No. 1522-B
Sutra No. 1522-B
古者大典大冊之於國家也。必藏諸玉府。使子孫世守之。罔敢逸隊。以貽訓將來。祖宗賴之有光。若夫教門之大典大冊。則異矣。如來世尊。具正徧知。說十二部修多羅利益三界。其本生本事二部者。誠以宿命他心之智。照了過去現在未來無量數劫。諸佛之出興。輪王之治化。世界之成壞。民物之生息。皆目覩耳聞。而身歷之。其廣頌長偈。則阿難記持於先。迦葉結集於後。當是時。惜其流通之未至於斯土也。史之缺文。孔子且猶歎美之。而況見聖諦第一義之所在哉。法師慧皎者。生會稽。出家𨽻業嘉祥寺。性姿純粹。素獲鄉里重譽。博學為時所歆艶。慨往聖之跡難追。悼來哲之名易沒。微我後人孰任其責。廼援史例作傳。始於漢明。終於梁武。凡其僧之秉大福緣。乘宿願力。隨機應化。天子所師尊。諸侯所賓禮。懷香華而西邁。獲貝葉以東歸。隱約枯槁以全節守。趺宿傲睨以極激揚。莫不訪來其出處之詳。考索其言行之實。則其志之勤如此。繼而澄照道宣師。則㳂梁而唐。通惠贊寧師。則㳂唐而宋。立十科。成書行世。然辭章之出。大率六朝五季之餘也。體製衰弱。略無先秦西漢風。太史黃公庭堅讀而陋之。嘗欲刪治。適未皇及。可恨也。覺範德洪師顧獨潤色梁傳。以承子長孟堅之業。卒無所事於唐宋二傳。噫隘矣。蓋佛法非僧業弗行。僧業非佛法弗明。必佛法以之行。僧業以之明。其六學十二科而已矣。且波羅蜜多之為言度也。度則學之至。學則度之漸耳。苟舉學以觀佛。則知佛之究乎十二而度乎六。舉科以觀僧。則知僧之循乎十二而學乎六。故未能以譯經傳宗者。不足與語慧也。未能以遺身利物者。不足與語施也。未能以弘法護教者。不足與語戒也。未能以攝念持志者。不足與語忍辱也。未能以義解感通者。不足與語精進也。未能以證悟神化者。不足與語定也。六。學誠濟川之舟筏歟。既濟者捨之。未濟者用之。在佛曰度。則既濟之謂也。在僧曰學。則未濟之謂也。惟佛不以己之既濟而忘其未濟者。故每於華嚴鹿苑方等般若法華涅槃會上。稱揚讚歎六學功德。而櫓櫂於舟筏以待濟茲。太史黃公之甚留意於梁唐宋三傳也。予為閱諸龕藏以紬繹之。遂苗穮髮櫛。以屬藁而藏去焉。時則至正己丑間也。歲癸卯。予歸自天台。就養於象山智門之正趣堂。日庵廣慧氏。請予藁以圖鋟梓。予未即許也。會日庵丐閑從燕寂。而復元福報師。寔於予同門伯仲。獲以公舉主斯席。尤力從臾不已。由是而張六學。以正佛法之要。列十二科。以別僧業之緐。學有序。所以序佛法之本然也。科有讚。所以讚僧業之當然也。得傳一千二百七十又三。得人如傳之數。以卷計之。古傳之卷得七十又四。新傳之卷得三十。是何古傳之卷贏。新傳之卷縮也。有解者曰。古傳之贏也。贏於卷而不贏於傳。新傳之縮也。縮於卷而不縮於傳。亦猶以學易度。而度未甞易。以科分學。而學未甞分。是固教門之典冊也。非歟。尚覽者其察旃。
In ancient times, major scriptures and important documents of the state were always stored in the imperial archives, so that future generations could safeguard them and never let them be lost, thereby providing guidance for the future and bringing honor to their ancestors. However, the great scriptures and important texts of the Buddhist tradition are different. The Tathagata, the World-Honored One, possessed perfect and universal knowledge. He taught the twelve divisions of the sutras to benefit the three realms. Among them, the two divisions known as the Jataka (previous lives) and the Avadana (past deeds) are truly based on the wisdom of knowing past lives and others' minds, illuminating countless eons of the past, present, and future. The appearance of Buddhas, the governance and transformation of Wheel-Turning Kings, the formation and destruction of worlds, and the birth and sustenance of beings—all these were directly seen, heard, and personally experienced by the Buddha. The extensive verses and long hymns were first memorized by Ananda and later compiled by Mahakashyapa. At that time, it was regrettable that these teachings had not yet spread to this land. Confucius himself lamented the lack of historical records, so how much more should we value the presence of the ultimate truth of the noble path?
