高僧傳 8.6

8.6

Shi Tandu was originally surnamed Cai and was a native of Jiangling. From his youth he was respectful and prudent in deportment, and had always been renowned for his disciplinary standards. His spirit and disposition were quick and perceptive, his clarity of insight surpassing ordinary men. Later he traveled to study in the capital, thoroughly mastering the various scriptures. In the Nirvāṇa, Saddharmapuṇḍarīka, Vimalakīrtinirdeśa, and Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā, he probed the subtle and concealed, expressing ideas that went beyond words. Because of a foot ailment he traveled west, reaching Xuzhou, where he studied the Tattvasiddhi-śāstra further under Dharma Master Sengyuan. He then attained complete mastery of this text, standing peerless in his day. Yuan Hong, ruler of Wei, heard of his reputation and longed to meet him, sending an envoy to summon and invite him. Once he arrived in Pingcheng, he opened a great lecturing assembly. Yuan Hong paid homage below his seat and personally managed the subtle flavors of the doctrine. Thereupon he remained in the Wei capital, continuously carrying out Dharma transformation, with disciples arriving from afar numbering more than a thousand. He died in the state of Wei in the thirteenth year of the illegitimate Taihe era (489), which was the sixth year of Yongming under the Qi. He composed the *Comprehensive Commentary on the Tattvasiddhi-śāstra* in eight fascicles, which circulated widely in the northern lands.