There was a Hallim Academician[174] by the name of Ch’oe Haenggwi[175] from Ch’ŏngha, who was Assistant Adviser to the Inner Council in Charge of Decrees. He was a contemporary of the Master and had long admired him. When these songs were completed, (Ch’oe) translated them into Chinese verse. His preface reads as follows: [176]
“Stanzas and hymns praise the Buddha’s merit and its fruits, and are recorded in the texts of the sūtras; songs and verses extol the conduct of the bodhisattvas and its causative power, and are collected in the treasury of the śāstras.[177] Thus, from the Eight Rivers of the West to the Three Mountains of the East,[178] enlightened gentlemen have often raised their voices to sing of the Sublime Principles, and great men of wisdom have frequently given clear utterance to the Spirit of Truth. In the land of Han there were Duke Fu, Master Chia and Teacher T’ang who began the tradition in the South;[179] and Hsien Shou, Ch’eng Kuan and Tsung Mi, who perfected the transmission in the North.[180] Again, there were those like Chiao Jan and Wu K’o, who vied in fashioning elegant phrases;[181] or like Ch’i Chi and Kuan Hsiu, who competed in giving shape to beautiful language.[182]
And in this benevolent land of ours, there have been the refined songs created by the skills of Masa, Munch’ŭk, and Ch’ewŏn;[183] and the sublime melodies created for later generations by Wŏnhyo, Pakpŏm, and Yŏngsang.[184] Then there are the jewelled rhymes that flowed from the wise tranquillity of Ch’ŏng’yu and Sillang; and the jade stanzas produced by the noble refinement of Sunŭi and Taegŏ.[185] Indeed, one after another they have all given pleasure with their clear stanzas like translucent clouds, and delighted the ear with their sublime tones like pure white snow.
However, shih-verses are composed in the Chinese language and are worked into lines of five and seven syllables;[186] whereas (Korean) songs are written in our native tongue and are constructed in three or six phrases.[187] As for the way they sound, they are as remote from one another as Orion is from Lucifer,[188] and it is easy to tell the difference between them; but in their underlying principles, they are opposed like spear and shield, and so it is hard to say where the strong and weak points of each lie. Although each side has its boastful supporters, incisive phrases gain their own recognition, and both forms alike embody the Ocean of Truth. Each has its own place, so what is there that one could condemn or object to?
Men of talent and renown in our land know how to recite the anthologies of China, but none of the learned and worthy scholars of that country understand our songs. Furthermore, Chinese literature, though as elaborate as Indra’s Net,[189] is easily studied in our land; while our writings are intricate like Sanskrit texts, and it is hard for anyone in that country to become familiar with them. Consequently, the pearls of Liang and Sung have often been carried east with the rivers’ flow, but the brocades of Chinhan have rarely been transmitted to the west with the shifting stars.[190]
This present limitation to mutual communication is indeed cause for deep regret. For is it not true that the Illustrious Scholar of Lu[191] desired to live in this land, but was unable to reach the sea-turtle’s head? And did not the Academician Sŏl enforce changes in the education system, with the only result being a rat’s tail prolixity?[192]
I humbly submit that the name of our Venerable Master as a teacher ranks with that of Hsüan Wan, who accepted the Three Thousand Precepts;[193] and that his achievement as a preacher is second only to that of Varaprabha, who expounded the Sūtra for eighty kalpas.[194]
He assumed his position as head of the Hwaŏm school, and the many teachings were traced back to their source; he watered the roots of the Great Tree,[195] and all beings obtained the benefit thereof. He was like a great bell,[196] suspended from its crossbeam and waiting to be struck, for he would respond to every question that was asked; he was as a precious mirror hung from its stand, for, oblivious of fatigue, he would shed light on all obscurities. Of those who professed to have set their hearts on learning, there were none who neglected to gaze upon his lustre.
The Master would encourage them to revere and trust the Buddha. He sought to make them wear the Sword of Wisdom,[197] to guard against the Māras of the North;[198] and to enable them to open the Abode of Love, by indicating their Good Friends in the South.[199] He used to say that the Caryāpraṇidhāna which makes up the final chapter of the Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtra was the mysterious gate by which one reached the sublime realm of the Eldest Son, and the pure path by which one arrived at the Fragrant City of the Pilgrim Youth.[200] So he summed up the teachings of the Master Commentator Ch’eng Kuan in a single scroll, making them widely known; and he kept to the texts of the Indian Practitioners throughout his life, reciting them daily.[201]
The Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtra first came to China from the land of Oḍra where a saintly king had copied it by hand.[202] It later reached Sila[203] by way of T’o-gun, where it was written in blood by an exalted worthy.[204] As soon as its four-line stanzas entered the ear, evil roots were instantly destroyed;[205] and when the Ten Texts were again called to mind, Enlightenment was able to occur.[206] Such is the great efficacy of auspicious conditions; how ineffably profound are their blessings!
