高僧傳 8.82

8.82

Shi Fatong was originally surnamed Chu and was a native of Yangzhai in Henan; he was an eighth-generation descendant of Jin General Pacifying the East and Governor of Yangzhou, Chu Pou. His family had for generations been gentry and officials, transmitting ritual propriety and righteousness. From childhood Tong was remarkably talented, possessing extraordinary intelligence. At the age of eleven he left the household, studying the Tripiṭaka and dedicating himself to the Vaipulya sūtras; he investigated the Larger Prajñāpāramitā and the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka with particular scrutiny. Before reaching thirty years of age, he was already a master lecturer; students gathered like clouds, unfailingly congregating from a thousand li away. Later he set foot in the capital, initially residing at Zhuangyan Temple and later resting at the Upper Dinglin Temple. Dwelling in seclusion and simplicity, he was diligent solely in treading the Way. Those who admired his demeanor and followed his shadow once more filled the mountain chambers. Prince Wenxuan of Jingling and Chancellor Prince Wenxian of the Qi both humbled their noble status out of longing for his virtue and personally paid homage to him. Xie Ju of Chen Commandery, Lu Guo of the State of Wu, and Zhang Xiaoxiu of Xunyang all came to the mountain gates to receive his precept rules; his lay and monastic disciples numbered over seven thousand. He concealed his traces at Mount Zhong for more than thirty years, sitting in dhyāna, chanting recitations, and practicing repentance with intense rigor.