The Dharma Master Huijiao, born in Kuaiji, became a monk and studied at the Jiaxiang Monastery. With a pure and upright nature, he earned great respect from his hometown. His extensive learning was admired by his contemporaries. Grieving that the traces of past sages were hard to follow, and lamenting that the names of future wise ones could easily vanish, he thought, "If not for us later generations, who would take this responsibility?" Thus, following the example of historical records, he composed a collection of biographies. Starting from Emperor Ming of Han and ending with Emperor Wu of Liang, it covers all monks who, bearing great blessings and fulfilling their past vows, responded to circumstances and transformed beings. Some were respected as teachers by emperors, others honored as guests by feudal lords; some traveled west carrying incense and flowers, others returned east with palm-leaf scriptures; some lived in seclusion and austerity to maintain their integrity, while others sat in meditation or acted freely to inspire others. Through careful investigation of their origins and examination of their words and deeds, Huijiao's diligence is evident.
Later, Master Chengzhao Daoxuan continued from the Liang to the Tang dynasties, and Master Tonghui Zanning continued from the Tang to the Song dynasties. They established the ten categories of monastic specialization and published works that spread far and wide. However, the literary style of these works largely reflected the decline of the Six Dynasties and the Five Dynasties periods, lacking the vigor of the pre-Qin and Western Han eras. Grand Historian Huang Tingjian read them and considered them inferior, even wishing to edit and refine them, but never had the opportunity—regrettable indeed. Master Juefan Dehong only revised the Liang biographies, aiming to continue the legacy of Sima Qian and Ban Gu. He did not work on the Tang and Song biographies. That, alas, was narrow-minded.
The Buddha-dharma cannot spread without the work of monks, and the work of monks cannot be understood without the Buddha-dharma. Only when the Buddha-dharma is put into practice and monastic work is clearly understood are the Six Studies and Twelve Categories fully realized. Paramita means "crossing over." Crossing over is the culmination of learning, while learning is the gradual process of crossing over. If we examine the Buddha through the lens of learning, we see that the Buddha thoroughly understood the twelve categories and perfectly realized the six. If we examine monks through the lens of categories, we see that monks follow the twelve categories and practice the six studies. Therefore, those who cannot translate sutras and transmit the tradition cannot be spoken to about wisdom. Those who cannot sacrifice their bodies for the benefit of others cannot be spoken to about generosity. Those who cannot propagate the Dharma and protect the teachings cannot be spoken to about morality. Those who cannot concentrate and maintain their resolve cannot be spoken to about patience. Those who cannot understand and be inspired by the meaning of sutras cannot be spoken to about effort. Those who cannot realize enlightenment and spiritual transformation cannot be spoken to about meditation. The six studies are indeed the boat and raft that cross the river. Those who have crossed abandon them; those who have not yet crossed use them. In the Buddha, it is called "crossing over," meaning one who has already crossed. In monks, it is called "learning," meaning one who has not yet crossed. The Buddha does not forget those who have not yet crossed just because he himself has crossed. Thus, in the assemblies of the Avatamsaka, Deer Park, Vaipulya, Prajna, and Nirvana sutras, he praised and extolled the merits of the six studies, treating them as oars and rudders on the boat and raft to help bring others across.
Grand Historian Huang Tingjian paid great attention to the three collections of biographies from the Liang, Tang, and Song dynasties. I personally examined the texts stored in the sutra repositories, combing through and organizing them, weeding out the extraneous and refining the essential. I compiled a manuscript and stored it away. This was in the year 1349. In 1363, I returned from Tiantai and resided at the Zhengqu Hall of Zhimen in Xiangshan. The monk Guanghui of Rian asked for my manuscript to be carved for printing, but I did not immediately agree. Then Rian retreated into solitary tranquility. Meanwhile, Master Yuanfu Fubao, who was actually a fellow student of mine, took charge of this monastic seat through public recommendation and persistently urged me onward. So it was that we promoted the six studies to establish the essentials of the Buddha-dharma, and listed the twelve categories to distinguish the various aspects of monastic work. The studies have order, reflecting the natural order of the Buddha-dharma. The categories include praises, praising the natural duties of monastic work. The collection contains the biographies of 1,273 people, matching the number of individuals. In terms of volumes, the old biographies amount to 74 volumes, and the new biographies to 30 volumes. Why is it that the old biographies have more volumes while the new ones have fewer? Someone explained: "The old biographies are larger in number of volumes, but not in number of biographies. The new biographies are smaller in number of volumes, but not in number of biographies. It is like replacing the term 'crossing over' with 'study'—yet 'crossing over' never actually changed. It is like dividing the studies into categories—yet the studies themselves were never truly divided. This is indeed the nature of scriptures and texts in the Buddhist tradition. Is it not?" May those who examine this collection understand this.
至正丙午六月望四明沙門 曇噩序
Preface by the Mendicant Tan'e of Siming, on the full moon of the sixth month in the summer of the Bingwu year (1366 CE)