大唐貞元續開元釋教錄 2.6.2

2.6.2

義幽妙故。別譯流行耳。二明今者。即我巨唐
大曆年中所譯者也。元乎本起者。有前鄜坊
節度兼御史中丞鄭國公杜冕。奏施封一萬
千為國請譯諸大乘經。詔可其奏。因請大興
善寺大廣智三藏諱阿目佉唐云不空。譯此
經等數十部。並奉詔入藏流傳中外。然三藏
和尚。學藝崇深神儀秀邈。瑜伽三密獨步南
天。專精一乘。共推東夏。曉二方之世論。尤
善聲明。達五部之真言。妙窮法印。故此所譯
善得其真。然此經是法性大乘。文理昭顯。傳
譯雖久世未受持。若明珠繫於衣中。金寶隱
於室內。能發揮者其惟大師歟。潛真幸忝翻
傳兼陪潤色。因蒙驅策修疏讚揚。竊思愚陋
有慚先哲。既因人之無恥後賢。敢竭鄙誠以
陳疎拙耳。
復有尚書比部員外郎李端。述疏序曰。昔如
來以甚深妙道。度難化眾生。開無量法門。說
無邊法教。俾夫順其機之所悟。於是乎住持。
隨其性之所安。於是乎迴向。其趣也或異。其
歸也則同。故雖三藏之派別。有以見其還源
矣。雖五乘之條分。有以見其返本矣。夫諸法
相者。無非空也。去來今世本空也。至於通宗
理契皆空也。或以種種經法種種譬喻。而必
以虛空立義。乃會於如如。則知是經者諸佛
之蘊耶。若然貧者之得寶藏。渴者之遇流泉。
斯所謂盈其願矣。斯所謂得其求矣。矧夫明
月之珍乎。矧乎甘露之味乎。
寶應元聖文武皇帝。撫運賢劫大興佛事。大
廣智三藏不空金剛者。得念總持。惟深實相。
遍遊印度。堅哉求法之誠。不遠中華。廣哉傳
法之志。獲是梵本重茲翻譯。聖言猶其詳備
矣。勝義猶其圓通矣。興善寺上座大德潛真。
學則該通。才稱辯博。善說法要尤精空門。傳
譯之初也。親奉詔言。闡揚之次也。特承付囑。
以言詮理。得理然後忘言。因法證空。空明然
後捨法。法苟漸也。言其已乎。於是暢其宗宣
其義搜其機要會其旨歸。編而為疏。凡有四
卷。蓋所以開後來之學。成無上之因。豈徒名
數篇章而已。
法師諱潛真。俗姓王氏。字義璋。太原花族代
為夏州朔方縣崇道鄉里人也。列考珍師即
公之中子也。年在學數業尚典墳。兼好佛經
誦持無替。甫及弱冠有。
制度人。法師志業素高。以經應選。即玄宗皇
帝開元二十年正月八日。制至九月二十四
日度訖。挾名聞奏住本州靈覺寺。洎乎明年
受具足戒。自後聽習經論詳考宗源。暑往寒
來卷不釋手。翻經著述逮乎終年。又撰大聖
文殊師利菩薩佛剎功德莊嚴經疏三卷。上
都大興善寺翻經講論大德沙門潛真。述疏
云。此經凡有三譯。一西晉大熙元年。竺法護
譯。名文殊師利佛土嚴淨經。兩卷。亦名嚴淨
佛土經。文勢多古語簡理幽。二者皇唐天后
久視元年庚子歲。于闐三藏實叉難陀。唐云
喜學。於京清禪寺譯。名文殊師利授記經。三
卷。玄範法師筆受。復禮法師潤色。文勢類
於花嚴。梵旨近於巧略。疏中對會兼約此經。
三者今聖唐大曆六年所譯者也。伏惟寶應
元聖文武皇帝陛下。天授帝籙人歸寶圖。德
厚乾坤明齊日月。仁恕引物。夷狄仰德而輸
誠。慈惠法門。正教承風而演化。須者有前鄜
坊節度兼御史中丞杜冕。奏施封一萬千為
國請譯諸大乘經。明詔下於祇園。梵音開於
貝葉。因請大興善寺大廣智三藏諱阿目佉。
唐云不空。譯此經等數十部。仍有明詔。天下
梵宇各置大聖文殊菩薩像。以旌聖功也。又
詔。以文殊師利菩薩為上座。皆大廣智三藏
之故也。然三藏和上。學究瑜伽解窮法印。身
口意業祕密修持。戒定慧學明顯通達。唐梵
文字聲韻具知。傳譯此經善符聖旨。文質兼
備璨然可觀。潛真識智愚陋學藝庸淺。幸陪
清眾謬在翻傳。虛空藏經課虛潤色。兼蒙驅
策述疏讚揚。雖文義荒蕪已傳京邑。今之所
撰蓋有由焉。有金閣寺大德道超禪師。學盡
法源行契心本。親覩靈境密承聖慈。故久在
清涼屢興淨業。仍於金閣現處建窣堵波。尋

Because its meaning is profound and wondrous, a separate translation was made to circulate. Second, clarifying the present one: it was translated during the Dali era of our Great Tang. As for its original beginning: the former Military Commissioner of Fufang and Vice Censor-in-Chief, Du Mian, Duke of Zheng State, submitted a memorial offering one myriad strings of cash from his fief to request the translation of various Mahāyāna sūtras for the sake of the state. An edict approved his memorial. Thereupon, he requested the Tripiṭaka Master of Vast and Great Wisdom from Daxingshan Temple, whose taboo name was Amogha, in Chinese Bukong (Amoghavajra), to translate this sūtra and dozens of other works. All of them entered the canon by imperial decree and were circulated at home and abroad. Now, the venerable Tripiṭaka master had lofty and deep learning and art, and his divine bearing was elevated and far-reaching. In the three mysteries of Yoga, he walked alone in South India; exclusively devoted to the One Vehicle, he was unanimously praised in the Eastern Xia. He understood the secular treatises of both lands and was especially skilled in phonology; he had penetrated the dhāraṇīs of the five divisions and wondrously exhausted the seals of the Dharma. Therefore, his translations truly captured their reality. Yet this sūtra is of the Mahāyāna of Dharma-nature, and its literary meaning is brilliant and clear. Although its translation has been around for a long time, the world has not yet received and upheld it; it was like a bright pearl tied inside one's garment, or gold and treasure concealed within a chamber. Who else but the Great Master could have brought it forth? Qianzhen was fortunate to be included among the translators and also participated in polishing the style. Consequently, receiving his direction, I composed a commentary to praise it. Thinking secretly of my foolishness and ignorance, I feel ashamed before the ancient sages. Yet, as others shamelessly present themselves to later worthies, I venture to exhaust my humble sincerity to offer this coarse and clumsy work.
