高僧傳 8.52

8.52

釋僧宗，姓嚴，本雍州馮翊人。晉氏喪亂，其先四世祖移居秦郡。年九歲，為瑗公弟子，諮承慧業。晚又受道於斌、濟二法師。善《大涅槃》及《勝鬘》、《維摩》等。每至講說，聽者將近千餘。妙辯不窮，應變無盡，而任性放蕩，亟越儀法，得意便行，不以為礙。守檢專節者，咸有是非之論。文惠太子將欲以罪擯徒遂，通夢有感，於是改意歸焉。魏主元宏遙挹風德，屢致書并請開講。齊太祖不許外出。宗講《涅槃》、《維摩》、《勝鬘》等。近盈百遍。以從來信施，造太昌寺以居之。建武三年卒於所住，春秋五十有九。

Shi Sengzong, surnamed Yan, was originally a native of Fengyi in Yongzhou. During the disruptions and disorders of the Jin dynasty, his great-great-grandfather moved his household to Qin Commandery. At the age of nine, [Sengzong] became a disciple of Master Yuan and received instruction in the cultivation of wisdom. Later he also studied the Way under the two Dharma Masters Bin and Ji. He was skilled in the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra, the Śrīmālādevī-sūtra, and the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa-sūtra. Whenever he gave lectures, those listening approached over a thousand people. His wonderful eloquence was inexhaustible, and his adaptability knew no end; yet he indulged his inclinations with untamed abandon, frequently exceeding the bounds of monastic decorum and acting as he pleased whenever the mood took him, viewing nothing as an obstacle. Those who strictly kept the monastic disciplines all engaged in disputes criticizing him. Crown Prince Wenhui was about to expel and banish him on account of his misdeeds, but having an auspicious omen communicated in a dream, he thereupon changed his mind and took refuge with him. Yuan Hong, ruler of the Northern Wei, admired his virtuous reputation from afar, repeatedly sending letters inviting him to lecture, but Taizu of the Southern Qi did not permit him to go abroad. Sengzong lectured on the Nirvāṇa, Vimalakīrti, and Śrīmālā-sūtras nearly a hundred times. With the offerings given to him in faith over the years, he founded Taichang Temple to dwell in. In the third year of the Jianwu reign period, he passed away at his dwelling, at the age of fifty-nine.