歷代三寶紀 7.34

7.34

The above three works, totaling eleven fascicles, were translated during the reign of Emperor Yuan by the Western Regions śramaṇa Śrīmitra, whose name in Jin means 'Auspicious Friend'. He was the son of a king; due to inherit the royal throne, he yielded the realm to his younger brother, silently emulating Taibo as inner awakening arose in his heart, whereupon he became a śramaṇa. His natural endowment was lofty and luminous, and his demeanor spirited and preeminent. Merely to encounter him face-to-face was already to find him extraordinary and transcending the worldly realm, to say nothing of his keen eloquence in conversation. Chancellor Wang Dao admired him greatly upon first meeting him, considering him one of his own kind; through this, [Śrīmitra's] fame spread widely. Wang Dao once said to [Śrī]mitra: 'In foreign lands, there is only you as an exemplary gentleman.' Mitra laughed and replied: 'If this poor monk were like you, the Dānapati, how could I have journeyed all the way here today?' People of the time considered this an excellent retort. He was skilled in dhāraṇī practices, and all his rituals proved efficacious; he was widely popular in Jiankang, and the people of that era called him the High Seat Master of the Dharma. He also instructed his disciples, such as Mili, in high-voiced Sanskrit chanting, whose echoes have been handed down to the present day.