開元釋教錄 2.9.6

2.9.6

The Biographical Account of King Aśoka, seven fascicles (sometimes with the word 'Great' added; also called the Great King Aśoka Sūtra; or in five fascicles; first translation, sharing the same original text with the King Aśoka Sūtra translated under the Liang; translated in the Guangxi era; recorded in Zhu Daozu's catalogue).
Sūtra on the Manifestation of the Precious Storehouse by Mañjuśrī, two fascicles (first translation; also called Sūtra on the Demonstration of the Precious Storehouse; or in three fascicles; sharing the same original text with the Ratnakaraṇḍa-sūtra and others; translated in the Tai'an era; recorded in Zhu Daozu's catalogue).
Ajātaśatru-rāja-sūtra, two fascicles (translated in the Taikang era; recorded in Zhu Daozu's catalogue; third translation, sharing the same original text with the Puchao jing and others).
Anantamukha-sūtra, one fascicle (third translation, different translation from the same original as the Weimichi jing and others; recorded in Zhu Daozu's catalogue).
The five works above comprise sixteen fascicles (the first two works, in eleven fascicles, are extant; the latter three works, in five fascicles, are lost).
The śramaṇa An Faqin was a native of the Parthian kingdom (Arsacid/Anxi). His learning was rich in the various sūtras, and his profound insight was without hindrance. From the second year, xinchou, of the Taikang era of Emperor Wu [281 CE] through the first year, bingyin, of the Guangxi era of Emperor Hui [306 CE], he translated five works in Luoyang, including the Daoshenzu jing.
Fangguang bore boluomi jing (Mokṣala's Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra), thirty fascicles (second translation, sharing the same original text with the Guangzan and the Dapin; or in twenty fascicles; also called Fangguang mohe bore jing, and also called Mohe bore fangguang jing; produced in the first year of the Yuankang era; recorded in the postscript to the sūtra).
The one work above comprises thirty fascicles; its text is extant.
The śramaṇa Moksala (called Wuchaluo in the postscript to the sūtra) was a native of Khotan. On the fifteenth day of the fifth month in the first year, xinhai, of the Yuankang era of Emperor Hui [291 CE], at Shuinan Temple in Cangheng (written as Cangyuan in the sūtra postscript), Chenliu, he translated this one work, the Fangguang jing, finishing on the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth month. The Henan upāsaka Zhu Shulan orally transmitted it, and Zhu Taixuan and Zhou Xuanming took down the brush transcription. As for the Indic manuscript of this sūtra: it was originally the śramaṇa Zhu Shixing of Yingchuan who once lectured on the Daoxing jing in Luoyang. When he reached the profound doctrines, he often found them blocked and incomprehensible. He repeatedly lamented that while this sūtra was the essential teaching of the Mahāyāna, the principles rendered in translation were not exhaustive. He vowed to sacrifice his life and resolved to seek and obtain it. Thereupon, in the fifth year, gengchen, of the Ganlu era of the Cao Wei [260 CE], he departed from Yongzhou, crossed the shifting sands to the west, and reached the kingdom of Khotan. There he transcribed the Sanskrit text of the orthodox division in ninety chapters and over six hundred thousand words. In the third year, renyin, of the Taikang era of the Jin [282 CE], he sent ten disciples, including Forudan (translated in Jin as Farao), to bring it back to Luoyang. Before they could depart, the Hīnayāna community of Khotan addressed the king, saying: 'The śramaṇas of the Han land wish to use a Brahmanical book to confuse and disturb the orthodox scriptures. Your Majesty is the lord of this land; if you do not prohibit it, the Great Dharma will be severed and the Han land will be deaf and blind; the fault will be Your Majesty's.' The king therefore did not permit the sūtra to be taken. Shixing was filled with indignation and requested to burn the sūtra as proof. Wishing to put it to the test, the king piled firewood in the palace courtyard and set fire to it. Standing before the steps, Shixing made a solemn vow: 'If the Great Dharma is destined to circulate in the Han land, the sūtra shall not burn. If there is no divine response, what can be done about fate?' Having spoken, he threw the sūtra [into the fire]; not a single word was harmed, the palm leaves were just as before, and appeared even more lustrous. The great assembly was awestruck and admired its miraculous efficacy. It was subsequently delivered to Luoyang, where it remained for three years, then went to Xuchang for two years, and later reached Shuinan Temple in Chenliu. The assembly invited Mokṣala and others to translate it. However, the various catalogues of Zhu Daozu, Sengyou, Wang Zong, Baochang, Li Kuo, Fashang, Lingyu, and others all say that it was produced by Zhu Shixing; this was merely attributing the credit to the original seeker. Now, according to the postscript to the sūtra, Zhi Mindu's catalogue, the various miscellaneous listings, and so forth, it was actually translated jointly by Mokṣala, Zhu Shulan, and others. That Zhu Shixing remained in Khotan and died at the age of eighty. In accordance with the Western cremation (jhāpita) rites, when the firewood was consumed and the fire extinguished, his corpse remained intact. The multitude was astonished and chanted an incantation, saying: 'If he truly attained the Path, the Dharma requires that it be destroyed.' At the sound of the words, it shattered and dispersed. They then collected the bones and erected a stūpa. Since he passed away in Khotan, the sūtra was certainly not translated by him.
