高僧傳 1.53

1.53

Zhao Zheng, styled Wenye, was a native of Qingshui in Luoyang, or some say a native of Jiyin. At the age of eighteen he became an Editorial Director under the illegitimate Qin, and later rose to Gentleman of the Yellow Gate and Administrator of Wuwei. In person he had no beard and was lean; though he had a wife and concubines, he had no sons, so people at the time called him an eunuch. However, his disposition was perceptive and comprehensive, his learning encompassed both the inner and outer teachings, and by nature he was fond of satirical remonstrance without avoiding anything. In Fu Jian's later years, doting on and misled by the Xianbei, he neglected governance; Zhao Zheng thereupon remonstrated through song, saying: “In ancient times, I heard of the Mengjin River: in a thousand leagues it makes one bend. This water was originally pure of itself; who has stirred it up and made it muddy?” Fu Jian, visibly moved, said: “It is I.” Zhao Zheng sang again: “In the northern garden there is a jujube tree; spreading its leaves, it casts a heavy shade. Though outside it abounds with thorns, within it truly has a red heart.” Fu Jian smiled and said: “Could this be Zhao Wenye?” His quick-witted jests were all of this kind. Later, because of the flourishing of the Buddhadharma in Guanzhong, he wished to leave home, but Fu Jian begrudged losing him and did not permit it. Only after Fu Jian died was he able to fulfill his wish, changing his name to Daozheng. He then composed a verse saying: “Why was the Buddha born so late? / Why was his nirvāṇa so early? / Taking refuge in Śākyamuni, / I now come to submit to the Great Way.” Later he concealed his traces in the Shangluo Mountains, concentrating exclusively on the sūtras and vinaya. Xi Hui, Inspector of Yongzhou under the Jin, admired his character and compelled him to travel together with him. He died in Xiangyang, at the age of over sixty.