貞元新定釋教目錄 16.5.1

16.5.1

大虛空藏菩薩所問經八卷
右一部八卷。准永泰元年六月十八日勅。鄜
坊等州都防禦使特進試太常卿使持節
鄜州諸軍事鄜州刺史兼御史中丞上柱國
鄭國公杜冕奏。宣州實封壹佰戶寶應元年
五月十九日勅賜。臣素無功勳。曲霑恩渥謬
踐寵錫。願答聖慈。今迴寶應元年已後至永
泰元年。以前約計錢一萬餘貫。臣請為國
迴造功德。其寶應元年封先請得二千五百
餘貫到京分付興善寺不空三藏助翻譯佛
經。其所請到封物錢請充給道場齋儭。翻譯
抄寫糧食等用。其請未到者先差。弟紞請受
望請。各下所由發遣續供。其佛經或有梵夾
未翻。冀聞傳譯古本雖著義味不周。特望天
恩。委龍武軍將軍李元琮句當與三藏及興
善寺大德潛真。僉量京城義學大德十人同
參會翻詳。各寫二十一本。頒示諸道及京
城大寺。即傳諸千界流布萬年。使不臣者滅
蜂蠆之形狂虜者掃犲狼之跡。伏惟陛下納
無疆之福膺無疆之休。即愚臣微誠生死願
畢。特望聖慈允臣所請。勅旨依奏。從是翻譯
諸大乘經。先仁王經及密嚴經及仁王經念
誦法念誦儀軌。永泰二年景午十一月十二
日改為大曆元年歲仍景午。次譯虛空藏經。
此經從晉至。唐凡經五譯。一西秦沙門。聖
堅或云法堅。或云堅公。初譯一本。名方等
主虛空藏經。或加云所問經。或云勸發菩薩
莊嚴菩提經。二北涼曇無讖三藏。又譯方等
大集經六十卷。中與漢支讖及姚秦羅什出
者並同。此即大集經之一分也。舊錄合入大
集經中。今以理義幽深。又別翻出耳。時大曆
四年十二月十九日三藏不空及京城大德具
狀奏聞。尋有制曰。大聖文殊師利菩薩。右京
城大德特進試鴻臚卿大興善寺三藏沙門大
廣智不空等奏。忝跡緇門久修梵行。習譯聖
典頗悟玄門。大聖文殊師利菩薩大乘密教
皆因流演。今鎮在臺山福滋兆庶。伏惟寶應
元聖皇帝陛下。德合乾坤明並日月。無疆之
福康我生人。伏望自今已後令天下食堂中
於賓頭盧上特置文殊師利形像以為上座。
諸聖典具有明文。僧祇如來尚承訓旨。凡出
家者固合摳衣。普賢觀音猶執拂而為侍。聲
聞緣覺亦擁篲而居後。斯乃五天竺國皆然。
非僧等鄙見。仍請永為恒式。中書門下牒祠
部牒。奉勅。大聖文殊師利菩薩法王之子威
德特尊為諸佛之導師。洗群生之心目康我
兆庶是德無邊。不有尊崇人何瞻仰。今京城
大德懇慈申奏。雅合聖典所請宜依。牒至准
勅。故牒其虛空藏菩薩所問經。即代宗睿文
孝武皇帝大曆年中當第五譯也。特進試鴻
臚卿大興善寺三藏沙門大廣智不空宣譯梵
文。伏以三藏和上學藝崇深神儀秀邈。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。
奉詔翻譯善得其真。然此經是法性大乘文
理照顯。傳譯雖久世未受持。若明珠繫於衣
中金寶隱於室內。能發撣者其惟大師歟。前
鄜坊防禦使兼御史中丞鄭國公杜冕。忠以
奉主孝以寧親。重義輕財施封請譯。又請
京城三學大德同崇法會。講論大德大安國
寺上座沙門子鄜筆受。大興善寺上座沙
門潛真潤文。臨壇大德西明寺上座沙門乘
如證義。講論大德章敬寺上座沙門奉國臨
壇大德千福寺沙門飛錫。講論大德勝光沙
門神曉西明寺主沙門道液。西明寺都維那
沙門歸性。臨壇大德大薦福寺沙門如淨。大
興善寺主沙門圓敬等並同證義。譯語大德
千福寺沙門法崇證梵文。兼譯大虛空藏菩
薩念誦法一卷。再三詳挍刊削繁蕪。函帙莊
嚴光炫人目。至大曆六年十月十二日。特
進試鴻臚卿三藏沙門大廣智不空。謹因代
宗皇帝降誕之晨隨表進上。沙門不空言不
空爰自幼年承事先師大弘教三藏和上。二
十有四載稟受瑜伽法門。後遊五天尋求所
未受者并諸經論更重學習。凡得梵本瑜伽
真言經論五百餘部。奉為國家詳譯聖言廣
崇福祐。天寶五載却至上都。奉玄宗皇帝恩

