歷代三寶紀 8.178

8.178

右一卷。沙門釋道恒撰。恒藍田人。年九歲時。曾戲于路。隱士張忠見而嗟曰。此小兒有出人之相。在俗必有輔政之功。處道必能光顯佛法。恨吾老矣不得見之。恒少失二親。事後母以孝聞。家貧無蓄。常手自書繢以供贍奉。而篤好經典學兼宵夜。至年二十後母又亡。行喪盡禮服畢出家。又遊刃佛理多所通達。學該內外才思清敏。羅什入關即往修造。什大喜之。及譯出眾經並助詳定。時恒有同學道標。亦雅有才力。當時擅名。與恒相次。秦主姚興以恒標二人神氣俊朗有經國之量。乃勅尚書令姚顯令敦逼恒標罷道助振王業。又下書恒標等曰。卿等皎然之操。實在可嘉。但君臨四海治急須才。今勅尚書令顯令奪卿等法服助翼贊時世。苟心存道味寧繫白黑。望體此懷不以守節為辭也。恒標等答曰。奉去月二十八日詔令奪恒標等法服。承命悲懷五情失守。恒標等才質闇短染法未深。緇服之下誓畢身命。並習佛法不閑世事。徒廢非常之業。終無殊異之功。昔光武尚能縱嚴陵之心。魏文容管寧之操。抑至尊之高心遂匹夫之微志。況陛下以道御物兼弘三寶。願鑒元元之情。垂曠通物之理也。興又致書於什䂮二法師曰。別已數旬每有傾想。漸暖比休泰耳。小虜遠舉更無處分。正有憒然耳。頃萬事之殷須才以理之。近詔恒標二人令釋羅漢之服尋大士之蹤。然道無不在。願法師等助以喻之。什䂮等答曰。蓋聞太上以道養民而物自是。其復有德而治天下。是以古之明主。審違性之難御。悟任物之多因。故堯放許由於箕山陵。讓放杖於魏國。高祖縱四皓於終南。叔度辭蒲輪於漢嶽。蓋以適賢之性為得賢也。今恒標等德非圓達分在守節。少習玄化伏膺佛道。至於敷析妙典研究幽微。足以啟悟童稚助化功德。願陛下放既往之恩縱其微志也。興後頻復下書。闔境救之。殆而得勉。恒乃歎曰。古人有言。益我貨者損我神。生我名者殺我身。於是竄影巖壑畢命幽藪。蔬食味禪緬迹人外。故著釋駁論及百行箴云。

The above in one fascicle was composed by the śramaṇa Shi Daocheng. Daocheng was a native of Lantian. When he was nine years old, he was once playing on the road. The hermit Zhang Zhong saw him and sighed in admiration, saying, "This child has an extraordinary demeanor. If he remains in the secular world, he will certainly achieve merit in assisting the government; if he dwells in the religious path, he will surely illuminate the Buddhadharma. I only regret that I am too old and shall not live to see it." Daocheng lost both parents when young and served his stepmother, becoming renowned for his filial piety. His family was poor and had no savings, so he often personally wrote out texts and drew paintings to support her, while being deeply fond of the scriptures, studying through the night. When he was twenty years old, his stepmother also passed away. He performed the funeral rites with full etiquette, and after the mourning period ended, he left household life. He navigated Buddhist principles with ease, mastering many of them. His learning encompassed both internal and external works, and his talent and thought were clear and keen. When Kumārajīva entered the Pass, Daocheng immediately went to pay respects. Kumārajīva was greatly delighted with him, and when he translated the scriptures, Daocheng assisted in reviewing and settling them. At that time, Daocheng had a fellow student, Daobiao, who was also elegant, talented, and capable; he enjoyed renown at the time, ranking alongside Daocheng. The ruler of the Qin, Yao Xing, considered both Daocheng and Daobiao to have brilliant spirit and the capacity to govern the state. He thus ordered the Director of the Department of State Affairs, Yao Xian, to urge Daocheng and Daobiao to renounce the religious path and assist in promoting the royal enterprise. He also issued a letter to Daocheng, Daobiao, and others, saying, "Your pristine integrity is truly commendable. However, as one presiding over all within the four seas, governance urgently requires talent. I have now instructed Director of the Department of State Affairs Xian to remove your monastic robes so that you may assist and support the present era. If your mind is set on the taste of the Way, why should it depend on white or black robes? I hope you will understand this sentiment and not use clinging to monastic discipline as an excuse." Daocheng and Daobiao replied: "We have received the decree of the twenty-eighth day of last month ordering the removal of our monastic robes. Upon receiving the command, our hearts were filled with grief, and our emotions lost their composure. Our talents and capacities are dim and limited, and our immersion in the Dharma is not yet deep. Beneath our dark robes, we vowed to spend our entire lives. We have practiced only the Buddhadharma and are not conversant with worldly affairs; we would merely abandon an extraordinary undertaking, while achieving no exceptional success in the end. Formerly, Emperor Guangwu was still able to indulge Yan Ziling's aspiration, and Emperor Wen of Wei tolerated Guan Ning's integrity, holding back the lofty mind of the supreme ruler to fulfill the modest will of an ordinary man. How much more so should Your Majesty, who steers all beings with the Way and promotes the Three Jewels, deign to look upon the feelings of the humble people and extend a broad understanding of the nature of beings!" Yao Xing also sent a letter to the two Dharma masters Kumārajīva and Sengzhao, saying: "Several ten-day periods have passed since we parted, and I constantly turn my thoughts to you. It is gradually growing warmer, and I trust you are resting peacefully. A minor bandit has fled far away, and there is nothing further to deal with, leaving only some annoyance. Lately, state affairs are numerous, and talent is needed to manage them. I recently issued a decree to Daocheng and Daobiao, ordering them to shed the robes of an arhat and follow in the footsteps of a great being. Since the Way is everywhere, I hope the Dharma masters will help persuade them." Kumārajīva, Sengzhao, and the others replied: "We have heard that the supreme ruler nurtures the people with the Way so that things find their own rightness; next to that, one governs the world with virtue. For this reason, the enlightened rulers of antiquity understood the difficulty of going against nature and realized that utilizing beings depends on many conditions. Therefore, Yao released Xu You to Mount Ji; the Ling Prince relinquished his staff in the state of Wei; Gaozu allowed the Four Whiteheads [to remain] on Mount Zhongnan; and Shudu declined the rushes-wrapped chariot at the Han peak. This was because suiting the nature of the worthy is precisely how one obtains the worthy. Now, the virtue of Daocheng and Daobiao is not all-encompassing; their lot lies in guarding their discipline. Since youth, they have practiced the profound transformation and submitted their hearts to the Buddha's path. As for expounding the wondrous scriptures and investigating the hidden subtleties, they are sufficient to enlighten the young and assist the merits of transformation. We hope Your Majesty will extend your past grace and grant their modest aspirations." Yao Xing later issued decrees repeatedly, but the entire region came to their rescue, and they barely managed to escape. Daocheng then sighed, saying: "The ancients had a saying: 'What increases my wealth damages my spirit; what brings me fame destroys my life.'" Thereupon, he hid his shadow in crags and ravines, ending his days in secluded swamps. Eating vegetarian food, relishing meditation, and distancing himself from the human realm, he composed the *Shi bo lun* (Treatise Refuting Criticisms) and the *Baihang zhen* (Admonitions on the Hundred Deeds).