佛祖歷代通載 22.205

22.205

（廿八）　五臺山大普寧寺弘教大師性講主卒。公諱了性。號大林。武氏。惟古因生賜姓。胙土命氏。公之先莫詳世系。然考之命氏之原。武子姓。其後邑于宋。宋武公之後。以諡為氏。公少好學。聰叡之性。殆天啟之。依耆德安公為浮圖。既登具。歷諸講庠。探賾經論研精祕奧。始遇真覺國師。啟悟初心。既而周游關陝河洛。歷汴汝唐鄧。放予襄漢。尋幽覽勝以博其趣。所至必訪其人。詢至道之要。其所師而學者。如柏林潭公。關輔懷公。南陽茲公。皆以義學著稱。及歸復見真覺於壟坻。逾見墻仞之高。堂室之奧。乃曰。佛法司南其在茲乎。後從真覺至臺山。真覺歿北游燕薊。晦迹魏闕之下。悠悠如處江海之上。與世若相忘焉。然以懷壁之美被褐而莫掩。名既喧於眾口。聲遂聞於九重。會萬寧既建。詔公居之。至大中太后剏寺臺山。寺曰普寧。以茲擅天下之勝。住持之寄。非海內之望。莫能勝之。故以命公。公居此山十有餘年而歿。公為人剛毅。頗負氣節。不能俛仰隨世嬪悅於人。雖居官寺。未嘗至城府造權貴之門。或謂公少和氣。公曰。予以一芥苾芻。天子不以人之微處之大寺。惟竭誠夙來匪懈。圖以報國而已。夫何求哉。必有臧倉毀鬲之言。蓋亦營營青蠅止于棘樊耳。顧予命之不遭。道之不行。納履而去之。何往而不得於道乎。時國家尊寵西僧其徒甚盛。出入騎從擬迹王公。其人赤毳峨冠岸然自居。諸名德輩莫不為之致禮。或磬折而前。摳衣接足匃其按頂。謂之攝受。公獨長揖而已。或謂公傲。公曰。吾敢慢於人耶。吾聞君子愛人以禮。何可苟屈其節而巽于床自取卑辱乎。且吾於道。於彼何求哉。彼以其勢自大而倨。吾苟為之屈焉。非諂則佞也。焉有君子而為佞諂之行哉。識者壯其氣。以謂如佛印元公之遇高麗王子。可謂識大體而得乎禮矣。至治元年九月三日。歿於普寧寺。既火化以舍利。塔于竹林之墟。

[28] Lecturer Superior Xing, Grand Master for Propagating the Teaching at Da Puning Monastery on Mount Wutai, passed away. His taboo name was Liaoxing, and his style was Dalin; he was of the Wu clan. In antiquity, surnames were granted by birth and clan names bestowed with granted lands; the master's early lineage is not known in detail. Yet examining the origins of the bestowed clan name, Wu was of the Zi surname, whose descendants were later enfeoffed in Song; as descendants of Duke Wu of Song, they took his posthumous title as their clan name. In his youth he was fond of learning, his quick intelligence seemingly endowed by Heaven. Relying on the senior elder Master An, he became a monk. Having taken full ordination, he visited various lecture halls, probing deeply into the scriptures and treatises and investigating their subtle arcana. He first met National Preceptor Zhenjue, who awakened his initial aspiration. Later he traveled throughout the passes of Shaanxi and the Heluo region, journeyed through Bian, Ru, Tang, and Deng, and roamed along the Xiang and Han rivers, seeking secluded places and admiring famous landscapes to broaden his horizons. Wherever he went, he made sure to visit eminent figures to inquire about the essentials of the supreme Path. Those he took as teachers and studied under—such as Master Tan of Bolin, Master Huai of the Capital Region, and Master Zi of Nanyang—were all renowned for their doctrinal scholarship. Returning, he met Zhenjue again in Longdi, and all the more perceived the height of the walls and the depth of the chambers, exclaiming: 'Is not the compass of the Buddha's teaching found right here!' Later he followed Zhenjue to Mount Wutai. After Zhenjue passed away, he traveled north to Yan and Ji, hiding his traces beneath the imperial palace gates, as unhurried as if dwelling beside rivers and seas, as though mutually forgotten with the world. Yet as the jade held in one's bosom cannot be concealed beneath coarse clothes, his fame had already spread from mouth to mouth, and his renown reached the Ninefold Imperial Palace. When Wanning Monastery had been built, an imperial edict summoned the master to reside there. During the Zhida reign period, the Grand Empress Dowager founded a monastery on Mount Wutai called Puning; as it commanded the finest scenic realm under Heaven, the entrustment of its abbacy could be borne by none other than someone commanding nationwide renown, and so it was conferred upon the master. The master resided on this mountain for more than ten years until his death. By nature he was resolute and stern, possessing great moral integrity, unable to bow and bend with the worldly trends to please others. Though he presided over official monasteries, he never entered urban centers to visit the gates of the powerful. Someone remarked that the master lacked an accommodating air, to which he replied: 'I am merely an insignificant bhikṣu; yet the Son of Heaven, not regarding my unworthiness, placed me in a great monastery. I strive only with all sincerity day and night without negligence, seeking to requite the country—what else should I seek? If there are defamatory slanders like those of Zang Cang, they are merely buzzing green flies perching on a thorny fence. Should my destiny be unfavorable and the Path unpracticed, I shall put on my shoes and depart; wherever I go, how could I fail to attain the Path?' At that time, the state greatly favored and honored Western monks, whose followers were exceedingly numerous. Entering and leaving with mounted retinues rivaling kings and dukes, they wore red woolen garments and tall hats, carrying themselves haughtily. All eminent figures bowed to them respectfully, some bending like musical stones as they advanced, lifting their robes to touch their feet, begging for the laying on of hands to receive what they called 'adoption.' The master alone merely offered a bow with clasped hands. Some deemed the master arrogant, but he said: 'Would I dare be insolent toward others? I have heard that a gentleman loves people in accordance with proper rites. How could one compromise one's integrity and cower beneath a couch, inviting humiliation upon oneself? Furthermore, as for the Path, what do I seek from them? Since they boast of their influence and act haughtily, were I to compromise myself for them, it would be nothing but sycophancy or flattery. How could a gentleman commit acts of flattery?' Those with discerning minds admired his spirit, regarding it as comparable to Master Foyin Yuan's meeting with the Prince of Goryeo; he could indeed be said to understand the broader situation and attain proper decorum. On the third day of the ninth month in the first year of the Zhizhi reign period, he passed away at Puning Monastery. After his cremation, his relics were enshrined in a stupa on the grounds of Zhulin Monastery.