高僧傳 8.78

8.78

At the age of twenty-one he arrived at the capital and resided at Zhongxing Temple. When Yuan Can first met him, he recognized his exceptional qualities. Can later wrote in a letter to Ming: "I have frequently seen the venerable Liang; he is no ordinary man. Recently I have heard from him what I had never heard before, unaware that the year is drawing to its close. Pearls are produced in Hepu, and the men of Wei obtained them to illuminate carriages; the jade disc was in Handan, and the King of Qin requested it to bring glory to his state. A treasure of the realm should be shared with the realm, and ought no longer to be monopolized by your honorable province, superior master." From then on his scholastic reputation gradually flourished. When his parents passed away, the roads were blocked and he could not return north. Thereupon he secluded himself in dhyāna contemplation, halted lectures, and broke off worldly affairs. Prince Wenxuan of Jingling of the Qi went in person to his dwelling to request him to serve as a Dharma master; Liang had no choice but to accept. Wenxuan prostrated at his feet in respectful homage, establishing the affinity of the fourfold assembly for bodhi. Later Liang moved to reside at Lingwei Temple, where he resumed lecturing on various sūtras, becoming renowned throughout the capital. He lectured on the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra eighty-four times in total, the Tattvasiddhi-śāstra fourteen times, the Śrīmālādevī-sūtra forty-two times, the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa-sūtra twenty times, and the Larger and Smaller Prajñāpāramitā ten times. The Saddharmapuṇḍarīka, Daśabhūmika, Upāsakaśīla, Amitāyus, Śūraṅgama, Bequeathed Teachings, and Maitreyavyākaraṇa sūtras were also each lectured nearly ten times. His lay and monastic disciples numbered over three thousand, and the pupils who came to consult and receive instruction consistently filled several hundreds.