[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [續高僧傳](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060) › 11.26 # 續高僧傳 11.26 續高僧傳 11.26 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [11.26](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.11.26) 釋吉藏。俗姓安。本安息人也。祖世避仇移居南海。因遂家于交廣之間。後遷金陵而生藏焉。年在孩童。父引之見於真諦。仍乞詺之。諦問其所懷。可為吉藏。因遂名也。歷世奉佛門無兩事。父後出家名為道諒。精勤自拔苦節少倫。乞食聽法以為常業。每日持盋將還跣足入塔遍獻佛像。然後分施。方始進之。乃至涕涶便利。皆先以手承取。施應食眾生。然後遠棄。其篤謹之行初無中失。諒恒將藏聽興皇寺道朗法師講。隨聞領解悟若天真。年至七歲投朗出家。採涉玄猷日新幽致。凡所諮稟妙達指歸。論難所標獨高倫次。詞吐贍逸弘裕多奇。至年十九處眾覆述。精辯鋒遊。酬接時彥綽有餘美。進譽揚邑有光學眾。具戒之後聲問轉高。陳桂陽王欽其風采。吐納義旨欽味奉之。隋定百越遂東遊秦望。止泊嘉祥如常敷引。禹穴成市問道千餘。志存傳燈法輪相繼。開皇末歲。煬帝晉蕃置四道場。國司供給。釋李兩部各盡搜揚。以藏名解著功。召入慧日。禮事豐華優賞倫異。王又於京師置日嚴寺。別教延藏往彼居之。欲使道振中原行高帝壤。既初登京輦道俗雲奔。見其狀則傲岸出群。聽其言則鍾鼓雷動。藏乃遊諸名肆。薄示言蹤。皆掩口杜辭尠能其對。然京師欣尚妙重法華。乃因其利即而開剖。時有曇獻禪師。禪門鉦鼓。樹業光明道俗陳迹。創首屈請敷演會宗七眾聞風造者萬計。隘溢堂宇外流四面。乃露縵廣筵猶自繁擁。豪族貴遊皆傾其金貝。清信道侶俱慕其芳風。藏法化不窮財施填積。隨散建諸福田。用既有餘。乃充十無盡。藏委付曇獻資於悲敬。逮仁壽年中。曲池大像舉高百尺。繕修乃久身猶未成。仍就而居之。誓當搆立。抽捨六物并託四緣。旬日之間施物連續。即用莊嚴峙然高映。故藏之福力能動物心。凡有所營無非成就。隋齊王暕夙奉音猷。一見欣至而未知其神府也。乃屈臨第并延論士。京輦英彥相從前後六十餘人。並已陷折前鋒令名自著者。皆來總集。藏為論主。命章陳曰。以有怯之心。登無畏之座。用木訥之口。釋解頤之談。如此數百句。王顧學士傅德充曰。曾未延鋒御寇。止如向述恐罕追斯蹤。充曰。動言成論驗之今日。王及僚友同歎稱美。時沙門僧粲。自號三國論師。雄辯河傾吐言折角。最先徵問。往還四十餘番。藏對引飛激注贍滔然。兼之間施體貌詞采鋪發。合席變情𧹞然而退。於是芳譽更舉頓爽由來。王謂未得盡言更延兩日。探取義科重令竪對。皆莫之抗也。王稽首禮謝永歸師傅。并䞋吉祥麈尾。及諸衣物。晚以大業初歲。寫二千部法華。隋曆告終。造二十五尊像。捨房安置。自處卑室。昏曉相仍竭誠禮懺。又別置普賢菩薩像。帳設如前。躬對坐禪觀實相理。鎮累年紀不替於茲。及大唐義舉初屆京師。武皇親召釋宗。謁于虔化門下。眾以藏機悟有聞。乃推而敘對曰。惟四民塗炭。乘時拯溺。道俗慶賴。仰澤穹旻。武皇欣然勞問勤勤不覺影移。語久。別勅優矜。更殊恒禮。武德之初。僧過繁結置十大德。綱維法務宛從初議。居其一焉。實際定水欽仰道宗。兩寺連請延而住止遂通受雙願。兩以居之。齊王元吉。久揖風猷親承師範。又屈住延興。異供交獻。藏任物而赴。不滯行。藏年氣漸衰屢增疾苦。勅賜良藥。中使相尋。自揣勢極難瘳。懸露非久。乃遺表於帝曰。藏年高病積德薄人微。曲蒙神散尋得除愈。但風氣暴增命在旦夕。悲戀之至遺表奉辭。伏願久住世間緝寧家國。慈濟四生興隆三寶。儲后諸王並具遺啟累以大法。至于清旦索湯沐浴著新淨衣侍者燒香令稱佛號。藏加坐儼思如有喜色。齋時將及。奄然而化。春秋七十有五。即武德六年五月也。遺命露骸。而色逾鮮白。有勅慰賻。令於南山覓石龕安置。東宮以下諸王公等。並致書慰問。並贈錢帛。今上初為秦王偏所崇禮。乃通慰曰。諸行無常。藏法師道濟三乘名高十地。惟懷弘於般若。辯囿包於解脫。方當樹德淨土闡教禪林。豈意湛露晞晨業風飄世。長辭奈苑遽掩松門。兼以情切緒言見存遺旨。迹留人往彌用悽傷。乃送於南山至相寺。時屬炎熱坐于繩床屍不催臭加趺不散。弟子慧遠樹續風聲。收其餘骨鑿石瘞于北巖。就而裨德。初藏年位息慈英名馳譽。冠成之後榮扇逾遠。貌象西梵言寔東華。含嚼珠玉變態天挺。剖斷飛流殆非積學。對晤帝王。神理增其恒習。決滯疑議。聽眾忘其久疲。然而愛狎風流不拘檢約。貞素之識或所譏焉。加又縱達論宗頗懷簡略。御眾之德非其所長。在昔陳隋廢興。江陰凌亂。道俗波迸。各棄城邑乃率其所屬往諸寺中。但是文疏並皆收聚。置于三間堂內。及平定後方洮簡之。故目學之長勿過於藏。注引宏廣咸由此焉。講三論一百餘遍。法華三百餘遍。大品智論華嚴維摩等各數十遍。並著玄疏盛流於世。及將終日。製死不怖論。落筆而卒。詞云。略舉十門以為自慰。夫含齒戴髮。無不愛生而畏死者。不體之故也。夫死由生來。宜畏於生。吾若不生何由有死。見其初生即知終死。宜應泣生不應怖死。文多不載。慧遠依承侍奉俊悟當時。敷傳法化光嗣餘景。末投迹于藍田之悟真寺。時講京邑亟動眾心。人世即目故不廣敘。 > Shi Jizang. His secular surname was An, and he was originally of Parthian descent. In his ancestors' generation, they fled an enmity and migrated to the Southern Sea, thereupon making their home between Jiao and Guang prefectures. Later they relocated to Jinling, where Jizang was born. When he was still a child, his father brought him to see Paramārtha and requested that he name him. Paramārtha asked what ambitions the father harbored for him, \[then said\] he could be named Jizang ('Auspicious Store'); he was consequently named thus. For generations his family had revered the Buddha, and the household engaged in no other concern. Later, his father renounced the household life under the name Daoliang, diligently delivering himself from worldly bonds with an austere discipline matched by few. Begging for food and listening to the Dharma he took as his constant practice. Every day, carrying his bowl and returning barefoot, he entered the stūpa to offer food before all the Buddha images; only after sharing it in distribution would he himself eat. Even regarding nasal mucus, spittle, and bodily waste, he would first catch them in his hand and offer them to beings fit to feed on them before casting them far away; in such earnest and attentive conduct he never suffered a lapse. Liang constantly brought Jizang to hear Master Daolang of Xinghuang Monastery lecture. Grasping and understanding what he