續高僧傳 10.23

10.23

釋智聚姓朱氏。住蘇州虎丘東山寺。神氣清遠彰於襁褓。深厭籠樊樂希寥廓。初投武丘胤法師。胤道藝之重羽儀當世。聚分陰無怠請益深旨。有同郡顧希憑會稽謝峻岳。義府經肆。東南之美。並欽高德同揖清風。由是儒墨通弘真俗具舉。宮牆重仞允得其門。纔踰弱冠便弘講說。莊嚴㬭師。新實一家鷹揚萬代。遂伏膺諮質百舍非遠。斐發既精疑滯咸折。汝南周弘正。博通內外鑒賞人倫。常歎嘉之。以為釋門之瑚璉也。陳鄱陽王伯山。新安王伯周。新蔡王叔齊。並降貴慕道延請敷說。至德二年。奉勅於太極殿講金光明。天子親臨法席具僚咸在故能寫此懸河振斯木鐸。亹亹奇韻超超入神。或有捷徑小道互持邪論。莫不迴車杜口改心易業。人主歎賞稱善久之。至德三年。丁外母憂。泣血銜哀殆將毀滅。因此言歸舊里。止於東山精舍。善說不休法輪常轉。開皇十一年。爰降勅書殷勤勞問。法師栖身淨土援志法門。普為眾生宣揚正教。勤修功德率勵法徒專心講誦曠濟群品。欽承德業甚以嘉之。尚書令楚公素。左僕射邳國公蘇威。並躬到道場接足頂禮。咸捨淨財資莊形命。十三年勅置僧官。道俗稽請居平等之任。聚以雅道斯人。直心應物。和合之眾清風穆如也。時郡將宗成劉公。夙仰高名常欽盛德。及部臨鎮。請為菩薩戒師。齊王暕以帝子之貴作牧淮海。乃降教書至山延曰。弟子下車舊楚亟改炎涼。逖聽清規其來有日。敬承幽栖山谷多歷年所。道風勝氣獨擅當今。故以德冠林遠道超生什。炳斯慧炬以悟群迷獨步江東何甚之美。未獲稽疑下筵餐承高義。杼軸之勞載盈懷抱。據虎之岫川途不遙。翔鷺之濤風煙相接。心願振忍辱之衣。赴翹勤之望。乃固辭以疾。事不獲從。引藉平臺深加敬禮。頻遣使人請弘大教。聚惟志違人世心逸江湖。詞翰懇惻固求東返。王亦弘以度外得遂宿心。資給所須將送甚重。於是接浙晨征還居山寺。現疾浹旬。而神用無爽。以大業五年十一月二十四日終於本住。容貌若存。頂暖身柔皆如平日。聞諸前記。乃感果之徵也。春秋七十有二。即以其年十二月。窆于山之南嶺。惟聚性託夷遠衿情閑澹。等懷遇物弘量居心。楚越拘情得喪兼遣。方寸之地悠然罕測。美風姿善談笑。流連賞悟見者忘返。加以樂說忘疲總持無失。講大品涅槃法華等各二十遍。單經適務者。罕得記焉。又居身清儉不在飾玩。衣盋已外隨用檀捨。方丈之內虛室蕭然。几榻之間文疏而已。故能道盛一時名重當世。其所造丈八盧舍那無量壽荊州瑞像。於寺供養。并起㵎西佛殿二所。迴廊周遍具二莊嚴。弟子道恭。猶子道順。德惟上首。業盛傳燈。敢樹高碑用旌景行。祕書虞世南為文。

