貞元新定釋教目錄 13.11

13.11

皇恩。屬天子高居公卿政事。盛揚佛日。自漢魏而不同。虔奉釋文。與周隋而全別。思之琳遠希欲連蹤。想之騰澄無忘接影。三藏教迹。將漢地而未圓。十二部經。想中天而可取。年始一十有七。思遊五印之都。歲臨三十有七。願到雙林之境。哀別南去遠達西征。海路波濤關山險阻。歷三十之外國。將四百之真經。願為眾生志存翻譯。辭八相之靈塔。歸九洛之神州。天子親迎群公重法。歡心伇思盡力忘疲。五聖天波常遭覆蔭。百年天命漸自衰微。佛說涅槃。流傳十二分教。余見將死。寧無一二之言。遙想前途不知幾里。又思生路不知何年。吁吁嗟嗟。至無至之處所。到不到之境界。取證可知。生不生之形骸。於心尚惑。事既忩迫恐無暇言。所譯之經虔敬無盡。未翻之典愧恨彌深。不得盡本心。不得終本願。不知天之故奪。不知神之故為。桑公俞附之醫。昔年何有。扁鵲葛洪之手。今日何無。石火流光光銷難續。水花發彩彩不久停。負氣吞聲銜悲茹泣。情既恨恨乃述言焉。弟子門人不可具載。略而書矣。望遣傳燈。學戒學律之徒。莫違微細。學論學經之輩。須識邪疑。三學總成佛之上願。一行偏善吾未喜焉。具圓之人觸犯須慎。近圓之者尊卑有方。講律之流願無休恩。傳經之士冀見奉行。若為寺主綱維。盡身盡命荷護。僧徒慈仁慈忍。尼眾禁戒分明。大須堅固。汝等如吾言行吾法。吾若為石為土也。即為汝之屋宅。吾若為楸為柏也。覆蔭汝之形容。吾若為神為鬼也。即益資汝之精氣。吾若為花為藥也。即加備汝之靈壽。吾若為天為人也。即以甘脆為汝之飲食。吾若得道得果也。即以威神令汝之安樂。汝若違吾語失吾言。吾若為石為土也。汝死而不為丘墓。若為楸為柏也。汝死而不為棺槨。若為神為鬼也。為祟而不為荷護。若為花為藥也。為毒而不為氣力。若為天為人也。為惡而不為安穩若得道得果也。怖汝心而為伴為侶。慈之若此。悲之如斯。崇慶崇勗元廓玄秀玄叡慧神等聰明稟氣特達奇神。須存鑿壁之功。無使面牆有分。剝皮為紙。昔菩薩之大心。重法傳經。在汝等之用意。吾自病已久。鎮臥床枕既不瘳損。無復聊生。惠奭悟道以下返道小者。扶侍辛苦慚愧唯深。文藝最處老生。汝等偏須優愛。梵本先有表文。付智積才藝等。百德豐碑須為吾立。衣鉢錫杖持律者收。吾別有語。已屬才藝。京城貞法師莊法師傘法師恒律師昭上座海都師等。天骨神授器深智達。為眾生之眼目。作。