heard, his comprehension seemed innate. At the age of seven he went to Daolang and renounced the household life. Exploring profound principles, each day brought forth new and subtle understandings. Wherever he inquired, he marvelously penetrated the essential import; in debate, his points stood singularly above those of his peers. His diction was rich, free-flowing, magnanimous, and full of extraordinary turns. At the age of nineteen, when recapitulating \[lectures\] before the assembly, the spearhead of his exquisite debate roamed freely, and in receiving and matching the prominent figures of the time he possessed grace to spare. His reputation mounted in the capital of Yang, shedding luster upon the fellowship of students. After he received the full precepts, his fame grew even higher. King Guiyang of the Chen dynasty, admiring his deportment and the tenets he articulated, esteemed and venerated him. When the Sui subjugated the Baiyue lands, he traveled east to Qinwang Mountain, residing at Jiaxiang Monastery where he expounded \[the teachings\] as was his custom. Yu's Cave became like a marketplace, with more than a thousand seeking the Dharma; his aspiration lay in transmitting the lamp so that the wheel of the Dharma might roll uninterrupted. In the late years of the Kaihuang reign, Emperor Yang, when he was Prince of Jin, established four sanctuaries, supplied by the state administration, actively seeking out and elevating prominent members of both the Buddhist and Daoist traditions. Because Jizang's fame and doctrinal understanding were renowned, he was summoned to enter Huiri Sanctuary, where he was treated with lavish courtesy and rewarded far beyond his peers. The Prince also established Riyen Monastery in the capital and issued a special instruction inviting Jizang to reside there, intending thereby to make the Dao flourish in the Central Plains and exalt his practice in the imperial capital. Upon his arrival in the capital, clergy and laity rushed to him like clouds. Looking upon his presence, he was towering and aloof above the crowd; listening to his speech, it was like the beating of bells and drums or the roll of thunder. Jizang wandered among the renowned monastic centers and lightly exhibited his verbal eloquence; everyone closed their mouths and refrained from speaking, scarcely able to face him in dialogue. Now, the capital especially delighted in and valued the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra; taking advantage of this inclination, he immediately unfolded and analyzed it. At that time, there was Dhyāna Master Tanxian, a herald of the dhyāna school, whose established achievements shone brightly and at whose feet clergy and laity walked. He was the first to extend an invitation, imploring Jizang to expound the overarching tenets; the sevenfold assembly, hearing the news, came in their tens of thousands. Crowding and overflowing the halls, they poured out in all four directions; even though canopies were stretched and wide mats laid outdoors, it was still heavily congested. Noble clans and high officials gave freely of their gold and cowrie shells, while devout upāsakas and monastic companions all yearned for his fragrant demeanor. Jizang's Dharma-teachings were inexhaustible, and material offerings piled high. In accordance with circumstances, he distributed them to establish various fields of merit; what remained in surplus was used to supply the ten inexhaustible stores. Jizang entrusted Tanxian to assist the needy with compassionate and respectful care. During the Renshou reign-period, a large statue at Qu Chi, rising a