Preface to the Holy Teachings of the Three Baskets

...born with ordinary talents... through many kalpas...?
...a hundred blessings and long-lasting completeness; the wondrous Way condenses the mystery...?
...deep...? The source of such foolishness cannot be measured. Therefore, we know that those who are base and compare themselves to the head, yet manage to feel no doubt or emotion, do so because His compassion is great. The foundation of this prosperity was raised in the Western Lands India; it soared to the Han court and appeared in a bright dream, shining upon the Eastern regions China with manifested mercy. In ancient times, when His form and traces were divided referring to the Buddha's earthly manifestation and his passing into Nirvana, his words had not yet traveled far, yet transformation occurred. In the age of the pure? wind, the people looked up to His virtue and knew how to follow it. But when the world became confused, the many truths were suddenly obscured. The "Golden Countenance" a common epithet for the Buddha hid its light, and the three thousand worlds the Buddhist cosmos were no longer draped in brilliance. Though images were unrolled, the auspicious signs of the "four and eight" the thirty-two marks of a Buddha were empty. Thereupon, His "subtle words" term: 微言 (weiyan) refers to the profound and nuanced teachings of the Buddha were widely spread to rescue those possessed by afflictions across the "three periods of time" past, present, and future. His "legacy instructions" were proclaimed afar to lead all living beings to the "Ten Stages" stages of a Bodhisattva's path to enlightenment. However, the true teaching is difficult to follow; none can
have the virtuous path. It is not that benevolence is found in chaos; so, how could the Sages
possess it? Between the mysterious and the mundane, between the "Great" and "Small" Vehicles Mahayana and Hinayana, blessings arise and fade according to the times.

There is a certain Dharma Master named Xuanzang. He is a leader of the "Dharma Gate" the gateway to Buddhist teaching. In his youth, he maintained a pure and quick intelligence, early on awakening to the heart of the "Three Emptinesses." As he grew, his spiritual disposition remained constant, first embracing the conduct of the "Four Forbearances." The wind through the pines or the moon reflected in the water are not enough to compare to his pure elegance; the "immortal dew" or "bright pearls" could hardly match his luminous refinement. Thus, through his wisdom, he attained freedom from all attachments, and his spirit sensed that which had not yet taken shape. He transcended the "Six Dusts" the six sensory objects: sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and form and stood out uniquely; throughout a thousand ages, he is without peer.

Fixing his mind on the internal realm, he grieved that the "True Law" Orthodox Buddhism was becoming obscured. Harboring his thoughts within the "Mysterious Gate," he lamented the errors and omissions in the profound texts. He desired to distinguish the branches and analyze the principles, to broaden what had been heard before. He sought to cut away the false and continue the true, opening a path for future students. Therefore, he lifted his heart toward the "Pure Land" and traveled to the Western Regions. He rode through danger and marched to distant lands, grasping his staff for a solitary journey. In the mornings, he flew through accumulated snow; in the evenings, the dust? rose. Beyond the sky, he traveled ten thousand miles through mountains and rivers, advancing his shadow through mist and clouds. Through a hundred cycles of cold and heat, he pressed forward through frost. His sincerity was heavy, his toil light; his quest was deep, and thus his journey was far.

He traveled through the Western lands for seventeen years. He exhaustively visited various kingdoms, inquiring after the "True Teachings." At the "Twin Grove" and the "Eight Rivers" sites associated with the Buddha's life and death, he "tasted the wind" and "savored the Way." At the "Deer Park" and "Vulture Peak," he gazed upon wonders and looked up at the extraordinary. He received the "Ultimate Words" from the former Sages and accepted the "True Teachings" from superior worthies. He mastered the "Wondrous Gate" and thoroughly exhausted the profound karma. The Way of the "One Vehicle" and the "Five Vinayas" monastic codes raced through the field of his mind; the texts of the "Eight Treasuries" and "Three Baskets" the Tripitaka surged like waves in the sea of his mouth.

From the countries he visited, he collected the essential texts of the Tripitaka, totaling 657 works, to be translated and distributed throughout the "Middle Xia" China, proclaiming this superior achievement. He drew the "Clouds of Compassion" from the Western extreme and poured the "Dharma Rain" upon the Eastern lands. The "Holy Teachings" were incomplete but are now whole; the common people were in sin but have returned to blessing. They dampen the dry flames of the "Burning House" a parable from the Lotus Sutra representing the world of suffering and together pull others from the path of delusion; they soak the dark waves of the Dharma? and together reach "the other shore" Nirvana.

Thus we know that evil causes one to fall through karma, while good allows one to rise through conditions. Whether one rises or falls depends entirely on what a person relies upon. Consider the cinnamon tree growing on a high ridge: only there can the clouds and dew nourish its flowers. Consider the lotus emerging from green waves: flying dust cannot stain its leaves. It is not that the lotus's nature is inherently pure or the cinnamon's quality is fundamentally true; it is simply because that which they attach to is high, so lowly things cannot burden them; that which they lean upon is pure, so turbid things cannot taint them. Even plants and trees, which have no consciousness, rely on goodness to become good; how much more so should human beings, who possess awareness, not rely on this auspicious occasion to seek blessings? We hope that this scripture will be spread and applied, lasting as long as the sun and moon without end, and that this blessing will extend far and wide, remaining as eternal as Heaven and Earth.

Authored by the Emperor of the Great Tang

Holy Record Composed while he was at the Spring Palace This section was written by the Crown Prince, the future Emperor Gaozong

Now, to manifest and propagate the "True Teachings," one cannot broaden the texts without wisdom. To honor and clarify the "Subtle Words," none but the worthy can determine their meaning. For? the "True Suchness" Ultimate Reality of the Holy Teachings is the mysterious essence of all phenomena and the guiding path of all scriptures. Its scope is vast and far-reaching; its profound meaning is deep. One who drills into its hardness will find its refinement; one who embodies the pivot of birth and death will see its vital essence. Its words are ornate and its Way is vast—those who disparage it do not investigate its source. Its writing is clear yet its meaning is hidden—those who walk its path cannot measure its boundaries. Therefore, we know the Holy...