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Language: English
Extent: 30 passages, 5,709 words
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Source: pramana-mt · Machine translation by Gemini 3.8 Flash (2026-10-21) of in.bauddha.taisho.2161 · Machine output without human authorship: no copyright is claimed (CC0 1.0). The original text keeps its own…

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Text

1.1

Memorial Presenting the Catalogue of Newly Imported Sūtras and Other Items

The śramaṇa Kūkai, who entered Tang to study the Dharma, states: In the twenty-third year of Enryaku, following the imperial command as the least among the students studying abroad, Kūkai set out on a journey of ten thousand leagues across the waters. In the twelfth month of that year, I arrived in Chang'an. On the tenth day of the second month of the twenty-fourth year, by imperial decree, I was assigned to reside at Ximingsi. Thereupon, I traveled around to various temples, seeking and choosing a teacher on whom to rely. Fortunately, I met the abhiṣeka ācārya of Qinglongsi, whose Dharma name is Master Huiguo, and took him as my principal master. This venerable one was indeed the Dharma-transmitting disciple of the Tripiṭaka master Mahāprājña Amoghavajra of Daxingshansi. Having thoroughly investigated the sūtras and vinaya, he was comprehensively versed in the Secret Piṭaka; he was the guiding principle of the Dharma and the teacher of the nation. The great master valued the propagation of the Buddha's teachings and lamented the suffering of living beings that could be delivered. He conferred upon me the bodhicitta precepts and permitted me to enter the abhiṣeka bodhimaṇḍa. I received the luminous abhiṣeka repeatedly, and the rank of ācārya once. Crawling on elbows and walking on knees, I studied what I had not yet studied; bowing my head and touching his feet, I heard what I had not yet heard. Fortunately relying on the vast blessings of the state and the compassion of the great master, I studied the great Dharma of the Two Realms and practiced the yoga of the various deities. This Dharma is indeed the liver and heart of all buddhas, the shortcut to attaining buddhahood; to the state it is a defensive wall, and to people it is rich marrow. Therefore, those of thin merit do not hear its name, and those of heavy defilements cannot enter it. In India, the Tripiṭaka master Śubhakarasiṃha threw off his sandals and turned his back on the throne; in Cīnasthāna, Emperor Xuanzong revered it so deeply that he forgot the taste of food. From then on, the Sovereign and the Three Excellencies followed in his footsteps and took delight in it; the fourfold assembly and the myriad people bowed their heads and opened their book-boxes. From this time, the school of the Secret Piṭaka was proclaimed supreme, while the exoteric teachings of the half-pearl folded their banners and surrendered. Now, when the phoenix flies, it must seek Yao and Shun; the appearance and concealment of the Buddha's Dharma expands and contracts according to the times. Now, over one hundred works of the Vajrayāna teachings and the ocean-like assemblies of the great maṇḍalas of the Two Realms have been brought back and have safely arrived. Although we encountered surging billows and drifting in wind and rain, we crossed that vast whale-inhabited ocean and peacefully reached the sacred realm; this is indeed accomplished through sacred power. I respectfully reflect that His Imperial Majesty's utmost virtue equals Heaven, and the Buddha-sun turns aloft; being the father of the people and a transformation of the Buddha, he pities the common folk and wades through water, cherishing the Buddha's entrustment with hanging robes. Because Your Majesty has newly ascended the jade-pivot throne, newly translated sūtras have arrived afresh from afar; because Your Majesty compassionately nurtures all within the seas, the ocean-assembly images have crossed the sea and arrived. This fits together just like tallies; if not for a sage, who could fathom it? Although Kūkai's crime of missing the scheduled term deserves more than death, I privately rejoice that while alive I have brought back this difficult-to-obtain Dharma. Unable to bear the extremity of my mixed fear and joy, I respectfully present this memorial through the Assistant Governor of Dazaifu, Senior Sixth Rank, Upper Grade, Takashina no Mahito Tōnari, to make this known, together with one fascicle of the catalogue of newly translated sūtras and other items brought back. In presenting this, I lightly trespass upon the august majesty, and am humbly seized with trembling all the more. The śramaṇa Kūkai states with true fear and true dread, respectfully spoken.

1.3

Twenty-second day of the tenth month of the first year of Daidō.

1.4

Memorial submitted by the śramaṇa Kūkai, who entered Tang to study the Dharma.

1.5

Catalogue of the sūtras, vinayas, treatises, commentaries, essays, biographies, together with images of buddhas, bodhisattvas, vajras, and devas, samaya-maṇḍalas, dharma-maṇḍalas, portraits of the lineage-transmitting ācāryas, ritual implements, and objects entrusted by the ācārya, brought back in the first year of Daidō by the śramaṇa Kūkai, who entered Tang to study the Dharma—six categories in all. Among them:

1.6

Newly translated and other sūtras: 142 works in 247 fascicles in all.

1.7

Sanskrit characters, mantras, praises, and so forth: 42 works in 44 fascicles in all.

1.8

Treatises, commentaries, essays, and so forth: 32 works in 170 fascicles in all.

1.9

The above three categories total 216 works in 461 fascicles.

1.10

Images of buddhas, bodhisattvas, vajras, devas, and so forth, dharma-maṇḍalas, samaya-maṇḍalas, and portraits of the lineage-transmitting ācāryas: 10 panels in total.

1.11

Ritual implements: nine kinds.

1.12

Objects entrusted by the ācārya: thirteen kinds.

