釋氏稽古略 2.128

2.128

白足沙門　諱曇始。一曰惠始。魏書佛老志云。沙門惠始清河張氏子。始師鳩摩羅什法師。晉劉裕滅後秦。復為夏赫連屈匃追取長安。道俗被坑戮。而始接刃無傷。屈匃大怒召始於前。以佩刀自擊之。又不能害。乃懼而謝罪。百姓賴始慈力。免諸酷毒。魏太武平赫連昌。白足歸魏。初魏太平真君六年。太武討盍吳之亂至長安。見僧寺有兵仗。武怒。司徒崔浩因而勸太武。盡誅沙門毀諸經像。太平真君十一年。崔浩自恃才略譔國史。書魏之先世事列於衢路。刊石立於郊壇。北人無不忿恚。太武以浩暴揚國惡大怒。使有司按浩及祕書郎吏等罪狀。凡一百二十八人皆夷五族。是時白足謁太武。武怒命斬之不能傷。武自抽佩刀斬之。又不能傷。投諸虎檻。虎皆弭服。武驚延始上殿悔謝歸敬。先是景穆太子為政精察。中常侍宗愛性憸惡多不法搆扇太子。太子以憂卒。大武徐乃知之。追悼不已。宗愛懼誅。正平二年二月弑太武。尚書源賀陸鹿勒兵誅愛。奉皇孫濬即帝位。改元（魏書）白足跣行泥滓不染故名（高僧傳）。

The White-Footed Śramaṇa: His taboo name was Tanshi, also called Huishi. The 'Treatise on Buddhism and Daoism' in the Book of Wei states: 'The śramaṇa Huishi was a son of the Zhang clan of Qinghe. Shi initially studied under the Dharma master Kumārajīva. When Liu Yu of the Jin extinguished the Later Qin, Helian Qugai of the Xia again pursued and captured Chang'an. Both clergy and laity were buried alive or massacred, but when Shi met the blade, he remained unharmed. Qugai was furious; summoning Shi before him, he struck at him himself with his belt-dagger, yet again could not harm him. Terrified, he apologized and repented. The common people relied on Shi's power of compassion to escape various cruel torments. When Emperor Taiwu of the Wei subdued Helian Chang, White-Footed returned to Wei. Earlier, in the sixth year of the Taiping Zhenjun era of the Wei, Taiwu campaigned against the rebellion of Gai Wu and reached Chang'an. Seeing weapons in the Buddhist monasteries, Emperor Wu was enraged. Minister of Education Cui Hao thereupon urged Taiwu to execute all śramaṇas and destroy the scriptures and statues. In the eleventh year of Taiping Zhenjun, Cui Hao, relying on his own talent and strategy, compiled a national history, recording the ancestry of the Wei and displaying it along the thoroughfares, carving it on stone erected at the suburban altars. The northerners were universally outraged. Taiwu, furious that Hao had publicly exposed the state's vices, ordered the authorities to investigate the crimes of Hao and the editorial clerks; in total, one hundred and twenty-eight people were executed along with their five degrees of kin. At that time, White-Footed had an audience with Taiwu. Emperor Wu angrily ordered him beheaded, but he could not be harmed. Emperor Wu himself drew his dagger and slashed at him, yet again could not harm him. He threw him into the tiger cage, but the tigers were all subdued and bowed before him. Startled, Emperor Wu invited Shi up to the palace, apologized with remorse, and took refuge in him with reverence. Prior to this, Crown Prince Jingmu was perceptive and rigorous in administration. The Palace Attendant Zong Ai was treacherous and evil by nature, frequently breaking the law, and slandered the Crown Prince; the Crown Prince died of grief. Emperor Taiwu gradually came to realize this and mourned him ceaselessly. Zong Ai, fearing execution, assassinated Emperor Taiwu in the second month of the second year of Zhengping. The Masters of Writing Yuan He and Lu Lu led troops to execute Ai, and enthroned the Imperial Grandson Jun as emperor, changing the reign era (Book of Wei).' White-Footed walked barefoot through mud and filth without being soiled, hence his name (Biographies of Eminent Monks).