1
南夷、西南夷,大抵在交州之南及西南,居大海中洲上,相去或三五千里,遠者二三萬里,乘舶舉帆,道里不可詳知。 外國諸夷雖言里數,非定實也。
The peoples of the southern and southwestern frontier lay for the most part south and southwest of Jiaozhou, on islands in the open sea. Some were separated by three to five thousand li, others by as much as twenty or thirty thousand li. They reached one another by ship under sail, and the exact courses and distances could not be fully charted. When foreign peoples gave figures in li, those numbers were not reliable measures.
2
南夷林邑國,高祖永初二年,林邑王范陽邁遣使貢獻,即加除授。 太祖元嘉初,侵暴日南、九德諸郡,交州刺史杜弘文建牙聚眾欲討之,聞有代,乃止。 七年,陽邁遣使自陳與交州不睦,求蒙恕宥。 八年,又遣樓船百餘寇九德,入四會浦口,交州刺史阮彌之遣隊主相道生三千人赴討,攻區粟城不剋,引還。 林邑欲伐交州,借兵於扶南王,扶南不從。 十年,陽邁遣使上表獻方物,求領交州,詔答以道遠,不許。 十二、十五、十六、十八年,頻遣貢獻,而寇盜不已,所貢亦陋薄。
Among the southern peoples was the state of Linyi. In the second year of Yongchu (421), during the reign of Emperor Gaozu, King Fanyang Mai of Linyi sent envoys with tribute, and the court at once granted him titles and office. At the opening of the Yuanjia era under Emperor Wen, Linyi raided Rinan, Jiude, and neighboring commanderies. Jiaozhou inspector Du Hongwen mustered forces to campaign against them, but when he learned that his replacement was on the way, he abandoned the effort. In the seventh year (430), Yang Mai sent envoys explaining that he was at odds with Jiaozhou and asking for imperial clemency. The next year Linyi sent more than a hundred warships against Jiude, entering Sihui harbor. Inspector Ruan Mizhi dispatched the company commander Xiang Daosheng with three thousand troops; they besieged Qu Su but could not take it and had to pull back. When Linyi planned to invade Jiaozhou, it asked Funan for troops, but the king of Funan refused. In the tenth year (433), Yang Mai memorialized the throne with regional gifts and asked to be put in charge of Jiaozhou. The court answered that the distance was too great and declined. In the twelfth, fifteenth, sixteenth, and eighteenth years envoys came again with tribute, but raids continued unabated and the gifts themselves were shabby.
3
太祖忿其違慠,二十三年,使龍驤將軍、交州刺史檀和之伐之,遣太尉府振武將軍宗慤受和之節度。 和之遣府司馬蕭景憲為前鋒,慤仍領景憲軍副。 陽邁聞將見討,遣使上表,求還所略日南民戶,奉獻國珍。 太祖詔和之:「陽邁果有款誠,許其歸順。」 其年二月,軍至朱梧戍,遣府戶曹參軍日南太守姜仲基、前部賊曹參軍蟜弘民隨傳詔畢願、高精奴等宣揚恩旨,陽邁執仲基、精奴等二十八人,遣弘民反命,外言歸款,猜防愈嚴。 景憲等乃進軍向區粟城,陽邁遣大帥范扶龍大戍區粟,又遣水步軍徑至。 景憲破其外救,盡銳攻城,五月,剋之,斬扶龍大首,獲金銀雜物不可勝計。 乘勝追討,即剋林邑,陽邁父子並挺身奔逃,所獲珍異,皆是未名之寶。 上嘉將帥之功,詔曰:「林邑介恃遐險,久稽王誅。 龍驤將軍、交州刺史檀和之忠果到列,思略經濟,禀命攻討,萬里推鋒,法命肅齊,文武畢力,潔己奉公,以身率下,故能立勳海外,震服殊俗。 宜加褒飾,參管近侍,可黃門侍郎,領越騎校尉、行建武將軍。 龍驤司馬蕭景憲協贊軍首,勤捷顯著,總勒前驅,剋殄巢穴,必能威服荒夷,撫懷民庶。 可持節、督交州廣州之鬱林寧浦二郡諸軍事、建威將軍、交州刺史。」 龍驤司馬童林之、九真太守傅蔚祖戰死,並贈給事中。
Infuriated by Linyi's defiance, Emperor Wen in the twenty-third year (446) ordered the Dragon Soaring General and Jiaozhou inspector Tan Hezhi to campaign against them, with Grand Marshal's staff officer Zong Que, General Who Inspires Awe, placed under his command. Hezhi appointed his staff major Xiao Jingxian to lead the van, while Zong Que served as his second-in-command. When Yang Mai learned that a punitive expedition was coming, he sent a memorial offering to restore the Rinan households he had carried off and to present the kingdom's treasures. Emperor Wen instructed Hezhi: "If Yang Mai proves sincere, you may accept his surrender." That second month the army reached Zhuwu garrison. Hezhi sent staff registrar and Rinan administrator Jiang Zhongji, together with former senior clerk for banditry Jiao Hongmin and the imperial messengers Bi Yuan and Gao Jingnu, to proclaim the court's gracious intent. Yang Mai seized Zhongji, Jingnu, and twenty-six others, sent Hongmin back with a reply, professed submission outwardly, and tightened his defenses all the more. Jingxian then marched on Qu Su. Yang Mai sent his great commander Fan Fulong to hold the city in force and hurried additional land and river troops to its relief. Jingxian routed the relief force, threw his best troops into the assault, and in the fifth month took the city. Fan Fulong was beheaded, and the booty in gold, silver, and other goods was beyond reckoning. Following up the victory, they took Linyi itself. Yang Mai and his son fled for their lives. The exotic treasures seized were marvels the court had never before named. The emperor commended his commanders and proclaimed: "Linyi, trusting in its remote and difficult terrain, has long escaped imperial punishment. The Dragon Soaring General and Jiaozhou inspector Tan Hezhi has shown outstanding loyalty and resolution, sound strategy, and practical ability. Ordered to campaign, he drove his army ten thousand li; discipline held firm; civil and military officers gave their all; he kept himself pure in public service and led from the front. Thus he won glory beyond the seas and brought distant peoples to heel. He is to be further honored and appointed to attend the inner court as Gentleman-Attendant at the Yellow Gate, while retaining his posts as Colonel of the Yue Cavalry and Acting General Who Establishes Martiality. The Dragon Soaring major Xiao Jingxian aided the commander with conspicuous energy and skill, led the van, and destroyed the enemy stronghold. He is sure to overawe the frontier peoples and win the hearts of the populace. He is appointed Bearer of the Staff, Supervisor of Military Affairs in Jiaozhou and Guangzhou for the Yulin and Ningpu commanderies, General Who Establishes Might, and Inspector of Jiaozhou." The Dragon Soaring major Tong Linzhi and Jiuzhen administrator Fu Weizu fell in battle; both were posthumously made Palace Attendants.
4
世祖孝建二年,林邑又遣長史范龍跋奉使貢獻,除龍跋揚武將軍。 大明二年,林邑王范神成又遣長史范流奉表獻金銀器及香布諸物。 太宗泰豫元年,又遣使獻方物。
In the second year of Xiaojian (455), under Emperor Xiaowu, Linyi again sent its chief clerk Fan Longba with tribute. Longba was made General Who Displays Martiality. In the second year of Daming (458), King Fanshencheng of Linyi sent his chief clerk Fan Liu with a memorial offering gold and silver vessels, scented cloth, and other goods. In the first year of Taiyu (472), under Emperor Ming, envoys came again with regional gifts.
5
初,檀和之被徵至豫章,值豫章民胡誕世等反,因討平之,并論林邑功,封雲杜縣子,食邑四百戶。 和之,高平金鄉人,檀憑子也。 太祖元嘉二十七年,自太子左衞率為世祖鎮軍司馬、輔國將軍、彭城太守。 元凶弒立,以為西中郎將、雍州刺史。 [1]世祖入討,加輔國將軍,統豫州戍事,因出南奔。 世祖即位,以為右衞將軍。 孝建二年,除輔國將軍、豫州刺史,不行,復為右衞,加散騎常侍。 三年,出為南兗州刺史,坐酣飲黷貨,迎獄中女子入內,免官禁錮。 其年卒,追贈左將軍,諡曰襄子。
Earlier, while Tan Hezhi was being recalled to Yuzhang, the Yuzhang native Hu Danshi and others rose in revolt. He suppressed them and, on the strength of his Linyi campaign as well, was enfeoffed as Viscount of Yundu with a fief of four hundred households. Hezhi was a native of Jinxiang in Gaoping commandery and the son of Tan Ping. In the twenty-seventh year of Yuanjia (450), he moved from Left Commandant of the Crown Prince's Guard to become staff major to the heir apparent's Pacifying Army, General Who Assists the State, and administrator of Pengcheng. When the deposed crown prince Liu Shao murdered his father and seized the throne, Hezhi was appointed General of the Right of the Center and inspector of Yongzhou. [1] When the future Emperor Xiaowu marched north against the usurper, Hezhi was promoted to General Who Assists the State and put in charge of Yongzhou's garrison, but he fled south instead. After Xiaowu succeeded, Hezhi was made General of the Right Guard. In the second year of Xiaojian (455) he was appointed General Who Assists the State and inspector of Yuzhou but declined the post, returning instead to the Right Guard with the additional title of Attendant Cavalier at Large. The following year he was sent out as inspector of Southern Yanzhou. He was dismissed and placed under house arrest for habitual drunkenness, taking bribes, and bringing a woman from prison into his private quarters. He died the same year and was posthumously made General of the Left with the posthumous title Viscount Xiang.
6
廣州諸山並俚、獠,種類繁熾,前後屢為侵暴,歷世患苦之。 世祖大明中,合浦大帥陳檀歸順,拜龍驤將軍。 四年,檀表乞官軍征討未附,乃以檀為高興太守,將軍如故。 遣前朱提太守費沈、龍驤將軍武期率眾南伐,并通朱崖道,並無功,輒殺檀而反,沈下獄死。 扶南國,太祖元嘉十一、十二、十五年,國王持黎跋摩遣使奉獻。
The hill country of Guangzhou was home to Li and Liao peoples in great variety and numbers. Generation after generation they raided the lowlands, and the region had long groaned under their attacks. During the Daming era under Emperor Xiaowu, Chen Tan, a great chieftain of Hepu, submitted to the court and was made Dragon Soaring General. In the fourth year (460) Chen Tan asked that imperial troops subdue those who had not yet submitted. He was appointed administrator of Gaoxing while retaining his general's rank. The court sent the former Zhuti administrator Fei Shen and the Dragon Soaring general Wu Qi south with an army, also to open the route to Zhuya. They accomplished nothing, murdered Chen Tan, and rebelled. Shen was thrown into prison and died there. The kingdom of Funan sent tribute in the eleventh, twelfth, and fifteenth years of Yuanjia (434–438), when King Jayavarman dispatched envoys to Emperor Wen.
7
西南夷訶羅陁國,元嘉七年,遣使奉表曰:
Among the southwestern peoples was the state of Heluoduo. In the seventh year of Yuanjia (430) it sent envoys with a memorial that read:
8
伏承聖主,信重三寶,興立塔寺,周滿國界。 城郭莊嚴,清淨無穢,四衢交通,廣博平坦。 臺殿羅列,狀若眾山,莊嚴微妙,猶如天宮。 聖王出時,四兵具足,導從無數,以為守衞。 都人士女,麗服光飾,市廛豐富,珍賄無量,王法清整,無相侵奪。 學徒遊集,三乘競進,敷演正法,雲布雨潤。 四海流通,萬國交會,長江眇漫,清淨深廣,有生咸資,莫能銷穢,陰陽調和,災厲不行。 誰有斯美,大宋揚都,聖王無倫,臨覆上國。 有大慈悲,子育萬物,平等忍辱,怨親無二,濟乏周窮,無所藏積,靡不照達,如日之明,無不受樂,猶如淨月。 宰輔賢良,羣臣貞潔,盡忠奉主,心無異想。
We have heard that the sage sovereign honors the Three Treasures, raises stupas and temples, and fills the land with them. Your cities are majestic and pure, your crossroads broad and level. Terraces and halls stand in ranks like mountain ranges, refined and splendid as a palace of heaven. When the sacred king goes abroad, the four armies are complete and countless attendants guard him. Men and women of the capital dress in splendor; the markets overflow with goods and treasure; your laws are just, and none plunder one another. Students gather everywhere; the three vehicles advance together; the true Dharma spreads like clouds and rain. The four seas are open and all nations meet; the Yangzi flows pure, deep, and wide, sustaining every living thing; yin and yang are in harmony and no plague walks the land. Who else possesses such glory? Great Song at Yangdu—your sacred king is without equal, ruling the upper realm. You are filled with compassion, nurturing all beings as a parent; you bear insult with equanimity and make no distinction between friend and foe; you relieve the poor and keep nothing in store; your light reaches everywhere like the sun; all rejoice in you as under a clear moon. Your ministers are worthy; your officials upright; all serve the throne with undivided loyalty.
