Mahāyāna Madhyamaka Commentary (大乘中觀釋論)

Preface to the Great Song New Translation of the Tripitaka

Imperially Composed by Emperor Taizong

Great indeed is the teaching of the Buddha! It guides the lost, reveals the nature of reality, and expands with vast and profound reasoning—so deep that even the most brilliant minds cannot fully grasp its meaning. Its subtle and exquisite truths are far beyond the reach of ordinary people to trace to their source. Its principles are profound and mysterious, touching upon the emptiness of ultimate reality—unfathomable, encompassing all phenomena, illustrated through infinite metaphors. It weaves the fabric of spiritual law, expounds the boundless true teaching, rescues all living beings from the ocean of suffering, and transmits the secret words of the Three Treasuries (Tripitaka). Heaven and earth transform through yin and yang; the sun and moon wax and wane with the seasons. The great teachings speak of good and evil; the subtle teachings extend to comparisons beyond counting, like grains of sand in the Ganges. The countless conscious beings—their kinds beyond full description—are like reflections in a mirror or shadows following form. They leave behind the six senses to abide forever, enduring through a thousand eons. Mount Sumeru can be contained within a mustard seed; the Tathāgata (Thus-Come One) is vast and unbounded. Bodhidharma came from the West, transmitting the Dharma to the Eastern lands, proclaiming the wondrous principles, guiding beings to return to the other shore of enlightenment (bodhi). In the river of love and desire, birth and death arise and cease. Within the five turbid realms of suffering, he saves those drowning in the three paths of karma. The scriptures perpetuate through generations, inexhaustible; the Path is selfless and eternally peaceful. The palm-leaf scriptures from the Snowy Mountains (Himalayas) shine like silver platforms; through the years, mist and vines rise from the distant realm of fragrance. How vast and hard to fathom! How profound and difficult to name! Thus, the Way supports ten kinds of sages, and virtue reaches the three classes of worthies. The ultimate Way arises from the primal beginning; all wonders are born from the great simplicity. It encompasses all forms and opens the darkness and light, cutting off right and wrong, awakening the ignorant. There were Western-region Dharma masters like Tian Xi Zai, who constantly upheld the four kinds of patience and early awakened to the three vehicles (Hinayana, Mahayana, Vajrayana). They translated the true teachings from palm-leaf scriptures, continuing the sacred Dharma of humans and devas. Their fragrant legacy was reopened at an auspicious time. They harmonized the five tones in their writings and spread the four beginnings in their verses and songs. Dignified in appearance, harmonious in radiance, they re-illumined the long-darkened ages, unveiled the gate of mystery, and made the wondrous Dharma shine as a guiding model once more. The pure land resounded with their voices, benefiting all sentient beings, leading them all to the shore of enlightenment. There were no obstacles left; they rescued the weary and weak. With compassion that transcends the world, they subdued greed and hatred, cleansing ignorance. They expounded the Śrāvaka teachings (voice-hearers) according to their rituals and established the nature of the Mahāyāna right enlightenment. The conscious beings, upon awakening, received blessings; the neglected teachings flourished once more. The illusions of the burning house—though the teaching was set forth, many did not understand. Good thoughts arise, and countless blessings come unbidden; evil actions proliferate, and each brings its own falling into circumstance. He tames and guides the fourfold assembly, accumulates practice in the ten directions, showers the rain of flowers upon the golden wheel, and protects the uncountable beings like sand in the Ganges at the jade palace. The wind above the peak cannot destroy it; the boundless water cannot sweep it away. Clear, still, radiant—the wisdom of purity and emptiness; the nature of emptiness, undefiled—the causes and conditions of liberation from false thoughts. One can leave behind afflictions in the mind-field and attain coolness and peace in the universe. I am ashamed—not learned, barely versed in the scriptures of the Buddha—how could I write a preface to guide future generations? Like a firefly’s light, it cannot compare to the bright sun; like measuring the ocean with a tiny conch shell, can one ever fathom its depths?