大乘理趣六波羅蜜多經序
Preface to the Sutra on the Six Perfections According to the Great Vehicle
御製
Imperial Edict
大朴既散，有為遂作。名利牽乎代，巧智喪乎真，愛惡攻其性情，因緣堅其染習，內則百慮無節，外則六根競誘，天理滅而莫知，道源迷而忘返，淪溺苦海，劫盡還初。惟至人了萬物之宗，越三界之表，廓獨立而不改，遍諸有而常然，故能開導群疑濟拔流品。六波羅蜜經者，眾法之津梁，度門之圓極也。昔日月燈明如來為菩薩說，歷劫曠遠真偈寂寥。文殊師利往於耆闍會中，甞與彌勒菩薩語及斯事。成一切種智，會無量義因，唯佛能知，唯佛能說，教必有主，其在茲乎。是以釋迦如來，為法而出俟時而現，三身不異故處代而常離，萬行無修故隨方而自在。運慈悲之力，開護攝之門，因其六塵示之六度，導於法分令證法身，結習紛綸，乘理而悟，是真般若之旨也。故有慈氏善問大音讚言，天垂寶花雲集仙蓋，甘露流液光明燭幽，使迷方淺深皆得自然之慧，恒沙億眾能通般若之智。甞試論之。先儒有言：「誠者自成而道自導也。」夫誠己於內，則不勉而中、不思而得；誠物於外，則不言而應、不為而成。其內者，證法之身；其外者，大悲之力。德產之致也密，化育之功也大，春風發吹，萬類咸滋，旭日昇晝，群陰盡釋，乾坤易簡之道是則大同，神明幽贊之情孰云區別，殊塗一至，其理固然。
When the great simplicity scatters, the realm of conditioned existence arises. Fame and profit pull at the world, cleverness and cunning obscure the true nature. Love and aversion assail one's innate disposition; causes and conditions solidify defiled habits. Within, a hundred thoughts run unchecked; without, the six senses vie to entice. The heavenly principle is extinguished, yet none know it; the source of the Way is lost, and they forget to return. Sinking and drowning in the sea of suffering, through kalpas they circle, only to begin again.
Only the perfected one comprehends the ancestor of all things, transcends the boundaries of the three realms. Vast and independent, he remains unchanged; pervading all existences, he is ever thus. Therefore, he can guide and resolve the multitude of doubts, rescue and uplift all classes of beings.
The Sutra of the Six Perfections is the bridge to all dharmas, the ultimate, complete gate of crossing over. In the past, the Tathagata Sun-Moon-Lamp Illuminator expounded it for the bodhisattvas. Across vast kalpas and distant ages, the true verses lay silent and sparse. Once, within the assembly at Vulture Peak, Manjushri spoke with Maitreya Bodhisattva concerning this matter. To accomplish the wisdom of all modes, to gather the causes of infinite meanings—only a Buddha can know it, only a Buddha can expound it. A teaching must have its master; is it not here?
Thus, the Tathagata Shakyamuni, for the sake of the Dharma, emerged, awaiting the right time to appear. The three bodies are not different; therefore, while dwelling in the world, he is ever apart. The myriad practices are not cultivated; therefore, he is at ease in all directions. Applying the power of compassion, he opens the gate of protection and guidance. Using the six dusts, he reveals the six perfections. Guiding through the dharmic distinctions, he enables the realization of the dharmakaya. Entangled habits are multitudinous, yet by riding on principle, one awakens. This is the true meaning of Prajna.
Therefore, there was the benevolent one's skillful questioning and the great voice's praise. Heaven rained down jeweled flowers; clouds gathered into canopies of sages. Sweet dew flowed; light illuminated the obscure. It enabled the lost, whether shallow or deep, to attain the wisdom of spontaneity. Beings as numerous as the sands of the Ganges were able to penetrate the wisdom of Prajna.
Let us attempt to discuss it. A former Confucian said: "Sincerity is self-completion, and the Way is self-guiding." When one is sincere within, one attains the mean without striving and gains understanding without thinking. When one is sincere toward things without, there is response without words and accomplishment without action. That which is within is the body of realized Dharma. That which is without is the power of great compassion. The production of virtue is profoundly subtle; the work of transformation and nurturing is vast. The spring wind arises and blows, and all beings are nourished. The morning sun ascends into day, and all shadows are dispelled. The Way of Heaven and Earth is simple and easy; herein lies great unity. The subtle aid of the numinous and bright—who can say it is separate? Different paths lead to the same arrival; such, indeed, is the principle.
朕虔奉丕圖保乂蒸庶，思建皇極以昇大猷，遐想靈蹤期於叶契。而舍城妙說久祕梵文，徒懷瀉瓶未啟遺夾，微言不昧將或起予。於是罽賓沙門般若受旨宣揚，光宅寺沙門利言為之翻譯，時大德則有資聖寺道液、醴泉寺超悟、慈恩寺應真、莊嚴寺圓照、光宅寺道岸、西明寺圓照、章敬寺𮗿空、西明寺良秀等，法門領袖、人中龍象，證明正義，輝潤玄文，知釋迦之寶城，識眾尊之滿字，以貞元四年歲次戊辰十一月二十八日，於西明寺譯成上進，凡一部十卷，龍神翼衛如從金口之傳，梵眾護持無異毫光之現。
I, the Emperor, devoutly uphold the great mandate to protect and govern the people, aspiring to establish the supreme principles and elevate the profound teachings. I have long contemplated the sacred traces, hoping to align with their essence. Yet the wondrous discourses from the city of Śrāvastī have long remained hidden in Sanskrit texts; though I cherished the teachings like a vessel ready to pour, the sealed cases remained unopened. The subtle truths, undimmed, may yet awaken me.
Thus, the monk Prajñā from Kashmir, receiving the imperial decree, proclaimed the teachings, while the monk Liyan from Guangzhai Temple undertook the translation. Eminent monks of the time—Daoye from Zisheng Temple, Chaowu from Liquan Temple, Yingzhen from Ci'en Temple, Yuanzhao from Zhuangyan Temple, Dao'an from Guangzhai Temple, Yuanzhao from Ximing Temple, Hengkong from Zhangjing Temple, and Liangxiu from Ximing Temple—leaders of the Dharma gate, dragons and elephants among men, verified the correct meaning and illuminated the profound text. They knew the treasure-city of Śākyamuni and recognized the complete teachings of all the venerable ones.
On the twenty-eighth day of the eleventh month in the fourth year of the Zhenyuan era (788 CE), the translation was completed and presented at Ximing Temple. The work comprises one text in ten volumes. Dragons and deities guarded it as if hearing the Buddha's golden words; the assembly of Brahmā protected it no differently than when the Buddha's light once appeared.
朕齋心滌慮仰味宗源，聞所未聞實為希有。然以汲引之旨流布為先，庶憑真筌永濟浮俗。聊因暇日三復斯經，雖法海甚深而波流不讓，舉其梗概照悟將來。
With a purified heart and clear mind, I have reverently contemplated the profound source of the teachings, encountering truths I had never heard before—truly rare and precious. Yet, the primary purpose is to propagate these teachings for the benefit of all, so that through this genuine guidance, the drifting world may be eternally saved. In moments of leisure, I have repeatedly studied this sutra. Though the ocean of Dharma is exceedingly deep, its currents do not cease to flow. Thus, I present its essence to illuminate and awaken future generations.
大乘理趣六波羅蜜多經卷第一
Sutra on the Mahayana Principles of the Six Perfections, Volume 1
罽賓國三藏般若奉 詔譯
Translated by the Tripitaka Master Prajñā of Kashmir, by Imperial Command