9
伏惟皇帝,是我真主。 臣是訶羅陁國王名曰堅鎧,今敬稽首聖王足下,惟願大王知我此心久矣,非適今也。 山海阻遠,無緣自達,今故遣使,表此丹誠。 所遣二人,一名毗紉,一名婆田,令到天子足下。 堅鎧微蔑,誰能知者,是故今遣二人,表此微心,此情既果,雖死猶生。 仰惟大國,藩守曠遠,我即邊方藩守之一。 上國臣民,普蒙慈澤,願垂恩逮,等彼僕臣。 臣國先時人眾殷盛,不為諸國所見陵迫,今轉衰弱,鄰國競侵。 伏願聖王,遠垂覆護,并市易往反,不為禁閉。 若見哀念,願時遣還,令此諸國,不見輕侮,亦令大王名聲普聞,扶危救弱,正是今日。 今遣二人,是臣同心,有所宣啟,誠實可信。 願勑廣州時遣舶還,不令所在有所陵奪。 願自今以後,賜年年奉使。 今奉微物,願垂哀納。
I bow before the emperor, who is my true sovereign. I am Jiankai, king of Heluoduo. I bow my head at your feet and beg Your Majesty to know that this devotion is of long standing, not a sudden whim. Mountains and seas lie between us, and I could not come myself; I send these envoys to lay my loyal heart before you. The two men I send are named Birin and Botian; I charge them to come before the Son of Heaven. I am humble and obscure—who would know my mind? I send these two men to speak for me. If this plea succeeds, I shall count myself alive though I die. Your great realm extends its protection far abroad; I am but one frontier guardian on its edge. All who dwell in your realm enjoy your kindness; extend that grace to us as to your own servants. My kingdom was once populous and strong and suffered no bullying from its neighbors; now we grow weak and neighboring states press in on every side. I beg the sacred king to shelter us from afar and to let merchants travel freely without hindrance. If you take pity on us, send your envoys back in good time so that these kingdoms will not despise us, and so that your renown may spread abroad—for today is the day to succor the weak. The two men I now send share my inmost heart; whatever they report is honest and may be believed. I ask that you instruct Guangzhou to send ships back regularly and forbid anyone along the route to rob or plunder them. Grant us hereafter the right to send tribute envoys every year. I now offer these humble gifts and beg you graciously to receive them.
10
呵羅單國治闍婆洲。 元嘉七年,遣使獻金剛指鐶、赤鸚鵡鳥、天竺國白疊古貝、葉波國古貝等物。 十年,呵羅單國王毗沙跋摩奉表曰:
The state of Heluodan ruled Java. In the seventh year of Yuanjia (430) it sent envoys with diamond finger-rings, red parrots, white cotton cloth from India, ancient shell currency from Lambaka, and other goods. In the tenth year (433) King Vishnuvarman of Heluodan sent a memorial that read:
11
常勝天子陛下:諸佛世尊,常樂安隱,三達六通,為世間道,是名如來,應供正覺,遺形舍利,造諸塔像,莊嚴國土,如須彌山,村邑聚落,次第羅匝,城郭館宇,如忉利天宮,宮殿高廣,樓閣莊嚴,四兵具足,能伏怨敵,國土豐樂,無諸患難。 奉承先王,正法治化,人民良善,慶無不利,處雪山陰,雪水流注,百川洋溢,八味清淨,周匝屈曲,順趣大海,一切眾生,咸得受用。 於諸國土,殊勝第一,是名震旦,大宋揚都,承嗣常勝大王之業,德合天心,仁廕四海,聖智周備,化無不順,雖人是天,護世降生,功德寶藏,大悲救世,為我尊主常勝天子。 是故至誠五體敬禮。 呵羅單國王毗沙跋摩稽首問訊。
To the Ever-Victorious Son of Heaven: the Buddhas, World-Honored Ones, abide in peace; possessed of the three penetrations and six superknowledges, they are the path for the world—the Tathagata, worthy of offerings, perfectly enlightened. Their relics remain; stupas and images adorn your realm like Mount Sumeru. Villages and towns lie in ordered rings; your walls and halls are like the palace of Trayastrimsha Heaven—lofty palaces and solemn towers. The four armies stand complete and subdue every foe; the land is rich and at ease, free from every ill. Following your forefathers, you rule by righteous law; your people are good and prosper in all they do. North of the snowy mountains snowmelt pours forth; a hundred streams swell, pure of the eight flavors, winding round till they reach the sea—and every creature drinks its fill. Among all lands you are supreme—this is China, Great Song at Yangdu. You inherit the work of the Ever-Victorious King; your virtue accords with Heaven, your kindness shades the four seas; your wisdom is complete and your transforming power obeys none. Though human, you are heaven-born to guard the world—a treasury of merit, great compassion saving all—and you are my lord, the Ever-Victorious Son of Heaven. Therefore I bow my whole body in deepest reverence. King Vishnuvarman of Heluodan bows his head and sends greeting.
12
其後為子所篡奪。 十三年,又上表曰:
Later his son seized the throne from him. In the thirteenth year (436) he sent another memorial:
13
大吉天子足下:離淫怒癡,哀愍羣生,想好具足,天龍神等,恭敬供養,世尊威德,身光明照,如水中月,如日初出,眉間白豪,[2]普照十方,其白如雪,亦如月光,清淨如華,顏色照曜,威儀殊勝,諸天龍神之所恭敬,以正法寶,梵行眾僧,莊嚴國土,人民熾盛,安隱快樂。 城閣高峻,如乾他山,眾多勇士,守護此城,樓閣莊嚴,道巷平正,著種種衣,猶如天服,於一切國,為最殊勝吉。 揚州城無憂天主,愍念羣生,安樂民人,律儀清淨,慈心深廣,正法治化,共養三寶,名稱遠至,一切並聞。 民人樂見,如月初生,譬如梵王,世界之主,一切人天,恭敬作禮。 呵羅單跋摩以頂禮足,猶如現前,以體布地,如殿陛道,供養恭敬,如奉世尊,以頂著地,曲躬問訊。
At the feet of the Great-Auspice Son of Heaven: you are free of lust, anger, and delusion; you pity all beings; your good thoughts are complete. Dragons of heaven and spirits honor and serve you. The World-Honored One's majestic radiance shines upon you like the moon in water, like the sun at dawn; the white tuft between your brows [2] illumines the ten directions, white as snow, bright as the moon, pure as a flower. Your bearing is sublime; heaven's dragons and spirits bow before you. The treasure of the true Dharma and the monks in pure conduct adorn your realm; your people flourish in peace and joy. Your walls rise high as Mount Gandhara; many brave warriors guard your city; your towers are solemn and your streets level. Your people wear every kind of robe like the garments of heaven. Among all kingdoms yours is the most sublime and blessed. At Yangzhou—the Carefree Heaven Lord—you pity all beings and give your people peace and joy. Your discipline is pure, your compassion deep and wide; you rule by righteous law and honor the Three Treasures. Your fame has reached the farthest lands; all have heard of you. Your people rejoice to behold you as at the new moon; like Brahma, lord of the world, all men and gods bow before you. I, Bamo of Heluodan, bow with my head at your feet as though you stood before me; I prostrate my body on the ground like the steps of your hall; I honor you as I would the World-Honored One, my head on the earth, my body bent in greeting.
14
忝承先業,嘉慶無量,忽為惡子所見爭奪,遂失本國。 今唯一心歸誠天子,以自存命。 今遣毗紉問訊大家,意欲自往,歸誠宣訴,復畏大海,風波不達。 今命得存,亦由毗紉此人忠志,其恩難報。 此是大家國,今為惡子所奪,而見驅擯,意頗忿惋,規欲雪復。 伏願大家聽毗紉買諸鎧仗袍襖及馬,願為料理毗紉使得時還。 前遣闍邪仙婆羅訶,蒙大家厚賜,悉惡子奪去,啟大家使知。 今奉薄獻,願垂納受。
I had the good fortune to inherit my father's realm—then a wicked son rose against me and I lost my kingdom. Now I turn with all my heart to the Son of Heaven to preserve my life. I send Birin to greet you, great lord. I wished to come myself to lay my case before you, but I fear the sea and its storms and cannot reach you. That I still live is thanks to Birin's loyal devotion—a debt I can scarcely repay. This was your great realm's ally; a wicked son has seized it and driven me out. I burn with resentment and mean to take revenge. I beg you, great lord, to let Birin purchase armor, weapons, robes, coats, and horses, and to see that he returns safely and soon. I once sent Jyotishipala and received your generous gifts, but the wicked son seized them all. I write so that you may know. I now offer these humble gifts and beg you to accept them.
15
此後又遣使。 二十六年,太祖詔曰:「訶羅單、媻皇、媻達三國,頻越遐海,款化納貢,遠誠宜甄,可並加除授。」 乃遣使策命之曰:「惟爾慕義款化,效誠荒遐,恩之所洽,殊遠必甄,用敷典章,顯茲策授。 爾其欽奉凝命,永固厥職,可不慎歟。」 二十九年,又遣長史媻和沙彌獻方物。
Afterward Heluodan sent envoys again. In the twenty-sixth year (449) Emperor Wen proclaimed: "The three states Heluodan, Panhuang, and Panta have repeatedly crossed the distant seas with sincere submission and tribute. Their distant loyalty deserves reward; let them all be granted titles and office." Envoys were dispatched with patents of appointment: "You who admire righteousness and submit in sincerity, showing loyalty from the far frontier—where imperial grace reaches, even the remotest shall be honored. We therefore bestow these canonical titles upon you. Receive this solemn charge with reverence and hold your offices firm—can you do otherwise?" In the twenty-ninth year (452) it again sent its chief clerk Panhe Shami with regional gifts.