1.13

Newly Translated Sūtras

1.14

Vajraśekhara-yoga-vāstavadharma-mahākalparāja-sūtra, 3 fascicles (42 sheets);
Vajraśekhara-yoga-prajñā-naya-sūtra, 1 fascicle (8 sheets);
Sūtra of the Prediction of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, 1 fascicle (12 sheets);
Yoga-mālā-sūtra, 1 fascicle (2 sheets);
Adbhuta-uṣṇīṣa-sūtra, 3 fascicles (68 sheets);
Heart Sūtra of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara's Supreme Vidyārāja, 1 fascicle (12 sheets);
Vajraśekhara-yoga-mañjuśrībodhisattva-sūtra, 1 fascicle (2 sheets);
Āryatārā-arolika-sūtra, 1 fascicle (11 sheets);
Samantabhadracaryā-praṇidhāna-stotra, 1 fascicle (5 sheets);
Stotra on Dharmakāya Inquired by Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva, 1 fascicle (5 sheets);
Anantamukha-nirhāra-dhāraṇī-sūtra, 1 fascicle (10 sheets);
Mahāśrīdevī-sūtra, 1 fascicle (7 sheets);
Trisamaya-sūtra, 1 fascicle (14 sheets);
Eleven-Faced Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva Sūtra, 3 fascicles (24 sheets);
Twelve Names of Śrīdevī Sūtra, 1 fascicle (2 sheets);
Guide to the Eighteen Assemblies of the Vajraśekhara Yoga, 1 fascicle (9 sheets);
Dharma Gate Distinguishing the Holy Stations of the Thirty-Seven Deities of the Vajraśekhara Yoga, 1 fascicle (13 sheets);
Ekākṣara-cakravarty-uṣṇīṣa-sūtra Spoken in the Bodhimaṇḍa, 5 fascicles (78 sheets);
Kāraṇḍavyūha-sūtra, 1 fascicle (6 sheets);
Vajrāyuḥ-dhāraṇī-sūtra, 1 fascicle (3 sheets);
Mahāmāyūrī-vidyārājñī-sūtra, 3 fascicles (50 sheets);
Mahāmegha-cakra-varṣadhārā-sūtra, 2 fascicles (44 sheets);
Vasudhārā-dhāraṇī-sūtra, 1 fascicle (5 sheets);
Jāṅgulī-kumārī-sūtra, 1 fascicle (4 sheets);
Śālistamba-upamā-sūtra, 1 fascicle (8 sheets);
Mahāmaṇivipulavimāna-sūtra, 3 fascicles (45 sheets);
Bodhimanda-alaṃkāra-sūtra, 1 fascicle (22 sheets);
Dhāraṇī Sūtra on Purifying All Eye Diseases, 1 fascicle (2 sheets);
Dhāraṇī Sūtra on Giving to the Flaming-Mouth Hungry Ghosts, 1 fascicle (4 sheets);
Thirty-Five Buddhas' Names Sūtra, 1 fascicle (2 sheets);
Eight Great Bodhisattvas Maṇḍala Sūtra, 1 fascicle (3 sheets);
Parṇaśavarī Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva Dhāraṇī Sūtra, 1 fascicle (8 sheets);
Hārītī-mātā-sūtra, 1 fascicle (3 sheets);
Vaiśravaṇa-devarāja-sūtra, 1 fascicle (5½ sheets);
Samantabhadra Dhāraṇī Sūtra Spoken by Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, 1 fascicle (7 sheets);
Mañjuśrī's Inquiry on the Syllabary Chapter, 1 fascicle (3 sheets);
Vajraśekhara Lotus Family Heart Japa Kalpa, 1 fascicle (23 sheets);
Vajraśekhara Yoga Thousand-Armed Thousand-Eyed Avalokiteśvara Japa Kalpa, 1 fascicle (18 sheets);
Amitāyus Tathāgata Japa Kalpa, 1 fascicle (12 sheets);
Akṣobhya Tathāgata Japa Kalpa, 1 fascicle (20 sheets);
Uṣṇīṣavijayā Japa Kalpa, 1 fascicle (8 sheets);
Vajraśekhara Sarvadurgatipariśodhana Yoga Samantabhadra Bodhisattva Japa Kalpa, 1 fascicle (6 sheets);
Vajrarāja Bodhisattva Japa Kalpa, 1 fascicle (12 sheets);
Samantabhadra Vajrasattva Japa Kalpa, 1 fascicle (12 sheets);
Vajraśekhara Yoga Five Secrets Practice Kalpa, 1 fascicle (12 sheets);
Vajrāyuḥ Japa Kalpa, 1 fascicle (3 sheets);
Ekākṣara-cakravarty-uṣṇīṣa Yoga Sūtra, 1 fascicle (12 sheets);
Ekākṣara-buddhoṣṇīṣa-cakravartin Japa Kalpa, 1 fascicle (12 sheets);
Cintāmaṇicakra Japa Kalpa, 1 fascicle (8 sheets);
Mahākāśagarbha Bodhisattva Japa Kalpa, 1 fascicle (5 sheets);
Yoga Lotus Family Japa Kalpa, 1 fascicle (7 sheets);
Contemplation Practice Kalpa of Holy Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva's Heart Mantra, 1 fascicle (6 sheets);
Amṛtakuṇḍali Yoga Japa Kalpa, 1 fascicle (18 sheets);
Avataṃsaka Entry into the Dharmadhātu Chapter: Forty-Two Syllables Contemplation Gate, 1 fascicle (6 sheets);
Mañjuśrī's Praise and Prostration to the Dharmakāya, 1 fascicle (3 sheets);
Ritual for Receiving the Bodhicitta Precepts, 1 fascicle (3 sheets);
Prostration to the Thirty-Seven Deities of the Vajraśekhara Yoga, 1 fascicle (4 sheets);
Commentary on the Prajñā-naya, 1 fascicle (32 sheets);
Commentary on the Seventeen Deities of the Mahā-maṇḍala, 1 fascicle (3 sheets);
Vajraśekhara Yoga Homa Kalpa, 1 fascicle (8 sheets);
General Index of Dhāraṇīs of All Families, 1 fascicle (4 sheets);
Mahāyāna Pratītyasamutpāda-cakra, 1 fascicle (10 sheets);
Mahākāśagarbha Bodhisattva Inquired Sūtra, 8 fascicles (107 sheets);
Humane Kings Sūtra, 2 fascicles (35 sheets);