Śramaṇa Zhiju, whose secular surname was Zhu, lived at Dongshan Monastery on Mount Huqiu in Suzhou. His lucid and far-reaching spirit was already manifest while he was swaddled in infancy. Deeply weary of the worldly cage, he delighted in aspiring to the vast and boundless. He first turned to Dharma Master Yin of Wuqiu. Yin's weight of religious practice and learning made him an exemplar of that age. Without wasting an inch of time, Ju tirelessly requested instruction in the profound teachings. Gu Xiping of the same commandery and Xie Junyue of Kuaiji, storehouses of meaning and markets of the scriptures, the finest men of the Southeast, both revered his elevated virtue and bowed together before his untainted reputation. Because of this, he became well-versed in both Confucianism and Mohism, and carried forward both the absolute and the conventional truths. Penetrating several fathoms of the palace wall, he truly attained the gate [of knowledge]. Barely past twenty years of age, he was already expounding the teachings. Master Chao of Zhuangyan, fresh and solid as an authority, soared like an eagle for myriad generations. Thereupon Ju devoted his heart to inquiring and questioning him, considering a journey of a hundred stages not too distant. Once his eloquence shone forth with precision, all doubtful blockages were resolved. Zhou Hongzheng of Runan, who was widely conversant in inner and outer teachings and a connoisseur of human character, constantly sighed in admiration of him, considering him a precious vessel of the Buddhist fold. Prince Boshan of Poyang, Prince Bozhou of Xin'an, and Prince Shuqi of Xincai of the Chen dynasty all set aside their noble rank to seek the Way, repeatedly inviting him to expound the Dharma. In the second year of the Zhide era, by imperial decree he lectured on the Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra in the Taiji Hall. The Son of Heaven attended the Dharma assembly in person, and the entire retinue of officials was present. Ju was thus able to let his words pour forth like a suspended torrent and shake the wooden clapper. His eloquence had rare grace, transcending the ordinary and entering the marvelous. If any held to shortcuts or minor paths and adhered to deviant doctrines, all without exception turned their carriages around, kept silent, reformed their minds, and changed their ways. The ruler sighed in admiration and praised him for a long time. In the third year of the Zhide era, he encountered mourning for his mother. Weeping tears of blood and harboring deep grief, he was nearly brought to utter ruin. On this account, he returned to his old hometown and stayed at the Dongshan hermitage. Unceasing in skillful exposition, he turned the wheel of the Dharma continuously. In the eleventh year of the Kaihuang era, an imperial edict was issued, conveying earnest and attentive solicitations: 'The Dharma master has sheltered his person in the pure realm and directed his aspirations to the Dharma gate. He broadly proclaims the correct teachings for all sentient beings, diligently cultivates merits, guides and encourages his Dharma disciples, concentrates his mind on lecturing and chanting, and widely delivers all creatures. We admire his virtuous work and commend it exceedingly.' Yang Su, Duke of Chu and President of the Department of State Affairs, and Su Wei, Duke of the State of Pi and Left Vice President, both personally arrived at his monastery to touch his feet and bow with their heads to the ground. They all gave away pure wealth to provide for his bodily needs. In the thirteenth year, an imperial decree ordered the establishment of monastic offices. Monastics and laypeople made entreaties for him to assume the post of equanimity. Ju took it upon himself to guide these people with the elegant way, meeting worldly affairs with a straightforward mind; under him, the concordant community was serene like a gentle breeze. At that time, Commander-in-chief Lord Liu of the imperial house had long looked up to his lofty name and constantly revered his abounding virtue. When he arrived to oversee the garrison, he invited him to serve as master of the Bodhisattva Precepts. Prince Jian of Qi, as a noble son of the emperor, served as governor of Huaihai. He dispatched a written instruction reaching the mountain to invite him, saying: 'Since your disciple arrived at old Chu, heat and cold have swiftly alternated many times. I have long heard from afar of your untainted discipline. Respectfully I understand that you have dwelt in secluded mountain valleys for many years; your spiritual breeze and extraordinary presence stand unique in our present day. Your virtue indeed surpasses Huiyuan of Donglin; your wisdom excels Daozhen and Kumārajīva. You brightly uphold this torch of wisdom to enlighten all who are lost, walking alone across Jiangdong—how exceedingly marvelous! I have not yet been able to resolve my doubts, nor sit at the foot of your mat to partake of your high principles. Toiling like the loom's shuttles, my heart is filled with yearning. The crags of Mount Huqiu are not distant by water, and the waves of Xianglu meet in the mist and smoke. My heart wishes you will shake your robes of patience and answer this earnest hope.' Ju firmly declined on grounds of illness, and the matter did not come to pass. The prince set out a terrace, showing him deeper reverence, and frequently sent envoys to request the propagation of the great teaching. Ju only wished that his intent be separate from human society and his mind at ease among rivers and lakes; writing earnest and mournful letters, he firmly requested to return to the east. The prince, magnanimous beyond measure, enabled his long-cherished wish to be fulfilled, supplying his needs and seeing him off with great ceremony. Thereupon Ju left early, taking along cooked rice, and returned to dwell at the mountain monastery. He manifested illness for a full ten days, yet his spiritual faculties suffered no decline. On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month of the fifth year of the Daye era, he passed away at his original residence. His countenance appeared as if still alive; warmth lingered on his crown and his body remained supple, all as in ordinary life. According to past records, these are signs of spiritual attainment. His earthly age was seventy-two. In the twelfth month of that year, he was buried on the southern peak of the mountain. Ju by nature took refuge in tranquil detachment, his mind calm and unhurried. Treating worldly encounters with an even heart, he held vast magnanimity within. He discarded both attachment to Chu and Yue and worries over gain and loss. The square inch of his heart was leisurely and rarely fathomable. Blessed with an attractive demeanor and adept at conversation and laughter, he lingered in appreciative understanding, making onlookers forget to return. In addition, he was untiring in joyful exposition, never failing in his dhāraṇī retention. He lectured on the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra, the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra, and others twenty times each; as for individual sūtras suitable for specific occasions, they could hardly be fully recorded. Moreover, he lived with pure frugality, without ornaments or playthings. Apart from his robes and bowl, everything was given away as dāna according to need. Inside his ten-foot room, the bare chamber was austere; between the table and couch, there were only texts and commentaries. Thus his Way flourished for a time and his name was prominent in his generation. He made an eighteen-foot statue of Rocana, an image of Amitāyus, and an auspicious statue of Jingzhou to be worshipped at the monastery, and also built two Buddha halls to the west of the stream, with encircling corridors on all sides, complete in the two kinds of adornment. His disciple Daogong and nephew Daoshun, whose virtues made them foremost leaders, caused the transmission of the lamp to flourish. They ventured to erect a lofty stele to make known his brilliant conduct, for which Palace Library Secretary Yu Shinan composed the text.