling like driving rain. He then summoned the clergy and laity from beside the pass and buried him on the summit of the eastern mountain, erecting a tall white stūpa and carving an inscription to commemorate him. Wayfarers who looked upon it and knew of him shed tears. The poetic works, rhapsodies, petitions, eulogies, steles, memorials, compositions, and dirges of the Mahāyāna teaching, together with various treatises, records, and biographies composed by Lin, total more than thirty fascicles. All strike a resonance like metal and stone; rich brocade adorns his literary imagination, which is flowing, elegant, facile, blazing, and deeply tranquil. Furthermore, he was skilled at preaching according to the occasion, improvising his words on the spot; his language matched musical tones and his meanings conformed with profound texts. Qin Shiying was eventually executed for wicked madness; both the public and officials wondered why his death had come so late. Liu, Li, and Fu successively passed away in turn. Thus Lin’s surviving writings and past conduct may serve as an axle-pin for ten thousand generations. > Da boreboluomiduo jing (Mahāprajñāpāramitā-sūtra), six hundred fascicles (found in the Fan jing tu; preached by the Buddha in four locations across sixteen assemblies; translated starting on the first day of the first month of the fifth year of Xianqing at Yuhuadian in Yuhuagong Temple, and completed on the twentieth day of the tenth month of the third year of Longshuo; śramaṇas Dacheng Guang, Dacheng Qin, Jiashang, and others took down the text by brush). > Nengduan jingang boreboluomiduo jing (Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra), one fascicle (found in the Nei dian lu; the fourth translation, the same text as that translated by Kumārajīva of the Yao Qin and others; translated on the first day of the tenth month of the twenty-second year of Zhenguan at Hongfatai in Yuhua Palace, Yijun County, Fangzhou; Du Xingyi, Collator in the Secretariat, took down the text by brush). > Boreboluomiduo xin jing (Prajñāpāramitā-hṛdaya-sūtra), one fascicle (found in the Nei dian lu; the second translation, the same text as the Mohe bore damingzhou jing and others; translated on the twenty-fourth day of the fifth month of the twenty-third year of Zhenguan at Cuiwei Palace on Mount Zhongnan; śramaṇa Zhiren took down the text by brush). > Da pusa zang jing (Mahā-bodhisattvapiṭaka-sūtra), twenty fascicles (found in the Nei dian lu; now compiled into the Ratnakūṭa as the twelfth assembly; translated starting on the second day of the fifth month of the nineteenth year of Zhenguan in the Translation Hall of Hongfu Temple in the Western Capital, and completed on the second day of the ninth month; śramaṇa Zhizheng took down the text by brush, Daoxuan certified the text). > Da cheng da ji dizang shi lun jing (Mahāyāna Mahāsaṃnipāta Kṣitigarbha-daśacakra-sūtra), ten fascicles (found in the Nei dian lu; the thirteenth division of the Mahāsaṃnipāta, identical to the old Fangguang shi lun... > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 8.6.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2154.8.6.2) - [Next: 8.6.4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2154.8.6.4) - [Up: 8.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2154.8.6) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2154~en-mt.8.6.3) — English, machine translation ## Linked texts (1) - [貞元新定釋教目錄](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2157.11.51.3) — 圓照, Classical Chinese --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2154.8.6.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2154.8.6.3) · Pramāṇa