開元釋教錄 8.6.9

8.6.9

師作序。不能作碑。卿知之。貞觀二十二年
春幸玉華宮。六月勅追法師赴宮見於玉華
殿。帝問比翻何經論。答近翻瑜伽師地論訖
凡一百卷。帝曰。此論甚大何聖所說復明何
義。答曰。論是彌勒菩薩說明十七地義。又
問。何名十七地。奘舉綱提目陳列大義。帝
深愛焉遣使向京取瑜伽論。帝自詳覽覩其
詞義宏遠非從來所聞。歎謂侍臣曰。朕觀
佛經譬猶瞻天望海莫測高深。法師能於異
域得是深法。朕比以軍國務殷不及委尋佛
教。而今觀之宗源杳曠靡知涯際。其儒道九
流比之猶汀瀅之池方溟海耳。而世云三教
齊致此妄談也。因勅所司簡祕書書手。寫新
翻經論為九本。頒與雍洛兗相荊楊涼益等
九大州展轉流通。使率土之人同稟未聞之
義帝先許作新經序。機務繁劇未及措意。至
此法師重啟。方為染翰少頃而成。名大唐三
藏聖教序。神筆自寫勅貫眾經之首。帝居慶
福殿百寮侍衛命法師坐。使弘文館學士上
官儀以所製序。對群寮宣讀。霞煥錦舒極褒
揚之美致。天皇在春宮奉覩聖文。又製述三
藏聖記。自此常參內禁扣問沈隱。翻譯相續
不爽法機。帝又讀法師所進菩薩藏經。美之
因勅春宮作其後序。秋七月夏罷勅賜雲納
袈裟一領妙絕今古。又勅天下諸寺各度五
人。弘福寺宜度五十人。維持聖種皆奘正言
之力也。冬十月隨駕還京。勅所司於北闕紫
微殿西。別營一所號弘法院。令奘居之。晝則
帝留談說。夜乃還院翻經。更譯無性攝論。世
親攝論。緣起聖道經。百法明門論。皇太子
奉為文德聖皇后。於晉昌里置慈恩寺。度
三百人。別造翻經院令法師移就翻譯。仍綱
維寺任給新度弟子一十五人。弘福舊處仍
給十人。皇儲親降製詩褒飾。二十三年夏四
月駕幸翠微宮仍勅陪從。既至處分之外唯
談玄論道。問因果報應及西域先聖遺芳故
迹。皆引經訓對。帝深信納數攘袂歎曰。朕
共師相逢晚不得廣興佛事。逮高宗嗣籙素
所珍敬。追入優問禮殊恒帙。永徽二年請造
梵本經臺。蒙勅賜物尋得成就。又追入內於
修文殿翻發智等論。降手詔飛白書慰問優
給。顯慶元年正月為皇太子於慈恩寺設大
齋。朝宷總至。黃門侍郎薛元超中書侍郎李
義府曰。譯經佛法之大。未知何德可以光揚
耶。奘曰。公之此問常所懷矣。譯經雖位在僧。
光價終憑朝貴。至如符秦時曇摩難提譯經。
黃門侍郎趙文業執筆。姚秦時鳩摩羅什譯
經。秦主及安成侯姚嵩筆受。元魏時菩提留
支譯經。則宣武皇帝及侍中崔光錄文。齊梁
周隋並皆如是。大唐貞觀初波頗翻譯。勅左
僕射房玄齡。趙郡王李孝恭。太子詹事杜正
倫。太府卿蕭璟等監閱詳定。今並無之不
足光遠。公等能為致言則斯美可至二公許
為陳奏。尋下勅曰。慈恩翻譯文義須精。宜令
左僕射于志寧中書令來濟禮部尚書許敬宗
黃門侍郎薛元超中書侍郎李義府等時為看
閱。有不穩便處即隨事潤色。若須學士任
量追兩三人。冬十一月中宮在難。歸依三寶
請垂加祐。法師啟曰。聖體必安和無苦。然所
懷者是男。平安之後願聽出家。當蒙勅許。其
月一日皇后施納袈裟一領妙勝前者并時服
玩百有餘件。五日有勅令報法師。皇后分難
已訖。端正奇特神光滿院自庭燭天。朕歡喜
無已內外舞躍。必不違所許願法師護念。遂
號為佛光王。當即受三歸被袈裟服。十二月
五日滿月。勅為佛光王度七人。仍請法師為
王剃髮。其佛光王即中宗孝和皇帝初生之
瑞號也。創登皇極勅為法師。於兩京各置一
佛光寺并度人居之。其東都佛光寺即法師
之故宅也。復內出畫影裝之寶輿。送慈恩寺
翻譯堂中。追諡法師稱大遍覺。顯慶二年春
二月駕幸洛陽宮。法師與佛光王駕前而發。
并翻經僧五人陪從弟子各一事事公給。既
到安置積翠宮。召入大內麗日殿。翻觀所緣
等論。夏四月車駕避暑於明德宮。法師亦陪
從安置飛花殿。譯大毘婆沙等論。五月勅法

