貞元新定釋教目錄 17.4.1

17.4.1

The Mahāyāna Sutra on the Principle of the Six Pāramitās, one work in ten fascicles (with an imperial preface);
The Sutra of the Great Avataṃsaka Elder Asking the Buddha about the Nārāyaṇa Strength, one fascicle;
The Prajñāpāramitāhṛdaya-sūtra, one fascicle;
The Dhāraṇī Sutra of the Guardian of the Country's Lord, one work in ten fascicles (translated in the sixth year of Zhenyuan, gengwu [790]);
The Jātaka Sutra on the Contemplation of the Mind-Ground, one work in eight fascicles (with an imperial preface; translated in the sixth year of Zhenyuan, gengwu [790]).
The above five works in thirty fascicles have extant texts.
"Record of the Continuing Translation of Scriptures by the Tripiṭaka [Master] Prajñā" states: Formerly, when the Yao clan of Qin ruled, intertwined branches grew at court, and Kumārajīva of Kucha traversed Western Liang to arrive as tribute. Now our Emperor's wisdom runs deep: a melon with joined vines sprouted in the imperial gardens, and a dragon-elephant from Kashmīr sailed the Southern Sea to pay court, bearing in hand the Indic scripture of the Six Pāramitās. The great ministers memorialised this; the Emperor assented to their words and decreed that the appropriate officials carefully select eminent worthies to proceed to Ximing Monastery to make the translation. The one whose completion of it was memorialised was none other than the Tripiṭaka Dharma Master himself.
The Dharma Master's Sanskrit name was Prajñā (in the language of Tang, "Zhihui" [Wisdom]), a native of the country of Kapiśa in North India (saying "Kashmīr" is an erroneous abbreviation). His surname was Gautama (saying "Qutan" is an erroneous and inaccurate abbreviation). Endowed by heaven with exceptional intelligence, at seven he generated the resolve [for awakening], left his two parents, and took refuge in the Three Jewels. At that time he relied on a great virtuous one named Vinītasena, chanting in full the four Āgama sutras to one hundred thousand verses and the Abhidharma to more than twenty thousand verses. He then followed his master to Kaśmīra, and upon reaching the age of twenty, received the full monastic precepts. He chanted nearly forty thousand verses of the Sarvāstivāda, twenty-eight thousand verses of the Kośa-śāstra, and the Mahāvibhāṣā, receiving their meanings as well. For seven years he studied the Hīnayāna in that country. At twenty-three, he went to Nālandā Monastery in Central India, where he received Mahāyāna treatises such as the Vijñaptimātra, Yogācāra, and Madhyāntavibhāga, as well as the treatise on phonology (śabdavidyā), the study of the Vajracchedikā, logic (hetuvidyā), medicine (cikitsāvidyā), craftsmanship (śilpakarmasthānavidyā), monastic discipline, treatises, and so forth, relying upon the three great treatise masters Jñānamitra, Guṇamati, and Jñānamitra. At that time he traveled to and from the Twin Trees and the Eight Stūpas, paying homage back and forth for eighteen years. Hearing then that South India still preserved the repository of Vidyādharas, he forthwith went there to enquire and receive what he had not yet heard. There was an initiation master whose name was Dharmakīrti; from him he received the Yoga teachings, entered the maṇḍala, and [received] the three mysteries protecting the body and the seals of the five divisions. Serving him in this manner, he resided there for a full year and chanted more than 3,500 verses in full.
Having once heard that Mañjuśrī resided in the great country of Cīna, he set out eastward for the Great Tang, vowing to transmit the Buddha's teachings. He crossed the sea eastward, braving dangers and boarding ships. As he drew near to Guangzhou, winds blew him back to the eastern corner of the Country of Lion-Clutchers (Siṃhala). Gathering provisions again and sturdily repairing the vessel, he traversed the various countries along the South Sea route. In the second year of Jianzhong [781], as he drew near to the prefecture of Guangzhou, wind blew and shattered the vessel, sinking several ships flat. From the fifth watch until sunrise, [they were] either adrift or drowning, relying only on meeting a favorable wind. The wealth, provisions, Indic palm-leaf manuscripts, scriptures, and treatises he carried were lost without knowing their whereabouts in this disaster. When he reached the seashore and was already on the land, [he found them] amid the white sand inside a large bamboo cylinder, just as if assisted by spirits—truly unprecedented! He knew that the conditions and faculties for the Mahāyāna Sutra on the Principle of the Six Pāramitās had matured in the realm of the Great Tang. Walking eastward for half a month, he at last reached Guangzhou; and by the third year of Jianzhong [782], he arrived at the capital of the realm.
