續高僧傳 11.16

11.16

釋智矩。姓吳氏。吳郡人。性矜莊。善機會。美容貌。雅為眾表。又善草隷偏愛文章。每值名賓輒屬興綴采。鋪詞橫錦勇思霏霜。而儀軌憲司未沿流俗。初聽興皇朗公講。討窮深致學冠時雄。而神氣高標在物峯出。威儀庠序容止端隆。雖寢處虛閑立操無改。有人私覘兩月徒行。空野攝衣無見抄反。欣其謹慎故重敘之。講四論大品。洞開幽府鏡識宗歸。披釋金陵望風頓怯。吐納機辯適對當時。弘匠浙東。砥礪前學。致使禹穴西騖成器極繁。末於故都建初寺又講三論。常聽百人。蔣州刺史武山公郭演。隋之良宰。創蒞南蕃。奉敬諮謁降情歸禁。隋煬往鎮楊越。採拔英靈。矩既譽洽東甌名流西楚。徵居慧日處以異倫。而執志出群言成世則。欲使道張帝里學潤秦川。開皇十九年更移關壤勅住京都之日嚴寺。供由晉國。教問隆繁置以華房。朋以明德一期俊傑。並是四海搜揚矩。特立清秀不偶群侶。覃思幽尋無微不討。外辭以疾內寔旁通。業競六時研精九部。纔有昏昧覽興賦詩。時暫闋餘便觀流略。製中論疏止解偈文。青目所銷鄙而輕削。每講談敘清攉宗致。雅涉曇影之風。義窟文鋒。頗懷洪偃之量。時有同師沙門吉藏者。學本興皇。威名相架文藻橫逸。矩實過之。所以每講敘王皆制新序。詞各不同。京華德望餐附味道者殷矣。而性罕外狎。課力逞詞。自非眾集未曾瞻覿。以大業二年正月卒于寺房。春秋七十有二。葬京郊之南。門人慧感慧賾。親承嘉誨詢處有歸。後於江之左右所在通化。各領門侶眾出百人。傳嗣宗勣不爽遺緒。

Śramaṇa Zhiju. His secular surname was Wu, and he was a native of Wujun. By nature he was solemn and reserved, adept at seizing opportunities, and possessed a handsome appearance, serving as an exemplar for the assembly. Furthermore, he was skilled in cursive and clerical scripts and especially fond of literature. Whenever he encountered renowned guests, he would compose verses and weave together refined prose; his expressions spread like horizontal brocade, and his vigorous thoughts fell like frost. Yet his monastic decorum and observance of the rules did not drift with the common crowd. At first, he listened to Master Lang of Xinghuang Temple lecture; he thoroughly explored the deep import and his learning surpassed the heroes of his time. His spiritual aura was lofty and prominent, standing out among others like a towering peak. His comportment was dignified and leisurely, his demeanor stately and upright. Even when resting in quiet solitude, he maintained his conduct without compromise. Someone secretly watched him during two months of traveling on foot; through desolate wilds, he gathered his robes and was never seen to turn back or wander off. Delighting in his scrupulousness, I record it here again. When lecturing on the Four Treatises and the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, he thoroughly illuminated the hidden treasury and clearly discerned the central tenets. When he expounded them in Jinling, others lost their courage upon hearing of his reputation. His responsive eloquence was perfectly suited to the occasion. He became a great teacher east of the Zhejiang River, polishing previous generations of scholars, so that from the Cave of Yu they galloped westward, turning into accomplished vessels in great numbers. Later, at the Jianchu Temple in the old capital, he again lectured on the Three Treatises, with an audience that constantly numbered a hundred. The regional inspector of Jiangzhou, Duke of Wushan, Guo Yan, an able administrator of the Sui, when first taking office in the southern frontier, respectfully visited him, lowering his status to submit to the monastic rules. When Emperor Yang of Sui went to govern Yangyue, he selected outstanding talents. Since Ju's renown had pervaded Dong'ou and spread to Western Chu, he was summoned to reside at Huidi [Monastery] and treated as an exceptional figure. Upholding his resolve, he stood out from the crowd, and his words served as a model for the world; it was intended that his Way should expand in the imperial city and his learning enrich the Qin region. In the nineteenth year of the Kaihuang reign era, he was transferred to the region of Guanzhong and imperially commanded to reside at Riyan Temple in the capital. His provisions were supplied by the Prince of Jin; solicitous inquiries were abundant, and he was settled in magnificent quarters. He was matched with brilliant virtues—the outstanding figures of the time—all of whom had been scouted from across the realm. Ju stood out uniquely with fresh elegance, not mixing casually with the throng. He meditated deeply and searched the arcane, leaving no subtlety unexamined. Externally he pleaded illness, but internally he achieved extensive mastery. Striving in his vocation through the six periods of the day, he scrutinized the nine divisions of the canon. As soon as he felt dull, he would find inspiration in composing poetry. Whenever he had a brief moment of leisure, he perused historical and philosophical summaries. He composed a commentary on the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, explaining only the verses; he disdained and discarded the explications of Qingmu (Piṅgala). Whenever he lectured and discoursed, he clearly sketched out the principal tenets, gracefully exhibiting the style of Tanying; in the depth of doctrine and sharpness of prose, he possessed the capacity of Hongyan. At that time, there was a fellow disciple, Śramaṇa Jizang, whose learning originated likewise from Xinghuang [Temple]. His prestige matched Ju's, and his literary talent was boundless. Yet Ju actually surpassed him. Thus, whenever he lectured, he composed a new preface for each section, the phrasing differing every time. Eminent figures of the capital who partook of his teaching and tasted the Way were numerous. Yet he rarely associated intimately with outsiders; he applied his efforts to displaying his prose. Unless there was a formal gathering, people never saw his face. In the first month of the second year of the Daye reign era, he died in his monastic quarters at the age of seventy-two, and was buried south of the capital's suburbs. His disciples Huigan and Huize personally received his fine teachings, and when inquiring about difficulties, they found conclusive resolutions. Later, they propagated the transformation across both sides of the river, each leading an assembly of disciples numbering more than a hundred, transmitting and continuing the ancestral achievements without failing his legacy.