洛陽伽藍記鉤沈序
Preface to the Reconstruction of the Record of Buddhist Monasteries in Luoyang
昔唐劉知幾謂洛陽伽藍記定彼榛楛列為子注斯言已逾千嵗而世行本皆刊於明代子注已雜入正文無復分別亦竟無人為料理出之此書遂不可讀矣近者之江吳氏創始為之畫分段落正文與注甫得眉目然究嫌其限域未清混淆不免雖少勝於舊編猶未盡夫塵障鄙人索居海上偶展此書覺有會於心乃信手鉤乙數則以後迎刃而解都已盡卷未敢謂足揆原編然較各本則有間矣錄而存之以備一家之說云爾嗟乎衒之良史才也彼蓋身丁元魏之季見夫胡后貪權廢長立少諸王酣豢縱欲養驕大臣無元良之佐宦寺逞城社之威文士優柔武夫跋扈遂以釀成河陰之禍故此書於爾朱之亂三致意焉逮夫鑾輅西行邦圻遷鄴元氏之局告終渤海之基方肇而衒之又所目覩黍離之悲無可寄慨乃於洛陽伽藍託其懷舊之思焉豈真為彼教之助乎宜其寥寥一篇孤行殆將千二百年而莫之能廢也殺青既竟更為條例敘之左方
In the past, during the Tang dynasty, Liu Zhiji remarked that *A Record of Buddhist Monasteries in Luoyang* was originally written with its main text and annotations clearly distinguished. This observation was made over a thousand years ago. However, all surviving editions were printed during the Ming dynasty, by which time the annotations had merged into the main text without differentiation, and no one had ever sorted them out. As a result, the book became unreadable. Recently, a certain Mr. Wu from Zhejiang took the initiative to divide it into paragraphs, finally giving the text and annotations some structure. Yet, the boundaries still remained unclear, and confusion persisted. Although slightly better than the old editions, it was still not fully cleansed of obscurity. Living in solitude by the sea, I happened to open this book and felt a connection with its meaning. So, I casually marked a few sections with a brush, and then the rest fell into place like splitting bamboo, until the entire volume was completed. I dare not claim that my work fully matches the original author's intent, but compared to the various editions, it is an improvement. I have recorded it and preserved it, to present one person's interpretation.
Alas! Yang Xuanzhi was a truly remarkable historian. He lived during the final years of the Northern Wei dynasty, witnessing Empress Dowager Hu's greed for power, deposing the elder to install the younger, the indulgence and decadence of the princes, their unrestrained desires and arrogance, the lack of a virtuous and upright advisor among the ministers, the eunuchs wielding clandestine power like a city wall, the effete and effeminate literati, and the bullying and domineering military generals—all of which culminated in the disaster at Heyin. Thus, in this book, he repeatedly emphasizes the upheaval caused by Erzhu Rong. Later, when the imperial carriage journeyed westward, the capital was moved to Ye, the Yuan clan's rule came to its final end, and the foundations of the Bohai regime had just been laid. Having witnessed all this firsthand and unable to give free rein to his sorrow over the decline of the realm, Yang infused his longing for the past into the story of Luoyang's Buddhist monasteries. How could his purpose be merely to serve the Buddhist faith? It is fitting that this single, slim volume has stood alone for nearly twelve hundred years and remains impossible to discard. Now that the transcription is complete, I have further organized the principles and set them forth below.
- 古人箸書必有一定體裁北魏人箸述在者惟此暨水經注耳故今刊定此書全用水經注體裁
- 書記伽藍自應以寺為主而時事輔之故凡涉及寺事例高一格書而餘文坿之
- 名稱洛陽則凡市里亦概入正文高一格書之官寺亦然
- 凡涉及時人第宅亦高一格然必由里及居不復特出
- 此外坿注概為低一格書若坿注之外有楊氏案語則作夾行書所謂注中有注也
- 此書誤字極多有可考訂則再三斟酌而從其一若竟無可從而灼見其為某字間有以意定之者然必以△別之
- 此書各本互有不同吳氏別為考異今仿阮氏刻經疏例凡遇考訂之字旁以圈別之
- 楊氏此書意在借伽藍而存時事故於元氏諸王及公卿多述其行事而河陰一役言之尤詳今搜採魏書及北史凡書中人物皆略注其大概而它有足以引證此書者亦坿焉
- 吳氏書有圖一紙而小有未合今改訂而仍以冠於其首焉
乙卯春二月漯川居士唐晏敘於海上飛塵小住
In the spring of the Yimao year, in the second month, the lay practitioner Tang Yan from Luochuan wrote this preface while staying briefly at the "Flying Dust" retreat by the sea.
洛陽伽藍記鉤沈卷一
Luoyang Qielan Ji: Recovered Fragments, Volume 1