[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) › 14.17 # 續高僧傳 14.17 續高僧傳 14.17 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [14.17](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.14.17) 釋智琰。字明璨。俗姓朱氏。吳郡吳人祖獻梁員外散騎侍郎。父珉陳奉朝請。琰託質華宗。應生觀德。母氏張夫人。初懷孕日。夢升通玄寺塔。登相輪而坐。遠視臨虛曾無懼色。斯乃得道超生之勝兆。人師無上之奇徵。是知二曜入懷。雙龍枕膝。弗能及也。誕育之後取異儕童。秀氣貞心早形瞻視。八歲出家。事通玄璩法師為弟子。提屨持衣恭侍弗怠。瀉瓶執杓受道彌勤。年十二。妙法華經通誦一部。明悟聽察咸謂神童。乃自惟曰。翼翼京邑四方是則。何得久拘坎井乎。時年十六。即日出都。聽報恩持法師講成實論。聰慧夙成深智開發。故得條振穎披後來莫二。屬持公南上法筵用輟。因還故里覲省二親。仍於本寺開弘經法。峯堞峻峙辯對如流。時年十九。莫不嗟其少秀。逾年返京從泰皇寺延法師進具。德瓶儀鉢深護戒根。大莊嚴寺㬭法師。慧重中原名高日下。乃依而請道重研新實。意得情欵功倍由來。誠驥足之逢善馭也。陳至德三年。建仁王齊集。百師百坐。競流天口之辯。千燈七夜。爭折動神之微。時年二十有二。以英少之質參諸耆德。通情則高衝折機。縱難亦大車柅軸。皇上欣賞百辟嗟稱。莫不愛其閑典服其敏捷。每以人世囂雜。幽栖清曠。屬陳氏喪鼎。便事東歸削迹武丘。將三十載。憑巖面壑。任三業而閑安。酌㵎披松。隨四儀而宴處。雖形隱而名揚。亦道潛而化洽於是八方歸仰四部虔心。尚書令楚國公楊素。經文緯武。王佐國均。乘貴負才。未嘗許物。行軍淮海。聞琰道勝栖山。鳴鐃赴隴傾蓋承顏。五體投誠。恨接足之晚。左僕射邳國公蘇威。重道愛仁彌賞閑放。奉使吳越躬造山楹。覩貌餐音虔拜欣躍。煬帝居蕃。惟揚作鎮。大招英彥遠集賢明。琰既道盛名高。教書爰及。慮使乎之負罪。嗟以已之累人。於是披衣出谷蒙敬厚禮。因以辭疾得返舊山。隋文遠欽爰降書問。屬炎曆有終鋒鏑騰沸。四海同弊三吳益甚。檀越子弟迎出毘壇。首尾十載化行帝部。大唐統宇咸返舊居。武德七年。蘇州總管武陽公李世嘉。與內外公私同共奉迎。還歸山寺。於是禪賓慧侶更復曩時。龍沼鳳林信為懷喜。然琰自他兩化得離俱修。講念之餘。常行法華金光明普賢等懺又誦法華三千餘遍。感應冥祥神瑞非一。宵爐未爇自起煙芬。夕鑵纔空潛加溢水。又願生淨土。造彌陀像。行三種淨業。修十六妙觀。與州內檀越五百餘人。每月一集建齋講觀。勝輪相踵將逾十載。與夫般若臺內匡俗山陰共誓同期。何以異也。後見疾浹旬大漸。斯及誡訓慈切。眾侶哀涼。以貞觀八年十月十一日旦。遷神武丘之東寺。春秋七十一。其月二十二日。窆于寺之南嶺。遠近奔馳皂素通集。花香亂空野哀慟若雲雷。自有送終。奚復過也。惟琰幼小矜莊立性端儼。精誠在操苦節彌勤。口辭雜味日無再飯。非義理而不履。非法言而不談。美貌奇姿乃超眾表。牆岸整肅氷雪凜懷。陳臨海王弟道安法師。厭世出家內外通博。沙門遍知學優業淨。交遊二子。時號三英。及屏志林泉永絕人世。芳風令德蹊逕成規。莫不迴旟造山親傳香法。信法海之朝宗。釋門之棟幹矣。講涅槃法華維摩各三十遍。講觀經一百一十遍。常州弘業寺沙門法宣曰。余與法師昔同京縣狎道華年。今接善隣敦交暮齒。雖攀桂之歡或舛。而折麻之贈不遺。想清顏之如在。悲德音之已寂。愧披文於色絲。終寄言於貞石。乃與寺主智峯等。共樹高碑。在于寺宇。 > Shi Zhiyan, whose courtesy name was Mingcan, had the secular surname of Zhu. He was a native of Wu in Wujun. His grandfather, Xian, served as an extra cavalry attendant gentleman (yuanwai sanqi shilang) under the Liang; his father, Min, served as a court attendee (fengchaoqing) under the Chen. Zhiyan was born into an illustrious lineage, naturally manifesting virtue from birth. When his mother, Lady Zhang, first conceived, she dreamt that she ascended the pagoda of Tongxuan Monastery, sat upon its dew-dish wheels, and looked into the distance over the void without any fear whatsoever. This was an auspicious omen of attaining the Way and transcending ordinary birth, a wondrous sign of an unsurpassed teacher of humanity. One thus knows that \[the portents of\] the two luminaries entering the bosom or twin dragons pillowed on the knees could not rival it. After he was born, he was distinguished from other children. His elegant aura and steadfast heart early showed in his bearing and gaze. At the age of eight he entered the monastic order, serving Dharma Master Qu of Tongxuan Monastery as his disciple. He carried the sandals and held the robes, serving respectfully without flagging; like pouring into a vase or wielding the ladle, his reception of the Way was all the more assiduous. At the age of twelve, he had recited through the entirety of the Lotus Sūtra. In his brilliant understanding, hearing, and discernment, all hailed him as a divine child. He then reflected to himself: 'The magnificent capital is the standard for the four directions; how could I be confined long within a shallow well?' At the age of sixteen, he set out for the capital that very day. He listened to Dharma Master Chi of Bao'en Monastery lecture on the \*Tattvasiddhi-śāstra\*. His intelligence was early perfected, and his profound wisdom unfolded; thus he was able to make the branches flourish and the ears open, with no peer among later generations. When Master Chi went south and the Dharma assembly was suspended, Zhiyan returned to his native place to visit his parents. Thereupon he propagated the scriptural teachings at his home temple. His \[arguments\] rose like crags and parapets, his dialectical responses flowing like water. He was then nineteen, and none failed to marvel at his youthful excellence. After a year passed, he returned to the capital to receive the full precepts from Dharma Master Yan of Taihuang Monastery. His moral vessel and exemplary begging bowl profoundly guarded the roots of the precepts. Dharma Master Yao of Dazhuangyan Monastery was revered for his wisdom in the Central Plains and celebrated under the sun; Zhiyan thereupon relied upon him and requested instruction, thoroughly investigating the new and the actual. Attaining its meaning with true