開元釋教錄 9.3.10

9.3.10

Xue Chongyin, Director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, along with Yang Zhongsi, Gentleman of the Department of Receptions and Baron of Hongnong, supervised the undertaking. When the transcription was complete, the text was presented to the imperial palace. Emperor Ruizong ruled all regions without, and revered the Three Jewels within; with his imperial brush he composed a preface, placing it at the head of the sūtra. In all, fifty-three works comprising one hundred and eleven fascicles were translated from first to last.

After completing his translation of the Mahāratnakūṭa Sūtra, the tripiṭaka master Bodhiruci translated no further scriptures. He delighted his spirit in meditative contemplation and nourished his resolve with the golden elixir. Though his age exceeded a hundred, his practice of the Way suffered no decline; his chanting, recitation, and walking meditation continued unabated morning and night. In the twelfth year of Kaiyuan, he followed the imperial retinue to Luoyang. By imperial order, he was accommodated at Changshou Temple, and because of Bodhiruci's residence, the temple's title was augmented with “Kaiyuan”. In the ninth month of the fifteenth year, he turned to his disciples and said: “This illusory body of bubbles diminishes and decays day by day; even if it stays long, it must ultimately return to annihilation. In my life, I practiced regimen hoping to avert decrepitude; now that I am well advanced in years, to extend my days further would be in vain.”

Thereupon, from the twentieth day, he took neither drink nor food, completely eschewing medicine and sustenance. Although nearly fifty days passed, his complexion remained unchanged. On the third day of the eleventh month, he asked for fragrant water to bathe and changed into clean, new robes. On the morning of the fourth day, taking the Sanskrit manuscripts of various sūtras, he raised them overhead with his hands, praising each one. At the midday meal on the fifth day, he told all his attendants to disperse: “I shall briefly retire into quietness; make no noise.” Then, lying on his right side in the pure chamber, he suddenly passed away at the age of one hundred and fifty-six. Unless one had accumulated sublime deeds through cultivation and cast off the worldly dust like worn-out shoes, how could one preserve such longevity, and determine one's departure or stay solely by oneself?

When the Emperor learned of his death, he was moved with admiration and sighed in lamentation for a long time. He posthumously conferred upon him the title of Chief Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial (Honglu Daqing) and granted the posthumous name “Kaiyuan Tripiṭaka Master of All-Pervasive Knowledge”. An imperial edict dispatched the Court Eunuch Du Huaijing to the Eastern Capital to oversee the funeral. An imperial order was issued to the Imperial Treasury to supply whatever was required for the funeral, with instructions to ensure that it was lavishly provided without limit. At that time, the imperial insignia, honor guards, banners, flags, and canopies were innumerable, choking the avenues and lanes. He was subsequently interred at Longmen, where a stūpa was erected and offerings were made.

Wufen jiemo (Five-Part Karman), in one fascicle (entitled Mishasai jiemo ben [Mīśāsaka-karman Text]).
This single work in one fascicle is currently extant.

The śramaṇa Shi Aitong had the secular surname Zhao and was originally from Tianshui, belonging to a family of hereditary officials. Aitong entered monastic life at a tender age and later won renown in the study of the Vinaya. When he lectured on the Mahīśāsaka Vinaya, students from far and wide sought him out as a teacher. Formerly, in the Song dynasty, the tripiṭaka master Buddhasmṛti of Jibin translated the Mahīśāsaka Vinaya and subsequently produced a one-fascicle karman text. As time passed, that text became fragmented and lost; students searched for it in vain and had nothing to rely on. Aitong thereupon extracted a one-fascicle karman text from within the great Vinaya, which was then widely transmitted and disseminated among scholars of that school.

Xinyi Huayan yinyi (Sounds and Meanings of the Newly Translated Avataṃsaka), in two fascicles.
This single work in two fascicles is currently extant.

The śramaṇa Shi Huiyuan was a native of Jingzhao and the foremost disciple of Dharma Master Fazang of the Huayan tradition. He was diligent and untiring in his studies, thoroughly versed in both inner and outer learning, and especially proficient in the Huayan school. Huiyuan noticed that the newly translated sūtra lacked an index of sounds and meanings, so those reading it had no means of resolving their doubts; he therefore read widely in lexicographical works and compiled this work in two fascicles, enabling students to resolve the meanings of characters without having to seek teachers from afar.

