貞元新定釋教目錄 14.3

English (machine translation) 14.3

Language: English

14.3.1

Mahāratnakūṭa-sūtra, 120 fascicles (combined translation of both single and multiple recensions; begun in the second year of Shenlong and completed in the second year of Xiantian).
The single scripture above brings together new and old translations of forty-nine assemblies to form a single work. Among them, twenty-six assemblies in thirty-nine fascicles were extracted as new translations by Bodhiruci; the remaining twenty-three assemblies in eighty-one fascicles are all old translations, collated and entered together. Since they are already fully detailed in other catalogues, they are not repeated here. Its newly translated assemblies are arranged in order as fully listed in the Ratnakūṭa section at the beginning of fascicle 11 of the Detailed Catalogue.
Shixiang bore boluomi jing (Tattvalakṣaṇā-prajñāpāramitā-sūtra), 1 fascicle (found in the Great Zhou Catalogue; second translation; same original as the Adhyardhaśatikā Prajñāpāramitā, the tenth assembly of the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-sūtra, with slight differences in detail; translated in the second year of Changshou at the Great Zhou East Monastery in the Eastern Capital).
Wenshushili suoshuo busiyi fo jingjie jing (Acintyabuddhaviṣayanirdeśa-sūtra spoken by Mañjuśrī), 2 fascicles (found in the Great Zhou Catalogue; alternatively 1 fascicle; first translation; same original as the thirty-fifth assembly, “Bhadraśrīdevaputra,” of the Ratnakūṭa; translated in the second year of Changshou at the Great Zhou East Monastery).
Dasheng jingang jizhu pusa xiuxing fen, 1 fascicle (found in the Great Zhou Catalogue; also called the “Vajracūḍā-bodhisattva prayoga-parivarta”; a subordinate scripture of the Avataṃsaka; translated in the second year of Changshou at the Great Zhou East Monastery).
Baoyu jing (Ratnamegha-sūtra), 10 fascicles (found in the Great Zhou Catalogue; second translation; same original as the Baofa jing translated by Mandra of the Liang; translated in the second year of Changshou at Foshouji Monastery; scribed by the śramaṇa Chuyi and others).
Dasheng jieyashan ding jing (Mahāyāna Gayāśīrṣa-sūtra), 1 fascicle (found in the Great Zhou Catalogue; fourth translation; same original as the Wenshu wen puti jing translated by Kumārajīva; translated in the second year of Changshou at the Great Zhou East Monastery).
Amoghapāśakalparāja-sūtra, 30 fascicles (the fourth translation; the old single-fascicle translation corresponds to the first chapter of this sūtra; translated in the summer of the third year of Shenlong at West Chongfu Monastery, with the disciple Prajñāgupta assisting in reciting the Indic text, and completed in the spring of the third year of Jinglong).
Qianshou qianyan guanshiyin pusa mu tuoluoni shen jing (Sahasrabhuja-sahasranetrāvalokiteśvara-bodhisattva-mātā-dhāraṇī-kāya-sūtra), 1 fascicle (third translation; same original as the two-fascicle translation by Zhitong of the Tang; translated in the summer of the third year of Jinglong at West Chongfu Monastery, with the disciple Prajñāgupta jointly reciting the Indic text).
Ruyilun tuoluoni jing (Cintāmaṇicakra-dhāraṇī-sūtra), 1 fascicle (fourth translation; same original as the version produced by Śikṣānanda and others, this ritual being somewhat more complete; translated in the summer of the third year of Jinglong at West Chongfu Monastery, with the disciple Prajñāgupta jointly reciting the Indic text).
Liuzi shenzhou jing (Ṣaḍakṣara-vidyāmantra-sūtra), 1 fascicle (also called Liuzi zhoufa; fourth translation; translated in the second year of Changshou at Foshouji Monastery).
Huming famen shenzhou jing (Āyuhpālanadharmaparyāya-dhāraṇī-sūtra), 1 fascicle (found in the Great Zhou Catalogue; third translation; same original as the Shanfa fangbian tuoluoni jing; translated in the second year of Changshou at Foshouji Monastery).
Guangda baolouge shanzhu mimi tuoluoni jing (Mahāmaṇivipulavimāna-supratiṣṭhita-guhyaparama-dhāraṇī-sūtra), 3 fascicles (translation completed on the fifteenth day of the ninth month of the second year of Shenlong at Chongfu Monastery; translated by Īśvara of East India and others; scribed by the śramaṇa Yun’guan).
Yizi foding lunwang jing (Ekākṣaroṣṇīṣacakra-sūtra), 5 fascicles (also called Wu foding jing, or in 4 fascicles; translated in the summer of the second year of Jinglong at West Chongfu Monastery, with the disciple Prajñāgupta assisting in reciting the Indic text; completed in the winter of that year).
Wenshushili baozang tuoluoni jing (Mañjuśrīratnagarbha-dhāraṇī-sūtra), 1 fascicle (translated in the fourth year of Jinglong at West Chongfu Monastery, with the disciple Prajñāgupta assisting in reciting the Indic text).
Jingang guangyan zhi fengyu tuoluoni jing, 1 fascicle (translated in the fourth year of Jinglong at West Chongfu Monastery, with the disciple Prajñāgupta assisting in reciting the Indic text).
Youde nü suowen dasheng jing (Śrīmatībrāhmaṇī-paripṛcchā-mahāyāna-sūtra), 1 fascicle (found in the Great Zhou Catalogue; translated in the second year of Changshou at the Great Zhou East Monastery).
Bore boluomiduo na jing, 1 fascicle (third translation; same original as the Mohe damingzhou jing; translated in the second year of Changshou at Foshouji Monastery).
Miaohui tongnü suowen jing (Vimaladattāparipṛcchā-sūtra), 1 fascicle (third translation; same original as the Sumatidārikā-paripṛcchā-sūtra; translated in the second year of Changshou at the Great Zhou East Monastery).
Bukong juansuo zhouxin jing (Amoghapāśahṛdaya-sūtra), 1 fascicle (found in the Great Zhou Catalogue; third translation; same original as the Bukong juansuo shenzhou jing; translated in the second year of Changshou at Foshouji Monastery).
Miaode poluomen nü wen fo zhuan he falun jing, 1 fascicle (now suspected to be the Youde nü suowen dasheng jing; translated in the second year of Changshou at the Great Zhou East Monastery).
Zhimeng zhangzhe wen jing, 1 fascicle (translated in the second year of Changshou at Foshouji Monastery).