Ghanavyūha-sūtra, 3 fascicles (51 sheets);
Humane Kings Japa Kalpa, 1 fascicle (19 sheets);
Great Holy Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva's Buddha-Realm Merit Adornment Sūtra, 3 fascicles (51 sheets);
Yoga Contemplative Wisdom Kalpa for Realising the King of the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra, 1 fascicle (25 sheets);
Abridged Japa Kalpa of Mahāsukha Vajrasattva from the Vajraśekhara Sarvadurgatipariśodhana Yoga Sūtra, 1 fascicle (11 sheets);
Mahāsukha Vajrasattva Practice and Realisation Kalpa, 1 fascicle (15 sheets);
Sādhana of the Great Yakṣiṇī Harītī and Her Beloved Sons, 1 fascicle (9 sheets);
Mahābuddhoṣṇīṣa Tathāgata Light-Emitting Sitātapatra Dhāraṇī, 1 fascicle;
Mahāpratisarā-vidyārājñī Dhāraṇī Sūtra of Universal Radiance, 1 fascicle (32 sheets);
Vajraśekhara Trailokyavijaya Sūtra: Excellent Characteristics of Mañjuśrī's Five-Syllable Mantra, 1 fascicle (3 sheets);
Five-Syllable Dhāraṇī Verses, 1 fascicle (8 sheets);
Directly Effective Great Miraculous Japa Kalpa of the Holy Yamāntaka Wrathful King, 1 fascicle (5 sheets);
Chapter of the King of Garuḍas from Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva's Fundamental Great King of Teachings, 1 fascicle (3 sheets);
Amoghapāśa Mahāvairocana Buddha Great Abhiṣeka Radiant Mantra, 1 fascicle (2 sheets);
Practice Kalpa Sūtra of the Holy Wrathful Caṇḍakrodha Vajrakumāra Bodhisattva, 3 fascicles (28 sheets);
Kalpa of the Great Wrathful Ucchuṣma, 1 fascicle (10 sheets);
Sūtra on Mārīcī Spoken by the Buddha, 1 fascicle (4 sheets);
Sūtra on Royal Governance Spoken by the Buddha for King Udayana, 1 fascicle (9 sheets);
Ekajaṭā Dhāraṇī Sūtra Spoken by the Buddha, 1 fascicle (14 sheets);
Swiftly Effective Kalpa of Garuḍa Possession Spoken by Maheśvara, 1 fascicle (4 sheets);
Abridged Practice Method for Japa of the Mahāvairocana-sūtra, 1 fascicle (2 sheets);
Abridged Presentation of the Seven-Branch Japa Practice of the Mahāvairocana Abhisambodhi Supernatural Transformation Empowerments, 1 fascicle (3 sheets);
Sūtra of the Soapberry Tree Seeds, 1 fascicle (1 sheet);
Vajraśekhara Sūtra: Ritual Offering Chapter of Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva Yoga, 1 fascicle (14 sheets);
Five-Syllable Yoga Method of Mañjuśrīkumārabhūta Bodhisattva, 1 fascicle (2 sheets);
Great Kalpa of Vajraśekhara Trailokyavijaya, 1 fascicle (4 sheets);
Sūtra on Auspicious and Inauspicious Days and Good and Evil Asterisms Spoken by Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva and the Sages, 2 fascicles (40 sheets);
Vajraśekhara Sūtra Practice Method of Avalokiteśvararāja Tathāgata, 1 fascicle (6 sheets);
Treatise on Arousing the Mind of Anuttarā Samyaksaṃbodhi in the Vajraśekhara Yoga, 1 fascicle (7 sheets);
Practice and Japa Kalpa of the Bodhisattva Contemplating the Prajñāpāramitā, 1 fascicle (7 sheets);
Yoga Vajraśekhara Sūtra: Explanation of the Syllabary Chapter, 1 fascicle (2 sheets);
Explanation of the Humane Kings Prajñā Dhāraṇī, 1 fascicle (7 sheets);
Yoga Lotus Family Japa Method Gate of Avalokiteśvara's Great Compassion Realisation, 1 fascicle (12 sheets);
Drawing, Altar, and Kalpa of the Mahāmāyūrī-vidyārājñī Spoken by the Buddha, 1 fascicle (4 sheets);
Vajrapāṇi Radiant Abhiṣeka Sūtra: Ritual Kalpa Chapter on the Supreme Mudrā of Holy Acala the Great Wrathful King, 1 fascicle (11 sheets);
Mārīcī-devā-mālā-sūtra, 1 fascicle (14 sheets);
Method of the Great Holy Deva Dual-Bodied Joyous Vināyaka, 1 fascicle (3 sheets);
Yoga of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva Cintāmaṇicakra, 1 fascicle (8 sheets);
Abridged Japa Method of the Golden Wheel King Buddhoṣṇīṣa, 1 fascicle (3 sheets);
Vajraśekhara Yoga: Most Profound Secret Gate of Trailokyavijaya Realisation, 1 fascicle (3 sheets);
Vajraśekhara Yoga: Samantabhadra Practice and Japa Kalpa of the Paranirmitavaśavartin Naya Assembly, 1 fascicle (13 sheets).
The following are not recorded in the Zhenyuan Catalogue:
Praise on Śākyamuni Buddha's Attainment of Awakening and Subjugation of Māra under the Bodhi Tree, 1 fascicle;
Piṅgala-deva-sūtra, 1 fascicle;
Kalpa of Giving Food and Drink to Hungry Ghosts, 1 fascicle;
Brahmā's Method of Selecting Ground, 1 fascicle;
Anantamukha-nirhāra-dhāraṇī Kalpa Spoken by the Buddha, 1 fascicle;
Method of Dharmacakrapravartana Bodhisattva, 1 fascicle;
