四明尊者教行錄 7.18

7.18

法智大師，名（知禮），字約言，金姓，世為明人。梵相奇偉，性恬而器閎。初其父母禱佛求息，夜夢神僧携一童遺之曰：此佛子羅睺羅也。既生，以名焉。毀齒出家，十五落髮受具戒，二十從本郡寶雲（義通）法師傳天台教觀。始三日，首座僧謂曰：法界自有次第，若當奉持。師曰：何謂法界？僧曰：大總法相，圓融無礙者是也。師曰：既圓融無礙矣，何得有次第耶？是僧無語。幾一月，自講《心經》，人皆屬聽，而驚傳之，謂教法有賴矣。居三年，常代通師講，入文銷義，益闡其所學。後住承天，遂徙延慶，德望寖隆，道法大熾。所至為學徒淵藪，日本國師甞遣徒持二十問詢求法要，師答之咸臻其妙。天台之教莫盛此時。真宗皇帝知名，遺中貴人至其居，命修懺法，厚有賜予。偶歲大旱，師與遵式、異聞二法師，同修金光明懺，用以禱雨。三日雨未降，於是徹席伏地，自誓於天曰：茲會佛事，儻未降雨，當各然一手以供佛。佛事未竟，雨已大浹。甞與錢唐奉先（清源）、梵天（慶昭）、孤山（智圓）數人，為書設問，往復辨析，雖數而不屈。又遣門人神照大師（本如），與之講論其說，卒能取勝。甞製《指要》、《妙宗》二鈔，大悲懺儀別行疏記暨光明二記之類，後悉流傳。甞偕十僧修妙懺三年，且約以懺罷共焚其軀，庶以激怠惰而起精進。翰林學士楊公億、駙馬都尉李遵勗，嘗薦師服號者，其心尤所愛重，知有自焚意，致書勸止弗從。又致書天竺慈雲式師，俾自杭至明面沮其義，亦不聽。群守直史舘李公（夷庾），密戒隣社常察之，毋容遁以焚。師願既莫遂。復集十僧，修大悲懺三年。又以光明懺中七日為順寂期，方五日，結跏趺坐而逝。實天聖六年正月五也，享年六十有九，為僧五十有四期。其亡經月，發龕以視，顏膚如生，爪髮俱長。既就荼毘，舌根不壞，舍利至不可勝數。凡三主法會，唯事講懺，四十餘年，脇未始至席。當時之人從而化者以千計，授其教而唱道於時者三十餘席。如則全、覺琮、本如、崇矩、尚賢、仁岳、慧才、梵臻之徒，皆為時之聞人。今江浙之間講席盛者，靡不傳師之教，其於開人之功亦已博矣。元豐三年冬十月，（余）謝事經歲，自衢抵溫。有法明院𭜫講師，其行解俱高者，頓甞游衢，乃（余）未第時與之接者也。一日斂裓而前曰：（繼忠）於法智師徒為法孫，惜其示寂六十有三年，其所造峻特，而所學為來者，師固釋門之木鐸哉。自昔達官文士，其言可信於後世者，乃無述焉。其徒竊羞之，既而狀其行，請（余）作碑，以為無窮之傳。（余）乃歎曰：人生之初，虛一而靜，本無凡聖之別。逮交戰於事物之境，而莫之能返，此諸佛不得已而來震旦，煩其名相以化之，豈苟而已哉。設之以法而可行，示之以戒而不可犯，如目之有花，他人莫得見；如耳之有磬，他人莫得聞，欲其自降迺心而求復初地。其後導師繼繼而興，騁智慧辯才，談真實妙義，使人不離當念超圓頓一乘，不離文字示解脫諸相。要其究竟，則無一法之可說，無一字以與人。法智師既達乎此，則何假於言而後傳哉。雖然，重違勤懇，姑閱其所紀，皆眾所共聞者，因為摭梗概而實錄之，仍讚之以文曰：

