T2053 A Biography of the Tripiṭaka Master of the Great Ci’en Monastery…

Fascicle IX

Fascicle Vili

ephemeral mayflies discussing how they feel about the long life of he cranes on which the immortals ride. We sang and danced while we were reciting the composition by heart. Having read it completely through, we could not refrain from leaping for oy.

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Beginning with a Letter of Thanks for

the Completion of the Inscription of the

Ci'en Monastery in the Third Month of

the First Year of Xianqing and Ending

with His Return to the Western Capital

with the Emperor in the First Month of

the Third Year

On the ninth day of he third month in the spring of he first year of Xianqing (656), the Emperor completed the composition of the slab inscription regarding the Great Ci' n Monastery. Xu Jingzong, the Minister of the Board of Ceremonies, dispatched a messenger to send the composition to the Master, while the Protocol Department also granted a tally of authentication to the monastery. On the tenth day, the Master, bringing with him the monks of the monastery, repaired to the palace to submit a letter of thanks in which he said:

I, Sramana Xuanzang, beg to state that having received the tally from the Protocol Department, I bowed to accept the imperial decree informing me that our Majesty has personally composed with your sacred writing brush the essay to be inscribed on a slab for the Great Ci'en Monastery. Your Majesty' favor has descended upon me, and the majestic expressions of the essay have shed light on all things universally. The Gate of Mystery has thus become loftier, and the glory of Buddhist monks is augmented. I feel ashamed to squat on this thick earth, as I am short of strength to support the high firmament. I, Xuanzang, have heard that 275

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the function of ature is to produce things through which to effect edification, and that the Way of he saints is to express their sentiments through words and phrases. But the drawing of the Eight Diagrams to bequeath literature to posterity is merely empty talk about things possessing definite shapes, and the explanations and divisions of he strokes of the diagrams do not go beyond the world. The virtue of Emperor Fuxi was extolled in ancient times, and the morality of Empress Ji was prominently high in a later age. But how could they be compared with the development of people' aspirations for the achievement of their affairs, with the ornate writings for the exposition of he eight aspects of human relationships, or with the utterances for the explanation of the Way in order to testify to the Three Clear Insights for the guidance of ordinary people? The reasons elaborated in the essay reach the limit of hat is manifested by Heaven and earth, and the sentiment expressed in it is beyond the sun and the moon. If we compare them as to superiority or inferiority, this essay is the most magnificent of all.

I humbly believe that the Golden Wheel of our Majesty is in motion, that time is guided by the calendar, that moral edification fills the four continents, and that kindness extends to the nine states. Your Way includes the Great Saint, and your merits are as plentiftd as those of the gods. Your various abilities were endowed at birth, and your talents were given by Heaven. First you were grieved at the sight of he toilet mirror [used by your mother]; and then a caitya (monastery) was constructed where splendid banners were hung immediately. Furthermore, a rhymed composition was published. It is like the blooming of eavenly flowers. Wise words surge forward like great waves, swallowing up a sea of fine words, including the Dragon Palace, and covering a forest of rhetorical phrases embracing the Crane Wood. It contains the internal teachings of eighty-four thousand Dharma Pitakas and investigates the external Six Classics. 276

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Although it is abstruse, it is a standard work of cholarship. It is comprehensive in content but compact in style. The ruins of the Jetavana Garden are raised higher in reputation by these precious thoughts, and the remnant fragrance of the park at Varanasi is kept undispersed with the aid of this excellent composition. It does not merely defame or praise a dreamland or enlighten those who have gone into the wrong path. It is really a model for all in the four quarters under Heaven and comprehends all the Three Worlds. My words and deeds are insignificant, and I am ust an ordinary person among the monks. I have enjoyed extreme kindness from the Throne and have always considered myself fortunate. I had the good opportunity to visit the city of Kanyakubja twice, and I am happy to have been born at this prosperous time during the Image Period of the Dharma. I am ashamed of my unworthiness, but I also bounce with delight and feelings of ctuality are mixed in my mind. With unlimited respect and sincerity, I come to the Imperial Court to present this letter to express my thanks. On the eleventh day, the Master again thought that the literary talent and brilliant intelligence of he Sovereign were endowed by Heaven; that he was both sagacious and versatile; and that not only were his literary works as elegant as those of he ruler of ei but his calligraphy also surpassed the characters written by the Lord of an. Considering that the inscription was being composed by the Emperor, the Master thought that it should also be written with the Divine Pen. Thus he went to the palace with a letter to ask the Emperor to write the inscription with his own hand, saying:

Sramana Xuanzang and others beg to say that we presume that the heavenly bodies are shown in accordance with circumstances and that their divine functions are great and comprehensive. Edification is implemented at any time that it is required, so that holy duties may be completely fulfilled. From this we may know that when both the sun and the 277

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moon are bright, they can move through their full course across the sky, and when both grasses and trees are exuberant, they fully manifest their power of eautifying the land. We humbly believe that the wisdom of our Majesty covers all things on earth and that your kindness benefits the Three Worlds, both glorifying the Great Teaching and elucidating abstruse moralization. King Mu of he Zhou dynasty was disdained for his fondness for the Way simply because he appreciated the song of Lake Yao (the dwelling of the immortals) in an empty way. Emperor Ming of the Han dynasty was slighted in spite of is veneration of he Dharma, as he merely founded White Horse Monastery and did nothing more. So [Your Majesty] condescended to write a Heavenly Composition to spread the abstruse gists far and engraved a piece of splendid jade to perpetuate the excellent principles. They are similar to the melodies produced by the antique music of the Six Yings and are like the radiance issued from the five planets, spreading utmost tenderness to inspire the common people and enhancing the great oath to rectify the defects of the time. It is certainly not merely for deep praise of he Doctrine of uchness and propagation of the mysterious and profound Teachings. Although the elegant composition is fluently accomplished and is ready to be inscribed on an emerald slab, the characters have not yet been written, and the imperial edict in red script is still unproclaimed. After the music of the kui has been started with the beating of rums and bells mounted on xun stands, no vulgar songs can be sung in harmony with it. After the rooster has crowed at daybreak, how can the flame of torch give any more ilhimination? If [Bo] Ya and [Shi] Kuang did not play the seven-stringed zither in harmony with the melodious rhythm and the sun did not control all things, how could the great sound of the drum of the Dharma be spread far and the resplendent colors of he Sum of isdom be made more glorious? On the basis of this allusion, I venture to plead for Your Majesty' favor in rendering it a 278

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complete achievement by wielding the Divine Pen, so that it may be as fine and lofty as if it were above the clouds, surpassing the handwriting left by previous monarchs. Thus Your Majesty' wonderful style of alligraphy may transmit its good repute to the rulers of future generations. The sound of he bells and the vibration of he chimes may give immediate awakening to a deluded one, and the characters written in the cursive style, resembling a phoenix soaring high in the sky or a dragon lying in coils, will open the eyes of those who, like blind men, have never seen such marvellous handwriting. It will not only glorify the teachings of he Image Period but also greatly benefit sentient beings. It will really extol the present age of good polity, when both the ancestral temple and the state are enjoying nlimited blessedness. Being stupid and shallow by nature, I have spent a number of years among the monks as an unworthy man feeling shame at my lack of learning and my imperfection in observing many of he disciplinary rules, but the Throne has deigned to overpraise me with panegyrical phrases. Although I am seized with so much fear that I have no place to hide myself, I have felt eager and earnest in my sincere request for many days, and I venture to repeat my annoying entreaty with a feeling of trepidation, as if I were walking on thin ice or burning charcoal.

The petition was not accepted.

On the twelfth day, the Master submitted another request, saying:

Yesterday I was honored to receive with great delight a letter from the Throne, not consenting to favor me with the divine handwriting, but I still hold fast to my mind of loyalty. I presume that the wonderful tree with flowers climbing upon it must be the magnolia fuscata that issues fragrance. When I kneel before the precious Jade Hill, favors are still bestowed upon me with the presentation of onors. I humbly consider that Your Majesty wrote the composition 279

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with a balanced mind, very exquisitely, maintaining peace without exerting effort. Your sagacious thought is expressed through your gorgeous writing brush, and your versatility is manifested when you fix your mind in concentration. Your grand pattern glorifies the banks of the Luo River, and the expert cursive calligraphist acquired his talent by practising handwriting beside a pool as his inkstand. I have previously received Your Majesty' favor, which I accepted like flowers of he ruo tree from the Golden Mirror. I venture to anticipate a second favor, as I expect to see the shadow of the cassia in the forceful strokes of your handwriting. It is not only because the two component parts of pair of arved jade [pieces] always match each other or because it is the joining of [solar and lunar] rays that wins our admiration, but also because it is feared that nothing but your handwriting could carry the composition, which is as brilliant as the sun and the moon. Only the combination of the two can unfold the imperceptible Way. Although I am longing for the favor with all my soul and I touch the ground with my forehead in earnest expectation, I do not dare to hope for it. With great sincerity, I venture to submit this request at the risk of y life.