hundred feet high, had been under construction for a long time, but the torso was still incomplete. Jizang went to reside there, vowing to erect it. Giving up his six personal monastic belongings and relying upon the four conditions, within ten days donations arrived continuously; he immediately used them for adornment, and the statue towered aloft with brilliant radiance. Thus Jizang's power of merit could move the hearts of beings, and in all his undertakings none failed to be accomplished. King Jian of Qi under the Sui had long admired his repute; seeing him once, his joy was supreme, though he did not yet know the depths of Jizang's spiritual mind. He then invited him to his residence along with learned debaters; eminent scholars of the capital numbering over sixty gathered together, all of whom were renowned figures who had broken the enemy's vanguard in dialectics. Jizang served as the master of debate. At the start of the exposition, he stated: 'With a timid heart I ascend the seat of fearlessness; with a tongue of clumsy wood I expound words that bring a smile to the lips.' Thus he spoke for several hundred lines. The Prince turned to scholar Fu Dechong and said, 'Before we have even clashed weapons to confront the adversary, if we only look at what has just been uttered, I fear few could keep pace with him.' Dechong replied, 'Every word he uttered forms a cogent discourse; this is evident today.' The Prince and his staff all praised him with deep admiration. At that time, the śramaṇa Sengcan called himself the 'Debater of Three Kingdoms'; his eloquence poured forth like a cascading river, refuting arguments wherever he spoke. He was the first to mount a challenge, trading questions and answers back and forth for over forty rounds. Jizang's replies soared and dashed like a torrential stream, abundant and surging; in between, he displayed great poise, and his rhetoric was deployed with elegance. The entire assembly was moved and humbled, withdrawing in deference. Thereupon his illustrious reputation was elevated further, quite breaking beyond what it had been before. The Prince considered that not everything had been fully aired, so he extended the gathering for two more days, taking up doctrinal themes to have them contested once more; none could stand against Jizang. The Prince bowed to the ground in gratitude, took permanent refuge in him as his master, and offered an auspicious chowry along with various robes and items. Later, in the opening years of the Daye era, Jizang copied two thousand copies of the Lotus Sūtra. As the Sui dynasty came to an end, he crafted twenty-five revered statues, vacated his living quarters to enshrine them, and resided in a humble chamber himself. Morning and evening in succession, he exhausted his devotion in repentance and worship. Furthermore, he separately installed an image of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva with the same canopy and curtains as before; facing it in person, he sat in dhyāna and contemplated the principle of true reality, continuing through accumulated years without neglect. When the righteous uprising of the Great Tang reached the capital, Emperor Gaozu personally summoned the Buddhist community to an audience beneath the Qianhua Gate. The assembly, knowing Jizang's renowned discernment, pushed him forward to speak on their behalf. Jizang said, 'The four classes of people were in distress; taking advantage of the moment, Your Majesty has rescued the drowning. Clergy and laity alike rejoice and depend upon you, looking up to the blessings of Heaven.' Emperor Gaozu was delighted