Fo ru piyechali chu yiqie guibing jing, 1 fascicle (translated in the second year of Changshou at Foshouji Monastery).
Naye jing, 1 fascicle (translated in the second year of Changshou at Foshouji Monastery).
Da tuoluoni jing (Mahādhāraṇī-sūtra), 1 fascicle (translated in the second year of Changshou at Foshouji Monastery).
Wenshushili zhoufazang jing, 1 fascicle (translated in the second year of Changshou at Foshouji Monastery).
Yizi zhouwang jing, 1 fascicle (now suspected to be the same scripture as the preceding Zhoufazang jing; translated in the second year of Changshou at Foshouji Monastery).
Guangda mani mimi shanzhu jing composed by Wujialuoye Pusa (Muktakarāja-bodhisattva), 1 fascicle (translated in the second year of Changshou at Foshouji Monastery).
Shi bore liuzi sanju lun, 1 fascicle (translated in the second year of Changshou at Foshouji Monastery).
The fifty-three works above (the twenty-six assemblies of the Ratnakūṭa count as twenty-six works),
in one hundred eleven fascicles (the twelve works in twelve fascicles from the Bore boluomiduo na jing downward have not yet been located upon searching for copies).
The śramaṇa Bodhiruci, originally named Dharmaruci, which in Chinese means Faxi (“Desiring the Dharma”). The Heavenly Empress changed it to Bodhiruci, which in Chinese means Jue’ai (“Awakening-Love”). He was a native of South India, of the brāhmaṇa caste, and of the Kāśyapa clan. He was extraordinarily intelligent and possessed a remarkably distinctive demeanor. At the age of twelve, he renounced household life among the non-Buddhists. He received instruction from Parāśara, studying their scriptures and arts. Consequently, he had a thorough understanding of linguistic science (śabdavidyā) and was especially skilled in Sāṃkhya philosophy. Yin-yang, calendrical calculations, geography, astronomy, incantations, and medicine were all as clear to him as pointing to his own palm. When he reached sixty years of age, he considered himself peerless; he would challenge monks to doctrinal debates, wagering to serve them as a disciple [if defeated]. At that time, there was a Tripiṭaka master of the Mahāyāna Sthaviranikāya named Yaśoghoṣa. Discerning that his faculties were mature, he engaged him in debate. Before passing through a few stages of exchange, Bodhiruci’s arguments and reasoning were completely vanquished. Only then did he realize that the brightness of the Buddha-sun cannot be matched by fireflies and lamps, and how could drops of water equal the moisture of the deep, broad flow of the Dharma? He devoted himself to reverently serving him, focusing solely on studying the Buddha vehicle and upholding the precepts without fault. His resolution was lofty and his respect for wisdom steadfast. His understanding and learning grew broad and deep, and in less than five years he had mastered the Tripiṭaka. The Heavenly Emperor, hearing of his fine reputation from afar, dispatched an envoy to invite him. Before the envoy returned, the Emperor abruptly departed upon the white clouds. When the Heavenly Empress took the throne, Bodhiruci at last arrived at the imperial capital. In the second year of Changshou, a guisi year, he first arrived at the capital, and in that very year at Foshouji Monastery he translated the Baoyu jing. The śramaṇa Brahma, an envoy of the Central Indian king, assisted in reciting the Indic text; the śramaṇa Chandra and the brāhmaṇa layman Li Wuchan translated it; the śramaṇa...

14.3.2

Huizhi certified the linguistic expressions; the śramaṇa Chuyi and others took down the text by brush; the śramaṇa Sixuan and others edited the style; the śramaṇa Yuance, Shenying, and others verified the meaning; and Sun Pi, Vice Director of the Court of Dependencies, supervised and safeguarded [the work]. Later, at the Great Zhou East Monastery, he translated the Real Mark Prajñā, Vajraśikhā, Mahāyāna Gayāśīrṣa, Guṇavatyā-dārikā, Mañjuśrī's Inconceivable Realm, the Questions of the Girl Kalyāṇaguṇā to the Buddha, and other sūtras. Furthermore, at Foshouji Monastery, he translated the Life-Protecting Dharma-Gate, Six-Syllable Divine Dhāraṇī, Prajñāmitrāṇa, Amoghapāśa Dhāraṇī-hṛdaya, Inquiries of Elder Matimat, Great Dhāraṇī for Eradicating Demon-Caused Disease, Mañjuśrī's Dhāraṇī-kalpa-piṭaka One-Syllable Sovereign, Mani, Secret Good Abiding, and other sūtras, as well as the Prajñā-ṣaḍakṣara-tripadā-śāstra. The above nineteen works in twenty fascicles were co-translated with the śramaṇa Xinggan and others. Later, when
Emperor Zhongzong arose like a dragon, in the second year of the Shenlong era (bingwu) [706 CE], [Bodhiruci] followed the imperial retinue back to the capital [Chang'an]. By imperial order, he was accommodated at West Chongfu Monastery. Thereupon he translated the Vast Gem-Storehouse, Divine Transformation of Amoghapāśa, One-Syllable Uṣṇīṣa, Thousand Hands and Eyes Mother Dhāraṇī, Cintāmaṇicakra, Mañjuśrī's Jewel Treasury, Vajra Flame, and other sūtras, as well as the Mahāratnakūṭa. This sūtra contains forty-nine assemblies in all. Translators of previous eras had selected assemblies and translated them separately without completing the entire collection of scrolls. Formerly, during the Zhenguan era, Dharma Master Xuanzang traveled to India and brought back the Sanskrit text, translating it at Hongfu Monastery; the Great Bodhisattva-piṭaka Sūtra was indeed the twelfth assembly of the Ratnakūṭa. Later, when he completed translating the Mahāprajñāpāramitā at Yuhua Palace Monastery, the venerable ones earnestly requested him to translate the Ratnakūṭa. Dharma Master Xuanzang said: 'The labor of translating the Ratnakūṭa is no less than that of the Prajñā. My span of life is already exhausted, and I fear I will not see the matter through to the end.' When they persistently implored him without ceasing, he finally opened the scripture folders and translated it. Having produced merely a few lines, he sighed and said: 'This scripture does not yet have karmic affinity with the living beings of this land. My physical strength is depleted and waning; I cannot accomplish it.' Thereupon he desisted. When [Bodhi]ruci arrived later, he brought the Sanskrit text with him. Emperor Zhongzong ordered [Bodhi]ruci to continue [Xuan]zang's unfinished task. Thereupon he extensively assembled eminent virtues and renowned scholars, unravelling the previously translated scriptures and collating the newly arrived scripture folders. Where translators of previous generations matched [the Sanskrit text], he incorporated them; what had never been rendered before, he translated in full according to the source; and where previous translations had obstructed meanings or confusing phrasing, he retranslated them. He began opening the translation bureau in the second year of the Shenlong era (bingwu) [706 CE], and concluded the assembly in the second year of the Xiantian era of