There was also the Vice Director of the Ministry of Justice's Bureau of Accounts, Li Duan, who composed a preface to the commentary, which says: 'In the past, the Tathāgata used the exceedingly profound, wondrous Way to deliver sentient beings who were difficult to transform. He opened immeasurable Dharma-gates and expounded boundless Dharma teachings, enabling them to abide in them according to what their capacities could awaken to, and to dedicate themselves according to what their natures found peaceful. Though their paths were different, their destination was the same. Therefore, although the Tripiṭaka is branched and divided, one can see that it returns to the source; although the Five Vehicles are differentiated into streams, one can see that they return to the root. Now, the marks of all dharmas are none other than emptiness. Past, future, and present are fundamentally empty. Coming to the penetration of the school and the tallying of principle, all is empty. Whether by various sutra teachings or by various parables, one must establish meaning on empty space to merge with Suchness. Thus we know that this sūtra is the storehouse of all Buddhas. If so, it is like a poor man finding a treasury of jewels, or a thirsty person coming upon a flowing spring. This is what is meant by having one's wishes fulfilled; this is what is meant by obtaining what one sought. How much more so than a precious moon pearl! How much more so than the taste of sweet dew!
His Majesty, the Baoying Yuansheng Wenwu Emperor, commanding the fortune of the Wise Kalpa, greatly promoted Buddhist affairs. The Tripiṭaka Master of Vast and Great Wisdom, Amoghavajra, obtained mindfulness and dhāraṇī, and penetrated deeply into the true mark of reality. He traveled throughout India, showing how firm was his sincerity in seeking the Dharma; he did not consider China too distant, showing how vast was his aspiration to transmit the Dharma. Having obtained this Sanskrit manuscript, he undertook this translation again. The sacred words are ever more detailed and complete; the supreme meaning is ever more consummate and penetrating. The Sthavira and Great Virtue of Xingshan Temple, Qianzhen, is comprehensive in learning, renowned for his broad eloquence, skilled in expounding the essentials of the Dharma, and especially refined in the gate of emptiness. At the start of the translation, he personally received the imperial words; in the course of expounding them, he specifically received the entrustment. By words he explained the principle; having attained the principle, he then forgot the words. Relying on dharmas he realized emptiness; emptiness having become clear, he then abandoned dharmas. If the Dharma is indeed gradual, can words ever cease? Thereupon, he unfolded its school, proclaimed its meaning, searched out its key essentials, and gathered its ultimate import. Compiling them into a commentary, it has four fascicles in total. This was surely to open learning for later generations and accomplish the unexcelled cause—how could it be merely names, enumerations, chapters, and sentences?'