Different Vimalakīrtinirdeśa-sūtra, three fascicles (Sengyou writes 'Different Weimojie jing'; sometimes with the character si; or in two fascicles; translated in the sixth year of the Yuankang era; third translation, same text but different wording from those produced by Fotiao, Zhi Qian, and others; recorded in the two catalogues of Daozu and Sengyou).
Śūraṅgama-sūtra, two fascicles (produced in the first year of the Yuankang era; seventh translation, same text but different wording from those produced by Lokakṣema, Zhi Qian, Bo Yan, Dharmarakṣa, and others; recorded in Nie Daozhen's catalogue and Sengyou's catalogue).
The two works above comprise five fascicles; both texts are lost.
The upāsaka Zhu Shulan (Now, according to the biographies of Zhu Shixing and Zhu Shulan in Sengyou's catalogue, the postscript to the Fangguang jing, and Zhi Mindu's Collation Note to the Śūraṅgama, all state that Shulan was a white-robed householder; the Changfang and Neidian catalogues erroneously make him the head of the śramaṇas).
He was originally a native of India. His grandfather, Louda, was dedicated and fond of study, pure, simple, and high-principled. At that time, the king of the country was unprincipled, and the common people thought of rebellion. A treacherous minister commanding troops committed an offense, and fearing execution, he relied on Louda as a prominent figure of the realm and summoned him to rebel together. Louda angrily said: 'You arose from humble and base origins and yet occupy an important office. You cannot repay favors with virtue, and instead make treacherous plots? I would rather preserve loyalty and die than rebel and live.' Fearing that the plot would leak, the rebel killed him and launched the revolt. Louda's son Dharmasīla (translated in Jin as Fashou) had previously been in another country. His wife's two elder brothers were both śramaṇas; hearing that the father had been slain and the country was in great turmoil, they fled to the Jin with the two śramaṇas and lived in Henan, where Shulan was born. Shulan was intelligent and articulate from childhood. He received instruction in the sūtras and teachings from his two maternal uncles, understanding them upon hearing them once. He was skilled in both the Indic and Jin languages and scripts, and was also versed in various literary and historical works. However, his nature was rather frivolous and rash, and he engaged in unrestrained hunting. Once, pursuing a deer alone on horseback, he encountered a tiger, fell from his horse, and broke his right arm. It took a long time to heal, but afterward he continued galloping without cease. His mother repeatedly rebuked and admonished him, but he never changed, desisting only when she began eating a vegetarian diet for his sake. By nature he was fond of wine, feeling cheerful only after drinking five or six sheng. Once, heavily drunk, he lay by the roadside, and then entered the gate of Henan commandery shouting loudly. The officials arrested him and sent him to the Henan prison. At that time, the governor of Henan, Yue Guang, was drinking merrily with his guests and was already intoxicated. He said to Lan: 'You are an immigrant guest; why do you imitate our people in drinking wine?' Shulan said: 'Du Kang brewed wine for the whole world to drink together; what distinction is there between immigrants and locals?' Guang also said: 'Drinking wine is acceptable, but why be wildly disorderly?' He replied: 'I, an ordinary subject, may be wild, but I am not disorderly; just as you, my governor, are drunk, but not wild.' Guang cheered loudly. At that time, a seated guest asked: 'How can a foreigner have a fair face?' Shulan replied: 'The people of Henan have dark faces, yet no one doubts them; what is so strange about my having a fair face?' Thereupon, host and guests admired his sharp wit, and released him. Soon afterward, he died suddenly without illness, reviving after three days. He recounted that he had entered a red gate with a hall made of gold and silver. He saw a man who said he was his grandfather, who addressed Shulan, saying: 'I cultivated good deeds for years and now receive this retribution. How could a sinner like you come here?' At that time, the gatekeeper drove him away with a staff, into...