16
媻皇國,元嘉二十六年,國王舍利媻羅跋摩遣使獻方物四十一種,太祖策命之為媻皇國王曰:「惟爾仰政邊城,率貢來庭,皇澤凱被,無幽不洽。 宜班典策,授茲嘉命。 爾其祗順禮度,式保厥終,可不慎歟。」 二十八年,復貢獻。 世祖孝建三年,又遣長史竺那媻智奉表獻方物。 以那媻智為振威將軍。 大明三年,獻赤白鸚鵡。 大明八年、太宗泰始二年,又遣使貢獻。 太宗以其長史竺須羅達、前長史振威將軍竺那媻智並為龍驤將軍。 媻達國,元嘉二十六年,國王舍利不陵伽跋摩遣使獻方物。 太祖策命之為婆達國王曰:「惟爾仰化懷誠,馳慕聲教,皇風遐暨,荒服來款,是用加茲顯策,式甄義順。 爾其祗順憲典,永終休福,可不慎歟。」 二十六年、二十八年,復遣使獻方物。 闍婆婆達國,[3]元嘉十二年,國王師黎婆達陁阿羅跋摩遣使奉表曰:[4]
The kingdom of Panhuang: in the twenty-sixth year of Yuanjia (449) King Shilipanluobamo sent envoys with forty-one kinds of tribute. Emperor Wen invested him as King of Panhuang with a patent reading: "You who govern the frontier and lead your people to court—imperial grace spreads everywhere, even to the darkest corners. It is fitting to issue this canonical patent and grant you this honorable charge. Obey the rites and preserve your realm to the end—can you do otherwise?" In the twenty-eighth year (451) tribute came again. In the third year of Xiaojian (456), under Emperor Xiaowu, it again sent its chief clerk Zhuna Panzhi with a memorial and gifts. Zhunapanzhi was made General Who Quells Might. In the third year of Daming (459) it presented red and white parrots. In the eighth year of Daming (464) and the second year of Taishi (466), under Emperor Ming, tribute envoys came again. Emperor Ming appointed its chief clerk Zhuxuliluoda and its former chief clerk Zhuna Panzhi, General Who Quells Might, both as Dragon Soaring Generals. The kingdom of Panta: in the twenty-sixth year of Yuanjia (449) King Shilibulingjiabamo sent envoys with tribute. Emperor Wen invested him as King of Pada with a patent reading: "You who look to our civilization with sincere hearts, eager for our teachings—imperial grace reaches even the remote frontier, and wild lands submit; we therefore bestow this splendid patent to honor your righteous loyalty. Obey the statutes and preserve your blessed realm to the end—can you do otherwise?" In the twenty-sixth and twenty-eighth years (449, 451) envoys came again with tribute. The kingdom of Shepoboda:[3] in the twelfth year of Yuanjia (435) King Shilipodatuohalobamo sent envoys with a memorial reading:[4]
17
宋國大主大吉天子足下:敬禮一切種智安隱,天人師降伏四魔,成等正覺,轉尊法輪,度脫眾生,教化已周,入于湼槃,舍利流布,起旡量塔,眾寶莊嚴,如須彌山,經法流布,如日照明,無量淨僧,猶如列宿。 國界廣大,民人眾多,宮殿城郭,如忉利天宮。 名大宋揚州大國大吉天子,安處其中,紹繼先聖,王有四海,閻浮提內,莫不來服。 悉以茲水,普飲一切,我雖在遠,亦霑靈潤,是以雖隔巨海,常遙臣屬,願照至誠,垂哀納受。 若蒙聽許,當年遣信,若有所須,惟命是獻,伏願信受,不生異想。 今遣使主佛大陁婆、副使葛抵奉宣微誠,稽首敬禮大吉天子足下,陁婆所啟,願見信受,諸有所請,唯願賜聽。 今奉微物,以表微心。
To the Great Lord of Song, Most Auspicious Son of Heaven: I bow to the All-Knowing One at peace—the Teacher of gods and men who conquered the four demons, attained perfect enlightenment, turned the wheel of the Dharma, saved all beings, completed his teaching, and entered nirvana; whose relics spread across the land, raising countless jeweled stupas towering like Mount Sumeru; whose scriptures shine like the sun; and whose countless pure monks stand like stars in the heavens. Your realm is vast, your people innumerable; your palaces and cities rival the halls of heaven. You are known as the Most Auspicious Son of Heaven of Great Song, the great state of Yangzhou; you dwell secure within it, inheriting the sages of old and ruling the four seas—all within Jambudvipa bow to you. As all drink from these waters and receive their blessing, though I am far away I too share in your grace; though the great sea divides us, I remain your loyal subject in spirit. Look upon my sincere devotion and in mercy accept me. If you grant my request, I will send envoys within the year; whatever you require, I shall supply on your command. I pray you will trust and accept me, without doubting my intent. I now send chief envoy Fotuopoduo and deputy envoy Gedi to convey my humble devotion, bowing before you, Most Auspicious Son of Heaven. I pray you will trust what Poduo reports, and grant every request I make. I offer these modest gifts as tokens of my humble devotion.
18
師子國,元嘉五年,[5]國王剎利摩訶南奉表曰:
The kingdom of Sri Lanka: in the fifth year of Yuanjia (428),[5] King Kshatriya Mahanam submitted a memorial reading:
19
謹白大宋明主,雖山海殊隔,而音信時通。 伏承皇帝道德高遠,覆載同於天地,明照齊乎日月,四海之外,無往不伏,方國諸王,莫不遣信奉獻,以表歸德之誠,或泛海三年,陸行千日,畏威懷德,無遠不至。 我先王以來,唯以修德為正,不嚴而治,奉事三寶,道濟天下,欣人為善,慶若在己,欲與天子共弘正法,以度難化。 故託四道人遣二白衣送牙臺像以為信誓,信還,願垂音告。
I respectfully address the enlightened ruler of Great Song: though mountains and seas stand between us, news still passes between our realms. Though I cannot see you in person, I know your virtue reaches as high and wide as heaven and earth, your wisdom shines like sun and moon; beyond the four seas none resists you. Princes of every realm send envoys bearing tribute in earnest submission. Some sail three years or march a thousand days—drawn by your power and goodness, none stays away. Since the time of my forefathers we have governed through virtue rather than force, honoring the Three Treasures, bringing the Way to the world, rejoicing in others' goodness as our own, and wishing together with Your Majesty to spread the true Dharma and save those hardest to convert. We therefore send four monks and two lay disciples bearing an ivory altar image as pledge of our faith; when our envoys return, we ask that you send word in reply.
20
至十二年,又復遣使奉獻。
In the twelfth year (435) envoys came again with tribute.
21
天竺迦毗黎國,元嘉五年,國王月愛遣使奉表曰:
Kapili in India: in the fifth year of Yuanjia (428) King Yue'ai sent envoys with a memorial reading:
22
伏聞彼國,據江傍海,山川周固,眾妙悉備,莊嚴清淨,猶如化城,宮殿莊嚴,街巷平坦,人民充滿,歡娛安樂。 聖王出遊,四海隨從,聖明仁愛,不害眾生,萬邦歸仰,國富如海。 國中眾生,奉順正法,大王仁聖,化之以道,慈施羣生,無所遺惜。 帝修淨戒,軌道不及,無上法船,濟諸沈溺,羣僚百官,受樂無怨,諸天擁護,萬神侍衞,天魔降伏,莫不歸化。 王身端嚴,如日初出,仁澤普潤,猶如大雲,聖賢承業,如日月天,於彼真丹,最為殊勝。
From afar I have heard of your realm: set between rivers and sea, ringed by mountains, endowed with every excellence, pure and splendid as a divine city—your palaces rise in majesty, your streets lie level, your people abound in joy and ease. When the sage king travels abroad, the four seas attend him. Wise, benevolent, harming no living thing, he draws every nation to homage; his kingdom's wealth is boundless as the sea. Your subjects follow the true Law; the Great King, benevolent and sage, teaches them through the Way, showering mercy on all beings without stint. The Emperor keeps pure precepts beyond compare; his supreme Dharma vessel rescues the drowning. Ministers and officials serve in contentment; the heavens protect him, myriad spirits attend him, demons are subdued—all submit to his rule. Your majesty stands upright as the rising sun; your benevolence spreads like rain from great clouds. Sages inherit your cause as sun and moon in the sky—among the true realms of the Dharma, yours is supreme.
23
臣之所住,名迦毗河,東際于海,其城四邊,悉紫紺石,首羅天護,令國安隱。 國王相承,未嘗斷絕,國中人民,率皆修善,諸國來集,共遵道法,諸寺舍子,皆七寶形像,眾妙供具,如先王法。 臣自修檢,不犯道禁,臣名月愛,棄世王種。
My kingdom lies on the Kapili River, reaching eastward to the sea. Its walls on every side are built of purple stone; the god Shiluo protects us, keeping the land secure and at peace. Kings have ruled in unbroken succession; our people for the most part practice goodness. Foreign lands gather here to follow the Way. In every monastery the images are wrought of the seven treasures, with splendid offerings as in the time of former kings. I myself keep the precepts and violate none of the Law. My name is Yue'ai; I have renounced my worldly royal lineage.
24
惟願大王聖體和善,羣臣百官,悉自安隱。 今以此國羣臣吏民,山川珍寶,一切歸屬,五體歸誠大王足下。 山海遐隔,無由朝覲,宗仰之至,遣使下承。 使主父名天魔悉達,使主名尼陁達,此人由來良善忠信,是故今遣奉使表誠。 大王若有所須,珍奇異物,悉當奉送,此之境土,便是王國,王之法令,治國善道,悉當承用。 願二國信使往來不絕,此反使還,願賜一使,具宣聖命,備勑所宜。 款至之誠,望不空反,所白如是,願加哀愍。
I pray only that the Great King's sacred person enjoys health and harmony, and that all his ministers and officials live in peace. I now submit this kingdom—all its officials, its people, its mountains, rivers, and treasures—to you in complete allegiance, bowing in full devotion at your feet. Mountains and seas lie between us, preventing my coming to court; in deepest reverence I send envoys to receive your commands. The envoy's father is named Tianmosida; the chief envoy is Nitada—a man always good, loyal, and trustworthy, whom I therefore send to testify to my sincerity. Whatever rare treasures you require, I shall send them. This land shall be your kingdom; your laws and wise governance I shall adopt in full. May envoys of our two realms travel back and forth without end. When these envoys return, I ask that you send one of your own to proclaim your sacred will in full. I pray this earnest devotion will not be sent away unanswered. This is my plea; I ask your compassion.
25
奉獻金剛指環、摩勒金環諸寶物、赤白鸚鵡各一頭。 太宗泰始二年,又遣使貢獻,以其使主竺扶大、竺阿彌並為建威將軍。
He offered a diamond finger ring, molila gold rings and other treasures, and one red and one white parrot. In the second year of Taishi (466), under Emperor Ming, envoys came again with tribute; chief envoys Zhufuda and Zhuamituo were both made Generals Who Establish Might.
26
元嘉十八年,蘇摩黎國王那隣那羅跋摩遣使獻方物。 世祖孝建二年,斤陁利國王釋婆羅那隣陁遣長史竺留陁及多獻金銀寶器。 後廢帝元徽元年,婆黎國遣使貢獻。 凡此諸國,皆事佛道。
In the eighteenth year of Yuanjia (441) King Nalinnalobamo of Sumoli sent envoys with tribute. In the second year of Xiaojian (455), under Emperor Xiaowu, King Shiboluanalintuo of Jintuoli sent his chief clerk Zhuliutuo and others with gold, silver, and precious vessels. In the first year of Yuanhui (473), under Emperor Houfei, Poli sent tribute envoys. All these kingdoms practiced Buddhism.
27
佛道自後漢明帝,法始東流,自此以來,其教稍廣,自帝王至于民庶,莫不歸心,經誥充積,訓義深遠,別為一家之學焉。 元嘉十二年,丹陽尹蕭摹之奏曰:「佛化被于中國,已歷四代,形像塔寺,所在千數,進可以繫心,[6]退足以招勸。 而自頃以來,情敬浮末,不以精誠為至,更以奢競為重。 舊宇頹弛,曾莫之修,而各務造新,以相姱尚。 甲第顯宅,於茲殆盡,材竹銅綵,糜損無極,無關神祇,有累人事。 建中越制,宜加裁檢,不為之防,流遁未息。 [7]請自今以後,有欲鑄銅像者,悉詣臺自聞; 興造塔寺精舍,皆先詣在所二千石通辭,郡依事列言本州; 須許報,然後就功。 其有輒造寺舍者,皆依不承用詔書律,銅宅林苑,悉沒入官。」 詔可。 又沙汰沙門,罷道者數百人。
Buddhism entered China under Emperor Ming of the Later Han and gradually spread. From emperors to commoners, all turned to it. Scriptures accumulated in vast numbers, their teachings profound and far-reaching, until Buddhism stood as a distinct tradition. In the twelfth year of Yuanjia (435) Danyang prefect Xiao Muzhi memorialized: "Buddhism has flourished in China for four dynasties; images, pagodas, and temples number in the thousands—they can anchor the faithful[6] and draw others to devotion. Yet lately devotion has grown shallow; people no longer prize sincere faith, but compete in extravagance. Old temples crumble unattended while everyone races to build new ones, each trying to outdo the rest. They squander timber, bamboo, copper, and silk without limit on temples that do nothing for the gods but weigh heavily on the people. Such excess construction should be restrained; without checks the waste will never stop. [7] I ask that from now on anyone wishing to cast bronze images must report to the central administration; Construction of pagodas, temples, and monasteries must first be announced to the local chief official, who shall report through the commandery to the province; Work may begin only after approval is received. Anyone who builds without permission shall be punished under the statute for defying imperial edicts; bronze images, properties, and orchards shall be confiscated." The emperor approved. Monks were also screened; several hundred were defrocked.
28
世祖大明二年,有曇標道人與羌人高闍謀反,上因是下詔曰:「佛法訛替,沙門混雜,未足扶濟鴻教,而專成逋藪。 加姦心頻發,凶狀屢聞,敗亂風俗,人神交怨。 可付所在,精加沙汰,後有違犯,嚴加誅坐。」 於是設諸條禁,自非戒行精苦,並使還俗。 而諸寺尼出入宮掖,交關妃后,此制竟不能行。
In the second year of Daming (458), under Emperor Xiaowu, the monk Tanbiao conspired with the Qiang tribesman Gao Ge to rebel. The emperor then issued an edict: "Buddhism has fallen into decay; monks are a confused lot, failing to uphold the faith while harboring fugitives. Treachery mounts, outrages multiply, morals are corrupted, and both men and gods are offended. Let local authorities conduct a thorough purge; future violators shall be severely punished." Many regulations followed; all monks except those of ascetic virtue were forced to return to lay life. Yet temple nuns continued to enter the palace and consort with imperial women, and the policy could not be enforced.