devotion, his accomplishments doubled from before; truly it was the leg of a steed meeting a skilled driver. In the third year of the Zhide era of the Chen (585), the Renwang fast assembly was established. A hundred masters sat upon a hundred seats, competing in the eloquence of heavenly tongues; for seven nights with a thousand lamps, they vied in discerning subtleties that moved the spirits. At that time, he was twenty-two; possessing the quality of youthful brilliance, he participated among all the venerable elders. When conveying meaning, he soared high and broke the crucial points; when raising objections, his arguments were like the axle-pins of a great carriage. The emperor admired him and all the court officials praised him; none failed to love his composed elegance and defer to his swift agility. Constantly feeling that human society was noisy and chaotic, he sought secluded dwelling in pure openness. When the Chen dynasty lost its cauldrons, he accordingly went east and erased his tracks at Wuqiu for nearly thirty years. Leaning on crags and facing ravines, he was at ease in the three modes of karma; ladling from mountain streams and parting the pine branches, he rested serenely in accordance with the four deportments. Although his form was hidden, his name spread; although his Way was concealed, his transformation reached far and wide. Thereupon all eight directions turned to him with devotion, and the fourfold assembly harboured reverent hearts. Yang Su, the Director of the Department of State Affairs and Duke of the State of Chu, was accomplished in both civil and military arts, serving as the sovereign's counselor and balancing the realm; relying on his noble status and proud of his talent, he seldom deferred to anyone. While marching his troops through the Huai and sea regions, he heard that Zhiyan's Way excelled and that he was dwelling in the mountains. Sounding cymbals, he hastened to the hill, tipped his carriage-canopy to gaze upon Zhiyan's face, and bowed fully with wholehearted faith, regretting only having been so late to touch his feet. Su Wei, the Left Vice-Director of the Department of State Affairs and Duke of the State of Pi, revered the Way and loved benevolence, admiring peaceful seclusion above all. Dispatched on a mission to Wu and Yue, he personally visited the mountain hermitage; beholding Zhiyan's appearance and drinking in his voice, he made reverent prostrations, leaping with joy. When Emperor Yang was still an imperial prince, he garrisoned Weiyang and gathered eminent talents, assembling the virtuous and wise from afar. Since Zhiyan's Way was flourishing and his name was prominent, an official letter was sent to summon him. Fearing that the envoy would incur blame, and lamenting that he himself should cause trouble for others, he put on his robes and emerged from the valley, receiving deep respect and generous courtesy. He then used illness as an excuse to return to his old mountain. Emperor Wen of the Sui admired him from afar and sent letters to inquire after him. When the fiery mandate of the Sui reached its end, spearheads and arrowheads surged and boiled. The four seas were equally afflicted, and the Sanwu region was troubled even worse. His donors and disciples welcomed him out to Pitan, where for ten years from beginning to end his transformative influence operated in the imperial city. When the Great Tang unified the realm, he returned to his old dwelling. In the seventh year of the Wude era (624), Li Shijia, Area Commander of Suzhou and Duke of Wuyang, together with court officials, commoners, public and private persons, respectfully welcomed him back to the mountain monastery. Thereupon meditation guests and wise companions once again gathered as in former days; the dragon pools and phoenix groves were truly places that brought delight to the heart. Moreover, Zhiyan practiced both transforming himself and transforming others, cultivating both attainment and detachment together. In the intervals between lecturing and mindfulness, he constantly practiced the Lotus repentance, the Golden Light repentance, the Samantabhadra repentance, and others. He also recited the Lotus Sūtra more than three thousand times. His spiritual resonances and miraculous portents were not