法華宗傳記
The Record of the Transmission of the Dharma Flower School
(JPN: Hokkeshū Den Ki)
ATTRIBUTION
Translated into English by Rev. Jikai 慈海 Tyler Dehn
©Translation by Jikai Tyler Dehn @ The Saichō Repository 最澄典藏 Project, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Available at: [insert URL of specific text page].
You may share this work freely with attribution (as above), but no modifications or commercial use is allowed without express permission from Jikai Tyler Dehn. See USE/ATTRIBUTION for more information.
Text Overview:
On a surface-reading, this text appears to be a description of two relics, namely:
- One White-silver Clear-reflective Mirror 白銀眞面鏡一面.
- One Red-copper Eight-petaled [Lotus design] Mirror 赤銅八葉鏡一面.
But in order read the sub-text, one must be aware that ‘mirrors‘ are often used in the description of transmission, for just like a mirror, the student ought to faithfully receive the lineage as their master did before them, and then transmit a ‘perfect reflection‘ down the line. In TEXT 98 for example, Saichō writes his own transmission of the essentials, and closes that work with the words:
The Dharma Flower practitioner of Our School, should regard this [text], as a Bright Mirror…
一家法華行者，以此可爲明鏡云云。
妙法蓮華經出離生死血脈
It is therefore a description not only of transmissions involving Master Zhiyi, but also perhaps, tantalising pieces of stories told on Mount Tiantai during the Tang. The fact that we have such things today, is testament to the devotion and protection exhibited by generations of Tendai monks, and we should not ignore them for the more philosophical works in the collection.
TEXT:
| ENGLISH | UNPUNCTUATED TEXT | PUNCTUATED TEXT |
|---|---|---|
| One White-silver Clear-reflective Mirror: (surface area: six cun (inches); diameter: one chi (foot) eight cun (inches)). This is the mirror of Emperor Yang of the Sui [Dynasty]. In days of yore during the Kaihuang Years (581- 600 A.D.), the Emperor prepared an assembly of one thousand monastics in the City of Jinling (modern day Nanjing). He summoned Dhyāna Master Zhiyi of Mount Tiantai [for this assembly,] and when he received the Bodhisattva Precepts, the Emperor himself used this stately mirror. As a display of His Majesty’s unwavering sincerity, he offered it to Master [Zhiyi]. This is that very mirror. | 白銀眞面鏡一面（面六寸。徑一尺八寸）。 隋煬帝鏡也。昔隋開皇年中。帝於金城設千僧會。屈天台山智顗 禪師。受菩薩戒之時。帝自用皇鑑鏡。彰剛皇誠獻師。今鏡是也。 | 白銀眞面鏡一面: (面六寸。徑一尺八寸)。 隋煬帝，鏡也。昔隋開皇年中，帝於金城，設千僧會。屈天台山智顗禪師，受菩薩戒之時，帝自用皇鑑鏡。彰剛皇誠獻師。今鏡，是也。 |
| One Red-copper Eight-petaled [Lotus design] Mirror: (surface area: eight cun (inches); diameter: two chi (feet) four cun (inches)). This is the mirror of Bai (pure) Daoyou. In days of yore during the Dayuan years of the Jin [Dynasty] (476-477 A.D.), there was the śramaṇa Baidaoyou, who lived alone upon Mount Tiantai. He hung the mirror in his meditation-hut, and cultivated The Way day and night. After Daoyou had passed away, the mirror still remained in his old hut. [And so,] the Deity of the Mountain stored it away, [until] the Great Master Zhizhe (Zhiyi) climbed Mount Tiantai to reside at Huading Peak, during the Dajian years (569-582 A.D.) of the Chen [Dynasty]. The Deity of the Mountain then manifested in the form of a bird, carried it over to the Great Master. This is that very mirror. These two mirrors [which reflect both] external-objects (i.e. objects of cognition) and internal-minds (i.e. cognition) were attained [by Zhiyi] without being sought, and the mirrors and their reflected-objects are symbolic [of the truth of] Perfect Interpenetration. How could this be related in words!? | 赤銅八葉鏡一面（面八寸。徑二尺四寸）。 白道猷鏡也。昔晋大元年中。有沙門白道猷。獨住天台山。懸鏡禪居。晝夜修道矣。猷去後。鏡尚在舊居。山神緘之。陳大建年中。智者大師。登天台山。宿華頂峰。山神現禽形。戴來上大師。今鏡是也。境智二面鏡。不求自得。鏡像圓融譬。豈待口決乎 （已上）。 | 赤銅八葉鏡一面: (面八寸。徑二尺四寸)。 白道猷，鏡也。昔晋大元年中，有沙門白道猷，獨住天台山。懸鏡禪居，晝夜修道矣。 猷去後，鏡尚在舊居。山神緘之，陳大建年中，智者大師，登天台山，宿華頂峰。山神現禽形，戴來上大師。今鏡，是也。 境、智，二面鏡，不求自得，鏡像圓融譬。豈待口決乎!?（已上）。 |
原本： 福田氏所藏。戒壇院記所録。
對校本:
一本 慶應三年（1867）貫昭師寫本。與一乘戒建願記合本。