法華玄論 1.43

1.43

Since the Lotus Sūtra has two versions, old and new, its expositors should also be two persons. The Mingseng zhuan states: 'The beginning of lecturing on sūtras arose with Zhu Fahu.' Since Master Hu himself translated this scripture in person, in principle he ought to have expounded it. From Master Hu onward, figures such as Shi Dao'an and Zhu Fatāi only lectured on the old translation. When Kumārajīva arrived in Chang'an and completed the translation of the new Lotus Sūtra, Daorong lectured on it, opening it into nine tracks, and the people of the time called him the Nine Tracks Dharma Master. The text of the nine tracks is not seen today. Lecturing on the new Lotus Sūtra indeed began with Daorong. From Daorong onward, figures such as Tanying and Daosheng who took up brush to compose treatises were more than one. Next, during the Qi dynasty, there was the pure-faith upāsaka Liu Qiu who, together with ten or so renowned monks, followed the examples of An, Lin, Yi, and Yuan, as well as the likes of Jīva, Zhao, Rong, and Heng, compiled the strong points of the various masters, and called it a commentary on the Lotus Sūtra. Arriving at the Liang, in the beginning there were the three great dharma masters, of immense learning at the time, whose fame towered over an entire generation; they collected the Abhidharma and treatises widely to explain all the sūtras throughout. But Kaishan gained renown with the Nirvāṇa, Zhuangyan made a name for himself with the Daśabhūmika and the Śrīmālādevī-sūtra, while Guangzhai's Lotus Sūtra was unmatched in his day. But Guangzhai received the scripture from Dharma Master Yin of Zhongxing Temple. Yin was originally a man of Shouchun, lay surname Zhu. In his youth he traveled to Pengcheng to receive treatises from Tandu, and next received instruction in the Lotus Sūtra from Huilong of Kuangshan. Yin lectured on this scripture, from his youth to old age, a total of two hundred and fifty times; at sixty-six years of age, he died in the first year of the Yongming era. When Dharma Master Fayun of Guangzhai was at the age of renouncing the household life, he followed Yin to listen to the Lotus Sūtra at Lower Dinglin Temple on Mount Zhong. When the lecture ended, he stayed in the rocky ravine behind the temple, piled up stones to make a high seat and an audience, and thereupon climbed the stone seat himself to expound extensively what he had heard. Yin did not yet know of this, and secretly listened to what he expounded, without a single word omitted. When he reached thirty years of age, at Miaoyin Temple he opened lectures on the titles of the two scriptures, the Lotus Sūtra and the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa; his acumen and eloquence were unfettered, and both clerics and laity admired and submitted to him; from this time onward, his renown with the Lotus Sūtra became illustrious.