Emperor Ruizong (guichou) [713 CE]. Among them, twenty-six assemblies in thirty-nine fascicles were newly translated by [Bodhi]ruci: namely, the Assembly on the Threefold Moral Discipline, Assembly on Boundless Adornment, Assembly on the Tathāgata Amitāyus, Assembly on the Tathāgata Akṣobhya, Assembly on the Armor-Clad Adornment, Assembly on the Universal Gate of Mañjuśrī, Assembly on the Manifestation of Light, Assembly on the Buddha's Exposition of Womb-Dwelling to Ānanda, Assembly on Inexhaustible Hidden Treasures, Assembly on Conferring the Prediction to Bhadra the Magician, Assembly on the Great Divine Transformation, Assembly on Upāli, Assembly on Generating Superior Zeal and Joy, Assembly on Bodhisattva Shanxun, Assembly on the Elder Jñānadatta, Assembly on King Udayana, Assembly on the Maiden Vimala-dārikā, Assembly on the Upāsikā of the Gaṅgā River, Assembly on Bodhisattva Guṇaratnapuṣpāvatāra, Assembly on the Deva-putra Suvarta, Assembly on the Prince Ajātaśatru, Assembly on the Faith-Pure Maiden, Assembly on the Questions of Maitreya Bodhisattva, Assembly on Akṣayamati Bodhisattva, Assembly on Queen Śrīmālā, and Assembly on the Sage Vipula. On the day the title was inaugurated, inside the Foguang Hall, Emperor Zhongzong personally presided over the Dharma assembly and took down the scripture's tenets by brush, while the civil officials sat in attendance and the empress and consorts observed together—in search of this among the ancients, nothing could surpass it. When Emperor Ruizong succeeded to the throne, he opened another assembly session at the White Lotus Pavilion in the Northern Park and in inner halls such as the Ganlu Hall, and also took down the text by brush in person. Śramaṇa Sizhong, along with the East Indian chieftain Iśvara and the Chancellery Attendant Dopoliju and others, translated the Sanskrit text. The North Indian śramaṇa Dharma and the South Indian śramaṇa Prajñāgupta and others verified the Sanskrit meaning. The śramaṇas Huijue, Zongyi, Pujing, Lüfang, and others took down the text by brush. The śramaṇas Shengyan, Fazang, Chenwai, Wuzhuo, Shenliang, Huaidi, and others verified the meaning. The śramaṇas Chengli, Shenjian, Yunguan, and others arranged the phrasing. Xu Jian, Director of the Heir Apparent's Household and Duke of Donghai Commandery; Lu Can, Mentor to the Prince of Bin and Earl of Gu'an; Lu Cangyong, Vice Director of the Right of the Department of State Affairs and Baron of Donghai; Su Jin, Grand Secretary of the Secretariat and Baron of Shuwang; Peng Jingzhi, Director of the Bureau of Rites; Wang Jin, Rectifier of Omissions of the Left and Baron of Qixian; Yan Wenzhi, Assistant Director of the Court of the National Granaries; and He Zhizhang, Erudite of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, polished the text. Lu Xiangxian, Vice Director of the Secretariat and Marquis of Pingyu, and Wei Zhigu, Director of the Chancellery and Duke of Julu, supervised the translation. Xue Chongyin, former Chief Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and Yang Zhongsi, Receiver of Edicts and Baron of Hongnong, supervised and guarded [the translation]. When the transcription was completed, the text was presented to the inner palace.
Emperor Ruizong externally governed myriad regions and internally revered the Three Jewels. With the imperial brush, he composed a preface prefixed to the head of the scripture. In total, before and after, [Bodhiruci] translated fifty-two works in one hundred and eleven fascicles. After Tripiṭaka [Bodhi]ruci finished translating the Ratnakūṭa-sūtra, he translated no more scriptures. He pacified his spirit in dhyāna contemplation and nourished his aspiration with cinnabar elixir. Although his age exceeded one hundred, his practice of the Way suffered no decline. Recitations and circumambulations continued without intermission from dawn to dusk. In the twelfth year of the Kaiyuan era [724 CE], he followed
the imperial retinue into Luoyang.
By imperial order, he was accommodated at Changshou Monastery, and an additional title 'Kaiyuan' was granted to [Bodhi]ruci's dwelling. In the ninth month of the fifteenth year [727 CE], he looked to his disciples and said: 'This phantom body of the womb is daily approaching decay and exhaustion. Even if it remains long, it will ultimately revert to annihilation. Throughout my life I have nurtured and preserved it, hoping it would be free from decrepitude. Now evening is gradually approaching; prolonging the time further would be in vain.' Thereupon, from the twentieth day, he took neither drink nor food, completely refusing medicines. Though approaching fifty days, his complexion and countenance were as usual. On the third day of the eleventh month, he asked for fragrant water to bathe and changed into clean, new robes. On the morning of the fourth day, he took the Indic texts of the various scriptures, held them in his hands, placed them upon his head, and praised each and every one of them. At the noon meal hour on the fifth day, he told all his attendants to disperse: 'I will briefly retire to the pure room; do not make any noise.' Thereupon, lying on his right side inside the pure room, he suddenly passed away.
His age was one hundred and fifty-six. Had he not accumulated and cultivated superior karma and cast off the dust of worldly labor, how could he have preserved such longevity and had total mastery over his departure and stay? Having heard of this,
the Emperor, moved with grief and yearning, lamented and sighed for a long time. He posthumously conferred upon him the title of Grand Chief Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial and bestowed the posthumous title 'Tripiṭaka Master of Kaiyuan, All-Pervasive Knower'. He issued an edict sending Palace Attendant Du Huaijing to the eastern capital to supervise the funeral. He ordered the inner treasury to supply whatever was required for the funeral and burial, insisting that it be plentiful and abundant with no restriction on amount. Thereupon, honor guards, feathered regalia, banners, streamers, and flower canopies crowded the streets and alleys beyond counting. He was subsequently interred at Longmen, where a stūpa was erected and offerings made to him.
