續高僧傳 11.15

11.15

釋志念。俗緣陳氏。冀州信都人。其先頴川寔蕃之後胤也。因官而居河朔焉。念氷清表志岳峙澄神。俊朗絕倫觀方在慮。爰至受具問道鄴都。有道長法師精通智論。為學者之宗。乃荷箱從聽經于數載。便與當席擅名。所謂誕禮休繼等。一期俊列連衡齊德。意謂解非滿抱終于蓋棺。乃遊諸講肆。備探冲奧務盡幽賾。又詣道寵法師。學十地論。聽始知終聞同先覽。於即道王河北。流聞西秦有高昌國慧嵩法師。統解小乘。世號毘曇孔子。學匡天下眾侶塵隨。沙門道猷智洪晃覺散魏等。並稱席中杞梓慧苑琳琅。念顧眄從之。成名猷上。皆博通玄極堪為物依。乃旋踵本鄉將弘法澤。時刺史任城王彥。帝之介弟。情附虛宗。既屬念還為張法會。與僧瓊法師。對揚道化。盛啟本情雙演二論。前開智度後發雜心。歫對勍鋒無非喪膽。時州都沙門法繼者。兩河俊士燕魏高僧。居坐謂念曰。觀弟幼年慧悟超邁若斯。必大教由興。名垂不朽也。於即頻弘二論一十餘年。學觀霞開。談林霧結。齊運移曆周毀釋經。遂乃逃迸海隅同塵素服。重尋小論亟動天機。疑慮廓銷竚聆明運。值隋國創興佛日還復。勅訪之始即預出家。而包蘊迦延未遑敷述。至開皇四年。謂弟沙門志湛曰。吾窮冠小乘。自揣與羅漢齊鑣也。但時未至故且斂翮耳。湛夙餐法味。欣其告及。以事達明彥法師。彥成實元緒素重念名。與門人洪該等三百餘人。躬事邀延闡開心論。遂騁垂天之翼。弘蓋世之功。俯仰應機披圖廣論。名味之聚緣重之識。卷舒敻古之下。立廢終窮之前。大義千有餘條並為軌導。至如迦延本經傳謬來久。業揵度中脫落四紙。諸師講解曾無異尋。念推測上下懸續其文。理會詞聯皆符前作。初未之悟也。後江左傳本。取勘遺蹤。校念所作片無增減。時為不測之人焉。撰迦延雜心論疏及廣鈔各九卷。盛行於世。受學者數百人。如汲郡洪該。趙郡法懿。漳濱懷正。襄國道深。魏郡慧休。河間圓粲。俊儀善住。汝南慧凝。高城道照。洛壽明儒。海岱圓常。上谷慧藏。並蘭菊齊芳踵武傳業。關河濟洽二十餘年。隋漢王諒作鎮晉陽。班條衛冀搜選名德預有弘宣。念與門學四百餘人。奉禮西并將承王供。諒乃於宮城之內更築子城。安置靈塔別造精舍。名為內城寺。引念居之。開義寺是也。勞問殷至特加尤禮。又令上開府諮議參軍王頗宣教云。寡人備是帝子民父。蒞政此蕃。召請法師等遠來降趾。道不虛運必藉人弘。正欲闡揚佛教使慧日清朗兆庶蒙賴法之力也。宜銓舉業長者。可於大興國寺宣揚正法。當即大眾還推念焉。既預經綸即弘敷訓。先舉大論末演小乘。辯注若飛流。聲暢如天鼓。三乘並騖四部填堙。其知名者。則慧達法景法楞十力圓經法達智起僧鸞僧藏靜觀寶超神素道傑等五百餘人。並九土揚名五乘馳德。精窮內外御化一方。銷鄙悋於筵中。斷封疑於理際。仁壽二年獻后背世。有詔追王入輔。王乃集僧曰。今須法師一人神解高第者可共寡人入朝。擬抗論京華傳風道俗。眾皆相顧未之有對。王曰。如今所觀念法師堪臨此選。遂與同行。既達京師。禪林創講。王自為檀越經營法祀。念登座震吼四答氷消。清論徐轉群疑潛遣。由是門人慕義千計盈堂。遂使義窟經笥九衢同軌。百有餘日盛啟未聞。王又與念同還并部。晉陽學眾竚想來儀。王又出教令。於寶基寺開授。方面千里法座輟音。執卷承旨相趨階位。會隋高晏駕。中外相疑。漢王列境舉兵鯨鯢海陸。念乘釁還里。與沙門明空等講宣二論。紹業滄溟望風總集。大業之始載蕩妖氛。招引義學充諸慧日。屢詔往徵。頻辭不赴。以大業四年卒於滄土。時年七十有四。渤海太守金紫光祿大夫歷陽公宋元亮。及諸緇素。若喪厥親。為之建塔。益州福成寺道基法師。慧解通徵祖習有所。乃為之行狀。援引今古。文質存焉。

Śramaṇa Zhinian. His secular surname was Chen, and he was a native of Xindu in Jizhou. His ancestors were descendants of the flourishing lineage of Shi [Chen] from Yingchuan. Because of official duties, they came to reside in Heshuo. Nian's resolve was as clear as ice, and his spirit was as serene as an aloof peak. He was exceptionally brilliant beyond compare, yet in contemplating his direction he was deliberate and prudent. When he reached the age of full ordination, he sought the Way in the capital of Ye. At that time, Dharma Master Daozhang thoroughly mastered the Dazhidulun and was regarded as the foremost authority among scholars. Nian then carried his book boxes and followed him, listening to the teachings for several years. Soon he gained renown at the very same assembly. He, together with Dan, Li, Xiu, and Ji, were the outstanding figures of that era, matching each other in virtue side by side. Yet he thought that if understanding did not fully fill his mind, his quest would only end when the coffin lid closed. He therefore wandered among various lecture halls, fully plumbing the profound and abstruse and seeking to exhaust what was subtle and hidden. He also went to Dharma Master Daochong to study the Daśabhūmikā-śāstra. Upon hearing the beginning, he already knew the end; hearing it once was like having surveyed it before. At that point, his teaching reigned supreme north of the Yellow River. He then heard a widespread report that in the Western Qin, Dharma Master Huisong of the kingdom of Gaochang had an all-encompassing understanding of the Hīnayāna and was known by contemporaries as the 'Confucius of Abhidharma'. His learning guided the realm, and crowds of followers trailed behind him like dust. Śramaṇas Daoyou, Zhihong, Huangjue, and Sanwei were all praised as fine timber within his assembly and exquisite jewels in the garden of wisdom. Nian turned his gaze toward them and followed [the master]; his renown surpassed that of [Dao]you. They were all broadly versed in the ultimate mysteries and fit to be relied upon by sentient beings. Thereupon Nian retraced his steps to his native region, intending to propagate the moisture of the Dharma. At that time, the regional inspector was Prince of Rencheng, Yan, the emperor's younger brother, whose heart was devoted to the school of emptiness. When Nian returned, he held a Dharma assembly for him, in which Nian and Dharma Master Sengqiong jointly promoted the transformation through the Way. They warmly unfolded their original dispositions and doubly expounded the two treatises: first expounding the Dazhidulun and later bringing forth the Samyuktābhidharmahṛdaya-śāstra. Those who contested and faced their sharp blades all lost heart. At that time, the śramaṇa Fajie, regional leader of the monastic community, was an