[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) › 14.29 # 續高僧傳 14.29 續高僧傳 14.29 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [14.29](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.14.29) 釋慧持。姓周。汝南人也。開皇初年。父任豫章太守。因而生焉。少機警美姿制。栖遊之方欣其言晤。履歷名邦將挹道化。初達丹陽開善寺。投滿法師而為息慈。令誦大品。日通五紙。斯經易誦難持。而能文句無爽。時共美之。年登冠具。身長七尺色相光偉。執持威容不妄迴視。故俗又目曰象王持也。乃聽東安莊法師。又聽高麗實法師三論。鉤探幽極門學所高。兼善老莊易史。談玄之次寄言洗理。越公楊素治兵淮海。聞風造展。歎其清悟曰。斯寔絕倫之僧也。隋末避難往越州住弘道寺。常講三論大品涅槃華嚴莊老。累年不絕。立志堅白。書翰有聞。不出寺門將三十載。加坐不臥勤苦至終。以貞觀十六年八月二十三日旦。告弟子曰。吾欲往他方教化。急作食。及時至三下。前食還房。加坐繩床斂容而逝。弟子謂言入定。三日任之。會稽丞杜伏護者蔬素長齋。依常參拜聞有異香方知久化。跏結鏗然伸而不得。乃坐送大禹山。都督已下玄素萬餘人。悲歎相嗟至于殮所。春秋六十八矣。 > Shi Huichi, whose secular surname was Zhou, was a native of Runan. In the early years of the Kaihuang reign, his father served as Grand Protector of Yuzhang, where \[Huichi\] was consequently born. In his youth he was alert and possessed a fine bearing; those in monastic circles rejoiced in conversation with him. Traveling through famous commanderies, he sought to imbibe the transformational influence of the Way. First arriving at Kaishan Temple in Danyang, he took refuge under Master Man to become a novice. He was made to chant the Pañcaviṃśati, mastering five sheets a day. This sūtra is easy to recite but difficult to uphold, yet he made not a single error in phrases and sentences, winning universal praise at the time. Reaching adulthood and full ordination, he stood seven feet tall, with a magnificent and radiant appearance. Maintaining a dignified deportment, he never turned his gaze carelessly, so the laity also referred to him as "Elephant King Chi." He then listened to Master Zhuang of Dong'an and also listened to Master Shi of Goguryeo on the Three Treatises. Penetrating deeply into their profound subtleties, he was highly regarded among his fellow students. In addition, he was well-versed in Laozi, Zhuangzi, the Yijing, and histories; while discoursing on the mysterious, he used words to elucidate principle. When Duke of Yue Yang Su commanded troops in the Huaihai region, he heard of his renown and came to visit him, marveling at his clear perception: "This is truly an unmatched monk!" In the late Sui, escaping troubles, he went to Yuezhou and resided at Hongdao Temple, constantly lecturing on the Three Treatises, the Pañcaviṃśati, the Nirvāṇa Sūtra, the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, Zhuangzi, and Laozi year after year without interruption. His resolve was firm and pure; he was noted for his calligraphy. For nearly thirty years he did not step outside the temple gate, sitting cross-legged without lying down, persisting diligently until the end. At dawn on the twenty-third day of the eighth month in the sixteenth year of the Zhenguan reign, he told his disciples: "I wish to go to another realm to teach and convert. Hurry and prepare food." When the third bell struck, he ate the morning meal, returned to his room, sat cross-legged on a rope-woven couch, composed his countenance, and passed away. His disciples thought he had entered samādhi and left him for three days. Du Fuhu, Vice Magistrate of Kuaiji, who was a lifelong vegetarian, came to pay respects as usual and smelled an extraordinary fragrance, only then realizing he had long passed away. He was locked in the lotus posture so rigidly that he could not be straightened out; thus they carried him sitting to Mount Dayu. From the Area Commander on down, more than ten thousand clergy and laity lamented and mourned in distress all the way to the burial place. His age was sixty-eight. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 14.28](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.14.28) - [Next: 14.30](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.14.30) - [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.14.29) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.14.29](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.14.29) · Pramāṇa