At the request in this petition, the Emperor wielded his divine writing brush. As the Emperor had granted his entreaty, the Master, being highly pleased and greatly delighted, wrote a letter to express his thanks, saying:

I, Sramana Xuanzang, beg to say that I have deferentially received the edict granting the favor of writing with your own hand the composition for the slab inscription for the Great Ci'en Monastery. When the decree affixed with the Great Seal arrived, it brought me Your Majesty' profuse kindness, which I accepted with a sense of apprehension, feeling ashamed of y own unworthiness and embarrassed at not knowing what to do. I have heard that when a powerful crossbow is drawn to the full, a mere flying squirrel 280

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is not strong enough to pull its trigger, and that when a big bell is silent, a slender dry leaf of grass can never make it sound. I never thought that the light of the sun and the moon would cast my shadow at the Gate of Emptiness, or that the moisture of rain and the evaporation of clouds would arouse inspiration in a secluded monastery. That is what I wished for, but it is not what I aimed to acquire. I humbly think that Your Majesty, walking on the Crater and riding upon the Dubhe, wielded the scepter and succeeded to the good fortune of he Throne. You have followed after Emperor Xuanyuan and exceeded Emperor Zhuanxu of ancient times. You could comprehend the Xia and embrace the Yin dynasties, elucidating various wonderful teachings for the education of your time and assembling versatile talents to illumine the common people. All men within the Nine Regions of the empire are bathed in the wind of kindness, and even those who are outside the four quarters under the sky are also benefited by the edification of the mysterious Teachings. But the Dharma that serves as a bridge to cross a river cannot be traced to its origin unless it is explained by a perfect saint, and how can the task of elucidating the profound teachings be widely done if t is not done by a consummate man? Although remembrance of one' departed parents to the utmost will naturally touch the feelings of Heaven, one may also pray for protection from the nether world; this may cause the Throne to think back on past events. The beautifiil composition that Your Majesty has deigned to write for us is already a precious object that surpasses valuables rarely seen in the world. When the divine handwriting is made open to the public, it will exceed all priceless treasures. All living beings will be greatly delighted and respectful. Buddhist monks, however, will feel double happiness and dance with rejoicing, as if they heard in a dream the magnificent music performed at the center of Heaven, which is no more marvellous than their present exhilaration. Even if they obtained the pearl 281

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269a in the topknot of Wheel-turning King, it would not be more precious than a piece [of our calligraphy]. We shall inscribe it on a durable slab of tone and plant it in the Courtyard of Blessedness, so that ignorant and deluded people may open their ears and eyes. This blazing torch of the Dharma will be transmitted to the future to enable those who see the valuable words and appreciate the calligraphy to cherish the mind of odhi on that same day. By reading the impressive composition, they may seek the ultimate truth and realize prajiia on the very spot. For as many kalpas as there are innumerable mustard seeds, the brilliance of he beauty of the composition will exist eternally. Through changes in the world such that seas may turn into mulberry fields, your graceful style will never perish. Being a man of ordinary origin, I always felt uneasy about my actions and deeds. But ever since I discarded my hair ornaments after having cut off y hair to become a monk, I have thought of ropagating the mysterious Way. It was depending upon imperial prestige that I was able to visit Kapilavastu. Now in my translation work I have again received encouragement from the court. During the Zhenguan period (627-49) I bathed myself, though unworthy of t, in the great compassion of he Throne. Since the commencement of the Yonghui period (650-55) I have enjoyed all the more special treatment from Your Majesty. Through the Divine Pens of these two lords I have been overpraised, and the encomiums of wo Emperors have overwhelmed me with honor and glory. In view of my own stupidity and inferiority, my mind is really filled with anxiety and fear. Day and night, I never forget my sincere wish to repay this kindness. But the favors are as deep as a huge abyss, and how can a drop of water replenish it? The alms given to me are as large as a lofty hill, and I cannot express my thanks for them with a grain of dust. All I should do is to depend upon the various powers of isdom and make use of them without limit to support the Great Blessedness in the Imperial Ancestral Temple and to assist in maintaining 282

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the deep foundation of the empire for a long period. With extreme fear and respect, I am writing this letter, which I entrust to the Palace Attendant Wang Junde to submit with my gratitude to Your Majesty. Having offended your august prestige unscrupulously, I am crouching with trembling and deep trepidation.

On the eighth day of the fourth month in the summer, the engraving on a slab of he inscription written by the great Emperor was completed by carving artisans. When it was about to be sent to the monastery, the Master, out of respect for the Emperor, did not dare to wait and do nothing for its arrival. So he led his disciples in the Ci' n Monastery, as well as the monks and nuns in the capital, in proceeding with banners, canopies, precious curtains, streamers, and flowers, all prepared by themselves, to the Fanglin Gate to welcome the inscription. The Emperor also dispatched musicians of he nine bands of he Board of Rites and the orchestras of the two counties of hang'an and Wanlian to send the inscription. Of the more than three hundred ceremonial articles, even the shortest banners rose above the clouds and the smallest streamers touched the firmament. There were over a hundred vehicles carrying the musicians. On the evening of he seventh day they assembled at Anfu Gate Street in the western part of he city. It rained that night, and on the eighth day the road became unfit for the procession to move on. So the Emperor ordered the suspension of he procession but still invited the Master to the palace. On the tenth day, as the weather had turned fine and sunny, the Emperor ordered the display set out as had been arranged. On the morning of the fourteenth day, the procession started with banners and streamers and other articles properly arrayed one after another, presenting a gorgeous view that filled the road for thirty li from the Fanglin Gate to the Ci'en Monastery. The Emperor went up to the tower of the Anfu Gate and was very much delighted to watch the procession. More than a million people in the capital witnessed the sight. On the fifteenth day seven persons were ordained to be monks, and a feast was prepared to entertain two 283

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thousand monks, with nine bands playing music in front of the Buddha hall. It was not until nightfall that they dispersed. On the sixteenth day the Master again went with his disciples to the court to express his gratitude for the arrival of he slab inscription at the monastery. In a memorial he said:

Sramana Xuanzang and others beg to state that on the fourteenth day of this month we respectfully received the imperial decree sending the inscription engraved in the pattern of Your Majesty' handwriting for the Great Ci' n Monastery, together with an offering of music performed by nine bands. The sun, shining high, shares its light, to increase the brilliance of the torch of wisdom. The great expanse of he sea stretches its waves to replenish the River of he Dharma to its fullness. The great stele stands erect as a precipice, and the Heavenly Composition is as brilliant as sunlight, resembling colorful clouds shining in the morning upon Grdhrakuta Mountain and giving the impression that an illuminant star has descended upon a divine peak. All monks and laymen have rushed to the spot like fleeing clouds stimulated by lightning to see the inscription with amazement, dancing as if hey had never seen such a marvellous thing before.

I humbly believe that the Eight Trigrams bequeathed the symbols of writing and that the six lines of the Hexagrams are explained by he ppended Statements [in he Book of hanges]. By observing the traces of birds, the principle of riting characters was formulated, and the melody of The Weeping Kylin and the Lamenting Phoenix evolved into an allusion quoted in literary works. This is all the sages could do, as is seen in these examples. They set up moral standards as an example for posterity, giving instructions whenever necessary and molding the character of entient beings so as to glorify and publicize their good demeanor and meritorious deeds. But the rock carvings of he first Emperor of Qin just exalted his performance of the ceremony of 284

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offering sacrifices to Heaven to mark his ascension to the Throne, while the slab inscription engraved by the Empress of ei merely recorded the merit of ffering grand sacrifices at the Ancestral Temple. Even such doings were praised as estimable, as standing high to look down upon all other rulers. But they are by no means like the composition Your Majesty deigned to write, as openly shown in your divine calligraphy. It has rhymes like music performed with metal instruments, and its forceful strokes produce a bright and splendid impression. Your Majesty visited the Dragon Palace and mastered the three mysterious teachings [of Laozi, Zhuangzi, and the Book of Changes], Your calligraphy surpasses the phoenix style of riting and is extremely good in all the eight types of penmanship. It raises waves in the springtime to give free play to your thoughts, while it drops autumnal dew to create a novel style. It propagates the wonderful theories of the Ekayana (the One Vehicle) and extols the abstruse meanings of he Six Paramitas. It edifies all the regions of he Three Thousand Worlds, with its fame spreading beyond a hundred kotis of uddha ands. The subtle sayings uttered at the Deer Park are rendered more manifest by your heavenly words and phrases, and the Bodhisattvas of he Bamboo Grove Monastery are more respectful because of our Divine Pen. Thus did the Brahmanic ascetics turn their minds [to the Buddha], breaking the net of oubts under [his] great guidance. Likewise Paplyan, the Evil One, rectified his intrigues, crushing down the hill of ickedness to follow the Way. Not only are the people within the gate of the mundane world beginning to be aware of their wrong position but also those who are held back in this dreamlike life are also taking actions to detach themselves from the sphere of suffering. The teachings of he Image Period were introduced to the East nearly six hundred years ago, but their propagation was not so popular then as it is now. In spite of the inspiration that Emperor Ming of the Han dynasty had obtained in his dream, he still consulted with 285

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Fu Yi about the matter, and when the Lord of Wu adopted Buddhism, he had to inquire of Kan Ze to solve points on which he had doubts. Since then, nobody else is worth mentioning except Your Majesty, who edifies the people according to circumstances and pushes forward all alone toward the bright future of destiny. Your good deeds will certainly be rewarded, and you will be able to build a strong foundation for posterity. Your Majesty' divine merits are as uncountable as those of a King of the Golden Wheel, and your good fortune and happiness are as everlasting as those of an Emperor wearing a crown adorned with precious jade. Xuanzang and the others, unworthy of avors received from the court, are fortunate to have entered the religious establishment with the earnest expectation that the cloud of compassion will spread again and the drum of the Dharma will sound once more. While the edification of the three kinds of knowledge is successful, the Gate of the Eightfold Noble Path is always open. Although we lack purity and devoutness, we have received encouragement and guidance in spite of our unworthiness of the privilege. Looking up to the high sky, we have gained the beneficence showered upon us. Drooping down to see the deep valley, we are ashamed of ourselves. With feelings of extreme fear and gratitude, we come respectfully to the palace to express our thanks to your Presence.

When the slab inscription arrived, the authorities built a separate stele house to preserve it at the northeast comer in front of the Buddha hall. The building had double arches and overlapping beam supports, and the lintels were painted with cloud patterns. The ridgepoles were gorgeously decorated with golden flowers shining downward and precious wind-bells emitting light upward, while the dew-receiving basin supported by the palms of an immortal was the same as that of a relic stupa. The Emperor was good at writing in regular script, the clerical style, the cursive hand, and the running style of haracters. He was also particularly 286

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adept at writing in the "flying white" style, in which the strokes of a character have places not fully covered with ink. The inscription was written in the running style; but the four characters xian qing yuan nian (first year of ianqing) were done in the "flying white" style, both styles being written in a most marvellous and beautiful manner. Thousands of eople came to see the inscription every day. Those civil and military officials above the third rank who asked to make rubbings of t were permitted to do so.

