四明尊者教行錄 6.72

6.72

今天台教觀之徒，稱四明尊者，追配古人。其言為國中之法也，可謂盛矣。（說之）自北方來，聞而異之。究其名氏，是謂法智禮公。於是乎矍然加歎曰：此我高祖文元公與楊文公之所稱者歟。我雖昧夫天台之學，未讀法智所著之書，而固已得其人矣。既而法智三世孫明智立公，視以高僧（簡長）等紀，贈詩二十三首曰：吾祖法智，得名凜然至今者，蓋有所自矣。當是時，翰林主人晁公、楊公所貽之文既已流傳矣。其輩行中聲名人、篇章之美，又如何哉。然是詩，吾祖法智初不自有之，乃落於杭州式公。不知其歷幾歲，凡傳幾何人，而復歸於法智之舊室，亦可歎也。已將移于石，願得以序之。（說之）竊以謂法智遠處身於東海之陂，而名聲振燿京師，既久而彌隆。其頌德辭翰，雖散而復合，亦可以為修德之勸也。後有攬者，其所感可勝言哉。烏虖！景德祥符之風，此亦非其躅歟。政和元年十一月庚申十三日，朝請郎監明州船場飛騎尉賜緋魚袋晁（說之）序。

Today, followers of the Tiantai doctrinal teaching and contemplation praise the Venerable Siming as an equal to the ancients. His words serve as the Dharma for the whole country, which may indeed be called magnificent. I, Shuozhi, came from the north, and upon hearing of this, found it extraordinary. Inquiring into his name and style, it was Master Fazhi Li. Thereupon, startled, I exclaimed with a sigh: "Is this the one whom my great-great-grandfather, Duke Wenyuan, and Duke Yang Wen praised? Though I am ignorant of the learning of Tiantai and have not read the books Fazhi wrote, I had already known his person." Soon after, Fazhi's third-generation descendant, Master Mingzhi Li, showed me twenty-three poems recorded and presented by eminent monks such as Jianchang, saying: "That my ancestor Fazhi's name has remained inspiring down to the present surely has its source. At that time, the writings sent by the masters of the Hanlin, Duke Chao and Duke Yang, were already circulating. How much more so the fame of the people among his peers, and the beauty of their compositions! Yet these poems were not initially kept by my ancestor Fazhi himself, but fell into the hands of Master Shi of Hangzhou. I know not how many years passed or how many hands they went through, but they have now returned to Fazhi's old room—this too is admirable! We are about to transfer them onto stone, and we wish for you to write a preface to them." I, Shuozhi, venture to consider: Fazhi lived far away on the shores of the Eastern Sea, yet his reputation resounded brilliantly in the imperial capital, becoming all the more elevated over time. Though these writings in praise of his virtue were scattered and brought together again, they may also serve as an encouragement for cultivating virtue. For those who view them in later times, how can the feelings stirred in them be fully expressed? Alas! Is this not also a trace of the spirit of the Jingde and Xiangfu eras? On the thirteenth day, gengshen, of the eleventh month in the first year of Zhenghe [1111], preface by Chao Shuozhi, Court Gentleman for Consultation, Supervisor of the Shipyard of Mingzhou, Flying Cavalry Commandant, and Grantee of the Scarlet Fish Bag.