Five-Part Karmavācanā in one fascicle (entitled Mahīśāsaka Karmavācanā-mūla).
The above one work in one fascicle is currently extant.
Śramaṇa Shi Aitong had the secular surname Zhao and was originally from Tianshui. For generations his family wore the caps and robes of officialdom. Aitong left household life in his youth. Later he won fame through the study of Vinaya, lecturing on the Mahīśāsaka Vinaya.

14.3.3

Those near and far received his teachings as their master. Formerly, under the Liu Song dynasty, the Tripiṭaka master Buddhajīva from Kashmīr had translated the Mahīśāsaka-vinaya and, on that basis, extracted a one-fascicle karmavācanā. With the passing of time, its text became scattered and lost; students seeking it could not find it and had nothing to rely on. Tong thereupon extracted a one-fascicle karmavācanā from within the great vinaya. Followers of that school widely transmitted and circulated it.
Newly Translated Pronunciation and Meaning of the Mahāvaipulya Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra, in two fascicles.
The above single work in two fascicles is currently extant.
Śramaṇa Shi Huiyuan was a native of Jingzhao. He was the head disciple of the Avataṃsaka Dharma master [Fazang]. Diligent in study without indolence, he was thoroughly versed in both inner and outer learning, and was especially expert in the Avataṃsaka school. Huiyuan, observing that the newly translated scripture had no pronunciation and meaning guide, leaving readers with nowhere to resolve doubts, extensively consulted dictionaries and compiled this into two fascicles, so that those who study and peruse it need not seek masters far away to understand the meanings and pronunciations of the words.
Śūraṅgama Sūtra of All the Bodhisattvas' Myriad Practices and the Definitive Meaning of the Tathāgata's Secret Cause of Cultivation and Realization at the Great Buddha's Uṣṇīṣa, in ten fascicles (also titled "Separately Circulated Excerpt from the Abhiṣeka Section of the Great Bodhimaṇḍa of Nālandā in Central India").
The above single work in ten fascicles is currently extant.
Śramaṇa Pāramiti, translated into the Tang language as "Jizhong" (Utmost Weight), was a native of Central India. Harboring the Way and surveying all regions, he delivered beings in accordance with conditions. Wandering in his teaching from place to place, he arrived in our China (by Indian custom, Guangzhou is called Zhina [Cīna], and the imperial capital is called Mahā-cīna).
He then resided at the Zhizhi Bodhimaṇḍa in Guangzhou. The assembly recognized his vast erudition, and requests to him were numerous. Harboring the heart to benefit living beings, he unfolded this profound secret. In the first year of Shenlong, year-star in yisi, on the twenty-third day, xinhai, of the fifth month, jimao, he recited a chapter from the Abhiṣeka Section and translated it into ten fascicles; this is the aforementioned Śūraṅgama Sūtra of the Myriad Practices. Śramaṇa *Induśākya (śākya is slightly corrupted; the correct form is śākha, here translated as "Cloud Peak") from Uḍḍiyāna translated the language. Fang Rong of Qinghe, a bodhisattva-precept disciple, former Grand Master of Closing Court Counsel, and Participant in Policy Decisions with the Central Secretariat and Chancellery, transcribed the text. Śramaṇa Huaidi of Nanlou Monastery on Mount Luofu in Xiu Prefecture verified the translation. When the work of transmitting the scripture was finished, the monk boarded a ship and returned west. Through an envoy traveling from the south, it came to circulate here.
Sūtra on the Expounding of the Sublime Dharma for the Decisive [Destruction of] Karmic Obstacles, in one fascicle (second translation; same text as Dharma Master Xuanzang's Sūtra in Praise of the Merits of the Mahāyāna; translated in the sixth month of the ninth year of Kaiyuan at the Laoyin Hermitage in Shibie Valley, Mount Zhongnan).
Sūtra of the Dhāraṇī of Producing the Boundless Gateway, in one fascicle (eleventh translation; same text as the Sūtra of the Boundless Gate and Subtle Retentive Power; translated in the ninth year of Kaiyuan at Feng'en Monastery).
Sūtra of King *Siṃhasudatta's Cutting Off Meat, in one fascicle (translated in the ninth year of Kaiyuan at Feng'en Monastery).
Essential Collection of Various Sūtras on the Gate of Bodhisattva Practice in the Cultivation of the Mahāyāna, in three fascicles (translated on the second day of the sixth month of the ninth year of Kaiyuan at the Laoyin Hermitage in Shibie Valley, Mount Zhongnan).
The above four works in six fascicles are currently extant.
Śramaṇa Shi Zhiyan was a hostage son of the king of Khotan. His original surname was Yuchi, and his given name was Le (pronounced lüe). Arriving in the Great Tang in his youth, he early on held honor and emoluments, being appointed Great General of the Left Militant Guard, Pillar of State, and enfeoffed as the Commandery Duke of Jinman. Yet by nature he was pure and upright, harboring sincere faith within. He petitioned to renounce his residence to establish a monastery on behalf of the state. On the eleventh day of the fifth month of the second year of Shenlong,
an imperial decree granted his request.
He further reflected that having been born in a foreign realm and raised in China, he had fortunately been able to serve across four imperial courts, with official honors and favor reaching the pinnacle. Yet he feared undeservedly occupying lavish emoluments and improperly bathing in extraordinary imperial grace. Thereupon, taking this occasion, he petitioned to leave the household life, hoping to repay the profound favor. On the twenty-fourth day of the seventh month of the second year of Shenlong,
an imperial rescript in dark ink stated: "Among human emotions, none fails to covet and cherish emoluments and station. As for your wish, it is to abandon desire and renounce the household, pursuing the footsteps of the araṇya and raising the practice of dhyāna. Suddenly perusing your incoming memorial, sighs of praise and admiration fill Our heart. We specially grant your request to fulfill your noble ambition." On the fifth day of the eleventh month of the first year of Jinglong, the birthday of Emperor Zhonghe [Zhongzong], he renounced the household and shaved his hair, taking the Dharma name Zhiyan. He further petitioned to dwell at the hermitage of Zhixiang Monastery on Mount Zhongnan to cultivate the Way. From then on, with an empty mind and quiet reflection, he sat in meditation and engaged in walking contemplation, harboring earnest austerities within and accumulating contemplation in seclusion. Furthermore, being well-versed in the scriptures in both Tang and Indic tongues, his wisdom illuminated the subtle and profound. In the true purports of the Ratnakūṭa and the secret verses of the Tathāgatas, none failed to repeatedly receive
imperial decrees, and he had long participated in translation and examination. Frequently receiving
imperial rescripts, he was also ordered to verify translations. Dwelling in an araṇya in Shibie Valley, he practiced the dhūta austerities. In the ninth year of Kaiyuan, at the Shibie Hermitage and Feng'en Monastery, he translated four works including the Sūtra on Decisive Karmic Obstacles, in which literary elegance and substance were well-balanced, grasping their deep purports. He also translated one chant of the Uṣṇīṣavijayā-dhāraṇī-mantra and six chants of mantras including the Bhaiṣajyarāja Bodhisattva mantra from the Lotus Sūtra. At times, manuscripts have the new mantras copied into them; one should kindly not find this strange.
