佛祖歷代通載 7.58

7.58

(16) Dharma Master Sengzhao was poor in his youth and worked as a copyist for hire, thereby reading widely in the masters and histories; he was especially skilled in Zhuangzi and Laozi, though he considered them superficial. At the age of twenty he became a śramaṇa, his fame resounding through the Sanfu region. While Master [Kumāra]jīva was in Guzang, Zhao hastened to take refuge with him. [Kumāra]jīva spoke with him and said in astonishment: 'He is a dragon and elephant among the Dharma!' When they returned to Guanzhong to revise and finalize the sūtras and treatises, scholars from all directions converged like spokes at an axle. When they presented difficulties and attacked in debate, Zhao solved them with ease, always surpassing expectations. He composed the Treatise on Prajñā without Knowing (*Bōrě wúzhī lùn*). [Kumāra]jīva examined it and said: 'My understanding is no inferior to yours, but in literary expression I must yield to you.' The treatise was transmitted to Mount Kuang, where Liu Yimin showed it to Master [Hui]yuan. Master [Hui]yuan slapped his thigh and sighed: 'I thought such a work had never existed before!' Zhao also composed treatises such as Things Do Not Shift (*Wù bù qiān lùn*), all reaching the ultimate subtlety. The ruler of Qin especially valued his writings and ordered them circulated throughout the realm. Zhao died at the age of thirty-two, and at that time people lamented his early passing.