續高僧傳 11.25

11.25

釋法侃。姓鄭氏。滎陽人也。弱年從道。志力堅明體理方廣。常流心府。聞泰山靈巖行徒清肅瑞迹屢陳遠揚滎澤。年未登冠遂往從焉。會彼眾心自欣嘉運。及進具後勵節弘規。預在清訓務機登踐。後周流講席博覽群宗。隨聞戢戴有倫前達。有淵法師。道播當時雄傑推指。妙通十地尤明地持。侃又從焉。聽其開釋。皆周涉正理遵修章采。屬齊歷不緒周湮法教。南度江陰栖遲建業。聽採新異鎣飾心神。攝慮緣求擬諸漆木。陳平之後北止江都安樂寺。有曹毘者。清信士也。明解攝論。真諦親承。侃乃三業歸從玄義請決。即開融勝相覆敘所聞。毘自聽之恐有遺逸。侃每於隱義發明鋪示既允愜當。毘皆合掌稱善。隋煬晉蕃昔鎮揚越。搜舉名器入住日嚴。以侃道洽江漘。將欲英華京部。乃召而隆遣。既達本寺厚供禮之。盛業弘被栖心止觀。時復開道唯識味德禮懺。匠益惰學亟動物心。仁壽二年。文帝感瑞。廣召名僧用增像化。勅侃往宣州安置舍利。既奉往至統敘國風陶引道俗。革化歸法者數亦殷矣。初孟春下詔之日。宣州城內官倉之地。夜放光明紅赤洞發。舉焰五丈廣一丈許。官人軍防千有餘人一時奔赴。謂是火起。及至倉所乃是光相。古老傳云。此倉本是永安舊寺也。至于明日永安寺擬置塔處。又放光明。如前無異。眾並不委其然也。季春三月侃到宣州權止公館。案行置所通皆下濕。一州之上不過永安。既預光待因搆塔焉。又令掘倉光之處。果得石函。恰同棺樣。不須繕造。因藏舍利。又降甘露凝於樹枝香甘過世。又感紫芝一枚生於舍利堂壁。九枚盤曲光色殊異。遂令以表聞奏。又造塔黎州。還令侃往。初至館停。聞空中天樂。繁會聒耳。道俗慶之。又感異香互來充鼻。掘地四尺獲一古瓦。銘云。千秋萬歲樂未央。侃奉福弘業亟發徵祥。抑是冥通。豈唯人事。旋還京邑講授相尋。大唐受禪情存護法。置十大德用清朝寄。時大集僧眾標名序位。侃儀止肅然挺超莫擬。既德充僧望遂之斯任。恂恂善誘弘悟繁焉。晚移興善講導無替。武德六年十一月卒於所住。春秋七十三矣。殯於東郊馬頭穴內。侃學專攝論。躡足親依。披析幽旨渙然標詣。解義釋名見稱清澈。諸赴聽者欣其指況。有道撫法師者。俊頴標首京城所貴。本住總持。宗師異解用通攝論。及臨侃席數扣重關。束心展禮餐承音訓。遂捨其本習從歸真諦。且侃形相英偉庠序端隆。折旋俯仰皆符古聖。所以隋朝盛德行業乃殊。至於容服可觀引命徵召。必以侃為言首。其威儀之選為如此也。及其少服紫石。老遂苦之。醫診云。須以猪肉用厭藥勢。侃曰。終須一謝。豈得噉他。因縱疾取終。其翹誠重物又若於此。侃初立名。立人安品。後值內惠日道場沙門智騫曰。侃之為字。人口為信。又從川字。言信的也。因從之。