There are men and women who, without reciting the Sovereign Vows, will come to hear of them through the work of poets, and so make vows themselves, forever establishing the Special Causes.[207] They will work for the deliverance of self and others, thus perfecting their merit, and ultimately achieving the Sublime Fruit! Accordingly, the eight or nine lines of Kyunyŏ’s Preface (to the songs) in Chinese are wide-ranging in their significance and rich in their style; while his eleven songs in our language are clear in their expression and beautiful in their phrasing. They are called sanoe and could put the songs of the Chen-kuan period (627-649) to shame; they are as refined as the best fu and may be compared with those of Hui-ming.[208]
However, whereas the Chinese will find it difficult to make out details if they look beyond the Preface, our own scholars can easily chant the songs when they hear them. Thus, each (country) enjoys only half the benefit, while neither gains the full merit.[209] Therefore, the songs are sung in truncated form in the lands between the Liao and P’ae rivers,[210] the words being altered as though the Dharma were being stinted; and they are seldom chanted in the territories of Wu and Ch’in, for they cannot be said to be written in the same language.[211] Furthermore, the Master’s mind was at one with the realm of the buddhas, and although his aim was to lead ordinary folk near at hand through the shallows and into the depths, would he have wanted to hinder people who lived far away from abandoning the false and returning to the true?
In former times, a man surnamed Kim translated Shattered Jewels and Intact Tiles,[212] thus making its beauty known at the Celestial Court; and Master Ch’oe translated Bright Moon and Clear Breezes,[213] thereby wafting its fragrance to realms across the sea. If this should occur even in the case of worldly works, it should certainly happen also with those treating of Ultimate Truth.[214]
I had thought that my intentions would be cause for shame if compared with those of Ho Ch’ung, and my literary skill cause for embarrassment if placed beside that of Ling-yün.[215] For I had pondered deeply on the posthumous bequests of palace eunuchs, but had failed to emulate the practitioners of long ago; and I had reflected at length on the private legacies of Prime Ministers, but could only stand in envy of those whose cultivation had been outstanding.[216]
Then, the other day, I happened to run across a Buddhist friend, and so had the good fortune to peruse the profound words (of Kyunyŏ). Carried away by their sublime tones, I became completely absorbed in them; and feeling concerned that such lofty sentiments should be dependent (on the Korean language only for their circulation), I have created two streams from this single source, for my poems and his songs express the same substance but in different words. I have translated each song in its proper sequence, inserting the translations between the originals so as to form a continuous text. It is my wish that the original songs with my translations may spread unhindered to the east and the west, reaching clergy and laity alike, so that those who have the karmic affinity may read or hear them continuously. May all reflect on them constantly, and so first gaze up at the elephant on which Samantabhadra rides;[217] may everyone chant them continuously, and so subsequently encounter the Dragonflower Tree beneath which Maitreya will sit.[218]
Let me now conclude this humble preface and forthwith cease my idle chatter. I hope that someone will be kind enough to transmute my iron into gold, and that by throwing brick I may attract jade in return.[219] Should my pedestrian verses come to the attention of a more knowledgeable person, I beg him to correct them for me.
This preface was respectfully written on the __day of the first month of the __ year according to the Sung calendar.”[220]
1. Venerating the Buddhas
With the mind as my brush I paint the Kings of Emptiness,[221]
Bowing reverently before them throughout the ten directions.
Every single dustmote contains buddharealms
And in every single buddharealm there are manifold Halls of Honour[222]
Where I see and hear the Self-Enlightened,[223] whose many forms are far-reaching;[224]
May my veneration and praise of them last through endless kalpas.[225]
This veneration by body, speech and mind
I shall perform constantly, with unflagging zeal.
2. Praising the Tathāgata
Let all throughout the Dharmarealm, with wholehearted sincerity,
And with one voice, cry “Hail!” in praise of the Saintly Hero.[226]
May oceans of eloquence flow from my tongue
And fountains of speech well forth from my lips.
Although manifestions as numerous as grains of dust and sand extol the King of Enlightenment,
And the winds that blow through the worlds sing hymns to the Sovereign Healer,[227]
They can never finish telling of even the minutest part of his virtue:
Let my heart hold to this until space itself is exhausted.
3. Making Extensive Offerings
With the utmost sincerity I light lamps before the Buddha,
Praying that the censer’s fragrance pervade the Dharmarealm,
That the incense form clouds like the Sublime Peak,[228]
And that the oil be vast and limpid like the waters of the Great Ocean.[229]
May my heart always be ready to attract living beings,[230] and take their sufferings on myself.[231]
May my strength to practise the Dharma and benefit others steadily increase.
Compared with other offerings, this Dharma offering
Is unsurpassed in that it directly benefits innumerable beings.
4. Confession of Karmic Obstacles
Since the very first kalpas in a cycle without beginning.[232]
How onerous are my sins that have arisen from the Three Poisons.[233]
If these evil causes[234] could appear in perceptible form
The entire realm of space could not contain them.
