貞元新定釋教目錄 13.10

13.10

誥問。寂闍梨三藏義淨法師何日歸向已東報來。三藏道茂年衰卒難勝致。氣力漸劣逮手中旬七日夜初。便命紙筆對諸弟子乃遺書曰。吾聞乾為天也坤為地也。百億日月翕闢照山河。百億閻浮幽明成晝夜。死生常道。唯聖人之能踰。衰變恒然。豈凡夫之能越。吾漸微弱汝等未安。慮忽臨終遺書敘意。吾稟氣山岳養志經書。錯綜古今搜求圖籍。七歲念文舉之俊。念之日。不獨天生。十二見甘羅之才。念之日。應同我輩。英達君子雖未當仁。博識丈夫應權而動。少尋周孔。以禮樂為常。長習老莊。將恬淡而為樂。於國有益於人甚安。不知過去之因。不說未來之果。研精失慮據賾求微。枯木死灰之言。何足鑿其心眼。玉藻金縢之典。詎可瑩其精神。乍北乍南。每作栖遑之客。或隱或處。頻尚虛白之心。發願出家投身入道。一歸緇侶再沐。

"Let an inquiry be made: On what day will Ācārya Jing, Tripiṭaka Master Yijing, return to the east? Report back." The Tripiṭaka master was flourishing in the Way and advancing in years, and could hardly bear the journey. His vigor grew gradually weaker, and reaching early evening on the seventh day of the middle decade of that month, he called for paper and brush, and facing his disciples, left a letter, saying: "I have heard that Qian is heaven and Kun is earth; ten billion suns and moons close and open to illuminate mountains and rivers; ten billion Jambudvīpas form day and night through darkness and light. Death and life are the constant way; only sages can transcend them. Decay and alteration are ever so; how could an ordinary being surpass them? I am gradually weakening, and you are not yet at peace; fearing sudden death, I leave this letter to express my thoughts. I was endowed with the spirit of the mountains and cultivated my will in the classical scriptures, synthesizing the ancient and modern, and searching out charts and texts. At the age of seven, I thought of the brilliance of [Kong] Rong, thinking at the time that such gifts are not solely born of heaven. At twelve, I saw the talent of Gan Luo, thinking at the time that he must be of our kind. Though the heroic and eminent gentleman has not yet matched humanity, the broadly learned man moves according to circumstances. In my youth I inquired into the Duke of Zhou and Confucius, taking rites and music as the norm; in my adulthood I practiced Laozi and Zhuangzi, taking tranquility as joy. Though beneficial to the state and peaceful for people, they knew nothing of past causes and spoke not of future results. Delving into the subtle, one loses true reflection; relying on the profound, one seeks the minute. How could the words of 'withered wood and dead ashes' suffice to open the eyes of the mind? How could the canons of 'Jade Ornaments' and the 'Metal-Bound Coffer' brighten one's spirit? Now north, now south, I was always a wandering traveler; sometimes retiring, sometimes dwelling in society, I frequently valued an empty, pristine mind. Making a vow to leave household life, I gave myself to the Way; once joining the monastic assembly, twice bathing in [grace]..."