Mahāvairocana-abhisaṃbodhi-vikurvitādhiṣṭhāna-sūtra, in seven fascicles (the seventh fascicle is a recitation ritual; translated in the thirteenth year of Kaiyuan at the Great Fuxian Monastery in the Eastern Capital).
Subāhuparipṛcchā-sūtra, in three fascicles (translated into the Tang language as *Miaobi Tongzi [Subāhu Kumāra], also called Subāhu-vinaya; sometimes in two fascicles; translated in the fourteenth year of Kaiyuan at the Great Fuxian Monastery in the Eastern Capital).
Susiddhikara-sūtra, in three fascicles (translated into the Tang language as *Miao-chengjiu-fa [Sublime Fulfillment Ritual]; this and the Subāhu are both dhāraṇī-vinaya; those who have not entered the great maṇḍala are not permitted to read them at will; just as those seeking full ordination who secretly listen to the vinaya commit the offense of theft; translated in the fourteenth year of Kaiyuan).
Sūtra on the Most Supreme Heart Dhāraṇī Method for Seeking Retentive Hearing That Can Fulfill All Wishes of Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva, in one fascicle (extracted from the chapter on "Accomplishing All Aims" in the Indic text of the Vajraśekhara-sūtra, translated in brief; translated in the fifth year of Kaiyuan at the Bodhi Cloister of Ximing Monastery).
The above four works in fourteen fascicles are currently extant.
Śramaṇa Śubhākara—the complete Sanskrit sound should be Śubhākarasiṃha—translated correctly according to the Tang sound is "Pure Lion"; translated according to its meaning, his name is Shanwuwei. He was a native of Magadha in Central India and resided at Nālandā Monastery in Rājagṛha. Originally of the kṣatriya caste, his surname was Kṣatriya. Renouncing mundane honors and nobility, he relied on the Buddha to leave the household life. His spiritual bearing was pure and ethereal, and his achievements in the Way were grand and prominent. Having a penetrating grasp of dhyāna and wisdom, he marvelously attained the dhāraṇī gates. Into the doctrinal gates of the Tripiṭaka he entered with a focused mind; across the five regions of India, his fragrant renown had long spread. With great compassion to benefit living beings, having karmic affinity to advance eastward, he traveled to the borders of North India, his fame resounding through Mahā-cīna. Our Emperor gathered together the worthy and capable, and dispatched envoys to welcome him. In the fourth year of Kaiyuan, bingchen, carrying a large collection of Indic texts, he arrived in Chang'an. At first he was accommodated in the Southern Cloister of Xingfu [Monastery]. Next, in the following fifth year, dingsi, at the Bodhi Cloister, he translated the Method for Seeking Retentive Hearing of Ākāśagarbha in one fascicle. Śramaṇa Xida translated the language, and Śramaṇa Wuzhuo arranged the text and took it down in writing. Regarding the Indic texts that Wuwei brought, an imperial decree ordered them all to be submitted to the palace. Because of this, he was unable to translate the various sūtras extensively. Formerly, Śramaṇa Wuxing traveled west to India to study

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Having finished, he intended to return; on his way back through Northern India he unfortunately died. The Indic texts he had brought were, by imperial order, welcomed and brought back, and were recently kept and managed at Huayan Monastery in the Western Capital. [Śubhakarasiṃha] Wūwèi and the śramaṇa Yīxíng selected several Indic sūtras there, all of which were wondrous dhāraṇī teachings that had never been translated before. In the twelfth year, accompanying the imperial cortege into Luoyang, he was accommodated at Dàfúxiān Monastery. Thereupon, for the śramaṇa Yīxíng, he translated the Mahāvairocana-sūtra. That sūtra's full Indic text contains one hundred thousand verses; what was produced now merely extracts its essentials. The śramaṇa Bǎoyuè translated the spoken words; the śramaṇa Yīxíng served as scribe receiving the directives, and also edited and polished the phrasing and doctrine. With ornate and plain in equal measure, it was wonderfully harmonious with the profound purport. He also produced two sūtras: the Subāhu[-paripṛcchā] and the Susiddhi. Wūwèi's nature was fond of tranquil simplicity, quiet reflection, and gladdening the spirit. From time to time he opened up meditation contemplation to encourage beginners. Generating thought with compassion, he guided others without failing. When people asked about their doubts, he analyzed and resolved them without impediment.
Qī jùzhī fómǔ zhǔnnī dàmíng tuóluóní jīng (Cundī-dhāraṇī-sūtra of the Seven Koṭis of Mother-Buddhas), 1 fascicle (Second translation; same text as that translated by the Tripiṭaka master Divākara; translated in the eleventh year of Kǎiyuán at Zìshèng Monastery.)
Jīngāngdǐng yújiā zhōng lüèchū niànsòng fǎ (Abbreviated Recitation Ritual from the Vajraśekhara Yoga), 4 fascicles (Also called a sūtra; translated in the eleventh year of Kǎiyuán at Zìshèng Monastery.)
Jīngāngdǐng jīng Mànshūshìlì púsà wǔ zì xīn tuóluóní pǐn (Chapter on the Five-Syllable Heart Dhāraṇī of Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva from the Vajraśekhara-sūtra), 1 fascicle (Translated in the eighteenth year of Kǎiyuán at Dàjiànfú Monastery.)
Guānzìzài rúyì lún púsà yújiā fǎyào (Yoga Essentials of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara Cintāmaṇicakra), 1 fascicle (The above three sūtras are all abridged translations extracted from the Indic text of the Vajraśekhara-sūtra, not the entire work; translated in the eighteenth year of Kǎiyuán at Dàjiànfú Monastery.)
Total: 4 works, 7 fascicles; all texts are extant.
