仁王護國般若波羅蜜多經 1.3

1.3

Augund indeed is the Supremely Awakened One, treating the multitudes as his own children! He crosses the ocean of existence with the boat of prajñā, and cuts down the dense thicket [of afflictions] with the sword of wisdom. Encompassing the six directions, he spreads a canopy over the ten quarters. His vast propagation is profound, and the response to his aspirations is immense. Since its inception in India and its rippling reach to the Han court, [his teaching] has practiced unconditioned compassion and guided [beings] into the realm of eternal bliss. Truly, his broad bestowal extends further than emptying a city of mustard seeds; looking up to his serene stillness, it transcends what lies beyond the mystery of words and symbols. The five beginnings cannot trace its inception, and the primal unity cannot root its source. When comparing the mundane to that, how vast the distance is! I, unworthy as I am to succeed to this grand fortune and to inherit the great treasure [of the throne], am concerned like [King Tang of Shang] feeling responsibility for those who fall into ditches, watchful in the evening and only briefly resting my head on the pillow in sleep. Indeed, as for stabilizing heaven and earth, repelling invaders and tyranny, harmonizing wind and rain, clarifying the stars and constellations, abiding in non-action with all things, and relieving the hardships of the people—without prajñā, how could these be achieved? I have bathed my body in the spring of samādhi and housed my mind in the mysteries of the Way; looking back to seek the treasury of the Dragon Palace, and inquiring to accord with the purport of Gṛdhrakūṭa, how admirable it is that protecting the state truly resides in this sūtra! Secretly I admire the conduct of [King] Prasenajit, and hope to propagate the teachings of the Tamer. As for holding high the five kṣāntis, it fully clarifies the depth of compassion; permanently dispelling numerous calamities is truly the root of clear governance. The designation of names and the designation of dharmas, the emptiness of mind and the emptiness of form—when pushed to non-existence, realm and cognition are both tranquil; when guided to existence, the ferry and bridge are inexhaustible. Aspiring to reach dharmatā together with the black-haired people, yet the cinnabar silk and palm leaves present discrepancies in their text, and the phonology between the Eastern Xia and the Western Heavens contains errors. This has caused ancient and modern translations to vary in purity and turbidity, and prior and subsequent collations to differ in weight. It is like the grand carriage, which continually adds splendor through successive improvements; or like solid ice, which begins as accumulated water and is not initially firm. The previous translation had language that was crude and unharmonious, causing those who read it to examine the text thrice, and all disciples of Śākya truly felt lamentation over it.