outstanding scholar of the two rivers and an eminent monk of Yan and Wei. Seated among them, he said to Nian: 'Observing that in your youth you have such transcendent wisdom and realization, the great teaching will surely flourish through you, and your fame will endure undying.' From then on, he frequently propagated the two treatises for more than ten years. His learning and contemplation opened like the dawn clouds, and his forests of discourse condensed like mist. When the destiny of Qi changed calendars and Zhou destroyed the Buddhist scriptures, he fled to a coastal corner, blending with the dust in lay garments. He once again investigated the Hīnayāna treatises, frequently stirring his innate genius. Doubts and anxieties completely vanished, and he waited attentively for an era of clarity. Meeting the initial rise of the Sui dynasty, the sun of the Buddha returned once more. At the very beginning of the imperial search [for monastics], he was among the first to undergo pravrajyā. However, having held the teachings of Kātyāyana within himself, he had not yet had the leisure to expound them. In the fourth year of the Kaihuang reign era, he said to his fellow monk, Śramaṇa Zhizhan: 'I have plumbed the heights of the Hīnayāna and judge myself to be running neck and neck with the arhats. It is only because the time has not yet arrived that I temporarily fold my wings.' Zhan had long tasted the flavor of the Dharma; rejoicing that [Nian] had informed him, he conveyed the matter to Dharma Master Mingyan. Yan, an authority on the Tattvasiddhi-śāstra, had long esteemed Nian's renown, and together with his disciples Honggai and others—more than three hundred people—he personally came to invite him to unfold and illuminate the Abhidharmahṛdaya-śāstra. Nian then spread his sky-reaching wings and established world-surpassing achievements. In every gesture responding to capacity, he unfolded charts and broadly commented; on the conglomerations of names and phonemes and the consciousness of layered conditions, spanning from remote antiquity to the present, and from beginning to end, his more than one thousand major topics all served as guidelines. As for the original text of Kātyāyana, errors in transmission had lasted for long; in the chapter on karma (karmagandha), four sheets of paper were missing. Various masters in their expositions had never noticed the difference. Nian deduced from what came before and after, intuitively bridging the text; the rational coherence and textual joins all matched the original composition. At first, people did not realize this. Later, when a manuscript from Jiangzuo arrived and its remaining traces were compared, it showed not the slightest addition or subtraction compared to what Nian had supplied. People at the time regarded him as an unfathomable man. He composed a commentary and a broad compendium on Kātyāyana's Samyuktābhidharmahṛdaya-śāstra, each in nine fascicles, which circulated widely in the world. Those who received instruction from him numbered several hundred, such as Honggai of Jijun, Fayi of Zhaojun, Huaizheng of Zhangbin, Daoshen of Xiangguo, Huixiu of Weijun, Yuancan of Hejian, Shanzhu of Junyi, Huining of Runan, Daozhao of Gaocheng, Mingru of Luoshou, Yuanchang of Haidai, and Huicang of Shanggu. They blossomed together like orchids and chrysanthemums, treading in his footsteps to transmit his legacy. The region between the passes and the river was enriched and harmonized for more than twenty years. When King Liang of Han of the Sui dynasty was appointed governor of Jinyang, he announced administrative orders across Wei and Ji, searching out and selecting men of renowned virtue to assist in propagating the Dharma. Nian and more than four hundred disciples respectfully turned west toward Bingzhou to receive the king's offerings. Liang then built a secondary walled enclosure inside the palace grounds, erected a sacred pagoda, and constructed a separate monastery named the Neicheng Temple, inviting Nian to reside there; this was Kaiyi Temple. His solicitous inquiries were profound and frequent, and he extended extraordinary etiquette. He also ordered the Junior Grand Master of Splendid Happiness and Consultant Adjutant Wang Po to proclaim a decree, saying: 'We are both a