The śramaṇa Bāzhìluópútí (pronounced Bōtí), rendered in Tang as Vajrabodhi, was a person of Malaya in Southern India (rendered here as "Country of Radiance"; this country is near Potalaka Mountain, the palace of Avalokiteśvara). He was of the brahmin caste. He went forth from home in his youth and traveled through the regions of India. Although broadly versed in internal and external learning, he was especially adept in dhāraṇīs; in this single gate he rarely had a peer. Traveling and converting according to conditions, he benefited living beings everywhere. Hearing that the Buddha Dharma was esteemed and flourished in Great China, he boarded a ship and sailed eastward, reaching the coastal borders. After eight years, he finally arrived at the capital. Thereupon he widely promoted the secret teaching and established maṇḍalas; when he produced them according to the rules, all were touched by miraculous omens. The śramaṇa Yīxíng revered this secret method and frequently went to consult him. Vajrabodhi pointed out and expounded everything one by one, and also erected an altar to confer abhiṣeka on him. Yīxíng reverently received this teaching and requested that it be translated and circulated. In the eleventh year, guǐhài, at Zìshèng Monastery, [Vajrabodhi] translated the Yoga niànsòng fǎ and the Qī jùzhī tuóluóní for him. The great leader of East Indian brahmins and Drafter in the Secretariat, Iśvara, translated the spoken words; the śramaṇa Wēngǔ of Mount Sōng served as scribe. In the eighteenth year, gēngwǔ, at Dàjiànfú Monastery, he produced the Mànshūshìlì wǔ zì xīn and the Guānzìzài yújiā yào; the śramaṇa Zhìzàng translated the spoken words. Furthermore, to the former Mahāpratisarā he added new mantras. Whatever dhāraṇī mudrā Vajrabodhi performed, it was efficacious wherever he went. The transmission and spread of the secret teachings truly relied on this person! Furthermore, his abhiṣeka disciple, Grand Master of Proper Consultation, Acting Secretariat Drafter, Attendant Reader to the Crown Prince and Princes, and Academician of the Academy of Scholarly Worthies Lǚ Xiàng, out of veneration for his master, the Tripiṭaka Master, consequently recorded him, saying: The Upādhyāya was originally the third son of the kṣatriya king Īśānavarman of Central India. Later, because General Mi-zhun-na of the king of Southern India recommended and reported him, he was consequently called a person of Southern India. At ten years of age, he went forth from home at Nālandā Monastery. Relying on the master Śāntijñāna, he studied the treatise on linguistics (Śabdavidyā-śāstra). At age fifteen he went to Western India, where for four years he studied Dharmakīrti's treatises; then he returned to Nālandā Monastery. At age twenty he received full ordination. For six years he studied the Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna vinayas. He also studied the southern tradition's Prajñāpradīpa-śāstra, Śata-śāstra, and Dvādaśanikāya-śāstra. At age twenty-eight, in the city of Kapilavastu, he studied the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra, Vijñaptimātratāsiddhi-śāstra, and Madhyāntavibhāga-śāstra under the master Jinabhadra. After three years, when he was thirty-one, he went to Southern India. Under Nāgārjuna Bodhisattva's disciple Nāgabodhi—who was seven hundred years old and still living today—he served and made offerings for seven years. He received and studied the Vajraśekhara-yoga-sūtra, the Vairocana dhāraṇī gates, various Mahāyāna scriptures, and the five vidyā treatises. Receiving the fivefold abhiṣeka, there was nothing of the secret treasury of all Buddhas that he did not master. He then took leave of his master Nāgabodhi and returned to Central India, where he visited and paid homage to the miraculous stūpas of the Tathāgata's eight aspects. After that, Southern India suffered a drought for three years. Its king, Narasiṃhapodhavarman, dispatched an envoy to invite the Upādhyāya to erect an abhiṣeka bodhimanda within his palace to pray for rain. At that time sweet rain poured down, and the king and ministers rejoiced. Thereupon, for the Upādhyāya, [the king] built a monastery to lodge him. After more than three years, in the south of the country near the sea, there was an Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva Monastery, beside whose gate stood a nyagrodha tree that had previously withered. The Upādhyāya fasted and practiced the Path for seven days, and the tree flourished anew. The Bodhisattva manifested in response and spoke these words: 'What you have studied is now accomplished. You may go to the Lion Country (Siṃhala) to gaze upon and worship the Buddha's tooth, and ascend Mount Laṅkā to pay homage to the Buddha's footprint. Upon returning, you may go to the Middle Kingdom (China) to pay homage to the Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī. That country has an affinity with you; you should go to transmit the teachings and deliver living beings.' Having heard these words, he was exceedingly rejoiced. The monastic assembly all heard these words. The monastery community then said: 'If the Bodhisattva descends, the branches and leaves of the nyagrodha tree flourish; when he leaves, they wither.' Taking this as a sign for three weeks, he then returned to take leave of the king of that country. Leading eight disciples, both monastic and lay, he went to the Lion Country, reaching the city of Laṅkā. The king, ministers, and the fourfold assembly welcomed and paid homage to the Upādhyāya with various incenses and flowers. Reaching the side of the palace, he further proceeded to the Abhayarāja Monastery to pay head-and-foot homage to the Buddha's tooth, holding various incenses and flowers in sincere offering. This moved the Buddha's tooth to emit light forming a canopy in the air, universally manifesting. The great assembly all witnessed this auspicious sign. He then stayed at that monastery for half a year making offerings, and then went southeast toward Mount Laṅkā. Along the way, he paid homage to the Buddha-Eye Stūpa. At that time, practicing the Path for a day and a night, none of his wishes went unfulfilled. Next he arrived at the Seven Jewels Mountain City. Next he traveled to the country of Rohaṇa, which governed the Jewel Mountain. The land of this mountain abounded in tāla trees. The king of the country had previously believed in the Hīnayāna. Hearing that the Upādhyāya had arrived, he went far outside the city to welcome him. Proceeding to the royal palace, he extensively arranged offerings. Over the course of more than a month, the Upādhyāya expounded the Mahāyāna nature of reality to him, and he was able to awaken, enter, believe, accept, and rejoice. He then generously bestowed miscellaneous jewels, but the Upādhyāya would not accept them, saying: 'My original intention in coming was to pay head-and-foot homage to the Buddha's footprint, not for precious treasures. Having come from afar to this place, I wish only that you show me the way.' The king then sent men with a palanquin for the Upādhyāya to ride, sending him up to the foot of the mountain. That mountain had many wild beasts, lions, poisonous dragons, and savages.