Secret Decisive Commentary on the Meaning of the Cintāmaṇicakra Contemplation Gate, 1 fascicle;
Meaning of the Bodhicitta, 1 fascicle;
Avataṃsaka-sūtra Entry into the Dharmadhātu Chapter: Yoga Kalpa of Instantaneously Realising the Syllable-Wheel of Vairocana, 1 fascicle;
Vajraśekhara Yoga Vairocana Samādhi Method, 1 fascicle (15 sheets);
Vajraśekhara Pavilion All-Yoga Yogin Sūtra, 1 fascicle;
Ritual for Offerings in the Mahāvairocana-sūtra, 1 fascicle;
Ruixi Sūtra, 3 fascicles.
The above 118 works in 150 fascicles were translated by the Tang Grand Master of Exemplary Emolument with the Title of Grand Master for Splendid Happiness, Specially Advanced, Probationary Chief Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, Specially Granted the Title of Opening the Office with Equal Three Offices, Enfeoffed as Duke of the State of Su, Posthumously Conferred the Title of Minister of Works, Bestowed the Posthumous Title of Great Eloquent and Correct, the Upādhyāya Tripiṭaka Master Mahāprājña Amoghavajra.
The ocean of the Dharma is of a single taste, yet accords with faculties in their depth or shallowness; the Five Vehicles branch off, following their capacities as sudden or gradual. Within the sudden teaching there are exoteric and esoteric aspects; in the Secret Piṭaka there are also the source and the streams. The masters of the past swam along the streams and clung to the branches; what is transmitted today pulls out the roots and exhausts the source. Why is this so? Formerly, Vajrasattva personally received it from the All-Illuminating Tathāgata. Several hundred years later, he transmitted it to the Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna; the Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna transmitted it to the Ācārya Nāgabodhi; the Ācārya Nāgabodhi transmitted it to the Ācārya Vajrabodhi. In the Kaiyuan era of the Tang, Tripiṭaka Master Vajrabodhi first unlocked the Five Families. Although he was revered by the Emperor, [the teaching] could not spread widely. There was only my ancestral master, Ācārya Mahāprājña [Amoghavajra]. First he received it from Tripiṭaka Master Vajrabodhi; then he went to Southern India to the dwelling of the Ācārya Nāgabodhi, gathered up the eighteen assemblies of Yoga, and thoroughly plumbed the Secret Piṭaka of the Garbhadhātu and others. In the Tianbao era he returned to the Tang. At that time, Emperor Xuanzong first received the abhiṣeka, humbling his majesty before his teacher; from then on Suzong and Daizong consecutively received the Dharma. Within the imperial precincts they established the Shenlong Vihāra, and in the capital they opened abhiṣeka altars everywhere. The Sovereign and his hundred officials approached the altar to receive abhiṣeka, and the fourfold assembly of living beings walked on their knees to study the Secret Piṭaka. The school of the Secret Piṭaka flourished greatly on that day, and the transmission of abhiṣeka continued unbroken from then on. Furthermore, the exoteric teachings speak of the distant span of three great eons, whereas the Secret Piṭaka promises [the goal within] sixteen great lives. Their swiftness and slowness, excellence and inferiority, are like supernatural power compared to a lame donkey. May those who revere goodness understand its purport! The superiority and inferiority of the teachings and the origin of the Dharma are extensively explained in texts such as the Vajrasattva Five Secrets Kalpa and the memorials and responses of the Tripiṭaka Master Great Eloquent and Correct.
Newly translated Avataṃsaka-sūtra, 1 work in 40 fascicles (612 sheets);
Mahāyāna Naya Six Pāramitās Sūtra, 1 work in 10 fascicles (160 sheets);
Sūtra of the Dhāraṇī for Protecting the Realm's Sovereign, 1 work in 10 fascicles;
Sūtra on the Merit of Building Stūpas and Prolonging Life, 1 fascicle.
The above 4 works in 61 fascicles were translated by Tripiṭaka Master Prajña.
Daśabala-sūtra, 1 fascicle.
The above 1 work was translated by Tripiṭaka Master Wutixiyu.
Pariṇāmanā-cakra-sūtra, 1 fascicle;
Daśabhūmika-sūtra, 9 fascicles.
The above 2 works in 10 fascicles were translated by Tripiṭaka Master Śīladharma.
Mahābala Ucchuṣma Vidyārāja Sūtra, 2 fascicles (35 sheets);
Efficacy Gate of the Magical Great Fulfillment Dhāraṇī Method Spoken by Ucchuṣma Vajra, 1 fascicle (5 sheets).
The above 2 works in 3 fascicles were translated by Tripiṭaka Master Ajitasena.