"[I can] write a preface for the Master, but I cannot compose a stele [inscription]; you should know this."

In the spring of the twenty-second year of Zhenguan, [the Emperor] visited the Yuhua Palace. In the sixth month, an imperial edict summoned the Dharma Master to proceed to the palace, where he was granted an audience in the Yuhua Hall. The Emperor asked what sūtras and śāstras he had translated recently. He replied, "I have recently finished translating the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra in one hundred fascicles in total."

The Emperor said, "This śāstra is immensely grand. Which sage expounded it, and what doctrine does it clarify?"

He replied, "The śāstra was expounded by the Bodhisattva Maitreya; it clarifies the meaning of the seventeen stages (bhūmi)."

[The Emperor] asked again, "What are the seventeen stages called?"

Xuanzang outlined its main points and presented the essential teachings. The Emperor was deeply delighted and dispatched an envoy to the capital to retrieve the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra. The Emperor perused it closely himself, and seeing that its wording and meaning were vast and profound—unlike anything he had ever heard before—he sighed and said to his attendant ministers, "When I look upon the Buddhist scriptures, it is like gazing at the sky or looking out over the sea, impossible to fathom their height and depth. The Dharma Master was able to obtain such profound teachings in foreign realms! Lately, because state and military affairs have been pressed and heavy, I have not had the leisure to examine the Buddhist teachings in detail. But now looking at them, their doctrinal source is vast and boundless, with no shore or limit to be known. Comparing the Ruists, Daoists, and the nine schools of thought to it is like comparing a shallow pond to the immense ocean! Yet worldly people claim that the three teachings reach the same culmination—this is absurd talk."

Thereupon, he ordered the relevant authorities to select scribes from the Palace Library to copy the newly translated sūtras and śāstras into nine sets, distributing them to nine major prefectures—including Yongzhou, Luozhou, Yanzhou, Xiangzhou, Jingzhou, Yangzhou, Liangzhou, and Yizhou—for circulation from one to another, so that the people throughout the land might together receive these principles never heard before.

The Emperor had previously promised to write a preface for the new scriptures, but because affairs of state were so pressing, he had not yet had the leisure to attend to it. At this point, the Dharma Master petitioned him again, and only then did the Emperor put brush to paper, completing it in a short while. It was titled "Preface to the Holy Teachings of the Tripiṭaka of the Great Tang" (Da Tang Sanzang Shengjiao Xu). He copied it out in his own divine handwriting and decreed that it be placed at the head of all the scriptures. The Emperor took his seat in the Qingfu Hall, with the hundred officials in attendance. He ordered the Dharma Master to be seated and commanded Shangguan Yi, Academician of the Hongwen Institute, to read out the preface he had composed before the gathered officials. Like glowing clouds radiating and brocade unfurling, it reached the ultimate refinement of praise. When the Heavenly Emperor (Gaozong), then in the Eastern Palace [as Crown Prince], respectfully beheld the imperial text, he also composed the "Account of the Holy Teachings of the Tripiṭaka" (Sanzang Shengji). From then on, [Xuanzang] frequently entered the inner palace to be consulted on abstruse points; translation proceeded without interruption, never missing the right occasion for the Dharma.

