開元釋教錄 9.3.1

9.3.1

Sūtra of the Questions of the Bodhisattva King Lion Ornament, one fascicle (also titled Sūtra of the Eight Maṇḍalas; translated at Ci'en Temple in the third year of Longshuo; recorded in the Great Zhou Catalogue);
Sūtra on the Method of Paying Homage to the Buddhas Spoken to the Bodhisattva Vimalamati, one fascicle (translated at Ci'en Temple in the third year of Longshuo; recorded in the Great Zhou Catalogue);
Āṭānāṭiya-sūtra, one fascicle (translated at Ci'en Temple in the third year of Longshuo; recorded in the Continued Biographies of Eminent Monks).
The above three works in three fascicles (the former two works in two fascicles are extant; the latter work in one fascicle is lost).
Śramaṇa Nadi, rendered in Chinese as Fusheng ('Born of Merit'), in full Sanskrit is called Puṇyodaya. Because the expression is wordy, it was erroneously abbreviated here as Nadi. He was originally a native of Central India. Having gone forth in his youth, he was enlightened under famous masters. His aspirations were noble and far-reaching, and his mind was set upon propagating the Way. He traveled extensively through various lands, devoting himself to illuminating sentient beings. He was thoroughly versed in linguistic science (śabda-vidyā) and well acquainted with various commentaries and glosses. Bactria (Daxia) summoned him as a literary scholar, equivalent to an author of the Orchid Terrace (Imperial Secretariat) in this land. By nature, he had a broad affection for others and a fondness for extraordinary matters. Hearing of anyone with spiritual realization, he did not shrink from visiting distant barbarians. He once went to the Kingdom of the Lion (Siṃhala / Sri Lanka), and also climbed Mount Laṅkā to the southeast. Following conditions, he converted distant realms in the South Seas. Hearing that the eastern land of Cīna widely propagated the Mahāyāna and that the Buddhist teachings were profoundly exalted there, ranking foremost in Jambudvīpa, he collected Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna sūtras, vinayas, and śāstras amounting to more than five hundred cases, totaling over one thousand five hundred works. In the sixth year of Yonghui of the Heavenly Emperor (Gaozong), he first arrived in the capital. An imperial order decreed that he be accommodated at Ci'en Temple and provided for by the relevant authorities. At that time, Dharma Master Xuanzang was monopolizing the translation bureau; his fame and brilliance soared and flourished, leaving [Nadi] no means to display his own abilities, and thus suppressed and isolated, the prajñā teachings met with hardship. Nadi was not introduced or recommended, and had no avenue to unfold his learning. In the first year of Xianqing, he was ordered by imperial decree to travel to the various kingdoms of Kunlun to collect rare medicinal herbs. Upon arriving in the South Seas, the various kings took refuge in him with reverence. They established separate temples for him, ordained monks, and transmitted the Dharma, so that the scope of his propagation was twice that of before. Because he had formerly received an imperial decree to go, in principle he had to return and report on his mission. He also planned to re-examine the Sanskrit manuscripts at Ci'en Temple. In the third year of Longshuo, he returned to the old monastery. However, all the scriptures he had brought had been taken north by Xuanzang. He wished to translate them, but had nothing to rely upon. He only translated three works, including the Sūtra of the Eight Maṇḍalas, which were the most concise and essential, suitable for constant practice and study. Śramaṇa Huize of Zhanlin Temple translated the words; Śramaṇa Daoxuan of Fengde Temple compiled the text and composed the preface. In that year, the kingdom of Zhenla in the South Seas, which had previously been converted by Nadi, revered him without cease and longed to see him. Leading one another along, they took the opportunity of traveling to request his return from afar, claiming: 'Our country has fine medicinal herbs that only Nadi can recognize; we pray that he be allowed to come and gather them himself.' An imperial order permitted him to go and return, an occurrence hitherto unprecedented. Inquiring broadly of travelers from Bactria, they said: 'Tripiṭaka Master Nadi is a disciple of Nāgārjuna. His understanding of the signless (animitta) is diametrically opposed to that of Xuanzang.' Western Indian monks said: 'After the Great Master passed away, this man is foremost. He deeply understands the true nature of reality (tathatā) and is thoroughly adept in skillful means. In the five vinayas of the Hīnayāna and the four Vedas and śāstras of the non-Buddhists, there is nothing whose source and depths he has not penetrated, fully understanding their words and meanings. His expressions flow like linked pearls, and his principles shine forth like rising clouds. The Treatise on the Compendium of Mahāyāna Principles that he authored comprises some forty-odd fascicles.' Just as he was about to translate it, he was dispatched away and it was consequently omitted. Alas, the lament of 'holding the qilin' has had such parallels in every age; how difficult it is to recognize talent! Rarely met in a thousand years, Nadi arrived from afar carrying the Way. Dispatched toward the northern darkness, he had nothing to depend upon; he was then poisoned three times and sent twice on southern expeditions, traversing tens of thousands of li over rough terrain, repeatedly passing through pestilential mists. Resigning his life yet facing fate, such was this man. How lamentable, indeed!