son of the Emperor and the father of the people, governing this frontier domain. We have invited the Dharma Master and others to grace us with their presence from afar. The Way does not move in vain; it must rely on people for its propagation. We wish precisely to expound the Buddhist teachings so that the sun of wisdom may shine clearly and the countless multitudes may benefit from the power of the Dharma. A senior of superior enterprise should be chosen to proclaim the true Dharma at Daxingguo Temple.' Thereupon the assembly unanimously nominated Nian. Having taken part in these grand plans, he then broadly promulgated instructions: first raising the Great Treatise (Dazhidulun) and finally expounding the Hīnayāna. His eloquence flowed like a rushing torrent, and his voice resonated like a heavenly drum. The three vehicles galloped together, and the fourfold assembly filled the hall to overflowing. Among those who became famous were Huidan, Fajing, Faleng, Shili, Yuanjing, Fada, Zhiqi, Sengbiao, Sengcang, Jingguan, Baochao, Shensu, Daojie, and others—more than five hundred people in all. They made their names known across the nine regions and galloped in virtue across the five vehicles, thoroughly exhausting the internal and external and transforming their respective regions. They dissolved pettiness and jealousy within the lecture mats, and cut off dogmatic doubts at the limits of principle. In the second year of the Renshou reign era, Empress Xian passed away, and an imperial edict summoned the king to enter the court to assist. The king then gathered the monks and said: 'We now require one Dharma Master of the highest caliber of spiritual comprehension to accompany us into the court, in order to engage in debate in the capital and transmit our reputation among both clergy and laity.' The assembly all looked at one another, and none answered. The king said: 'As we see it now, Dharma Master Nian is fit for this choice.' So he traveled together with him. After arriving in the capital, they began lecturing at the Chanlin Temple, and the king personally acted as dānapati, providing for the Dharma offerings. Nian mounted the seat and roared like a lion; the four kinds of replies melted away all doubts like ice. His serene discourse slowly unfolded, and the hosts of uncertainties were imperceptibly dispersed. Because of this, his followers who admired his righteousness numbered in the thousands, filling the hall, so that this cave of doctrine and basket of scriptures shared the same path across the nine thoroughfares. For more than a hundred days, he grandly revealed what had never been heard before. The king then returned together with Nian to Bingzhou, where the scholarly assembly of Jinyang waited with longing for his arrival. The king again issued an order for him to teach at Baoji Temple. Across a thousand li in every direction, other lecture seats fell silent, and holding their texts and accepting his teachings, people hastened to the ranks of his steps. It coincided with the demise of Sui Gaozu [Emperor Wen]. The court and the provinces became mutually suspicious; the King of Han deployed forces along the borders and waged rebellion by sea and land. Taking advantage of the turmoil, Nian returned to his hometown and, together with Śramaṇa Mingkong and others, lectured on and promulgated the two treatises. Those who wished to inherit his legacy from the shores of the ocean flocked to him upon hearing the news. At the beginning of the Daye reign era, once the pestilential aura was purged, doctrinal scholars were summoned to fill the Huidi [Monastery]. Repeated edicts came to summon him, but he repeatedly declined and did not go. In the fourth year of the Daye reign era, he died in the region of Cangzhou at the age of seventy-four. The grand protector of Bohai, Grand Master of the Jinzi Imperial Feast, and Duke of Liyang, Song Yuanliang, along with various monastics and laypeople, mourned him as if they had lost a parent and built a stupa for him. Dharma Master Daoji of Fucheng Temple in Yizhou had an all-penetrating understanding and was an heir to his lineage; he therefore composed an account of his conduct, citing the past and present, preserving both its literary embellishment and substantial reality.