高僧傳 1.44

1.44

During the Yongjia era of the Jin, he first arrived in China; encountering the chaos, he crossed the Yangtze River and stayed at Jianchu Temple. When Prime Minister Wang Dao first met him, he marvelled at him, considering him one of his own kind; from this his fame grew illustrious. Grand Commandant Yu Yuangui, Supervisor of the Household of the Heir Apparent Zhou Boren, Minister of Ceremonies Xie Youyu, and Commandant of Justice Huan Maolun were all eminent scholars of the generation; upon seeing him, they praised him all day long, opening their robes to form a bond of friendship. Wang Dao once visited Śrīmitra, and Śrīmitra loosened his belt and reclined, conversing with spiritual comprehension. At that time, the Prefect of the Masters of Writing Bian Wangzhi was also on good terms with Śrīmitra; a moment later Wangzhi arrived, and Śrīmitra adjusted his collar, neatened his appearance, and sat upright facing him. When someone asked the reason, Śrīmitra said: 'Lord Wang expects people to meet him in spirit and manner, while Prefect Bian judges things by rules and norms; hence it is so.' The noble lords thereupon praised his spirit for its clarity and sternness, each finding his proper place. Commandant of Justice Huan once wished to provide a characterisation for Śrīmitra, but was long unable to do so; someone remarked: 'Śrīmitra may be called eminent and luminous.' Thereupon Huan gasped in profound admiration, considering it the pinnacle of epithets. Senior General Wang Chuzhong was in the southern realm, and hearing that Wang, Zhou, and the other lords all valued Śrīmitra, he doubted their judgment; but when he met Śrīmitra, he came running forward with joy and excitement, offering utmost veneration upon a single meeting. When Zhou Yi was Vice Director and in charge of selections, on the verge of entering, he stopped by to visit Śrīmitra. He sighed, saying: 'If in a time of great peace we could select all such worthies, one would truly have no regrets.' Shortly thereafter Yi was killed; Śrīmitra went to visit his orphans, sat facing them, and performed three rounds of barbarian chanting, the Sanskrit resonances soaring above the clouds; he then recited dhāraṇīs of several thousand syllables, his voice clear and resonant, his expression unchanged; then, wiping away his tears and collecting his sorrow, his composure remained as before. His handling of sorrow, joy, abandonment, and thriving were all of this kind. Lord Wang once said to Śrīmitra: 'In foreign lands there is you alone, sir.' Śrīmitra laughed and said: 'If I were like you gentlemen, how could I be here today?' At the time this was considered a brilliant remark. Śrīmitra was lofty and concise by nature and did not study the Jin language; when the lords spoke with him, though through an interpreter, he caught the spirit and grasped the meaning immediately prior to the words being finished, and none failed to admire his natural distinction and extraordinary understanding.