Shuo miaofa jueding yezhang jing (Sūtra Preaching the Sublime Dharma of Determining Karmic Obstacles), in one fascicle (Second translation; same original text as Dharma Master Xuanzang's Chengzan dasheng gongde jing; translated in the sixth month of the ninth year of Kaiyuan at the Laoyin Hermitage in Shibie Valley on Mount Zhongnan).
Chusheng wubianmen tuoluoni jing (Anantamukha-nirhāra-dhāraṇī Sūtra), in one fascicle (Eleventh translation; same original text as the Wuliangmen weimi chi jing; translated in the ninth year of Kaiyuan at Feng'en Temple).
Shizi Sutuosha wang duanrou jing (Sūtra of King Siṃhasaudāsa Abstaining from Meat), in one fascicle (Translated in the ninth year of Kaiyuan at Feng'en Temple).
Dasheng xiuxing pusa xingmen zhujing yaoji (Essential Collection of Various Sūtras on the Mahāyāna Cultivation of the Gates of Bodhisattva Practice), in three fascicles (Translated on the twentieth day of the sixth month of the ninth year of Kaiyuan at the Laoyin Hermitage in Shibie Valley on Mount Zhongnan).
These four works in six fascicles are all currently extant.

The śramaṇa Shi Zhiyan was a hostage prince of the King of Khotan; his surname was Yuchi, and his given name was Le. Having arrived in the Tang in his youth, he achieved honors and office early on, being appointed Grand General of the Left Guard of Militant Demeanor, Pillar of State, and enfeoffed as Duke of the Jinman Commandery. By nature pure and sincere, he harbored upright faith in his heart. He petitioned to renounce his residence to establish a temple on behalf of the state, and on the eleventh day of the fifth month of the second year of Shenlong, an imperial decree granted his request. Furthermore, he considered that having been born in a foreign land and raised in China, he had the good fortune to serve four imperial courts and reach the zenith of honor and favor; fearing that he had unjustly enjoyed generous stipends and undeservedly basked in extraordinary grace, he steadfastly requested to renounce secular life, hoping thereby to repay the imperial beneficence.

On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month of the second year of Shenlong, an imperial brush-written decree stated: “It is human nature to covet and cling to stipends and rank, yet your wish is to abandon worldly life and enter the monastic order, walking in the footsteps of the hermitage and cultivating dhyāna practice. Upon perusing your memorial, We are moved with praise and admiration; We specially grant your petition to fulfill your lofty resolve.” On the fifth day of the eleventh month of the first year of Jinglong, the birthday of Emperor Zhongzong (Hedi), he abandoned household life, shaved his head, and received the Dharma name Zhiyan. He then requested permission to reside in the hermitage of Zhixiang Temple on Mount Zhongnan to cultivate the Way. With a serene mind and purified contemplation, he engaged in meditation and walking meditation, harboring ascetic resolve and accumulating contemplation in his secluded retreat. Furthermore, he was well versed in both Chinese and Sanskrit scriptures, his wisdom illuminating subtle mysteries. He repeatedly received imperial commissions regarding the true teachings of the Ratnakūṭa and the Tathāgata's secret verses, long participating in translation and collation; frequently honored with imperial instructions, he was commanded to verify and assist in translation. He routinely dwelled in the araṇya of Shibie Valley, practicing the dhūta austerities. In the ninth year of Kaiyuan, at the Shibie Hermitage and Feng'en Temple, he translated four works including the Jueding yezhang jing, all of which balanced literary grace with substantive fidelity, capturing the profound import. He also translated one incantation of the Uṣṇīṣavijayā-dhāraṇī, as well as six incantations such as that of Bhaiṣajyarāja Bodhisattva in the Lotus Sūtra. At that time, there were manuscript copies that had copied the new incantations into the text; let no one find fault with this.

Qi juti fomu zhunti daming tuoluoni jing (Cundīdevī-dhāraṇī Sūtra of the Seven Koṭīs of Mother Buddhas), in one fascicle (Second translation; same original text as that translated by Tripiṭaka Master Divākara).
Jingangding yuqie zhong lüechu niansong fa (Method of Recitation Abridged from the Vajraśekhara Yoga), in four fascicles (Also called a sūtra).
Jingangding jing Manshushili pusa wuzi xin tuoluoni pin (Chapter on the Five-Syllable Heart Dhāraṇī of Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva in the Vajraśekhara Sūtra), in one fascicle.
Guanzizai ruyilun pusa yuqie fa yao (Essentials of the Yoga Method of Avalokiteśvara Cintāmaṇicakra Bodhisattva), in one fascicle (The above three sūtras were all extracted and translated as summaries from the Sanskrit Vajraśekhara Sūtra; they are not the complete text).
These four works in seven fascicles are all currently extant.

The śramaṇa Vajrabodhi (in Chinese: Jingangzhi, “Vajra Wisdom”) was a native of the kingdom of Malaya in South India (which means the “Land of Light”, a realm near Mount Potalaka, the palace of Avalokiteśvara), and of the brāhmaṇa caste. Having renounced household life in his youth, he traveled throughout India. Though comprehensively accomplished in both inner and outer disciplines, he was especially adept in dhāraṇīs, with few equals in this Dharma gate. Going forth as conditions guided him to convert beings and benefit living creatures wherever he went, he heard that the Buddha Dharma flourished in the Great Tang; he therefore boarded a ship to travel east, reaching the coastal regions. In the eighth year of Kaiyuan, he arrived in the capital. Thereupon, he broadly propagated the esoteric teachings, establishing