After the method of keeping records by tying knots on a rope fell into disuse, written language replaced it and became popular. The greater and lesser styles of he seal script are variant in form, and regular script is different from the cursive hand in shape. The writing brush is manipulated so as to produce different styles known as "hanging needle," "dropping dew," "cloudy vapor," "tiny ripples," "style of inscription on metal vessels," and the "service style," also known as the "running clerical style," with characters eight fen square, for writing official documents. Some of the ancients were expert at riting one style and others at another, but none was all-round at writing all styles. For example, Emperor Yuan of he Han dynasty was good at writing the clerical style for recording history; Emperor Wu of the Wei dynasty was expert at writing the cursive and running styles; Zhong You was adept at writing the three styles, ancient script, the seal script, and the clerical style; Wang Cizhong was skilled at writing the eight fen square characters; Liu Shao and Zhang Hong were known for their ability to write the "flying white" style; and Zhang Boying and Cui Ziyu were well-known as "sages of cursive writing." Only Wang Xianzi, Chief of the Imperial Secretariat, and Wang Xizi, Right Army Commander, were somewhat experienced at writing more than one of hese beautiful styles, but even they could not write all the types of calligraphy. Thus when Wei Wenxiu saw the handwritings of the two Wangs, he remarked, "The two Wangs may certainly be praised as good hands at handwriting, but they know nothing of the art of calligraphy." Our Emperor [is known for] the prominent gracefulness of is sharp strokes and the highly elegant and forceffil structure of is characters. He [can write] the various 287

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types of andwriting of he ancient sages, possesses the versatilities of all wise men of previous ages, is peerless among great calligraphists, and is matched by scarcely anyone in writing compositions. As the Master attended lectures and studied hard in the days of is youth, and travelled across icy mountains and snowy ranges on his way to the West, he suffered from a kind of old disease. Each time it relapsed his heart was infarcted, causing him much pain and trouble. For several years he depended upon medicaments to prevent recurrences of his illness and keep himself in a steady condition. During the summer of this year, in the fifth month, he went to live in a cool place to avoid the heat of the season. This caused an attack of is old illness that became almost fatal to him. Both the monks and the lay people worried about his health. When the imperial secretary heard about the matter, he reported it to the Emperor, who ordered that the experienced imperial physician Jiang Xiaozhang and the acupuncturist Shangguan Cong be sent to attend upon him exclusively. All medicines needed were sent from the palace. Messengers were dispatched from the Imperial Guards several times a day in shifts, to observe climatic conditions and send back information. Even the Master' sleeping quarters were arranged by adroit attendants sent from the inner palace. He was treated with such great care by the Emperor that it was no less than the affection of a kindly father treating his only son. Jiang Xiaozhang and others attended on the Master day and night without leaving him. After five days his recovery from illness made people within and without the palace feel relieved. Having received the beneficence of the Emperor, the Master submitted a letter of thanks to him on the following day, saying:

I, Sramana Xuanzang, beg to say that as I am inept at taking care of my health, my cold disease became so much exacerbated that I was in critical condition and was on the verge of taking my last leave of Your Majesty. Under your heavenly beneficence, however, good physicians were sent to me, and as soon as the needle and medicine were administered to me, I regained my health. My declining age was 288

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retained when it was drawing near to its end, and my spirit was revitalized when it was about to disperse. I am not only cured of my fatal disease forever and have my poor constitution regulated at all times, but I shall be able to see once again the prosperity of the time and follow more of your instructions. I am but a humble mediocre person, yet I have repeatedly been favored with special privileges. What has been granted to me is heavy while my life is light, and I do not know how to repay the kindness. All I can do is to depend upon the Power ofWisdom to requite your deep benefaction. As I am still feeble and weary, I am unable to come in person to the palace to express my gratitude. With much fear and respect, I am sending my disciple Mahayanaprabha to submit this letter to your Presence.

After reading the letter, the Emperor sent the palace attendant Wang Junde to console the Master, saying, "Since you have just taken medicine, you must still be feeble in strength. May Your Reverence take good care of ourself. It is unfitting for you to exert your mind very soon."

Having been inquired after by the Emperor, the Master was overjoyed and felt awe and respect. He wrote another letter to express his thanks, saying:

I, Sramana Xuanzang, beg to say that due to my karma I suffered from the pains of disease, and in an instant of breath I was almost separated from the present age of brightness. Suddenly the Emperor and Empress favored me with a mind of compassion and worried about my life. Imperial messengers came more than ten times to console me; and I was saved by divine medicine, as if I had taken a single pill that cured my illness at once. By drinking and bathing in the kindness of Your Majesties, I have been relieved of y severe pains; and by the medical treatment I was able to get rid of my ailment. I never anticipated that my dying soul would be summoned by the Supreme Emperor and that my life, which was about to end prematurely, might 289

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be retempered in the great furnace of morality. When I privately examined myself and my faults, I made an infrospection of my own mediocrity and insignificance and wondered why I should have enjoyed all these favors. I clapped on my chest, feeling ashamed of being overendowed with grace and of my words being unworthy of publicity. The extraordinary beneficence I have received is inexhaustible. Even if I smashed my humble body into pieces, I could not repay this kindness. I just hope that I can exert myself to the utmost of my physical and mental strength to worship the Buddha and recite the scriptures in order to requite the exceptional grace granted to me. Thus I may be spared a small portion of he blame that I should bear. With extreme gratitude and respect, I am submitting this letter of hanVc to your Presence. I am feeling both joy and fear and do not know what to do. My letter is a defilement in your eyes, and this increases my trepidation and trembling. Formerly, in the eleventh year of Zhenguan (637), an imperial decree was issued, saying:

As Laozi was our forefather, his name, position, and titles should be placed before those of the Buddha. At that time the virtuous monk Fachang of Puguang Monastery, the virtuous monk Puying of Zongchi Monastery, and several hundred others debated the matter at court; but no rectification was granted. After returning home, the Master sent repeated petitions about the problem to the Emperor, who promised to reconsider the matter; but before it was done Emperor Wendi passed away.

In the sixth year of Yonghui (655) an edict was issued to the effect that if Taoist priests and Buddhist monks violated the law in a case difficult to judge, they could be tried and investigated according to secular judicial procedure. As the officials at the frontier and distant places did not properly understand the intent of he edict, they unscrupulously cangued and cudgelled [priest and monk culprits], to their great grief and humiliation, disregarding 290

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whether it was a grave or a minor case. The Master often worried about the matter and became dispirited because of his anxiety. Fearing that he might not be able to see the Emperor again, he wrote a note attached to another person' letter to the Emperor, explaining that the above-mentioned two points were disadvantageous to the state:

As I might die at any moment, I fear I shall not have another chance to speak to Your Majesty. So I am writing this note while leaning upon my pillow with a feeling of fear and trepidation.

The Emperor sent him a reply, saying:

We have noticed what you stated in your note. As the name and position of the Buddhists and Taoists were designated by the preceding Emperor, the matter needs deliberation and clarification. As for the decree that places [priests and monks] on the same level as lay people [in uridical affairs], it should be cancelled immediately. The Master should be at ease and try to take medicine.

On the twenty-third day, an edict was proclaimed, saying: The teachings of Taoism inspire purity and voidness, and the texts of Buddhism are subtle and wonderful. They constitute a bridge for the people [to cross the sea of suffering] and are followed with respect in the Three Worlds. As it is now the Final Period of termination of the Dharma, people are disposed to do evil and liable to break regulations and the law. Thus [clergymen] were put under the control of he secular legal system as a temporary expedient to punish evildoers in the hope of forbidding them to do evil and persuading them to do good. It is not out of ontempt for the Dharma if monks are involved in a lawsuit. But as the homeless ones have their own disciplinary rules, it must be troublesome for them to subject themselves to another udicial system. The order issued previously that Taoist priests and priestesses as well as Buddhist monks and nuns were 291

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to be tried according to secular law if they committed an offence should be abolished. If hey commit any offence, they should be dealt with according to their monastic rules and regulations.

Upon receiving this favor from the Throne, the Master submitted a letter to the Emperor and went to the palace to express his gratitude, saying:

I, Sramana Xuanzang, beg to state that I have respectfully seen the imperial edict abolishing the regulation that when monks and nuns commit an offence against the law, they should be punished according to the secular jurisdiction, and restoring the old institution. Unexpected grace is suddenly bestowed upon the monks and nuns dressed in dark robes, and unlimited kindness has benefitted the religious establishment, like the morning sun shedding its light upon the Way with actual glorification. I bend my back to bow down and feel more excitement and fear. I humbly believe that since the King of Dharma has passed away, the edification of the Image Period of the Dharma is transmitted in vain, and the enforcement of monastic rules depends upon the favor and help of wise monarchs. I respectfully deem that Your Majesty, the Emperor, has ascended the Throne with the precious title and is legitimately riding on the Golden Wheel. You paid attention to the religion of Sakyamuni Buddha and cherished in your mind the propagation of is Teachings. Those who have discarded their hair ornaments and entered the Gate of the Abstruse Dharma are regarded as different from the laity in outward appearance. Although their sentiments are still involved in the world of the five turbidities, and they are mostly imperfect in keeping the disciplinary rules, they are the embodiment of the Field of Blessedness because they are dressed in the three robes. The close meshes of he net of ustice are cut open, and instead the principle of leniency and kindness is spread. It is true that the straight words from the Golden Mouth 292

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rightly transfer this merit for the good of all. This is indeed a pleasure carried by celestial gods and terrestrial deities that respond to good omens. The monks and nuns are not only grateful for the kindness, but their purity and firmness are also augmented. If anyone acts against this policy of leniency and forgiveness, he will incur calamity upon himself, and his action will be contrary to the strict teachings of the Buddha, the great teacher, and unworthy of the deep compassion of our Imperial Lord. It befits all wise deities to reprimand such a person, without waiting for the deliberation of he law to mete out punishment to the offender. I am a mediocre and stupid person, unworthily occupying a place among the monks and often enjoying undeservedly great beneficence that makes me feel ashamed and uneasy. The unusual commendations that are repeatedly bestowed on me make me tremble with more fear. As I have been ill recently, I could not come to attend regular interviews in the palace. With unlimited respect and sincerity, I am sending my disciple Mahayanaprabha to submit this letter to express my gratitude to your Presence.