1.15

Older Translated Scriptures

1.16

Mudrās of the Dharmakāya of the One Hundred and Eight Deities of Vajraśekhara Vairocana, one fascicle.
The above translated by Tripiṭaka Master Śubhakarasiṃha.
Abbreviated Japa Scripture from the Vajraśekhara Yoga, one work in four fascicles (eighty-one sheets).
Secret Ritual of the Messenger of Acala, one fascicle.
The above two works in five fascicles translated by Tripiṭaka Master Vajrabodhi.
Scripture of the Buddha-Mind, two fascicles.
Amoghapāśa Mantra Scripture, two fascicles (the sixth and twentieth fascicles; missing fascicles from the thirty fascicles).
The above two works in three fascicles translated by Tripiṭaka Master Bodhiruci.
Dhāraṇī Scripture of the Mind of All Buddhas, one fascicle.
Thousand-Turn Dhāraṇī Scripture for Extinguishing All Sins, one fascicle.
The above two works in two fascicles translated by Tripiṭaka Master Xuanzang.
Ritual of the Fundamental One-Syllable Dhāraṇī of Mañjuśrī from the Mahāvaipulya Bodhisattvapiṭaka Sūtra, one fascicle.
The above translated by Tripiṭaka Master Ajenaye.
Dhāraṇī Kalpa of Mahāvaiśravaṇa Devarāja, one fascicle.
The above translated by Tripiṭaka Master Prajñācakra.
Mind Dhāraṇī of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, one fascicle.
The above translated by Tripiṭaka Master Śikṣānanda.
Mañjuśrī's Dhāraṇī for Extinguishing Lust and Pride, one fascicle.
Scripture on the Ritual of Employing Incantations, one fascicle.
Vinaya Scripture, one fascicle.
Scripture of Āṭavaka, Generalissimo of the Vajra Family, three fascicles.
Godha-vajra Mantra, one fascicle.
The above twenty-four works in ninety-seven fascicles. Some were translated recently and had not yet been transmitted to this realm; some were older translations whose titles were known here but the actual texts were missing. Those not transmitted by the ancients are broadly contained herein.

1.17

Sanskrit Texts

1.18

Sanskrit Great Kalpa of the Mahāvairocana Garbhadhātu, two fascicles.
Sanskrit Names of the Deities of the Garbhadhātu Maṇḍala in Sanskrit Characters, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Great Kalpa of the Vajraśekhara Lotus Family, two fascicles.
Sanskrit Samādhi Kalpa of Vairocana, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Samantabhadra-caryā-praṇidhāna Hymn, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Great Uṣṇīṣa Mantra, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Mahāpratisarā Mantra, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Lesser Pratisarā Mantra, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Mantras of the Mahāmaṇivipulavimāna Sūtra, one fascicle.
Sanskrit King of Hymns to Vajragarbha Trailokyavijaya, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Thousand-Armed Amṛtakuṇḍalī Mantra, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Hymn of Auspiciousness, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Raśmivimalaviśuddhaprabhā Dhāraṇī, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Bodhimaṇḍavyūha Dhāraṇī, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Hymn to the Vajra of the Jewel Family, one fascicle (including within it the Cintāmaṇicakra Hymn, the Great Compassion Mantra, and the Vimalakīrti Mantra).
Sanskrit Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra Kalpa, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Acala Kalpa, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Uṣṇīṣavijayā Mantra, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Hymn to the Mother of Seven Koṭis of Buddhas, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Hayagrīva Avalokiteśvara Dhāraṇī, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Hymn of the One Hundred and Eight Names of the Thousand-Bowl Mañjuśrī, one fascicle.
Sanskrit All-Mahāśrī Dhāraṇī, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Amoghapāśa Dhāraṇī, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Thousand-Armed Thousand-Eyed Mantra, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Amitābha Buddha Mantra, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Karaṇḍa Mantra, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Hymn to the Sixteen Great Bodhisattvas, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Mantras of the Sixteen Great Bodhisattvas, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Hymn of the One Hundred and Eight Names of the True Great Samaya, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Saptakoṭi Kalpa, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Parṇaśabarī Avalokiteśvara Mantra, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Mahākaruṇāhṛdaya Mantra, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Ekākṣaroṣṇīṣacakra-rāja Kalpa, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Mañjuśrī Five-Syllable Mantra Kalpa, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Ucchuṣma Kalpa, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Kalpa of the Supreme Initial Yoga, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Hymn to the Eight Classes of Devas and Nāgas, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Dharmakāya Gāthā, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Ekādaśamukha Hymn, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Vajraśikhara-vimāna Mantra and Hymn of One Hundred and Eight Names, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Lotus Family Hymn, one fascicle.
Sanskrit Siddhaṃ Manual, one fascicle.
The above forty-two works in forty-four fascicles.
Now, the teachings of the Śākya originated in India. The Western Regions and the eastern borders are separated by heaven in customs and standards. Their spoken languages differ in the tones of Chu and Xia; their scripts are not in the seal or clerical style. For this reason, we rely on translations from them to imbibe the pure breeze. However, mantras are profound and recondite; each syllable has deep meaning. When meaning changes according to sound, errors easily arise in broad and close phonetic matches. One catches only a vague semblance and fails to attain the exact clarity. Without Sanskrit characters, long and short sounds are hard to distinguish. Does not the intention of preserving the source lie right here?

