佛祖歷代通載 16.21

16.21

（十二　丙辰）　改開成○元年。左街僧錄內供奉三教談論引駕大德安國寺上座賜紫大達法師端甫卒。史館修撰裴休製碑曰。玄祕塔者。大法師端甫靈骨之所歸也。於戲為丈夫者。在家則張仁義禮樂。輔天子以扶世導俗。出家則運慈悲定慧。佐如來以闡教利生。捨此無以為丈夫也。背此無以為達道也。和上其出家之雄乎。天水趙氏世為秦人。初母張夫人夢梵僧謂曰。當生貴子。即出囊中舍利使吞之。及誕所夢僧白晝入其室。摩其頂曰。必當大弘教法。言訖而滅。既成人高顙廣目大頤方口。長六尺五寸其音如鐘。夫將欲荷如來之菩提。鑿生靈之耳目。固必有殊相奇表與。殆十歲依崇福寺道悟禪師為沙彌。十七正度為比丘。隷安國寺。具威儀於西明照律師。稟持犯於崇福寺昇律師。傳涅槃唯識大義於安國寺素法師。復夢梵僧告曰。三藏大教盡貯汝腹矣。自是經律論無敵於天下。囊括川注逢原委會。滔滔然莫能知其畔岸矣。夫將欲伐株杌於情田。雨甘露於法種者。固必有勇智宏辨與。無何謁文殊於清涼。眾聖皆現。演大經於太原。傾都畢會。德宗皇帝聞其名徵之。一見大悅。常出入禁中與儒道論議。賜紫方袍。歲時錫施異於他等。復詔侍皇太子於東朝。順宗皇帝深仰其風。親之若昆弟。相與臥起。恩禮特隆。憲宗皇帝數幸其寺。待之若賓友。常承顧問。注納偏厚。而和上符彩超邁詞理響捷。迎合上旨皆契真乘。雖造次應對。未嘗不以闡揚為務。由是天子益知佛為大聖人。其教有大不可思議事。當是時朝廷方削平區夏。縛吳幹蜀瀦蔡蕩鄆。而天子端拱無事。詔和上率緇屬迎真骨於靈山。開法場於祕殿。為人請福親奉香火。既而刑不殘兵不黷。赤子無愁聲。江海無驚浪。蓋參用真乘以毘大政之明効也。夫將欲顯大不思議之道。輔大有為之君。固必有冥符玄契與掌內殿法儀。錄左街僧事。以標表清眾者十一年。講涅槃唯議經論。位處當仁傳授宗乘以開誘道俗。凡一百六十座。運三密於瑜伽。契無生於悉地。日持諸部十餘萬遍。指淨土為息肩之地。嚴金經為報法之恩。前後供施數十百萬悉以崇飾殿宇窮極雕繪。而方丈匡床靜慮自得。貴臣盛族皆所依慕。豪俠工賈莫不瞻嚮。薦金玉以致誠。仰端嚴而禮足。日有千數。不可殫書。而和上即眾生以觀佛。離四相以修善。心下如地坦無丘陵。王公輿臺皆以誠接。議者以謂成就常不輕行者。唯和上而已。夫將欲駕橫海之大航拯群迷於彼岸者。固必有奇功妙道與。以開成元年六月一日。向西右脇而滅。當暑而尊容若生。竟夕而異香彌欝。其年七月六日遷於長樂之南原。遺命荼毘。得舍利三百餘粒。方熾而神光月皎。既燼而靈骨珠圓。賜諡大達。塔曰玄祕。俗壽六十七。僧臘四十八。弟子比丘比丘尼約千餘輩。或講論玄言。或紀綱大寺。修禪秉律分作人師五十。其徒皆為達者。於戲和上果出家之雄乎。不然何至德殊祥如此其盛也。承襲弟子自約義正正言等。克荷先業虔守遺風。大懼徽猷有時堙沒。而閤門劉公法緣最深。道契彌固。亦以為請。願播清塵。休嘗游其藩備其事。隨喜讚歎蓋無愧辭。銘曰。賢劫千佛。第四能仁。哀我生靈。出經破塵。教網高張。孰分。有大法師。如從親聞。經律論藏。戒定慧學。深淺同源。先後相覺。異宗偏義。孰正孰駁。有大法師。為作霜雹。趣真則滯。涉偽則流。象狂猿輕。鉤檻莫收。柅制刀斷。尚生瘡疣。有大法師。絕念而游。巨唐啟運。大雄垂教。千載冥符。三乘迭耀。寵重恩顧。顯闡讚導。有大法師。逢時感召。空門正闢。法宇方開。崢嶸棟宇。一旦而摧。水月鏡像。無心去來。徒令後學。瞻仰徘徊。

(12. Bingchen) The era name was changed to the first year of Kaicheng. The Left Street Monastic Scribe, Palace Attendant Debater of the Three Teachings, Imperial Escort Virtuous One, Superior of Anguo Monastery, and recipient of the purple [robe], Great Master of the Great Penetration Duanfu, passed away. Pei Xiu, Compiler of the Historiography Institute, composed the stele inscription, saying: "The Mysterious Secret Pagoda is where the sacred relics of the Great Dharma Master Duanfu return. Ah, as for being a great man: at home, he unfurls benevolence, righteousness, ritual, and music, assisting the Son of Heaven to sustain the world and guide popular customs; leaving home, he activates compassion, concentration, and wisdom, aiding the Tathāgata to propagate the teachings and benefit living beings. Without this, one cannot be a great man; turning back from this, one cannot reach the Way. Was the Venerable not an outstanding hero among those who left home? His clan was the Zhao of Tianshui, who had been people of Qin for generations. Earlier, his mother, Lady Zhang, dreamt of an Indian monk who said to her: 'You shall give birth to a noble son.' He then took relics from a pouch and made her swallow them. When he was born, the monk of her dream entered her chamber in broad daylight, patted the crown of his head, and said: 'You must surely spread the teaching of the Dharma on a grand scale.' Having spoken, he vanished. Once grown, he had a high forehead, wide eyes, a prominent jaw, and a square mouth. He was six feet five inches tall, and his voice was like a bell. Now, one who is to bear the enlightenment of the Tathāgata and open the eyes and ears of living beings surely must possess distinctive signs and an extraordinary appearance! At nearly ten years of age, he relied on Chan Master Daowu of Chongfu Monastery as a śrāmaṇera. At seventeen, he was formally ordained as a bhikṣu, affiliated with Anguo Monastery. He mastered deportment under Vinaya Master Zhao of Ximing, received [the rules of] observing and violating under Vinaya Master Sheng of Chongfu Monastery, and received the great meaning of the Nirvāṇa and Vijñapti-mātra from Dharma Master Su of Anguo Monastery. Again, he dreamt of an Indian monk who told him: 'The great teachings of the Tripiṭaka are entirely stored in your belly.' Thenceforth, in the Sūtras, Vinaya, and Abhidharma, he