The Dharma Master's taboo name was Qianzhen; his lay surname was Wang, and his style name was Yizhang. He belonged to a distinguished family of Taiyuan, and his family had lived for generations in Chongdao Village, Shuofang County, Xia Prefecture. His deceased father, Zhenshi, was the second son of the Duke. While in his school years, his studies were devoted to the ancient classics, while he also loved Buddhist scriptures and recited them without pause. Just as he reached weak adulthood, there was
an imperial decree to ordain monks. The Dharma Master's aspirations were naturally lofty; he took the examination on scriptures. On the eighth day of the first month in the twentieth year of Emperor Xuanzong's Kaiyuan era, the decree arrived, and on the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month his ordination was completed. His name having been submitted to the throne, he resided in Lingjue Temple of his home prefecture. By the following year, he received the full precepts. From then on, he listened to and studied the sūtras and treatises, carefully investigating the origin of the schools; as summer went and winter came, the scrolls never left his hand. He translated scriptures and wrote works until the end of his life. He also composed the Commentary on the Sūtra on the Merits and Adornment of the Buddha Realm of the Great Holy Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī in three fascicles. The Great Virtue Śramaṇa Qianzhen, translator and expositor of Daxingshan Temple in the Upper Capital, stated in his commentary: 'This sūtra has three translations in all. First, in the first year of the Daxi era of the Western Jin, translated by Zhu Fahu (Dharmarakṣa), entitled Sūtra on the Purification of the Buddha Land of Mañjuśrī in two fascicles, also called Sūtra on Purifying the Buddha Land. Its literary style is mostly archaic, its words concise, and its principle profound. Second, in the first year of the Jiushi era, a gengzi year, of the Heavenly Empress of the August Tang, translated by the Khotanese Tripiṭaka Master Śikṣānanda (whose Tang name was Xixue) at the Qingchan Temple in the capital, entitled Sūtra of Mañjuśrī's Prediction in three fascicles. Dharma Master Xuanfan was the scribe, and Dharma Master Fuli polished the style. Its literary style resembles the Avataṃsaka, and the Sanskrit meaning approaches skillful brevity. In this commentary, I have collated and drawn from this sūtra. Third, the one translated in the sixth year of the Dali era of the present Sagely Tang. I humbly consider that His Majesty, the Baoying Yuansheng Wenwu Emperor, has received the imperial mandate from Heaven, and the people have turned toward the precious chart. His virtue is as deep as Heaven and Earth; his brightness equals the sun and moon. With benevolence and forbearance, he leads all creatures; the barbarians revere his virtue and offer their sincerity. His kindness and grace extend to the Dharma-gate, and the true teaching follows his influence and propagates its transformation. Formerly, the Military Commissioner of Fufang and Vice Censor-in-Chief, Du Mian, submitted a memorial offering one myriad strings of cash from his fief to request the translation of various Mahāyāna sūtras for the state. An enlightened decree descended upon the Jetavana, and the Sanskrit sounds opened on the palm leaves. Thereupon, he requested the Tripiṭaka Master of Vast and Great Wisdom from Daxingshan Temple, whose taboo name was Amogha, in Chinese Bukong, to translate this sūtra and dozens of others. An enlightened decree was also issued ordering that an image of the Great Holy Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī be placed in each Buddhist monastery throughout the realm to manifest sagely virtue. Another decree appointed Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī as the sthavira; all of this was due to the Tripiṭaka Master of Vast and Great Wisdom. Now, the venerable Tripiṭaka master had investigated Yoga to the utmost and understood the seals of the Dharma completely; his bodily, verbal, and mental karmas were cultivated in secrecy; his learning of precepts, concentration, and wisdom was clearly mastered; and he was thoroughly acquainted with the characters and phonology of both Tang and Sanskrit. His translation of this sūtra conformed well to the sagely intention, possessing both literary elegance and substance, shining brightly. Qianzhen's knowledge and wisdom are foolish and crude, and my learning and skills are mediocre and shallow. Fortunately joining the pure assembly, I was mistakenly included among the translators; for the Ākāśagarbha Sūtra, I contributed vainly to polishing the style, and also received his direction to compose a commentary in praise. Although its prose and meaning are crude, it has already been circulated in the capital. As for the present composition, it certainly has its cause. There is the Great Virtue Chan Master Daochao of Jin'ge Temple, whose learning reached the source of the Dharma and whose conduct tallied with the foundation of the mind. Having personally beheld the numinous realm and secretly received sagely compassion, he stayed for a long time on Mount Qingliang and repeatedly promoted pure karma. Furthermore, at the site of the manifestation of Jin'ge, he built a stūpa. Soon