singular: before the evening censer was lit, fragrant smoke would spontaneously rise; when the evening ewer had just been emptied, it would silently fill to overflowing with water. Furthermore, he vowed to be born in the Pure Land, fashioned an image of Amitābha, practiced the three kinds of pure karma, and cultivated the sixteen wonderful contemplations. Together with more than five hundred donors of the prefecture, he gathered once every month to establish a fast and lecture on the contemplations; these excellent cycles followed one after another for over ten years. Compared with making a mutual vow with the same goal within the Prajñā Terrace at the northern foot of Mount Kuang, how could it be different? Later, he contracted an illness, and after a ten-day period, his condition grew critical. When it came to this point, his admonitions were compassionate and earnest; the assembly of companions was sorrowful and grieved. At dawn on the eleventh day of the tenth month in the eighth year of the Zhenguan era (634), his spirit departed at the East Monastery of Wuqiu, at the age of seventy-one. On the twenty-second day of that month, he was interred on the southern ridge of the monastery. From near and far, monastics and laypeople rushed together in an assembled crowd; flowers and incense filled the air, and wailing resounded like clouds and thunder. For funerals that have taken place, what could surpass this? Zhiyan was reserved and solemn from his youth, upright and dignified by nature. His utmost sincerity lay in his moral conduct, and his austere discipline was ever more diligent. His mouth abstained from assorted flavours, and he did not eat twice a day. If it was not according to principle, he would not tread upon it; if it was not Dharma speech, he would not utter it. His handsome appearance and extraordinary bearing surpassed that of the multitude. His moral bulwark was disciplined and austere, and his spirit was chilling like ice and snow. Dharma Master Da'an, the younger brother of the King of Linhai of the Chen dynasty, renounced secular life out of weariness with the world, and was thoroughly versed in both internal \[Buddhist\] and external \[non-Buddhist\] learning. The śramaṇa Bianzhi had superior learning and pure practice. Zhiyan associated with these two men, and at the time they were called the 'Three Talents'. When he hid his purpose in the forests and springs, cutting himself off forever from the world of men, his fragrant conduct and fine virtue formed pathways for others to follow; none failed to turn their chariots and visit the mountain to receive the fragrant Dharma in person. Truly he was the converging sea of the Dharma, the ridgepole and pillar of the Buddhist house! He lectured on the \*Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra\*, the \*Lotus Sūtra\*, and the \*Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa\* thirty times each, and lectured on the \*Guanjing\* one hundred and ten times. The śramaṇa Faxuan of Hongye Monastery in Changzhou said: 'In the past, the Dharma Master and I shared the capital district and were close companions in the prime of our youth. Now, as good neighbours, our friendship has grown deeper in our twilight years. Although our joys in gathering cassia were sometimes at variance, our gifts of plucked hemp were never neglected. Imagining his pure countenance as if still present, I grieve that his virtuous voice is already silenced. Ashamed of unfolding my writing on coloured silk, I ultimately entrust these words to chaste stone.' Thereupon, together with the temple prior Zhifeng and others, he erected a tall stele within the monastery grounds. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 14.16](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.14.16) - [Next: 14.18](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.14.18) - [Up: 14](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.14) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060~en-mt.14.17) — English, machine translation ## Linked texts (1) - [弘贊法華傳](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2067.3.8) — Classical Chinese --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.14.17](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.14.17) · Pramāṇa