29
先是晉世庾冰始創議,欲使沙門敬王者,後桓玄復述其義,並不果行。 大明六年,世祖使有司奏曰:「臣聞邃宇崇居,非期宏峻,拳跪槃伏,非止敬恭,將以施張四維,締制八宇。 故雖儒法枝派,名墨條分,至於崇親嚴上,厥繇靡爽。 唯浮圖為教,逷自龍堆,反經提傳,訓遐事遠,練生瑩識,恒俗稱難,宗旨緬謝,微言淪隔,拘文蔽道,在末彌扇。 遂乃陵越典度,偃倨尊戚,失隨方之眇迹,迷製化之淵義。 夫佛法以謙儉自牧,忠虔為道,不輕比丘,遭人斯拜,[8]目連桑門,遇長則禮,寧有屈膝四輩,而簡禮二親,[9]稽顙耆臘,而直體萬乘者哉。 故咸康創議,元興載述,而事屈偏黨,道挫餘分。 今鴻源遙洗,羣流仰鏡,九仙賮寶,百神聳職,而畿輦之內,舍弗臣之氓,陛席之間,延抗禮之客,懼非所以澄一風範,詳示景則者也。 臣等參議,以為沙門接見,比當盡虔禮敬之容,依其本俗,則朝徽有序,乘方兼遂矣。」 詔可。 前廢帝初,復舊。
Earlier in the Jin, Yu Bing first proposed that monks bow to the emperor; Huan Xuan later revived the idea—but neither succeeded. In the sixth year of Daming (462), Emperor Xiaowu had officials memorialize: "Deep halls and lofty seats are not meant merely for grandeur; bowing and prostration serve not only as marks of respect—they uphold the four bonds and order the realm. Though Confucianism, Legalism, Naming, and Mohism part into schools, all agree on honoring kin and reverencing superiors. Buddhism alone, coming from beyond the western frontier, departs from the classics. Its teachings are remote, its doctrines difficult for ordinary people. Its core has grown obscure, its subtle words lost; literalism hides the Way, and lately it spreads only the more. Monks now overstep propriety, standing proud before noble kin, forgetting their place and the deeper purpose of civilizing rule. Buddhism teaches humility and loyal devotion—monks bow to elders, not the reverse.[8] Even Maudgalyayana bowed to his seniors.[9] How then can monks kneel to one another yet refuse to bow to parents, or prostrate before elders yet stand stiff before the emperor? Proposals at Xiankang and Yuanxing failed through partisan obstruction. Now that the dynasty shines bright and all look to the throne, yet within the capital live subjects who refuse to bow, and before the imperial seat stand guests who resist ritual—is this how to unify conduct and set a clear example? We propose that when monks are received in audience they should show full reverence according to custom—thus court order will be preserved on every side." The emperor approved. At the start of Emperor Qianfei's reign the old practice was restored.
30
世祖寵姬殷貴妃薨,為之立寺,貴妃子子鸞封新安王,故以新安為寺號。 前廢帝殺子鸞,乃毀廢新安寺,驅斥僧徒,尋又毀中興、天寶諸寺。 太宗定亂,下令曰:「先帝建中興及新安諸寺,所以長世垂範,弘宣盛化。 頃遇昏虐,法像殘毀,師徒奔迸,甚以矜懷。 妙訓淵謨,有扶名教。 可招集舊僧,普各還本,並使材官,隨宜修復。」
When Emperor Xiaowu's beloved Consort Yin died, he built a temple in her honor. Her son Ziluan had been enfeoffed as Prince of Xin'an, so the temple took that name. Emperor Qianfei killed Ziluan, then demolished Xin'an Temple and expelled its monks; soon after he destroyed Zhongxing, Tianbao, and other temples as well. Emperor Ming, having quelled the rebellion, issued an order: "My predecessor built the Zhongxing and Xin'an temples to endure for generations and spread the flourishing teaching. Under recent tyranny their images were destroyed and their monks scattered—a cause for deep sorrow. Their profound teachings can still support the moral order. Recall the former monks to their temples and send craftsmen to restore them as needed."
31
宋世名僧有道生。 道生,彭城人也。 父為廣戚令。 [10]生出家為沙門法大弟子。 幼而聰悟,年十五,便能講經。 及長有異解,立頓悟義,時人推服之。 元嘉十一年,卒於廬山。 沙門慧琳為之誄。
A renowned monk of the Liu Song was Daosheng. Daosheng was from Pengcheng. His father served as magistrate of Guangqi. [10] He left home to become a disciple of the monk Fada. From childhood he was brilliant; by fifteen he could expound the sutras. As an adult he developed distinctive views and formulated the doctrine of sudden enlightenment, which won wide admiration. He died on Mount Lu in the eleventh year of Yuanjia (434). The monk Huilin composed his elegy.
32
慧琳者,秦郡秦縣人,姓劉氏。 少出家,住冶城寺,有才章,兼外內之學,為廬陵王義真所知。 嘗著均善論,其詞曰:
Huilin was from Qin County in Qin Commandery, of the Liu clan. He entered monastic life young at Yecheng Temple, excelled in both Buddhist and secular learning, and won the favor of Prince Yizhen of Luling. He wrote the Treatise on Equilibrium and Goodness, which begins:
33
有白學先生,以為中國聖人,經綸百世,其德弘矣,智周萬變,天人之理盡矣,道無隱旨,教罔遺筌,聰叡迪哲,何負於殊論哉。 有黑學道士陋之,謂不照幽冥之途,弗及來生之化,雖尚虛心,未能虛事,不逮西域之深也。 於是白學訪其所以不逮云爾。
A master of White Learning held that China's sages had governed for generations with vast virtue and all-encompassing wisdom, leaving no principle of heaven or man unexplored—their Way hid nothing, their teaching omitted nothing. How could they be inferior to foreign creeds? A priest of Black Learning scorned this, saying it illumined neither the underworld nor the afterlife—that though it prized emptiness of mind, it could not empty worldly affairs, and fell short of the depth of the Western Regions. White Learning then asked precisely where it fell short.
34
白曰:「釋氏所論之空,與老氏所言之空,無同異乎?」 黑曰:「異。 釋氏即物為空,空物為一。 老氏有無兩行,空有為異。 安得同乎。」 白曰:「釋氏空物,物信空邪?」 黑曰:「然。 空又空,不翅於空矣。」 白曰:「三儀靈長於宇宙,萬品盈生於天地,孰是空哉?」 黑曰:「空其自性之有,不害因假之體也。 今構羣材以成大廈,罔專寢之實,積一豪以致合抱,無檀木之體,有生莫俄頃之留,泰山蔑累息之固,興滅無常,因緣無主,所空在於性理,所難據於事用,吾以為悞矣。」 白曰:「所言實相,空者其如是乎?」 黑曰:「然。」 白曰:「浮變之理,交於目前,視聽者之所同了邪? 解之以登道場,重之以輕異學,誠未見其淵深。」 黑曰:「斯理若近,求之實遠。 夫情之所重者虛,事之可重者實。 今虛其真實,離其浮偽,愛欲之惑,不得不去。 愛去而道場不登者,吾不知所以相曉也。」 白曰:「今析豪空樹,無□垂蔭之茂,離材虛室,不損輪奐之美,明無常增其愒蔭之情,陳若偏篤其競辰之慮。 貝錦以繁采發輝,和羹以鹽梅致旨,齊矦追爽鳩之樂,燕王無延年之術,恐和合之辯,危脆之教,正足戀其嗜好之欲,無以傾其愛競之惑也。」 黑曰:「斯固理絕於諸華,墳素莫之及也。」 白曰:「山高累卑之辭,川樹積小之詠,舟壑火傳之談,堅白唐肆之論,蓋盈於中國矣,非理之奧,故不舉以為教本耳。 子固以遺情遺累,虛心為道,而據事剖析者,更由指掌之間乎。」 黑曰:「周、孔為教,正及一世,不見來生無窮之緣,積善不過子孫之慶,累惡不過餘殃之罰,報効止於榮祿,誅責極於窮賤,視聽之外,冥然不知,良可悲矣。 釋迦關無窮之業,拔重關之險,陶方寸之慮,宇宙不足盈其明,設一慈之救,羣生不足勝其化,敍地獄則民懼其罪,敷天堂則物歡其福,指泥洹以長歸,乘法身以遐覽,神變無不周,靈澤靡不覃,先覺翻翔於上世,後悟騰翥而不紹,坎井之局,何以識大方之家乎。」 白曰:「固能大其言矣,今効神光無徑寸之明,驗靈變罔纖介之異,勤誠者不覩善救之貌,篤學者弗剋陵虛之實,徒稱無量之壽,孰見期頤之叟,咨嗟金剛之固,安覿不朽之質。 苟於事不符,宜尋立言之指,遺其所寄之說也。 且要天堂以就善,曷若服義而蹈道,懼地獄以敕身,孰與從理以端心。 禮拜以求免罪,不由祗肅之意,施一以徼百倍,弗乘無吝之情。 美泥洹之樂,生耽逸之慮,贊法身之妙,肇好奇之心,近欲未弭,遠利又興,雖言菩薩無欲,羣生固以有欲矣。 甫救交敝之氓,永開利競之俗,澄神反道,其可得乎。」 黑曰:「不然。 若不示以來生之欲,何以權其當生之滯。 物情不能頓至,故積漸以誘之。 奪此俄頃,要彼無窮,若弗勤春稼,秋穡何期。 端坐井底,而息意庶慮者,長淪於九泉之下矣。」 白曰:「異哉! 何所務之乖也。 道在無欲,而以有欲要之,北行求郢,西征索越,方長迷於幽都,永謬滯於昧谷。 遼遼閩、楚,其可見乎。 所謂積漸者,日損之謂也。 當先遺其所輕,然後忘其所重,使利欲日去,淳白自生耳。 豈得以少要多,以粗易妙,俯仰之間,非利不動,利之所蕩,其有極哉。 乃丹青眩媚綵之目,土木夸好壯之心,興糜費之道,單九服之財,樹無用之事,割羣生之急,致營造之計,成私樹之權,務勸化之業,結師黨之勢,苦節以要厲精之譽,護法以展陵競之情,悲矣。 夫道其安寄乎。 是以周、孔敦俗,弗關視聽之外,老、莊陶風,謹守性分而已。」 黑曰:「三遊本於仁義,盜跖資於五善,聖跡之敝,豈有內外。 且黃、老之家,符章之偽,水祝之誣,不可勝論。 子安於彼,駭於此,玩於濁水,違於清淵耳。」 白曰:「有跡不能不敝,有術不能無偽,此乃聖人所以桎梏也。 今所惜在作法於貪,遂以成俗,不正其敝,反以為高耳。 至若淫妄之徒,世自近鄙,源流蔑然,固不足論。」 黑曰:「釋氏之教,專救夷俗,便無取於諸華邪?」 白曰:「曷為其然。 為則開端,宜懷屬緒,愛物去殺,尚施周人,息心遺榮華之願,大士布兼濟之念,仁義玄一者,何以尚之。 惜乎幽旨不亮,末流為累耳。」 黑曰:「子之論善殆同矣,便事盡於生乎?」 白曰:「幽冥之理,固不極於人事矣。 周、孔疑而不辨,釋迦辨而不實,將宜廢其顯晦之跡,存其所要之旨。 請嘗言之。 夫道之以仁義者,服理以從化,帥之以勸戒者,循利而遷善。 故甘辭興於有欲,而滅於悟理,淡說行於天解,而息於貪偽。 是以示來生者,蔽虧於道、釋不得已,杜幽闇者,冥符於姬、孔閉其兌。 由斯論之,言之者未必遠,知之者未必得,不知者未必失,但知六度與五教並行,信順與慈悲齊立耳。 殊塗而同歸者,不得守其發輪之轍也。」
White asked: "Is the emptiness taught by the Buddha the same as or different from Lao Zi's emptiness?" Black answered: "Different. The Buddha treats things as empty and merges emptiness with things into one. Lao Zi holds both being and non-being; for him emptiness and being differ. How can they be the same? White asked: "If the Buddha empties things, are things truly empty?" Black replied: "Yes. Emptiness upon emptiness—nothing remains but emptiness itself. White asked: "Heaven, earth, and man endure throughout the cosmos; all creatures teem upon the land—which of these is empty? Black replied: "It empties only their inherent existence, without denying their conventional forms. Timbers are joined to raise a hall, yet no single "sleeping chamber" exists apart from the whole; hairs are piled until they would gird a tree, yet no sandalwood trunk is there. Nothing that lives endures a breath; even Mount Tai is not eternally firm. All things rise and fall without fixity; causes and conditions have no sovereign lord. Emptiness applies to intrinsic nature, not to practical use—and I hold your objection to be in error. White asked: "The ultimate reality you describe—is emptiness really like this? Black answered: "It is. White pressed on: "The flux of change is plain before our eyes—is this not what every eye sees and every ear hears alike? Yet you would climb the Dharma seat to expound it, and dismiss rival teachings as shallow—I see no profundity in that. Black replied: "This truth seems close at hand, yet pursued in earnest it recedes beyond reach. The heart must cherish what is empty; affairs must be grounded in what is real. Empty what is truly real, cast off what is merely false, and the snares of craving cannot remain. If craving is gone and one still will not take the Dharma seat, I see no way we could ever understand each other. White said: "Split a hair and the tree is 'empty'—yet no □ branching shade remains; dismantle the timbers and the room is 'empty'—yet its carved beams lose none of their beauty. Proclaim impermanence and you only deepen the longing for shade; preach such one-sided zeal and you only sharpen the dread of the passing day. Brocade gleams through many hues; stew finds its flavor in salt and plum. The Marquis of Qi chased the Shuangjiu bird's song; the King of Yan knew no art of long life. I fear your talk of harmony and your doctrine of fragility only feed the appetites they claim to cure, and cannot uproot the passions of love and rivalry. Black answered: "This truth lies beyond anything Huaxia has known—the classics and histories cannot touch it. White replied: "China already overflows with such sayings—that mountains grow high from humble stones, that rivers and trees grow great from small beginnings, that boats vanish into ravines and fire passes from torch to torch, that hard-white and Tang-market sophistries abound. They are not the deepest truth, and so are not made the foundation of teaching. You claim to cast off passion and burden and make an empty heart your Way—yet when you dissect things case by case, is that not still within fingertip's reach? Black said: "The teaching of Zhou and Confucius extends only to this one life. It knows nothing of the boundless karma of lives to come. Goodness brings blessing no further than one's descendants; evil brings punishment no further than later generations. Reward stops at rank and emolument; punishment ends in poverty and disgrace. Beyond what eye and ear can reach, all is darkness—how lamentable. Shakyamuni seals off the karma of countless lives and breaks through the heaviest barriers. He refines the mind within a square inch, yet his light outfills the cosmos. With one compassionate deliverance he transforms all beings beyond counting. Describe hell and people fear their sins; preach heaven and all rejoice in its blessings. Point to nirvana as the long homecoming; mount