Shi Fakan, surnamed Zheng, was a native of Xingyang. In his youth he followed the path; his resolve and strength were steadfast and bright, and he grasped the vast and square principles of the Dharma, keeping them constantly in his heart. Hearing that the community of practitioners at Lingyan on Mount Tai was pure and disciplined, and that auspicious signs were frequently reported, their fame reaching far to Xingze, he went to join them before reaching twenty years of age. Meeting with the mind of that assembly, he rejoiced at this fortunate circumstance. After receiving the full precepts, he exerted his moral integrity and broadened his standard; joining in the pure admonitions, he applied himself to spiritual advancement. Later, he traveled through lecturing halls, broadly studying various doctrines; whatever he heard he cherished, matching the standards of former masters. There was Dharmabhāṇaka Yuan, whose renown in the Dharma spread at that time and whom outstanding figures praised; he had a subtle mastery of the Daśabhūmika and was especially clear on the Bodhisattvabhūmi. Kan followed him as well, listening to his explanations, thoroughly entering into the correct principles and following the standard commentaries. Amid the decline of the Northern Qi and the suppression of the Dharma under the Northern Zhou, he crossed the Yangzi River south and sojourned in Jianye, listening to and gathering new and extraordinary teachings to polish and adorn his mind, concentrating his thoughts on the search for truth as firmly as lacquered wood. After the pacification of the Chen, he went north to reside at Anle Temple in Jiangdu. There was Cao Pi, a pure upāsaka, who clearly understood the Mahāyānasaṃgraha (Shelun), having received it directly from Paramārtha (Zhendi). Kan committed himself to him in the three actions (body, speech, and mind), requesting decisions on profound doctrines. Cao Pi expounded the supreme characteristics, repeating what he had heard, yet as he listened to himself, he feared he might have omitted something. Whenever Kan brought forth and elucidated obscure meanings, his formulations were so precise and fitting that Cao Pi would clasp his hands together in praise. When Emperor Yang of Sui was Prince of Jin and stationed in Yangyue, he gathered renowned talents to reside in Riyan Temple; because Kan's teachings had permeated the riverbanks and he wished to make him an ornament of the capital, he summoned him and dispatched him with great honor. Having arrived at the temple, he was treated with lavish offerings and respect. As his flourishing work broadened, he rested his mind in śamatha and vipaśyanā (calm and insight). From time to time he gave instruction on Consciousness-only, the taste of virtue, and repentance rituals, inspiring the indolent to learn and frequently moving the minds of people. In the second year of Renshou, Emperor Wen responded to auspicious portents and summoned eminent monks from afar to propagate the image of the Dharma, commanding Kan to go to Xuanzhou to enshrine relics (śarīra). Having received the order and arrived, he explained the state's customs and edified both monastics and laity; those who transformed and took refuge in the Dharma were exceedingly numerous. At the beginning of the first month, on the day the edict was issued, a bright reddish-crimson light suddenly erupted at night from the site of the official granary inside Xuanzhou city, flaring up to five zhang high and about one zhang wide. Over a thousand officials and garrison troops rushed there at once, thinking a fire had broken out, but when they reached the granary, it was an auspicious light. Elders handed down the tradition that this granary had originally been the ancient Yongan Temple. By the following day, at the site in Yongan Temple planned for erecting the pagoda, an auspicious light appeared again, no different from before, yet the crowd did not understand why. In the third month, the end of spring, Kan arrived in Xuanzhou and stayed temporarily at the official lodge; upon inspecting the proposed sites, they were all low and damp, and in the whole prefecture none surpassed Yongan. Having already been heralded by the light, they built the pagoda there. Furthermore, he ordered excavations at the place where the light had shone in the granary, and indeed they found a stone coffer, perfectly resembling a coffin, requiring no crafting; the relics were then enshrined inside. Moreover, sweet dew descended and congealed on tree branches, its fragrance and sweetness surpassing this world. A purple ganoderma also miraculously grew on the wall of the relic hall, nine curls intertwined, with extraordinary brilliance and color; [the officials] were ordered to memorialize it to the throne. Later, a pagoda was to be built in Lizhou, and Kan was again sent. When he first arrived and halted at the lodge, heavenly music was heard in the sky, a bustling concert deafening to the ears, at which both monastics and laity rejoiced. A rare fragrance was also perceived, wafting back and forth to fill their nostrils. Digging four chi into the ground, they obtained an ancient roof tile with the inscription: 'A thousand autumns and ten thousand years, joy without end.' Kan brought blessings and promoted great endeavors, frequently evoking auspicious signs; surely this was hidden spiritual resonance, and not mere human doing! Returning to the capital, his lecturing and teaching continued uninterrupted. When the Great Tang received the abdication, the court took care to defend the Dharma, establishing the Ten Bhadantas to purify monastic governance. At that time, a great assembly of monks gathered to register names and determine rank; Kan's demeanor was austere and so uniquely distinguished that none could rival him. Possessing virtue matching the hopes of the monastic order, he was appointed to this post. Courteous and skillful in guidance, he brought extensive awakenings to many. Later he moved to Xingshan [Temple], where his lecturing and instruction continued without cease. In the eleventh month of the sixth year of Wude, he died in his dwelling at the age of seventy-three. He was buried in the Matou cavern in the eastern suburbs. Kan specialized in the Mahāyānasaṃgraha, having directly relied on and followed [its masters]; he analyzed its obscure points, brightly displaying its ultimate purport. In doctrinal exegesis and explaining terms, he was praised for his lucidity; all who attended his lectures rejoiced in his explanations. There was Dharmabhāṇaka Daofu, a prominent intellect of foremost talent prized in the capital, who originally resided at Zongchi Temple and followed masters of different interpretations to understand the Mahāyānasaṃgraha; when he attended Kan's lectures, he repeatedly knocked at the heavy gate of doubts, bound his mind, paid homage, and received his spoken instruction, ultimately abandoning his former studies to follow the lineage of Paramārtha. Furthermore, Kan's appearance was handsome and imposing, and his deportment was dignified and elevated, his every movement conforming to the ancient sages. Therefore, among the eminent and virtuous of the Sui dynasty, his practice and conduct were distinct. Whenever an impressive appearance was sought for summons and appointments, Kan was always the first name mentioned; such was his selection for deportment. In his youth, he had taken purple fluorite (zishi), which troubled him in his old age. The doctor diagnosed that pork was required to counteract the potency of the medicine. Kan said: 'In the end, this body must perish once; how could I consume another living being?' He thus let the illness take its course until his end. His earnest sincerity and care for living beings were of this kind. When Kan first received his name, it was written with the 'person' radical beside 'pin' (侃/偘). Later, he met the śramaṇa Zhijian of the inner Huiri Bodhimanda, who said: 'The character Kan means trust (xin) composed of person and mouth, and it also contains the river (chuan) component, denoting sincerity and accuracy.' He followed this advice thereafter.