After that the monks lived in peace, engaging in meditation and recitation of scriptures. With mixed feelings of grief and joy, the Master was moved to tears, making his sleeves and the front of is garment wet, while he clapped his hands and danced merrily. He wrote another letter to the Emperor to express his thanks, saying:

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I, Sramana Xuanzang, beg to say that I have been graced with the edict abolishing the statute that monks and others were liable to be interrogated according to secular law. For this my delight and gratitude is beyond compare. In my humble opinion, the rise and fall of the Right Dharma depends upon its being uplifted or repressed by the ruling lord, and high or low ethical standards match the perfection or deficiency of an Emperor' moral influence. Since imperial destiny has empowered Your Majesty to observe, as a 293

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Sovereign monarch, the heavenly bodies with the jade armillary sphere, you have been a brilliant Emperor able to hold to purity. You have discriminately advocated the Path [of three virtues and three acts] and the Six Arts [of Confucianism], making a distinction between the abstruse religion and Confucian theories. You possess the key. You have opened the Gate of he Truth of onduality and widened the Track of Oneness. You have had the scriptures, obtained from the Dragon Palace, copied at Penglai Pavilion. You have connected the land of Grdhrakuta Mountain with the divine domain, so that the sound of he bell of urity may permeate throughout the realm and the deeds of blessedness and goodness may wash away the vices of the common people. This is really an auspicious occasion for the Gate of the Dharma and a great happiness for the people in the whole empire.

Recently, monks who were imperfect and who inculcated the people in an abnormal way internally damaged the good name of Buddhism and externally violated the imperial law. When one person is guilty, the entire group is covered with blemishes. Thus imperial prestige is offended and the culprit should be dealt with according to secular law, in order to eliminate evildoers and prevent them from committing further evil deeds. At a time when the monks were shocked and terrified, feeling shame and fear day and night, the Emperor' admonishment descended from Heaven, and his gracious beneficence extended to them manifestly, showing his sincerity in his deep expectation of he abstruse and wonderful teachings and covering up trivial smirches by his virtue of magnanimity. Thus he granted unusual benevolence and abrogated the law of strict punishment, not because those men are good enough to be valued, but because the Dharma they stand for is to be respected. Therefore, the fishes caught in a net were able to swim once again in the Yangzi and Han Rivers, and the birds ensnared in a cage could fly back to the distant sky. The water of the Dharma 294

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turned pure once again after being turbid, and the Field of Blessedness regained fertility after being barren. Every one of he monks and others is deeply grateful. They know they must try their best to clear away evil, so as to be in concordance with the mind of the Emperor and concentrate on worshipping the Buddha and reciting scriptures in order to repay the kindness of he Great Heaven. I humbly wish that Your Majesties, the Emperor and the Empress, will achieve a hundred blessings forever by your merit of perpetuating and making prosperous the truth of Buddhism. By your deeds of compassion, you will govern the empire without effort for a myriad of springs. The region of Cathay is associated with auspiciousness and the city of Vaisall is in possession of oodness. With extreme gratitude, while dancing in delight, I am submitting this letter to express my thanks once again. I am in great fear that it may cause annoyance and offence to the Crown.

After reading the letter, the Emperor knew that the Master had recovered from his illness and sent a messenger to invite him to the palace. He was lodged and given offerings at the western pavilion in the court of he Ningyin Palace, where he continued his translation work and came out only every twenty or thirty days. In the tenth month, during the winter, when the Empress was about to lie in confinement, she took refuge in the Triple Gem, praying for spiritual protection. The Master said to the Emperor, "Her Majesty will certainly be safe in childbirth; but should the infant be a boy, I wish that he be allowed to become a monk after he is bom in safety." The Emperor consented instantly. On the fifth day of he eleventh month, the Empress offered one religious robe and a few scores of iscellaneous articles to the Master, who wrote a letter of thanks, saying:

I, Sramana Xuanzang, beg to state that I have been favored with the gifts of a religious robe and some miscellaneous articles, which I received with a sense of fear and shame without compare. The superior robe sewn with golden thread 295

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271a and handed down by previous sages, and the invaluable cassock that I have heard about in the sacred texts, are not so fine and exquisite as this one I see with my own eyes. As for the colors evenly spread on the silk, in rich and light shades, even Jing Jun could not surpass the skill required to produce them. It is cut and sewn with such fine and minute stretches that even Li Lou with his sharp sight could not discern the space between them. Once it is put on, one feels as if mist and clouds had entered the chamber, and it seems that a bouquet of orchids is placed on one' body. When one turns around to look at oneself, the value of lory is augmented at once. In olden times, Tao'an, whose words were valued during the Qin period, did not come across such benevolence; and Zhidun, praised and venerated during the Jin dynasty, seldom heard about such grace. But I, being a mediocre and shallow-minded person, have alone enjoyed such great favors, and the kindness bestowed on me by Your Majesties in person has made me tremble and perspire more and more. I respectfully wish that the Emperor and the Empress will have a large number of ffspring and enjoy limitless blessings, that you will be constantly present at the Jade Mirror [in the imperial palace] and rule with the precious title forever, so as to protect and nurse all the common people in a manner as unlimited as the sky. With a feeling of eep shame and gratitude, I am writing this letter to express my thanks. The alms given to me are heavy, while my words are light, and I am incapable of xpressing myself in full.

After the time of sheng (3-5 P.M.) on the fifth day, a red bird came all of a sudden and alighted on the imperial tent, at which event Xuanzang rejoiced and was delighted. He wrote a letter of congratulations, saying:

I, Sramana Xuanzang, beg to say that I have heard that a white turtledove augured prosperity for the Emperors of he Yin period, and that a red bird presented a good omen of 296

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happiness for the monarchs of the Zhou dynasty. From this we may know that the presage of human affairs by good omens granted by Heaven has had a long standing. After the time of sheng (3-5 P.M.) and before ou (5-7 P.M.) today, I saw inside the curtain at the courtyard of Xianqing Hall a red bird, its back, abdomen, and feet covered all over with red feathers, coming flying from the south. After entering the tent, it stopped at the Throne, pacing up and down and hopping in a leisurely manner. Upon seeing this strange bird, I said to it, As the Empress is pregnant and the time is yet unripe for the delivery, I am deeply concerned about her safety, for which I have said prayers. If my prayer is to be answered, show me a good sign.' Apparently understanding my human mind, the bird then turned around and stepped with its feet, as a gesture of howing safety. Feeling delight deeply in my mind, I beckoned at it and moved slowly toward it. The bird showed no fear when I approached it and was not scared when I stroked it. All the people around me witnessed this scene. So in return for its good will, I tried to make it take refuge in the Triple Gem, but before I could catch it, it flew away while I was following it up and down.

I humbly believe that Your Majesties, the Emperor and the Empress, have virtues that communicate themselves to the deities, and that your benevolence is extended to the myriads of common people, with rites conducted harmoniously and music performed in a happy way. Your kindness is deep and your righteousness far-reaching. Thus it has caused the feathered tribe to present auspicious signs and the divine bird to offer nature' service, showing that your offspring will thrive and that their prosperity will last for the long period of ight hundred years. This is an indication of appiness as in olden times, and it is also a divine gift in the present age. Being a humble man, I am lucky to have seen for the first time this happy and auspicious event. My gladness is so deep that I dare not keep silent about it. So I 297

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write this brief eport to submit to your Presence. As regards the impressiveness of the bird' feathers and wings, the simplicity and grandness of ts masculine spirit, the researches done about it in successive dynasties, and the foreign land from which it emerged, they are beyond the scope of my knowledge. Stated with respect.

Shortly after the letter had been submitted to the palace, an imperial order was issued to send a messenger to inform the Master, saying:

The Empress has finished parturition, eventually giving birth to a boy who is unusually handsome. A divine light filled the courtyard and shone up to the sky. Our delight is without limit and the people danced in and outside the palace. We will certainly not go back on our promise. We wish the Master will protect the baby, keep him in mind, and name him Prince Buddha Light.

The Master wrote a letter of congratulation, saying: I, Sramana Xuanzang, beg to say that I have heard that the ultimate Way keeps itself and unfolds to enlighten human and heavenly beings at the beginning of their lives. Being moved by your deep expectation, a sagely child of wisdom and discernment is bom. I humbly believe that the Emperor and the Empress have realized the three subjective and objective voidnesses, as well as edified and protected all sentient beings living in the nine dwelling spheres. Thus Your Majesties could discard your crowns with jade pendants on account of he two forms of ruth, and give up your riding horses to take the One Vehicle. At the first moment of jubilation in the Empress' palace, she made a crore of ows. When the sagely baby was still in the womb, it showed signs of renunciation of ome, so that the Buddha with ten titles manifested spiritual power to accept the child with great compassion. A hundred deities protected good people and paid homage to the inner chamber of the palace. Therefore 298

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disasters and evil devils were cleared away, and the child was bom in peace and safety. Seven flowers raised their heads to support his first steps, and nine dragons spouted water to bathe his body. His traces will be stored in the Gate of Abstrusity, and among the trees of the Way there will be the shade of pirituality. Although the Emperors of ore saw auspicious signs that touched the sky to indicate unusual events, how can that be sufficient to compare with the present gift granted by Heaven and match this personage of outstanding resourcefulness? The whole empire is singing with delight at the imperial lineage being blessed by divinities, and the monks who are courageous and astute are happy at the arrival of divine colt. I humbly wish that Your Majesty will not withdraw your previous favor but will give a special order that the baby should wear religious robes and always cling to their gorgeous patterns, so as to make good karma. Moreover, the sublimity of he son of n Emperor is perpetual, no matter where he is, and his duty as the King of the Dharma is more and more lofty and prominent. In addition, merits have no limit. A ferry or a bridge may help one go far, supposing that Your Majesty' kindness is faultless and that your great vow remains unchanged.

I believe that the merit of iving all the resources within the Four Seas in charity is not adequate to compare with the merit of this donation [offering the Prince to the Sangha], and the deeds of all the Ten Stages of Bodhisattvahood cannot parallel this foundation of blessedness. It befits me to wish that the Emperor and the Empress will enjoy a hundred blessings that will coagulate into flowers with a brilliance to match the North Star and live for a myriad of springs on a base as solid as South Mountain. May you enjoy all amusements in your long lives and act upon all-knowing wisdom for many kalpas to come. The Crown Prince, who is honest and splendid, will steadily succeed to imperial sovereignty; the one who is still in swaddling clothes is a brilliant descendant whose good fortune and happiness will increase 299

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day by day. He will mark his high moral integrity to posterity and succeed his sagely predecessor on the grass seat [of monk]. I have incidentally met with this period of reat fortune and confined my shadow within the gate of the forbidden palace. My height is not due to the upgrowth of my virtue but to the favors that are heaped upon me. It is lucky that national ubilation has begun and the foundation is laid for pure deeds. I am so happy that I am dancing with delight. Even should I be ground to dust I should have no regrets. With unlimited gladness and greetings, I respectfully submit this letter to your Presence. My imprudence in doing so may have offended your august dignity, which makes me feel more and more trepidation.