the Dharma-body and survey the far reaches. His divine transformations leave nothing untouched; his grace extends everywhere. Sages of old soared in ages past; the awakened of later times rise without end. How can one trapped in a well know the dwelling of the truly great? White said: "You can certainly enlarge your rhetoric. Yet when tested, divine light shows not even an inch of radiance; miraculous change reveals not the slightest trace. The devout see no face of salvation; the earnest student gains no proof of transcending the void. You speak of measureless life—who has met a man of a hundred years? You praise the diamond's hardness—where is this imperishable substance to be seen? When words fail the test of affairs, one should seek what the speaker truly meant and set aside the doctrine he merely used to say it. To demand heaven as the price of virtue—is that better than embracing righteousness and walking the Way? To fear hell as the curb on conduct—is that better than following reason and setting the heart aright? One bows in worship to buy release from sin, not from reverent awe; one gives a single coin to claim a hundredfold return, not from unstinting generosity. Praise nirvana's bliss and you breed longing for ease; praise the marvel of the Dharma-body and you stir a taste for novelty. Near cravings are not stilled before far rewards are dangled. Though you say bodhisattvas are without desire, ordinary beings remain creatures of desire. You would rescue people worn down by strife, yet open forever a culture of gain and rivalry. Can spirit be clarified and the Way recovered by such means? Black replied: "Not so. Unless you hold out the desires of the next life, how can you counter the inertia of this one? Human nature cannot leap to the goal at once; one must lure it forward step by step. Relinquish this fleeting moment for that boundless reward—without sowing in spring, what harvest can autumn bring? Sit upright in the bottom of a well and still your thoughts—you will sink forever beneath the nine springs. White exclaimed: "How strange! How perverse is the course you pursue! The Way lies in freedom from desire, yet you would reach it through desire—like going north to find Ying or marching west to seek Yue, growing ever more lost in the dark north while forever stranded at the western sunset. Min and Chu lie immeasurably far—can they ever be reached? What you call gradual progress, I call daily diminishment. First let go of what is slight, then forget what weighs heavily, until profit and desire fall away day by day and purity arises of itself. How can the lesser demand the greater, the coarse trade for the subtle? In every motion, nothing stirs except for gain—and where gain leads, is there any end? Paint and lacquer dazzle the eye; timber and stone feed a lust for grandeur. Extravagance drains the wealth of the realm; useless projects displace the people's urgent needs. Building schemes become private patronage; preaching becomes the forging of sectarian power. Harsh asceticism wins a name for fierce devotion; defending the Dharma becomes a theater for domineering rivalry. How lamentable. Where, then, can the Way find a home? Zhou and Confucius cultivated custom and did not meddle with what lies beyond sight and hearing. Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi shaped the age by urging each person to keep to his natural place—nothing more. Black said: "The three wanderers drew on benevolence and righteousness; Robber Zhi drew on the five virtues. When the sages' legacy decays, is the rot confined to one camp alone? And among the followers of Huang-Lao, the fraud of talismanic writs and the deceit of water-rites are beyond counting. You are at ease with that and alarmed by this—playing in muddy water while turning from the clear deep. White replied: "Where there are traces, decay follows; where there are methods, fraud appears. That is why the sages set limits. What I lament is that greed has been made into practice and then into custom—that its corruption is not corrected but celebrated as virtue. As for the licentious and deluded, the age itself holds them in contempt; their line is already spent and not worth discussing. Black asked: "If the Buddha's teaching was meant only to redeem barbarian ways, does it have nothing to offer Huaxia? White answered: "Why should that be so? From the outset it opened a path worth following: cherish all life and renounce killing; give freely even to the people of Zhou; still the heart and leave aside the hunger for glory; great beings spread the resolve to save all. When benevolence, righteousness, and the deepest unity are already present, what higher thing remains to exalt? It is only a pity that its subtle intent has grown dim and its later followers have become a burden. Black said: "Your view of goodness is nearly the same as mine—yet would you limit all affairs to this life alone? White replied: "The realm beyond life is not wholly knowable through human affairs. Zhou and Confucius doubted but did not presume to decide; Shakyamuni decided but could not prove his case. We should set aside their conflicting outward claims and keep what each truly intended. Let me explain. Those led by benevolence and righteousness submit to reason and are transformed; those guided by reward and warning follow advantage and turn toward good. Sweet words arise where desire remains and fade once principle is understood; plain teaching suits those heaven has awakened and stills where greed and falsehood cease. Hence the talk of future lives: Daoists and Buddhists, having no alternative, veil the truth; the silence about the dark beyond: the Zhou and Confucius, in their own way, closed the gate. Seen this way, those who speak are not necessarily far from truth; those who know are not necessarily enlightened; those who do not know are not necessarily lost. Know only that the six paramitas may walk beside the five virtues, and that faith and obedience may stand together with compassion. Different roads may lead to the same end—but one need not cling to the first rut the wheel cut."
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論行於世。 舊僧謂其貶黜釋氏,欲加擯斥。 太祖見論賞之,元嘉中,遂參權要,朝廷大事,皆與議焉。 賓客輻湊,門車常有數十兩,四方贈賂相係,勢傾一時。 注孝經及莊子逍遙篇、文論,傳於世。
The treatise circulated widely. Older monks took it as an attack on Buddhism and sought to have him ostracized. Emperor Wen read the treatise and praised it. During the Yuanjia era Huilin entered the circle of power and was consulted on major state matters. Visitors flocked to his door and dozens of carriages often lined the street; gifts poured in from every quarter, and for a time his influence eclipsed all others. His commentaries on the Classic of Filial Piety, the "Free and Easy Wandering" chapter of the Zhuang Zi, and the Literary Discourses also circulated.
36
又有慧嚴、慧議道人,並住東安寺,學行精整,為道俗所推。 時鬭場寺多禪僧,京師為之語曰:「鬭場禪師窟,東安談義林。」
The monks Huiyan and Huiyi also lived at Dong'an Temple, men of refined learning and conduct esteemed by clergy and laity alike. At the time Dou Arena Temple was known for its Chan monks, and a saying circulated in the capital: "Dou Arena—a cave of meditation masters; Dong'an—a forest of doctrinal debate."
37
世祖大明四年,於中興寺設齋。 有一異僧,眾莫之識,問其名,答言名明慧,從天安寺來,忽然不見。 天下無此寺名,乃改中興曰天安寺。 大明中,外國沙門摩訶衍苦節有精理,於京都多出新經,勝鬘經尤見重內學。
In the fourth year of Daming (460), Emperor Xiaowu held a vegetarian feast at Zhongxing Temple. A strange monk appeared whom no one recognized. Asked his name, he said he was Minghui and had come from Tian'an Temple—then vanished without warning. No temple by that name existed anywhere in the realm, so Zhongxing Temple was renamed Tian'an Temple. During the Daming era the foreign monk Mahayana, an ascetic of refined understanding, produced many new sutras in the capital; the Shravakabhumi Sutra was especially prized among Buddhist scholars.
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東夷高句驪國,今治漢之遼東郡。 高句驪王高璉,晉安帝義熙九年,遣長史高翼奉表獻赭白馬。 以璉為使持節、都督營州諸軍事、征東將軍、高句驪王、樂浪公。 高祖踐阼,詔曰:「使持節、都督營州諸軍事、征東將軍、高句驪王、樂浪公璉,使持節、督百濟諸軍事、鎮東將軍、百濟王映,並執義海外,遠修貢職。 惟新告始,宜荷國休,璉可征東大將軍,映可鎮東大將軍。 持節、都督、王、公如故。」 三年,加璉散騎常侍,增督平州諸軍事。 少帝景平二年,璉遣長史馬婁等詣闕獻方物,遣使慰勞之,曰:「皇帝問使持節、散騎常侍、都督營平二州諸軍事、征東大將軍、高句驪王、樂浪公,纂戎東服,庸績繼軌,厥惠既彰,款誠亦著,踰遼越海,納貢本朝。 朕以不德,忝承鴻緒,永懷先蹤,思覃遺澤。 今遣謁者朱邵伯、副謁者王邵子等,宣旨慰勞。 其茂康惠政,永隆厥功,式昭往命,稱朕意焉。」
The Eastern Yi kingdom of Goguryeo now occupied the territory of Han's Liaodong Commandery. In the ninth year of Yixi (413), King Gao Lian of Goguryeo sent Senior Clerk Gao Yi with a memorial and tribute of a sorrel-and-white horse. Lian was appointed Bearer of the Staff, Commander-in-Chief of Ying Province, General Who Conquers the East, King of Goguryeo, and Duke of Lelang. When Emperor Gaozu took the throne, he issued an edict: "Lian, Bearer of the Staff, Commander of Ying Province, General Who Conquers the East, King of Goguryeo, and Duke of Lelang, and Ying, Bearer of the Staff, Commander of Baekje, General Who Pacifies the East, and King of Baekje, have both upheld righteousness beyond the seas and faithfully sent tribute from afar. At this renewal of the dynasty they deserve the state's favor: Lian is promoted to Grand General Who Conquers the East, and Ying to Grand General Who Pacifies the East. Their titles as Bearer of the Staff, commander, king, and duke remain unchanged. In the third year of his reign Lian was further appointed Regular Attendant and given additional command over Ping Province. In the second year of Jingping (424), Lian sent Senior Clerk Ma Lou and others to court with local tribute. The emperor dispatched envoys with words of comfort: "The Emperor inquires of Lian, Bearer of the Staff, Regular Attendant, Commander of Ying and Ping provinces, Grand General Who Conquers the East, King of Goguryeo, and Duke of Lelang: you have inherited your post in the eastern marches and continued your predecessors' service. Your grace is manifest and your loyalty clear, crossing the Liaodong frontier and the sea to bring tribute to our court. I, lacking virtue, have undeservedly inherited the great throne. I ever recall the deeds of my predecessors and seek to extend their legacy. I now send the ushers Zhu Shaobo and Wang Shaozi to convey my message and express my regard. May you prosper, govern with benevolence, and long uphold your service, fulfilling the charge entrusted to you and my own wishes."
