高僧傳 8.13

8.13

Shi Daosheng, surnamed Zhu, was a man of Pei Commandery. He left home in his youth and devoted himself to study, becoming skilled in the *Nirvāṇa-sūtra* and the *Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa*, while also comprehending the *Zhouyi*. He first resided in Xiangzhou. Emperor Ming of the Song dynasty, hearing of his reputation, ordered him to come down to the capital, where he stayed at Pengcheng Temple. Xie Chaozong met him once and treated him with the respect due to a teacher. Sheng then wrote the *Discourse Recounting Friendship* (Shu jiao lun) and the *Discourse on the Original Lack of Source for Birth and Death* (Shengsi ben wuyuan lun). Later he stayed at Tianbao Temple, and Emperor Gao of the Qi dynasty decreed that he replace Tandu as monastic director. Shen Wenji, Governor of Danyang, had always revered the Huang-Lao tradition and repudiated the Buddha Śākyamuni. He established the Monastic Bureau to enforce directives, demanding monastic registers to screen and purge monks and nuns; but thanks to Sheng's capable leadership, the matter was peacefully resolved. Later, Wenji purposely held a gathering at Tianbao Temple and arranged for Lu Xiujing to debate with Sheng. As Sheng possessed superior reasoning and his diction was sharp and inspiring, banter was exchanged without his discourse faltering for an instant. Xiujing's meaning could not be articulated, so he withdrew in shame. Sheng died during the Yongming era of the Qi dynasty at the age of sixty-odd.