1.19

Treatises, Commentaries, and Essays

1.20

Commentary on the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, one work in thirty fascicles (composed by Dharma Master Chengguan).
Profounds Meaning of the Lotus Sūtra, one work in ten fascicles (composed by Tiantai Zhizhe).
Commentary on the Textual Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra, two works in twenty fascicles (composed by Tiantai Zhizhe).
Meaning of the Fourfold Teachings, one work in twelve fascicles (composed by Tiantai Zhizhe).
Record of the Lotus Sūtra, one work in ten fascicles (recorded by Dharma Master Tiantai Zhanran).
Praise of the Lotus Sūtra, one work in four fascicles (expounded by Dharma Master Qingsuo).
Commentary on the Mahāvairocana Sūtra, one work in twenty fascicles (composed by Chan Master Yixing).
Commentary on the Ākāśagarbha Sūtra, one work in four fascicles (composed by Dharma Master Qianzhen).
Commentary on the Mañjuśrī Sūtra, one work in three fascicles (composed by Dharma Master Qianzhen).
Commentary on the Benevolent Kings Sūtra, one work in three fascicles (composed by Dharma Master Liangben).
Ritual for Seeking Good Spiritual Friends by Persons Complete in the Four Kinds, one fascicle.
Monastic and Lay Records on the Diamond Prajñā, three fascicles.
Treatise on Clarifying the Correct, one work in eight fascicles (composed by Master Falin).
Treatise on the Incommensurability of the Three Teachings, one fascicle.
Essays on Discerning the Stages of Cause and Fruit for Ordinary Beings and Sages, two fascicles (composed by Dharma Master Liangben).
Commentary on the Diamond Prajñā Sūtra, one work in three fascicles (composed by Dharma Master Daoyin).
Newly Established Catalogue of Śākyamuni's Teachings of the Zhenyuan Era, thirty fascicles (composed by Vinaya Master Yuanzhao).
Illustrated Record of Newly Translated Scriptures of the Zhenyuan Era, two fascicles (composed by Vinaya Master Yuanzhao).
Preface and Account of the Uṣṇīṣavijayā Dhāraṇī, one fascicle.
Ten Assemblies of the Avataṃsaka, one fascicle.
Illustrated Guide to the Names of Chapters and Assemblies of the Mahāvaipulya Buddha-avataṃsaka Sūtra, one fascicle.
Text for Inviting Sages and Worthies to the Avataṃsaka Assembly, one fascicle.
Essay on the Golden Lion along with the Six Characteristics of Dependent Origination, one fascicle.
Chan Master Dushun's Verses Harmonising the Divergent Views of the Various Schools, one fascicle.
Text for Conferring the Five Precepts and the Eight Precepts, one fascicle.
Record of Siddhaṃ Characters, one fascicle.
Explanation of Siddhaṃ, one fascicle.
Tripiṭaka Master Śubhakarasiṃha's Essentials of Meditation, one fascicle.
Ritual for Establishing Altars, one fascicle.
Doctrinal Key to the Secret Mind-Ground Dharma Gate of the Vajraśekhara Yoga, one fascicle.
Memorials, Replies, and Stele Inscriptions of Tripiṭaka Master Dabiānzheng Daguangzhi of Daxingshansi of the Great Tang, six fascicles.
The above thirty-two works in one hundred and seventy fascicles.
What contains principle are the three lines; what can unfold them are the ten wings. If the Judgments and the Attached Verbalisations are missing, what use are the turtle patterns? How much more so with the profound principle of the One Vehicle, whose meaning diverges from its text! Without the aid of treatises and commentaries, the subtle words would have no effect. Although they burden the carriages, we hope they will assist the sacred scriptures.

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Buddha Images and Related Items

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Great Compassion Garbhadhātu Mahā-maṇḍala of Mahāvairocana, one set (seven widths, one zhang six chi).
Great Compassion Garbhadhātu Dharma-maṇḍala, one set.
Great Compassion Garbhadhātu Abbreviated Samaya-maṇḍala, one set (three widths).
Vajradhātu Nine-Assembly Maṇḍala, one set (seven widths, one zhang six chi).
Vajradhātu Eighty-One Deity Mahā-maṇḍala, one set (three widths).
Portrait of Ācārya Vajrabodhi, one painting (three widths).
Portrait of Tripiṭaka Master Śubhakarasiṃha, one painting (three widths).
Portrait of Ācārya Mahāprājña, one painting (three widths).
Portrait of Ācārya Huiguo of Qinglongsi, one scroll (three widths; personally conferred by the Dharma-transmitting ācārya).
Portrait of Chan Master Yixing, one painting (three widths).
The above are images of Buddhas, bodhisattvas, vajra deities, and devas, along with portraits of the Dharma-transmitting ācāryas, ten sets in all.
The Dharma is fundamentally without words, yet without words it cannot be revealed. Suchness is devoid of form, yet it requires form to be awakened to. Although one may confuse the finger for the moon, alerting and guidance know no bounds. Far from being merely prized as marvelous sights to astonish the eye, these are truly treasures to protect the nation and benefit the people. Furthermore, the Secret Piṭaka is profound and mysterious, difficult to convey in writing. It requires paintings and diagrams to instruct those who are not yet awakened. The various dignified bearings and various mudrās issue from great compassion; seeing them once brings buddhahood. What is secretly and succinctly treated in the sutras and commentaries is displayed in these painted icons. The essentials of the Secret Piṭaka are truly bound up in this! When transmitting or receiving the Dharma, who could abandon these? Truly, these are the fundamental source for the oceanic assembly.

