姚秦三藏法師鳩摩羅什奉 詔譯
Translated by the Tripitaka Master Kumarajiva of the Yao Qin Dynasty, by imperial decree.
姚秦者。乃東晉五胡亂華。姚興有國之號也。初前秦主苻堅。見道安法師。尊稱為聖人。安曰。貧道非聖。聞之西域龜茲國。有鳩摩羅什者。是為聖人。檀越欲見。當可迎之。時堅以鐵甲七萬。命呂光為將。伐龜茲取什。及至圍城。王曰。吾與中國相邈遠。素不相通。何為見伐。光曰。大秦天王。聞王國有聖人鳩摩羅什。欲請歸供養。非利王之土地也。時什秊方二十。乃龜茲王甥。智辯非常。業已為王講般若經。王曰。什乃吾國之寶。豈肯輕棄聽其命耳。王久不解。什請於王曰。以貧道之故。而苦其民人。非慈悲之道也。願請行。即當返耳。王不得已。遂遣行。光迎什入關。聞堅已卒。姚萇自立。光遂據涼州即位。國號大涼。未幾光卒。子紹立。為太原公呂纂所害。纂立。又為呂超所廢。立呂隆數秊。什皆被幽。姚興弘始三秊。遣師伐隆。隆降。遂奉什入長安。秦主師禮之。什在涼。為紹等挫辱。有不堪其言者。師安忍之。及見秦主。初甚敬重。次因西域梵師。有持禪波羅蜜經至者。與什甚契。興欲留之。梵師不住。遂棄去。興怒。陰遣使者。襲殺於關外。因疑什。恐有去志。乃賜宮女與什。謂續佛種。以占什意。什逆知之。以為法情深。遂納之以釋其疑。譯此經時。始居草堂。正當危疑之際。而以法為重。乃不避嫌。成此法緣。因見古人忘身為法。備歷艱難。什滅葬後。塔前生青蓮華。姚興啟塔視之。華從舌根而出。非大聖示現。何以有此哉。初肇公同居譯場。秦主雅重。未幾什入滅。而肇亦被害。悲哉。
During the Yao-Qin period, the Eastern Jin dynasty was plagued by the chaos of the Five Barbarian tribes, and Yao Xing was the emperor who founded the state. Initially, the former Qin ruler Fu Jian revered the monk Dao An as a sage. Dao An said, "I am no sage. I have heard that in the Kucha kingdom of the Western Regions, there is a man named Kumarajiva who is truly a sage. If you wish to meet him, you should invite him here." At that time, Fu Jian commanded an army of 70,000 armored soldiers, appointing Lü Guang as general, to attack Kucha and bring back Kumarajiva. When they besieged the city, the king of Kucha said, "Our kingdoms are far apart and have never had dealings. Why have you come to attack us?" Lü Guang replied, "The Great Qin Heavenly King has heard that your kingdom possesses the sage Kumarajiva. He wishes to invite him back for veneration, not to take your land." At that time, Kumarajiva was only twenty years old and was the nephew of the Kucha king. He was exceptionally wise and eloquent, and had already been teaching the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra to the king. The king said, "Kumarajiva is the treasure of our kingdom. How could I lightly abandon him and let him go?" The king remained resolute for a long time. Kumarajiva pleaded with the king, saying, "For the sake of this humble monk, you are causing suffering to your people. This is not the way of compassion. I wish to go. I will return soon." The king, having no other choice, reluctantly allowed him to leave. Lü Guang escorted Kumarajiva into the Pass, only to learn that Fu Jian had died and Yao Chang had declared himself emperor. Lü Guang then occupied Liangzhou and established himself as ruler, naming his state the Great Liang. Soon after, Lü Guang died, and his son Lü Shao succeeded him, but was killed by Lü Zuan, the Duke of Taiyuan. Lü Zuan then took the throne, but was deposed by Lü Chao, who installed Lü Long as ruler. For several years, Kumarajiva remained in captivity. In the third year of the Hongshi era under Yao Xing, the emperor sent an army to attack Lü Long. Lü Long surrendered, and Kumarajiva was brought to Chang'an. The Qin emperor honored him as a teacher. While in Liangzhou, Kumarajiva had suffered humiliation from Lü Shao and others, enduring insults that would have been unbearable for most. Yet he patiently bore it all. When he first met the Qin emperor, he was treated with great respect. Later, a Western regions meditation master arrived, bringing the Dhyāna Pāramitā Sūtra. He and Kumarajiva were very close. Yao Xing wished to keep the master, but he refused to stay and left. Angered, Yao Xing secretly sent assassins to kill him outside the Pass. This incident made Yao Xing suspicious of Kumarajiva, fearing he might also wish to leave. So he bestowed courtesans upon him, claiming it was to continue the Buddha's lineage, as a test of his intentions. Kumarajiva foresaw this and, valuing the Dharma deeply, accepted them to dispel suspicion. When Kumarajiva began translating this sutra, he was living in the Thatched Hut, a time of great danger and uncertainty. Yet he prioritized the Dharma, disregarding scandal, and successfully completed this sacred task. From this, we see how ancient sages sacrificed their own well-being for the sake of the Dharma, enduring countless hardships. After Kumarajiva's cremation, a blue lotus grew in front of his stupa. When Yao Xing opened the stupa to examine it, the lotus emerged from the root of his tongue. If Kumarajiva had not been a great enlightened being, how could such a miracle have occurred? Initially, the monk Seng Zhao worked alongside Kumarajiva in the translation hall, and the Qin emperor held him in high esteem. Shortly after Kumarajiva's passing, however, Seng Zhao was also killed. How tragic!