[...and having once joined the black-robed order, I twice bathed in] imperial favour. This occurred when the Son of Heaven dwelt on high and the dukes and ministers administered the government, splendidly raising high the sun of the Buddha, distinct from the Han and Wei dynasties, and reverently upholding the teachings of Śākya, completely different from the Zhou and Sui. Thinking of Daoan and Huiyuan, I hoped to follow in their footsteps; meditating on Sengyou and Daocheng, I did not forget to tread in their shadows. The traces of the Tripiṭaka teachings were not yet complete in the land of Han; the twelve divisions of scriptures, I considered, could be obtained from Central India. At the age of seventeen, I thought of traveling to the capitals of the Five Indies; approaching thirty-seven years of age, I vowed to reach the realm of the Twin Trees. Bidding a sorrowful farewell, I went south, journeying far to the west. Through surging ocean billows and treacherous mountain passes, I traversed over thirty foreign realms and brought back four hundred genuine scriptures. Vowing to translate them for the sake of sentient beings, I took leave of the sacred stūpas of the Eight Aspects and returned to the divine province of the Ninefold Luo. The Son of Heaven welcomed me in person; the ministers esteemed the Dharma. With joyful heart and diligent thought, I gave all my strength, forgetting fatigue. Constantly sheltered by the imperial grace of five sage monarchs, my hundred-year lifespan has gradually declined. When the Buddha expounded parinirvāṇa, the twelve divisions of teachings were transmitted. Seeing that I am about to die, how could I not leave a word or two? Looking into the distance, I do not know how many leagues lie on the road ahead; pondering rebirth, I do not know in what year it shall be. Alas, how sorrowful! Reaching a place that is unreached, arriving at a realm not arrived at—this can be known only through realization. As for this physical body that is born yet unborn, my mind remains perplexed. Since matters are pressed and urgent, I fear there will be no time for further words. For the scriptures I have translated, my reverent respect is boundless; for the texts not yet translated, my remorse and sorrow are all the deeper. I could not fulfill my original intent; I could not complete my original vow. I know not whether Heaven has purposefully taken it away, nor whether the spirits have purposefully brought this to pass. Where now are the physicians like Master Sang and Yu Fu of old? Why are the hands of Bian Que and Ge Hong missing today? The fleeting spark of the flint-stone cannot be rekindled once extinguished; the iridescent blossom on the water does not linger for long. Holding my breath, suppressing my voice, harbouring grief and swallowing tears, full of bitter regret, I set down these words. My disciples and followers cannot all be recorded here, so I write in brief, hoping you will transmit the lamp. You who study the precepts and the vinaya, do not violate even minor details. You who study the treatises and sūtras, you must discern heterodox doubts. The three trainings jointly achieve the supreme vow of Buddhahood; I take no joy in one-sided adherence to a single practice. Those who have full ordination must be cautious regarding transgressions; those who approach ordination must observe the proper order of seniors and juniors. May those who lecture on the vinaya never let their kindness cease; I hope those who transmit the scriptures will put them into practice. If you serve as monastery abbot or administrator, protect and maintain [the community] with all your body and life. The monks must be kind and patient; the nuns must keep the precepts distinct and clear. Above all, you must remain steadfast. If you act according to my words and practice my Dharma, then if I become stone or earth, I shall be your dwelling; if I become a catalpa or cypress, I shall shelter your forms; if I become a god or spirit, I shall nourish your vitality; if I become a flower or medicine, I shall augment your spiritual lifespan; if I become a deva or a human, I shall provide you with sweet delicacies for food; and if I attain the Way and realize the fruit, I shall bring you peace and joy through spiritual power. If you transgress my instructions and abandon my words, then if I become stone or earth, when you die I shall not become your mound or tomb; if I become a catalpa or cypress, when you die I shall not become your inner or outer coffin; if I become a god or spirit, I shall become a curse and not your protector; if I become a flower or medicine, I shall become poison and not your strength; if I become a deva or a human, I shall become evil and not bring peace; and if I attain the Way and realize the fruit, I shall terrify your mind as a companion. My kindness is like this; my compassion is like this. Chongqing, Chongxu, Yuankuo, Xuanxiu, Xuanrui, Huishen, and others: intelligent by nature, uniquely gifted, and remarkably endowed, you must maintain the effort of 'boring through the wall' so that you have no share in 'facing a wall'. Peeling off skin for paper was the great resolve of the bodhisattvas of old; honouring the Dharma and transmitting scriptures depends on the care of you all. I have been ill for a long time; lying constantly upon bed and pillow, neither recovering nor worsening, I have no joy in living. From Huishi and Wudao on down to the younger ones who returned to lay life, your arduous service has been deep, and I feel immense gratitude and shame. As Wenyi is the oldest among you, you must treat him with special tenderness and affection. There is already a memorial regarding the Indic texts, entrusted to Zhiji, Caiyi, and others. You must erect for me a large stele commemorating my hundred virtues. My robes, alms bowl, and staff should be gathered by those who uphold the vinaya. I have other instructions, which I have already entrusted to Caiyi. Master Zhen, Master Zhuang, Master San, Vinaya Master Heng, Sthavira Zhao, and Master Haidu of the capital have divine dispositions naturally bestowed, with profound capacity and thorough wisdom; they are eyes for sentient beings and serve as...