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rākṣasas, dark winds, and bitter mists constantly guard the rare jewels on this mountain. Those who are not pilgrims to the sacred traces cannot climb up or enter this mountain." The upādhyāya burned incense at the foot of the mountain, bowed his head in reverence, and made a great vow: "May I see the mountain deity from the time when the Buddha of old was in the world preaching the Dharma!" Having finished making his vow, the sky opened, the mist dispersed, and the ferocious beasts concealed themselves. Thereupon, together with his disciples, he crossed the water on the northern side towards the east and climbed upwards, turning then to the northwest and again to the southwest, following ravines, climbing by vines and grasping creepers through strange and perilous terrain, until reaching the mountainside. Nearby on the north side, there was a spring flowing forth, in which were entirely red crystal, se-se gems, gold, silver, and various jewels. There were also many precious medicinal herbs, as well as mandārava flowers and utpala flowers. From time to time they encountered niches and caves, which were all places where spiritual beings of old had cultivated the Path. The fragrant flowers, herbs, and trees on the mountain were beyond count. Climbing without stopping or delaying for seven days, they finally reached the summit. Searching for the spiritual traces, he saw a round stone, roughly four or five cubits high and some twenty cubits in square width. The Buddha's right footprint was embedded on the stone, appearing somewhat broken and damaged. In his heart, doubt arose, thinking it might not be the Buddha's footprint. Looking up to heaven, he wept aloud, reminiscing about the Tathāgata of old. Thereupon, five-coloured clouds appeared in response, along with a circular halo; the wheel-mark of the Buddha's footprint became clearly manifest. A voice was heard saying: "This is indeed the true footprint of the Buddha. It was left solely because the heavy karma of future sentient beings would bring about past generations' [welfare]." Having heard this, he was filled with joy, made offerings of incense and flowers, and entered samādhi for one day. Having emerged from samādhi, he circumambulated for seven days, grasping the stone and circumambulating to practice the Path. Outside the Buddha's footprint on the stone were several stone cups, which also held burning lamps. At that time, a native came carrying sugarcane, coconuts, plantains, wild yams, and other medicines to offer to the upādhyāya. At that time, seeing him, the disciples fled in all directions. The upādhyāya said: "He has come to make offerings, not to harm you." He then took what had been offered and conferred the three refuges and precepts upon him. The native took a small stone, struck it against the Buddha's footprint to break it into pieces, and took it to eat. When asked why he did this to damage its center, he said it cured heart pain. From this, one knew by verification that the Buddha's footprint had gradually become damaged. Up there, winds were frequent, so they could not stay long. Gazing around from the summit in all four directions, fifty to sixty li below the mountain, it was entirely surrounded by mountains, like city walls. Upon the mountains were entirely white clouds. The people of the country call it Mount Laṅkā City. Outside the mountain, to the northwest, it adjoins the border of the Lion Country (Siṃhala); the rest is the great ocean. While gazing out, the upādhyāya unwittingly lost his footing on the steps; facing the cliff, he stopped, without a hair being harmed. One should know this was the Buddha's inconceivable power. The disciples' surprise and joy were boundless. Thereupon they returned by the same route, bowing again in reverence to all the spiritual traces as they departed. Going and returning took a year, after which he returned to South India. He reported all the above matters in full to the king. The king again invited him to stay in the palace and made offerings to him for a month. The upādhyāya said to the king: "This poor monk previously made a sincere vow to pay homage to Mañjuśrī in the land of China and transmit the Buddha's teachings." He took leave of the king that very day. The king said: "The route to the Tang country is exceedingly distant, and the great ocean is difficult to cross; you may not be able to reach it. Staying here to teach and transform would be of sufficient benefit." He pleaded with him repeatedly to stay, but the upādhyāya's long-held aspiration did not waver. The king said: "If you must go, I shall dispatch envoys to escort you and also present local tributes." He thereupon dispatched General Miquna to present an Indic palm-leaf manuscript of the Mahāprajñāpāramitā, a cord-bed of the seven treasures, golden armlets of the seven treasures, earrings inlaid with jewels, various robes and armours, patterned silks, aloeswood, camphor, and various fragrant drugs, to be presented to the Tang country, wishing that the upādhyāya oversee and bless them so that they might reach that land. On the day of departure, the king, ministers, and the fourfold assembly, with incense, flowers, and music, escorted him to the seashore. The upādhyāya faced east and paid homage from afar to Mañjuśrī, and faced west to pay homage to Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva; then, bidding farewell to his disciples, he boarded the ship and entered the ocean. Encountering a favourable wind, he crossed the sea in a day and a night and arrived back at the port of Bozhili in the Lion Country. He met thirty-five Persian ships trading jewels in that country. The merchant chieftains, seeing the upādhyāya, accompanied him with one mind. The king of the Lion Country, Śrīśrī, hearing that the upādhyāya had arrived again, once more welcomed him into the palace for a month of offerings. He pleaded bitterly for him to stay, but could not; [Vajrabodhi], having again paid homage to the Buddha's Tooth Relic, immediately set out on the road. The king dispatched monastics and laypeople with incense, flowers, and music to send him off at the coast. On the day the upādhyāya set sail, all these merchant chieftains also crossed the sea with him. After one month, he arrived at the country of Fo shi (Śrīvijaya). The king of Śrīvijaya brought a golden parasol and a golden couch to welcome the upādhyāya. Delayed by adverse winds, he stayed for five months; only after the winds settled could he set out. The various small, strange things of the countries he passed through, and the marine perils with swelling waves churning up violently, cannot be fully recounted. Calculating that he was within twenty days of the Tang border, in between they suddenly encountered an adverse wind; clouds abruptly arose, rising into darkness, and creatures such as venomous dragons and whales appeared and disappeared, crossing heads. Over thirty of the merchant ships were swept away by the waves, their whereabouts unknown. Only the upādhyāya's ship was spared this disaster by his reciting the Mahāpratisarā [dhāraṇī]. Calculating the sea voyage to be over a hundred thousand li, tossed by the waves and surges, it was approximately three years of traveling through various foreign lands with all kinds of hardships before he finally arrived in the sacred realm of the Great Tang. Reaching the Guangzhou prefecture, he again encountered torrential rain. At that time, the military commissioner dispatched two to three thousand men aboard several hundred small boats, who, with incense, flowers, and music, went far to welcome him at the mouth of the sea. In the middle of the eighth year of Kaiyuan, he first arrived in the Eastern Capital (Luoyang), received an imperial audience in person, and memorialized every matter. By imperial decree, orders were issued to accommodate him with the four requisites of support. Monks requested the Dharma, and princes and dukes inquired about the Path. From then on, he accompanied the imperial entourage back and forth between the two capitals. Only in the eleventh year did he undertake translation. At Zisheng Monastery and the Jianfu Bodhimaṇḍa, he translated four works in seven fascicles. In the gengwu year, the eighteenth year of Kaiyuan, these were already entered into the Kaiyuan Catalogue of Buddhist Teachings. After the nineteenth year, he further translated:
Jingangding jing yuqie xiuxi Piluzhena sanmodi fa (Method for the Cultivation of the Vairocana Samādhi in the Vajraśekhara-yoga), in one fascicle;
Qianshou qianyan Guanshiyin pusa dashen zhou ben (Original Text of the Great Body Dhāraṇī of Thousand-Armed and Thousand-Eyed Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva), in one fascicle;
Qianshou qianyan Guanzizai pusa guangda yuanman wu'ai dabeixin tuoluoni zhou ben (Original Text of the Vast, Perfect, Unobstructed, Great Compassionate Mind Dhāraṇī of Thousand-Armed and Thousand-Eyed Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva), in one fascicle;
Budong shizhe tuoluoni mimi fa (Secret Ritual of the Acala Messenger Dhāraṇī), in one fascicle.
