高僧傳 12.55

12.55

Śramaṇa Chaobian, surnamed Zhang, was a native of Dunhuang. From childhood, his spiritual awakening arose exceptionally, and his conduct was profound and deep. He recited the Lotus Sūtra, the Diamond Sūtra, and the Prajñā-sūtra. Hearing that the Buddhadharma flourished in the capital, he crossed over from Xihe, traveled by way of Ba and Chu, and arrived in Jianye. Shortly thereafter, he went east to Wu and Yue to view the mountains and rivers, stopping for a short time at a temple beside the city of Shanyin. Later he returned to the capital and resided at Upper Dinglin Temple. Living quietly and cultivating simplicity, he dedicated the rest of his life to the mountain monastery. In reciting the Lotus Sūtra, his daily quota was once through; with a sharp mind and fluent mouth, he always had energy to spare. He prostrated to the thousand Buddhas for a total of more than 1.5 million prostrations, and his feet did not leave the gate for more than thirty years. In the tenth year of the Yongming era of the Qi, he died at the mountain temple, aged seventy-three. He was buried south of the temple; the śramaṇa Sengyou erected a stele at his tomb, and Liu Xie of Dongwan composed the inscription.