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Ritual Utensils

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Five-metal five-pronged vajra pestle, one piece.
Five-metal five-pronged bell, one piece.
Five-metal samaya pestle, one piece.
Five-metal single-pronged vajra, one piece.
Five-metal karma-vajras, four pieces.
Five-metal wheel, one piece.
The above each contain Buddha relics.
Five-metal vajra pegs (kīla), four pieces.
Gilt-bronze dish, one piece.
Silver argha cups with gold floral designs, four pieces.
The above nine kinds in eighteen items.
Boundless wisdom is called the Buddha; supreme awakening is named the Tamer. Because his wisdom is boundless, there is nothing he does not know; because his awakening is supreme, his skillful means are difficult to fathom. Therefore, through various Dharma gates, he gathers and transforms beings through the long night. The so-called vajras and the rest are all the Buddha's wisdom and the gates of the Dharma. To receive, uphold, and revere them brings boundless blessing and benefit. Externally, they shatter the armies of Māra; internally, they subjugate afflictions. The beginnings of contemplative wisdom arise from this. Sons who seek the South must not fail to know this.

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Objects Entrusted by the Ācārya

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Eighty grains of the Buddha's śarīra (among which is one golden-colored śarīra);
One niche carved in white sandalwood with images of buddhas, bodhisattvas, vajra-beings, and others;
Four hundred and forty-seven deities of the mahā-maṇḍala on white silk;
One hundred and twenty deities of the Vajradhātu samaya-maṇḍala on white silk;
One five-gem samaya-vajra;
One set of gilt-bronze alms bowls (two pieces);
One ivory bench;
One white conch shell.
The eight items above were originally brought by Ācārya Vajrabodhi from South India and transmitted to Ācārya Mahāprājña. Tripiṭaka Master [Mahā]prājña in turn transmitted them to the Qinglong[si] Ācārya. Upādhyāya Qinglong in turn bestowed them upon Kūkai. These are indeed the seals of faith of the transmission of the Dharma and the refuge of myriad sentient beings.
One patchwork robe of Gandharan gauze;
Two offering bowls of green lapis lazuli;
One offering bowl of amber;
One offering bowl of white lapis lazuli;
One pair of chopsticks of deep-blue lapis lazuli.
The five items above were also bequeathed by Ācārya Qinglong. In the late summer month of the twenty-third year of Enryaku, Kūkai accompanied the Ambassador to the Tang, Fujiwara no Ason, boarding the first ship and setting out for Xianyang. In the eighth month of that year, we made landfall in Fuzhou. In the late twelfth month, we reached the city of Chang'an and were lodged in a residence in the Xuanyang Ward. On the eleventh day of the second month of the twenty-fourth year, the Ambassador and his party turned their carriages back to our court. Only Kūkai remained, solitary, permitted by imperial decree to take up residence in the former cloister of Upādhyāya Eichū at Ximingsi. Thereupon, visiting celebrated virtues throughout the city, I chanced to meet the Upādhyāya of the East Pagoda Cloister of Qinglongsi, whose Dharma name was Ācārya Huiguo. That great virtue was the Dharma-transmitting disciple of the Tripiṭaka Master Mahāprājña of Daxingshansi. His virtue was honored by his times, and his Path was that of imperial preceptor. Three courts venerated him and received abhiṣeka; the fourfold assembly looked up to him and studied the Secret Piṭaka. Together with the Dharma Masters Zhiming and Tansheng of Ximingsi and five or six others, Kūkai went to see the Upādhyāya. Seeing me, the Upādhyāya broke into a smile and joyfully said: "I knew beforehand that you would come, and I have waited for you long! Meeting today is most auspicious, most auspicious. My life-span is on the verge of exhaustion, and I have had no one to transmit the Dharma to. You must quickly prepare incense and flowers to enter the abhiṣeka! Quickly prepare incense and flowers to enter the abhiṣeka maṇḍala!" I immediately returned to my cloister and prepared the offerings. In the first ten days of the sixth month, I entered the maṇḍala for the Dharma-learning abhiṣeka. On that day, coming before the Great Compassion Garbhadhātu mahā-maṇḍala, I cast a flower in accordance with the ritual: by chance it fell upon the body of the Tathāgata Vairocana in the central court. The ācārya praised: "Inconceivable, inconceivable!" Repeating his praise again and again, he immediately bathed me in the abhiṣeka of the five families and conferred the empowerment of the three mysteries upon me. From then on, I received the Sanskrit characters and ritual manuals of the Garbhadhātu and studied the yoga contemplative wisdom of the various deities. In the first ten days of the seventh month, I again came before the Vajradhātu mahā-maṇḍala and received the abhiṣeka of the five families once more. Casting a flower, I again obtained Vairocana. The Upādhyāya expressed amazement as before. In the first ten days of the eighth month, I also received the abhiṣeka for the rank of Dharma-transmitting ācārya. On that day, a feast for five hundred monks was held, providing universal offerings to the fourfold assembly. The court-attending great virtues of Qinglongsi and Daxingshansi all came to the banquet, and all rejoiced in harmony. Successively, I received the mantras and secret mudrās of the five families of the Vajraśekhara Yoga, studying the Sanskrit characters and Sanskrit hymns alongside them. The Upādhyāya said: "The