No. 223-A大周新譯大方廣佛華嚴經序
Preface to the New Translation of the Great Avatamsaka Sutra from the Great Zhou Dynasty
天𠕋金輪聖神皇帝製
Heavenly Empress, Golden Wheel, Sacred and Divine Sovereign's Edict
蓋聞造化權輿之首，天道未分；龜龍繫象之初，人文始著。雖萬八千歲同臨有截之區，七十二君詎識無邊之義？由是人迷四忍，輪迴於六趣之中；家纏五蓋，沒溺於三塗之下。及夫鷲巖西峙，象駕東驅，慧日法王超四大而高視，中天調御越十地以居尊。包括鐵圍，延促沙劫。其為體也，則不生不滅；其為相也，則無去無來。念處正勤，三十七品為其行；慈悲喜捨，四無量法運其心。方便之力難思，圓對之機多緒。混太空而為量，豈算數之能窮？入纖芥之微區，匪名言之可述。無得而稱者，其唯 大覺歟？朕曩劫殖因，叨承佛記。金僊降旨，大雲之偈先彰；玉扆披詳，寶雨之文後及。加以積善餘慶，俯集微躬，遂得地平天成，河清海晏。殊禎絕瑞，既日至而月書；貝葉靈文，亦時臻而歲洽。踰海越漠，獻賝之禮備焉；架險航深，重譯之詞罄矣。
I have heard that at the very beginning of creation, the ways of heaven and earth were not yet divided. When the patterns of the turtle and dragon first appeared, human culture began to take form. Though tens of thousands of years passed, all remained within the realm of the finite; how could the seventy-two ancient rulers comprehend the boundless truth? Thus, humanity became lost in the four forbearances, cycling through the six realms of rebirth; households were entangled by the five hindrances, sinking into the three lower paths.
Then came the time when Vulture Peak stood in the west, and the elephant-vehicle of the Dharma journeyed eastward. The Dharma King, the sun of wisdom, transcended the four great elements and gazed from on high; the Tathagata, the guide of the Middle Way, surpassed the ten stages and abided in supreme honor. Encompassing even the Iron-Circle Mountains, spanning kalpas as numerous as sands—its essence is neither born nor perishes; its appearance neither comes nor goes.
The four foundations of mindfulness and the four right efforts, the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment, constitute its practice. Compassion, loving-kindness, sympathetic joy, and equanimity—the four immeasurables—guide its heart. The power of skillful means is beyond thought; the responses of perfect wisdom are manifold. Merging with the vastness of space, how could it be measured by numbers? Entering the tiniest speck of dust, it cannot be described by names or words. That which is beyond description—is it not the Great Awakening?
In past kalpas, I planted causes and have been entrusted with the Buddha’s prophecy. The golden sage bestowed his decree; the verses of the Great Cloud were first revealed. Upon the jade throne, I studied carefully, and the text of the Precious Rain followed. Moreover, accumulated goodness brought abundant blessings, gathering humbly upon my person. Thus, the earth was leveled and heaven perfected; rivers cleared and seas calmed. Rare auspicious signs were recorded day by day, month by month. Palm-leaf scriptures and spiritual texts arrived in season and flourished year by year. Crossing seas and deserts, offerings were presented in full. Braving dangers and navigating depths, translations from distant lands were exhaustively gathered.
大方廣佛華嚴經者，斯乃諸佛之密藏，如來之性海。視之者莫識其指歸，挹之者罕測其涯際。有學、無學，志絕窺覦；二乘、三乘，寧希聽受？最勝種智，莊嚴之跡既隆；普賢、文殊，願行之因斯滿。一句之內，包法界之無邊；一毫之中，置剎土而非隘。摩竭陀國，肇興妙會之緣；普光法堂，爰敷寂滅之理。緬惟奧義，譯在晉朝，時逾六代，年將四百。然一部之典，纔獲三萬餘言，唯啟半珠，未窺全寶。朕聞其梵本，先在于闐國中，遣使奉迎，近方至此。既覩百千之妙頌，乃披十萬之正文。粵以證聖元年，歲次乙未，月旅姑洗，朔惟戊申，以其十四日辛酉，於大徧空寺，親受筆削，敬譯斯文。遂得甘露流津，預夢庚申之夕；膏雨灑潤，後覃壬戌之辰。式開實相之門，還符一味之澤。以聖曆二年，歲次己亥，十月壬午朔，八日己丑，繕寫畢功。添性海之波瀾，廓法界之彊域。大乘頓教，普被於無窮；方廣真詮，遐該於有識。豈謂後五百歲，忽逢金口之言；娑婆境中，俄啟珠凾之祕。所冀闡揚沙界，宣暢塵區，竝兩曜而長懸，彌十方而永布。一窺寶偈，慶溢心靈；三復幽宗，喜盈身意。雖則無說無示，理符不二之門；然因言顯言，方闡大千之義。輒申鄙作，爰題序云：
The Avatamsaka Sutra is the secret treasury of all buddhas, the ocean of the Tathagata's true nature. Those who look upon it cannot grasp its ultimate aim; those who draw from it scarcely fathom its boundless depths. Learners and non-learners alike find their ambitions halted before its vastness; followers of the Two Vehicles or the Three Vehicles—how could they hope to fully comprehend it? The supreme wisdom of the Buddha is gloriously manifested herein; the vows and practices of Samantabhadra and Manjushri are perfectly fulfilled. Within a single phrase, the boundlessness of the Dharma Realm is contained; upon the tip of a hair, countless worlds are placed without crowding. In Magadha, the wondrous assembly first gathered; in the Hall of Universal Light, the principle of perfect stillness was expounded.
These profound teachings were first translated during the Jin dynasty. Over six dynasties and nearly four hundred years, only a portion of the scripture—some thirty thousand words—was rendered, like glimpsing half a precious pearl, not the whole treasure. We learned that the Sanskrit original was preserved in Khotan. Envoys were dispatched to respectfully request it, and it has recently arrived. Now we behold hundreds of thousands of exquisite verses and unfold over a hundred thousand lines of the core text.
In the first year of Zhengsheng, the cyclical year *yiwei*, in the third month, on the first day *wushen*, which was the fourteenth day *xinyou*, at the Great Universal Emptiness Monastery, We personally oversaw the editing and reverently translated this text. Sweet dew then flowed—a auspicious dream on the eve of *gengshen*; nourishing rain sprinkled—its grace extending to the dawn of *renxu*. Thus the gate to True Reality was opened, in harmony with the single flavor of the Dharma rain.
In the second year of Shengli, the cyclical year *jihai*, on the eighth day *jichou* of the tenth month, the transcription was completed. It adds waves to the ocean of true nature and expands the boundaries of the Dharma Realm. The Sudden Teaching of the Great Vehicle spreads universally without end; the true meaning of the Avatamsaka encompasses all sentient beings far and wide. Who would have thought that after five hundred years, the golden words of the Buddha would suddenly be encountered again? In this Saha world, the secret of the jeweled casket is now revealed.
It is hoped that these teachings will be proclaimed throughout the sands of worlds and made known across all dusty realms, shining eternally alongside the sun and moon, spreading forever throughout the ten directions. A single reading of these precious verses fills the heart with joy; repeated reflection on these profound principles brings delight to body and mind. Although ultimately there is nothing to be said or shown, and the principle accords with the gate of non-duality, yet through words that reveal meaning, the truth of the great cosmos is made manifest. Humbly, We offer this composition and inscribe it as a preface.