請入唐請益表
Petition Requesting [Permission] to Enter the Tang in Search of Instruction
(JPN: Shō Nyū Tō Shōyaku Hyō)
ATTRIBUTION
Translated into English by Rev. Jikai 慈海 Tyler Dehn デイーン
©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:
This short work is the very petition which Master Saichō submitted to the Court, seeking permission to travel to China and receive the Transmission of the Tiantai Teachings.
It also relates the importance of the Tiantai School’s reliance on the sūtras of the Buddha, in contradistinction to those traditions which are based upon the treatises of great masters. It should be remembered that although this looks very much like the debates of old between the Sarvāstivādins and Sautrāntikas, the Tiantai/Tendai tradition straddles the old divide, by relying on the sūtras and acknowledging the need for their exegesis in treatises.
TEXT:
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| I, the śramaṇa Saichō, [wish to] relate [the following]: From a young age I, Saichō, have been entrusted with the Profound Methods [of the Dharma]; have been fortunate-enough to encounter a prosperous age; [have met with] the rarely heard Highest Path; and have been free [to join] the Dharma Assembly. [Nevertheless,] I have always lamented that I do not yet [comprehend] the descriptions of the Dharma Flower [Sūtra’s] Profound Meaning. [Furthermore, though] I’ve been fortunate-enough to seek and obtain the Sublime Writings of Tiantai and have pored over them for many years, there were mistakes in the words and sentences were missing. [And so] I still have not uncovered their finer-points. [Therefore,] If I do not receive the Transmission from a Master, though I have attainments, they are not to be trusted. [For this reason] I sincerely request that one long-term and one short-term student be allowed to [go and] study this Perfect School [of Tiantai] [and receive] the transmission from teacher to teacher which has transmitted the Lamp [of the Dharma] without interruption! The transmissions which are present in This Land are those of the two lineages of the Sanron (Madhyamaka) and Hossō (Yogācāra) [schools]. [But] they take treatises (śāstra) as their basis, and do not take the sūtras as the foundation! [That is to say,] the Sanron practitioners use the various treatises which were authored by the Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna on the contemplation of the Middle, for their basis. And thus, they quote passages from all the sūtras [only in order] to bring about the doctrines of their own school. [This means that] they twist the meaning of the sūtras, to make them conform with the tenets of their treatises. Again, the Hossō practitioners use the various treatises which were authored by the Bodhisattva Vasubandhu on the vijñaptimātratā, for their foundation. And so [likewise], they quote passages from all the sūtras [only as a way] to bring about the concepts of their own school. [They both] distort the passages of the sūtras, to make them conform with the tenets of their treatises! The Tiantai [School] alone rejects treatises as the basis, and uniquely establishes the sūtras as the foundation. [It does this, because] the treatises are but the branches of the sūtras, and the sūtras are the roots of these treatises. Discarding the roots to follow the branches is akin to turning one’s back on the superior to go towards the inferior! [In other words,] to discard the sūtras to follow the treatises, is like abandoning the shoots to grasp the leaves! [Therefore,] I humbly pray that [now during] the reign of our Noble Majesty, [students] will be permitted to study the Sublime Concepts of the Perfect School [of Tiantai] in Tang [China]. [And thereby,] that the Jewelled Cart of the Dharma Flower will be set in motion in This Land! Should this come to pass, then the foundations of Your Noble Majesty’s Dharma-giving (dharmadāna) will be far more solid than in former times. And the activity of the Śākyan’s Dharma-riches will continue forever. I hope that the Perfect School of the Dharma Flower may shine as brightly as the sun and moon; that the Sublime Writings of Tiantai may be as firm as the heaven and the earth; that for a hundred generations to come its praises will be sung without end; and that for a thousand years or more, it will be revered without end! Unable to adequately [express] the depth of my sincerity, I humbly submit this petition for your consideration… | 沙門最澄言。最澄早預玄門。幸遇昌運。希聞至道。遊心法筵。毎恨。法華深旨。尚未詳釋。幸求得天台妙記。披閲數年。字謬行脱。未顯細趣。若不受師傳雖得不信。誠願差留學生還學生各一人。令學 此圓宗。師師相繼傳燈無絶也。此國現傳三論與法相二家。以論爲宗。不爲經宗也。三論家者。龍猛菩薩所造中觀等論爲宗。是以。引一切經文。成於自家論。屈於經之義。隨於論之旨。又法相家者。 世親菩薩所造唯識等論爲宗。是以。引一切經文。成於自宗義。折於經之文。隨論之旨也。天台獨斥論宗。特立經宗。論者此經末。經者此論本。捨本隨末。猶背上向下也。捨經隨論。如捨根取葉。伏願 我聖皇御代。令學圓宗妙義於唐朝令運法華寶車於此間。然則。聖上法施之基。更厚於往日。釋氏法財之用。亦富於永代。所望。法華圓宗。與日月齊明。天台妙記。將乾坤等固。庶百代下。歌詠無窮。千載之外。瞻仰無絶。不任僂僂之至。謹奉表以聞。 | 沙門最澄言: 最澄早預玄門，幸遇昌運，希聞至道，遊心法筵。毎恨，法華深旨，尚未詳釋。幸求得天台妙記，披閲數年，字謬行脱，未顯細趣。若不受師傳，雖得不信。 誠願差留學生、還學生各一人，令學此圓宗，師師相繼，傳燈無絶也! 此國現傳，三論、與法相二家。以論爲宗，不爲經宗也! 三論家者，龍猛菩薩，所造中觀，等論爲宗。是以，引一切經文，成於自家論。屈於經之義，隨於論之旨。又法相家者，世親菩薩，所造唯識，等論爲宗。是以，引一切經文，成於自宗義。折於經之文，隨論之旨也。 天台獨斥論宗，特立經宗。論者此經末，經者此論本。捨本隨末，猶背上向下也! 捨經隨論，如捨根取葉! 伏願我聖皇御代，令學圓宗妙義於唐朝。令運法華寶車於此間! 然則，聖上法施之基，更厚於往日；釋氏法財之用，亦富於永代。 所望，法華圓宗，與日月齊明。天台妙記，將乾坤等固。庶百代下，歌詠無窮；千載之外，瞻仰無絶! 不任僂僂之至，謹奉表以聞。 |
（別傳曰。即依上表允許入唐請益）。
（叡山大師傳に同文あり）