仁王護國般若波羅蜜多經陀羅尼念誦儀軌 1.3

1.3

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?