余不佞。浮沉史局。垂五十年。而知古今事。無更難於史者。無論正史難。即偏記小錄亦難。無論稗史難。即璅語雜簿亦難。若更進而史天史地。又進而史仙史佛。自非以山河為法身。以人天為手眼者。未有能撮其要而薈其成者也。心空居士。以三十年精力。彚為佛祖綱目一書。於是梵網有總持。法門有紀載。宗教有源流。廢興有考覈。而合之則曰。此七佛以來。一部大史也。宋元徽中。王儉為七志。僅以佛書。附圖譜之末。梁初。命任昉等。於文德殿。列藏眾書。於華林園。另集釋典。其後阮孝緒。愽采經籍。獨尊佛錄。於七錄之外。然亦不過資愽覧示瑰異而已。唐宋以來。宗學熾盛。枝葉各分。自景德傳燈錄出。續之者至。合為五燈。於是曹溪之後。思讓再分。馬祖以來。五宗各顯。至宋僧法槃。別立教宗。以法華為經。天台為統。止觀為門。此佛祖統記所繇作也。迨元僧智常。復作統載。名依統記。而立例則殊。始用史家編年之法。其意以宗為主。以教為輔。凡淨行神足。性相義觀。無所不備。而識者摘其漏誤。至不可寘辨。葢史之難如此。居士宿身了了。自謂明教嵩再來。故於定祖正宗大義凜凜。巨綱細目標識精詳。至其略化跡而重機緣。合宗乘而歸淨土。則又善誘曲導。無非融和水乳。吹亮薪傳。俾見性成佛之旨。人人開卷。直下領會。將居士顯化。報恩之願。於是焉畢矣。何至如小師諍士。橫分正閏。妄劃南北。始以病史而究。為宗教戈矛哉。嗟乎。韋昭仗正書落窖坑。崔浩觸諱族冤駢覆。至使貞臣節士。默標張儼之文。私存孫盛之本。木天金馬穽廁盈途。豈如旃檀林邊。可以逍遙撰述。大圓海畔。從無意外風波。人鬼天龍俱供筆削。闥城鹿苑倚作直廬。如居士之肩史責。誰謂極樂國中。珥毫簪筆。無其位。無其人也。

For nearly fifty years, I have drifted through the tides of history, and I have come to understand that nothing in the world—past or present—is harder to record than history itself. It is difficult even for official histories, let alone private notes and minor records. It is difficult even for informal histories, let alone fragmentary tales and miscellaneous journals. And when we go further, to histories of heaven and earth, and further still, to histories of immortals and Buddhas—unless one takes the mountains and rivers as one’s Dharma body, and all beings and gods as one’s eyes and hands—no one can grasp the essential and compile a complete work.

The Layman Xinkong, with thirty years of dedication, has gathered this into a single book: *The Grand Outline of the Buddhas and Patriarchs*. In this work, the net of Brahma has its complete guidance, the Dharma gates have their records, the teachings have their sources and streams, and the rise and decline of traditions have their verification. Combined, it stands as one great history covering the seven Buddhas to the present.

In the Yuanwei era of the Song Dynasty, Wang Jian compiled the *Seven Records*, placing Buddhist texts only as an appendix to the charts and genealogies. In the early Liang Dynasty, Emperor Wu ordered Ren Fang and others to store various books in the Wende Hall and to collect Buddhist scriptures separately in the Hualin Garden. Later, Ruan Xiaoxu, in his extensive collection of classics, respectfully separated the Buddhist catalog into its own category, distinct from the seven traditional ones—but even this was merely for the sake of breadth and display of marvels.

From the Tang and Song dynasties, the study of Zen flourished, branching out in all directions. Since the *Transmission of the Lamp* from the Jingde era was published, successors appeared one after another, eventually forming the *Five Lamps*. After Caoxi, the branches of Qingyuan and Nanyue divided further; from Mazu onward, the five houses each became prominent. In the Song Dynasty, the monk Fameng established a separate teaching school, taking the *Lotus Sutra* as its scripture, the Tiantai tradition as its foundation, and calm contemplation (*zhi* and *guan*) as its gate. This was the origin of the *Complete Records of the Buddhas and Patriarchs*.

Later, in the Yuan Dynasty, the monk Zhichang wrote the *Comprehensive Record*. Though its name followed the earlier record, its principles differed. For the first time, it used the annalistic method of historians. Its intention was to take Zen as the main thread and the teaching schools as supplementary. All aspects—pure practice, spiritual attainment, nature and characteristics, views and contemplations—were included. Yet knowledgeable readers pointed out its omissions and errors, to the point where they could not be corrected or debated. Such is the difficulty of history.

The Layman Xinkong is fully awakened from past lives. He himself claims to be the reincarnation of the Venerable Mingjiao Song. Thus, in matters of determining patriarchs and the orthodox lineage, his principle is stern and clear. The great and small guidelines are marked with precision and detail. As for the way he downplays miraculous traces and emphasizes spiritual affinities, combining the traditions of Zen and teachings into the way of the Pure Land, this is all a form of skillful guiding—softly drawing in and leading others. He blends them like milk and water, rekindles the dying torch, so that everyone who opens this book may directly grasp the essence of seeing one’s true nature and attaining Buddhahood. In this way, the Layman’s vow to repay kindness through manifest teaching is accomplished. Why should there be any need for petty monks and contentious scholars to falsely divide orthodox from illegitimate, to insistently separate north from south, turning a history into a battlefield of sectarian disputes?

Alas! Wei Zhao, who upheld integrity, had his writings hurled into a pit; Cui Hao, who offended taboos, brought ruin on his entire clan. This caused loyal ministers and principled scholars to secretly preserve the works of Zhang Yan or privately store Sun Sheng’s texts. The paths to high office and glory are filled with traps and snares. But how different it is by the sandalwood grove, where one may freely roam and compose. By the vast ocean of perfect enlightenment, there are no unexpected storms. Ghosts, people, heavenly beings—all serve the historian’s brush. The Deer Park and Jetavana serve as personal study chambers. So, like the Layman who bears the burden of history, who dares to say that in the Land of Ultimate Bliss there is no one fit to hold the brush and record events—no position, no such person?

Buddha's Compendium (佛祖綱目)

Buddha's Compendium (佛祖綱目)