乾道中德壽宮親灑宸毫。大書蓮社二字。賜防禦使浙西路總管張[揙-戶+(今-一)]。龍驤鳳翥八法俱全。真希世河洛之瑞也。竊惟高宗皇帝。以唐虞之化甄陶天下。功成不居。脫屣萬乘。退藏之暇。游心內典。且欲追還廬阜念佛之風。故有斯舉焉。歷考自古帝王興隆釋教。或建立塔廟者有之。或翻譯經論者有之。或廣度僧尼者有之。而未嘗聞操觚染翰發揮淨邦。俾一切人升出五濁。如吾聖君者。至今薄海內外宗古立社。念佛之聲洋洋乎盈耳。乃知至德如風。民應如草。有不期然而然者矣。請試論之。
During the Qiandao era, Emperor Gaozong personally took up the imperial brush in the Deshou Palace and wrote the two characters "Lotus Society" in grand calligraphy. This was bestowed to Defense Commissioner Zhang, the Regional Commander of the Zhexi Circuit. The strokes soared like dragons and danced like phoenixes, embodying the eight essential techniques of calligraphy—a truly rare treasure, auspicious as the legendary diagrams of the Yellow River and Luo River.
I reflect that Emperor Gaozong, having governed the realm with the transformative virtues of the ancient sage-kings Yao and Shun, achieved great merit yet did not cling to it. He relinquished the throne as if discarding a pair of sandals and, in the leisure of his retirement, turned his mind to the inner teachings of Buddhism. Moreover, he sought to revive the tradition of reciting the Buddha's name, as practiced on Mount Lu. Hence, this act of his.
Examining history, we find that emperors and kings throughout the ages have promoted Buddhism in various ways: some built stupas and temples, some sponsored the translation of sutras and treatises, and some generously ordained monks and nuns. Yet rarely have we heard of one wielding the brush to elucidate the Pure Land, enabling all beings to transcend the Five Turbidities, as our sagely sovereign has done.
To this day, throughout the land and beyond, people honor the ancients and establish societies. The sound of Buddha recitation fills the ears, vast and abundant. It is thus known that supreme virtue is like the wind, and the people's response is like grass bending—some things happen naturally, without deliberate intent. Let us now explore this further.
我佛能仁誕生迦維。不戀金輪寶位。直向雪山宴坐。既成道已。隨機闡化故。使大小偏圓教法有殊。最後法華高會一道無偏。開彼權乘悉歸真實。故出世本懷。至是始暢矣。又念將來之世人。根暗鈍不能自求出離。唯彌陀本願。取土極樂。可以橫截愛河徑超佛地故。於諸大乘經。殷勤勸往者不一。斯蓋如來異妙方便。診䘏沈淪。父去留藥之謂耳。然大教東流人或未知。而東晉遠公法師。神機秀發。肇開化源。引水栽蓮。締結淨社。爾時預者一百二十有三人。劉遺民等十八大賢而為上首。自是念佛三昧之道行焉。迨今八百餘載。遺風遺烈。凜然尚在。故得張[揙-戶+(今-一)]所修。遠踵其事矣。然則務學必求師。進業必託法。故茲社之興。專以彌陀為宗主。諸經為司南。自晉唐以來。高僧巨儒。咸有著述讚美斯事。雖其間說義有淺深屬辭有工拙。譬如萬派東流同歸滄海。使夫飲用者咸沾一味焉。(宗曉)侵尋晚景。悟世非堅深。仰高宗皇帝。道參天地。德邁羲軒。猶乃宣揚至教。啟迪群蒙。況愚忝簉僧倫。敢怠思修之路乎。由是囊括諸經。網羅眾製。伏而讀之。意圖良導。雖微辭奧旨未易窺測。然研味有年。粗亦識其梗概。重念。隋珠和璧為天下之至寶。苟韞匵而藏諸。則人孰得而共之。遂於假日。即其所得次而編之。始於經呪終乎詩詞。凡十有四門。總二百二十餘首。析為五卷。目曰樂邦文類。蓋倣儒家柳宗直西漢文類之作也。其有集之不盡。當有與吾同志者續焉時。
Our Buddha, the Compassionate Sage, was born in Kapilavastu. He did not cling to the throne of a golden-wheel-turning king. Instead, he went directly to the Snowy Mountains to sit in serene meditation. After attaining enlightenment, he taught according to the capacities of beings. Therefore, the teachings vary in scope and depth—some are partial, some complete. Ultimately, at the great assembly for the Lotus Sutra, the single, undivided path was revealed without bias, opening the provisional teachings so all could return to the true reality. Thus, the original intent of the Buddha's appearance in the world was fully expressed at last.
Furthermore, considering that people in future ages would have dull faculties and be unable to seek liberation on their own, only Amitabha Buddha's Original Vow, which establishes the Land of Ultimate Bliss, can directly cut across the river of craving and swiftly lead to the Buddha's realm. Therefore, across various Mahayana sutras, earnest exhortations to be reborn there are made repeatedly. This is indeed the Tathagata's wondrous and skillful means, his profound compassion for those sinking in samsara—like a father leaving medicine behind after his departure.
However, when the great teaching flowed eastward, some people remained unaware of it. It was the Eastern Jin dynasty's Master Huiyuan, with his outstanding spiritual acuity, who first opened this source of transformation. He guided the waters and planted lotuses, establishing the Pure Land society. At that time, one hundred and twenty-three people participated, with Liu Yimin and the other seventeen great worthies as the leaders. From then on, the practice of the Buddha-recitation samadhi flourished.
Now, over eight hundred years later, the remaining customs and lofty examples still stand clear and awe-inspiring. Therefore, what Zhang [surname] cultivates today follows distantly in those footsteps.
Yet, to pursue learning, one must seek a teacher; to advance in practice, one must rely on the Dharma. Thus, the purpose of this society's establishment is to take Amitabha Buddha as the sovereign guide and the various sutras as the compass. Since the Jin and Tang dynasties, eminent monks and great Confucian scholars have all composed writings praising this matter. Although the depth of meaning in their explanations varies and their literary style differs in refinement, it is like ten thousand streams flowing east, all returning to the great ocean, so that all who drink from it partake of the same single flavor.
(Zongxiao)
As I approach the evening of my life, I deeply realize the impermanence of the world. I profoundly revere Emperor Gaozong, whose Way participated in Heaven and Earth, whose virtue surpassed that of the ancient sage-kings Fu Xi and Huang Di. Even he propagated the supreme teaching to enlighten the masses. How much more should I, though unworthily counted among the Sangha, dare neglect the path of contemplation and cultivation?
Therefore, I gathered the various sutras and collected numerous compositions, bowing to study them, seeking a good guide. Although their subtle words and profound meanings are not easy to fathom, after years of pondering and savoring them, I have roughly grasped their general outline. I further reflected: the pearl of Sui and the jade of He are the world's most precious treasures, but if they are kept hidden in a box, who can share in them? Thus, during my leisure time, I compiled what I had learned, arranging it in sequence. It begins with sutras and mantras and ends with poems and verses, encompassing fourteen categories in total, over two hundred and twenty pieces, divided into five volumes. I have titled it *The Literary Categories of the Land of Bliss*, modeling it after the Confucian scholar Liu Zongzhi's *Literary Categories of the Western Han*. If the collection is not exhaustive, may those who share my aspiration continue it in time.