Three days after the birth of the Prince Buddha Light, the Master wrote another letter to the Emperor, saying: I, Sramana Xuanzang, beg to say that I have heard that in the Book of Changes, the idea of daily renovation of one' virtue is praised, and that in the Book of ongs, an unlimited line of progeny is glorified. So the Throne of the Zhou dynasty, which lasted a very long time, and the calendar of the Han period, which was handed down from the distant past, were responses to this Way. I have also heard that at the Gate of the Dragon [in the Yellow River] the water whirls rapidly and that because of ts long source, it flows a great distance. Osmanthus trees grow in thickets and owing to their deep roots their flowers are fragrant and exuberant. It is humbly believed that the imperial dynasties were succeeded by one sagely Emperor after another, and that all of hem have repeatedly observed the rules of ccumulating and cultivating kindness and righteousness for the benefit of the common people since a long time ago. Thus the two Sovereigns [of the Zhou dynasty] had the honor to accept the Throne as a base for their descendants, and this may well be called having deep roots and a remote source. After Your Majesty accepted the order of Heaven, your exploits 300

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increased all the more. Returning to simplicity and restoring purity, Your Majesty overstepped the traces of he Three Sovereigns and the Five Emperors; you have formulated rites and composed music, surpassing the standard established during the Yin and Zhou dynasties. You do not depend on the Imperial Carriage covered with yellow silk to show your nobility, and the salvation of billions of common subjects is in your mind. Before dawn you ask for your clothes to rise, and you forget food when the sun has declined in the west. With one man ruling over the country, this vast empire ten thousand li in area is in peace and tranquillity. Even the prosperity of the periods of King Cheng and King Kang of the Zhou dynasty was not up to the level of he present time. Therefore, auspicious clouds scatter luxuriantly, and both the rivers and the sea are waveless. All regions under the sun follow your moral instruction, and the Country of the Dragon is bathed in your edification. How grand and lofty they are! It is difficult to relate them at full length. Then the Way is in connection with Heaven, and the perceptive deities have granted blessings. At a propitious hour in an auspicious month, the Crown Prince was bom. The branches of the imperial family are extensive and prosperous, with jadelike calyxes spreading increasingly, and none of he people in the whole country is not rejoicing with a mind of dependence. As for me, I have enjoyed a hundred times more bliss than in ordinary cases. I am not only happy at the safety of Her Majesty, the Empress, I am also glad that the Tathagata has one more successor. I respectfully wish that Your Majesty will not recall the previous edict but will instantly allow the Prince to leave home, so that the offspring of a secular monarch may be transformed into a son of the King of the Dharma, wearing religious robes with a clerical name given to him and taking the Three Refuges among the ranks of monks. He will perpetuate the Buddha' teachings and make them prosper during the Image Period, as well as expound and 301

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propagate the profound theories, so that the grove of meditation may flourish once again and the garden of enlightenment may shine once more. He will follow the dense traces of Vimalanetra and tread in the high steps of Candrachattra. He will cut off the two kinds of bondage and become a fully enlightened one, with a splendid physical body like the king of mountains, adorned with a net of flames that will outshine the sun and the moon. After that he will shade the domain of he great chiliocosm with the cloud of ompassion, raise high the torch of wisdom to a hundred kotis of continents, strike the drum of he Dharma to defeat the heavenly devils, wave the superior banners to subdue the heretics, hold the deep water of he turbulent sea, quench the blazing fire on the evil mountain, drain the profound river of passions, and break the huge egg of gnorance to be a teacher of celestial and human beings and a Guide of Men. Let us pray that on account of the good fortune of their offspring, the imperial ancestors and progenitors will ascend to the other shore [across the sea of suffering], and that with the benediction of our son, the Emperor and the Empress may enjoy a myriad of years of long life, eternally holding sway over the empire and always being present in the Nine Regions of the country. Only in this way can a son be considered a person of great filial piety who glorifies his parents. It was, therefore, for this reason that Sakyamuni abandoned his kingdom and strove to gain enlightenment. How could the trivial goodness of he Prince of ongping and the mediocre talent of Prince Si of Chen dispute with him about superiority or inferiority on the same day, or argue about who is deep or shallow in the same year? I have respectfully prepared the religious robe and an alms bowl in my hands to wait for the welcome guest. A seat has been whisked clean and the road swept clear for the arrival of he carriage that will carry the Prince from the imperial city. With great delight and respect, I am submitting this letter to your Presence. My imprudence may have offended imperial 302

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prestige; I deeply regret this and am trembling with utmost fear.

The prince immediately took the Three Refuges and put on the religious garb. He was under the care of the Grand Tutor, but his dwelling place was always close to the Master. On the fifth day of the twelfth month, when the Prince was a full month old, an imperial decree was issued to ordain seven persons to become monks in the name of Prince Buddha Light, and the Master was also invited to tonsure the Prince. To express his gratitude, the Master submitted a letter to the Emperor, saying: I, Sramana Xuanzang, beg to say that yesterday I received the imperial decree ordering me to shave the hair of Prince Buddha Light and to ordain seven persons to be monks. By shaving his hair the passions of the Prince are cut off, and the monks ordained are to be his attendants and guards. Thus the palace of apiyan, the Evil One, is shaken, and the hearts of the dwellers in the Heaven of Pure Abode are gladdened. Since the great vow has been announced, the grand blessedness will become more splendid. It cannot be considered a humble and unskilled hand that applies the craft [of a barber] to the skin of a noble person. Common men are allowed to enter the Way on auspicious occasions, when all people high and low happily clap their hands with mixed feelings of sadness and joy. I humbly think that it is important to be given protection when one is first dressed in swaddling clothes and that to put down one' hair ornaments is the inception of he cause of emancipation. I believe that the Way of he Emperor and the Empress is concentrated beyond material limit and that their blessedness permeates the human world. Therefore they have expanded the Gate of Mystery and cultivated the root of virtue. What I wish is that the imperial descendants will enjoy blessings and that the Emperor, sitting in front of ade screens, will live on in prolonged peace and harmony, reigning over a hundred kotis of orlds for thousands and myriads 303

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of years. Being a sublime son, Buddha Light should be breast-fed. As he is guarded and protected by benign deities, all Buddhas will lay their hands upon his head to increase the glory of his wise and sagacious countenance and place their hopes for the prosperity of the Dharma on him. The newly ordained monks, having received deep grace, should also look up to and seek to achieve deeds of the Way, and observe the disciplinary rules in a perfect manner, so as to fit in with the imperial decree. Please keep what is appropriate and mow down what is worthless as dry grass in my letter; I shall be extremely grateful for it. With respect I am submitting this letter to your Presence.

On that day the Master also celebrated the occasion of Prince Buddha Light being one hill month old. He presented him with a religious robe, while writing a letter, saying: I, Sramana Xuanzang, beg to say that I have heard that a whirlwind or a quick-flying eagle takes several days to soar up to the sky, and that when one is depicting the moon or polishing a pearl not quite round, one requires more than ten days to achieve fullness and the round shape. From this we may know that that which has received its spirituality from beyond the material world and shines colorfully in the middle of the sky will certainly reveal its beauty at a later time and renew what is good and fair. Prince Buddha Light, depending upon superior goodness, will create auspiciousness. By expounding the philosophy of equilibrium and harmony, he will cultivate virtue. Since the moment he was bom in the exquisite garden, heavenly temples were moved to look upon him. The air of rofound wisdom has made his mind pure and lofty, since he is always protected by deities whether he is sleeping or awake. His jadelike countenance has an elegant appearance, with resplendence increasing day and night. If it were not for the Sun of isdom shining upon the Emperor and the Empress, whose thoughts are washed in the Stream of he Dharma, so that they place the 304

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glorious achievements they ave inherited from their predecessors on a basis as solid as a huge rock and unveil the abandoned hair ornaments to heavenly beings, how could the Prince have enjoyed the bliss of his swaddling clothes and sucked milk in security, without harm or distress, to grow into an intelligent youngster? Now the new moon has been shining for its first round, and the appearance of the Prince after a full month is indeed magnificent. When the auspicious plant mingjia has grown new stalks during its monthly period of rowth, his lotus-like eyes will turn out to be really handsome. Therefore everyone in the imperial palace is feeling pleased, and all the common people are delighted; the seven groups of Buddhist disciples will seek his protection, and at the four gates of he center of earning, scholars will stand long to wait for his instruction. How could he be merely a man making daily inquiries into backbiting, or be like a crane or a horse ready for its rider? I am lucky to have been favored with a promise to grant me protection, but it is not my hope to form the relationship of teacher and disciple with the Prince. However, to foster a feeling of fraternity in the same brotherhood would be in keeping with my mind. Thus I venture to offer a copy of he Prajhaparamita Sutra, written in golden characters in one fascicle and kept in a case, one copy of The Story of the Scripture of equiting Favors, as well as one religious robe, an incense burner together with a table to place it on for burning incense, a bathing jug, a reading shelf, a rosary, a staff with pewter rings, and a vessel containing bathing power, all articles used by a monk, to express my personal exultation. I expect that he will ride in an auxiliary carriage and play with half a piece of jade, substituting an arrow made with a stalk of bitter fleabane for a double-edged sword, so that when the good deities see it, they will dance with delight and his great vow will be strengthened. I make bold to offer these gifts of rdinary use, and for my indiscretion in doing so I really feel deep fear with trembling. I 305

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humbly wish that the Emperor and the Empress may be served by honored and aged men, like stars surrounding the North Star with the sun and the moon shining together at the same time. May they gain the affection of myriads of common people and enjoy long life for ten thousand springs. The prince is comparable to the Smaller Sea, which is clear and lucent and covers a vast area. From it talented men may be selected. He will bestow favors on the feudal states to rouse their moral excellence and drive his carriage from one place to another with horses galloping at full speed. I pray that a thousand Buddhas may stroke the head of Prince Buddha Light and that a hundred blessings may concentrate upon his body so that his Voice of irtue will increase day by day and his good moral standard gives great assistance to others. With extreme gratitude, I am submitting this letter to your Presence.