39
先是,鮮卑慕容寶治中山,為索虜所破,東走黃龍。 義熙初,寶弟熙為其下馮跋所殺,跋自立為主,自號燕王,以其治黃龍城,故謂之黃龍國。 跋死,子弘立,[11]屢為索虜所攻,不能下。 太祖世,每歲遣使獻方物。 元嘉十二年,賜加除授。 十五年,復為索虜所攻,弘敗走,奔高驪北豐城,表求迎接。 太祖遣使王白駒、趙次興迎之,并令高驪料理資遣,璉不欲使弘南,乃遣將孫漱、高仇等襲殺之。 白駒等率所領七千餘人掩討漱等,生禽漱,殺高仇等二人。 璉以白駒等專殺,遣使執送之,上以遠國,不欲違其意,白駒等下獄,見原。
Earlier, the Xianbei ruler Murong Bao had governed Zhongshan until defeated by the Northern Wei and driven east to Huanglong. At the start of the Yixi era (405), Bao's brother Xi was killed by his general Feng Ba, who seized power and styled himself Prince of Yan. Because he ruled from Huanglong city, his realm was called the Huanglong kingdom. When Feng Ba died, his son Hong succeeded him.[11] The Northern Wei attacked repeatedly but could not bring him down. Throughout Emperor Wen's reign they sent tribute annually. In the twelfth year of Yuanjia (435) additional titles and appointments were conferred. In the fifteenth year (438) the Northern Wei attacked again. Hong was defeated and fled to Beifeng city in Goguryeo, where he petitioned the Liu Song court for rescue. Emperor Wen sent Wang Baiju and Zhao Cixing to escort him south and ordered Goguryeo to provide supplies for the journey. Lian, unwilling to let Hong reach the south, sent generals Sun Su and Gao Chou to ambush and kill him. Wang Baiju led his force of more than seven thousand men in a surprise attack, captured Sun Su alive, and killed Gao Chou and two others. Lian demanded that Wang Baiju and his men be handed over for having killed without authorization. The emperor, not wishing to offend a distant ally, had them imprisoned but then pardoned.
40
璉每歲遣使。 十六年,太祖欲北討,詔璉送馬,璉獻馬八百匹。 世祖孝建二年,璉遣長史董騰奉表慰國哀再周,幷獻方物。 大明三年,又獻肅慎氏楛矢石砮。 七年,詔曰:「使持節、散騎常侍、督平營二州諸軍事、征東大將軍、高句驪王、樂浪公璉,世事忠義,作藩海外,誠係本朝,志剪殘險,通譯沙表,克宣王猷。 宜加褒進,以旌純節。 可車騎大將軍、開府儀同三司,持節、常侍、都督、王、公如故。」 太宗泰始、後廢帝元徽中,貢獻不絕。
Lian continued to send envoys every year. In the sixteenth year (439), as Emperor Wen prepared a northern campaign, he ordered Lian to supply horses; Lian sent eight hundred. In the second year of Xiaojian (455), Lian sent Senior Clerk Dong Teng with a memorial of condolence on the second anniversary of the emperor's mourning and with local tribute. In the third year of Daming (459) he again sent birch arrows and stone arrowheads of Sushen make. In the seventh year (463) an edict declared: "Lian, Bearer of the Staff, Regular Attendant, Commander of Ping and Ying provinces, Grand General Who Conquers the East, King of Goguryeo, and Duke of Lelang, has through generations shown loyalty and righteousness as a frontier prince beyond the seas. Sincerely bound to our court and resolved to destroy our enemies, he communicates across the frontier and faithfully carries out the imperial will. He deserves further honor to mark his steadfast loyalty. He is appointed General of Chariots and Cavalry and Opener of the Office with the ceremonial rank of the Three Excellencies; his other titles remain unchanged. During the Taishi and Yuanhui eras under Emperors Ming and Houfei, tribute continued without interruption.
41
百濟國,本與高驪俱在遼東之東千餘里,其後高驪略有遼東,百濟略有遼西。 百濟所治,謂之晉平郡晉平縣。
The kingdom of Baekje originally lay more than a thousand li east of Liaodong, alongside Goguryeo. Later Goguryeo seized part of Liaodong and Baekje part of Liaoxi. Baekje's seat was known as Jinping Commandery, Jinping County.
42
義熙十二年,以百濟王餘映為使持節、都督百濟諸軍事、鎮東將軍、百濟王。 [12]高祖踐阼,進號鎮東大將軍。 少帝景平二年,映遣長史張威詣闕貢獻。 元嘉二年,太祖詔之曰:「皇帝問使持節、都督百濟諸軍事、鎮東大將軍、百濟王。 累葉忠順,越海効誠,遠王纂戎,聿修先業,慕義既彰,厥懷赤款,浮桴驪水,獻賝執贄,故嗣位方任,以藩東服,勉勗所莅,無墜前蹤。 今遣兼謁者閭丘恩子、兼副謁者丁敬子等宣旨慰勞稱朕意。」 其後每歲遣使奉表,獻方物。 七年,百濟王餘毗復修貢職,以映爵號授之。 二十七年,毗上書獻方物,私假臺使馮野夫西河太守,表求易林、式占、腰弩,太祖並與之。 毗死,子慶代立。 世祖大明元年,遣使求除授,詔許。 二年,慶遣使上表曰:「臣國累葉,偏受殊恩,文武良輔,世蒙朝爵。 行冠軍將軍右賢王餘紀等十一人,忠勤宜在顯進,伏願垂愍,並聽賜除。」 仍以行冠軍將軍右賢王餘紀為冠軍將軍。 以行征虜將軍左賢王餘昆、行征虜將軍餘暈並為征虜將軍。 以行輔國將軍餘都、餘乂並為輔國將軍。 以行龍驤將軍沐衿、餘爵並為龍驤將軍。 以行寧朔將軍餘流、麋貴並為寧朔將軍。 以行建武將軍于西、餘婁並為建武將軍。 太宗泰始七年,又遣使貢獻。
In the twelfth year of Yixi (416), Yu Ying, King of Baekje, was appointed Bearer of the Staff, Commander of Baekje, General Who Pacifies the East, and King of Baekje. [12] When Emperor Gaozu took the throne, Yu Ying was promoted to Grand General Who Pacifies the East. In the second year of Jingping (424), Ying sent Senior Clerk Zhang Wei to court with tribute. In the second year of Yuanjia (425), Emperor Wen addressed him with an edict: "The Emperor sends greetings to Bearer of the Staff, Commander of Baekje, Grand General Who Pacifies the East, and King of Baekje. Through successive reigns your house has shown loyalty and submission, crossing the sea to prove its devotion. You have inherited the throne, taken up arms, and restored your ancestors' enterprise. Your zeal for righteousness is manifest and your heart utterly sincere. You have crossed the waters by raft to bring tribute and gifts. On succeeding to the throne you were entrusted with office as a frontier prince in the east. We urge you to govern well and not fall short of your forebears. We are sending the Concurrent Master of Ceremonies Luqiu Enzi and the Concurrent Deputy Master of Ceremonies Ding Jingzi to proclaim this edict, convey our consolation and commendation, and speak on Our behalf." Thereafter envoys were sent every year with memorials and regional tribute. In the seventh year (430), King Yu Pi of Baekje again resumed tribute. He was granted the titles held by Yu Ying. In the twenty-seventh year (449), Pi submitted a memorial with regional gifts. Through the court envoy Feng Yefu, prefect of Xihe, he privately petitioned for copies of the Yilin, Shizhan, and waist crossbows; Emperor Wen granted everything requested. When Pi died, his son Qing succeeded him. In the first year of Daming (457), Baekje sent envoys asking for formal appointments, and the court agreed. The next year Qing sent envoys with a memorial stating: "Through many reigns my kingdom has enjoyed exceptional favor. Worthy ministers, civil and military alike, have generation after generation received ranks from Your Majesty. Acting General Who Conquers the Champions and Right Worthy King Yu Ji and eleven others have served with such loyalty and diligence that they merit promotion. I humbly ask Your Majesty to show them compassion and grant them appointments. Yu Ji, Acting General Who Conquers the Champions and Right Worthy King, was appointed General Who Conquers the Champions. Yu Kun, Acting General Who Conquers Barbarians and Left Worthy King, and Yu Yun, Acting General Who Conquers Barbarians, were both promoted to full Generals Who Conquer Barbarians. Yu Du and Yu Yi, both Acting Generals Who Assist the State, were appointed full Generals Who Assist the State. Mu Jin and Yu Jue, both Acting Generals of the Flying Dragon, were appointed full Generals of the Flying Dragon. Yu Liu and Mi Gui, both Acting Generals Who Pacify the North, were appointed full Generals Who Pacify the North. Yu Xi and Yu Lou, both Acting Generals Who Establish Might, were appointed full Generals Who Establish Might. In the seventh year of Taishi (471), during the reign of Emperor Ming, Baekje again sent envoys with tribute.
43
倭國在高驪東南大海中,世修貢職。 高祖永初二年,詔曰:「倭讚萬里修貢,遠誠宜甄,可賜除授。」 太祖元嘉二年,讚又遣司馬曹達奉表獻方物。 讚死,弟珍立,遣使貢獻。 自稱使持節、都督倭百濟新羅任那秦韓慕韓六國諸軍事、安東大將軍、倭國王。 表求除正,詔除安東將軍、倭國王。 珍又求除正倭隋等十三人平西、征虜、冠軍、輔國將軍號,詔並聽。 二十年,倭國王濟遣使奉獻,復以為安東將軍、倭國王。 二十八年,加使持節、都督倭新羅任那加羅秦韓慕韓六國諸軍事,安東將軍如故。 并除所上二十三人軍、郡。 濟死,世子興遣使貢獻。 世祖大明六年,詔曰:「倭王世子興,奕世載忠,作藩外海,稟化寧境,恭修貢職。 新嗣邊業,宜授爵號,可安東將軍、倭國王。」 興死,弟武立,自稱使持節、都督倭百濟新羅任那加羅秦韓慕韓七國諸軍事、安東大將軍、倭國王。
The kingdom of Wa lay in the open sea southeast of Goguryeo and for generations faithfully paid tribute. In the second year of Yongchu (421), Emperor Gaozu issued an edict: "King San of Wa sends tribute from ten thousand li away. Such distant sincerity deserves recognition; let him be granted titles and office." In the second year of Yuanjia (425), San again sent the marshal Cao Da with a memorial and regional tribute. When San died, his younger brother Zhen succeeded and sent envoys with tribute. He styled himself Bearer of the Staff, Commander of the Six States of Wa, Baekje, Silla, Imna, Qinhan, and Mohan, General Who Pacifies the East, and King of Wa. He memorialized the throne asking for formal appointment, and the court named him General Who Pacifies the East and King of Wa. Zhen again asked that thirteen men including Wa Sui be formally appointed to the ranks of General Who Pacifies the West, General Who Conquers Barbarians, General Who Conquers the Champions, and General Who Assists the State; the court granted all the requests. In the twentieth year (443), King Ji of Wa sent envoys with tribute and was again confirmed as General Who Pacifies the East and King of Wa. In the twenty-eighth year (451) he was further granted the titles Bearer of the Staff and Commander of the Six States of Wa, Silla, Imna, Kara, Qinhan, and Mohan; his title of General Who Pacifies the East remained unchanged. The twenty-three military and prefectural appointments he had listed were also granted. When Ji died, the crown prince Xing sent envoys with tribute. In the sixth year of Daming (462), Emperor Xiaowu issued an edict: "Crown Prince Xing of Wa has borne loyalty through many reigns, guarded the frontier beyond the seas, received our civilization and kept his realm at peace, and faithfully maintained tribute. Having newly inherited this frontier charge, he should receive rank and title: let him be General Who Pacifies the East and King of Wa." When Xing died, his younger brother Wu succeeded and styled himself Bearer of the Staff, Commander of the Seven States of Wa, Baekje, Silla, Imna, Kara, Qinhan, and Mohan, Grand General Who Pacifies the East, and King of Wa.