When I ponder on these karmic obstacles I am filled with regret,
And with the utmost sincerity ask myself how I could be so indolent.
I now seek to confess and remove these obstacles, and uphold the pure precepts:
May I be like the green pine-tree and stand forever aloof from dust and stain.
5. Rejoicing in the Merit of Others
Saintly and worldly, true and false are not to be discriminated:
This is the all-equalizing, primordial, universal teaching.[235]
Apart from sentient beings there is no other “buddha”;
How can there be talk of any who are “other” than myself?[236]
The manifold virtues accumulated by those with the Threefold knowledge,[237]
And the slight good[238] acquired by those in the Six Realms:
All this that others have created is as though I had created it myself;
It is all worthy of rejoicing, all worthy of reverence.
6. Requesting the Turning of the Wheel of the Dharma
Innumerable are the buddhas who have achieved Enlightenment:
I beg them all to hasten the causes of True Awakening.[239]
May the sweet nectar[240] rain down, quenching the fever of the passions,
And the pervasive fragrance of the Precepts[241] dispel the dust of evil deeds.
I will keep company with Good Friends[242] and reverence the Abode of Love;[243]
I will beseech the Great Teacher to turn the Wheel of the Dharma.
Once worlds like grains of sand have been soaked with the Jewelled Rain,
Where can the deluded still be found?
7. Asking the Buddhas to Remain in the World
Saints and sages as numerous as atoms
Who have completed your mission[244] in this transient life
And will now return to Quiescence, demonstrating Nirvāṇa:[245]
I beseech you to continue benefiting humans and devas[246] for innumerable kalpas.
The swelling host who would talk of Truth still deserve your affection;
The deluded crowd mired in worldly ways are truly to be pitied.
If they saw that your Lamp of Kindness was about to go out,[247]
How could they not beg you with all their hearts to linger?
8. Forever Following in the Buddha’s Footsteps
One may find in this Saha-world[248] the effects
Of Vairocana’s mind and his unremitting practice.[249]
He has used his skin for paper, his bones for brushes, and his blood for ink.
And has given away cities, palaces and parks.[250]
Beneath the Bodhi-tree he achieved the Three Qualities of Enlightenment,[251]
And in the midst of the assemblies he preached by means of a single sound.[252]
All these sublime causes I too shall emulate,
And free myself for ever from the depths of the River of Suffering.[253]
9. Constantly According with Sentient Beings
The King of Trees flourishes in the midst of the wilderness,[254]
Desiring the benefit of a thousand myriad kinds of living beings.
Its flowers and fruits are the bodies of saints and sages,
While its root and trunk consist of the minds of worldlings.
If soaked with waves of love, these sentient roots will be enriched,
Whereupon all will pursue the path to Enlightenment, their karma perfected.
May I always follow the Universal Teaching,[255] gladdening all classes of beings,
For I know that this will give great pleasure to the buddhas.
10. Transferring All Merit
All the merit I achieve from the beginning to the end
I make over wholly to all sentient beings,
That all those who long to find peace and leave the Sea of Suffering
May wipe out all their evil deeds and steer by the Wind of Truth.[256]
So may all emerge together from the realm of Defilement[257]
And each return individually to the Palace of Reality.[258]
May I hold most earnestly to this vow of transferral
Throughout all time to come.
11. Making Inexhaustible Vows
I shall maintain my vows while the universe of beings endures—
And how can my intention change, since the universe is inexhaustible?[259]
For the mind of the teacher must shake the dreams of deluded students,
And songs of the Dharma may represent the verses of the Sovereign Vows.
You should sing these songs, if you would do away with the Realm of Error;
And you must not flag, if you wish to return to the Source of Truth.
With single mind continue your efforts unceasingly,
Till you are fit to follow Samantabhadra and emulate his love.
When the above Chinese verse translations of the songs were finished, Chinese people vied in writing them out. A copy was conveyed to the Western Kingdom, [260] where princes and ministers at the Sung court who saw it said that the author of these sanoe songs was surely a buddha who had appeared in the world. Thereupon, they sent an envoy to pay their respects to the Master. Now, the Master’s features were strange in appearance, and not such as to inspire reverence or faith in worldly people.[261] Thus, our ruler and his ministers, fearing that the Sung envoy would look down on him, refused to accede to the envoy’s wishes and would not allow him to see (Kyunyŏ). When the envoy learnt of this, he disguised his clothing and went to the Dhāraṇī Hall [Note: this hall in Kwibŏp Monastery was where the Master usually stayed].[262] He sent his interpreter ahead to explain what he wanted, and to seek an interview. The Master had adjusted his robes[263] and was preparing to go and meet him, when he perceived[264] what was in the minds of our ruler and his ministers (concerning this matter) and abruptly withdrew. On hearing this, the visitor cried “O where, then, can one meet with a buddha?” and wept copiously.