In the second month, during the spring of the second year (of Xianqing, 657), the Emperor favored the palace at Luoyang with his presence. The Master also accompanied him, bringing along with him five scripture-translating monks, each attended by one disciple, with all their daily requisites provided at public expense. Prince Buddha Light set off before the Emperor, and the Master went with the Prince, while the other monks followed behind. Upon their arrival, they were lodged at Jicui Palace. In the fourth month, during the summer, the Emperor went to Mingde Palace to avoid the heat of the season. The Master again accompanied him and was lodged at Feihua Palace. Bordered by the Zao Brook in the south and stretching over the Luo River in the north, this was known as Xianren Palace during the Sui dynasty. In the fifth month, an edict was issued ordering that the Master return to Jicui Palace to do his translation work. Having received the imperial decree, the Master wrote a letter to take his leave of he Emperor, saying:

I, Sramana Xuanzang, beg to state that I have respectfully received the kind edict permitting me to translate 306

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scriptures at Jicui Palace. I am very grateful for this munificent treatment, which I accept with a feeling of deep thanks and gladness. The thought of departure from Your Majesty instantly made me feel sorry in my heart. My service to the House of National Achievements is insignificant, and my morality simply fades to nothing in the presence of irtuous people. Yet I have always overstepped and caused confusion to the principles regarding fame and conspicuousness and have been covered with heavy favors layer upon layer. When one is proceeding on a igh precipice, one has the sense of ear, while one down in a valley is in no more danger. I respectfully consider that as the Emperor and the Empress are sage, wise, and magnanimous, as well as kind and merciful in edification and moralizing, all of he people have enough and the unitary empire is at peace. Now I shall be separated from the flight of steps in front of the palace hall, where orchids are planted and from which the tinkling bells of the Imperial Carriage can be heard. This would make me feel sad and melancholy, but that at the mere sight of Cogon Grass Ridge I am glad to think that Your Majesty will stay here longer. I respectfully hope that the Imperial Residence will enjoy everlasting peace and that the immortal peach will bring long life, while Your Majesty passes a cool summer at the Sweet Spring, as one might spend a pleasant time at the Jade Pond, the dwelling place of immortals. I hope that the trees growing in the warm season will usher in the autumn, and that a cool breeze will prevail in the summer. I shall be waiting for your returning carriage at the slab-paved path amid the fields and reverentially put away my dark-colored staff n the high forest to hail long life; I shall be willing to follow Your Majesty to distant places numerous times. With a very sad feeling of eluctance to leave, I am submitting this letter to take farewell of our Majesty. My mental confusion is shown on my face, and it causes me such uneasiness that it is as if fire and water were fighting in my mind.

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When the Master was in the capital, he had already translated the Abhidharmajhanaprasthana Sastra in thirty fascicles but had not yet completed the translation of he Mahavibhasa Sastra into Chinese. Then an edict informed the Master: Among the scriptures and treatises you intend to translate into Chinese, you should first translate those that do not yet have Chinese versions, and translate those that already have Chinese versions at a later time.

The Master submitted a letter to the Emperor, saying: I have heard that the Crown is for the protection of the common people in competition with previous sages. Although my literary activity may have exhausted my mental abilities, it is certainly to the wise monarch' credit. With his recondite contrivances that extend far without impediments, the Emperor has created everything [needed] to guard the imperial capital city from the surrounding suburbs and to glorify the palm-leaf criptures at Yulin. A separate cottage for the work of translation has been opened, and a grand preface has been composed as a favor from the Throne, which will shine forever and transmit the brilliance for numerous generations in the future. Your Majesty has succeeded to the Great Task, the light of hich will spread far in a graceful manner. Your divine functions are renewed daily. You never neglect to praise and distinguish the people. I have undeservedly enjoyed natural endowments and have respectfully received sagacious edicts. Each time I stroke my humble self, I always feel deep fear, while panting with uneasiness. On a day last month a decree was received to the effect that among the scriptures and treatises to be translated into Chinese, those which have not been previously translated should be done first, while those which already have Chinese versions are to be translated anew at a later time. But as for the Mahavibhasa Sastra, a work in two hundred fascicles for the exposition of he Abhidharmajhanaprasthana Sastra, only half of it has been previously 308

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translated into Chinese in some one hundred fascicles, with many errors and mistakes that need to be rectified in a new translation. Since last autumn, I have been translating this text and have finished more than seventy fascicles, with some one hundred thirty fascicles remaining untranslated. As this treatise is very important for scholars, I hope that I may be permitted to complete the translation. As for translations of other scriptures and treatises, either in full or in abridged forms, which have faulty or mistaken renderings, I also wish to retranslate them as the case may require, to make them coincide with the holy teachings.

The Emperor granted the request.

The Master left Luoyang, the capital, when he was young. As he was now among the retinue attending the Emperor on his journey, he had a chance to pay a short visit to his native place, where he went to see his old family house and inquired about his relations and old acquaintances. But all of them were deceased except his elder sister, who had married into the Zhang family at Yingzhou. He sent for her, and when they met each other they felt both grief and joy. He asked his sister where the tombs of their parents were located; then he went in person to sweep the graves and pay his respects to his deceased parents. As the graves had been neglected for many long years, they were in a state of dilapidation; thus he carefully selected another plot of good land, desiring to rebury the inner and outer coffins. Although he had this intention, he dared not take arbitrary action. So he wrote a letter to the Emperor to solicit his permission, saying: I, Sramana Xuanzang, beg to say that I, being unblessed by Heaven, lost my parents when I was young, and as it was during the chaotic times of the Sui dynasty, the funeral ceremonies were performed in a hurry. Time has flown by. More than forty years have passed; and the graves have become dilapidated, almost disappearing completely. When I look back on past events, I cannot calm down my emotions. Together with my old only sister, I have respectfully 309

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collected the coffins containing the remains of ur deceased parents and removed them from that narrow unsightly place to be reburied at the West Plains, so as to express in a small way our gratitude for the kindness of our parents, which is as limitless as the great heavens. Yesterday I was favored with an edict allowing me to go out on an inspection tour for two or three days. As I have neither an elder nor a younger brother, but only one old sister, I have fixed by divination a distant date, the twenty-first day of his month, to perform the reburial service. Now because the affairs of the reburial have scarcely been arranged, I am afraid that the two or three days granted to me will not be sufficient for me to make the arrangements. I beg of Your Majesty the favor of allowing me to complete the reburial affairs and then return. Moreover, an honorable Brahmanic guest is travelling with me. If he funeral functions are too brief nd perfunctory, I fear he would sneer at me. For all these troubles and harassment caused by me, I am extremely sorry and fearful. I respectfully submit this letter to your Presence, begging the kindness of Your Majesty, which is like the sky covering all clouds drifting under it, to comply with the request of an orphan.

After reading the letter, the Emperor granted the request and also instructed the authorities to provide the Master with whatever he needed for the funeral service at public expense. Having received such unusual favor, the Master wrote another letter to the Emperor to express his thanks, saying: I, Sramana Xuanzang, beg to state that my disasters are deep and my sins have accumulated in heaps, but the deity in charge of punishment has failed to inflict the death penalty upon me, so that I have dragged out my life to this day. The seasons change quickly, and the moon keeps on waxing and waning without cease. Over the passage of ime, [my parents'] tombs became weatherworn and dilapidated, with weeds and brambles growing wild all around. For some 310

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years I have thought of changing their graveyard, but as I was far away, separated by mountains and passes, I could not fulfill my wishes. Luckily I accompanied the Imperial Carriage. Thus I was able to come to my native place with permission to realize my long cherished wish to change the burial ground of my parents' coffins. Whatever was needed for display at the tumulus was provided through the kindness condescendingly shown by he Emperor and the Empress to help me build the graves. I did not expect that the light of the sun and the moon would shine even upon debris or that the humidity of clouds and rain would also moisten such wild plants as erigeron and artemisia. Being deeply grateful and perplexed, I am both feeling joy and choked with sobs. With great gratitude toward the living as well as the deceased, I am writing this letter to express our thanks to the Throne. This is a matter of mportance for me; and being a humble person, I am unable to express myself n full. With the permission of the Emperor, the Master reburied the coffins of is parents in another place; and the funeral service was performed at public expense. More than ten thousand people, both monks and laymen of Luoyang, attended the ceremony. When Emperor Xiaowen (r. 471-99) of the Later Wei dynasty moved his capital from Dai to Luoyang, he built Shaolin Monastery to the north of haoshi Mountain. Consisting of welve courts built along the slope of the mountain, it has two separate parts, known as the upper and lower sections. With Mount Song on the east, the monastery faces Shao Peak in the south, while at its back in the north is a high ridge of mountains with three streams flowing down. Towering rocks and precipitous steeps are reflected in the flying waterfalls. Pine lichens twine round giant bamboos; and cassia, cypress, lycium, and catalpa trees form a dense forest, presenting a grand and lovely view of eace and purity. It is really a pleasant place. The Western Terrace, which is the most beautiful spot, is the place where Bodhiruci translated scriptures, and it is also the place where theDhyana Master Buddhabhadra used to sit 311

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in meditation. A stupa (tope) preserving his body is still there. At the end of he Daye period (605-16), a group of nsurgents tried to bum it but found it incombustible. People far and near thought it was a marvelous event.

At the foot of the range of mountains to the northwest of the monastery is Chen Village, also known as Chenbu, situated in the Phoenix Valley in the southeast of Goushi County, which is the birthplace of he Master.