The Great Master Fazhi, named Zhili, style Yueyan, family name Jin, was of a lineage that had lived in Ming[zhou] for generations. His marks of a holy person were extraordinary and magnificent, his nature placid and his capacity broad. Initially, his parents prayed to the Buddha for a son. At night they dreamed of a divine monk holding a boy and handing him over, saying: "This is the Buddha's son, Rāhula." When he was born, they named him after him. At the age of losing his baby teeth he left home, at fifteen he had his head shaved and received the full precepts, and at twenty he followed Master Baoyun (Yitong) of his native commandery to receive the transmission of the Tiantai doctrinal teaching and contemplation. After only three days, the head monk said to him: "The Dharma realm naturally has an order; you should observe and maintain it." The master asked: "What is meant by the Dharma realm?" The monk replied: "It is the great overarching characteristic of dharmas, perfectly interfused and unimpeded." The master said: "If it is already perfectly interfused and unimpeded, how can there be an order?" That monk was speechless. In barely a month, he gave lectures on the *Hṛdaya Sūtra* himself; all people flocked to listen and spread word of him in astonishment, declaring that the doctrinal teaching now had someone to rely upon. Having resided there for three years, he frequently lectured in place of Master Tong, penetrating the text and elucidating the meaning, further making known what he had learned. Later he resided at Chengtian, and subsequently moved to Yanqing. His virtuous renown grew increasingly high, and his practice of the Way flourished immensely. Wherever he went became an assembly of scholars. The National Preceptor of Japan once sent disciples bearing twenty questions to inquire after the essentials of the Dharma; the master answered them, and all reached perfection. Never was the Tiantai teaching more flourishing than at this time. Emperor Zhenzong became aware of his reputation and dispatched a high-ranking palace official to his dwelling, commanding him to perform repentance rituals and bestowing generous gifts. Once, in a year of great drought, the master, together with the two masters Zunshi and Yiwen, jointly cultivated the Golden Light Repentance to pray for rain. When after three days rain had not fallen, they cleared away their mats, prostrated on the ground, and took an oath before Heaven, saying: "In this Buddhist rite, if rain does not fall, each of us shall burn one hand to offer to the Buddha." Before the Buddhist rite had finished, torrential rain poured down everywhere. He once exchanged written inquiries with several persons—Qingyuan of Fengxian in Qiantang, Qingzhao of Fantian, and Zhiyuan of Gushan—debating back and forth; though repeated often, he never yielded. He also sent his disciple, Great Master Shenzhao (Benru), to debate their doctrines with them, and in the end they were able to gain the victory. He composed two commentaries, the *Zhiyao* and *Miaozong*, the *Dabei chanyi biexing shu ji* (Subcommentary to the Independent Ritual of the Great Compassion Repentance), the two commentaries on the *Guangming*, and the like, all of which were subsequently transmitted. He once cultivated the Miaosheng Repentance for three years together with ten monks, making an agreement that when the repentance ended they would burn their bodies together, hoping thereby to stimulate the indolent and arouse vigorous progress. Academician of the Hanlin Academy Lord Yang Yi and Commandery駙馬李遵勗 Li Zunxu, who had previously recommended the master for bestowed monastic robes and titles, held him in the highest esteem and affection. Knowing of his intention to self-immolate, they sent letters urging him to desist, but he would not comply. They also sent a letter to Master Ciyun Shi of Tianzhu, having him come in person from Hangzhou to Mingzhou to dissuade him from his intention, yet he still would not listen. Commandery Governor and Auxiliary in the Institute of History Lord Li (Yiyu) secretly ordered the neighboring communities to watch him constantly, not allowing him to slip away to burn himself. His wish having thus been thwarted, he again assembled ten monks to cultivate the Great Compassion Repentance for three years. Moreover, he took the seven days during the Golden Light Repentance as the period for his passing; on the fifth day, he sat cross-legged and passed away. This was truly on the fifth day of the first month in the sixth year of Tiansheng. His age was sixty-nine, and he had been a monk for fifty-four years. A month after his demise, when his casket was opened to view, his complexion and skin were as if alive, and his nails and hair had grown. After cremation, his tongue root was indestructible, and the relics were beyond count. In all, he presided over three Dharma assemblies, devoted solely to lecturing and repentance for over forty years, his sides never touching the mat. Those who followed and were transformed by him at the time were numbered by the thousands; those who received his teaching and proclaimed the Way in their time occupied more than thirty teaching seats. Figures such as Zequan, Juezong, Benru, Chongju, Shangxian, Renyue, Huicai, and Fanzhen were all famous men of the age. Today, among the flourishing lecture seats in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, there are none that do not transmit the master's teaching; his merit in opening people's minds was truly broad. In the tenth month, winter of the third year of Yuanfeng, after I had retired from office for a year, I traveled from Quzhou to Wenzhou. There was the Lecturer Yi of Faming Cloister, whose practice and understanding were both lofty; he had once traveled to Quzhou, where I had contact with him before I passed the examinations. One day, he gathered his robes and stepped forward, saying: "I, Jizhong, am a Dharma grandson of Master Fazhi. Alas, he has been departed for sixty-three years! His attainments were towering and distinct, and his learning served as a model for future generations; the master was truly the wooden clapper of the Buddhist gate! From the past, among high officials and men of letters whose words could be trusted by later generations, none have recorded him. His disciples secretly feel ashamed of this. Having now set down an account of his deeds, they request that you compose a stele inscription to serve as an everlasting transmission." I then sighed and said: "At the beginning of human life, one is empty, unified, and tranquil; originally there is no distinction between ordinary and sagely. When one engages in conflict within the realm of things and events, unable to return, the Buddhas had no choice but to come to the Eastern land, taking the trouble of names and characteristics to transform them—how could this be done casually? They set down Dharma that can be practiced, and showed precepts that must not be transgressed—like a floater in the eye that others cannot see, or a ringing in the ear that others cannot hear—desiring that they subdue their own minds and seek to return to the original ground. Thereafter, guiding teachers arose one after another, giving free rein to their wisdom and eloquence to preach the true, marvelous meaning, enabling people to transcend immediately to the perfect and sudden One Vehicle without leaving their present thought, and manifesting all aspects of liberation without leaving written words. In the final analysis, there is not a single dharma to be preached, not a single word to be given to another. Since Master Fazhi attained this, how could he rely on words to be transmitted? Nevertheless, finding it hard to refuse your earnest request, I looked over what was recorded; all are matters commonly known to the multitude. Therefore, I have gathered the main points and truthfully recorded them, further praising him with words, saying:"