had no peer in all under heaven. He enveloped everything like pouring rivers, following every source and confluence, flowing vast and boundlessly, so that none could fathom his shores. Now, one who is to clear the stumps and roots in the field of feelings and rain sweet dew upon the seeds of the Dharma surely must possess courageous wisdom and grand eloquence! Soon after, he paid homage to Mañjuśrī at Qingliang [Shan], where all the holy ones manifested. He expounded the Great Sūtra at Taiyuan, and the entire capital gathered. Emperor Dezong heard of his fame and summoned him. At their first meeting he was greatly delighted. He frequently entered and left the imperial palace to debate with Confucians and Daoists. He was granted a purple square-cut robe, and his seasonal gifts were distinct from all others. An edict again ordered him to attend upon the Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace. Emperor Shunzong deeply revered his manner, treating him intimately as a brother, sleeping and rising together with him, showing exceptionally lofty favor and courtesy. Emperor Xianzong frequently graced his monastery, treating him as a guest and friend; he often received consultations, enjoying singularly deep regard. And the Venerable's countenance was transcendent, his words and reasoning prompt and sharp; his catering to the sovereign's intent was always in accord with the True Vehicle. Even in casual responses, he never failed to make propagation his work. From this, the Son of Heaven recognized even more that the Buddha is a Great Sage, whose teaching possesses great and inconceivable things. At that time, the imperial court had just pacified the realm: capturing Wu Yuanji, securing Shu, submerging Cai, and sweeping away Yun. Yet the Son of Heaven sat with folded hands in peace, decreeing that the Venerable lead the clergy to welcome the true bone relics at Lingshan and establish an altar of the Dharma in the secret halls, praying for blessings on behalf of the people and personally attending to the incense and lanterns. Soon, punishments were not cruel and soldiers were not worn out; the people had no plaintive cries, and the rivers and seas had no alarming waves. This was indeed the brilliant efficacy of using the True Vehicle to assist the great governance. Now, one who is to manifest the inconceivable Way and aid a ruler of great accomplishment surely must possess a dark accord and mysterious tally! He was in charge of the Dharma ceremonies in the Inner Palace and recorded the monastic affairs of the Left Street, serving as a model for the pure assembly for eleven years. He expounded the Nirvāṇa and Vijñapti-mātra sūtras and treatises; standing in the place of benevolence, he transmitted the ancestral vehicle to open and guide both clergy and laity, presiding over a total of one hundred and sixty lectures. He operated the three mysteries in Yoga and realized the unarisen in siddhi. Daily, he recited the various scriptures over a hundred thousand times. He pointed to the Pure Land as his resting place and adorned the golden scriptures to repay the kindness of the Dharma. The offerings he received earlier and later amounted to millions, all of which he used to elevate and adorn palace halls with the utmost carving and painting. Yet in his abbot's quarters, on a simple couch, he was at peace and self-possessed in quiet contemplation. Noble ministers and eminent clans all relied on and admired him; chivalrous heroes, artisans, and merchants all gazed up to him in reverence. Offering gold and jade to express their sincerity, they looked up to his dignified demeanor and prostrated at his feet by the thousands daily—more than can be fully written. Yet the Venerable viewed the Buddha directly in sentient beings