On the twentieth day of the ninth month in the autumn, the Master asked permission to live at Shaolin Monastery to carry on his translation work. He wrote a letter to the Emperor, saying: I, Sramana Xuanzang, beg to say that I have heard that the road to enlightenment is long and the one who is prepared to go along it has to make use of funds and provisions, and that the river of rebirth is deep and the one who wishes to cross it has to depend on a boat or a raft. "Funds and provisions" consist of onderful deeds of he three learnings and the three kinds of wisdom, not merely rice pounded overnight or the like. "A boat or raft" means pure deeds of the Eight Endurances and the Eight Insights and not merely a boat, a raft, or the like. Because the Buddhas possessed [such prerequisites], they were able to go to the other shore, while ordinary eople lacking them have to sink into the river of ebirth. Thus the vast orld of hree spheres is completely flooded by the river of he seven leakings; and the multitude of beings bom through the Four Modes of Birth are all submerged under the waves of the ten bondages. None of hem are not tumbling in the waves or whirling in the mist of bewilderment and confusion, without remission even at the end of an infinite amount of time when the kalpa rock is wiped away. Their bewilderment and confusion become even stronger when as many kalpas as there are mustard seeds stored in a city have been exhausted. They do not know to get out of he house on fire by riding on the Three Vehicles or how to repair to the treasure-house by 312

273c Ci'en Monasteryproceeding along the Eightfold Noble Path. Really pitiful they are!

It is not the atmosphere of autumn that increases sighing but rather the sentiments of Confucius [concerning gains and losses].That is why I sometimes stop eating at the time of aking meals, or start to wake up from sleep. I have often reflected that this physical body is a temporal congregation of various conditions, and that it is impermanent thought after thought. Even a tree growing by a riverside, or a cluster of liana climbing on the wall of a well, are not adequate to compare with its precariousness and fragility, and the foam on the water in a dry city is not comparable to its instability. Therefore any morning or evening may be the end of one' period of existence, and nobody can hope for a long and lasting life. The months and years elapse as fast as flowing water, and in a blast of ind I have already reached the age of sixty. Since time is passing so quickly, one should be aware of ow brief he span of uman life is. Moreover, as I sought after the Dharma and looked for teachers and friends when I was young, I travelled to many places at home and abroad, and these long journeys made me feel quite exhausted. In recent years I have felt all the more weak and feeble. Looking at the moving shade of the sun and my own shadow, I do not know how much longer I can live. My funds and provisions [for the journey to enlightenment] have not yet been sufficiently collected and my future is gradually shortened. Not a day passes without my feeling worry about this matter indescribable by my writing brush and ink. But my umble life has been very fortunate to have met with sagacious rulers. I enjoyed unusual privileges granted by the preceding Emperor and have also received from Your Majesty more kindness than I am entitled to accept. It has been a long time since I began to enjoy such great kindness. As regards my increment of ame and reputation and the spread of my good name and prestige, flying without having ings and ascending to the skies while I still 313

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sit on my seat, receiving offerings of he four requisites and surpassing the glories of y contemporaries, such cases are not to be found even among the ancients. What merits have I to reach such a stage of privileges? It is all due to the extensive waves of benevolence of the Emperor, like the light of he sun and the moon shining in a curved way even upon things lying in corners, so that the worthless rocks of Mount Yan are turned into precious stones and a jade is taken as a valuable steed. With a sense of introspection, I feel deeply ashamed. Moreover, to avoid completeness and avert fullness is a good adage of ormer sages; to be content with few desires is also a truthful saying of ll the Buddhas. Through self-evaluation I find that I am devoid of earning and talent. Both my fame and my deeds are inconsiderable. It is not fitting for me to be so bold as to overenjoy the kindness and benignity of the Emperor for too long. I beg permission to live in the forest on a mountain for the rest of my life, so that I may worship the Buddha, recite the scriptures, and walk up and down in meditation in order to repay the support and encouragement rendered me. With the dignity of Cakravartin King, and, as a monarch, to spread the edification of he Dharma, Your Majesty ordered that the texts of he scriptures obtained from the Western Region be translated into Chinese. I, an incompetent person, have been unworthily favored with an appointment to take up the task. Since I received the imperial order I have been busy without rest from morning until night every day. Up to now I have translated more than six hundred fascicles of texts, all of which are the theoretical gists of the Four Agamas in the Tnpitaka and pivotal works of both the Great and the Lesser Vehicles. They constitute a comprehensive collection of the deeds and positions of both ordinary and saintly beings, and a sea of the eighty thousand Dharma gates; they are praised and sung as texts for pacifying the country in the Western Region. None of he literary definitions one should know is not found in them. As one 314

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chooses timber in a fairy wood, one may get a big or a small tree at one' option; as one collects pearls at the seaside, one is free to take square or round pearls. They seem to be the principal gists for scholars. With these translations I wish to repay the kindness of he state. It is true that I can never do so in full, but I hope I may repay one ten-thousandth of the favors granted to me.

But to cut off and subdue passions, one needs the aid of samadhi (contemplation) andprajna, which are like the two wheels of a cart: neither of them is dispensable. As regards study and pondering over the scriptures, it is the lore of wisdom, while sitting relaxed in meditation in a forest is the lore of ontemplation. Since my youth I have engaged myself mostly in theoretical studies and have had no time to set my mind on the four categories of meditation and the nine grades of contemplation. Now I wish to pay attention to the practice of editation and tranquilize my mind in the water of contemplation, so that I may curb my sentiments from being flippant like an ape, and hamper my mind from galloping like a horse. If I do not seclude myself from the world to live in the mountains, I shall not be able to achieve my object.

I humbly admit that in this region Songgao Mountain and Shaoshi Peak have ridges and precipices overlapping one upon another with peaks and ravines in strange shapes, where wind and clouds are generated, and benevolence and intelligence are contained. Fruits and medicinal herbs are rich and plentiful, while dodders and Ficus umila grow freely and elegantly. It is really a famous mountain in this country and a sacred prominence of this region. There are also the Shaolin Samgharama (monks' dwelling), Xianju Monastery, etc., all of which are built on rocks or across valleys surrounded by woods and springs. Buddhist affairs are done in a stately and solemn manner in the deep and spacious rooms and halls. This is where the Tnpitaka Master Bodhiruci of the Later Wei dynasty period translated 315

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scriptures. One may really stay here to practise meditation and contemplation. Moreover, even the two Shus, who were courtiers, understood [enough] to retire and live in seclusion after resigning their glorious posts; and the two laymen, Chao Fu and Xu You, also knew [enough] to abide in truth and preserve naturalness. I have, what is more, renounced my home for the sake of he Dharma; but on the contrary I am staying inside a city; being stimulated by a cool breeze, I feel all the more ashamed whenever I think of his matter. I respectfully believe that Your Majesty is brighter than the Seven Luminaries and illuminates down to the nether world beneath nine layers of arth. I humbly beg for your brilliant understanding of my blunt sincerity and for the favor of granting me special permission, so that I may be free from the turmoil and dust of the mundane world and roll up the traces of my shadow from human society in order to keep company with herds of elk and deer and to follow groups of wild ducks and cranes, while I dwell on a piece of tone and take shelter in the shade of a tree. [I would] keep watch on the ape-like mind and contemplate the reality of all things, so that the thieves of the four Maras and the nine bonds should have nowhere to break through or to climb over the wall to cause disturbances. The mind of the Five Endurances and the Ten Deeds should originate from this to form a path gradually leading to Bodhi and be a good cause for crossing over to yonder shore. Thus I shall not be an external encumbrance to imperial edification but shall internally increase my own good deeds. If I may do so until the end of my life, it will be a favor from the Emperor. If am granted my request, I shall follow the example of he good behavior of Huiyuan of Lu Mountain and continue the pure moral integrity of Daolin of Yan Hill. But I still hope to engage myself rom time to time in translating scriptures in leisure hours left after practising meditation, which I would be very glad to do. With respect I come to the palace to submit this letter to your Presence, and by doing so I may have 316

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imprudently caused offence to imperial prestige. I deeply regret this with increasing trembling.

After reading the letter, the Emperor did not give his consent. On the twenty-first day of hat month the Emperor personally wrote a reply with his Divine Pen, saying:

By reading your letter we have come to know that you wish to live a retired life in the mountains amid springs after the example of Daolin and Huiyuan of ast ages and to engage in practising meditation in tranquillity along the tracks of Buddhacinga* and Kumarajiva to set up a standard for the present ime. e admire your pure moral ntegrity ith eneration; it is truly what we appreciate and hold in esteem. We are devoid of knowledge and have acquired little learning, having never studied what is lofty and profound. But with our shallow udgement and superficial experience, we do not see the advisability of our proposal. Serving as a ferry or a bridge in the Three Worlds to conduct and guide all beings of he Four Modes of Birth, with bright intelligence issuing from the lamp of our mind, with your mentality crystalized like tranquil water by the practice of contemplation, Your Reverence cannot be obstructed by the dusts of sentiment, so how can the waves of ental agitation startle you? As you abide in morality, there is no need for you to go to live in the overlapping ranges of Taihua Mountain. Since you can make a lodging out of voidness and tranquility, Shaoshi Mountain with its layers of peaks is not the only retreat in which you can stay. Pray put away what you have said and do not make the request again. Then the public marketplace will be a great hermitage, to be valued not only by ancient sages alone. Moreover, you may greatly increase your knowledge to win the esteem of the present age.

Since the imperial decree ordered him to cut short his request, the Master did not venture to say anything more. After receiving the decree, he wrote a letter of hanks, saying: 317

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I, Sramana Xuanzang, beg to say that the messenger Li Junxin has arrived with the decree written personally by Your Majesty for me. The vigorous strokes of your handwriting are beautiful in the characters written in vermilion, and the wise phrases are as splendid as the mystic diagram that emerged from the Yellow River. The words appear like rocks piled together in the shapes of mountains and hills, and they seem to be suffused with the vitality of wind and clouds. I never expected that in the autumnal days of y life I might read literary writing as beautiful as flowers in springtime or that while staying between the Yi and Luo Rivers I would all of a sudden see a piece of precious jade from the Kunlun and Jin Mountains. I held it in both hands and danced with delight. Formerly, when (Wu Zhi, alias) Jizhong received a letter from the Lord of Wei, it only expressed friendly feeling at their being parted from each other, while the letter sent by the Emperor of he Jin dynasty to Huiyuan merely ordered that the monk be provided with rice. In their letters no such idea as making a lodging out of voidness and tranquillity is seen; neither is there the friendly emotion of the instruction that the public marketplace can be a great hermitage. From this I certainly know that the bosom of Your Majesty cherishes everything in both the mundane and the supermundane categories to the utmost degree. [The letter] contains the theories of both existence and nonexistence, greatly surpassing [the ancient Emperors] Fuxi and uanyuan and overtopping the Wei and Jin dynasties still more. But I am of the disposition of white silk and particularly fear the colors red and blue; my body is of the nature of kudzu and climbing plants that really need pine and willow trees to depend upon. I think of and wish to compare myself ith the mist and clouds in the twilight at Shaoshi Mountain. I wish to keep company with the streams and rocks in the recesses of Mount Song, where my wish to avoid being drowned [in the sea of ebirth] might be realized and my ambition to prevent the fire [of desire] be fulfilled. 318

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Therefore I ventured with utmost ignorance to submit a report at the risk of y life, in the hope that the compassion of sage monarch ruling over his country would not forsake even a wild duck or a quail, and that the moistening effect of louds and rain would not desert a spider or a root-eating insect. But the illustrious decree arrived without granting me permission; however, it still favored me with praise and preserved my glory in a roundabout way. As my five sentiments are trembling, I do not know by which one I should abide. Since I have put aside my request, I dare not repeat it. I am respectfully writing this letter to express my hanks, shuddering more and more in fear.