Consequent Translation of the Cremation Section of the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra, two fascicles (also called the Jhāpita Section, or the Latter Section; Śramaṇa Huili composed the preface; recorded in the Great Zhou Catalogue).
The above one work in two fascicles is extant.
Śramaṇa Jñānabhadra, rendered in Chinese as Zhixian ('Wisdom and Virtue'), was a native of the kingdom of Poling (also called Heling / Java) in the South Seas. He was adept in the studies of the Tripiṭaka. In the past, during the Linde era, Śramaṇa Huining of Chengdu in Yizhou purposefully traveled to India to observe and pay homage to the sacred traces. Sailing westward by ship, his route passed through the kingdom of Poling. Thereupon, together with Zhixian, he translated two fascicles of the Latter Section of the Nirvāṇa-sūtra, and sent the scriptures back to Jiaozhou, after which Huining proceeded to India. Later, in the beginning of the Yifeng era, Liang Nandi, Commander-in-Chief of Jiaozhou, dispatched an envoy to deliver the scriptures to the capital. In the third year, wuyin, Śramaṇa Linghui of the Great Ci'en Temple petitioned the Eastern Palace to permit their distribution and practice.
Mahāyāna-saṃjñā-vyākaraṇa-sūtra, two fascicles (second translation; same text as the assembly of the Elder Bhadrapāla in the Ratnakūṭa; recorded in the Great Zhou Catalogue; translated at the Eastern Taiyuan Temple in the Eastern Capital in the first year of Yonglong);
Continuation to the Chapter on Entering the Dharma Realm of the Mahāvaipulya Buddhāvataṃsaka-sūtra, one fascicle (sometimes without the word 'Continuation'; a continuation of the lacunae of the old Avataṃsaka-sūtra; recorded in the Great Zhou Catalogue; translated at the Guining Cloister of Western Taiyuan Temple in the first year of Chuigong);
Lalitavistara-sūtra, twelve fascicles (also titled Spiritual Manifestations at Play; fourth translation; same text as the Puyao jing by Dharmarakṣa and others; recorded in the Great Zhou Catalogue; translation completed on the fifteenth day of the ninth month in the second year of Yongchun at the Guining Cloister of Western Taiyuan Temple; recorded by Śramaṇa Feli);
Sūtra of Attaining Accordance with the Mahāyāna, two fascicles (also titled Penetrating the Gnosis-Field of All Buddhas, the Vairocana Treasury; second translation; same text as the Sūtra on the Identical Nature of the Mahāyāna; recorded in the Great Zhou Catalogue; translated at Eastern Taiyuan Temple in the first year of Yonglong);
Mahāyāna Sūtra on the Ineffable Universal Light Treasury, one fascicle (third translation; same text as the Ineffable Jewel Casket Sūtra produced by Bodhiruci of the Northern Wei; recorded in the Great Zhou Catalogue; translated at Guining Cloister of Western Taiyuan Temple in the second year of Yongchun);
Mahāyāna Ineffable Dharma-Door Sūtra of the Universal Radiance Treasury, one fascicle (fourth translation; same text as the preceding Ineffable Sūtra; retranslated by Divākara);
Mahāvaipulya Siṃhanāda-sūtra, one fascicle (second translation; same text as the Tathāgata-siṃhanāda-sūtra; recorded in the Great Zhou Catalogue; translated at Eastern Taiyuan Temple in the first year of Yonglong);
Mahāyāna Sūtra on the Signs of a Hundred Merits, one fascicle (first translation; recorded in the Great Zhou Catalogue; translated at Guining Cloister of Western Taiyuan Temple in the second year of Yongchun);
Mahāyāna Sūtra on the Signs of the Ornament of a Hundred Merits, one fascicle (second translation; same text as the preceding Sūtra on the Signs of a Hundred Merits; retranslated by Divākara);
Mahāyāna Sūtra on the Four Dharmas, one fascicle (first translation; recorded in the Great Zhou Catalogue; translated at Eastern Taiyuan Temple in the first year of Yonglong);
Sūtra on the Four Dharmas Practiced by Bodhisattvas, one fascicle (translated in the first month of the second year of Yonglong at Hongfu Temple in the capital; Śramaṇa Yancong composed the preface; second translation; same text as the preceding Four Dharmas of the Mahāyāna, produced again in the capital);
Cundīdhāraṇī-sūtra on the Great Heart of the Seven Koṭi Buddhas, one fascicle (first translation; same text as the version produced by Vajrabodhi; recorded in the Great Zhou Catalogue; translated at Guining Cloister of Western Taiyuan Temple in the first year of Chuigong);
Uṣṇīṣa-vijayā-dhāraṇī-sūtra, one fascicle (second translation; same text as the version produced by Du Yi and others; translated on the twenty-second day of the fifth month in the first year of Yongchun at Hongfu Temple in the capital together with Śramaṇa Yancong, who also composed the preface).