The Emperor also read the Bodhisattvapiṭaka-sūtra presented by the Dharma Master, praised it, and thereupon instructed the Eastern Palace to compose an afterword for it. In the autumn, the seventh month, when the summer retreat ended, an imperial order bestowed [upon Xuanzang] a cloud-patched kaṣāya robe, exquisite beyond anything past or present. An edict was also issued for all monasteries throughout the realm to ordain five men each, while the Hongfu Monastery was to ordain fifty men. That the lineage of sages was thus sustained was entirely due to the power of Xuanzang's upright words.

In the winter, the tenth month, [Xuanzang] accompanied the imperial cortege back to the capital. An edict instructed the authorities to build a separate compound to the west of the Ziwei Hall at the northern palace gate, named the Hongfa Academy (Hongfa Yuan), and ordered Xuanzang to reside there. By day, the Emperor detained him in conversation; by night, he returned to the academy to translate scriptures. He further translated the Asvabhāva-Mahāyānasaṃgraha-bhāṣya, the Vasubandhu-Mahāyānasaṃgraha-bhāṣya, the Pratītyasamutpāda-sūtra, and the Śata-dharma-vidyā-dvāra-śāstra.

On behalf of the late Empress Wende, the Crown Prince founded the Ci'en Monastery in the Jinchang ward and ordained three hundred monks. He constructed a separate translation court and ordered the Dharma Master to move there to carry out translation. [Xuanzang] was also put in charge of the monastery's administrative duties and granted fifteen newly ordained disciples; the former location at Hongfu was still provided ten men. The heir apparent personally visited and composed poems in his honor and praise.

In the twenty-third year, in the fourth month of summer, the imperial cortege visited the Cuiwei Palace, and [Xuanzang] was ordered to accompany them. Once there, outside of official business, [the Emperor] only conversed on the profound and discussed the Dao, asking about karmic retribution and the traces and deeds left behind by past sages in the Western Regions. Xuanzang replied to all by citing scriptural instructions. Deeply convinced, the Emperor repeatedly rolled up his sleeves and sighed, saying, "I met the Master too late to broadly promote Buddhist activities!"

When Gaozong succeeded to the throne, he held [Xuanzang] in his customary high esteem. He summoned him to court, treated him with great favor, and accorded him etiquette far surpassing ordinary rules. In the second year of Yonghui, [Xuanzang] requested to build a tower for Sanskrit scriptures; upon receiving an imperial donation of materials, it was soon completed. He was again summoned into the inner palace to translate śāstras such as the Abhidharma-jñānaprasthāna in the Xiuwen Hall. Imperial letters written in feibai ("flying white") calligraphy were bestowed upon him, expressing solicitude and granting generous provisions.

In the first month of the first year of Xianqing, a grand vegetarian feast was held for the Crown Prince at the Ci'en Monastery. The court officials all gathered. Xue Yuanchao, Attendant Gentleman of the Yellow Gate (Huangmen Shilang), and Li Yifu, Vice Director of the Secretariat (Zhongshu Shilang), said, "The translation of scriptures is the greatest of Buddhist affairs. We wonder by what virtue it might be made more illustrious?"

