貞元新定釋教目錄 13.10

13.10

"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]..."