The four works above in four fascicles are extant in text.
Translated by the Tripiṭaka Śramaṇa Vajrabodhi of South India (in the Tang language called Jingangzhi).
In the twenty-fourth year, he accompanied the imperial entourage to the Western Capital. In the twenty-ninth year, an imperial decree granted his release to return to his native country. Reaching the Eastern Capital, he manifested illness and announced his decease. On the twenty-seventh day dingyou, following the first day xinwei of the second month of the guizhi year, the second year of Tianbao, a stūpa was erected at Longmen. At that time, the recluse Hunlun Weng composed the inscription, the title of which reads:
"Stūpa Inscription with Preface for the Late Tripiṭaka Master Vajra of Daguangfu Monastery in the Eastern Capital of the Great Tang."
The text reads:
"The Supreme Path is profound and deep; the Mysterious School is clear and remote. The hundred spirits appear at intervals; the Great Sages occasionally wander. Their transformation

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fills the three thousand [worlds], and their stage transcends the ten grounds. Mantras were thereupon propagated, and representations were thus carried out.
The Tripiṭaka Master Vajra was the third son of the Kṣatriya King Īśānavarman of Central India. In the seventh year of Kaiyuan, he was recommended through a memorial to enter the court by the military commissioner and general Miquna of South India; hence he was called a man of South India. Born auspicious and extraordinary, in his youth he possessed miraculous qualities. He earnestly pleaded with his father to seek entry into the Path. When just ten years old, he entered monastic life under Śāntamati at Nālandā Monastery, studying the Treatise on Linguistic Science (Śabdavidyā) along with ninety-four scripts. He was especially skilled in secret arts and exquisitely versed in drawing and painting. The Master was named Bodhibhadra. When he came of age to save others, travel was his principal endeavour. He went to South India, and with Nāgabodhi he accorded with the dhāraṇī repository, perfectly fulfilling his long-held aspirations. He requested the establishment of a bodhimaṇḍa, and for seven years spread the sūtras of the Five Divisions. Whenever the time came, food and drink descended from the sky, and Vajrasattva constantly appeared before him. He also ascended the summit of Mount Laṅkā to view the Tathāgata's footprint. Burning ghee lamps, their light was bright and penetrating, yet the footprint was faint and indistinct. Just as slight doubt arose, the profound marks immediately manifested; such was his spiritual affinity. At that time, there was a nyagrodha tree in South India that had long been withered and emaciated; the Master circumambulated the tree and practiced the Path for seven days, and in an instant the flowers and leaves returned as before; such was his true resonance. The Master arrived from South India bearing the root teachings of the Great Bodhisattva in two hundred thousand words, along with Indic palm-leaf manuscripts of yoga; such were his spiritual responses. Having arrived in the Tang country, he erected a Vairocana stūpa; its design was beyond ordinary conception, conceived with the sharp precision of a brush tip, rare in the world; such was the extraordinary nature of his skill. The Emperor praised it greatly, and an imperial plaque in the Emperor's calligraphy on silk was bestowed with grace; comparing present to past, nothing like this had ever occurred. He once ascended the altar of the former Buddha and received the jewel of the King of the Dharma; he was styled Tripiṭaka Master Vajrabodhi. Princes, dukes, gentry, and commoners all revered him. In the twenty-fourth year, he accompanied the imperial entourage into Chang'an. On the twenty-sixth day of the seventh month of the twenty-ninth year, by heavenly grace, he was permitted to return to his native country. Arriving at Guangfu Monastery in the Eastern Capital, he manifested illness. Lamenting the suffering of having a physical body, he passed away in a seated posture. His disciple the monk Zhizang and others requested that he leave his final instructions. After a brief moment, he revived, and having given his final instructions, he said: 'In the Western Lands, entering parinirvāṇa does not at all involve the seated method. Following the Teacher returning to quiescence, one lies on the right side; this is what is recorded in the Lion King Sūtra.' Realizing the body is non-existent, he shed his shell and took distant flight. On the fifteenth day of the eighth month of that year, he realized the fruit. Appearing to be born in spring and manifested to perish, there was mourning over this. The Emperor on his throne mourned and grieved, moving the hearts of the gentry. On the fifth day of the ninth month of that year, an imperial decree ordered him to be interred at Longmen in the Eastern Capital. On the twenty-seventh day of the second month of the second year of Tianbao, a stūpa was erected on the western ridge of Fengxian Monastery. This stūpa was originally established by an arhat whose outflows were exhausted; it is called either stūpa or thūpa. Relying on peaks and resting by streams, all could face the Yi River. Gauging high and low to match proper regulations, and calculating breadth and width to hit the compass and square: the masonry was laid out like teeth to drain away the lingering leaks of rain; guarding the precipitous peak, its spire gathered the fleeting shadows of drifting clouds. Closed with stone leaves and locked with golden latches, the pines of the forest rustled mournfully, and the stele on the peak stood lofty and towering. A thousand ages hence, rivers and valleys may shift; a hundred generations later, neither men nor gods may know. Thereupon, he composed the inscription, saying:

Linked texts (1)

貞元新定釋教目錄 — 圓照, Classical Chinese