In the winter, on the fifth day of the eleventh month, the first birthday anniversary of Prince Buddha Light, the Master again presented a religious robe to him, with a letter saying: I, Sramana Xuanzang, beg to say that I have heard that one who passes by orchids blooming in the Purple Garden will surely feel happy, and that when one comes across a cassia tree flourishing beside a stream of luish water, one will be delighted by its fragrance. If ven a plant or a tree possesses such [a gladdening effect], it is needless to speak of human being, and an imperial offspring at that. I humbly believe that the Emperor and the Empress, having imbibed divine and wise endowments, possess the virtues of Heaven and earth, placating and pacifying the various regions of the empire and fostering all their subjects as their children. At the same time, they have constructed a large number of monasteries and have widely performed meritorious deeds in order to make the Throne constant and unchangeable and to strengthen the destiny of the empire and make it as strong as a diamond. It is their wonderfully good way of spiritual cultivation that makes the Crown Prince more and more intelligent and energetic day by day. As for the Prince of uzhou, his extraordinary talent is becoming ever more brilliant. Prince Buddha Light' youthful wisdom has 319

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augmented his luster, which may be said to have overtopped the Zhou and excelled the Shang dynasties to match the Yellow Emperor in sublimity. This is a matter for celebration by descendants for ten thousand years into the future. Though a humble person of lowly position, I have been allowed the privilege of aving interviews from time to time with the Prince and others, to my delight, real joy, and happiness at the bottom of my heart. As today is the first birthday of Prince Buddha Light, gifts must be offered in accordance with social etiquette, and so out of y benighted sincerity, I solemnly present a religious robe to him. I respectfully ish the Prince to be protected by ten thousand deities, sustained by a hundred blessings, and in peace and felicity whether awake or asleep. May he have a balanced appetite for his feedings of milk. May he perpetuate and make prosperous the Triple Gem, subjugate the four Maras, practise the Way of a Bodhisattva, and succeed to the causes of a Tathagata. I am extremely happy to see a jade calyx on the celestial branch with beautiful and exuberant flowers. I beg to submit this letter, together with the religious robe, to your Presence. I may have imprudently offended the dignity of Your Majesty, for which I shiver with deep fear. The Master was then engaged in translation at Jicui Palace. As he labored without even momentary stops, he fell ill from constant overwork. When this was reported to the Emperor, he was unhappy to hear about it, and dispatched, by imperial order, the palace physician Lu Hongzhe to comfort the Master. With incessant feelings of pain and joy intermingled, the Master wrote a letter of thanks to the Emperor, saying:

I, Sramana Xuanzang, beg to say that the envoy Lii Hongzhe and others have arrived with an imperial order to console me while I am suffering from illness and to permit me to go out of the palace for recuperation. When the gracious edict suddenly arrived, my feeble body instantly stood up as if I were in the presence of the Crown, with awe as if I were 320

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placed on the thin ice over a deep pond. As my way of conserving good health s contrary o regular methods, disease and illness have befallen me. Since I left your Presence, I have felt doubly troubled by a pain in the heart, a depressed sensation in the back, bone-sore and painful muscles, abrupt loss of appetite, insomnia, and weaker and weaker breath. Fearing that something unthought-of might happen to defile the buildings of the palace, I thought of moving out and discarding myself n gullies, but I feared that it might cause alarm to Your Majesty; thus I dared not report the matter to the Throne. With the aid of y gate registration, I went out of he palace to the monastery, where, due to exhaustion and fatigue, my disease became critical, and my mind was also separated from the present time of good governance. Then the court physician Zhang Dezhi of the Palace Medical Department treated me with acupuncture, by which I was gradually cured of my ailment; it also enabled me to preserve my head. Recollecting the guilt of having taken arbitrary action, I am awaiting condign punishment.

I humbly believe that the sun and the moon, with their brightness, always forgive me for my stupidity and awkwardness, and that the moistening effect of he rivers and the sea has been specially lenient toward my faults; but how can imperial grace be extended to a humble person, distorting the law in favor of a common institution? I hope that ustice will be upheld, so as to maintain the solemnity of the judiciary. A miscarriage of justice can be lightly done, but the use of the axe is a great matter. My remnant soul and decaying body are still under the illumination of imperial favor; and I pat my chest to remember your sayings, which are engraved on my flesh and bones. I consider that I am not lying in my sickbed because of a common ailment. Even though I have no worry about death, my hope to live is exhausted. But my regret is that I could not repay [your] great kindness before the collapse of my humble life.

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I respectfully think that Your Majesty is assiduous, sparing no pains to take part personally in hunting expeditions and to inspect military forces in order to train the troops. You have shown kindness both in releasing a unicorn and in recording the merit of ne who offered a phoenix, for which people assembled from far and near to celebrate. Both the high and low were simultaneously joyous, while the god of wind swept away dust and the mountain deities protected the wilderness. I respectfully think that whether active or inactive you will always be extremely happy and fortunate. When you went to pronounce the explicit Precepts for a hundred days, you [completed the mission and] returned in twelve days. You disdained travelling around on fine horses (like the eight reputed steeds of King Mu of the Zhou dynasty) and would turn back from a nearby place. The Imperial Carriage may be halted, but your constant remembrance is a comfort to me. In managing affairs I hesitate, for fear that I might commit dereliction of duty at the end of my life. With utmost gratitude and dread, I am respectfully submitting this letter for your hearing while awaiting punishment. In perplexity and trepidation, not knowing hat to do, I am crouching to listen to your edict.

The Emperor was quite pleased to read the letter. Three days later he dispatched an envoy to welcome the Master to the palace, where he was entertained with the four requisites of a monk for many days in succession. Then the Master was sent back by imperial order to Jicui Palace to continue his task of ranslation. In the winter, in the twelfth month, the palace at Luoyang was made the Eastern Capital. Because the area delimited for the capital was too small, portions of the counties of Sishui in Zhengzhou and Heyang in Huaizhou in the east were incorporated into the environs of the capital, while in the west Guzhou was abrogated and Yiyang, Yongning, Xinan, Mianchi, and such counties were taken and put under the urisdiction of he metropolis. As the 322

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position of the Master' hometown was thereby elevated, he wrote a letter of hanks to the Emperor, saying:

I, Sramana Xuanzang, beg to say that I have heard that the Quail' Head demarcated the boundary of the State of Qin as a testimony of God presaging that (the Qin Emperor' reign would be as strong as) a golden city, and that the scripts presented by a tortoise to the Emperor of the Xia dynasty opened a hole through which to peep at the Jade Spring in the imperial city. From this we may know that the purpose of divine gifts is apparently the Emperor' edification. Good praise forecasts the distant future, and a light is placed high to shine to the utmost limit. One should sincerely act according to that edification. I humbly believe that the Emperor and the Empress manage everything, adjudicate all matters, and pacify the secular world with impartiality. You have repaired to an important habitable place in the middle of the land and settled there in the course of a pleasure trip. Following the example of the preeminent and glorious old system, an outer city wall has been built after the fashion of the capital [of the Zhou dynasty] at Hao. But a plain and simple palace was still cherished in your mind, and hard labor was substituted for the service system of old days. As you were absorbed in riding your galloping horse, you detested living in comfort and rose early in the morning. This is certainly not a compromise between the Flowery Empire and the foreign tribes to uniformize different systems of supplying corvee. How can one indulge in the Emperor' kind consideration shown in his announcement of his irrevocable decree? Thus when the order was first issued, the luxuriant mountains and rivers changed their appearance. At the beginning of the development of he system, the flying mist and clouds altered their colors. The lofty ridges of he palace halls are brilliant in the sunshine, and the imperial highway is peaceful with a gentle breeze. The deities responded to prayers, and moral 323

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relations among the people were agreeable and harmonious. If Your Majesty wishes to compose a poem on the bream of Wuchang and take pleasure in shifting the imperial residence, I will vie with the crane standing in a pavilion on the heights to attend the imperial auxiliary carriages. I will immediately slight the dependence of he State of heng upon the State of in and depreciate the tactics of iu Ba toward Zhang Fei. Some former kings [of the Zhou dynasty] who were narrow-minded established Fen and Luoyi as their capitals at different times; but our lord, who is in control of everything, constructed oth he i alley and ianyang as his seats of government simultaneously. The brilliant imperial clan will be prosperous, and the destiny of he empire will last to the distant future. It will certainly pacify Pingluo in the east and reach the Jianzhang Palace in the west. The standing musician played the sheng to wish for a long life; and peace and happiness are recorded in elegant language that is spread far and wide through intonation. Great is your perfect justice, and lolfy are your deeds that are seldom narrated! Being a man of o use, I am unable to render any service. My fear about this is becoming deeper and deeper. But my native village is included in the suburbs of he capital in the region of the Three Rivers. This honor, which will last a thousand years, makes it a prosperous new town. My poor cottage has vanished, but my humble life is still in existence. I am glad that my native place is incorporated into the capital area, though I was not embarrassed to live outside the pass. Moreover, jubilation of nationwide stability is a matter for common rejoicing far and near, and the good health of Your Majesty is what the humble people specially bear in mind. Being overwhelmed by extreme gladness, I respectfully submit this letter to express my gratitude for your hearing. In the first month, in the spring of the third year (658), the Emperor returned to the Western Capital, and the Master also followed him back.

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