續高僧傳 12.25

12.25

釋敬脫。不詳姓氏。汲郡人也。童少出家。以孝行清直知名。雖該覈小大偏明成實。講解周鏡不虧聲問。開張衢術章疏惟新。為後學宗仰。又善聲韻兼通字體。蒼雅林統識其科蹤。文章篇什頗豫倫伍。同住房院罕見餘談。手不輟卷專師廣贍。威儀修整未曾反顧。身極長大充滿圓成。時共目之以為僧傑。人有達於帝者。乃追住慧日。四海齊架又無與競。志節堅正最為稱首。帝欲試諸大德誰為剛亮。通命引入允武殿。勅監門郎將段文操。拔刀逐之令走。諸大德並趨步速往。唯脫緩步如常。語操曰卿何事以此相逼。及上殿坐語論佛理。帝徐顧操曰。眾僧素不知俗法。監門何得催耶。私異脫之大志也。勅賜大竹扇。面闊三尺。即令執用。并賜松抱高屧。令著於宮中而出。帝自送之曰。誠僧傑矣。爾後常弘成實無替時序。以大業十三年卒于東都鴻臚寺。春秋六十三。自脫之聽學也。常施荷擔母置一頭。經書及筆又置一頭。若至食時留母樹下。入村乞食用以充繼。其筆絕大麁管如臂可長三尺。方丈一字莫不高推。人有乞書者。紙但一字耳。風力遒逸覩之不厭。皆施諸壁上來往觀省。東都門額。皆脫所題。隨一賦筆更不修飾。時慧日有沙門法楞者。偏弘地論著述疏記。聲名相副見重道場。及于終世。以事聞奏。帝哀之。殯殮所資皆從天府。

Śramaṇa Jingtuo, whose surname is unknown, was a native of Jijun. He entered monastic life in his youth and was known for his filial conduct and pure uprightness. Although he comprehensively examined both the Hīnayāna and Mahāyāna, he was especially clear on the Tattvasiddhi-śāstra. His lectures were thorough and illuminating, never diminishing his fame; opening up new pathways, his commentaries and subcommentaries were entirely novel, making him an object of veneration for later scholars. Furthermore, he was skilled in phonology and fully understood script styles; he knew the classification and lineage of the Erya and Cang Jie Pian, and his literary compositions could well rank among the finest. Those living in the same cloister rarely saw him engage in idle conversation; he never put down his books, dedicating himself to broad erudition. His deportment was refined and decorous, and he never looked back over his shoulder. In stature he was tall and large, robust and dignified, and people of the time looked upon him as an outstanding paragon among monks. Someone brought word of him to the Emperor, who summoned him to reside at Huiri Temple. In standing equal with the eminent monks across the four seas, none could rival him; in firm integrity, he stood foremost. The Emperor, wishing to test which of the bhadantas possessed steadfast courage, summoned them into the Yunwu Hall. He ordered Duan Wencao, a commander of the palace gate guards, to draw his sword and chase them, forcing them to run. The various bhadantas all hurried away in rapid strides, but Tuo alone walked slowly as usual, saying to Cao: 'For what matter do you press me thus?' When they ascended the hall and sat to discuss Buddhist principles, the Emperor slowly looked at Cao and said: 'The monks have never known secular regulations; how could the palace guard rush them so?' In secret, he marveled at Tuo's great resolve. The Emperor decreed that he be granted a large bamboo fan, three feet wide across, ordering him to hold and use it, and also granted him high clogs made of embraced pine, ordering him to wear them as he walked out from the palace. The Emperor saw him off in person, saying: 'Truly a paragon among monks!' Thereafter, he constantly propagated the Tattvasiddhi without lapse through the changing seasons. In the thirteenth year of the Daye reign era, he passed away at Honglu Temple in the Eastern Capital at the age of sixty-three. From the time Tuo pursued his studies, he always used a carrying pole, placing his mother on one end and his scriptures and writing brushes on the other. When mealtime arrived, he would leave his mother under a tree and enter villages to beg for food to sustain her. His brush was exceptionally large, its thick shaft as broad as an arm and about three feet long. For a single character one zhang square, none failed to praise it highly. When someone requested his calligraphy, a sheet would contain only a single character. Its vigor and dynamic elegance were such that one never tired of viewing it, and people would affix them to walls to view and contemplate them as they passed by. The gate plaques of the Eastern Capital were all inscribed by Tuo; once his brush moved, he never retouched them. At that time, at Huiri Temple, there was a śramaṇa named Faleng, who specialized in propagating the Daśabhūmika-śāstra and composing commentaries and notes; his fame matched his ability, and he was held in high regard at the monastery. When he reached the end of his life, the matter was reported to the throne; the Emperor mourned him, and all provisions for his encoffining and burial were provided from the imperial treasury.