44
順帝昇明二年,遣使上表曰:「封國偏遠,作藩于外,自昔祖禰,躬擐甲冑,跋涉山川,不遑寧處。 東征毛人五十五國,西服眾夷六十六國,渡平海北九十五國,王道融泰,廓土遐畿,累葉朝宗,不愆于歲。 臣雖下愚,忝胤先緒,驅率所統,歸崇天極,道逕百濟,[13]裝治船舫,而句驪無道,圖欲見吞,掠抄邊隸,虔劉不已,每致稽滯,以失良風。 雖曰進路,或通或不。 臣亡考濟實忿寇讎,壅塞天路,控弦百萬,義聲感激,方欲大舉,奄喪父兄,使垂成之功,不獲一簣。 居在諒闇,不動兵甲,是以偃息未捷。 至今欲練甲治兵,申父兄之志,義士虎賁,文武效功,白刃交前,亦所不顧。 若以帝德覆載,摧此強敵,克靖方難,無替前功。 竊自假開府儀同三司,其餘咸各假授,[14]以勸忠節。」 詔除武使持節、都督倭新羅任那加羅秦韓慕韓六國諸軍事、安東大將軍、倭王。
In the second year of Shengming (478), Wu sent envoys with a memorial stating: "My kingdom lies far away, a frontier realm beyond the seas. From our earliest ancestors we have worn armor and marched through mountains and rivers without rest. We have conquered fifty-five hairy-peoples' states to the east and brought sixty-six Yi domains of the west to submission; we have crossed the sea and pacified ninety-five states to the north. The royal way flourishes and our territory reaches the distant marches. Generation after generation we have paid homage at court, never missing a year. Though I am unworthy, I have inherited my forebears' charge and lead my people in homage to the celestial throne. Our route lies through Baekje; [13] we have prepared ships for the voyage. But Goguryeo, devoid of justice, seeks to swallow us whole. It raids our border people and slaughters without end, delaying our embassies again and again and breaking the good custom of tribute. Though we call it the road to court, sometimes it is open and sometimes barred. My late father Ji burned with hatred for this enemy, who had choked off the road to the Son of Heaven. With a million archers at his call and his righteous fury roused, he was on the verge of a great campaign when death suddenly took him and his brother—so the work nearly done was lost for want of one last basket of earth. I remain in mourning and have not taken up arms; hence we have paused, and victory is still unrealized. But now I mean to train armor and marshal troops to fulfill my father and brother's purpose. My loyal warriors, civil and military alike, will serve to the death; even with blades before them they will not turn back. If by Your Majesty's all-encompassing virtue this mighty foe can be crushed and the frontier troubles settled, we shall not fall short of the achievements of those who came before us. I have taken upon myself the acting rank of Opener of the Office with the Ceremonial of the Three Excellencies, and have provisionally granted the rest their titles [14] to reward loyalty and steadfast service." An edict confirmed Wu as Bearer of the Staff, Commander of the Six States of Wa, Silla, Imna, Kara, Qinhan, and Mohan, Grand General Who Pacifies the East, and King of Wa.
45
荊、雍州蠻,槃瓠之後也。 分建種落,布在諸郡縣。 荊州置南蠻,雍州置寧蠻校尉以領之。 世祖初,罷南蠻併大府,而寧蠻如故。 蠻民順附者,一戶輸穀數斛,其餘無雜調,而宋民賦役嚴苦,貧者不復堪命,多逃亡入蠻。 蠻無傜役,強者又不供官稅,結黨連羣,動有數百千人,州郡力弱,則起為盜賊,種類稍多,戶口不可知也。 所在多深險,居武陵者有雄谿、樠谿、辰谿、酉谿、舞谿,[15]謂之五谿蠻。 而宜都、天門、巴東、建平、江北諸郡蠻,所居皆深山重阻,人跡罕至焉。 前世以來,屢為民患。
The barbarians of Jing and Yong provinces were descendants of Pan Hu. Their clans were divided and settled across many commanderies and counties. Jing Province maintained a Southern Barbarians office; Yong Province maintained a Pacifying Barbarians Commandant to oversee them. Early in the reign of Emperor Xiaowu the Southern Barbarians office was abolished and merged into the chief prefecture, while the Pacifying Barbarians command remained unchanged. Barbarians who submitted paid only a few hu of grain per household and owed no other levies; by contrast Song subjects faced crushing taxes and corvée. The poor could no longer endure it, and many fled into barbarian territory. The barbarians owed no corvée, and their strong men did not pay official grain tax either. They formed bands of hundreds or thousands. Where provincial and commandery forces were weak they turned to banditry. Their numbers grew until no one could say how many households they comprised. They lived mostly in rugged, inaccessible country. Those in Wuling along the Xiong, Man, Chen, You, and Wu streams [15] were called the Five Stream Barbarians. Barbarians in Yidu, Tianmen, Badong, Jianping, and the Han River north country likewise lived in deep mountains behind steep passes, where hardly any traveler went. From earlier dynasties they had repeatedly troubled the population.
46
少帝景平二年,宜都蠻帥石寧等一百二十三人詣闕上獻。 太祖元嘉六年,建平蠻張雍之等五十人,七年,宜都蠻田生等一百一十三人,並詣闕獻見。 其後沔中蠻大動,行旅殆絕。 天門漊中令宗矯之傜賦過重,[16]蠻不堪命。 十八年,蠻田向求等為寇,破漊中,虜略百姓。 荊州刺史衡陽王義季遣行參軍曹孫念討破之,獲生口五百餘人,免矯之官。 二十四年,南郡臨沮當陽蠻反,縛臨沮令傅僧驥。 荊州刺史南譙王義宣遣中兵參軍王諶討破之。
In the second year of Jingping (424), the Yidu barbarian chieftain Shi Ning and one hundred twenty-three others came to court with tribute. In the sixth year of Yuanjia (429), fifty Jianping barbarians led by Zhang Yongzhi; in the seventh year, one hundred thirteen Yidu barbarians led by Tian Sheng—all came to court for audience. Later the Mian River barbarians rose in force and travel along the route nearly ceased. Zong Jiaozhi, magistrate of Liao Middle in Tianmen, imposed corvée and levies that were far too heavy; [16] the barbarians could not endure it. In the eighteenth year (441) the barbarians Tian Xiangqiu and others rebelled, overran Liao Middle, and carried off the populace. Jingzhou inspector the Prince of Hengyang, Yiji, sent the acting retainer Cao Sunnian to attack and rout them, taking more than five hundred captives alive. Jiaozhi was dismissed from office. In the twenty-fourth year (447), the Linju and Dangyang barbarians of Nan Commandery rebelled and seized the Linju magistrate Fu Songji. Jingzhou inspector the Prince of Nanqiao, Yixuan, sent the central army retainer Wang Chen to attack and defeat them.
47
先是,雍州刺史劉道產善撫諸蠻,前後不附官者,莫不順服,皆引出平土,多緣沔為居。 及道產亡,蠻又反叛。 及世祖出為雍州,羣蠻斷道,擊大破之。 臺遣軍主沈慶之連年討蠻,所向皆平殄,事在慶之傳。 二十八年正月,龍山雉水蠻寇抄湼陽縣,南陽太守朱曇韶遣軍討之,失利,殺傷三百餘人,曇韶又遣二千人係之,蠻乃散走。 是歲,滍水諸蠻因險為寇,雍州刺史隨王誕遣使說之曰:「頃威懷所被,覃自遐遠,順化者寵祿,逆命者無遺,此亦爾所知也。 聖朝今普天肆眚,許以自新,便宜各還舊居,安堵復業,改過革心,於是乎始。」 先是,蠻帥魯奴子擄龍山,屢為邊患。 魯軌在長社,奴子歸之,軌言於虜主,以為四山王。 軌子爽歸國,奴子亦求內附,隨王誕又遣軍討沔北諸蠻,襲濁山、如口、蜀松三柴,剋之,又圍升錢、柏義諸柴,[17]蠻悉力距戰。 軍以具裝馬夾射,大破之,斬首二百級,獲生蠻千口,牛馬八十頭。
Earlier, Yongzhou inspector Liu Daochan had been adept at winning over the barbarians. Those who had refused submission all came to obey, and he resettled many along level ground near the Mian River. When Daochan died the barbarians rebelled again. When Prince Xiaowu took up his post in Yongzhou, barbarian bands cut the roads; he attacked and routed them. The court sent the army commander Shen Qingzhi against them year after year; wherever he marched they were suppressed. The campaigns are recorded in Qingzhi's biography. In the first month of the twenty-eighth year (451), Long Mountain and Zhishui barbarians raided Niyang County. Nanyang prefect Zhu Tanshao sent troops against them but was defeated, with more than three hundred killed or wounded. Tanshao then sent two thousand men in pursuit, and the barbarians broke and fled. That same year barbarians along the Zhi River exploited the terrain to raid. Yongzhou inspector the Prince of Sui, Dan, sent envoys to address them: "You have seen how the Emperor's favor reaches even the farthest lands. Those who submit receive reward; those who resist are destroyed without remainder. The court now grants a general amnesty and offers renewal. Return to your old homes, live in peace, and resume your livelihoods. Let this be the moment you change your ways." Earlier the barbarian chieftain Lu Nuzi had seized Long Mountain and repeatedly troubled the frontier. Lu Gui was at Changshe; Nuzi went over to him. Gui spoke to the Northern Wei ruler, and Nuzi was made Prince of the Four Mountains. When Gui's son Shuang returned to Song service, Nuzi also sought to submit. The Prince of Sui again sent troops against the barbarians north of the Mian, storming the stockades at Zhuo Mountain, Rukou, and Shusong and then besieging Shengqian, Baiyi, and others. [17] The barbarians resisted with all their strength. Song cavalry in full armor flanked them with bowshot and broke them completely, taking two hundred heads, a thousand captives, and eighty head of cattle and horses.
48
世祖大明中,建平蠻向光侯寇暴峽川,巴東太守王濟、荊州刺史朱修之遣軍討之,光侯走清江。 清江去巴東千餘里。 時巴東、建平、宜都、天門四郡蠻為寇,諸郡民戶流散,百不存一,太宗、順帝世尤甚,雖遣攻伐,終不能禁,荊州為之虛敝。
During the Daming era, the Jianping barbarian chieftain Xiang Guanghou ravaged the Xia River country. Badong prefect Wang Ji and Jingzhou inspector Zhu Xiuzhi sent troops against him, and Guanghou fled to the Qing River. The Qing River lay more than a thousand li from Badong. At the time barbarians in Badong, Jianping, Yidu, and Tianmen were raiding, and registered households fled until barely one in a hundred remained. The devastation was worst under Emperors Ming and Shun. Campaign after campaign failed to stop them, and Jing Province was left drained and ruined.
49
大明中,桂陽蠻反,殺荔令晏珍之,臨賀蠻反,殺開建令邢伯兒,[18]振武將軍蕭沖之討之,獲少費多,抵罪。
During Daming the Guiyang barbarians rebelled and killed the Li magistrate Yan Zhenzhi; the Linhe barbarians rebelled and killed the Kaijian magistrate Xing Bo'er. [18] General Who Strengthens Martial Xiao Chongzhi was sent against them but took few captives at great cost and was punished.
50
豫州蠻,廩君後也。 盤瓠及廩君事,並具前史。 西陽有巴水、蘄水、希水、赤亭水、西歸水,謂之五水蠻,所在並深岨,種落熾盛,歷世為盜賊。 北接淮、汝,南極江、漢,地方數千里。
The barbarians of Yuzhou were descendants of Lord Lin. The stories of Pan Hu and Lord Lin are recorded in earlier histories. In Xiyang the Ba, Qi, Xi, Chiting, and Xigui rivers marked the territory of the Five Water Barbarians. They lived in steep ravines, their clans flourished, and for generations they raided as bandits. Their lands stretched from the Huai and Ru in the north to the Yangzi and Han in the south, covering several thousand li.