and inquired after his welfare with intense care, oblivious to the shifting shadows. After speaking for a long time, the Emperor issued a special edict granting exceptional favors, far surpassing ordinary decorum. In the early years of Wude, as monastic offenses were intricately tangled, ten bhadantas were appointed to regulate monastic affairs according to the original plan; Jizang was positioned as one of them. Shiji and Dingshui Monasteries, both revering his lineage, continuously invited him to reside with them; he accepted both wishes and resided alternately between the two. King Yuanji of Qi, having long admired his virtuous demeanor, personally received his teachings, and further requested him to reside at Yanxing Monastery, offering various unusual provisions. Jizang responded according to circumstances without being attached to any fixed course. As Jizang's years and vigor gradually waned, his ailments frequently worsened. Imperial orders conferred fine medicine, and palace messengers followed one another in succession. Estimating that his condition was extremely grave and difficult to cure, and that his life, like suspended dew, would not last long, he submitted a final memorial to the Emperor, stating: 'Your servant Jizang is old and burdened with illness; my virtue is meager and my person humble. By imperial favor I received miraculous remedies and briefly recovered; however, the wind disorder has suddenly worsened, and my life is at its dawn or dusk. Overcome by grief and longing, I submit this final memorial to take my leave. I humbly pray that Your Majesty long abide in the world to bring peace to the state, compassionately succor the four kinds of born beings, and bring prosperity to the Triratna.' He also drafted final letters to the Crown Prince and the various princes, entrusting them with the great Dharma. When morning came, he requested hot water to bathe, put on fresh, clean robes, and instructed the attendant to burn incense and invoke the Buddha's name. Jizang sat cross-legged with solemn mindfulness, appearing to wear a joyful countenance. As the time for the midday meal approached, he quietly passed away. His age was seventy-five; this occurred in the fifth month of the sixth year of Wude \[623 CE\]. He left instructions to leave his corpse exposed, yet his complexion grew even clearer and whiter. An edict was issued to convey condolences and funerary gifts, commanding that a stone niche be found in the Southern Mountains to place him. The Crown Prince down to the princes and dukes all sent letters of condolence and presented gifts of money and silk. The present Emperor, when he was still the Prince of Qin, had revered him with special devotion; he sent a general message of condolence, stating: 'All conditioned things are impermanent. Master Jizang's path succored the three vehicles; his fame soared above the ten stages. His mind held wide the prajñā; the garden of his eloquence encompassed liberation. Just as he was about to plant virtue in the Pure Land and propagate the teaching in the meditation groves, how could one anticipate that the heavy dew would dry in the morning, and the wind of karma blow through the world? Taking eternal leave of the Jetavana, the pine gates have abruptly closed. Added to this, his moving last words and extant parting wishes remain; though his traces abide, the master is gone, deepening our sorrow and grief.' They conveyed his remains to Zhixiang Monastery on the Southern Mountains. It was scorching hot at the time; seated upon a corded chair, his corpse did not decompose or give off an odor, and his