釋氏稽古略 2.73

2.73

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).