[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [高僧傳](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2059) › 3.39 # 高僧傳 3.39: 釋智猛 高僧傳 3.39 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [3.39](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2059.3.39) 釋智猛，雍州京兆新豐人。稟性端明，勵行清白，少襲法服，修業專至，諷誦之聲，以夜續日。每聞外國道人說天竺國土，有釋迦遺迹及《方等》眾經，常慨然有感，馳心遐外，以為萬里咫尺，千載可追也。遂以偽秦弘始六年甲辰之歲，招結同志沙門十有五人，發跡長安，渡河跨谷三十六所，至涼州城。出自陽關，西入流沙，凌危履險，有過前傳。遂歷鄯鄯、龜茲、于闐諸國，備矚風化。從于闐西南行二千里，始登䓗嶺，而九人退還，猛與餘伴進行千七百里，至波倫國。同旅竺道嵩又復無常，將欲闍毘，忽失屍所在。猛悲歎驚異，於是自力而前。與餘四人共度雪山，渡辛頭河，至罽賓國。國有五百羅漢，常往返阿耨達池，有大德羅漢，見猛至歡喜。猛諮問方土，為說四天子事，具在猛《傳》。猛於奇沙國，見佛文石唾壺，又於此國見佛鉢，光色紫紺，四際盡然。猛香華供養，頂戴發願。鉢若有應，能輕能重。既而轉重，力遂不堪，及下案時，復不覺重，其道心所應如此。復西南行千三百里，至迦維羅衛國，見佛髮佛牙及肉髻骨，佛影跡，炳然具存。又覩泥洹堅固之林，降魔菩提之樹，猛喜心內充，設供一日，兼以寶蓋大衣覆降魔像。其所遊踐，究觀靈變，天梯龍池之事，不可勝數。後至華氏國阿育王舊都，有大智婆羅門，名羅閱家，舉族弘法，王所欽重，造純銀塔，高三丈。既見猛至，乃問：「秦地有大乘學不？」猛答：「悉大乘學。」羅閱驚歎曰：「希有希有，將非菩薩往化耶？」猛於其家得《大泥洹》梵本一部，又得《僧祇律》一部，及餘經梵本，誓願流通，於是便反。 > Shi Zhimeng was a native of Xinfeng in Jingzhao, Yongzhou. He was upright and discerning by nature, and practiced pure and unblemished conduct. Having donned the Dharma robes in his youth, he devoted himself single-mindedly to his study, chanting texts day and night without interruption. Whenever he heard foreign monks recount that in the realm of India there were the relics of Śākya and the various Vaipulya sūtras, he was deeply moved and sighed with aspiration, his mind racing to those distant realms, believing that ten thousand li were but a step and a thousand years could be retraced. Consequently, in the jiachen year, the sixth year of the Hongshi era of the illegitimate Qin, he gathered fifteen like-minded śramaṇas and set out from Chang'an. Crossing rivers and bridging valleys in thirty-six places, they arrived at the city of Liangzhou. Leaving through the Yang Pass and entering the shifting sands to the west, they braved perils and trod dangers exceeding what had been recorded in previous accounts. They subsequently passed through the kingdoms of Shan-shan, Kucha, and Khotan, observing all their customs. Traveling two thousand li southwest from Khotan, they first ascended the Congling Mountains, where nine men turned back in retreat. Meng and the remaining companions pressed on for one thousand seven hundred li and reached the kingdom of Bolun. His traveling companion Zhu Daosong also passed away, and as they were about to cremate (jhāpeti) his body, the corpse suddenly disappeared. Meng grieved and marveled in sorrow, and thereupon pushed forward with all his might. Together with the remaining four men, he crossed the Snow Mountains, crossed the Indus (Sindhu) River, and reached the kingdom of Jibin. In that kingdom there were five hundred arhats who frequently traveled back and forth to Lake Anavatapta. A venerable arhat, seeing Meng's arrival, was delighted. Meng inquired about the land, and the arhat spoke to him about the affairs of the Four Heavenly Sons, which are fully recounted in Meng's Biography. In the kingdom of Qisha, Meng saw the Buddha's patterned stone spittoon, and in this same kingdom he saw the Buddha's bowl, which had a purplish-blue color and glowed entirely around its four rims. Meng offered fragrant flowers to it, placed it atop his head, and made a vow. The bowl responded accordingly, being capable of becoming light or heavy. Soon it grew so heavy that his strength could no longer bear it, yet when he set it down on the table, he no longer felt its weight; such was the response to his religious devotion. Moving southwest for another one thousand three hundred li, he reached the kingdom of Kapilavastu, where he saw the Buddha's hair, teeth, uṣṇīṣa bone, and shadow footprints, all fully and brightly preserved. He also beheld the Sala Grove of the Nirvāṇa and the Bodhi tree of the subjugation of Māra. Filled with joy, Meng made offerings for a day and covered the image of Māra's subjugation with a jeweled canopy and a monastic robe. Wherever he journeyed, he observed the miraculous manifestations; the accounts of the heavenly stairs and the dragon ponds were beyond count. Later, he arrived at Pāṭaliputra, the ancient capital of King Aśoka. There was a brahmin of great wisdom named Rādha, whose entire clan propagated the Dharma and who was deeply revered by the king; he had built a pure silver stupa thirty feet high. Seeing Meng arrive, he asked, "Are there Mahāyāna studies in the land of Qin?" Meng replied, "All are Mahāyāna studies." Rādha marveled and sighed, saying, "Rare indeed, rare indeed! Could it be that a bodhisattva has gone there to convert them?" In his house, Meng obtained one Sanskrit copy of the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra, one copy of the Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya, and Sanskrit manuscripts of other sūtras. Having vowed to circulate them, he thereupon set off on his return. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 3.38](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2059.3.38) - [Next: 3.40](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2059.3.40) - [Up: 3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2059.3) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2059~en-mt.3.39) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2059.3.39](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2059.3.39) · Pramāṇa