sūtras and commentaries of the Secret Piṭaka of mantras are obscure and hidden; unless one relies on paintings, they cannot be transmitted." He then summoned court-attending painters such as Li Zhen and more than ten others to paint ten panels of the Garbhadhātu, Vajradhātu, and other mahā-maṇḍalas. He gathered over twenty scribes to transcribe the supreme vehicle Secret Piṭaka sūtras of the Vajraśekhara and others. He also summoned the court-attending bronze founders Yang Zhongxin and Zhao Wu to forge anew fifteen ritual implements. The images and scripture transcriptions gradually took shape in order. The Upādhyāya said: "Long ago, in my youth, I first saw the Tripiṭaka Master [Amoghavajra]. After looking at me once, the Tripiṭaka Master loved me like a son; entering the palace or returning to the temple, I never left his side like a shadow. He whispered to me: 'You are a vessel of the Secret Piṭaka; make effort, make effort!' Thus did I learn the great Dharma of the Two Realms and the secret mudrās. Other disciples, whether monastic or lay, have either studied the great Dharma of one realm or obtained only one deity and one mudrā; they have not mastered both together. Wishing to requite the boundless grace of mountains, rivers, and high heaven, and since my affinity with this land is now exhausted and I cannot remain long, you should take these two mahā-maṇḍalas, the more than one hundred scriptures of the Vajrayāna, the objects transmitted by the Tripiṭaka Master, and the offering implements, and request to return with them to your native land to disseminate them within the realm. When I first saw you come, I feared my life would not suffice; now that the transmission of the Dharma has its recipient, and the scriptures and images are completed, you should return early to your homeland to serve your state, spreading them across the realm to increase the fortune of the people. Then the four seas will be at peace and myriad people will rejoice. This is to repay the Buddha's benevolence and the master's virtue; it is loyalty to the state and filial piety to one's family. Court-attendant Yiming will transmit [the teaching] here; you must go and transmit it to the Eastern Country. Make effort! Make effort!" His conferral of the Dharma was earnest, and his final instructions were complete. On the full moon day of the twelfth month of last year, he washed away defilements with scented orchid water, formed the Dharma-mudrā of Vairocana, and passed away lying on his right side. That night, while reciting and meditating in the bodhimaṇḍa, the Upādhyāya appeared vividly before me and said: "I have long had a pact with you, vowing to propagate the Secret Piṭaka. I shall be reborn in the Eastern Country and will surely be your disciple." These detailed words need not be recounted further. Such is the general account of my reception of the Dharma and the ācārya's entrustment.
Three bundles of Sanskrit palm-leaf manuscripts.
Regarding the above, Tripiṭaka Master Prajña said: "My birthplace was the kingdom of Kaśmīra. In my youth I entered the Path and traveled through the five regions of India. Always vowing to transmit the lamp, I traveled here to this land. Now I wish to take a raft across the Eastern Sea, but lack the karmic conditions, so my vow remains unfulfilled. Take the new translation of the Avataṃsaka and the Ṣaṭpāramitā-sūtra made by me, as well as these Sanskrit palm-leaf manuscripts, to offer to them. I humbly pray that a connection will be formed with that country to rescue the myriad common folk." Fearing verbosity, I do not list them one by one.
Now, the Buddhist teachings are vast, without bound or limit. To summarize them in a word, they consist only of the two benefits: aspiring to the fruit of permanent bliss is benefiting oneself; rescuing from the cause of suffering and emptiness is benefiting others. To wish in vain for permanent bliss without practice will not attain it; merely planning to eliminate suffering is also difficult. One must cultivate both fortune and wisdom, practicing both concentration and insight together; only then can one relieve the suffering of others and secure bliss for oneself. The paths for cultivating concentration are many, having the slow and the quick. Playing with the sharp sword of the one mind is the exoteric teachings; wielding the vajra of the three mysteries is the Secret Piṭaka. Letting the mind wander in the exoteric teachings, three asaṃkhyeya kalpas are distant and vague; maintaining oneself in the Secret Piṭaka, sixteen lifetimes are exceedingly brief. The sudden among the sudden: the Secret Piṭaka corresponds to this! Therefore, Tripiṭaka Master Śubhakarasiṃha renounced his royal throne and forgot all delicacies; Emperor Daizong bowed his imperial person [before the master] without weariness; Upādhyāya Nāgabodhi lived eight hundred years without growing old; Chan Master Chonghui crushed heresy and propped up what was falling. How could any inconceivable Dharma surpass this Piṭaka? May those who yearn for enlightenment hear what they have not yet heard. A verse says:

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The Dharma has no fixed staying or hiding; / It comes and goes following the person. / Like a jewel, it is hard to obtain; / Once obtained, the mind opens. / Throwing down the body for half a verse, / How could precious wealth be spoken of? / Incessantly copying [the scriptures], / Its coming has indeed taken long! / May this great blessing / Make the country peaceful and its people flourish; / Hearing once and seeing once, / May all alike be freed from vexation.