釋氏稽古略 2.73

2.73

鳩摩羅什法師　龜茲國人。初東晉武帝太元七年。前秦主符堅遣驍騎將軍呂光伐龜茲國取師。光回聞秦亂。遂據姑臧。至是後秦主姚興滅呂隆而迎師。師少時日誦三萬二千言。隨母出家遍遊西域。淹貫群籍尤善大乘。在龜茲日。隣國諸王會同。每請師說法。必跪伏座前。命師踐其肩而登座居後秦。大闡經論。秦主以師為國師。奉之如神。親帥群臣及沙門。聽師講經。又請師翻譯西域經論。凡震旦宣譯師出者三百八十卷。大營塔寺。坐禪者常以千數。公卿以下率皆奉佛。州郡化之。癸丑晉帝義熙九年秦弘始十五年也。四月十三日師入滅。壽七十歲。師之弟子曰生．肇．融．叡。謂之什門四聖。加曇影．慧嚴．慧觀．僧䂮．道常．道標謂之什門十哲。又有僧導．僧因。皆當世名匠也。師入滅日謂眾曰。所譯唯十誦律未及刪繁。若義契佛心。焚身之日舌不焦壞。言訖而逝。闍維舌果不壞若紅蓮色。師名鳩摩羅什。翻曰童壽（高僧傳）。

Dharma Master Kumārajīva was a native of the kingdom of Kucha. Initially, in the seventh year of the Taiyuan era of Emperor Wu of Eastern Jin, Fu Jian, the ruler of Former Qin, dispatched Lü Guang, General of Agile Cavalry, to attack the kingdom of Kucha to retrieve the master. When Guang returned, he heard of the turmoil in Qin and thereupon occupied Guzang. At this time, Yao Xing, the ruler of Later Qin, eliminated Lü Long and welcomed the master. When the master was young, he recited thirty-two thousand words daily. He followed his mother in going forth from home and travelled extensively throughout the Western Regions, thoroughly mastering the various scriptures and excelling especially in the Great Vehicle. When he was in Kucha, whenever the kings of neighbouring countries assembled and requested the master to preach the Dharma, they would invariably kneel and prostrate themselves before his seat, commanding the master to step on their shoulders to ascend the seat. Residing in Later Qin, he greatly propagated the sūtras and treatises. The ruler of Qin regarded the master as the Imperial Preceptor and venerated him like a deity, personally leading his ministers and śramaṇas to listen to the master lecture on the scriptures. He also invited the master to translate the sūtras and treatises of the Western Regions. In all, the translations promulgated in China by the master amounted to three hundred and eighty fascicles. Pagodas and monasteries were constructed on a large scale, and those sitting in meditation regularly numbered in the thousands. From the dukes and ministers on down, virtually all venerated the Buddha, and the prefectures and commanderies were transformed by this. The guichou year was the ninth year of the Yixi era of the Jin emperor and the fifteenth year of the Hongshi era of Qin. On the thirteenth day of the fourth month, the master entered extinction at the age of seventy. The master's disciples were Sheng, Zhao, Rong, and Rui; they were called the Four Sages of the Jīva School. With the addition of Tanying, Huiyan, Huiguan, Sengqi, Daochang, and Daobiao, they were called the Ten Philosophers of the Jīva School. There were also Sengdao and Sengyin; all were celebrated masters of their era. On the day the master entered extinction, he said to the assembly: 'Of the texts I translated, only the Daśabhāṇavāra-vinaya had not yet been pruned of redundancies. If the meanings accord with the Buddha's mind, my tongue will not be scorched or destroyed on the day my body is cremated.' Having spoken, he passed away. When he was cremated, his tongue was indeed not destroyed, looking like a red lotus. The master's name was Kumārajīva, which is translated as 'Youth of Longevity' (Biographies of Eminent Monks).