季露 文/譯 Written and Translated by Jilu VBS 640
佛經翻譯委員會2023年最新出版品之一是：中英雙語《再增訂佛祖道影——靈山一脈，肇起西天》第一冊。本冊所載，自教主本師釋迦牟尼佛、初祖摩訶迦葉尊者、直至西天十四祖龍樹尊者，為中文版《佛祖道影白話解（一）西天歷代祖師》前半部的內容。
One of the latest publications of the Buddhist Text Translation Society in 2023 is the first volume of the Chinese-English bilingual Portraits of Patriarchs —The Chan Lineage in India. This volume contains the first half of the Chinese version of Portraits of Patriarchs Vernacular Explanation (1) — Patriarchs in India from the time of the Shakyamuni Buddha, then the first patriarch Venerable Mahakasyapa, to the fourteenth patriarch of India, Nagarjuna Bodhisattva.
《佛祖道影》最初問世，據紫柏老人所言，為明朝洪武年間，緇素好道者發心繪出120尊西天東土聖僧法相，藏於南京牛首山寺院。憨山大師撰寫傳、贊；紫柏大師刻單行本流傳，並作疏文説明：「阿難佛弟，尚觀（佛陀）勝相發心，況凡劣者乎？故佛祖道影，不可不傳也。」
According to Great Master Zibai (Zibo)紫柏, in the Ming dynasty, 120 illustrations of Patriarchs in India and China began to be drawn by some unknown monastics and lay people. Those illustrations were kept inside the monastery at Mount Oxhead in Nanjing. Great Master Hanshan (Silly Mountain) 憨山 became intent on composing brief biographies and verses in Chinese to describe these Patriarchs. Great Master Zibai then handled getting Great Master Hanshan’s words carved in wood blocks, printed on paper, bound and distributed. Great Master Zibai also wrote an essay saying, “Even Ananda, a cousin of Shakyamuni Buddha, saw the supreme appearance of the Buddha, thus resolved upon Bodhi; let alone we ordinary people with less potentials. The portraits of Patriarchs must be passed down for this reason.”
其後近六百年間，迭有增補。福州鼓山湧泉寺住持永覺老人與徒弟為霖禪師出版《列祖道影》（122尊）、雲福靜熙啟公禪師刻印《宗門正脈道影》（166尊）、守一空成大師手訂《佛祖道影》（240尊）。虛雲老和尚任湧泉寺住持時，曾派專人至上海，請來《續藏經》，以增補祖師傳記。1935年，虛老集各宗派祖師，以及兩土聖僧，合計已逾三百尊，補齊傳、贊，題名為《增訂佛祖道影》，並親撰〈增訂佛祖道影序〉。
In the subsequent nearly six centuries, various additions were made by great masters. Elder Master Yongjue永覺, abbot of Yongquan Monastery on Gu Mountain in Fuzhou and his disciple Chan Master Weilin 為霖 published Illustrated Buddhist Lineages with 122 portraits of Patriarchs. Venerable Master Yunfu Jingxi Qi 雲福靜熙 published the Records of the Orthodox Pulse of the Chan Patriarchs with 166 portraits of Patriarchs. Great Master Shouyi Kongcheng 守一空成 edited the Portraits of Patriarchs featuring 240 patriarchs. During Venerable Master Xuyun’s 虛雲 tenure as the abbot of Yongquan Monastery, he dispatched emissaries to Shanghai to obtain the “Continued Tripitaka” to supplement the biographies of the patriarchs. In 1935, Venerable Xuyun gathered biographies and verses for patriarchs of various schools, Indian and Chinese alike, totaling over three hundred patriarchs, to publish the Expanded Edition of Illustrated Patriarchs in Sequence. And he personally composed the preface for it.
1955年，虛老重補增加27尊祖師，再撰傳、贊，總計330尊。除禪宗祖師之外，也包括教、律、淨宗祖師。虛老特別強調，若沒有實際修行，雖震赫一時之人，也不收錄於此書。1956年，虛老寄了一部《增訂佛祖道影》給時在香港弘法的宣公上人。信函中提及：此書寄上人「存閱留念，並希自利利他」。
In 1955, Elder Master Xuyun added 27 more patriarchs and wrote biographies and verses for them to reach a total of 330 patriarchs. In addition to the founders of Chan school, it also includes the founders of Teaching, Vinaya, and Pure Land Schools. Elder Master Xuyun particularly emphasized that without actual practice, even if someone was famous in his time, he would not be included in this book. In 1956, Elder Master Xuyun sent a copy of the Expanded Edition of Illustrated Patriarchs in Sequence to Venerable Master Hsuan Hua who was spreading Dharma in Hong Kong. In the accompanying letter, Elder Master Xuyun stated therein that this book was not just being given to Master Hua to read as a gift, but with the hope that the contents of the book would benenit Master Hua and others.
1976年，宣公上人創辦萬佛聖城，並在聖城內成立法界佛教大學。當時，上人的主要教材之一，即是《增訂佛祖道影》，每講一位祖師，就撰寫偈頌一首，簡述傳、贊大意。上人又增淨土祖師七位，以及近代八位高僧，至1986年圓寂之廣欽老和尚為止，合計345尊祖師，名為《再增訂佛祖道影》。於1986年出版原文，每套線裝四冊。
In 1976, Venerable Master Hua founded the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas (CTTB) and established the Dharma Realm Buddhist University in CTTB. At that time, one of the Master’s main teaching materials was the Expanded Edition of Illustrated Patriarchs in Sequence. Every time he taught about a Patriarch, he wrote a verse to briefly describe the biography and formerly-written verse about this patriarch. The Venerable Master Hua also added seven patriarchs of the Pure Land School and eight contemporary eminent monks until Elder Master Guanqin (Kuang-Ch’in) 廣欽who passed away in 1986, a total of 345 Patriarchs, which is titled Re-Expanded Edition of Illustrated Patriarchs in Sequence. This classical Chinese-language, four-volume, thread-bound edition was published in 1986.
2004年，佛經翻譯委員會出版《佛祖道影白話解(一)》中文版，介紹西天歷代祖師；2012年出版《佛祖道影白話解(二)》中文版，介紹東土初期祖師。如今首度推出中英雙語版，以便英語讀者也有機會藉影修證，誠如宣公上人所言：「見賢思齊，以作楷式」。
In 2004, the Buddhist Text Translation Society published the Chinese version of Illustrated Patriarchs’ Vernacular Interpretation (1), which introduced the Patriarchs in India. In 2012, it published the Chinese version of of Illustrated Patriarchs’ Vernacular Interpretation (2), which introduced the early Chinese Patriarchs. Now, for the first time, a bilingual version in Chinese and English is launched, so that English readers can also have the opportunity to see the illustrations and practice accordingly, just as Venerable Master Hua said, “Learn from the wise and hold them as a role model.” ♦