and cultivated goodness detached from the four signs. His mind was low like the earth, flat without mounds; princes, dukes, and menials were all received with sincerity. Commentators considered that the one who accomplished the practice of Never Despising was the Venerable alone. Now, one who is to steer the great raft across the sea to rescue the confused multitudes to the other shore surely must possess extraordinary achievements and a wondrous Way! On the first day of the sixth month of the first year of Kaicheng, facing west and lying on his right side, he passed away. In the midst of summer, his venerable countenance appeared as if alive; throughout the night, an extraordinary fragrance wafted intensely. On the sixth day of the seventh month of that year, he was moved to the southern plain of Changle. By his testamentary instructions he was cremated; over three hundred grains of relics were obtained. While burning, their divine radiance was as bright as the moon; after reducing to ashes, the sacred bones were as round as pearls. He was posthumously granted the title 'Dada' (Great Penetration), and the pagoda was called 'Xuanmi' (Mysterious Secret). His worldly age was sixty-seven; his monastic age was forty-eight. His disciples, bhikṣus and bhikṣuṇīs, numbered about a thousand. Some expounded profound words, some administered great monasteries; fifty of them, practicing Chan and upholding the Vinaya, became teachers of men. His followers were all thoroughly accomplished. Ah! Was the Venerable indeed an outstanding hero among those who left home? If not, how could his supreme virtue and extraordinary omens have been so magnificent? The successor disciples Ziyue, Yizheng, Zhengyan, and others, ably bearing the prior legacy and reverently upholding the bequeathed manner, greatly feared that his fine deeds might in time be obscured. Furthermore, Minister of the Palace Gate Lord Liu, whose Dharma-affinity was deepest and whose accord in the Way was most solid, also requested that his pure dust be broadcast. Having once visited his precinct and being fully acquainted with his deeds, I rejoice and praise him with words devoid of shame. The inscription reads: Of the thousand Buddhas of the Auspicious Kalpa, / The fourth was the Capable and Benevolent One. / Pitying our living beings, / He brought forth sūtras to shatter the dust. / The net of the teachings spread high; / Who could distinguish it? / There was a Great Dharma Master, / As if having heard it in person. / The treasuries of Sūtras, Vinaya, and Abhidharma, / The trainings in precepts, concentration, and wisdom: / Deep and shallow share the same source, / First and last awaken one another. / Divergent schools and partial doctrines: / Who judged them right or wrong? / There was a Great Dharma Master, / Who struck them like frost and hail. / Rushing to the true leads to stagnation; / Venturing into the false leads to wandering. / The elephant is wild, the monkey nimble; / Cage and trap cannot restrain them. / Restricted by brakes, severed by knives, / They still sprout sores and warts. / There was a Great Dharma Master, / Who roamed with thoughts cut off. / The Great Tang opened its fortune; / The Great Hero handed down his teachings. / A mysterious accord across a thousand years; / The Three Vehicles shone alternately. / Favored and weighed with gracious attention, / Manifesting, propagating, and guiding. / There was a Great Dharma Master, / Who answered the call of the times. / The Gate of Emptiness just opened, / The Dharma sanctuary just unfolded. / The lofty ridgepole and beams / Were in one morning destroyed. / The moon in the water, the image in the mirror, / Have no mind to come or go. / In vain they leave later students / To gaze upward and linger.