Xuanzang said, "Your question is something I have long kept in mind. Although the position of translating scriptures rests with monks, its glory and prestige ultimately depend upon court dignitaries. For example, when Dharmanandin translated scriptures under the Fu Qin, Zhao Wenye, Attendant Gentleman of the Yellow Gate, held the brush. When Kumārajīva translated scriptures under the Yao Qin, the ruler of Qin and Yao Song, Marquis of Ancheng, recorded the translations. When Bodhiruci translated scriptures under the Yuan Wei, Emperor Xuanwu and Cui Guang, Attendant-in-Ordinary, recorded the text. So it was under the Qi, Liang, Zhou, and Sui as well. At the beginning of the Zhenguan era under the Great Tang, when Prabhākaramitra translated, an edict appointed Fang Xuanling, Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs; Li Xiaogong, King of Zhaojun; Du Zhenglun, Supervisor of the Household of the Crown Prince; and Xiao Jing, Chief Minister of the Court of the National Granaries, to inspect and verify the texts. Today we have none of these; it is not enough to make the work illustrious and enduring. If you gentlemen could submit a request, this fine result could be attained."

The two dignitaries agreed to submit a memorial. Soon an imperial decree was issued: "The literary style and meaning of the translations at Ci'en must be refined. Yu Zhining, Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs; Lai Ji, Director of the Secretariat; Xu Jingzong, Minister of the Ministry of Rites; Xue Yuanchao, Attendant Gentleman of the Yellow Gate; and Li Yifu, Vice Director of the Secretariat, should inspect them from time to time. Wherever the phrasing is not apt, they should polish it according to the situation. If scholars are needed, two or three men may be summoned as appropriate."

In the eleventh month of winter, the Empress was in difficult labor; taking refuge in the Three Jewels, [the imperial household] requested the bestowal of divine protection. The Dharma Master petitioned, saying, "Her Majesty's sacred person will surely be safe and peaceful without distress. Furthermore, the child she is carrying is a boy. After safe delivery, may it be permitted that he enter monastic life." This received imperial consent. On the first day of that month, the Empress donated a cloud-patched kaṣāya robe, far superior to the previous one, along with more than a hundred seasonal garments and ornaments. On the fifth day, an edict was issued informing the Dharma Master: "The Empress's difficult childbirth has concluded. [The newborn is] dignified and extraordinary; a spiritual radiance filled the courtyard, illuminating the sky from the courtyard. We are overjoyed beyond measure, and both within and outside [the palace] people dance for joy. We shall certainly not go back on what was promised; we pray the Dharma Master will protect and care for him." Thereupon he was named Prince Foguang ("Radiance of the Buddha"). He immediately received the Three Refuges and was vested in the kaṣāya robe. On the fifth day of the twelfth month, marking the full month [after birth], an edict ordained seven men on behalf of Prince Foguang, and the Dharma Master was invited to shave the Prince's head. Prince Foguang was indeed the auspicious childhood name of Emperor Zhongzong, Emperor Xiaohe. Upon first ascending the imperial throne, he decreed on the Dharma Master's behalf that a Foguang Monastery be established in each of the two capitals and men be ordained to dwell there. The Foguang Monastery in the Eastern Capital was none other than the Dharma Master's former residence. Furthermore, a painted portrait [of Xuanzang] was brought out from the inner palace, mounted upon a jeweled carriage, and escorted into the Translation Hall of the Ci'en Monastery; the Dharma Master was posthumously granted the title "Great Master of Complete Enlightenment" (Da Bianjue).

In the second month of spring in the second year of Xianqing, the imperial carriage traveled to the Luoyang Palace. The Dharma Master and Prince Foguang set out ahead of the imperial cortege. Together with five translation monks and one attending disciple each, all their provisions were provided by the government. Upon arrival, they were lodged in the Jicui Palace and summoned into the Liri Hall of the Great Inner Palace, where he translated such texts as the Ālambanaparīkṣā. In the fourth month of summer, the imperial carriage went to the Mingde Palace to escape the summer heat; the Dharma Master also accompanied them and was lodged in the Feihua Hall, where he translated texts such as the Mahāvibhāṣā. In the fifth month, an edict ordered the Dharma [Master]...