仁王護國般若波羅蜜多經陀羅尼念誦儀軌 1.3

1.3

我皇帝聖德廣運、仁育群品。亦既纂曆吹大法螺，刊梵言之輕重，警迷徒之耳目，偉矣哉！迺辟興善寺大廣智三藏不空，與義學沙門良賁等一十四人，開府魚朝恩、翰林學士常袞等，去歲夏四月於南桃園再譯斯經。秋九月，詔資聖西明百座敷闡，下紫微而五雲抱出，經長衢而萬姓作禮，阡郭充滿猶牆堵焉。稽緇衣、覽青史，自摩騰入漢、僧會遊吳，瑞法之來莫與京者。經云「若未來世有諸國王，建立正法護三寶者，我令五方菩薩往護其國令無災難。」又云「五菩薩自於佛前發弘誓言：『我有陀羅尼，能加持擁護，是一切佛本所修行速疾之門。若人得聞一經於耳，所有罪障悉皆消滅，況復習誦而令通利。』佛即讚言：『若誦持此陀羅尼者，我及十方諸佛悉常擁護，諸惡鬼神敬之如佛，不久當得阿耨菩提。』」則知此陀羅尼，字母之根底、眾瑜伽之藪澤，如彼水木歸其本源，故菩薩演之、王者建之、黎人念之、諸佛讚之，俾爾昌而熾、俾爾福而利，於可以見聖人之心。其益既弘、其軌亦妙，苟于誠不克，曷降之以嘉？三藏是以譯貝多之文，良賁法師乃受從簡素，始夫處所方便，終其觀行儀則，修為五門，第以位次，一一昭著，庶無懵焉。凡我道俗，將保厥躬，遂求願踐菩提之路、登仁壽之域者，何莫由斯之道哉。

The sagely virtue of our Emperor is vast in its operation, benevolently nurturing all beings. Having succeeded to the throne, he blew the great Dharma-conch, corrected the gravity and lightness of the Sanskrit phrasing, and awakened the ears and eyes of the deluded throng—magnificent indeed! Thereupon he summoned Amoghavajra, Tripiṭaka Master of Vast Knowledge and Wisdom from Daxingshan Monastery, together with Liangbi and fourteen other doctrine-studying monks, as well as Palace Commissioner Yu Chaoen, Hanlin Academician Chang Gun, and others; in the fourth month of summer last year, at the Southern Peach Orchard, they retranslated this sūtra. In the ninth month of autumn, an edict ordered the establishment of one hundred seats at Zisheng and Ximing [monasteries] to expound it. Descending from the Purple Forbidden Enclosure, five-colored clouds gathered in embrace; passing through the grand thoroughfares, the myriad people bowed in reverence, and the roads and suburbs were packed like solid walls. Examining the black robes [of the saṅgha] and perusing the blue annals, from Kāśyapa Mātaṅga's entrance into the Han to Saṅghavarman's travel to Wu, never has the advent of an auspicious Dharma matched this in grandeur. The sūtra says: 'If in future ages there are kings who establish the correct Dharma and protect the Three Jewels, I will dispatch the Bodhisattvas of the Five Directions to go and protect their states, keeping them free of disasters and perils.' It also says: 'The Five Bodhisattvas themselves made a great vow before the Buddha: "We possess dhāraṇīs capable of conferring adhiṣṭhāna and protection; they are the speedy gateway practiced of old by all Buddhas. If a person hears it but once through their ears, all their sinful obstructions will be completely extinguished—how much more so if they practice, recite, and master them!" The Buddha then praised them, saying: "If one recites and upholds this dhāraṇī, I and all the Buddhas of the ten directions will constantly protect them; all evil spirits and deities will revere them as they do the Buddha, and before long they will attain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi."' Thus we know that this dhāraṇī is the foundation of the syllabary and the marsh of the various yogas, just as water and trees return to their roots and sources. Therefore, bodhisattvas expound it, sovereigns establish it, common folk recite it, and all Buddhas praise it, causing you to flourish and prosper, causing you to be blessed and benefited—whereby the heart of the sage may be seen. Since its benefits are so vast and its ritual procedures so wondrous, if one's sincerity is lacking, how could auspicious blessings descend? Thus the Tripiṭaka Master translated the palm-leaf texts, and Dharma Master Liangbi received and compiled them onto plain silk: beginning with the preparatory expedients of the site, and concluding with the rules of contemplative practice, it is arranged into five gates, ordered by successive stages, each made clearly evident so that none may be bewildered. All among our monastics and laity who wish to preserve their persons, fulfill their vows, tread the path of bodhi, and enter the realm of benevolence and longevity—how could they not follow this path?