The Sūtra of the Questions of the Bodhisattva Mahāgaganagañja (Eight Fascicles)
The above work in eight fascicles. In accordance with the imperial edict of the eighteenth day of the sixth month of the first year of Yongtai, Du Mian, Defence Commissioner of Fufang and other prefectures, Specially Advanced, Probationary Chief Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Commissioner with Imperial Tally in Charge of All Military Affairs of Fu Prefecture, Prefect of Fu Prefecture, concurrently Vice Censor-in-Chief, Upper Pillar of the State, and Duke of the State of Zheng, submitted a memorial: "Regarding the actual fief of one hundred households in Xuan Prefecture granted to me by imperial decree on the nineteenth day of the fifth month of the first year of Baoying: your subject originally had no meritorious service, yet has unduly received imperial favor and undeservedly stepped into honored rewards. Wishing to repay the imperial benevolence, I now transfer all revenue from after the first year of Baoying up to before the first year of Yongtai, estimated at over ten thousand strings of cash, and request to divert it toward generating merit on behalf of the state. Of this, more than two thousand five hundred strings from the fief for the first year of Baoying had previously been collected and brought to the capital, and handed over to Tripiṭaka Master Amoghavajra of Xingshan Monastery to aid the translation of Buddhist scriptures. I request that the cash from the fief revenue collected be applied to provide offerings for the fasting assemblies at the practice hall, and for expenses of food, copying, and translation. For that which has not yet arrived, I have first dispatched my younger brother Dan to receive and collect it. I hope you will instruct the relevant authorities respectively to dispatch and continue forwarding the provisions. As there may be Indic palm-leaf manuscripts of Buddhist scriptures that remain untranslated, I hope to see them translated into Chinese; and although ancient versions exist, their rendered meaning is not exhaustive. I particularly hope for the Heavenly Grace to entrust General Li Yuancong of the Longwu Army to manage this together with the Tripiṭaka Master and the Senior Virtuous Qianzhen of Xingshan Monastery, and to jointly select ten Senior Virtuous scholars of doctrinal learning from the capital to take part together in translating and verifying the texts. Let twenty-one copies of each be written and promulgated to all circuits and large monasteries of the capital, so that they may be transmitted through a thousand worlds and circulated for ten thousand years, causing those who refuse to submit as subjects to have their bee-and-scorpion forms annihilated, and the wild invaders to have their wolf-and-dhole tracks swept away. Humbly I pray that Your Majesty may receive boundless fortune and meet with boundless felicity; then this foolish subject's humble sincerity and lifelong vow will be fulfilled. I particularly hope that Your Imperial Benevolence will grant your subject's request." An imperial decree was issued: "Approved as requested."

From this point, various Mahāyāna scriptures were translated: first the Renwang jing (Humane Kings Sūtra) and the Ghanavyūha-sūtra, as well as the Renwang jing recitation method and recitation kalpa. On the twelfth day (bingwu) of the eleventh month of the second year of Yongtai (bingwu), the era was changed to the first year of Dali, the year remaining bingwu. Next, the Gaganagañja-sūtra was translated. From the Jin to the Tang, this scripture underwent a total of five translations. First, Śramaṇa Shengjian—also called Fajian, or Jian Gong—of the Western Qin made the initial translation in one text entitled Fangdeng zhu xukongzang jing (Mahāvaipulya Master Ākāśagarbha Sūtra), also called Suowen jing (The Sūtra of the Questions), or Quanfa pusa zhuangyan puti jing (Sūtra on Exhorting the Arousal of Bodhisattvas' Adornment of Bodhi). Second, Tripiṭaka Master Dharmakṣema of the Northern Liang also translated the Mahāvaipulya Mahāsaṃnipāta-sūtra in sixty fascicles; its contents agree with those produced by Lokakṣema of the Han and Kumārajīva of the Yao Qin. This text is precisely one portion of the Mahāsaṃnipāta-sūtra. In older catalogues it was incorporated into the Mahāsaṃnipāta-sūtra; now, because its principles and meaning are deep and subtle, it was translated again separately.