51
元嘉二十八年,西陽蠻殺南川令劉臺,并其家口。 二十九年,新蔡蠻二千餘人破大雷戍,略公私船舫,悉引入湖。 有亡命司馬黑石在蠻中,共為寇盜。 太祖遣太子步兵校尉沈慶之率江、荊、雍、豫諸州軍討之。 世祖大明四年,又遣慶之討西陽蠻,大剋獲而反。 司馬黑石徒黨三人,其一人名智,黑石號曰「太公」,以為謀主; 一人名安陽,號譙王; 一人名續之,號梁王。 蠻文小羅等討禽續之,[19]為蠻世財所篡,小羅等相率斬世財父子六人。 豫州刺史王玄謨遣殿中將軍郭元封慰勞諸蠻,使縛送亡命,蠻乃執智黑石、安陽二人送詣玄謨,[20]世祖使於壽陽斬之。
In the twenty-eighth year of Yuanjia (451), Xiyang barbarians killed Nanchuan magistrate Liu Tai along with his entire household. The next year more than two thousand Xincai barbarians overran Great Lei garrison, seized public and private vessels, and carried them all into the lake. Among the barbarians was the fugitive Sima Heishi, and together they plundered as bandits. Emperor Wen sent the crown prince's infantry commandant Shen Qingzhi at the head of armies from Jiang, Jing, Yong, and Yuzhou to suppress them. In the fourth year of Daming (460), Emperor Xiaowu again sent Qingzhi against the Xiyang barbarians. He won a great victory and returned. Sima Heishi had three chief followers. One named Zhi; Heishi was called "Grand Duke" and served as their strategist. One named Anyang, who styled himself Prince of Qiao; and one named Xuzhi, who styled himself Prince of Liang. The barbarian leader Wen Xiaoluo and others captured Xuzhi. [19] Shi Caifu, a barbarian chieftain, then seized control; Xiaoluo and the others in turn killed Caifu and five members of his family—six men in all. Yuzhou inspector Wang Xuanmo sent the palace gentleman Guo Yuanfeng to reassure the barbarians and order them to deliver the fugitives. They bound Zhi, Heishi, and Anyang and sent them to Xuanmo. [20] Emperor Xiaowu had them executed at Shouyang.
52
史臣曰:漢世西譯遐通,兼途累萬,跨頭痛之山,越繩度之險,生行死徑,身往魂歸。 晉氏南移,河、隴敻隔,戎夷梗路,外域天斷。 若夫大秦、天竺,迥出西溟,二漢銜役,特艱斯路,而商貨所資,或出交部,汎海陵波,因風遠至。 又重峻參差,氏眾非一,殊名詭號,種別類殊,山琛水寶,由茲自出,通犀翠羽之珍,蛇珠火布之異,千名萬品,並世主之所虛心,故舟舶繼路,商使交屬。 太祖以南琛不至,遠命師旅,泉浦之捷,威震滄溟,未名之寶,入充府實。 夫四夷孔熾,患深自古,蠻、僰殊雜,種眾特繁,依深傍岨,充積畿甸,咫尺華氓,易興狡毒,略財據土,歲月滋深。 自元嘉將半,寇慝彌廣,遂盤結數州,搖亂邦邑。 於是命將出師,恣行誅討,自江漢以北,廬江以南,搜山盪谷,窮兵罄武,繫頸囚俘,蓋以數百萬計。 至於孩年耋齒,執訊所遺,將卒申好殺之憤,干戈窮酸慘之用,雖云積怨,為報亦甚。 張奐所云「流血于野,傷和致災。」 斯固仁者之言矣。
The Historian remarks: In Han times interpreters from the west traveled routes tens of thousands of li long, crossing Headache Mountain and the rope bridges of the deep gorges—journeys on which many set out alive and were brought back only as ashes. After the Jin court moved south, the Yellow and Long River country lay beyond reach; barbarians choked the roads, and the outer world seemed severed from heaven. Great Qin and India lay far beyond the western sea. Even in Han times envoys found the route arduous; yet goods still came, sometimes through Jiaozhi, borne on ships across open sea and carried far by the monsoon winds. Beyond them rose countless rugged peaks and innumerable peoples under strange names and titles. Mountain treasures and river jewels flowed from those lands—rhinoceros horn, kingfisher plumes, snake pearls, and fire cloth among marvels beyond counting. Every sage ruler coveted them, and so ships sailed in endless succession and merchant envoys came one after another. When southern tribute failed to arrive, Emperor Wen dispatched armies far abroad. The victory at Quanpu shook the eastern seas, and unknown treasures filled the imperial stores. The frontier peoples have always been a deep affliction. The Man and Bo were especially numerous, clinging to mountain fastnesses near the capital itself. Living cheek by jowl with Chinese subjects, they easily turned vicious; year by year they plundered and seized territory. From the middle of the Yuanjia era rebellion spread ever wider until it ensnared whole provinces and unsettled the realm. Then generals were sent forth to kill without restraint. From the country north of the Han and Yangzi to that south of Mount Lu they scourged mountains and valleys, exhausting armies and prisoners by the millions. Captives included children and the very old. Soldiers indulged their thirst for blood until war's cruelty was spent. It was said to settle old scores—but the retribution was appalling. As Zhang Huan said, "Blood flows across the fields; harmony is wounded and disaster follows." That is truly the word of a humane ruler.
53
校勘記
Collation Notes
54
以為西中郎將雍州刺史「雍」各本並作「雅」。 張森楷校勘記、孫虨宋書考論並云「雅州當作雍州」。 按張、孫二校是,今改正。
"Appointed Western Center Commandant and Inspector of Yong Province": in all editions "Yong" appears as "Ya." Zhang Senkai's collation note and Sun Xiao's Critical Study of the Book of Song both hold that "Yazhou" should read "Yongzhou." On examination, Zhang and Sun are right; the text has been corrected accordingly.
55
如日初出眉間白豪「出眉」二字各本並脫,「白豪」二字各本並作「自蒙」。 孫虨宋書考論云:「天竺表有云『如日初出』,此闕處疑亦是『出』字。 又按梁書狼牙修國奉表有云,『眉間白豪,其白如雪』。 『自蒙』即『白豪』之誤,闕處更當有一『眉』字。」 按孫說是,今改正。
In the phrase "like the sun first rising, the white tuft between the brows," all editions omit the two characters for "rising" and "brow," and all read "white tuft" as "zi meng." Sun Xiao's Critical Study of the Book of Song notes that the Tianzhu memorial reads "like the sun first rising," so the lacuna here is probably the character for "rising" as well. The Liang Shu also records a memorial from Langyaxiu stating, "The white tuft between the brows, white as snow." Zi meng" is a corruption of "bai hao," and the lacuna should also contain the character for "brow." Sun's argument is accepted and the text has been corrected accordingly.
56
闍婆婆達國文帝紀作「闍婆娑達國」。 南史作「闍婆達國」。
Shepoboda state: the Annals of Emperor Wen reads "Shepopoda state." The History of the Southern Dynasties reads "Shepoda state."
57
國王師黎婆達陁阿羅跋摩遣使奉表曰「師黎婆達陁阿羅跋摩」南史作「師黎婆達呵陁羅跋摩」。
King Shilipodata Aluobamo sent envoys with a memorial—the name "Shilipodata Aluobamo" appears in the History of the Southern Dynasties as "Shilipodata Hetuoluobamo."
58
元嘉五年按文帝紀元嘉七年七月,有師子國遣使獻方物之記載,元嘉五年無。
Fifth year of Yuanjia: the Annals of Emperor Wen records Lion State tribute in the seventh month of the seventh year of Yuanjia, but not in the fifth.
59
進可以繫心「繫」各本並作「擊」,據元龜六八九改。
The phrase "advancing can bind the heart" reads "strike" for "bind" in all editions; emended according to Yuan Gui, fascicle 689.
60
流遁未息「遁」各本並作「道」,據通鑑宋文帝元嘉十二年改。
"Flowing flight not ceasing" reads "way" for "flee" in all editions; emended according to the Comprehensive Mirror for the twelfth year of Yuanjia under Emperor Wen.
61
遭人斯拜「人」上各本並有「道」字,據高僧傳刪。
In "meeting people, then bowing," all editions insert "way" before "people"; the extra character is deleted per the Biographies of Eminent Monks.
62
而簡禮二親「禮」各本並作「體」,據通鑑改。
"Treating lightly ritual toward the two parents" reads "body" for "ritual" in all editions; emended per the Comprehensive Mirror.
63
父為廣戚令「廣戚」各本並作「廣武」,據南史、高僧傳改。
"Magistrate of Guangqi" reads "Guangwu" in all editions; emended per the History of the Southern Dynasties and the Biographies of Eminent Monks.
64
跋死子弘立馮弘為馮跋之弟,見晉書載記,子當作弟,蓋沈約承鄰國傳聞而誤。
"Ba died and his son Hong succeeded": Feng Hong was Feng Ba's younger brother, as the Jin Annals record; "son" should read "younger brother"—likely Shen Yue repeated a rumor from neighboring states.
65
以百濟王餘映為使持節都督百濟諸軍事鎮東將軍百濟王「餘映」南史同。 通典邊防典作扶餘晪,本注晪音陀典反。
The appointment of Baekje king Yuying as Bearer of the Staff, commander of Baekje forces, and General Who Pacifies the East matches the History of the Southern Dynasties reading "Yuying." The Comprehensive Institutions, Frontier Defense section, reads Fuyu Tian; the note gives the pronunciation tuo-dian.
66
道逕百濟「逕」各本並作「遙」,據南史、通典邊防典改。
"The route passes through Baekje" reads "distant" for "pass through" in all editions; emended per the History of the Southern Dynasties and the Comprehensive Institutions.
67
其餘咸各假授各本並脫「各」字,據南史、通典邊防典補。
"The rest all received provisional appointments" omits "each" in all editions; the character is restored per the History of the Southern Dynasties and the Comprehensive Institutions.
68
居武陵者有雄谿樠谿辰谿酉谿舞谿「舞谿」南史作「武谿」。
The Wuling tribes include the Xiongxi, Minxi, Chenxi, Youxi, and Wuxi streams; the History of the Southern Dynasties reads "Martial Stream" for "Dance Stream."
69
天門漊中令宗矯之傜賦過重「宗矯之」南史、通典邊防典作「宋矯之」。
Magistrate Zong Jiaozhi of Tianmen imposed crushing Yao levies; the History of the Southern Dynasties and the Comprehensive Institutions read "Song Jiaozhi."
70
又圍升錢柏義諸柴「升錢」南史作「斗錢」,古升斗字,形極相似,易致譌。
They also besieged the stockades of Shengqian and Baiyi; the History of the Southern Dynasties reads "Douqian" for "Shengqian"—the ancient characters for sheng and dou are easily confused.
71
殺開建令邢伯兒「開建」各本並作「關建」,據州郡志改。 按湘州臨慶郡有開建縣。
"Magistrate of Kaijian Xing Bo'er" reads "Guanjian" in all editions; emended per the provincial gazetteer. Xiangzhou's Linqing commandery included Kaijian county.
72
蠻文小羅等討禽續之「文小羅」南史作「文山羅」。
The barbarian chieftain Wen Xiaoluo captured Xuzhi; the History of the Southern Dynasties reads "Wen Shanluo."
73
蠻乃執智黑石安陽二人送詣玄謨「智黑石安陽二人」南史作「智安陽二人」,疑當從南史。 上云司馬黑石徒黨三人,一人名智,一人名安陽,一人名續之。 此祇言二人,則從南史作「智、安陽二人」為是,若從宋書,則是三人,非二人。 且司馬黑石時為其主,史列黑石之名,亦不當在智之後,疑「黑石」二字是衍文。
The barbarians delivered Zhi, Heishi, and Anyang to Xuanmo; the History of the Southern Dynasties reads only "Zhi and Anyang, two men," which is probably correct. The text above names three followers of Sima Heishi: Zhi, Anyang, and Xuzhi. Since only two men are mentioned here, the Southern Dynasties reading "Zhi and Anyang" fits; the Book of Song wording would imply three. Moreover, Sima Heishi was their leader at the time; his name should not follow Zhi's—"Heishi" is likely a scribal interpolation.
74
都統四山軍事「事」各本並作「人」,據南史改。
"Overall commander of the Four Mountains military affairs" reads "person" for "affairs" in all editions; emended per the History of the Southern Dynasties.
75
斬晉熙太守閻湛之晉安王子勛典籤沈光祖「沈光祖」各本並作「沈光明祖」。 孫虨宋書考論云:「自序篇見晉安王子勛典籤沈光祖,此衍明字。」
The execution of Jinxi administrator Yan Zhizhi and Prince Zixun's registrar Shen Guangzu appears as "Shen Guangmingzu" in all editions. Sun Xiao's Critical Study of the Book of Song notes that Shen Yue's autobiographical preface names registrar Shen Guangzu of Prince Zixun, so the extra character "ming" here is spurious.