高僧傳 13.36

13.36

Zhi Tanyue was originally a Yuezhi person who resided in Jianye. He left home in his youth, living an austere life on a vegetarian diet, and rested at Mount Huqiu in Wu. At the beginning of the reign of Emperor Xiaowu of the Jin, he was invited to the capital by imperial decree and resided at Jianchu Temple. Xiaowu received the five precepts from him and respected him with the rites accorded to a master. Tanyue was uniquely endowed with a wondrous voice and was skilled in cantillation. He once dreamed that a heavenly deity transmitted to him vocal methods, and upon waking he fashioned new melodies based on them. The Sanskrit chant was clear and delicate, soaring in all four directions and turning back upon itself. Reversing, bending, returning to the throat with layered trills—even though King of Dong'e first innovated and Kang Senghui later composed, in circulating from beginning to end, none matched the wonder of Tanyue. Later generations passed down and transcribed his art, and all took him as their model. The six-syllable Sanskrit chanting (fanbai) that he composed still echoes today. He later passed away at his dwelling at the age of eighty-one.