佛祖歷代通載 10.55

10.55

（十八　辛亥）　法師曇延。姿度環異身長九尺六寸。垂手過膝目光外射。才望與惠遠相捋。述諸經義疏。議者謂標舉綱目遠不逮延。文句愜當延不逮遠。齊太祖從之問道給月俸。會周使周弘正來聘。大臣舉延接伴。弘正恃才氣出人上。見延悠然意消。及還求延畫像并所著疏論而歸。帝益重之。進位昭玄上統。周武廢教。延遁入太行山。及隋受禪。即日削髮。以沙門謁見。文帝大悅下書復教。久之歲旱。有旨命延率眾祈雨。雨不降。帝問故。對曰。事由一二。帝遣京尹蘇成問一二之意。延曰。陛下躬萬機之政。群臣致股肱之力。雖通治體然俱愆玄化。欲雨不雨。事由一二也。帝識其意。勅有司擇日於正殿設儀。命延授以八戒。群臣以次受訖。方炎威如焚而大雨沛然傾注。帝悅。自是延每入朝。必親手奉御饌供之。臨終以表辭帝託以外護。帝哭之哀甚。葬日百僚縞素送之。內史薛道衡文祭。略曰。往逢道喪玄綱落紐。棲心幽岩確乎不拔。高位厚祿不能回其慮。嚴威峻法不足懼其心。經行宴坐夷險莫二。戒德威儀始終如一。聖皇啟運像法再興。卓爾緇衣欝為稱首。屈宸極之重。申師資之義。三寶由之弘護。二諦藉以宣揚。信足以追踪澄什超邁安遠矣。

(18. Xinhai) Dharma Master Tanyan had an extraordinary appearance and stature; he was nine feet and six inches tall, his arms hung down past his knees, and his eyes radiated light outward. His talent and prestige were equal to those of Huiyuan. He composed commentaries on the meanings of various scriptures. Critics held that in presenting the overarching outline, Yuan was not equal to Yan; but in making phrasing and sentences fitting and felicitous, Yan was not equal to Yuan. Emperor Taizu of the Qi consulted him about the Way and granted him a monthly stipend. When Zhou Hongzheng was sent as an envoy by the Zhou on a friendly mission, the ministers recommended Yan to receive and accompany him. Hongzheng relied on his own brilliant talent to look down upon others, but upon seeing Yan, his haughty mind melted away into calm. When he returned, he requested a portrait of Yan along with his commentaries and treatises to take back with him. The Emperor valued Yan all the more and promoted him to the rank of Supreme Controller of the Office of Clerical Affairs. When Emperor Wu of the Zhou suppressed the teaching, Yan fled into the Taihang Mountains. When the Sui accepted the abdication, Yan shaved his head that very day and had an audience with the emperor as a śramaṇa. Emperor Wen was overjoyed and issued a decree restoring the teaching. Later, during a prolonged drought, an imperial decree ordered Yan to lead the community to pray for rain, but the rain did not fall. The emperor asked for the reason, and Yan replied, "This matter is due to the One and Two." The emperor sent the Capital Prefect Su Cheng to inquire about the meaning of "the One and Two." Yan said, "Your Majesty personally manages the governance of ten thousand affairs, and the ministers exert their utmost strength as arms and legs. Although both are versed in the art of governance, both have fallen short in the mysterious transformation. That it wishes to rain but does not rain is due to the One and Two." The emperor understood his meaning and commanded the authorities to select an auspicious day to set up a ceremony in the main palace hall, ordering Yan to transmit the eight precepts to him. After the ministers had received them in sequence, while the blazing heat was like a furnace, a torrential downpour poured down. The emperor was delighted. From then on, whenever Yan entered the court, the emperor would personally present imperial delicacies to offer him. As Yan approached his end, he submitted a memorial taking leave of the emperor and entrusting him with the role of external protector. The emperor wept for him with great grief. On the day of his funeral, the hundred civil officials wore plain white mourning clothes to see him off. The Palace Secretary Xue Daoheng composed a funeral oration, which stated in brief: "Formerly, when the Way deteriorated and the cosmic bonds fell apart, he lodged his mind in secluded crags, firm and unyielding. High rank and generous emoluments could not sway his thoughts; severe majesty and harsh laws could not frighten his mind. In walking meditation and quiet sitting, he was the same in ease and adversity; his vinaya virtue and dignified deportment were unified from beginning to end. When the holy emperor inaugurated the dynastic destiny and the image teaching was revived, he stood preeminent among the black-robed clergy, hailed as their foremost leader. He induced the supreme sovereign to bend his majesty, expressing the bond between master and disciple. The Three Jewels were broadly protected through him; the two truths were propagated relying on him. Truly he is worthy of following in the footsteps of Fotudeng and Kumārajīva, and surpassing Dao'an and Huiyuan!"