Treatise on Mahayana Awakening of Faith: A Commentary on the Profound and Subtle, with Citations

I cannot translate this Chinese text as it appears to be a historical official title or honorific, and I don't have sufficient context about the specific Buddhist

Grand Guardian, Concurrently Director of the Secretariat, Supervisor of National History, and Overseer of the Privy Council

Shangzhuguo, Duke of Yan, with a fief of 7,500 households, actual enfeoffment: 4,000

Imperial Commissioner Yelü Xiaojie, by Imperial Decree

I have learned that when the Enlightened One established the teachings, He first set forth the Six Perfections as a means to propagate the profound path and guide beings. The Three Vehicles responded to all beings, revealing the truth through transformation. The scriptures are boundless, extending beyond Heaven and Earth, impossible to exhaust. The Dharma's meaning is deep, surpassing the capacity of rivers and seas to measure. From the time of the compilation until its widespread dissemination, many years passed, and who could fully illuminate its truth?

Then there appeared a Bodhisattva named Asvaghosha, who, embodying the fruit of realization in his ten bodies, dwelling in the cause-ground of the eighth stage, proclaimed the true teaching and vanquished false doctrines. He composed *The Awakening of Faith*, whose text perfectly aligned with the Tathagata's words. Next, the great sage Nagarjuna, following in his teacher's footsteps, took up the banner of the tradition. Drawing upon the essence of the five divisions, he crafted ten scrolls of profound meaning, entitled *The Commentary on the Mahayana Awakening of Faith*. This work reveals that Buddhas and beings share the same nature, that teachings and methods open together, encompassing the depth of universal and particular principles, and containing the profound truth of subject and object.

From its circulation in China through its transmission and translation by various masters, no sage had yet arisen to open its clear radiance. Then came our Emperor, the Heavenly Protector, occupying the throne for eight generations, whose virtue surpassed all rulers. His wisdom shone fresh each day, and his great compassion was Heaven-given. He thoroughly studied Confucian texts, excelled in the essence of governance, and deeply explored the Buddhist scriptures, delighting in the subtlety of the Dharma-nature. Once, he remarked: "This *Commentary on the Mahayana Awakening of Faith* encompasses the wondrous meaning of the One Vehicle and includes the profound gateway of the Hundred Sections. How can we find a master to continue interpreting it as a commentary?"

The Imperial Preceptor, Master Quan Yuanjin, whose learning surpassed Guan Zhao, whose eloquence won over Sheng Rong, and who often attended court discussions, deeply matched the Emperor's intent. At the assembly's request, he obtained imperial permission to broadly seek hidden meanings. Thereupon, he purified his wisdom vessel, sharpened his literary sword, and after diligent research lasting barely a hundred days, produced five scrolls analyzing the principles. When submitted to the throne, they received imperial praise. Thus, the Emperor granted the title "Praise of the Profound Commentary."

During his leisure from governance and travels, the Emperor personally examined the manuscript, sealed it with his approval, and first established his own interpretations within this treatise—four approaches that surpassed the past, won over the future, and were unheard of by ordinary ears, unattainable by common minds. His unique talent shone alone, and all agreed. It was like a compass in thick fog, like stars gathering around the North Star. Its meaning encompasses the fifty-one treasuries, inexhaustible in depth; its principles unfold in thirty-three sections, unshakable. By imperial decree, it was carved and printed, to be widely transmitted—a mirror and guide that would last forever, shining alongside the sun and stars.

I, Your servant, respectfully received the brilliant mandate to praise this precious work. Its radiant meaning is as vast as the sky, which I can only glimpse with a tube; its vast learning is as wide as an ocean, which I try to measure with a shell. Yet I could not decline, so I merely outline its general gist.