In the second year of Zhenyuan [786], he sought out and met a fellow countryman: the Senior General of the Shence Army, Luo Haoxin, who was none other than the son of Tripiṭaka Prajñā's maternal uncle. Comforting each other in sorrow and joy, [Luo] brought him home to show family affection and detain him for offerings. Since Haoxin deeply believed in and respected the Three Jewels, he requested the translation of Buddhist scriptures. [Prajñā] then, together with the Persian monk Jingjing of the Daqin Monastery, relied on a Hu text to translate the Six Pāramitās Sutra into seven fascicles. At that time, because Prajñā was not skilled in the Hu language and had not yet understood Chinese, and Jingjing did not know Sanskrit and was not yet clear about the Buddhist teachings, although it was claimed to be a translation, not even half a pearl was obtained. Seeking to usurp an empty name, it brought no blessing or benefit. A memorial was submitted presenting the catalog, with hopes for its circulation. The Sagely Sovereign, deeply wise and brilliantly cultivated, faithfully revered the Buddhist scriptures. He observed that what they had translated was obscure in principle and crude in expression. Furthermore, Buddhist monasteries and Daqin monasteries differ in residence and are completely contrary in religious practice. Jingjing ought to transmit the teachings of the Messiah, while śramaṇas and sons of Śākya should propagate Buddhist sutras. Wishing to distinguish the teachings so that people would not mix them up indiscriminately, [just as] the orthodox and heterodox are of different kinds and the Jing and Wei rivers flow distinctly—like a net having its headrope, orderly and unconfused, so that gods and humans have what they revere and the four assemblies know where to turn—officials were commissioned, and an imperial decree was issued, stating:
"Document of the Secretariat-Chancellery: Wang Xiqian’s document states: 'In accordance with the imperial decree: The Buddhist teachings are profound and subtle; monks and laity revere them with devotion. All this is because Indic texts have caused the Dharma to cover China. It is fitting to order Wang Xiqian and the relevant officials to select monks of virtuous conduct carefully, proceed to Ximing Monastery to re-translate them, and memorialise upon completion. When this document arrives, act in accordance with the decree; hence this document.' Dated the nineteenth day of the fourth month of the fourth year of Zhenyuan [788]." Documents sent to the Bureau of Sacrifices were likewise in accordance with the decree.
The document was circulated to the monasteries of the capital. The Great Worthy, the Tripiṭaka Śramaṇa Prajñā of the kingdom of Kashmīr, expounded the Indic text; Śramaṇa Liyan of Guangzhai Monastery, an Attendant in the Hanlin Academy, translated the Indic sounds; Śramaṇa Yuanzhao of Ximing Monastery took it down in writing; Śramaṇa Daoye of Zisheng Monastery, Śramaṇa Liangxiu of Ximing Monastery, and Śramaṇa Yuanzhao of Zhuangyan Monastery together polished the text; Śramaṇa Yingzhen of Cien Monastery, Śramaṇa Chaowu of Liquan Monastery, Śramaṇa Dao'an of Guangzhai Monastery, and Śramaṇa Biankong of Ximing Monastery jointly verified the meaning.
From the eighth day of the sixth month, when the sutra title was first to be established, the Commissioner of Merits for the Western Quarter, concurrently Commissioner in Charge of the Right Shence Army, Encampment Commissioner, Original Follower of Xingyuan, General of the Guarding Army, Acting General of the Right Gate Guard, Director of the Palace Domestic Service, Upper Pillar of the State, and Founding Count of Taiyuan County, Wang Xiqian, personally received the imperial words. Together with the Meritorious Official of Defending the Heavens and Pacifying Difficulties, General of Agile Cavalry, Acting Grand General of the Right Shence Army, Supervisor of Military Affairs, Probational Minister of Works, concurrently Censor-in-Chief, Upper Pillar of the State, and Prince of Wudu Commandery, Meng She; and the Meritorious Official of Baoying, Original Follower, General of Agile Cavalry, Acting Grand General of the Right Shence Army, Supervisor of Military Affairs, concurrently Vice Censor-in-Chief, Upper Pillar of the State, Prince of Jingrong Commandery, with an actual fief of fifty households, Ma Youlin, and others, they escorted the Indic manuscript of the sutra to Ximing Monastery for translation. One hundred strings of imperial grace money, thirty bunches of tea, and one large container of incense were granted to provide for the translation court. The title established was the Mahāyāna Sutra on the Principle of the Six Pāramitās. Its text had ten fascicles, and likewise ten chapters.
On the sixth day of the eighth month, the commissioner personally proclaimed the imperial decree: fifty bunches of tea and one large container of incense were bestowed on the translation court, to be received upon arrival. 'Respectful greetings during the autumn cool. May each of the Great Worthies be in peace and good health.' Furthermore, on the twenty-fourth day, the Hanlin Commissioner Zhang Xiaoshun proclaimed the imperial decree: 'The Waiting Officials of the Hanlin Academy are ordered to pay respects to the translation monks Liyan and others at Ximing Monastery twice a month on rest days.'