Then, on the nineteenth day of the twelfth month of the fourth year of Dali, Tripiṭaka Master Amoghavajra and the Senior Virtuous of the capital submitted a joint memorial. Soon an imperial decree was issued concerning the Great Holy Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī. The Senior Virtuous of the Right Sector of the capital, the Specially Advanced, Probationary Chief Minister of the Court of Imperial Entertainments, the Tripiṭaka Śramaṇa of Daxingshan Monastery, Great Master of Vast Wisdom Amoghavajra, and others memorialized: "Humbly dwelling within the monastic gates, we have long cultivated pure conduct, studying and translating the sacred canons and penetrating deeply into the esoteric gates. The Great Holy Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī is he through whom the Mahāyāna esoteric teachings are all disseminated. Now enshrined on Mount Wutai, his blessings nourish the myriad commoners. Humbly we reflect that Your Majesty, the Divine Sage Emperor of Baoying, has virtue harmonizing with heaven and earth and brightness matching the sun and moon, your boundless fortune bringing well-being to our living people. We humbly request that from now on, throughout all dining halls in the empire, an image of Mañjuśrī be specially placed above that of Piṇḍola to serve as the seat of honor. The sacred scriptures fully contain clear evidence for this: even the Tathāgata of the Saṃghika received his instructions, and whoever has left household life should certainly lift his hem [in reverence]; Samantabhadra and Avalokiteśvara still hold whisks and act as attendants; Śrāvakas and Pratyekabuddhas also hold brooms and stand behind. This is the case throughout the five regions of India, and is not merely our humble opinion. We further request that this be established permanently as an immutable rule." The Department of the Chancellery and Secretariat issued a directive to the Bureau of Sacrifices: "By imperial decree: The Great Holy Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, son of the Dharma King, is uniquely honored in awe-inspiring virtue and serves as a guide for all Buddhas. Cleansing the minds and eyes of the multitude and bringing peace to our myriad people, his virtue is boundless. Without honoring and revering him, toward whom should people look up? Now that the Senior Virtuous of the capital have submitted this earnest and compassionate memorial, which accords elegantly with the sacred scriptures, what is requested should be granted. When this directive arrives, let it be in accordance with the decree. Issued accordingly."

This Sūtra of the Questions of the Bodhisattva Gaganagañja is precisely the fifth translation, made during the Dali era of Emperor Daizong Ruiwen Xiaowu. The Specially Advanced, Probationary Chief Minister of the Court of Imperial Entertainments, Tripiṭaka Śramaṇa of Daxingshan Monastery, the Great Master of Vast Wisdom Amoghavajra, proclaimed and translated the Indic text. We humbly consider that the Tripiṭaka Upādhyāya's learning and arts were lofty and profound, his spiritual bearing distinguished and transcendent. In the three mysteries of Yoga, he walked alone across South India; dedicated exclusively to the One Vehicle, he was unanimously praised throughout the Eastern Realm. He was enlightened in the secular treatises of the two regions, and particularly adept in linguistic science (śabda-vidyā); he mastered the mantras of the five divisions and wondrously exhausted the Dharma seals. Commissioned by imperial decree to translate, he skillfully captured the authentic meaning. Yet although this scripture is Mahāyāna of the Dharma-nature, with its textual logic clearly illuminated, and though translated long ago, it had not been received and upheld in the world—like a bright pearl tied inside one's garment, or gold and jewels hidden within a chamber. Who else but this Great Master could bring it to light? The former Defence Commissioner of Fufang and concurrently Vice Censor-in-Chief, Duke of the State of Zheng, Du Mian, served his lord with loyalty and brought peace to his parents with filial piety; prizing righteousness and despising wealth, he donated his fief revenue and requested the translation. He also requested that Senior Virtuous masters of the threefold training in the capital jointly venerate the Dharma assembly: the Senior Virtuous lecturer and Superior (sthavira) Śramaṇa Zifu of Da'anguo Monastery served as amanuensis; the Superior Śramaṇa Qianzhen of Daxingshan Monastery polished the text; the Senior Virtuous Platform Master and Superior Śramaṇa Chengru of Ximing Monastery verified the meaning; the Senior Virtuous lecturer and Superior Śramaṇa Fengguo of Zhangjing Monastery, the Senior Virtuous Platform Master and Śramaṇa Feixi of Qianfu Monastery, the Senior Virtuous lecturer and Śramaṇa Shenxiao of Shengguang [Monastery], the Abbot (vihārasvāmin) Śramaṇa Daoye of Ximing Monastery, the Rector (karmadāna) Śramaṇa Guixing of Ximing Monastery, the Senior Virtuous Platform Master and Śramaṇa Rujing of Dajianfu Monastery, and the Abbot Śramaṇa Yuanjing of Daxingshan Monastery, all jointly verified the meaning. The Senior Virtuous translator of the spoken language, Śramaṇa Fachong of Qianfu Monastery, verified the Indic text. In addition, the Mahāgaganagañja Bodhisattva Recitation Method in one fascicle was translated. They examined and collated it repeatedly, trimming away superfluities; the cases and wrappers were adorned so brilliantly as to dazzle the human eye.

On the twelfth day of the tenth month of the sixth year of Dali, the Specially Advanced, Probationary Chief Minister of the Court of Imperial Entertainments, Tripiṭaka Śramaṇa, Great Master of Vast Wisdom Amoghavajra, respectfully presented it along with a memorial on the occasion of Emperor Daizong's birthday. Śramaṇa Amoghavajra stated: "From my early youth, Amoghavajra served my late master, the Great Dharma-Propagating Tripiṭaka Upādhyāya [Vajrabodhi], receiving and upholding the Yoga Dharma gates for twenty-four years. Later, I traveled through the five regions of India, searching for what I had not yet received, and relearning and restudying various sūtras and śāstras. In total, I obtained more than five hundred Indic texts of Yoga and mantra sūtras and treatises. I respectfully translate the sacred words for the sake of the state, broadly venerating blessings and protection. In the fifth year of Tianbao, I returned to the Supreme Capital and received the grace of Emperor Xuanzong—"