cross-legged posture did not collapse. His disciple Huiyuan carried on his tradition, collected his remaining bones, cut into the rock to inter them on the northern cliff, and practiced virtue beside the site. In his early years, when Jizang was a śrāmaṇera, his illustrious name spread far and wide; after capping, his glory reached even further. His appearance resembled a Western Indian, while his speech was truly of the Eastern Flower. Uttering pearls and jade, his manner was endowed by Heaven; his swift-flowing eloquence in settling disputes was scarcely the result of gradual learning. When in audiences with emperors and kings, his spiritual bearing was even more refined than usual; when unraveling perplexities and disputations, listeners forgot their long fatigue. Yet he was fond of familiar sociability and elegance, refusing to be bound by rigid constraints; those of strict and plain disposition sometimes criticized him for this. Moreover, being profoundly unhindered in the treatises, he was somewhat given to abbreviation; the virtue of governing a congregation was not his strong suit. Formerly, during the rise and fall of Chen and Sui, when Jiangyin was thrown into turmoil and clergy and laity scattered in flight, each abandoning cities and towns, Jizang led his followers to various monasteries. Wherever there were commentaries and tracts, he gathered them all together, placing them inside a three-bay hall; only after peace was restored did he sort and select them. Therefore, none surpassed Jizang in the breadth of book-learning, and the great scope of his citations all stemmed from this. He lectured on the Three Treatises more than a hundred times, on the Lotus Sūtra more than three hundred times, and on the Large Prajñāpāramitā, the Dazhidulun, the Avataṃsaka, and the Vimalakīrti each several dozen times; he also composed commentaries on their profound meanings which circulated widely in the world. When his last day was approaching, he composed the Treatise on Not Fearing Death (Si bu pa lun) and passed away just as the brush was set down. Its words said: 'I briefly present ten approaches for my own comfort. Now, all who possess teeth and hair cherish life and dread death; this is because they do not comprehend reality. Death comes from birth, so one ought rather to fear birth. If I were not born, how could there be death? Seeing someone first born, one knows they must eventually die; one should weep for birth and should not fear death.' The text is extensive and is not recorded here. Huiyuan, who attended upon him and carried on his teaching, was exceptionally gifted in his time; he unfolded and transmitted the Dharma, carrying on the leftover radiance. In his later years he settled at Wuzhen Monastery in Lantian; his frequent lecturing in the capital deeply moved people's hearts. Since his deeds are still witnessed by people today, they are not detailed here. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 11.25](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.11.25) - [Next: 11.27](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.11.27) - [Up: 11](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.11) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060~en-mt.11.26) — English, machine translation ## Linked texts (2) - [法華傳記](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2068.2.42) — Classical Chinese - [弘贊法華傳](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2067.3.5) — Classical Chinese --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.11.26](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.11.26) · Pramāṇa