釋氏稽古略 3.138

3.138

華嚴合論　開元二十二年。太原李長者。名通玄。日食一柏葉棗小餅。因呼棗柏大士。初開元七年。太原孟縣高仙奴舘之齋中造論。逾三年遷馬氏古佛堂側。閱十年負經書而去之。山行二十里偶一虎。長者撫之曰。吾著華嚴論。能為擇棲止處否。即以經囊負其背。行至神福山原下土龕前駐止。長者乃於龕著論。每夕口出白光以代燈燭。日有二女子汲水炷香。每食時具饌。齋畢撤而去。如是五載。長者著論畢。遂滅跡不見也。論成四十卷。開元二十八年三月長者卒。壽九十五歲。又著決疑論．會釋．十門玄義．緣生解．迷十明等論．十玄六相．百門義海．偈讚語等。並傳於世。

Huayan helun (Composite Exposition of the Avataṃsaka). In the twenty-second year of Kaiyuan, Elder Li of Taiyuan, whose name was Tongxuan, ate only one small cake of cypress leaves and jujubes each day, and for this reason people called him the Jujube and Cypress Mahāsattva. Earlier, in the seventh year of Kaiyuan, Gao Xiannu of Meng County in Taiyuan lodged him in his studio, where he composed his commentary. After three years he moved beside the ancient Buddha hall of the Ma family. Ten years passed, and taking his scriptures and books upon his back, he departed. Traveling twenty li into the mountains, he chanced upon a tiger. The Elder stroked it and said, "I am writing an exposition on the Avataṃsaka; can you choose a dwelling place for me?" He then placed his book bag upon its back. Walking until they reached the front of an earthen niche below the plateau of Mount Shenfu, the tiger stopped. The Elder thereupon composed his commentary in the niche. Every evening white light issued from his mouth to serve in place of lamps and candles. Every day two maidens drew water and lit incense; at each mealtime they prepared provisions, and when the meal was finished, cleared them away and departed. It was like this for five years. When the Elder finished writing the commentary, he left no trace and was seen no more. The commentary was completed in forty fascicles. In the third month of the twenty-eighth year of Kaiyuan, the Elder died at the age of ninety-five. He also wrote the Jueyi lun (Resolution of Doubts), Huishi (Reconciliation of Interpretations), Shimen xuanyi (Profound Meaning of the Ten Gates), Yuansheng jie (Explanation of Conditioned Arising), Mi shiming deng lun (Exposition on Dispelling the Ten Obscurations, etc.), Shixuan liuxiang (The Ten Mysteries and Six Characteristics), Baimen yihai (Sea of Meanings in a Hundred Gates), and gāthās, verses of praise, and talks, all of which circulate in the world.